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Valley Press - Mineral Independent
Bob Marshall packer shares tales from the trail
Lifelong Montana packer, guide and cowboy Arnold “Smoke” Elser shared stories and memories of his life along the trail to a packed Paradise Center on Wednesday evening. The evening’s event was co-sponsored by Back Country Horsemen Wildhorse Plains Chapter and the Paradise Center. Wildhorse Plains President John Errecart opened the evenings fireside chat, sharing with the audience the many accomplishments of Elser. Errecart spoke about Elser’s many years teaching the art of packing to a worldwide audience ranging from Navy SEALs, Army, National Park Service, Forest Service personnel, and many thousands of people. For over 60 years Elser has been...
Plains to drill new water well
Plains Council members unanimously voted to drill a new town water well at a special town council meeting last week. During the special session, council members reviewed the proposed drilling contract from Wet Water & Environmental Technologies, that is based out of Kalispell. The company is an environmental, engineering and geoscience consulting firm that designs projects that include site development, utility master planning, distribution systems, wastewater treatment and local utility development. The well will be drilled by Coldwater Drilling and Pumps out of Arlee. Water & Environmental Technologies will manage the project on behalf of the Town of Plains. The location of the well will be near the intersection of Kruger and Upper Lynch Creek roads. The cost of the project will be $79,030 which includes engineering design, drilling and site cleanup. Drilling is expected to start within the next month. The new well project, expected to be around 200 feet deep, will be deeper than any of the town’s previous wells. The idea of drilling an additional water well was first conceived by previous Mayor Dan Rowan.
Groups target cleanup of Frenchtown mill site
The national conservation nonprofit American Rivers has named the Clark Fork River among the nation’s most endangered rivers, citing industrial pollution and flooding risks from the shuttered Smurfit-Stone pulp mill in Frenchtown. At the Community Center in Alberton last week representatives with the Clark Fork Coalition, EPA and Montana Public Interest Research Group held an open house called “When the Berm Breaks.” There was standing room only as the event attracted local farmers and ranchers, fishing guides, home gardeners, a kayaking couple and curious residents. Much remediation has been done on the Clark Fork River between Butte and the Milltown...
Four-day hoops camp held in Thompson Falls
It was hard to tell who was having a better time and liking basketball more at the Thompson Falls Basketball Camp this past week, the more than 100 kids or the staff of former Blue Hawks players. Both groups clearly had a great time at the camp, headed by T Falls basketball coach and activities director Jake Mickelson. This was the 12th year Mickelson and T Falls have hosted the basketball camp for these age groups. The four-day camp, held in the TFHS gym Monday through Thursday was a hit however you looked at it. “I really had fun,” said Louis Hannum who...
Hoop fest draws hundreds of ballers to Plains
If you are an ardent basketball fan who wandered up Montana 200 near the Plains Airport, you most likely did a double-take or pinched yourself to make sure the site wasn’t a dream.What your eyes would have gazed upon was a roundball fan’s dream come true...the 2024 Wildhorse Sports Association’s Three-on-Three Shootout hoop fest, a gathering of 73 teams and nearly 300 players, along with hundreds of fans from throughout the area. During day-long tournament, a substantial financial boost was raised to keep the site of the event, the Amundson Sports Complex, one of the best outdoor sports venues in the...
'Passing league' gets kids on football field during summer
Several years ago, eight years by his reckoning, Superior High football coach Jeff Schultz was looking for a way to keep football players active in the sport during the off season.The result: what could be described as a giant gathering of players from throughout the “neighborhood” who take part in a “five players on five players”, no pads, passing only game. Like a neighborhood pick-up game run amok. Throughout the month of June, Schultz and his Superior Bobcats, along with players from as many as 10 other schools, gather in Superior Monday nights for the “Passing League” unofficial set of games. Much like...
