Year in Review: Part I

Don't say good-bye to 2011 just yet. Join us as we recount the good, the bad and the unique Mission Valley news stories that made headlines this past year.

January

Jan. 6 - Lake County was hit with heavy winds and between 18-22 inches of snow, which resulted in 74 crash-related calls to Lake County dispatch in the storm’s first 12 hours. Hundreds of brave souls ran into Flathead Lake in Woods Bay and Polson on New Year’s Day. Leader reporter Sasha Goldstein sat down with local hero Tomy Parker from his hospital bed in Bethesda, Md. The 2008 Ronan High School graduate lost both his legs and four fingers when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded beneath him while on foot patrol in Afghanistan.

Jan. 13 - Runners rang in the new year with Polson’s annual Jingle Bell Jog, raising $504 for Mission Valley Aquatics. Ronan High School prepared to host its Speech, Drama and Debate invitational. The Polson Police Department received a generous gift from the Lake County DUI Task Force, allowing the department to purchase new Portable Breath Test machines. Ronan City Council chose a new councilmember to fill the seat vacated by Ann Brower, who resigned after her term as Lake County Commissioner began on Jan. 1. Students from Lake, Sanders, Mineral and Lincoln counties tackled underage drinking with the Social Host Ordinance Bill, HB 0020. A rash of vehicle and residential break-ins around Ronan has the police department looking for a suspect – or suspects – in the crime. Amaya Jun Odell Shizuku, the first baby of the year, arrived at St. Luke Community Hospital in Ronan at 3:56 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 5.

Jan. 20 - Schools tackle the next generation of bullying: Cyberbullying. The Polson Rural Fire Board passes the controversial accident response fee structure. Mission Police Dept. approves overtime pay for its sole police officer who was put on administrative leave pending a Department of Criminal Investigations report. Ronan Police recovered 32 grams of marijuana, sandwich bags and a digital scale during a routine traffic stop in Ronan. Musical group Tribal Waves brought sounds of the Pacific Islands to Salish Kootenai College’s annual Diversity Fair.

Jan. 27 - More than 20 local firefighters responded to a house fire that destroyed a Polson family’s home in Valley View. Two tragic and untimely deaths rocked the Polson community. Polson’s Carmine Mowbray was voted to the vacant Senate District 6 seat from which Republican John Bruggeman resigned. Spicy chili, lively music, dancing and layers upon layers of winter clothing helped chase away the winter blues at the Arlee Winter Fashion Show and Chili Cook-off. Mission Valley Aquatics solidified the Ridgewater building site and made plans to begin surveying the land in preparation for a June dig date.

February

Feb. 3 - The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes dropped an appeal to the federal government that challenged the court’s September decision rescinding an annual funding agreement for management of the National Bison Range in Moiese. An extensive three-day search ended in success after a 30-year-old woman went missing near Mission. Wacky winter weather caused headaches for street crews charged with keeping mounting piles of precipitation in check.

Feb. 10 - Hundreds showed up to Polson Middle School to show their support for the Barr and Reilley families. Two Polson teens, Zacharie Martin and Dakotah Jensen, face felony charges related to allegations that they had sex with minors under the age of consent. The number of Pertussis, or Whooping Cough, cases continued to rise throughout Northwest Montana. Members of a group “Stand for Peace” at the Lake County Courthouse every Monday, sharing their message with passersby. The Lake County Ag Expo featured information for local farmers and ranchers, as well as fun for the whole family.

Feb. 17 - Fish, Wildlife and Parks reported there are no exotic mussels in Flathead Lake after a series of studies failed to turn up evidence that there were. The Polson Rural Fire Board appointed an accident review committee tasked with approving billing for motor vehicle accidents on a case-by-case basis. Mission Police Chief Tony Buff and officer Scott Sciaretta resigned, leaving the department with just one officer on staff. Community members and Polson High School staff came out in full force to support assistant principal Shawn Hendrickson, but despite the turnout, the school board voted to not renew Hendrickson’s contract with the district. Vocal Lake County Sheriff’s Office critic, Terry Leonard, has his seized items returned after allegations that he had broken Montana’s campaign laws.

Feb. 24 - Tomy Parker returned home to Ronan for the first time since his injury in Afghanistan. Hundreds of people greeted Tomy in Missoula and a line of cars as far as the eye could see escorted the local hero home from the airport. On Saturday, a benefit fundraiser brought visitors from all over the Northwest to Ronan, and Tomy shook hands with just about every one of them. Representatives from the state and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes met to discuss water rights on the reservation. Jore Corporation won an award for producing an 18,000 drill bit order without one complaint about the quality.

March

March 3 - Polson residents camped out in a teepee in front of the Wander Inn for a week to raise money for Soup’s On, a program that provides healthy, free meals to the hungry. The Polson Area Transportation Plan and U.S. Highway 93 Corridor Study meeting revealed 12 possible routes for roadways through, or around, Polson. Robert Deneault was arraigned on charges of sexual intercourse without consent and sexual assault, both felonies. Jocko Valley Trails received a $10,000 grant from Bikes Belong.

