Time Capsule: Pirates wrestling takes state, pipeline hearing, school split

The Lake County Leader, February 16, 1995

Swashbucklers! 

Pirates take state wrestling title 

POLSON - A ton of heart beats nine seniors any old time.

Just ask Polson's wrestlers. They rolled over a series of obstacles all season long to win the Class A state title last weekend in Billings. The final hurdle was an experienced Sidney squad, which led the team race 93-92.5 going into Saturday morning's semi-finals.

Then, wrestle-back wins by Kory Newgard at 119 and Mike Huffine at 125 worked "like magic" to get the team jacked, recalled assistant coach Dennis Johnson.

"That was a real spark for the whole team," said head coach Bob Owen. "As soon as that happened, I knew we had a great chance."

And that was about the time normally mellow Bill Owen, the team's other assistant, "came out like a treed bobcat," Bob said with a laugh at a packed victory rally Sunday afternoon.

By Saturday evening, Polson had five wrestlers in the finals to Sidney's four ...

Reservation pipeline hearing set 

A series of open houses will be held Monday through Thursday the week of Feb. 20 to discuss progress on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) being prepared by the Bureau of Indian Affairs on rights-of-way renewal for the Yellowstone Pipeline.

The open houses will focus on the results of the alternative route screening analysis and information being studied for the draft EIS.

As a result of the analysis, BIA has selected the following three alternatives for further study:

•No action - conservation and alternate modes of transportation (truck, rail, barges, other pipelines)

•Proposed action - renewal of existing rights-of-way across trust lands with pipeline safety improvements (Missoula terminal to Plains) ...

School split causes concern 

POLSON - The reorganization of Polson's Cherry Hill and Linderman elementaries continued to be a hot topic at Monday night's school board meeting, even though no new action was planned or taken.

The board spent nearly two hours listening to — and taking part in — the debate between community members who object to the plan and faculty members and administrators who not only favor the plan but see it moving along nicely as well.

In order to ease overcrowding at the schools and put them back into compliance with certain state standards, the board had agreed last spring to implement a three-year reorganization plan. When completed, it will create two separate, K-4 schools at both Cherry Valley and Linderman, replacing the current setup of K-2 at Cherry Valley and 2-4 at Linderman.

To reach that point, the lower grades are being divided one year at a time (grade 2 this year, grade 1 next year, then kindergarten), an aspect of the plan which is currently drawing the most fire from the public.

Those against the reorganization — mostly parents — generally see it as a damaging "split" of children in the same grade, are concerned about the costs and logistics of reorganizing the two schools' libraries, and fear that the plan will only serve as a Band-Aid solution ...