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Valley Press - Mineral Independent
Plains VFW volunteers honor fallen veterans
Heavy rain couldn’t deter volunteers with the Plains VFW Post 3596 from honoring the graves of local veterans who have died. Last week, the 10 volunteers assembled at the Plains Cemetery to repeat the humble service that has been happening for at least 50 years. 473 flags were placed during the ceremony, taking about an hour to complete. A veteran from the Civil War named Mosley is buried in the Plains Cemetery along with veterans through the Vietnam War. Jim Gillibrand, Ron Kilbury, Ed Foste, Leland Murdock “Butch,” Heather Allen, Bill Beck, Joe Wittig, Ken Altman, Dan Johnson, and Don Kunzer...
Demming wins state discus title
The efforts of one junior was for the most part enough to carry the Plains women to fourth place in the team title pursuit at the Montana State Class B track and field championship this past weekend in Laurel.Junior weight thrower Alexis Demming secured her second straight Class B discus title with a throw of 124 feet, 11 inches, nearly five feet beyond second place Taylor Harrison of St. Labre-Catholic during rain/snow delayed action at the State meet this past Friday.The discus victory, together with Demming’s second place showing in the Class B shot put competition helped Plains women’s team...
Republican candidates for House District 90
Curtis J. Cochran (R)Born, Sanders County, Mt. 68 years old. Res. St. Regis Mt. 50+ yrs. Retired, Raised on Cattle Ranch, Timber industry 40yrs, Construction, Tourism industry. attended UM 76,77. at the end of my career in the Timber industry i was a Forester for Tri-Con Timber. I worked on several large Stewardship projects with the USFS, DNRC and private timber mitigation projects all over Montana and Wyoming. extensive knowledge of the relationship between Govt. agencies and Private landowners that live in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). All of us in Western Montana basically live in the WUI. Long time...
Old Schoolhouse Rock Car Show to mark silver anniversary
The Old Schoolhouse Rock Car Show is boasting its silver anniversary this year on Saturday, June 1. All that you need to do to find it is to drive along River Street in Superior because the Mineral County Courthouse lawn and TrailWest Bank parking area and grassy lot will have what you are looking for. Restored classics, pickups, campers, exotics, rare, hotrods, muscle cars, and possibly some models that went bust after only a couple of years. “We started talking about it in 1999 and had the first one in 2000,” explained founding OSRCS member, Gordon Hendrick. Along with his wife Vicky and another...
Plains students perform spring concert
Plains Elementary choir members and musicians performed in their spring concert “Good Vibes” for over 400 attendees last Tuesday evening in the school gymnasium.Under the tutelage of music directors Nichole Cockrell and Loren Lauridson, students from kindergarten through sixth grade performed 24 songs. The evening was split into two performances. One for kindergarten through third grade. The second performance was for grades four through sixth. The evening’s first performance included songs titled, “I am a Pizza,” performed by the kindergarten choir and accompanied by sixth graders playing ukuleles. Second graders performed the song, “I Like Me,” with the third graders ending the...
COLUMN: Braving the elements
So, it appears I learned a big lesson this spring sports season.It is for a FACT not nice to fool with (or lecture) Mother Nature.At the midpoint of the spring sports season, I wrote a column lamenting the bad boogies we have received from Ma Nature this spring, especially when it comes to staying on track with a sports schedule.With precious few exceptions, spring is a time for outdoor sports.In the elements. The weather is part of the game.And, perhaps unintentionally I may have offended the matron of weather mythology by admonishing her to “give us a break, Ma).Rain outs...
Sanders County wildfire protection plan earmarked for funding
For communities that face a high risk of wildfires, additional money is being released from the Forest Service. Up to $250 million in Community Wildfire Defense grants for selected vulnerable areas is earmarked to be dispersed, with $5.3 million of the total going to the Northern Region. “The Community Wildfire Defense Grants are just one of many ways we are helping communities adapt to larger, more complex and more frequent wildfires,” said Deputy Agriculture Secretary Xochitl Torres Small.A total of four projects were funded in the Northern Region and all are in Montana. Among them is the Sanders County Community Wildfire...
Conservation District works to attract pollinators
The Eastern Sanders County Conservation District, in their ongoing goal to beautify Sanders County, was at the fairgrounds last week handing out free wildflower seeds. Staff administrator Emily Baker and Green Mountain Conservation District member Morgan Owens were on hand to answer questions. The Conservation District is trying to attract more beneficial pollinators to the area, and they are doing it with free wildflower seed species packets. This year’s give-away happened in Hot Springs, Heron, Noxon, Trout Creek and Plains.Site preparations is required before planting with the expectation that the pollinator gardens be managed and tended to over time.The free seed...
Lady Hawks end softball season at state
Purists of the sport will tell you that good pitching beats good offense every time.It doesn’t always work that way, but in this case it did.Senior Paige Goodell threw a masterful one-hitter at a hard-hitting Thompson Falls team in the long-delayed opening game of the 2024 Montana B-C High School championship first round, striking out 14 batters and limiting the Lady Hawks to one along the way.The result was a 10-0 Shepherd win over Thompson Falls, in a game that helped propel the Fillies to a shot at the state title this past Saturday at the Stewart Park softball complex...
Superior student hit a high note at state festival
The seven student from Superior High School who competed in the state music festival in Helena earlier this month have raised the bar for student musicians.“The most awesome part was that these students also received superior (score) ratings at the state district level, which is the first time all of my students have done that," said Debbie Merrill, music instructor for Superior School District. "We celebrated at a fun restaurant in Helena when we got the news before we headed back to Superior.“I'm so proud of these kids. Performing at these high levels and succeeding is very difficult and they...
