Articles from the July 2, 2020 edition


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  • Health Department cautions Fourth of July events as cases rise

    Griffen Smith, Pathfinder|Jul 2, 2020

    With an influx of visitors and coronavirus cases entering the Fourth of July weekend, the Missoula City-County Health Department asked event coordinators to be cautious on what is one of the busiest holidays in Seeley Lake. Though events are looking different than previous years, the county is excited with how the community of Seeley is handling the pandemic. “We have actually really good interactions with folks and they clearly care about doing the right thing with their community,” said Alisha Johnson, Health Department Public Inf...

  • 4-H and FFA projects going from farm to fair

    Sigrid Olson, Pathfinder|Jul 2, 2020

    Despite some Western Montana Fair event cancellations, 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) members are still able to exhibit their projects but without spectators due to COVID-19 risks. Missoula County Fairgrounds Events & Operations Manager Billie Ayers and Fairgrounds Director Emily Brock together with the Fair Office partnered with the 4-H, FFA and Missoula County Commissioners, sponsors and volunteers to support the 4-H and FFA organizations in their ability to show at the fair. "We are...

  • Howard transfers Air Force skills to MAS in the Seeley-Swan

    Betty Vanderwielen, Pathfinder|Jul 2, 2020

    SWAN VALLEY - Condon resident Linda Howard joined the Missoula Aging Services (MAS) in 2016 and currently works as the organization's Resource Specialist in the Seeley Swan area. Many of the skills she relies on in her work with MAS she attributes to her four-year stint in the United States Air Force. After graduating from Louisiana's Tulane University with a master's degree in Health Systems Management and Hospital Administration, in 1981 Howard joined the United States Air Force. She looked...

  • An election is the solution, not lawsuits

    Frank Dufresne, Seeley Lake, Mont.|Jul 2, 2020

    SEELEY LAKE - If this sewer was a good idea, users in the district would be ALL for it and it would have been built already. As proposed, it’s dissolved into a decades-long lawyer and lawsuit can-of-worms and getting worse. After the recent board election, members of the board had a CLOSED meeting to discuss how to manage the influence of two newly elected members who weren’t seated yet. Their solution was a LAWSUIT aimed to stop two new members” from taking any steps that may interrupt the ongoing sewer project.” Seriously? Is this the kin...

  • Open Federal lands or give management over to the state

    John Rice, Missoula, Mont.|Jul 2, 2020

    That was a great article in the Thursday, June 18 issue of the Pathfinder by Dale Terrillion on “Public Lands”. It seems the government forgets who owns and pays taxes to support public lands. I don’t understand why disabled groups, senior citizen groups, sports groups and wild life groups can’t get together and file class action lawsuits to open up public lands to all citizens. Why are we paying for property we can’t have access to and enjoy? There should be representatives made up of members of these various groups along with representation f...

  • Daines, be honest and tell us how you will bring back jobs

    Don Larson, Seeley Lake, Mont.|Jul 2, 2020

    Steve Daines’ campaign ads that claim he will bring back the jobs from overseas suggest he is either stupid or naive. Here’s why... The jobs, if they ever were in the U.S, went overseas because there is cheaper labor and less government regulation - hence more profit for the companies that went there. Until those things change, U.S. companies will continue to base their manufacturing overseas. Should a company decide to return its operations back to the U.S. there’s a good chance it will not be able to find workers to perform the labor...

  • Wishful thinking and denial

    Ken Silverstro PhD|Jul 2, 2020

    Wishful thinking has been called magical thinking, fantasy thinking, even idealistic thinking. It has never been called realistic thinking. In other words, it is a form of thought that expresses personal wishes, beliefs and ideals, which a person thinks are real. The bottom line is that people think themselves into a magical reality, one that doesn't coincide with actual reality. Clearly, this form of thought is not healthy because a person is not experiencing the reality of a current or future...

