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December 3, 2009
Holidays keep local baker on her toes
Melea Burke/Valley Journal
Nancy Martin fills a pie crust with fruit before baking her delicious huckleberry pies three at a time.
By Melea Burke
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 Kalispell called in orders for baked goods.
It’s far more than the Martins expected when they started their little business. Dave, an architecture buff who formerly worked for Disney, started building the store without knowing exactly what its purpose would be. The Martins ran a farmers market, and customers would always ask to buy homemade baked goods, Nancy explained. So when Dave finished the building, which he designed to resemble an old train station, Nancy decided to try her hand at baking on a larger scale.
Nancy’s family was the source for many of her recipes, although she’s done quite a bit of culinary research on her own.
“I am a cookbook addict,” she admits.
Now she finds herself giving advice to customers on how to .......
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Tribal council election: St. Ignatius candidates profiled
Valley Journal
Two candidates hope to fill St. Ignatius seat......
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Tribal council election: polling places listed
Valley Journal
The general election for CSKT tribal council seats will be held......
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November 26, 2009
St. Ignatius educators plan coast-to-coast cycling fundraiser
Melea Burke/Valley Journal
English teacher Tim Marchant is part of a team planning to bike across the country next summer for the Mission Scholarship Foundation. By Melea Burke
Valley Journal
ST. IGNATIUS — Next summer, two members of the St. Ignatius School faculty will put their muscles where their mouths are in a transcontinental fundraising bike ride for the newly formed Mission Scholarship Foundation.
The rubber hits the road May 28, when Superintendent Gerry Nolan and high school English teacher Tim Marchant plan to take off by bicycle from the coastal town of Anacortes, Wash., on a 3,500-plus-mile trek to Bar Harbor, Maine. They’ll be joined by Nolan’s daughter Katie, who will graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in May, and her friend Mary Elmstrand. They’re asking for per-mile donations to build a scholarship fund to help more Mission High School graduates get a post-secondary education.
“Essentially what we’re trying to do is make it so more of our kids are able to go to college,” Nolan explained.
For most Mission students, the main obstacle to a college education is just getting a foot in the door, Nolan said.
“We live in a high-poverty area … if we can just get some of our.......
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H1N1 immunization walk-in clinics offered
Valley Journal
The Lake County Public Health and CSKT Health Departments receive H1N1 vaccines on a weekly basis. Free walk-in clinics will be held on Tuesdays, 1-4 p.m. at Lake County Public Health in Polson and Tribal Health in Arlee, Elmo, Ronan and St. Ignatius.
The Health Departments will continue weekly clinics throughout the valley as vaccine availability allows.
Pregnant women, persons who live with or provide care for infants under six months of age, health care and emergency medical services personnel, persons six months to 24 years of age, and persons aged 25-64 years who have medical conditions that put them at a higher risk for influenza-related complications.
These medical conditions include...........
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August 20, 2009
Fisherman saves boy from drowning in Flathead River
 Jim Blow/Valley Journal
The Flathead River boasts many calm stretches that are great for swimming, but swimmers should be aware and avoid channels with strong currents and backwater.
ST. IGNATIUS — After a summer warmed by the sun, the Flathead River is the perfect temperature to jump in and cool off on a hot August day. But as one local’s tale of a near-drowning experience attests, the river is always dangerous.
The flow of water in the Flathead drops off significantly after June and continues to fall throughout July, so late summer is prime time for swimming on much of the river. Of course, there are still deep channels with strong currents and tricky backwater to avoid.
“There’s still a lot of water coming down the river,” Steve Clairmont of St. Ignatius said.
One young swimmer that Clairmont rescued learned that lesson all too well on Aug. 10. Clairmont, who is a regular on the river with his fishing buddies, decided at the last minute to try his luck that day, although none of his friends could join him. He packed his fishing gear, and with boat in tow, headed out to the Perma Bridge area below Dixon.
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July 23, 2009
Festival provides weekend of good old family fun
By Melea Burke
Valley Journal
ST. IGNATIUS — If you weren’t having fun last weekend, you weren’t in St. Ignatius.
For about 30 years, the three-day Good Old Days festival has set the stage for family reunions, catching up with old friends and introducing newcomers to the Mission Valley community.
“It’s just our town event,” planning committee member Stuart Morton said. “It’s a great place for people to get together.”
Friday evening’s dessert baking contest pitted culinary artists against each other for cash prizes, and the rest of the community enjoyed the tasty creations after a barbecue feast of gourmet burgers provided by the St. Ignatius Chamber of Commerce. Music by Missoula country-western band County Line got the crowd tapping its toes before a fireworks show lit up the sky.
