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MISSOULA - At a virtual public hearing Jan. 7, the Missoula County Commissioners unanimously voted to table a resolution outlining the need for safety while operating all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) until further discussions can take place among commissioners and dealers. If there are any modifications or amendments to it, a second hearing will be scheduled. Missoula County Chief Administrative Officer Chris Lounsbury presented the resolution before the Commissioners. He said it came at the request of the Montana Association of Counties where it...
MISSOULA - "My favorite part is the joy and surprise on their faces to get something extra for the Christmas holiday," Missoula County Sheriff's Office Deputy Ryan Dunster said about handing out bicycles to local children for the past five years. "It is just a good thing, we are able to give back through this donor." This past holiday season, the Missoula County Sheriff's Office carried on the tradition of delivering bicycles to area children. According to Missoula County Sheriff's Office...
SWAN VALLEY - Swan Valley Elementary School went into fully remote learning after a member of the school community tested positive for COVID-19. Staff received the news on Thursday, Jan. 7 and subsequently closed the school that morning. Students and staff are scheduled to return to in-person learning Tuesday, Jan. 19. Following notification of the positive test, students and staff were sent home with the intent to return on Monday after a deep clean of the school. However, after Principal Ralph King spoke with the school board over the weekend... Full story
SWAN VALLEY – Turning 18 in 1966, the height of the Vietnam War, Ray Haera figured he had the choice of getting drafted or voluntarily joining the military. He figured he had more options if he took the voluntary route. Though his father had served in the Navy in World War II and his older brother was also in the Navy, Haera was not sure he wanted to go that route. On the other hand, Haera said, "Everybody I knew was getting drafted. I had so many friends in the Army and the Marines who had a...
Senator Steve Daines and Representative Matt Rosendale need to be held accountable for their blatant and un-democratic support for the insurrection at our nation’s capital this week. Please speak out. Please contact them via phone, email or letter. Steve Daines, shame on you. Own up to the lies you have encouraged and the consequences you have helped to foment. The election was not rigged, the process was valid, the people voted and now it is time for you to get to work. Apologize to Montanans, and to Americans for your complicity and blind s...
The events of the past week in Washington DC, where rioters invaded the Capitol yelling “Hang Pence” are inexcusable. The elected officials that supported these events included elected officials from Montana. If we let them remain in Congress, we tell every veteran and every family of every veteran, that Democracy does not matter. Do we really want to do that? Montanans need to stand together. Officials, elected here, need to know that we value democracy, their oath to protect democracy matters, and we expect them to do the right thing and res...
To quote board publications, “The Seeley Lake Missoula Country Sewer District Board of Directors adopted Resolution #11192020, calling for a bond election on Feb. 23, 2021, by mail ballot asking the qualified electors in the District to approve a General Obligation Bond to finance a portion of the costs of the treatment plant and associated infrastructure and a Revenue Bond to finance a portion of the cost of the Phase 1 collection system. These bonds will replace the Assessment Bond methodology authorized through the Notice and Protest p...
There was a time many moons ago I had a young stud quarter horse. He's lineage went to King P-234 and Peter Mc Cue. That's to those who knew the history. Anyway, this here horse, like many studs, liked to nip. I had him in a box stall and once as I walked by he quick reached out and grabbed my shoulder. Well sir there went part of my wool jacket. Think'n he got away with it, he retreated to the other side of the stalls as if to say, "Gotcha!!" So I was tell'n my great nabor, a good devout...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Sewer Board has been granted an extension to respond to a lawsuit filed by a group of landowners. The lawsuit seeks to force the District to follow through with previously adopted resolutions to construct the proposed sewer, mandate connections and also to reimburse the plaintiffs’ legal fees. The lawsuit filed Dec. 15 and served a few days later gave the District three weeks to respond before the plaintiffs could request an entry of default judgment against the District for the relief demanded in the complaint. T...
MISSOULA COUNTY - The Seeley Lake Lions Club, Seeley Lake Regional Outdoor Center for Kinetic Sports (ROCKS), Veterans and Families of Seeley Lake, and The Potomac-Greenough Community Center will all receive grants of various sizes following a Missoula County Commissioner meeting on Thursday, Jan. 7. Missoula County’s Parks, Trails and Open Lands Program distributed $46,000 in matching grants to organizations throughout the county with the intent of improving local communities. The Seeley Lake Lions Club will receive $16,988 to put in a p...
HELENA—Winter is the best time to test your home for radon according to Paul Tschida, radon specialist for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s Radon Control Program. “Testing for radon when your doors and windows are closed typically provides the best results to determine ‘worst-case’ radon levels in your home,” said Tschida. “That’s why January is National Radon Action Month, during which the program encourages testing.” If test results are elevated, mitigation is recommended. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas t...
