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SWAN VALLEY – A few days after the one-year anniversary of the fire that destroyed the Mission Mountains Mercantile (Merc) and the Swan River Valley Real Estate office, the Swan Valley community gathered May 22 to break ground for the new Merc. Onlookers watched as owner Len Kobylenski moved the first shovel of dirt with a golden shovel. Kobylenski's partner Grace Siloti said it's all about the people and how the nightmare has turned full circle, bringing the community together. In the early m...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board received an updated estimate for the construction of the wastewater treatment plant and Phase I of the collection system. The new estimate of $14 million was briefly discussed at its May 18 board meeting along with this summer’s planned public outreach and the board’s ability to advocate for the project. The United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development (RD) requested an updated construction estimate to account for the start of construction beginning in 2018 instead of 2017. The...
SEELEY LAKE-The Seeley-Swan High School boys golf team finished first in the Class C State golf tournament, held at the Double Arrow Golf Course Wednesday, May 17. This is the second state title for the Blackhawks in the last three years. The team, made up of seniors McKinley Nicholas, Bo Jungers, Shane Lindemer and freshman Malachi Nicholas, opened the tournament with a combined score of 262 on Tuesday to gain an 8-stroke lead. A strong showing on Wednesday of 252 secured their title. Their ove...
I am from the dust of my tired boots, From the orange sunrise, Making the dew from 80 stampeding horses rise above the trees. The need to feel his cold nose against my back. The longing to feel the sun kiss my skin, As I wade into the winding river. Pushing my hat down as we reach the top of the pass, To see smoke, Rolling and drifting in the wind. Washing my hair in mountain creeks. Praying that there will be toilet paper in the old Folgers coffee cylinder, as I make my dash to the Red Room at...
The special election to replace Ryan Zinke has generated a lot of talk about what makes “Montana values” and which of the candidates best exemplifies them. This sort of thing opens the door to a multitude of opinions and interpretations, ranging from thoughtful and astute to downright goofy. Place of birth, financial status, religion, education and political philosophy are among the issues put forth as useful criteria. I believe there is a much simpler one. An old saying suggests that a person’s real self is shown not only by what they do bu...
SEELEY LAKE - The recent Blackfoot Clearwater legislation put together by Senator Tester protects some amazing roadless country such as the Monture Creek drainage and the Swan Face among other areas. However, the legislation could do more to benefit Seeley Lake if the proposed mountain biking and snowmobiling were closer to town. The Spread Creek Mountain biking area and the Otastsi snowmobile areas both are in the middle of a roadless area far from Seeley Lake. It’s like building an interstate that by-passes a community and doesn’t create an...
It is with a sense of civic obligation, due to the extremely important nature of the office of United States Senator from Montana, that I write this letter. My concern about the upcoming election to fill Ryan Zinke’s vacant seat centers on candidate Rob Quist. I have worked with a non-profit entertainment presentation group in the Flathead Valley for many years. While we have primarily secured our artists through a national booking agent, we have also always booked a few “local” artists. In the very early spring of 2016, we were conta...
What is paranoia and how can we recognize it? Let's begin with the emotional side of paranoia. In the last article, the emotion of fear was central to the topic of superstition. Again, fear is central to the topic of this article – paranoia. Paranoia brings to mind many different descriptions. For example, you might enter an empty house at night and feel fear, which can then shift to a fantasy or belief that someone is hiding behind the chair or in the closet. Or, in an extreme example, you m...
MISSOULA - Missoula County Sheriff's Office Deputies Heath Hanson and Mike Sunderland received a Meritorious Performance Ribbon at the Law Enforcement Memorial May 18. Held by the Sheriff's Office during Police Week, it is a time to recognize the accomplishments of local law enforcement officers and remember those who have fallen in the line of duty. Deputy Hanson was recognized for his role throwing stop sticks in front of a vehicle involved in a high speed chase. The award read, "Your actions...
I am excited to be working at the Seeley Swan Pathfinder this summer and look forward to covering and being part of your community. I have been involved in journalism since I was young. I wrote and edited for my high school paper, the Patriot Ledger in Boise, Idaho. I came to Montana to attend the School of Journalism in Missoula. I just graduated with my degree in journalism and will be returning in the fall to finish a degree in exercise science and biomechanics. Over the last few years, I...
SEELEY LAKE - Beginning on or about May 30, LHC, Inc. will begin operations on the Montana Department of Transportation Seeley Lake – North Project. The Project is located on Montana Highway 83 beginning at mile marker 14.8 (just north of Seeley Lake) and extending north (approximately 16.5 miles) to mile marker 31.5. Asphalt milling and paving, seal and cover work, signing, guardrail revisions, pavement marking and tree clearing work will be performed as part of the project. Travelers are encouraged to adjust their travel times accordingly a...
Montana's Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) are plants or animals that are non-native to Montana ecosystems, meaning they do not have natural diseases or predators to keep them in check. If introduced, their populations explode damaging the ecosystem they have invaded, impacting Montana's economic, environmental and/or human health. Anyone who works or plays in and around water can unknowingly transport AIS and once established, complete eradication is usually impossible or prohibitively...
