Articles from the March 23, 2017 edition


Sorted by date  Results 1 - 20 of 20

  • Board Given Verbal Go-Ahead from Rural Development

    Nathan Bourne, Pathfinder|Mar 23, 2017

    SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Sewer Board received news at the March 16 meeting that they will be given a second chance at a funding package from the United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development (RD). The board also discussed hiring a public relations firm to help put out their information to landowners and the community. “[District Manager Greg Robertson] has received verbal approval that RD is going to let [the sewer district] move forward with another shot at the funding,” said Manager Amy Rose. “This time with a notice and p...

  • March for Meals Campaign to Help Recover Local Deficit

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Mar 23, 2017

    SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Senior Center (Sela Senci) has teamed up with Missoula Aging Services (MAS) for the 15th annual March for Meals – a month-long, nationwide celebration and fundraising effort for Meals on Wheels. Sela Senci has delivered up to 19 meals per day in the Seeley Lake area and is currently running a $100 per week deficit with their program. While Sela Senci holds fundraisers to help keep their budget in the black, President Boyd Gossard is thankful for the opportunity to...

  • Eagles Take First in Copper League

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Mar 23, 2017

    SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) Eagles put their name in the record books after taking the championship game in the Large School A Copper League. This was the first year the Eagles have participated in the Copper League. Head Coach Brett Haines could not be happier with how well the girls did this season. The Eagles joined the Copper League this year and competed with the large schools. This included the Missoula schools. "I knew we could compete," said Haines. "I didn't realize w...

  • Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act Supports Collaboration and Balanced Use

    Carleen Gonder, Seeley Lake, Mont.|Mar 23, 2017

    Ovando, Mont. rancher Jim Stone said it best when he mentioned “neighbors working together” to craft the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project which has resulted in introduction of the bill to create the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act (BCSA). And he’s referred to “conservation and community.” To me, that is the essence of the BCSA: a community of diverse interests coming together to negotiate a conservation effort. That truly is “conservation and community.” Is the BCSA perfect? No. But if it were, then negotiation would not have been...

  • Interested to Learn More About Montana

    Cross Newberry, Charlotte, NC|Mar 23, 2017

    Hello people of the great state of Montana! I’m a fourth grade student in North Carolina. In fourth grade, we do state reports and I have chosen your state! I am very excited to learn more about the great state of Montana as I work on my report. Most of the information that we get for our reports will be from books and websites. We also like to get information from people who live in the state, too. This is why I’m writing to you. I was hoping that you would be willing to send me some items to help me learn more about the best things in you...

  • She Walked Beside the Wagon

    Heather Layman|Mar 23, 2017

    I believe five foot tall Lizzie Kate Longstreet (Hunter) Rich, my great, great grandmother, with her dark, raven hair is my guardian angel. Here's why... The stories of Grandma Lizzie have always intrigued me. She came west with her family on an oxen train in 1864 from Missouri and settled in Montana where she met her husband Frank Rich. It was always said Lizzie was a crack shot and a helluva horsewoman, breaking her last colt at age 76 while riding sidesaddle. One of the stories my grandpa C.B...

  • Resolution Approved to Increase Mill Levies, Ending Thursday Early Out for Next Year Proposed

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Mar 23, 2017

    SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) Board approved a resolution of intent to impose an increase in levies should Senate Bill (SB) 307 be approved. Superintendent Chris Stout also apprised the board of the preliminary discussions to end Thursday early outs and add a Friday off at the end of the quarter for the 2017-2018 calendar. SB307 is sponsored by Llew Jones (R) of District 9 in Conrad, Mont. The bill’s intent is to revise the laws related to school funding. It allows school trustees to adopt a resolution to increase non-voted lev...

  • Fill the Truck with Shoes Supports Missoula County 4-H Livestock Sales

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Mar 23, 2017

    SEELEY LAKE & POTOMAC – The Seeley Lake Trailblazers and Potomac 4-H Clubs are joining with the other 4H clubs who attend the Western Montana Fair to collect gently worn, used and new shoes. This effort is a fundraiser with Funds2Orgs to raise funds to benefit the Western Montana Fair 4H/FFA Livestock Marketing Committee's (Committee) promotion of the 4H livestock sale at the County Fair. In Seeley Lake, shoes can be dropped off at Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) or at ReMarkable Floral until A...

  • Past Winners Outweigh Competition

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Mar 23, 2017

    SEELEY LAKE – The winners of this year's Biggest Loser Six-Week Challenge held by Optimal Fitness in Seeley Lake were all winners from past challenges. Seeley Lake residents Susan Bracha, Jodie Miller and Mike Dellwo all returned to the podium again this year with Bracha defending her title from last year. Optimal Fitness owner Terryl Bartlett said the participation in the annual 12-week challenge was declining a little bit every year. She decided to "change things up" and shorten the length o...

  • Celebrating 30 Years of Restoration in the Blackfoot Watershed

    Ryen Neudecker, Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited|Mar 23, 2017

    This year marks Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited's (BBCTU) 30th Anniversary. It's hard to believe it was back in 1987 when BBCTU held their first meeting initiated by a group of thoughtful landowners who were concerned about the state of the Blackfoot River. They had noticed a major decline in the fishery and for those of you familiar with the amount of focus this watershed receives these days, you may find it hard to believe that during those years, no biologists were out collecting...