Bright and early Saturday morning, runners of all ages and abilities gathered on Main Street for the Buffalo Run, where participants chose from a quarter-mile, 7-mile or half-marathon course. For those not up to lacing up their jogging shoes so early in the morning, a pancake breakfast at the St. Ignatius Senior Citizen’s Center kicked off the day.
And it was a day of non-stop activity.
While the 3-on-3 Jamboree had teams testing their skills on the basketball courts at the Good Old Days park, hundreds of spectators lined Main Street in preparation for the “Largest Parade in Lake County.” The procession featured floats from a pirate ship whose rowdy crew doused the crowd with wate,r to a large PacMan, to characters from the popular children’s movie “Cars.” Annabelle Lindsay Morin Zahn, a member of Mission High School’s class of 1934, served as grand marshal for the parade.
Of course, everyone’s favorite part of the parade came at the end, when Mission Volunteer Fire Department stopped two trucks in the street and aimed their water hoses high, sending a downpour of cool water onto the waiting crowd. It didn’t take long to dry off in the hot sun when the shower was over, and everyone headed for the Good Old Days park for the afternoon.
There inflatable games entertained the kids while parents rested in the shade of the pavilion, enjoying lunch and conversation with old friends until the competitions began. The dog races determined that Dex is the fastest dog in Mission for the second year in a row, and the kids’ games — including egg races, sack races and a water balloon toss — sent several winners away with $5 bills for their efforts.
The bicycle races were a big hit this year, too. All participants received large bottles of Powerade to help them combat the heat, and two lucky kids took brand new bicycles home. Travis Alphin and Stephen Bravo won the drawing for the new bikes.
“A lot of kids really enjoy the bike races,” said Wendy Orr, who organizes the competition with husband Darren. “They look forward to it every year.”
Of course, the fun didn’t end on Saturday — few could resist a free huckleberry pancake breakfast and the chance to take a helicopter ride to Mission Falls at the St. Ignatius Airport fly-in Sunday morning. Airport manager Mike Kuefler said 49 aircraft visited for the fly-in, and 59 Young Eagle flights gave kids 8 to 17 a first-hand look at aviation. And 15 aviators won door prizes of 10 gallons of fuel.
For those that had any energy left by Sunday evening, the traditional Gospel Sing kicked off at 6 p.m. at the Good Old Days amphitheater. But if you opted for a nap instead, there’s always next year.
Parade Results
In the Antique Car category, Joe Hawkaluk’s entry took first place. The Felicite McDonald family won the Native American division.
In Classic Cars, Shawn Andres won first, Sherry Weary was second, and Robert Blood, Sr., was third.
In Novelty/Humorous, the Umphrey float took first, with second place going to the Cool Truck and third to Alpine Artistry.
In Clubs/Organizations/Groups, the Mission Valley United Methodist Church was awarded first place. The St. Ignatius School took second, and the St. Ignatius Chamber of Commerce was third.
In Stock Cars, Fred and Tammy Matt took first prize; Frank Neary was second; and John Hendrix was third.
In the Commercial division, Stuart’s Napa Auto Care took first place, with Lake County Bank in second and Rod’s Harvest Foods in third.
In the Youth 12 and Under category, Teena Zempel (with the Army truck) took first; Jessie Girsch was second; and Jolynn Girsch was third.
In Adult Horse/Rider, Chuck Ripley was first, Bobbi Ripley second and Krystal Zolman third.
In Farm Equipment, Jerry Roseliep took first, Dan Aylesworth second and Ed Brueckman third.
Mission Valley United Methodist Church also won the grand prize trophy.
Bike Races
In the 10-13-year-old age division, Marcus came in first, while Tyler O. won the 6-9-year-old category.
July 9, 2009
Lightning sets couple’s bed on fire, engulfs home in flames
Jim Blow/Valley Journal
Flames sparked by a lightning strike quickly consumed the home of Luke and Teena Savage north of St. Ignatius early Monday morning.
By Melea Burke
Valley Journal
ST. IGNATIUS — A thunderstorm late Sunday night nearly claimed the lives of a local couple when a lightning strike set their bedroom on fire.
Luke and Teena Savage were asleep when lightning struck their home on Allard Road at about 12:30 a.m. Monday morning. According to St. Ignatius Fire Chief Ray Frey, Teena was awakened first by the noise and quickly woke Luke.
The couple’s bed already had caught fire when they ran out of the house, but they escaped with no injuries. The fire spread at an alarming rate, and the house was a total loss, Frey said.
“It was pretty much engulfed when we got there,” he explained. “They were lucky to get out.”
About 15 Mission firefighters were joined by a half-dozen from Charlo, and crews were on scene until 4:30 a.m., Frey said. The Charlo firefighters also brought an extra water tender.
“At least we had enough water to fight it,” Frey said.