State funding supports Superior pool project
On the first day of summer, Superior's Pool in the Park committee received a nice splash from the Montana Department of Commerce. They are one of eight Montana towns, cities and counties who will share more than $317,000 of grant funding to help plan significant community development projects. The funding is through Commerce’s Community Development Block Grant Planning Grant program. The Town of Superior will receive $39,500 of CDBG planning grant funding for a preliminary architectural report for the Town of Superior’s swimming pool.Brogan Keenen, vice president of Pool in the Park which is a nonprofit 501C (3), explained that this...
Mineral County Sheriff's Office report
Mineral County Sheriff's Office crime report for June 16-22.HANGUP OR OPEN LINE 9 ABANDONED VEHICLE 1 ANIMAL BITE 1 GENERAL ANIMAL CALL OR COMPLAINT 6 ANIMAL STRAY/LOST 1 ASSIST MOTORIST/CITIZEN 10 ASSIST MISCELLANEOUS 1 BUSINESS CONTACT 38 CIVIL ATTEMPTS/SERVICE 6 EMS 9 EXTRA PATROL 4 EXTRA PATROL REQUEST 5 FISH AND GAME 1 FIRE 6 FOLLOW UP 3 INFORMATIONAL 7 JUVENILE RUNAWAY 1 LOST & FOUND ITEM 1 MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH 13 OFFICER ADVICE 1 PROPERTY DAMAGE/CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 1 PROBATION VIOLATION 1 ROAD HAZARD, DEBRIS ON ROAD 4 SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY 9 TRAFFIC COMPLAINT 13 THEFT 2 THREATS 2 INMATE TRANSPORT 6 TRAFFIC STOP 17 US FOREST SERVICE CAMPGROUND CHECK 28 US FOREST SERVICE PATROL 1 VIN INSPECTION 1 REQUEST FOR WELFARE CHECK 4
COLUMN: Welcome to Crazyville
Sometimes, more often than I care to admit, sports drive me crazy. And as anyone who might know me would quickly add, driving me crazy can be a short trip. So what has my feathers ruffled, my hankles hanked and my dander dandified? The often selfish, often unfathomable and often nonsensical way of thinking as often displayed by sports. And most often displayed at the “professional” level. This past week I learned that one of Montana’s U.S. senators, and I like the guy, is championing a return of the Redskins moniker for Washington, D.C.’s version of an NFL franchise. Worried that Native American feathers would...
Seminar focuses on treating youth trauma
When a child is experiencing traumatic stress, the reactions can interfere with the child’s daily life and their ability to function and interact with others. At no age are children immune to the effects of traumatic experiences. Even infants and toddlers can experience traumatic stress, experts say. Oftentimes, youth experiencing abuse have difficulty defining what a safe home means to them. A training curriculum was developed under the Linking Systems of Care for Children and Youth in Montana which took six years for development and was funded by the Office of Victims of Crime. Four states -- Illinois, Montana, Ohio and...
Legals for June, 26 2024
ANDREW A. GEORGE George Law Firm, PLLC 210 N. Higgins Ave., Ste. 234 Missoula, Montana 59802 Telephone: (406)728-4310 Attorney for Personal Representative MONTANA FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, MINERAL COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF RICKY EUGENE FENSKE Deceased Department No. 3 Cause Probate No. DP- 24. 05 NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned has been appointed Personal Representative of the above-named estate. All persons having claims against the said deceased are required to present their claims within four months after the date of the first publication of this notice or said claims will be forever barred. Claims must either be mailed to...
Idaho wildlife officials say it misidentified grizzly bear that was later killed
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game said its staff misidentified a grizzly bear as a black bear two days before a hunter killed it."Fish and Game regrets the mistake made by its staff, the undue stress the situation caused for the hunter and the loss of the grizzly bear. Fish and Game is reviewing its staff’s part in the incident as a personnel matter," a press release said.The male grizzly bear was shot and killed June 10 near the Lower St. Joe River about 5 miles from the town of St. Maries, "an area not commonly used by grizzly...