  • Missing Puzzle Piece

    Joann Wallenburn, Clearwater Resource Council|Mar 23, 2017

    As the state of Montana gears up for the influx of boats and watercraft that might carry invasive mussels, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) is working quickly to update measures that help prevent the spread of these species. FWP has proposed new rules that require inspection of all boats leaving Tiber and Canyon Ferry and decontamination at the discretion of the inspector, inspection of all boats entering the state and inspection of all boats crossing the divide into the western special management area. The open comment period for the...

  • Rebounding Market Meets Workforce Challenge

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Mar 23, 2017

    SEELEY LAKE – Pyramid Mountain Lumber Inc. of Seeley Lake announced their new incentive package to help keep their current employees and ultimately help recruit new ones. The announcement comes on the heels of a rebounding market giving them more raw materials to work but a shortage of qualified employees to capitalize on the increase. To work at the mill there are pre-employment drug screening and quarterly random drug screening. Chief Operations Officer Loren Rose feels that anyone, male or female, in decent health and physical strength is c...

  • Dirt Biking in the Snow

    Sigrid Olson, Pathfinder|Mar 23, 2017

    Snow biking is gaining popularity among winter enthusiasts in Potomac. Snow bikes are able to go in timber where snowmobiles cannot due to their shape and agility. Most snow bikes are interchangeable into dirt bikes with a special kit and a lot of patience. Snow bikes are different than snowmobiles. Under the dirt bike body, there is a single ski in the front and a narrow track behind, versus the double skis on snowmobiles. "Some snow bikes are interchangeable and can be switched back to a dirt...

  • James Thomas (Rocky) Scalise June 20, 1922 ~ March 9, 2017

    Mar 23, 2017

    MISSOULA – James Thomas (Rocky) Scalise, 94, passed away Thursday, March 9 at St. Patrick's Hospital in Missoula. His parents, Joseph (Giuseppe) and Carmella Farao Scalise were new to America, having immigrated from Scala Coeli Calabria, Cosenza, Italy. Jim was born June 20, 1922 in Livingston, the fifth of eight siblings. Most of Jim's early teen years were spent working for the NP Railroad, the ACM Smelters in Anaconda and the Civilian Conservation Corp. at Nine Mile. On March 17, 1942 d...

  • Lifted Up

    Erik Iverson, Holy Cross, Seeley Lake & Faith, Condon Lutheran Churche|Mar 23, 2017

    The commonly recognized symbol for the medical and health professions is a staff with two snakes entwined about it, known as the “Caduceus.” This actually derives from modern misunderstandings that confused this symbol of the mythical Greek god Hermes with the original “Rod of Asclepius”, of the Greek god Asclepius, who was worshiped in his form of a serpent entwined around a staff. Devotees associated him with divine healing and medicine, establishing healing temples wherein patients would sleep on the floor of the sanctuary and numbers...

  • SLE Students Gain Access to 1,900 More Books

    Betty Vanderwielen, Pathfinder|Mar 23, 2017

    SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) librarian Michele Holmes has worked for years to find an affordable way to provide students with access to eBooks as part of the school library offerings. At the October 2016 meeting of the Montana Education Association, Holmes helped form a consortium comprised of representatives from small Montana schools. Acting as a unit, the consortium established a shared catalogue of more than 1,900 eBooks for K-12 students. SLE's involvement in eBooks started i...

  • Much Ado Teaches Second Graders They Can Do Anything

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Mar 23, 2017

    SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) second grade class performed William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" March 8. What started as just a story read aloud to the class in last November turned into a full production with props and costumes and was performed for the SLE students in the afternoon and parents in the evening. SLE second grade teacher Erin Lynch wrote in an email, "I knew that I wanted to do a play with this group of kids because they are highly capable and have a s...

  • Making Art Out of Food

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Mar 23, 2017

    SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake resident Laura Devins has brought her professional cake decorating skills and business Chocolate Moose Cakes to Seeley Lake. While her primary focus is wedding cakes, Devins also does custom birthday and sculpture cakes as well as celebration cakes and cupcakes with a variety of fillings and decorating options to make any event special. Beyond the actual decorating, Devins loves the relationship she builds with her clients through the process. During her first year i...

  • Pioneer Girls Take Second in Tournament

    Sigrid Olson, Pathfinder|Mar 23, 2017

    MISSOULA - The Potomac Pioneers girls' basketball season ended with a second place finish for the Copper League Small Schools Team at the Adams Center in Missoula. Their playoff game March 14 was in Clinton against Hellgate. Potomac won with a final score of 18-16. This put them in the championship game against Clinton March 16 at the Adams Center in Missoula. At the half, Potomac was ahead by four points. The first few minutes of the second half brought some fouls for Potomac which slowed...

  • Community Briefs

    Mar 23, 2017

    Seeley Lake Library News SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Library Book Club will discuss J.D. Vance’s “Hillbilly Elegy” Wednesday, April 12 at 11 a.m. In this memoir, Vance describes life growing up in a poor Rust Belt town where many of his family members never fully escape the cycle of abuse, poverty and alcoholism. Vance himself, breaks out and eventually attends Yale Law School. Widely acclaimed, this book has been described as an urgent and troubling meditation on the loss of the American dream for a large segment of [the] country. All are i...