Ellington

Arlee Graduates

Down on the Farm

Obituaries

Births

Whitworth, Finley on student board

LAKE COUNTY – The Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction selected Polson High School junior Alyssa Whitworth, and Two Eagle River School junior, Jerome Finley as members of the statewide Student Advisory Board.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR Through June 4

FRIDAY, MAY 30

City, fire district agree to pursue joint advisory board

POLSON – The city commission unanimously approved a recommendation during a subdued meeting Monday to pursue creating a joint advisory committee between the city and rural fire departments. It came on the heels of an often-confrontational Rural Fire Board meeting Wednesday during which commissioners approved the same recommendation.

Dire Wolf: Local novelist illustrates challenges of PTSD

This dane is really great

POLSON -- For two years after his traumatic brain injury, veteran Bill Austin was mired in depression.

Vets back VFW, Daines

POLSON – What started as a visit from Montana’s lone congressman turned into a veterans’ honorary luncheon Saturday at the VFW here.

Polson scholars receive big dollars

Polson Dollars for Scholars awarded 23 scholarships totaling $32,500 to Polson High School seniors and Polson High School graduates who are currently attending an accredited two-year, four-year, community college, university or vocational school.

Daines focused on valley issues at brunch here

POLSON — Republican Steve Daines represents the entire state in Congress but he is focused on issues that affect his Mission Valley constituents during his Saturday visit to Polson.

Young named MonDak MVP

Polson’s Jake Young, a sophomore second baseman for Dawson Community College, was named the Mon-Dak Conference baseball most valuable player and to the National Junior College Athletic Association all-Region IX Division II team on Wednesday.

Community Calendar May 22-28

THURSDAY, MAY 22

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LOVATO AT LARGE: Free Fruit

Some well-intentioned Seattle dwellers decided to grow fruit trees in a city park. The fruit is free to everyone.

Paying Homage

MOIESE — Fourth and fifth graders from all over the Flathead Indian Reservation gathered in a remote part of the Moiese Valley last week to learn more about the Lower Flathead River and the importance of preserving and protecting it.

Lake Monsters swim long-course in Bozeman

BOZEMAN — Mission Valley’s Lake Monsters swim team performed extremely well in its first long-course meet this past weekend in Bozeman. The team, which formed last summer when the Mission Valley Aquatic Center opened, is quickly becoming a force in the Montana competitive swimming community.

"Rockin' to the Rhythm of Service" customer service training coming to Polson June 2

POLSON — Representatives of local convenience stores, lodging properties, visitor information centers, museums, outfitters, restaurants and any business greeting visitors to the area are invited, free of charge, to attend the popular “Rockin’ to the Rhythm of Service” seminar in Polson on Monday, June 2. The Polson Chamber of Commerce will host the training at the KwaTaqNuk Resort, 49708 US Highway 93, Polson from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Clouser Receives Teaching Award

St. Ignatius kindergarten teacher Brenda Clouser has received the 2014 Maryfrances Shreeve Award, an honor that is presented by the University of Montana and the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education & Human Services for excellence in teaching.

Ahlborn Repeats

RONAN — St. Ignatius High School senior Briar Ahlborn repeated her 2013 singles title by easily winning this year’s West B-C Divsional tennis championshp Saturday at Ronan High School.

Ronan's solo act

Alaina Madsen's arm has the Maidens sitting pretty and her teammates singing their pitcher's praises

RONAN — Ronan’s softball team has been playing a melody seldom heard in sports: the Maidens have been nearly unbeatable following a mid-season coaching change.

10Sticks falls at state tourney

WHITEFISH — 10Sticks club lacrosse traveled to Whitefish with the rest of the state’s teams to meet for the Montana Lacrosse Association tournament.

LOVATO AT LARGE: Free fruit

Some well-intentioned Seattle dwellers decided to grow fruit trees in a city park. The fruit is free to everyone.

Prep Softball Briefs - May 22

Letters - May 22

Polson hosts ABC invitational

POLSON — Andrew Weltz was the lone Polson athlete to win an event for the host team at the ABC Invitational, the Pirates’ last regular-season track meet of 2014.

Maidens take 6B crown

MISSOULA — Ronan’s girls’ track team raced to a win in the two-day District 6B track and field championships at Big Sky High School in Missoula on Friday and Saturday.

Pirates sweep Northwest A

KALISPELL — Polson’s netters dominated the headlines at the Northwest A divisional tournament last weekend.

Polson - Third Quarter Honor Rolls

4.0

Polson man charged with soliciting murder

POLSON – Lake County Sheriff’s deputies used some clues from unusual but well-known sources to arrest a Polson man for allegedly trying to hire a prison gang member to kill his ex-girlfriend so she couldn’t testify against him in a rape trial.

