Legals for May, 22 2025

Ronan and Polson athletes qualify for State

Ronan and Polson athletes turned in a string of top-six finishes and personal bests at the Western A Divisional Track and Field Championships, held May 16–17 at the Polson Athletic Complex. Facing fierce competition from powerhouse programs like Columbia Falls, Corvallis, and Whitefish, local athletes earned their way onto the podium and into state contention.

St-Char-Ro: A blooming success at 50

Main Street in Ronan was closed to traffic Saturday as St-Char-Ro celebrated its 50th anniversary with a street fair, inflatable bounce houses, classic cars and even a miniature race track.

BREAKTHROUGH: Governor signs PL 280 bill

“Well, it’s the end of a long journey,” said Lake County Commissioner Gale Decker about newly minted legislation regarding Public Law 280, a law enforcement agreement between Lake County and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.

Volunteer firefighters gather for spring training

Around 100 volunteer firefighters convened at the CSKT Division of Fire headquarters last Friday and Saturday for the Lake County Fire Association Spring Training.

Time Capsule: From the archives of local weeklies

Stories harvested from the Flathead Courier, May 10, 1984

Legals for May, 21 2025

Robert "Bob" Gauthier, 75

Robert L. “Bob” Gauthier, 75 of Ronan, passed away surrounded by his family on Feb. 8, 2025. A Celebration of Life will be held for Bob on Friday, May 23, at 11 a.m. at the Salish Kootenai College, Joe McDonald Center in Pablo.

Lawrence Ruffatto, 93

Larry Pete Ruffatto, 93 of Ronan, was born Nov. 18, 1931, in Corvallis, and went to rest on April 29, 2025, after a long battle with cancer. He passed peacefully.

Gregg Doerfler, 70

Gregg Allen Doerfler, age 70, passed away on Sunday, May 4, 2025, at his residence in Polson. There are no services planned at this time for Gregg.

SKC names health science building for Dorene Vallee

Salish Kootenai College honors the legacy of Dorene Dupuis Vallee with a ceremony naming the Vallee Building at 11 a.m. May 30.

How can you not be romantic about softball?

Jesse Nesper, the head coach of the Mission-Arlee-Charlo softball team, turned the phrase just slightly as he watched his team practice from the dugout. “How can you not be romantic about softball?”

Polson and Ronan track athletes shine with strong finishes

With state just around the corner, the Nelson-Thomas ABC Meet on Saturday, May 10 gave Polson and Ronan athletes a prime opportunity to test themselves against top regional competition.

Spring Mack Days sets a new record

Spring Mack Days on Flathead Lake, sponsored by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, wrapped up Saturday, May 10, breaking the 2019 Spring Event record of 40,362 lake trout with a total of 60,138 entries turned in over the nine weeks of fishing.

Polson Baseball picks up two victories

The Polson Pirates continued their impressive run through the spring season, going 3-1 over a busy stretch of games and improving to 12-5 on the year. Polson earned wins over Ronan, Plains-Hot Springs, and Frenchtown before falling to a red-hot Columbia Falls team on May 12.

River Honoring celebrates elders, educators

With the Flathead River flowing behind him, Elder Johnny Arlee opened the 38th annual River Honoring on Monday night with a prayer in Salish and some special words for the gathering. This year’s River Honorees are elders Violet Trahan and Germaine White and educators Nicole Camel, Polson, and Jennifer Jilot and Bill Stockton, Arlee.

Ag Days brings kids to the Cheff ranch

Sun shining through trees dappled the grass and washed over the bright spring grass as school buses trundled down the road to Fourth Grade Ag Days at Buddy and Brittany Cheff’s place above Kicking Horse Reservoir, south of Ronan.

Legals for May, 15 2025

Samantha Rensvold: A team player

This time of year, you’ll find Samantha Rensvold with the ball in her hands in the middle of the pitching circle – a position with unquestionable spotlight and responsibility.

Volunteers plant 33 ponderosa pines at Finley Point park

On Earth Day 2025, Encompass LLC sponsored a tree restoration project at the Finley Point Unit of Flathead Lake State Park in partnership with Montana State Parks, AmeriCorps and the Montana State Parks Foundation.