Legals for June, 19 2024
Elsen Law, PLLC Dan Elsen PO Box 7428 Missoula, MT 59807 (406) 830-3000 dan@elsenlawfirm.com Attorney for Personal Representative, MONTANA FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, MINERAL COUNTY I N RE THE ESTATE OF HAROLD JOSEPH HANSON A/K/A JOSEPH HANSON, Deceased. Probate No. DP-31-2024-6 Dept. No. 2 NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE IS GIVEN that JoAnn Hanson has been appointed Personal Representative of the above-named estate. All persons having claims against the decedent are required to present their claims within four (4) months of the date of the first publication of this notice or claims will be forever barred. Claims must either be...
Betty Meyer celebrates 100th birthday
The Paradise Center was the place to be Saturday for the celebration of Betty Meyer’s 100th birthday. Over 50 people were on hand to share this special day with Meyer. Two of Meyer’s children were there to celebrate her birthday along with six grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and one very active 3-year-old great-great-grandson named Loren Gorham. Several family members and friends traveled from as far away as British Columbia, Canada and Louisiana. A special guest, Sen. Jon Tester appeared on a recorded video wishing Meyer a happy birthday. Several firefighters from the Plains-Paradise Rural Fire District, including volunteer Joel Banham along with...
Flag Day ceremony held in Thompson Falls
During a solemn ceremony on a windy day in Thompson Falls, American Legion Post Commander Steve Roque honored the American flag. Roque, accompanied by members from Post 52 and the Charlo Post 0125 retired 152 flags which included three POW and two Montana flags. Post Commander Steve Roque preformed the long-standing ceremony of retiring flags that have served their usefulness in Sanders County. Throughout the year, the American Legion collects flags for the Flag Day retirement ceremony. Community members can donate torn and tattered flags to the American Legion and the VFW in Plains.American Legion Post 52 is part of a...
Tour highlights local timber sales
Each year, the federal government sells millions of dollars of timber from federal forests. In 2020, contractors cut and sold $183 million worth of timber from national forests.Mineral County no longer has a commercial lumber mill but there are lots of privately owned smaller mills in shops and backyards. The Lolo National Forest has 13 active timber sales in the Mineral County where the logs are trucked to commercial timber mills across western Montana. When forests offers timber sales, potential purchasers review the timber sale package and place a bid. The bids are reviewed by the Forest Service and typically the...
Thompson Falls Council reviews zoning ordinance
Thompson Falls City Council chambers last week were full of citizens wishing to express their concerns over the implementation of zoning ordinances within city limits. Mayor Rusti Leivestad opened the meeting explaining the changes to Ordinance No. 358. “Essentially, this is a compilation of corrections to the definitions, expanding definitions," Leivestad said. "Some things on adult businesses were shown as not permitted usage. No boundaries were changed.” Mark Sheets, Zoning Committee member, also spoke on the changes. “Major changes were brought up by the public that came to us, and they’re looking at day cares, also bed and breakfasts, house rentals. Also, along...
Cabin Fever Quilters Guild prepares for annual show
Mineral County’s Cabin Fever Quilters Guild is excited to present the 23rd annual quilt show entitled “Life’s Treasures” on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 2 and 3.This exhibition is held in conjunction with the Mineral County Fair in Superior, which is Aug. 1-3. While the fair and rodeo are held on the fairgrounds, the quilt show has grown so large that it has been held in Superior High School for the past several years. This show exhibits quilts made by local quilters employing a wide variety of techniques and styles. The 2024 Scrappy Challenge quilts, along with numerous pieces of art, will...
Valley Press - Mineral Independent
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We are the local newspapers for Sanders & Mineral Counties in Montana. The Clark Fork Valley Press is published in Plains, and the Mineral Independent is based in Superior. Both papers are published weekly on Wednesdays. Our office (at 105 W. Lynch St., Plains MT 59859) is open Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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