Mission kindergarten instructor receives teaching award

ST. IGNATIUS -- St. Ignatius kindergarten teacher Brenda Clouser has received the 2014 Maryfrances Shreeve Award, an honor presented by the University of Montana and the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education & Human Services for excellence in teaching.

Charlo sweeps 14C track titles

POLSON — Charlo’s boys’ and girls’ track teams took home the hardware from the District 14C track and field meet last Thursday in Polson.

Victims identified in fatal Ronan crash

Authorities have released the names of two women killed in a car crash outside of Ronan early Monday morning.

M's camp hosts record number

POLSON — The Mission Valley Mariners Baseball Camp hosted a record 76 youngsters Saturday, coach Jami Hanson said. Mariners players spent the morning instructing up-and-coming ballplayers in drills.

Ronan rehires Woll for 2014-15

RONAN — Ronan’s school board voted unanimously Thursday to rehire Steve Woll as the high school’s boys basketball coach Monday, less than two months after he had not been recommended for rehire by the school’s administration.

Twice would be nice

Polson's standout senior netters are still selfless team players

POLSON – Polson tennis standouts Brady Hislop and Dylan McCrumb were a match away from facing each other for the Class A boys’ state singles title last year.

Mack Days update - Week 9

The 2014 Spring Mack Days Fishing Event is in the final week of competition.

Charlo no-hits Deer Lodge as MAC rolls

DEER LODGE — Courtney Charlo forgot her Under Armour on Mission-Arlee-Charlo’s softball trip to Deer Lodge Saturday.

Mariners drop close one in Kalispell

Prep Softball Briefs - May 8

Prep track and field briefs - May 8

Charlo’s boys’ track team won yet another meet last weekend, this time taking the Seeley-Swan Invitational in Missoula by seven points over second-place Troy.

Births

Obits

SKC Powwow a family affair

PABLO — Dressed in colorful, traditional regalia, Francheska Whitworth and her twin sister, Sunniva, danced and spun Saturday, as drums pounded out a methodical and steady rhythm.

Teaching Tribal Tradition

POLSON — Tim Ryan recreates history.

Initial report in to attorneys for Mission stabbing

ST. IGNATIUS – The St. Ignatius Police Department has turned its preliminary investigation over to the Lake Country Prosecutor in the case involving a St. Ignatius teenager who was stabbed May 7.

Flathead district adds two new board members with different voices

The pro-compact push won another key supporter with the election of Paul Guenzler to the Flathead Irrigation District board’s District 3 seat. Bruce White won the District 5 race.

PHS band members earn superior awards

MISSOULA -- Polson High School District and State Music Festival Results 2014:

Powerbrokers want compact put into effect

PABLO — Discussion about the controversial CSKT Water Compact was focused on how it would be put into effect, rather than if it would, at a recent CSKT Tribal Council meeting here.

Water quality = quality of life: Station that monitors water quality in jeopardy as funds dry up

Station that monitors water quality in jeopardy as funds dry up

ELECTIONS: New school board members move cautiously forward

LAKE COUNTY – Newly elected school board members are reserved the various issues facing education in the Mission Valley.

At Cherry Valley, the arts are elementary

Cherry Valley Elementary School hosted its annual student Night of the Arts in Polson on May  8. Taylor, 4, finishes her chalk drawing of Chief Cliff with help from teacher Susan Stuber, left, and grandmother Sharon Stover. Tribal drummer Tony Grant shows kids how to play and chant on Indian drums.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR MAY 15 TO MAY 21

THURSDAY, MAY 15

Jury finds fault with Hyundai

POLSON — A Lake County jury determined the Hyundai Motor Company at fault in a 2011 fatal crash on Highway 93 near Arlee, ending the suspenseful 11-day trial.

Lake County deputy, SRO rehired

POLSON — Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Clay Shoemaker was reinstated April 24 nearly six weeks after he was terminated for alleged policy violations.

Ronan golf cards another strong week

ST. REGIS — Ronan’s girls golf team won their third tournament in their last four tries with Thursday’s victory at Trestle Creek Golf Course.

Living History Days at Fort Connah

These kids really cleaned up

COMMUNITY CALENDAR MAY 8 TO 14

THURSDAY, MAY 8

Candidates' Forum

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to technical issues, we received the following Candidate Forum submissions after presstime for the May 1 issue. In the interest of fairness and providing accurate information, we are publishing these now.)

Flowers and food: Farmers market re-opens

POLSON -- Shirley Baker shops at the weekly Polson Farmers Market because of the two “F” words - “Flowers and food.”

