Ellington

Meteor shoots across Polson sky

Multiple witnesses saw what they believe to be a meteor streaking through the sky last night at about 10:30 p.m. carrying with it a long green trail.

Missing hiker dies on trail

A 73-year-old Polson-Ronan area man was found dead after his wife called emergency dispatchers at about 10 p.m. to say her husband went hiking and never returned, Don Bell, Lake County Sheriff said.

Multiple accidents on dangerous day

A flurry of minor weather-related accidents flooded emergency responders between 1 and 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Warriors fall short: Arlee loses to Chinook in championship game, finishes 11-1

After the trophy presentation, the Warriors could have run off the field. They could have thrown their helmets and kicked equipment. Instead, they walked off the field and formed a greeting line, just like every game, to shake the hands of all of their fans that made the six-hour drive to cheer them on.

Eleven local athletes earn All-Conference honors

Eleven Lake County volleyball players earned some sort of All-Conference selections this year. Charlo’s Mikaylan Roylance led Lake County selections this year with an All-State nod. Roylance, a senior, was the setter for the Vikings, who finished the season with five losses. She was also named to the All-Conference team for the 10C district, as was teammate Cheyenne Nagy, a junior middle hitter. Junior Bryndle Goyins of Arlee also made the All-Conference team, as did senior setter Becca Whitesell.

Lady Bison host cancer awareness night

On Wednesday night, the Salish Kootenai College Lady Bison added a new color to their warm-ups. As they prepared for the game, the team sported long sleeved shirts with a green ribbon in the place of the O in Bison. On the back, in green letters, were the words “No Bison fights alone.”

The art of flight: Polson native TJ Andrews is a professional flyboarder

TJ Andrews has mastered the art of flight. Not by piloting a plane. No, the 26-year-old straps a board on his feet, and 260 horsepower worth of water shoots out of the pipes on the board, sending him up to 60 feet in the air. His skills have earned him a spot in the World Championships of flyboarding in Dubai this coming week.

Volunteers make treasures for kids

Volunteers at Fellowship Baptist Church in Polson are getting an early start on the holiday season by collecting items that will go in shoe-box-sized treasure chest and given as gifts to needy children around the world.

Hutterite turkeys are better than store bought?

No one is absolutely certain about what makes a Hutterite turkey so tasty.

Ronan School District 30 includes a SmartLab™ in the Middle School and High School

From Brian Youngren

Robert R. DePoe Jr.

Robert R. DePoe Jr., age 59, passed away Friday, Nov. 20. A viewing and dinner will be held Friday, Nov. 27 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Salish Kootenai College Camas Room. Dinner will be at 6 p.m. A funeral service will be Saturday, Nov. 28 at 11 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1202 4th Ave. E., Polson. In lieu of flowers please send donations to the Salish Kootenai College Infrastructure Fund. A full obituary will follow. The Lake Funeral Home and Crematory are handling the arrangements for the family.

Richard Peter Heinz

Richard Peter Heinz, 94, went to meet the Lord on Thursday, Nov. 12. He was born on July 23, 1921 in Chicago, Ill. He served as a medic in the US Army’s 84th Infantry Division in Europe during World War II. He graduated from DePaul University in Chicago with a Bachelors in History in 1948 and a Juris Doctor in 1951. He married Carolyn J. Heinz on Dec. 23, 1973.

Thanksgiving has complicated local history

Though American tradition teaches the first Thanksgiving in 1621 was a happy and thankful event to celebrate the bonding of early Pilgrims and the Wampangoag Indians, nearly 400 years later, Americans in Lake County are undecided on whether cultural cohesion between the white man and Indian Nations lives up to everything early turkey eaters might have expected.

Wednesday accidents foreshadowing a dangerous Thanksgiving drive

19-year-old being life-flighted from MT 35 accident

Wild & Wonderful Imaginations: Lake County students participate in writing program

Poetry is one of the Earth’s oldest art forms. Before we humans could write, we learned to speak. We used our words. We told stories.

Going gentle into that good night

William Cleveland remembered as a professional of quiet, confident integrity.

