Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 30
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Elementary School Board approved the temporary ice rink on the SLE fields for three years. Superintendent Chris Stout also provided several updates on the new school year. The Board received no more comments on the proposed ice rink. Ice Rink Committee member Gary Swain had no new information about the ice rink to present to the board. He confirmed that all the group was asking for this year was a location that would require a little leveling, sand and temporary boards installed as forms for the rink. Board C...
SEELEY LAKE – At the Sept. 20 meeting, Seeley Lake Sewer District Board President Beth Hutchinson announced the District doesn’t have insurance to cover the lawsuit spearheaded by Don Larson against the District. The board also discussed the uses for a recently received grant, the inter-local agreement with the county and filling the vacancy on the board. The District’s attorney informed the directors that the 17-year-old insurance policy would not be covering the lawsuit. The District has approximately $179,000 in reserves but several thing...
SEELEY LAKE – At the inception of the Seeley Lake Community Park in 1983, there were plans for many recreational facilities including tennis courts, a fitness trail, covered pavilion/ice skating rink, softball fields, basketball court and horseshoe pits on the 10-acres owned by Seeley Lake Elementary District #34. While many of these projects have been completed over the past 35 years on the property, minimal maintenance has been done to maintain the existing infrastructure. While the SLE s... Full story
SEELEY LAKE - Law enforcement from all over the county joined in a procession Sept. 22 to recognize former Missoula County Sheriff's Deputy Lloyd Hallgren. The procession ran from his home in Dog Town to the Seeley-Swan High School....
Imagine that you are returning to your vehicle after a day of hunting with your child. Before you put your rifle in the gun rack, you push the safety off to open the bolt and remove the round in the chamber. The moment you hear the click of the safety mechanism the rifle goes off in your hands. The bullet ricochets and kills your child standing nearby. Imagine the damage a bullet designed to bring down an elk will do to a nine-year-old boy. It’s a memory I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Sound crazy? It happened. Something similar hap...
I strongly support Alex Beal for Justice of the Peace. Not only is he highly qualified but his opponent, the current judge, is an embarrassment to the judiciary. Alex has been a prosecutor, public defender and attorney in private practice for 13 years. He serves as an assistant Municipal Court Judge in Missoula and has proven that he can keep a court functioning efficiently, handling a high volume docket with minimal wait. His opponent has made a mess of her court. She is frequently unexpectedly absent, throwing the court calendar into chaos. T...
Lee Bridges may be more prepared to run for the Montana Legislature than any other past or current candidate. She hit the ground running in February, right after registering for House District 92. Since then, Lee has been meeting people from all walks of life every week in the Swan Valley, Seeley Lake, Bonner and East Missoula areas. I’ve seen Lee at several community events, meetings and businesses, face-to-face at the Hungry Bear and most recently at Liquid Louie’s. I’ve watched her chatting with just about everyone, listening and getti...
As a pediatrician, I am alarmed by statistics that show that a rapidly rising number – now 30 percent – of Montana teenagers are using e-cigarettes or vaping. Without prompt action to reduce the appeal of these new tobacco products to teens, we’ll be raising the next generation of nicotine-addicted kids. We know nicotine exposure in adolescence can harm the developing brain. As a society, we all pay the millions in health care costs associated with tobacco use. Aerosols involved in e-cigarette use are harmful; they contain heavy metals and o...
As a firearms owner and active big game hunter for more than 55 years, the right to own firearms is important to me. Recently, I saw a Greg Gianforte television ad attacking Kathleen Williams’ position on firearms. A pistol-packing young woman claimed that if Williams is elected as Montana’s congressional representative, she would take away her right to defend herself. Not only is this misleading, it is an outright lie! I have gotten to know Kathleen during her campaign, and have had in-depth conversations with her about her position on fir...
One name to remember when voting this fall is Lee Bridges, who is running for House District 92, which includes Condon, Seeley Lake, Greenough, Potomac, Bonner, East Missoula and surrounding areas. I first met Lee 25 years ago when I was a building inspector checking the electrical and heating system that Lee had installed in her shop. That’s right, she did all of the work herself, to a level of perfection and craftsmanship that I had rarely seen before or since. Actually, I was so amazed that a novice was so good at this trade, that I e...
There are three contested statewide races on the ballot this year: US Senate, US Congress and a third one that receives little public attention, Clerk of the MT Supreme Court. While the office is obscure to most people, it fulfills an important role. The Clerk is charged by state statute with managing files and cases, overseeing the appellate process and keeping the Court’s records. The Clerk also licenses Montana’s attorneys, issues writs and certificates and protects public access to court records. Rex Renk has been part of this office for...
Montana is a state in which 10 percent of our population are veterans and a high percentage are 65 years of age or older. While serving in the Montana Legislature, Matt Rosendale supported privatizing the Columbia Falls Veterans’ Home. He also opposed a new veterans’ home in Butte. Montana is about one-third federal public lands, over 27 million acres. Real estate developer Rosendale is on record advocating transferring these federal public lands to the state, which could then be sold, and then posted “No Trespassing, Keep Out.” In general...
Exaggerations are not unusual and, of course, everyone has beliefs, but are the two related? The current atmosphere in the U.S. places each person on a visual pedestal and under observation. Today, we see exaggerations and fixed beliefs being expressed by people in all corners of life. Why is that? Social media is one simple answer with its visible and global access but that's not the complete answer; therefore, understanding the psychology underlying the presence of these two characteristics...
