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SWAN VALLEY – Army grunt turned helicopter pilot, Swan Valley resident Richard "Rick" Ferguson said his three tours in Vietnam were "just doing his duty." While the loss of 58,000 soldiers in Vietnam, especially those he fought alongside, still haunts him to this day, he said he wouldn't change anything about his life. Ferguson was 14 years old in 1958 when his father, a pilot in the United States Air Force, was killed while training a South Korean pilot. Despite that, and despite his mother's p...
SEELEY LAKE - Students, teachers and parents gathered with the Trevino family on the Seeley Lake Elementary football field Thursday morning, Oct. 25 and blew bubbles for Addy Trevino. Nothing was said only a countdown and then thousands of bubbles drifting into the sky in memory of four-year-old Addy who lost her life to brain cancer Oct. 18. Addy's preschool teacher Jama Mauldin and her class hosted the bubbles for Addy event. "Addy loved bubbles and she loved school," said Mauldin. "I know...
MISSOULA - The Seeley-Swan Lady Blackhawks punched their ticket to the Western C Divisional Tournament by taking second at the 13-C District Tournament last week. It was easier said than done as the Ladies took the long road after dropping their opening match to Valley Christian 25-16, 25-18, 17-25, 19-25 and 5-15. Lady Blackhawks Head Coach Tammy Lewis said the loss to Valley Christian was a disappointment for the team. Instead of tearing each down over the loss, the girls pulled together and d...
SWAN VALLEY - Member from Condon Community Church and the community gathered Sunday, Oct. 28 for an evening of fun and fellowship at the church's annual Harvest Party. After a meal of chili, everyone voted on their favorite pie. Carolyn Westra's cherry pie earned the bragging rights for the best. The rest of the evening was filled with games for all ages organized by Barbara Smith. Smith said the event was a huge success. She thought holding the party on Sunday instead of Oct. 31 was a positive...
Addy Trevino has made a huge impact on the Seeley Lake community. But as her parents know, Addy did not stop at touching lives in our community. Addy’s gift to cancer research is changing the world for families facing DIPG. I interviewed the Trevinos and Addy’s neuro-oncologist Dr. Nick Vitanza, known to the family as Dr. Nick, about the amazing gift Addy provided to cancer research. I had the opportunity to share this story at the Addy’s Celebration of Life Saturday, Oct. 27. Two months before Addy’s third birthday, she was diagnosed with Di...
Missoula County is facing challenges within the sheriff’s office, issues that reflect on accountability to the public and ethical failures of leadership. These are systemic failures that impact public safety and our pocketbooks. Leadership weakness reminds how important are the qualities of character and independence from political influence. Travis Wafstet is the candidate for sheriff who has the management experience and integrity to lead the department back to its public service roots. In the past four years the sheriff’s office has suffered...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Foundation is proud to announce a $1,000 scholarship award to Shane Lindemer. Lindemer was born and raised in Seeley Lake. He participated in school sports and community activities. While attending Seeley-Swan High School, Lindemer excelled in football, basketball, golf and the Nordic Ski Team. Maintaining a 3.5 GPA, he was inducted into the National Honor Society as well as received an Outstanding Academic Achievement Award. Lindemer is currently attendin...
SEELEY LAKE - Did you know that kids’ brain development can be impacted directly by natural disasters such as the Rice Ridge Fire? Trauma care expert and Licensed Clinical Social Worker Stacy York will give a free seminar Nov. 8 at 6 p.m. at Seeley Lake Elementary school to help the Seeley Lake community understand brain development in children and help promote healthy development, minimize the impact of trauma from natural disasters and implement real-life, evidence-based strategies to promote healing. The 160,187-acre Rice Ridge fire forced t...
Hi all, I hope you are enjoying the beautiful fall colors. Medicare Open Enrollment (Oct. 15-Dec. 7) is once again in full swing! This year for 2019, in addition to four regular Medicare Advantage Plans (HMO and PPOs) offered by Blue Cross and Humana; twenty-eight new prescription drug plans; and standard Medicare Supplement Plans; there is a new option for Medicare recipients in Montana called LASSO Healthcare MSA. LASSO Healthcare MSA combines a high-deductible Medicare Advantage Plan with a...
All politics is local. Let’s use my marriage to my husband and best friend, for example. We’re not exactly the same; we have our differences, but just like our neighbors, we have far more in common than we have differences. We work out our differences with discussion, listening, negotiations and compromises. The process makes us creative and the outcome gives us an inspiring, collaborating relationship. There’s no “winner takes all”; instead, it’s a process of compromise between two cooperating parties. On some matters, we can simply agre...
I am not generally that politically active but this year I feel compelled to react to House District 92’s race between Lee Bridges and Mike Hopkins. Some political views between the two are similar. Woman’s rights and reproductive rights, job training and the preservation of our environment are top priorities for both candidates. But there are some huge differences like gun rights. Hopkins is a strict believer in the Constitution, he will protect your rights, all your rights. He has an A rating with the NRA. Bridges says she has guns and may...
In addition to helping write and pass a responsible, balanced budget, fighting against the $300 million in tax increases that will be proposed next session and passing property tax relief for Montana Seniors, there are a number of other topics we need to tackle in the next Legislative Session. We need to reach an agreement that would allow us as a state to get resources on fires as soon as they start without having to wait for someone in Washington or Helena to sign all the correct paperwork. While I am pleased that Democrats, this campaign...