Mission from God: Saving the frescoes at historic St. Ignatius church

Helping hands: Polson girls spend Thanksgiving at local senior center

For the last five years, Cheyanne and Mariah Corrigan, and Elise and Caitlyn Plaiss have been donating their Thanksgiving to help put on the community dinner in Polson at the Senior Center. The dinner’s coordinator, Tracy, who is also Elise and Caitlyn’s mom, said the dinner has some very dedicated volunteers. What makes these four volunteers special? They range from the age of 11 to 21, and have been helping for multiple years.

Crews respond to weather-related accidents in area

MT 35

Winter Storm Warning set for Tuesday

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for northwestern Montana that includes the Mission Valley, Polson and Flathead Lake as well as several northern Montana areas.

Where are they now? Over 35 local graduates are currently competing in college sports

After high school, most athletes don’t get a lot of attention unless they are stars on their college teams. We decided to dig up as many local graduates as possible who continued their athletic career after high school.

Twin Toppled: Arlee is headed to first State Championship game in 29 years

On an unseasonably warm November afternoon in Arlee, hundreds of people sporting red lined the edge of a mostly brown football field, hoping to see their football team make their first trip to a state championship game in 29 years.

First quarter honor roll released

ARLEE HIGH SCHOOL

Athlete of the Week

Senior Harold Yocum has made some extremely important plays in the last two of Arlee’s playoff games. Against Wibaux, Yocum, a senior, had an interception during the third quarter on Wibaux’s five yard line, stopping a Longhorn drive that may have led to a touchdown. This past weekend against Twin Bridges, Yocum had another big defensive play, this time in the fourth quarter. With eight minutes to play, Yocum had a pass practically fall into his hands. He made the interception and took off toward the Arlee goal line, setting up a touchdown run by Pat BigSam shortly after.

Polson SPLASH social hour to be hosted by Brown's Jewelry

Power outages affect customers throughout Lake County

Mission Valley Power crews are working to restore power to multiple Lake County locations after trees fell into the electric lines around the county.

No fatalities reported in Tuesday's wind storm event

Mission Valley Power crews are working to restore power to some Polson area customers after a tree fell into power lines at about 5 p.m. Tuesday, Don Bell, Lake County Sheriff said.

Help sought for pregnant moms on drugs

No judgment.

Athlete of the Week

Tyler Tanner

Ronan's Couture, Bluemel qualify for NFL Punt, Pass, and Kick championships

Eight youths from Western Montana have qualified to compete in the NFL Team Championship of the NFL Punt, Pass & Kick (PPK) program. The competition will be held in Seattle on Saturday, Nov. 28, with an awards luncheon and halftime exhibition as part of the Seattle Seahawks vs. Pittsburgh Steelers NFL game on Nov. 29. The youths, their age and home towns are: Tyce O’Connell, 9, and Calla Haldorson, 15, both of Hamilton; Kadynce Couture, 9, and Elizabeth Bluemel, 13, both of Ronan; Kody Carter, 11, Thompson Falls; Mya Stenson, 11, Butte; Nate Hill, 13, Townsend; and, Brock Cantrell-Field, 15, St. Regis.

SKC Lady Bison to hold fundraiser

On Wednesday, November 18, the Salish Kootenai College Lady Bison will be hosting a cancer awareness day on the campus in Pablo, leading up the a home game. There will be various activities leading up to the Lady Bison game against the Little Bighorn College Lady Rams.

Polson ends season with deep run into divisional tournament

Polson, Ronan, Charlo and Arlee all moved on to their respective divisional tournaments this past weekend. Arlee and Charlo traveled to Butte, Ronan traveled to Libby, and Polson went to Hamilton.

Mission Valley All-Star volleyball game

Polson Middle School releases honor roll for first quarter

Here are the students who made the honor roll the quarter at Polson Middle School.

Polson soccer players earn All-State, All-Conference selections

The Polson soccer teams both had great seasons, and the All-State and All-Conference teams show just how much talent the teams have.

Ronan Speech and Debate team doubles in size

The topic: Should adolescents have control over their own medical decisions? The location: A small classroom on the second floor of Ronan’s middle school. The debaters: Two high school boys, both in suits and ties that didn’t quite fit right, hands a little shaky. One had to convince the judge that adolescents should have the right, the other that they shouldn’t. Welcome to the Lincoln Douglas debate section of a high school speech and debate competition.