SEELEY LAKE – At times all parents feel lost or without a clue about what their children might need. Imagine if you could make sense of what your child was really asking from you. Stephen Marten, COS-P facilitator and LCPC candidate and Bekah Cahoon, BIS, graduate student in counseling will be presenting an eight-week Circle of Security® Parenting™ program at Seeley Lake Elementary starting the first week of October. While the program is directed mainly at caregivers of children up to 12 years old, the principles apply to all ages and anyone ca...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Ranger District is wrapping up their summer activities and turning attention to fall projects. Many fall projects are in the works and are dynamic. For the most current information contact the Ranger District at 406-677-2233. Road Work Morrell Bridge, the road to Morrell Falls trailhead, will be fixed this fall and the old bridge removed. The Henry Mountain road #5407 within the Marshall Creek Wildlife Management Area is now open. The District is currently working o...
SWAN VALLEY - Chip Weber, Flathead National Forest Supervisor, signed the final decision for the Glacier Loon Fuels Reduction and Forest Health Project. The project area is located on the Swan Lake Ranger District, in the Swan River Valley, south and west of Condon on the west side of Montana Highway 83 to the south end of Lindbergh Lake. All management activities included in the decision occur on National Forest System lands within Missoula County. A summary of the actions in the decision include the following: • Vegetation treatments (...
SEELEY LAKE – This past summer, Missoula City-County Animal Control installed two new dogs kennels at the Missoula County Satellite office north of Seeley Lake. The intent for the temporary, holding facility is to provide a place for local law enforcement officers to bring stray dogs and keep them secure, sheltered and watered until an Animal Control officer is able to come up from Missoula. Animal Control Officer Sonney White started with Missoula County Animal Control five years ago. He s...
SWAN VALLEY – Rebecca Folsom and Mark Oblinger filled the Swan Valley Community Hall with their beautiful harmonies, talented wit and honest emotions Sunday, Sept. 23. Folsom's performance opened the 2018-2019 2 Valleys Stage concert series. This was not Folsom's first appearance in the Seeley-Swan valley, having performed before with Celeste Krenz as the "Rhythm Angels." Splitting her time between Colorado, Nashville, Tenn. and touring nationally, Folsom shared parts of her artistic journey a...
John "Ike" Wallace is known to his new students at Potomac School as a teacher of multiple strengths who feels humbled each time he walks into the classroom. He said he enjoys the challenges that come with teaching. Wallace graduated from Missoula's Hellgate High School in 2009. He proceeded to graduate from Montana State University in 2014 with a B.S. in Elementary Education and a Minor in K-12 Reading. At Potomac School, Wallace teaches English language arts to sixth grade, math to seventh...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Fire District discussed issues with the billing company and vendors at their Sept. 18 meeting. They also approved a $5,000 raise for Fire Chief Dave Lane. Lane said the District is down 60 calls from last year. This is good because it cuts down on the wear and tear on the vehicles and cuts expenses, however it is a loss of revenue for the District. Lane said he is working on increasing the revenue. He added there are things coming to light with the billing company that need to be addressed to improve the billing ou...
By trade, I am a saw filer. In earlier days, anyone in this trade may have been called either a sawsmith, or a saw doctor – as filing or sharpening saws was only a small part of our trade. A sawsmith, or saw doctor, takes great pains to repair a saw so that the sharpening can be used to best effect. Often times, the repair process involves welding broken teeth back into the saw, or welding a broken saw body back together. Part of the process of welding involves tempering the welded area. The careful application of heat can cause the welded a...
Two months ago, the boys played like children do, clambering around a ruined building just down the lush green hillside from their home. Now their mom, Moslene, cooks only for her husband, a mechanical act that brings her no joy. Only sadness and a remembrance of the innocent laughter she will never hear again. Her boys - her only children - are dead. A wall of that ruined building fell on them, killing them instantly. Moslene's house, a one-story, two-room concrete structure with a wrap-around...
SEELEY LAKE – Sunday, Sept. 23 the Missoula Hellgate Classic Car Club drove through the area. They met at the Seeley Lake Historical Museum with many local classic car owners. The group then proceeded to Seeley Lake beach for lunch. Member of the club and Ovando resident Steve Kloetzel organized the tour around the lake on Boy Scout Road, the only loop option on pavement....
THOMPSON FALLS – Despite the challenging uphill finish, Seeley-Swan High School junior Jayla Kauffman and freshman Chase Haines set new personal records at the cross country meet in Thompson Falls Sept. 20. Eighth-grader Emily Maughan maintained her undefeated title in the 2-mile Middle School race. Varsity Boys – 3.1 miles Freshman Chase Haines make a comeback from a foot problem. He ran a relaxed 7:27 mile pace finishing in 23:07, beating Isaac Fisher of Arlee by 27 seconds. This is a 55 sec...
The Seeley-Swan Lady Blackhawks fell to the Arlee Scarlets before heading to the Mineral County Shoot Out last week. The non-conference loss to Arlee gives the Ladies a 4-3 overall record. They remain 3-0 in conference. The Lady Blackhawks hosted Arlee Sept. 20. It was the third time the teams faced each other this year. The Ladies came out strong putting the Scarlets down 25-15 in game one. They struggled through the middle of the match dropping close games two, 22-25 and three, 25-27. The...
