Articles written by Asa Thomas Metcalfe
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 66
By 
American Legion hosts 31st Annual Chili Cook-Off
On Saturday, June 10, a modest hoard of hungry folks convened at the Swan Valley Community Center for the 31st annual Chili Cook-Off competition and fundraiser hosted by the local American Legion...
Seeley Community Council talks taxes
The upstairs loft of the Barn in Seeley Lake became an intricate Montana State civics lesson on Monday, June 12 when the Seeley Lake Community Council discussesd tax revenue and grassroots movements. Missoula County Commisioner Josh Slotnik...
Seeley-Swan High School class of 2023 graduates
The senior class of Seeley-Swan High School filed into the auditorium for their last ever school assembly on Sunday June 4. The school band played pomp and circumstance from the corner while the rows...
Steele in talks for US Forest Service move
Flathead National Forest Supervisor, Kurt Steele, has accepted a new position within the National Forest Service. Steele, who has been the Supervisor of Flathead National Forest since January of 2020 came under fire for decisions made involving the...
Memorial Day in the Swan Valley
A somber procession gathered on the Cold Creek Bridge in Condon to remember service members who have passed. The 31st annual Memorial Day observance was presided over by Edward Klassen, who has...
Letter from the Editor
I write to you from a frantic mood of trying to organize all the news into a cohesive linear manner while still covering new events as they happen. Last week we had to rush our deadline on account of the printer being closed for Memorial Day....
48th annual Whitewater Festival brings hundreds of spectators to Bigfork
Two rafting teams compete in the final heat at the Whitewater Festival in Bigfork on Sunday, May 28. The festival, which was in its 48th year, featured roughly 100 competitors in multiple races for...
Seeley Lake Lion's Club celebrates new playground
The corner of Cedar Lane and Elm Drive in Seeley Lake is a natural ditch with a shallow pond, which at one time was used as a trash dump. But it has become a pleasant oasis since the Lion's Club took...
SLCF hosts Change Your Pace kick-off party
SEELEY LAKE- The Change Your Pace (CYP) kick-off party was hosted in the parking lot of the Seeley Lake Community Foundation (SLCF) building on Friday June 2. Energy Partners Propane offered a deal...
Seeley Lake, Swan Valley and Potomac show colors at Copper League Meet of Champions
On a mild but sunny Tuesday morning the qualifying athletes of Montana's Copper League for track and field had their final competition, the Meet of Champions held at the outdoor facilities of...
First fire board meeting with new board member discusses budget, fundraising, moving forward
Susan Monahan was sworn in to her new position on the Seeley Lake Rural Volunteer Fire Board on Monday, May 22 and sat in for her first official meeting on the board later that week. The special...
When the editor goes birding
A pod of American white pelicans group together on a submerged log in the flooded area near Nevada Lake in Helmville. The area is not listed as a known nesting ground in a 2019 report by the Montana...
Joyful Noise Childcare celebrates 10 years
On Wednesday, May 24 the Joyful Noise Childcare at the Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Seeley Lake celebrated 10 years of tending to the town's youngest residents. A decade ago Mary Mount saw a lack of...
Sawyer Hessler graduates from Ovando School
This year the Ovando School will bid farewell to one graduating student. The small rural two-room schoolhouse will be sending off one proud graduate this year. Sawyer Hessler is moving on to the...
DNRC approves Elbow Lake gravel pit in Greenough
On Monday, May 15 the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) announced an approval of the Opencut Mine Gravel Pit near Elbow Lake. On March 16, the DNRC issued a press release in the Pathfinder, alerting the public to a permit being...
Letter from the Editor
There are a lot of harsh criticisms of Governor Greg Gianforte and I agree with almost every single one of them. I don’t mind telling you that I take great exception to his stances on environment, housing, welfare, journalism, and Donald Trump - ju...
Seeley Lake Library starting summer hours and programs in June
Starting Monday, June 5 the Seeley Lake Library will be changing over to summer hours. With the end of the school year, the library will not longer be open during regular school hours but will still be open for use as a regular public library....
May Day Tea at the Ovando school
On Thursday, May 18 the Ovando school hosted the annual May Day Tea event to close out the school year and showcase the talents of current students before an audience of parents and community...
Smoke from Canadian wildfires lowers air quality and visibility across Montana
Smoke swept through the Montana skies earlier this week blocking mountain views and lowering air quality. Luckily for the Big Sky State, where there was smoke there wasn't fire. Since early May, the...
Forest service issues warning to POWDR about trailer left at Holland Lake
Last summer POWDR Corp stationed a mobile apartment trailer at the Holland Lake Lodge campus. While the company has removed most of the other pieces of equipment, the trailer has remained. At a Swan V...
Meet Gus, the large larch tree
One of Seeley Lake's oldest residents is one of quite high distinction. While their place in the community may not be known to all, it literally dwarf all others. Gus is not only the tallest tree in t...
Letter from the Editor
In this issue I interviewed a tree. Obviously not quite literally, but I did write a profile about one. Gus is a local wonder, the world’s largest larch tree. At over 1,000 years old, Gus is a truly remarkable historical figure. Right here in your...
Election results: Rural District Fire Director, Potomac school board trustee, and SLE general levy
Missoula County Elections Office reported the unofficial results from the May 2 election. Results show incumbent Courtney Hathaway received 33% of the votes for the two open positions in the Potomac School Trustee election. She was followed by...
Letter from the Editor
I would like to take this time to respond to a letter sent to the editor a few weeks ago which expressed some frustration in a lack of local coverage. I have been trying to refocus the paper on local events as best as I am able. If there are things w...
Recent burglaries not related
The Seeley Lake region saw an uptick in burglaries last week with three reported in just seven days. But according to the Missoula County Sheriff’s Department they aren’t related incidents and they aren’t even all burglaries. The public record...