The Savages managed to move their vehicles out of the carport, and no other buildings were affected. According to a neighbor, the couple is staying in their camper.
June 25, 2009
Veterans Center forms in Mission
By Melea Burke
Valley Journal
ST. IGNATIUS — A Veterans Center is forming in St. Ignatius. It is not a VFW or American Legion, just a place for all vets to visit drink coffee or whatever.
The Veterans Administration Representative will also be there two times a month for anyone needing assistance. If anyone would like to join the St. Ignatius American Legion McCarthy Post 106, this would also be the place to do so.
The center will be open on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 12 to 4 p.m. It is located in the Salish home addition at 240 Blind Barnaby Drive, in the former Healthy Beginnings building.
For more information please call 370-2689.
June 25, 2009
DOE honors S&K Aerospace
ST. IGNATIUS — S&K Aerospace (SKA) has been named the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a)/Small Disadvantaged Business Contractor of the Year Award recipient for 2008.
This prestigious honor is given annually to a small business that demonstrates excellence in DOE’s SBA 8(a)/Small- Disadvantaged Business socio-economic programs or functional areas that directly contribute to core DOE mission accomplishments. The award is part of DOE’s Secretarial Small Business Awards Program and will be presented to SKA during the 10th Annual DOE Small Business Conference Aug. 11-14 in Long Beach, Calif.
In 2007, DOE awarded SKA the Technical Assistance Contract (TAC) for the Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project in Utah. In partnership with S&K Technologies and Pro2Serve, SKA offers services to support the safe removal of uranium mill tailings from the Moab site to a disposal cell near Crescent Junction, Utah.
The TAC team provides project integration, information technology and telecommunications, records management, training, safeguards and security, public affairs, and other support services for the project. The TAC team also operates the ground water remediation system.
The DOE Office of Environmental Management Moab Federal Project Director and TAC Contracting Officer Representative nominated SKA for this DOE Secretarial award. SKA was selected because of its creative solutions to meet DOE requirements and its extraordinary customer service and significant value to the government.
“This award is a great recognition of our performance on this contract, which is SKA’s first with DOE,” said Tony Amadeo, SKA vice president of midwest operations. “SKA would like to thank the employees of the TAC for their outstanding efforts, as well as the DOE staff and the other contractors working on the Moab Project, who together act as a singularly focused team.”
SKA is a certified SBA 8(a) company owned by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and is headquartered in northwest Montana. The company provides engineering, information technology, and logistical services to clients in the federal government and private sector. SKA has offices in Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Texas, Utah, and Washington.
June 11, 2009
Town mulls rejecting stimulus money
By Melea Burke
Valley Journal
ST. IGNATIUS — The St. Ignatius City Council will hold a public meeting June 29 to discuss whether or not to accept $21,000 in federal stimulus money allotted to the town.
At the June 2 council meeting, council member Rod Arlint proposed that the town refuse the stimulus funds based on concerns that increased federal spending will put an insurmountable debt burden on future generations of Americans.
“(The economy) is going to right itself if left alone,” Arlint said. “It’s money that we don’t need, that we don’t have to have … This isn’t the best way to encourage economic growth. It’s reckless; it’s sad.”
While mayor Charley Gariepy agreed and said he is “100 percent for refusing,” other council members were less certain that rejecting the funds would be the best way to handle the situation.
“I wish I knew the right answer,” Ray Jensen said. “I hate to put my kids in debt, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Council member Amy Miller pointed out that if the idea were to make a statement, the effort would need to involve more towns rejecting their stimulus money to really get noticed.
“I don’t know that any one of us in here is at that level to make that determination of whether or not it’s a good thing,” Marine Johnson added.
“Somebody has to start somewhere,” Police Chief P.D. Van Hoose said. “We don’t need it; it’s ridiculous.”
Of the $21,269 in stimulus funds allotted for St. Ignatius, $12,000 is designated for street paving, and the remainder for parks — specifics of what the money might be used for haven’t been ironed out yet.
Other fiscal conservatives have taken stands against the federal stimulus plan, but without much success. South Carolina’s governor Mark Sanford, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal, all Republicans, have tried to reject at least a portion of federal stimulus money this year. Sanford attempted to refuse all of the $700 million allotted to South Carolina, but the state Supreme Court ruled on June 4 that the legislature, not the governor, is in charge of the decision. And since the legislature already passed a budget including the stimulus funds, Sanford must accept the money.
"This decision is terrible news for every taxpayer in South Carolina, and even more so for future taxpayers who will ultimately bear the responsibility of paying for this so-called 'stimulus' without seeing any benefit from it," Sanford said in response to the ruling.
St. Ignatius’ public meeting will be held at 7 p.m. June 27 at City Hall. |
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