SEELEY LAKE – On the opening day of the Blackfoot-Clearwater Game Range May 15, law enforcement had two reports of missing people. The first, a woman who was separated from her partner, was found on Highway 200 headed back to their vehicle. The second, Jacob Prescott, a 13-year-old from Florence, Mont. and his two small dogs, were missing for nearly eight hours. While Jacob only suffered from dehydration and exhaustion, Missoula County Sheriff's Office Deputy Mike Sunderland and Montana Fish, W...
SEELEY LAKE – After starting to work with website development only a few months ago, Seeley-Swan High School sophomore Nicole Williams received a full scholarship to attend the University of Montana (UM) Web Programming Camp this summer. While Williams is not convinced computer science is the career path she will ultimately choose, she is looking forward to learning more and gaining an edge for employment in the future. Williams has known family friend Nora McDougall-Collins for many years. I...
HELENA - One of the final bills the Montana Legislature passed before adjourning created a special state fund for major public school repairs. Senate Bill 307 allows school trustees to adopt a resolution to increase non-voted levies to appropriate funds to four major categories: major maintenance and repair; technology; energy efficiencies and critical infrastructure. Both the Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) and Swan Valley Elementary School (SVES) boards passed the resolution and will use the additional funds for various infrastructure...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Senior Center was buzzing with Bingo excitement as 16 sixth through eighth grade youth were taught how to play Bingo for the first time. Missoula County Sheriff's Office Deputy Mike Sunderland organized the event with the local seniors as another idea to have something for the local youth to do. "A lot of the kids had never played Bingo before. They just think it is a song," said Sunderland. "I just thought it would be cool to get the youth and the seniors i...
What’s that you say? When it comes time for you to go you said, “I’m not going!” Well friend, guess what? We’re all going, whether we want to or not. How we accept the inevitable depends a lot on our understanding about this life and the possibility of something hereafter. If you think, “This is it, nothing more,” I can feel your despair. We have so much information available to us that tells us just the opposite. We should approach this event as it is intended. Our history, scriptures, personal faith and our experiences witness to our soul t...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) students headed west May 19 on a quest to find themselves and the truth in the Missoula Children's Theater (MCT) production of "The Wiz of the West". Nearly 40 SLE students shared the classic story of the Wizard of Oz with a twist taking the audience along with them for a saga of western adventure and personal discovery. Main character Dotty, played by Grace Wilson, and her dog Mooch, played by Bailey Bartlett, landed in the west after a twister took t...
I didn't fully appreciate how incredible our balsamroot bloom was until we took my mother to the Bison Range. Mom was a flower gardener and had lived back East her whole life so we weren't sure how she'd respond to the drier habitat balsamroot prefers. The flowers were at their peak, as they are right now in the Seeley Swan. From the Bison Range vista point Mom looked out at the endless, overlapping hillsides cloaked in yellow blooms, interlaced with the purples, whites and pinks from other...
SEELEY LAKE – The north wall in the Seeley Lake Elementary gymnasium now pays tribute to the Eagles athletes. Seeley-Swan High School senior Gavin Mercado put his artistic ability to the test painting an mural nearly the height of the wall as a thank you to all those who have made him who he is and to help inspire others. Mercado has always enjoyed art using pencil, colored pencil and markers. "I first started getting into graffiti around sixth grade and just kept working at it and bettering m...
FRENCHTOWN – The Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) Eagles soared over the competition at the Meet of Champions (MOC) May 16. SLE Head Coach Brett Haines said SLE was chasing eight MOC records. They went home with four and broke five SLE records this season. "This was my best season at Seeley Lake Elementary as a track coach so far," said Eagles Head Coach Brett Haines. "We had some great kids and our performances this year were outstanding, just above and beyond." Eighth-grader Klaire Kovatch b...
FRENCHTOWN - The track season for the Potomac Pioneers culminated at the Meet of Champions May 16 in Frenchtown. There were seven athletes from Potomac that qualified for the final meet. It was a chilly wet day for athletes and coaches alike. Potomac's Head Track Coach Raynee Pace was extremely proud of the athletes this year. "They worked hard in practice, tried out different and more challenging events and always worked to set high goals and break their personal records," said Pace. 6th Grade...
FRENCHTOWN-Ten athletes from the Seeley-Swan High School track and field teams will extend their season next week at the Class C State Championship in Laurel, Mont. Nine Blackhawks placed in the top five in their events at last week's Western C Divisional track meet, the qualifier for the state meet. The boys and girls 4x100m and 4x400m relays also qualified. "We got a lot of kids to state, more than I think we have in the past," said Coach Mike Haines. "It was pretty impressive but we can get b...
Everyone is invited to the Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) for the Kindergarten Completion Ceremony June 1 at 11 p.m. and Eighth Grade Graduation, June 1 at 6 p.m....
Everyone is invited to the Sunset School Kindergarten and End of the Year Celebration 2 p.m., June 1 at Sunset School...