Homework and dodgeball: Club helps kids with academics, activities and health

Vince Lovato

Tennis playoffs looming near

Polson’s tennis season is about to become the postseason, and the Pirates’ girls team couldn’t be playing better.

Mack Days update - Week 8

2014 Spring Mack Days on Flathead Lake will conclude May 18 after 10 straight days of lake trout fishing beginning on May 9. So far in the event there has been 24 days of fishing with a total of 21,471 lake trout entries turned in by 231 lake trout anglers.

Polson sweeps Lake County Invitational

COMMUNITY CALENDAR MAY 8 TO MAY 14

THURSDAY, MAY 8

Syndi Ray Sepp

Jonathan and Etta Sepp of Hot Springs are proud to announce the arrival of their daughter Syndi Ray Sepp who was born on April 30, 2014 at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center and weighed 5 pounds 14.4 ounces.  Maternal grandparent is Lynn Richardson.  Maternal great-grandparent is Syndi Gaye Riles.  Paternal grandparents are Eric and Anita Sepp.  Syndi is welcomed by older siblings Eric and Lauren.

Living History Days

Prep softball briefs - May 8

Letters - May 8

Fanning the flame

LAKE COUNTY — Members of the law enforcement community and carried the torch from Rollins to Arlee for the Law Enforcement Torch Run last week with the help of several community members and the Special Olympics athletes who benefit from the event.

Prep track and field - May 8

Prep track and field bests

Senior News - May 8

Mariners take two in Eureka

Lewing returns to UM to perform

MISSOULA – A vocal scholarship brought Neal Lewing to the University of Montana School of Music in 1970. The prolific musician, producer and arts educator will pay it forward, presenting a benefit concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 9, in the School of Music Recital Hall.

Doty does good turn in Plains

Alyssa Doty has been carrying the Mission-Arlee-Charlo softball team with a strong bat and solid catcher’s mitt for years.

Eunice Marie Maher

Lake County election results from May 6

Sharon Leilah O'Keefe

Community Calendar May 8 to May 14

THURSDAY, MAY 8

14-year-old in custody after stabbing in Mission

ST. IGNATIUS – Authorities have a 14-year-old St. Ignatius boy in custody after he allegedly stabbed a 17-year-old boy, also of Mission, multiple times in the back and once in the head.

Which prep sports team has the best shot at a state title?

Prep tennis briefs - May 1

Pursuing Perfection

Charlo's boys have a chance to win four straight track and field state titles

CHARLO — Most prep athletes go through high school without a single state championship, but four young men at Lake County’s smallest high school have a shot to win four in a single sport.

Track and field - May 1

Discovering the Bitterroot

People gathered together Thursday night to hear the story of the bitterroot – a plant known as “Spetlum” to Native Americans, and one that had been an integral and important part of their diet for unknown generations.

Thinking Green

From making recycled rainbows to building birdhouses out of pinecones, children and their parents learned all about protecting the environment Sunday, thanks to a group of students from St. Ignatius High School.

Finding inspiration with outdoor writers

There’s no shortage of inspiration this time of year.

Letters - May 1

Concerning senior services

Prep Track Bests

Maidens golf wins again

PLAINS — Jacey Probst led Ronan’s girls golf team to another team tournament win, this time in Plains at Wild Horse Golf Course.

Mariners drop a pair to start season

POLSON — The Mission Valley Mariners played ball for the first time in 2014, and Saturday was a day the M’s may want to forget as they fell to the AA Kalispell Lakers twice.

Mack Days update - Week 7

Mack Days anglers have completed the seventh weekend of the thirty four day spring fishing event.

Bill could put irrigation compact into effect despite protests against it

RONAN — State Legislator Dan Salomon said he will introduce a state bill to adopt the stalled water compact that would determine critical irrigation water rights in the Mission Valley.

Law enforcement and court records - May 1

Justice Court, Judge Joey Jayne presiding

Lake County 3rd Quarter Honor Rolls

Dixon

AMONG OTHER THINGS: Charley was a prophet

An old adage proclaims “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” It must be pretty accurate.

Cowboy ball fun for all

POLSON — Supporters of the Polson Fairgrounds gathered Friday for the annual Cowboy Ball, a Western-themed fundraiser that serves as the fairgrounds’ primary effort each year.

Golfers hit the links for CASA

POLSON — Golfers teed off at Polson Bay Golf Course on Saturday at the Mick Holien 8th Annual CASA Tournament.

Budget, openness themes at school board debate

RONAN — Challengers running for the Ronan school boards consistently alluded to a recent audit that left about $150,000 unaccounted for and made allegations that the current board members and administrators are hard to approach.

Births - May 1