The Year in Review, part 3

Oct. 17

One of Libby's most famed festivals has entered a precarious turning point, one that will likely resolve in either its elimination or its transformation. Nordicfest just completed its 22nd year and at this point no one can really say if it will survive until its 23rd. The festival's survival ruffled some town talk back in May, when its tired president appealed for community help.

Oct. 19

A 24-year-old Troy man who police say died Saturday after smoking a prescription pain medication that's almost 100 times as potent as morphine was the second serious prescription overdose incident in Troy in fewer than three months.

Oct. 24

The Libby Logger Boys soccer team defeated Colombia Falls last Saturday in the second round of the State finals in Libby, advancing the Loggers to their first-ever state championship berth. Although the Wildcats took an early lead that lasted the half, scoring a penalty kick 17 minutes into the game, seven minutes into the second half, senior Riley Hoyer tucked a shot into the corner of the net to even the score at 1-1.

Oct. 26

A traffic stop ended in a car chase Saturday evening in Libby, sending one man to jail on a felony arrest. Lincoln County Sheriff's Office deputies had been doing surveillance on Casey M. Decker, 26, of Libby, as a person of interest for other crimes. A patrol deputy attempted to pull Decker over on Granite Avenue in Libby at approximately 5:15 p.m. on Saturday. Decker had three warrants for contempt for his arrest. Two of the warrants were from the city of Libby and one was from the Montana Highway Patrol in Kalispell.

Oct. 31

Specialist Casey T. Clausen, of Libby, was recently injured in Iraq. Clausen and his unit is 2-22 Infantry Battalion, 10th Mountain Division of Ft. Drum, N.Y. was deployed to Iraq in September 2007.

Nov. 2

City of Troy officials met this morning with consultants to discuss the practical feasibility of constructing a 10 Megawatt biomass facility to supply energy to the city and surrounding areas.

Nov. 7

The construction on U.S. Highway 2 between Libby and Kalispell in the Swamp Creek area is just about completed, however the stretch of road won't be chip sealed until next year. Crews are still working on the highway between mileposts 53.8 and 57.2. Work should wrap up by the end of this week with guard rails, seeding and chip sealing still needing to be completed, he explained.

Nov. 9

Peggy Williams received 227 votes, 28 percent of the 801 cast for city council. Incumbents Bill Bischoff and Doug Roll split with 193 votes. Stu Crismore, who dropped out of the election but not before he could retract his name from the ballot, received 88 votes, almost 11 percent of the total. In Troy, the challengers Lary Coryell and Don Banning swept the race and ousted incumbents Ron Pierce and Ron Rebo. Coryell received almost 29 percent of the votes with 113 while Banning received almost 26 percent with 102 votes. Pierce came in third with 79 votes and Rebo came after with 59 votes.

Nov. 14

Dell and Jo Osborn were sleeping soundly at 4 a.m. Friday at their Milnor Lake Road home when an explosion in their guest house blew out a bay window in their main home and left nothing at the foundation of the guest house.

Nov. 16

Two Libby area young adults, one male, 22, and one female, 21, were killed in an early morning vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 2 near milepost 61, just west of Manicke Church. The approximate time of the crash was 3:20 a.m. One male passenger, 28, remains in critical condition at Kalispell Regional Hospital.

Nov. 21

Libby mayor Tony Berget underwent emergency eye surgery Saturday night after he suffered severe blunt force trauma to his right eye while working on a well pump. Berget, who owns Tony's Pump Service, suffered the injury while trying to remove a defective pump from the bottom of a well in the Yaak around 4:30 p.m.

Nov. 28

Students at Libby High School are discussing ambient air issues in Gene Reckin's environmental health class. The students in Libby are studying a type of air pollution called particulate matter. Particulate matter (PM) is a mixture of solids and liquid droplets in the air. A particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers, or less, is called a "fine" particulate, and is a greater threat to human health.

Nov. 30

Gov. Brian Schweitzer was in Libby Wednesday where he presented a $1.5 million check to the Lincoln County Board of Health to help finance treatment for asbestos-related diseases. The $1.5 million comes from an allotment created by the 2007 Legislature and is critical to supplement health care coverage with limited W.R. Grace funds.

Dec. 5

A Libby man appeared in a U.S. District Court jury trial starting Monday in Missoula on federal murder-for-hire charges. Shane Douglas Sichting, 39, was arrested on Aug. 31 during divorce proceedings at the Lincoln County Courthouse. Sichting faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for allegedly hiring an Oregon man to kill Sichting's wife Sheilagh M. Sichting, formerly Sheilagh Clinch, according to court documents. Ronald M. Morales, 44, of Eugene, Ore. was allegedly paid $35,000 by Sichting to arrange to have someone kill Sheilagh.

Dec. 7

A guilty verdict was reached after three days of trial against Shane Douglas Sichting accused of a failed murder-for-hire plot. Sichting faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for hiring an Oregon man to kill his wife Sheilagh M. Sichting.

Dec. 12

On Thursday, Dec. 6 at approximately 8 p.m., a team of Lincoln County Sheriff's deputies served multiple arrest and search warrants in the Libby area. These warrants were the culmination of an extensive investigation led by Sheriff's Detective Boyd White. The first warrants were served at the Sandman Motel, where thanks to the cooperation of motel management, deputies located and arrested Wayne Leroy Waldron, Jr., 39, of Libby. During a subsequent search of the room, firearms, camera equipment and cash, as well as a number of other items believed to be stolen in several recent local burglaries were found.

Dec. 14

The project developer for the old high school building in Libby met with the Libby Merchants' Association on Tuesday morning to discuss the plans for the renovation project. Eric Berry, of DEV Properties in Kalispell, conversed with business owners and residents of Libby about the plans for the project.

Dec. 19

Residents in Libby are hailing the brand new addition to an aging transport fleet Thursday after Montana Sen. Max Baucus announced the donation of a new van to the Senior Citizens of Lincoln County transport service. The Ford Motor Company donated the van after representatives attended Baucus' Economic Development Summit in Butte in May.

Dec. 21

The election results have been counted for the Troy Activity Center and the bond passed with a 30 point majority in the elementary district and a 26 point majority in the high school district. Voters in the elementary district cast 418 votes in favor of the activity center and 388 votes against the construction. Within the high school district, there were 547 votes for the activity center and 521 votes against the center.

Dec. 26

Gene Reckin, a science instructor at Libby High School, invited Dr. Walter Kemp, (known as Willy) to speak to his students about his work at the state crime lab in Missoula. Kemp is the deputy state medical examiner and Reckin introduced him as, "the real-deal CSI." Willy Kemp, grew up in Libby and graduated from Libby High in 1989.

Dec. 28

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has extended the public comment period on the Yaak River Watershed Sediment Total Maximum Daily Loads until Jan. 14, 2008.