  • Senior Farmers' Market Coupon program available

    Linda Howard, Resource Specialist, Seeley-Swan Resource Center|Jul 2, 2020

    Along with our gorgeous summer weather, we in the Seeley-Swan Valley have something to celebrate! Seniors who are 60 years of age and older, residents of Missoula County and meet federal income guidelines (one person household maximum monthly income = $1,968; two person household maximum monthly income = $2,658; three person household maximum monthly income = $3,349) qualify to receive coupons to purchase fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables at our local farmers markets through the...

  • Tomato troubles, plastic covering and tasty veggies

    Molly Hackett, Master Gardener|Jul 2, 2020

    What does it mean when the bottom leaves of my tomatoes turn yellow? It means that the bottom leaves are not healthy. If they turn yellow late in the growing season, it means only that the leaves are getting old. Yellow tomato leaves should not be occurring in early summer. There are many causes for yellow leaves (and they usually start at the bottom of the plant) but most yellowing in most of the country comes from tomato diseases. Fortunately, in Montana we can forget about diseases like...

  • Loon & Fish Festival, Shakespeare in the Park canceled

    Alpine Artisans Inc.|Jul 2, 2020

    "This was a tough decision for Alpine Artisans to cancel the Loon and Fish Festival this summer," stated AAI Program Manger Jenny Rohrer. "The Festival was scheduled for the first weekend in August, featuring a major art show and sale, Soup Bowl Food Bank fundraiser, live music and scholarship raffle, but in consultation with our volunteers, we decided to play it safe and come back again next summer. We couldn't live with bringing even one case to our community". In a normal summer, AAI's 2...

  • Double Arrow Ranch - Change and stability in the 1980's

    Tom Browder, President Double Arrow Landowners Association|Jul 2, 2020

    The decade of the 1980’s was the time when initial plans were modified, properties were bought and sold regularly and building began occurring across all phases of DARLOA. It is fascinating to look back at how the development matured in the 1980’s. The final phases of Double Arrow Ranch were approved in 1978, a time of ever-increasing interest rates. In May of 1980, the Missoula County Planning Board gave preliminary approval for 68 two-story condominiums, which would provide 136 units, on a 100-acre site. This was perhaps the last time suc...

  • Trail Creek Merc offers something for everyone

    Griffen Smith, Pathfinder|Jul 2, 2020

    SEELEY LAKE - After decades of working for others, Lynda and Kevin Mickelson decided it was time for a change. The newly retired couple opened Trail Creek Merc on June 28, a one-stop-shop for gifts, in the Bison and Bear Center. "I think that our personal mission on this is to be doing something that we want to do and enjoy," said Kevin. The Mickelsons grew up together in Missoula and in the summer they spent time in the valley with family. They both graduated from Loyola Sacred Heart in 1979....

  • Swan Valley Community Library highlights for July

    Colleen Kesterson, Swan Valley Librarian|Jul 2, 2020

    SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Library is still offering curb side service to patrons who have a hold on a library item or who want to borrow a chrome book for use outside the library. Patrons can request books from the Library’s shelves by phoning 754-2521. The request will be brought out to them. WIFI is available both inside and outside the library at all times. Books are now transferred between most of the Missoula Public Library branches so patrons can place holds on books which can be picked up at Swan Valley Library. To place holds, visit...

  • Fourth of July  - Be cautious with the upcoming fire season

    Griffen Smith, Pathfinder|Jul 2, 2020

    The Fourth of July is an excellent time to get outside with family and friends and recreate on the Lolo National Forest. With more people out recreating, the Seeley Lake Ranger District is asking people to do their part when it comes to wildfire prevention. “We are expecting another busy Fourth of July weekend on the Seeley Lake Ranger District,” said Quinn Carver, District Ranger. “We have had record numbers of visitors in our campgrounds this summer. As we head into another holiday weekend on the District, we are asking people to recre...

  • Mountain lion takes dog in Seeley Lake

    Griffen Smith, Pathfinder|Jul 2, 2020

    SEELEY LAKE - A Seeley Lake resident’s dog was killed by a mountain lion early Wednesday, June 16 off of Spruce Street. The last mountain lion sighting in the area was reported almost a month prior, but Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Cougar and Bear Management Specialist Eli Hampson said they are quite common in the area. “There’s a lot of deer in town for food, and there is a healthy lion population in the area as well as deer and elk,” Hampson said. He added, “I can’t tell you how often the lions are going through town like that but I...