March 10 - Lake County residents attended an informational meeting on spring flooding risks, which were high because of the deep snow in the mountains and above-average precipitation in March. Preventative health cuts were making their way through the Montana legislature, particularly the Tobacco Use Prevention Program was under the knife. Charlo senior Spencer Shafter took on the roles of scriptwriter, actor and director for the school’s winter play, a parody on reality TV.

March 17 - Lake County spellers duked it out for a trip to the state spelling bee in Ronan with Ronan sixth grader Jacob Broughton taking home the top prize. Suicide prevention was a hot topic in Lake County as a bill passed the legislature that cut funding to the statewide program. Runners sweat it out in the March Meltdown 5 and 10K races in Polson. Charlo fourth grader Lane Smyth qualified for the Montana State Geography Bee in Billings. Spring Mack Days hits the ground running with anglers reeling in 2,358 entries logged over the first weekend alone.

March 24 - Readers got an in-depth look at the Ronan High School robotics team, which qualified for the FIRST World Tournament in St. Louis, Mo. after winning a competition in Bozeman on Feb. 4. Local farmers, co-op agencies, grocery stores and non-profit groups gathered in Ronan to learn from Ken Meter, an expert of local food economics. Ronan Marine Tomy Parker took his first steps on prosthetic legs just three months after his injury. Teachers packed into the St. Ignatius school board meeting to protest several of the board’s actions, including that superintendent Bob Lewandowski had received a $14,800 raise. A proposed gray wolf delisting settlement was reached where wolves would be delisted on an interim basis and management would be controlled by the state. The Jocko Mixing Booth gives Arlee students a voice. St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated in Ronan and Polson.

March 31 - Former Vice President of the Polson branch of the Whitefish Credit Union, Kathleen Louise Sammons, pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $675,000 from the bank over the course of 12 years. A Ronan man, Leonard Irvine, 56, was accused of providing drugs, alcohol and cigarettes to teenage girls from his home near the school. Cherry growers learn of a new threat, Drosophila suzukki, a fly with rapid reproduction and an ability to lay 100 to 300 eggs at a time. Cub Scouts from the Silver Tip District competed in the annual Pinewood Derby. K. William Harvey hosts Family Science Night. The Human Rights Bureau dismissed a discrimination case against the city of Polson that was filed by resident Murat Kalinyaprak in 2009. The trial began for the 2009 car accident that killed 18-year-old Joshua Stubbs of Dixon.

April

April 7 - A district court jury returned a not guilty verdict for 24-year-old William Maus, the driver on trial for negligent vehicular homicide while under the influence for his involvement in the 2009 car accident that killed 18-year-old Joshua Stubbs of Dixon. Polson library director Marilyn Trosper was named Montana Librarian of the Year. Three Polson High School faculty earned a flight in a KC-135 military jet for helping to recruit students into the Montana Air National Guard. In a landmark settlement, the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus, parent organization to Jesuits in Montana, Alaska, Washington, Idaho and Oregon, agreed to pay $166.1 million to more than 500 survivors of sex abuse who filed claims spanning a 40-year period. Lake County law enforcement officials arrested four people during a routine compliance check. Veteran teacher and former Polson forensics coach, Mac Swan, was inducted into the Montana Forensic Educators Association Hall of Fame.

April 21 - The trial of Aaron Jess Spang, the 18-year-old Polson man accused of stabbing to death his mother’s boyfriend, began in district court. Polson and Charlo school districts eliminated a number of paraprofessional and non-tenured positions due to predicted budget cuts from the state legislature. The Leader highlights Karen and Neal Lewing, of Port Polson Players fame, who have made a huge cultural impact in town. Leonard James Irvine, the man accused of providing drugs and alcohol to teenage girls in Ronan, was denied a bond reduction by District Court Judge C.B. McNeil. A man accused of felony sex crimes had his bond reduced after the prosecution presented evidence he had contacted a relative under the age of 18, a violation of his conditions for release when he posted bond on March 8. A flood watch was extended to the Lower Flathead River due to record snowpack accumulations in the Mission Mountains. The Greater Polson Community Foundation received a $6,000 grant from the Montana Community Foundation. The unexpected birth of a foal on Wild Horse Island brought the island’s total to six wild horses.

April 28 - A district court jury returned two guilty verdicts for 19-year-old Aaron Jess Spang, who was convicted of mitigated deliberate homicide for stabbing to death his mother’s boyfriend, and possession of dangerous drugs, for the 300 grams of marijuana he was growing in his bedroom. Former Mission Valley Mariner pitcher Eric Locke threw his first collegiate no-hitter for Bellevue University in Omaha, Neb. Two bills involving aquatic invasive species were hot topics in the Montana legislature. Hundreds of youngsters scrambled to collect Easter eggs on Easter weekend. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Council took action to prohibit tribal members from possessing any bighorn sheep heads or parts if there is evidence of an illegal harvest. Polson school board candidates debated the issues prior to elections on May 3. Fire crews from St. Ignatius and the CSKT squelched a 15-acre blaze near the National Bison Range.