Anger and fear have come to dominate American politics since 2016. Sadly, American politicians are capitalizing on anger and fear in order to manipulate voters and garner support. I touched on this in my admonishment to House District 92 Republican Representative Mike Hopkins a few weeks ago in this newspaper. I had a great deal of respect for Mike until he wrote a letter wherein he took advantage of a bad situation in Missoula to try and churn it into avoidance of votes for Democrats and promote actual votes for Republicans, as though...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Community Council hosted a forum Sept. 10 on the Open Space Bond. Missoula County voters will decide the fate of the $15 million bond in the Nov. 6 election. Executive Director of Five Valleys Land Trust and a representative of Yes for Open Space, Rivers and Farmland Amber Sherrill made the argument in favor of the bond while House District 92 Representative and candidate Mike Hopkins made the opposing argument. Sherrill explained that the bond is a continuation of a $10 million bond that was voted for in 2006 and...
MISSOULA – Seeley Lake resident Rob Green is the second in his family to be inducted into the Sons of the American Revolution. Green was drawn to the connectedness he felt within the group and looks forward to contributing and being fed by the other enthusiasts in his constant quest to learn more about history and people. Green descended from patriot Adam Oberlin. Oberlin was a German-speaking Alsatians who was forced to leave when France took over, or convert. He came to the United States to a...
Do it for kids, do it to have fun yourself, do it to build community! ROCKS (Regional Outdoor Center for Kinetic Sports) has always focused on what is best for kids, community and outdoor recreation. "We are excited to add another economic driver that benefits our residents in addition to the many more obvious benefits of our plan," explains ROCKS President Jim McLean. Ice Rink advocates began meeting only a year ago and already have secured a plan to build a temporary ice rink on the Seeley...
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Lake Ranger District of the Flathead National Forest is requesting input on the proposed Mid Swan Landscape Restoration & Wildland Urban Fuels Reduction Project. The project is located in the Swan Valley, south of Swan Lake stretching down to the community of Condon and proposes treating approximately 70,000 acres within this 246,000 acre landscape. The Mid-Swan Project assessment was developed in collaboration with the Southwestern Crown Collaborative (SWCC) in response to a desire to manage terrestrial and aquatic patte...
SEELEY LAKE - Ryker Blaine Coombes was born Oct. 26 at 12:26 p.m. to Seeley Lake residents Jurian and Kendra Coombes. He weighed 7 pounds, 1 ounce and measured 20 inches long. Ryker was welcomed by his grandparents Ken and Amy Vernarsky of Seeley Lake and Noel Coombes of Missoula....
SEELEY LAKE – Jeannie Paxton, a fixture at the Filling Station since 1987, poured her last drink as a full time employee Oct. 19. What she enjoyed the most throughout her career in customer service is the people and being able to efficiently take care of her customers. While she officially calls herself "retired," she will still be working part time until she leaves for Arizona this winter and looks forward to helping out again next summer. When Paxton moved to Seeley Lake in her early 20s, s...
SEELEY LAKE - Seeley-Swan High School recognized their senior cross country and volleyball athletes along with their families at the last volleyball home game of the season Saturday, Oct. 20....
SEELEY LAKE - After learning in social studies about the impact six-year-old Jane Addams had on the poor, Seeley Lake Elementary first graders decided they wanted to help people too. With their teacher Sheila Devin's assistance, the first graders sewed potholders from recycled materials which will be sold to raise money to cure childhood cancer. Devins said the students were inspired by a social studies lesson on being a good neighbor. They learned that their community and the world are their...
OVANDO – Ovando teacher Andrea Tougas received the KECI Gold Star Teaching Award this past September. Tougas is thankful to the Ovando School and the community for allowing her to do what she loves to do in such a wonderful place. Tougas's lifelong dream was to become a teacher. Her mother was a teacher and she loved working with children. She taught preschool for a while and then attended the University of Montana to get her teaching degree. She taught third grade in Missoula for three years p...
SWAN VALLEY - The festive laughter of all ages having a spooky fun time echoed throughout the Swan Valley Elementary School's gym on the evening of Oct 26. The annual Harvest Festival, hosted by the joined efforts of the PTA and the junior high class, brought students and their families dressed up as anything from a Disney Princess to Spooky Skeletons for a spaghetti dinner followed by the carnival. It has become a bit of an unofficial tradition for the junior high class to hold a fundraiser...
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Community Council met for a special meeting Oct. 23 to review and discuss public comments to the third and fourth elements entitled Land Use and Housing of the Swan Valley Regional Draft Plan. The members paid particular attention to wording that sounded regulatory and either amended or deleted it. In the section Non Residential Land Use, a comment suggested that the wording identifying where businesses could be located sounded too regulatory. Members of the Council voted to remove the sentence stating that...
Like football itself, the Super Bowl halftime show has become an integral part of American culture. In some ways, the halftime show is even more widely anticipated and talked about. King Solomon once wrote in Ecclesiastes, “There is no new thing under the sun.” What is now, has been before. As far as popularity goes, the Roman stadiums are a good example, complete with a halftime show. Yet this was very different than ours today, as were the “games” played before and after. As the bloodiness and the brutality of the so-called bread and circus...