Warriors stay perfect, Charlo ends season in Fairview

On Saturday, Arlee hosted the Wibaux Longhorns. The defending Class C eight-man champions traveled over 600 miles to take on the Warriors, who were looking to take down the confident Eastern Montana team. Arlee had blown most of their opponents out this year, but as a quarterfinal game, only the best teams in the state were left, and the Longhorns weren’t going to go down without a fight.

Hunter faces jail after shooting

CSKT fire to clear 3,000 acres of land before winter

Ronan fire personnel responded to a Timberlane Road home at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday after a homeowners attic caught fire, Mark Clarey, Ronan fire chief said.

J. Byron Christian

The Christian Family invite family and friends to the Memorial Service for J. Byron Christian, who passed away Sept. 8, 2015, to be held at the Polson United Methodist Church, Friday, Nov. 27 at 11 a.m., to lift Byron’s memory in song and stories. A memorial has been set up in the name of Byron Christian to help “Burn the mortgage of the Polson United Methodist Church,” or contribute to a favorite charity or non-profit group in Byron’s name.

Dorothy Elizabeth Carpenter

Dorothy Elizabeth Carpenter, 78, a resident of the Gardenspot area of Deer Park, Wash., passed away on Saturday, Oct. 24 in Spokane, Wash. Dorothy was born Sept. 11, 1937 at Pablo and attended grade school in Pablo and high school in Ronan. Her parents were Carl and Grace Carpenter. After graduating in 1955, she worked as a nurse’s aide in Polson for a few years. She attended the Baptist Bible School in Omaha, Neb. for two years and returned to Montana for a short time. She then returned to the Bible College where she was a bookkeeper for over twenty years. Dorothy is preceded in death by her parents and a younger brother, Carl Franklin Carpenter and a niece, Barbara. She is survived by her sisters Clara Horstman of Hayden, Idaho, and Maye Carpenter of Deer Park, and several nieces and nephews. A funeral service in her honor was held Saturday, Oct. 31 at the Deer Park Nazarene Church with Pastor David Pitts officiating. Dorothy was interred at Woodland Cemetery in Deer Park.

Lucille Richwine

Lucille Richwine, age 87, passed away on Sunday, Nov. 8, at St. Luke Hospital in Ronan.

Miranda pleads guilty to cocaine possession

Canadian Carlos Miguel Miranda pleaded guilty to charges that he had 97 pounds of cocaine in a hidden compartment in his pickup truck while traveling through northwestern Montana on Oct. 29.

Hammer killer sentenced to 40 years in prison

Desmond Alan Mackay’s lawyers fought for Mackay’s life until Sept. 14 when Lake County Court Judge James A. Manley amended charges against Mackay from deliberate homicide to mitigated deliberate homicide, which took the death penalty off the table and made his rejected plea deal doable.

Athlete of the week

Charlo’s Jared Doty is dangerous if you don’t tackle him on the first try. The speedy junior can and has broken free of defenders to sprint down the sidelines and score big for the Vikings. Doty leads the team with 830 yards of rushing and has scored 20 touchdowns this year.

Class C teams move forward, Polson ends season on rainy day in Columbia Falls

This past weekend, the first round of the playoffs took place across Montana. Lake County had three teams competing, but unfortunately, only two would move on.

Mercer finishes season with nine goals

The 2015 Pirates (8-3-2 all, 6-0-2 conference) captured the Northern A crown by posting the third best overall record in the history of the Polson boys soccer program. The only other time the Pirates have posted an undefeated conference slate was the 2010 season (9-4-1 all, 7-0-1 conference). Beyond that, the earliest occurrence of the Pirates being crowned conference champions traces back to 2002 (8-3-3 all, 4-1-3 conference). The deepest forays by a Polson team into the postseason took place in 2011 (9-4-2 all, 6-2 conference) and 2002 when the Pirates came out on the short end of the scoreboard against Whitefish in the championship title tilt.

Arlee, Charlo, Ronan move on to divisional tournament

All year, teams fight for the best record to go into the tournament on top. However, when tournament time arrives, anything can happen. Records don’t matter when teams are fighting for their season’s life. That was proven in both the District 6B and District 10C this past weekend.