  • Missoula businesses close due to COVID-19 positive employees

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Jul 2, 2020

    MISSOULA - Two Missoula area restaurants announced via their Facebook page last week that they would close after an employee test positive for COVID-19. Paradise Falls voluntarily closed upon hearing from the worker and has been cooperating fully with the Missoula City-County Health Department’s investigation. The investigation is moving swiftly and employees who have been identified by the Health Department as close contacts to the infected co-worker are being interviewed, quarantined and scheduled for testing. The Staggering Ox was n...

  • Japan: A glimpse at Montana's future?

    Dave Erickson, Missoulian|Jul 2, 2020

    This is part 1 of a two-part story about financing elder care in aging populations. Part 2 - what new strategies could Montana explore? - will be published next week. Montana, the oldest state in the western United States, faces many of the same problems as Japan, the world's oldest country. Might there be solutions for Montana from what looks to be a successful experiment enacted two decades ago to help pay for elder care in Japan? On April 1, 2000, a new law in Japan began the world's largest...

  • From draft to final declaration

    Betty Vanderwielen, Pathfinder|Jul 2, 2020

    We often wonder how our founding fathers could have written the phrase "all men are created equal" while simultaneously sanctioning and supporting slavery. A close look at the changes made in the various drafts of the Declaration of Independence reveals a struggle to try to accommodate those two ways of thinking. The Declaration of Independence started with a rough draft created by Thomas Jefferson. It took him almost three weeks to craft it. He then submitted his work to the other members of...

  • Independence

    Shane Kesterke, Elder, Mission Bible Fellowship|Jul 2, 2020

    We once more have arrived at the great celebration day of our nation’s adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Blood, sweat and tears were shed so that we can enjoy benefits such as free speech, life, liberty, independence, freedom of religion, the right to bear arms, etc. This year is unique from all other Fourth of July’s in my lifetime, in that many events have been canceled due to COVID-19. That does not mean that we cannot celebrate in different ways. I thank God for the sacrifices made so that we have something substantial to celebra...

  • Heart and Crescent Lakes

    Griffen Smith, Pathfinder|Jul 2, 2020
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    Distance: 4.3 miles (8.6 miles roundtrip) Difficulty: Moderate. Elevation gain: 1,368 feet Services: The trailhead has a relatively large parking lot with a pit toilet. No drinking water is available at the trailhead. The trail sees heavy use. Foot travel and horses are allowed. Directions: On Montana Highway 83, turn west onto Kraft Creek Road at mile marker 37 (just south of Condon). Follow Forest Service Road 561 for about 11.5 miles to the trailhead. The trailhead to Heart and Crescent Lake...

  • Pound wise

    Kim Grover - PT and MPT, Physical Therapist and Owner Rejuvenate LLC|Jul 2, 2020

    Over 70% of American adults and over 18% of kids are overweight or obese. Here are 6 important things to be aware of regarding extra weight: • Increased weight increases cancer risk: Research shows increased Estrogen (fat cells produce Estrogen), increased Insulin (excess weight often leads to higher blood insulin levels) and Inflammation (excess weight can lead to chronic low-level inflammation) can at least double your cancer risk. • Fat cells are hard to lose: A Mayo clinic study found tha...

  • Community Briefs

    Jul 2, 2020

    Lorentz named to spring Deans’ List at Nebraska LINCOLN, NEB. - Elizabeth “Ibby” Lorentz of Seeley Lake was named to the Deans’ List for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for the spring semester of the 2019-20 academic year. Lorentz, a junior biological sciences major, earned a grade point average of 3.7 or higher. Nearly 7,500 students at Nebraska have been named to the Deans’ List for the spring semester. For the full Deans’ List, visit https://go.unl.edu/deanslist-spring20. Weekly COVID-19 update As of Ju...