Rediscovering home: Superior Council updates
Our ranch was about a mile from town back in the day. Now, the town of Superior has practically reached our doorstep. Houses occupy the forested land where dirt roads intertwined and young people “frolicked.”Often, “town kids” would visit the ranch and get a taste of our electric fence. We would always tell the uninitiated that we could form a human chain with them at the rear. I or Brett, the brother just older than me, would tell them that because they were at the end of the line, they would feel very little. Of course, the human body conducts...
Hospital honored with stroke hero award
Earlier this month, Clark Fork Valley Hospital was awarded the Stroke Hero Award at the Annual Rocky Mountain Stroke Conference held in Helena.Dr. Kurt Lindsay, neurologist and director of the Stroke and Telestroke Program at Logan Health, nominated CFVH for this year’s award.The Montana Stroke Initiative Work Group selects one awardee in each of the following four categories: Individual (Doctors, Nurses, NPs, PAs, Therapists, etc.); Prehospital (EMTs, Paramedics, Ambulance Services, Fire Department Personnel, etc); Small Team (Critical Access Hospitals) and Large Team (Hospitals and Medical Centers). CFVH was the award recipient in the Small Team category that honors one Montana Critical Access Hospital each year.This prestigious state stroke...
Wild Horse Rendezvous celebrates mountain man culture
Montana’s Largest Flea Market is in the middle of Mineral County and the Wild Horse Rendezvous at the far eastern tip of the county every Memorial Day weekend — rain or shine. They both have become legendary events to start the summer.Mike Tomell from Frenchtown started mountain man rendezvousing 40 years ago and has overseen this one, The Wild Horse Rendezvous, for 17 years. “It was started 42 years ago on Lynch Creek outside of Plains, and the official name of Plains is Wild Horse Plains, hence the name. After a couple of years there, it moved to just north of...
Reject moderates
I am very concerned about people who believe that a “moderate” is an ideal choice. Moderates are compromising our God given constitutionally protected freedoms away. “Compromise” and “Solutions” are mantras parroted by those who have no solid standard by which they base their decisions, thus, leaving them vulnerable to manipulation and corruption.I am also saddened to see so much capital being spent on mailers for these moderates this election cycle and I question what is the motive behind all of these PAC’s backing these moderates? What will they be trying to legislate this upcoming legislative session? Of which these moderates are so desperately needed and backed by so much Dark Money? Will it be some more laws that benefit themselves at the expense of hard working Montanans?Please do your own search into these candidates and choose based upon your own morals and convictions. GK Chesterton stated that “Impartiality (moderate) is a pompous name for indifference which is an elegant name for ignorance.”— Kimberly Mitchell, Saint Regis
Public lands
During the May 17 HD90 debate in Alberton, candidate Steve Delisle, a self-described "blue-state refugee" pitched his idea to privatize Montana's public lands, starting in Mineral County. Delisle revealed this plan as a solution to our housing crisis and revealed Delisle's desire to sell our state to the highest bidder. If land development is the path to affordable housing, Delisle could offer his tax-haven hobby-ranch for development first. Instead of pasturing a few pet cattle, build 300 homes for the good of all! Though I suspect Delisle enjoys the refuge provided by owning a piece of Montana. Unfortunately, he's willing...
Williams leads Noxon at state meet
Sometimes the phrase or thought of someone being “the whole team” can be a negative term.For the Noxon High Red Devils men’s track and field team, it was close to reality and likely not in dispute.Junior standout athlete Ricky Williams collected a third place finish and two fourth place showings during this past weekend’s Montana State Class C track and field championships in Great Falls, helping the Red Devils finish twelfth in a field of 30 teams.Belt won the men’s team title with 67 points, while Manhattan Christian was second with 56 team points.Noxon had 14 team points, thanks mainly...
Legals for May, 29 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 IN RE THE ESTATE OF JOSEPH H. 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 mailed to JoAnn Hanson, Personal Representative, return receipt requested, at 1283 Juniper Lane Alberton, Montana 59820, or filed with the Clerk of the above Court. Dated this 23 day of May, 2024. /s/ Dan Elsen Dan Elsen, Attorney for Personal Representative Published in the Mineral Independent on May 29 and June 5, 12, 2024. MNAXLP __________________________
Author explores Montana's bucket list ideas
The title of the book is "100 Things to Do in Montana Before You Die," but the authors’ speaking engagements are called "101 Things to Do in Montana Before You Die."There must be a bonus if you attend her talk and that opportunity is Thursday, June 6. The Mineral County Library, at 301 2nd Ave. E. in Superior, is hosting Susie Wall to speak about her book and how she chose her 100, or 101, choices for the paperback. “Audiences will learn a little more about me, about the book, and my process of writing it, like how hard it was to...
Lady Hawks softball earn No. 2 seed
This was what makes softball the great sport it is.Bottom of the eighth, pitcher’s duel of a game tied at 2-2 with a potential path to the State championships this weekend in Billings on the line.One potential game winning run was snuffed out at home plate in the seventh, sending the game into the eighth inning, overtime in the softball world.After trailing most of the game, Thompson Falls rallied for a pair of game-tying scores in the bottom of the sixth.T Falls pitcher Olivia Fitchett, who had thrown a masterful game keeping the Lady Hawks within striking distance of the...
Superior girls third at divisional meet
One thing was not so surprising from the Class B ranks of the Western Divisional track and field championship this past weekend in Missoula.It was good to be a “Heart” Breaker, and a day of twists and turns for many others among the 12 schools who qualified for the event, which feeds athletes to the State Championships next weekend in Laurel.Not so surprising was the fact that both Class B team titles went to the Loyola Sacred Heart “Breakers,” with the boys dominating their team championship pursuit by nearly doubling runner up Florence in team points, 160-82.At the same time,...
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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