Double Arrow Ranch has been a part of the Seeley Lake community for 48 years. It continues to see new construction and undeveloped lots change hands. This past year over 60 property transactions occurred on the Ranch, a clear indication that our part of Western Montana is seen as a haven to folks all over the country! Let's take a closer look at the Ranch and its homeowners' association, the Double Arrow Ranch Land Owners Association (DARLOA). The first phases of the Ranch were approved by...
HELENA – During his first press conference of 2021 Tuesday, Jan. 5, newly elected Montana Governor Greg Gianforte announced his plan to eventually rescind the statewide mask mandate after vaccines are distributed. He said that he is also waiting to receive legislation that will protect businesses, schools, places of worship and nonprofits from lawsuits so long as they "make a good faith effort to protect individuals from the spread of the coronavirus and follow clear public health g... Full story
SEELEY LAKE - John "Jack" Clair Venters, 76, passed from this life to eternity on Christmas Day 2020 at St. Patrick's Hospital in Missoula due to complications related to COVID-19. Born in Seattle, Washington on Sept. 9, 1944, Jack was the eldest of seven children born to Marguerite and Jim Venters. Jack grew up in Washington state. After high school, he enlisted in the Navy but was discharged shortly thereafter due to asthma. He returned to Washington and began attending barber school. While... Full story
WILMINGTON, NEW YORK – Gerald (Jerry) Estes, Jr., passed away Friday, Jan. 1, 2021 at his home in Wilmington, New York surrounded by loving family. Jerry was predeceased by his wife Sandy, his parents Gerald and Theresa Estes, and many aunts, uncles and cousins. Jerry is survived by his siblings Carolyn (Mike) Fitzsimmons and Kathleen (Steve) Thompson. Also surviving are an aunt Celia Stephenson and an uncle Rodney (Alberta) Estes, nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, many cousins and his... Full story
As Montana schools sought to contain the pandemic last March by shutting their doors for the remainder of the spring semester, Flathead County Superintendent of Schools Jack Eggensperger began to notice an increase in the number of parents registering to homeschool their kids. The trend continued throughout the summer and into the fall, right up to the day in early October when his office recorded its official homeschool headcount for 2020. That figure was 1,567 students — more than double the 715 homeschool students recorded in October 2019. E...
If you’re like me, you are familiar with the words of the first and maybe second verse of many Christmas carols, but perhaps not-so-much with some of the later verses. One such example for me is the carol “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.” The song is based on a poem written by Edmund Sears in 1849. The first verse is similar to many carols and at least for me is the most familiar: “It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old, From angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold: “Peace on the earth, goodwill to men fr...
The Nature Conservancy's (TNC) sale of 12,039 acres of former industrial timber land to the U.S. Forest Service will allow for more public access according to a press release. The sold area was part of a 2014 purchase representing the last industrial timber land in the Blackfoot. The land partially covers the Seeley Lake Ranger District as well as the Missoula Ranger District. The map was previously characterized by a checkerboard-like pattern representing public-private ownership created over...
One of the devastating side effects of COVID-19 is that many people have been forced to rely on food banks to help them "make ends meet." But exactly what ends are supposed to meet? Where does that saying come from? The first recorded mention of the phrase dates to a 1662 book by Thomas Fuller called "The History of the Worthies of England" (i.e., worthy men). Published posthumously, the book was the first attempt at a dictionary of national biographies. Though Fuller was studious about...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley-Swan Lady Blackhawks continued to steamroll the competition with solid victories over the Trojans of Drummond on the road Jan. 8 and the Valley Christian Eagles at home Jan. 9. The Lady Blackhawks showed no mercy to Drummond nearly outscoring them three to one in the first quarter. Within the first few minutes of the second quarter, the Lady Blackhawks had already put up more points than Drummond would in the whole game. The final score was 70-31. Bethany Hoag sunk a...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley-Swan Blackhawks split their week with a victory over Drummond at home Jan. 8 and a loss on the road to Valley Christian Jan 9. The Blackhawks fought hard against the Drummond Trojans throughout the first half. The Trojans were punishing the Blackhawks on the long shots, scoring more than half their points from behind the three-point line. Despite this, the Blackhawks managed to take a razor thin lead into the second half. The Blackhawks came out strong in the third...
Seeley Lake Community Foundation accepting grant applications through Jan. 31 SEELEY LAKE - Non-profit organizations are invited to submit grant proposals up to $2,500 to the Seeley Lake Community Foundation (SLCF) for 2021 projects. Applications are due Jan. 31. The SLCF’s small grant program helps local groups fund community projects in the areas of: art and culture; community and economic development; basic human needs; education; and natural resources and conservation. “In this capacity, the SLCF strives to be a community resource and cat...
Most Montanans have suffered losses from the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve shipped cattle at low prices, our fairgrounds have taken hits of hundreds of thousands of dollars and restaurants have closed. Our hospitals continue to incur significant financial losses to care for patients while overextending health care workers. Most of us will not be able to make up the setbacks we’ve experienced in the last year. In contrast, the largest monopoly corporations in Montana want to benefit from the pandemic. NorthWestern Ene...
