Firefighters extract horse from well
The Bad Rock Fire Department saved a horse from a watery death last week after it slipped into a well on Eckleberry Drive.
Fire Chief Kirk Katzenmeyer said when firefighters arrived about 6 p.m. on Aug. 15, just the head and front feet of the poor horse, named Sweets, were sticking out of the well.
“With the help of neighbors and their tractor we were able to build slings with blankets and tow straps and extricate the horse,” Katzenmeyer said.
It took about 20 minutes to get the horse out. It rested on the ground for about 10 minutes before it could stand up. LaSalle Animal Clinic arrived shortly afterwards to provide medical care for Sweets. The horse is expected to make a full recovery.
With horns blaring and banners fluttering in the evening wind, anti-sewer protesters took their cause to the streets Aug. 15 in Paradise.
Upset at what they feel is a proposed sewer project that is being “crammed down our throats”, many in the small town along Montana 200 turned out to express their discontent by staging a rally and caravan of cars and trucks that snaked its way through the community.
At the rally in the town park prior to the caravan, protesters such as Tim French passionately argued against the $4.5 million project, saying it amounts to taxation without representation, among other things.
“This is just not right and it’s not fair,” French told the group of about 30 people gathered in the roadside park. “This is just plain wrong. There are a lot of people here who just can’t afford this.”
At issue is a proposed $180 annual tax assessment for the next 40 years for each hookup to the sewer system, which has been deemed mandatory by the local Paradise Sewer Board and has support from Sanders County commissioners.
The plans, which would also include an approximately $35 a month user fee, would build a main sewer line and an underground sewage tank just west of the town.
Many in the crowd see it as an unfair tool that supports a proposed housing development on the town’s north side.
— Clark Fork Valley Press
The Montana High School Association has named Bigfork High School one of the winners of the 2019-2020 NorthWestern Energy Academic Excellence Awards. One institution was crowned academic champion in each of the four athletic classifications and Bigfork took the title for Class B.
Winners are determined by averaging the grades earned by students who took part in athletic, music, and/or speech and drama programs during the 2019-2020 school year.
Out of Bigfork’s 320 students, 135 participated in one or more qualifying activity and together the students had an average GPA of 3.262. The runner-up for the Class B title was Cut Bank High School, which averaged a 3.165 GPA among its 79 student participants.
Other winners across the state include Bozeman High School for Class AA with an average GPA of 3.610, Whitefish High School for Class A with a 3.714 GPA and Plevna High School in Class C rounding out the winners with an average GPA of 3.907.
— Bigfork Eagle
There aren’t many “For Sale” signs for homes in Mineral County these days.
According to Zillow, in Montana, the median home price of a home is $319,900. California is $615,090. Oregon, $378,900, and Washington’s median home price is $428,896. The median home value in Mineral County is $200,209, while the median price is currently $315,000.
“If locals are thinking about selling their houses or property in the next year or so, right now is the time to list it. Even if it’s earlier than they planned because who knows how long this will last? And please use a Realtor,” Michelle Parkin, manager of First American Title Company in Superior said. “Lots of people are coming in with cash. Still plenty of mortgages but cash buyers from all over the country are a lot of people we are dealing with.”
Bessie Spangler, a real estate agent in Superior, reports they have had low inventory for quite some time now.
“People are moving here from all different states, as well as Missoula. Since the pandemic hit, many have decided that working from home is pretty nice so if they can do that, they want to live here. Because the housing market is slim, bare land for building is also being sold at a much faster pace than a few years ago,” she said.
What Spangler said about working from home is what many others have been saying for several years. The outdoor recreation opportunities are phenomenal in Mineral County with more than enough elbowroom for privacy.
Anita Bailey is a broker with Regent Reality in St. Regis and said the flood gates for them opened June 1.
“Even with COVID, our spring was just bouncing along at a normal pace, but now we are all working long days and weekends all of the time,” Bailey said.
— Mineral Independent