| December 3, 2009
Ronan volunteers deliver a hometown Thanksgiving feast
Jim Blow/Valley Journal
Malech Crist opens wide for another bite of dinner served by his mother, Sally.
By Jim Blow
Valley Journal
The gentle, often jovial idle talk between friends and neighbors mixed easily with the wafting aroma of roasted turkey on Thanksgiving at the annual Community Dinner in Ronan. Good food, good conversation and good music filled the Ronan Community Center last Thursday for the sixth annual Community Dinner, put on by a group of dedicated volunteers and key members of the Ronan Chamber of Commerce.
More than 300 people from throughout the Mission Valley sat down to enjoy a free turkey dinner with all the trimmings amongst neighbors. That's not counting the many dinners taken home for family members and friends who could not attend the dinner.
Diners enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving feast and a lot of conversation at the dinner table while.........
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Community Thanksgiving Dinner draws a crowd in Polson
Berl Tiskus/Valley Journal
A dinner guest signs the guestbook before enjoying Thanksgiving Dinner.
Valley Journal
POLSON — K.C. and The Valley Cats transformed the Polson Senior Citizen Center into a jazz club on Thanksgiving Day, feeding the musical needs of an appreciative audience before, during and after they stepped up to the dinner table.
The quartet of piano, trumpet, bass and drums warmed up the crowd waiting in line right after 11 a.m. for turkey and fixins’ at the free Community Thanksgiving Dinner.
Volunteers worked to carve 12 turkeys, eight of which were cooked at the center and made the building smell like Thanksgiving — roasting turkey, bubbling gravy, fragrant sage and onion in the dressing and percolating coffee. All that was missing were the scents of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger and pumpkin baking in a flaky crust.
Not to worry, there were plenty of ...........
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Girl injured in hit-and-run near Turtle Lake
By Berl Tiskus
Valley Journal
POLSON — A 27-year-old Polson man was arrested after a 16-year-old girl was struck by a pickup east of Polson last week. The girl was riding her bicycle on Turtle Lake Road when she was allegedly struck by the man’s truck, who then continued on to his home, according to the Montana Highway Patrol investigation.
The alleged hit-and-run happened at about 8:52 p.m. on Nov. 25. Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Shad Andersen and Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the accident.
The girl was transported to the hospital by.......
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Holidays keep local baker on her toes
Melea Burke/Valley Journal
Nancy Martin makes the most of her single oven by baking her delicious huckleberry pies three at a time.
Valley Journal
RAVALLI — It’s mid-morning on Thanksgiving eve, and Nancy Martin is nearing the finish line, with only 11 more pies to bake before the holiday. Since Monday, she’s turned out nearly 100 made-from-scratch pies, baking them three at a time in her single oven. This time of year, she has a friend that helps out with some of the baking, but Nancy’s still hard at work by 4 a.m. every day during the pre-Thanksgiving rush.
“It’s been non-stop baking,” says her husband, Dave. “Yesterday there was a mountain (of pies).”
The Martins are in only their fourth winter in Ravalli, but their Windmill Village bakery and sandwich shop is already a local icon. Known for Nancy’s giant delectable homemade doughnuts, all things huckleberry and pie crusts that near perfection, the store is a popular coffee-sipping spot for the locals, while travelers from all over make a point to stop in for a treat during their drive up or down U.S. Highway 93. And this Thanksgiving, people as far away as .......
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Early frost causes problems for some area potato growers
Kate Haake/Valley Journal
Digging up seed potatoes has been especially cold this year, as well as costly for some area farmers after a bitter early frost. By Berl Tiskus
Valley Journal
Seed potatoes are one of the main crops around Ronan. In the summertime, wheel lines spray arcs of water over the dark green plants. Fall brings potato digging weather and the rumble of trucks moving the tubers to their winter home in cellars.
But an early visit by old man winter can throw off the whole process, as was the case in early October this year.
There are approximately 10,000 acres of seed potatoes planted in Montana, most of which are sold to growers in Washington state who raise the potatoes to maturity for consumption. The most popular variety is the Russet Burbank, which accounts for almost half of the state’s production, according to Nina Zidak, Ph.D., an Extension Plant Pathologist with the Montana State University Potato Certification Program.
The other most widely grown varieties are also russet types used for both fresh market potatoes and processing potatoes, being made into French fries, hash browns and dehydrated potatoes. And as with all commodities, consumer demand drives the market.
“The demand for French fries dictates the demand for .......
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Shoppers flock to Wal-Mart on Black Friday
Berl Tiskus/Valley Journal
Big HDTVs were just part of the big deals shoppers flocked to at WalMart in Polson last week.
By Berl Tiskus
Valley Journal
POLSON — It was dark and cold at 4:45 a.m. on Black Friday, Nov. 27, too early to even buy a cup of coffee. However, the parking lot at the Polson Wal-Mart was about half full, and the store was a brightly lit beacon enticing shoppers in to shop.
Shoppers had arrived early to get in line for bargains, but many were picking up other items as well and chatting with neighbors and friends.
Although the items could not be purchased until 5 a.m., people could get a number at 4 a.m. and get in line. Maps and numbered tickets were handed out, and giant yellow balloons all over the store marked the spots where lines for hot-selling items, such as laptop computers, TV’S, trampolines and toys, would start.
One lady, determined to purchase one of the laptop computers, came at midnight armed with a collapsible chair. She set up her chair in the pharmacy near the laptops, picked up her number at 4 a.m. and was first in line to purchase a laptop. Another man came at.......
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St. Luke foundation raises money for digital mammography equipment
Kate Haake/Valley Journal
Dr. Ed Vizcarra and Steve Sivak point out the differences between digital and analogue mammograms in the Radiology Department at St. Luke Community Healthcare. The image on the left is digital, and calcifications are easily seen, while the analogue image on the right is a cloudier mammogram and the calcifications are almost impossible to observe. By Kate Haake
Valley Journal
RONAN — According to the National Cancer Institute, one in eight American women will develop breast cancer in their lives. And in the arduous fight against the disease that touches so many, St. Luke Community Healthcare Foundation is doing their part in battling the debilitating disease.
The foundation is attempting to fight cancer one digital mammogram at a time by raising money to purchase a Selenia Digital Mammography Unit. The digital mammography unit will be an added improvement to the already state of the art radiology department at St. Luke Community Healthcare.
“We want to do what’s best for the patient,” Radiology Manager Steve Sivak said. “We are ranked very high in how we do mammography today.”
Sivak suggests that although their analog mammography equipment is up to par, the department is looking forward to the benefits that digital mammography equipment will bring.
Sivak pointed out the differences between......
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More news ...
‣ AIDS Awareness Day Celebration honors nurse Sheri Clark
‣ H1N1 walk-in clinics offered
‣ Rural Fire board to meet at new fire station
‣ Open burning season ended Nov. 30
‣ Tribal Council election: Arlee seat candidate profiles
‣ Tribal Council election: Elmo seat candidate profiles
‣ Tribal Council election: Polson seat candidate profiles
‣ Tribal Council election: Ronan seat candidate profiles
‣ Tribal Council election: St. Ignatius seat candidate profiles
‣ Tribal Council election polling places listed
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