Troy Mine layoffs, area impact make for top 2013 story

1. Troy Mine: Just before Memorial Day, Revett’s Troy Mine laid off about 100 miners and office staff workers. The impact of the decision reverberated throughout Lincoln County and it’s still being felt in the jobless numbers and because of the impact, it was selected as to top story for 2013.

The notice came about six months after the mine experienced ground fall the first week of December 2012.

In a Revett Minerals, Inc., statement, Revett CEO Shanahan explained the reason for the layoffs as an unexpected discovery of ground fall in the B Drive area of the mine.

“Given the unexpected discovery of ground fall and length of time required for alternative development into this area, the company has announced an immediate and significant reduction in the workforce at its Troy Mine,” Shanahan said in the statement.

 Since the layoffs, the mine has tried alternative routes, but later, citing concerns for safety, announced plans for an entirely new entrance, which would take about 12 months to complete at an expense of about $12 million.

 “This is a hard decision, a very sad day for us,” Shanahan said. “We have a dedicated workforce, and we believe in the Troy Mine and that one day we will resume production.”

2. TRACEE PETERSON: Tracee Peterson has begun her long road to recovery after a severe beating by her husband Joshua Junior Peterson in their Troy home on Sept. 28.

Joshua Peterson, who allegedly beat his wife with a baseball bat, has since pleaded not guilty to attempted deliberate homicide and two assault charges. He was released from jail after posting a $500,000 bond.

Meanwhile, Tracee Peterson continues her recovery, which amazes the people around her.  

According to Troy Police officer Lori Faulkner’s report, Faulkner found Peterson with a mouth full of blood, a severed right ear and an extremely swollen face on the morning of Sept. 28. Faulkner drove to the Peterson house after Joshua Peterson called Ed Hanson, saying he had beaten his wife and believed her to be dead. The police report also says Joshua Peterson led Faulkner to the place he threw the bat into the woods.  

The next court hearing is not scheduled, but expected to be sometime around April.

3. CRANES GO TO ARIZONA: The legal tug-of-war over ownership of the overhead cranes in the building formerly occupied by Stinger Welding, Inc., has turned into a decision of possession, and a judge has ruled Stinger will have the cranes, for now.

Earlier this month, 20th Judicial District Court Judge James A. Manley in Polson denied another motion for a preliminary injunction, and he dissolved the retraining order that kept Fisher Sand & Gravel employees from accessing Lincoln County Port Authority property to remove the remaining cranes from the building that for nearly three years was the site where steel spans were assembled and bridge structures were built.

Manley’s action clears the way for tractor-trailer trucks from the parent company of Stinger Welding, Inc., Fisher Industries, to return to Libby for the cranes.

The cranes are just the most recent wrangling between Stinger Welding, Inc., and its parent company, Fisher Industries, over assets of the bridge and span builder in Lincoln County.

It was a year ago this week that Stinger CEO Carl Douglas crashed his plane into the side of Swede Mountain, hastening the end of operations of Stinger Welding, Inc., in Montana.  

4. HUBBARD CASE: The case of Rob G. Hubbard v. Lincoln County has yet to be decided, but the story of a former resident who alleges county officials conspired against him has captured the attention of readers across Northwest Montana.

The case originated with several incidents in mid-2010 and early 2011, in which Hubbard was arrested for disorderly conduct, found guilty in Justice of the Peace Jay Sheffield’s court. Hubbard then appealed to district court, where he pled guilty to a reduced charge. Hubbard also was charged with partner-family assault on his then-17-year-old son. A jury found Hubbard not guilty of the charge in September 2011.

Hubbard then went on the offensive, suing several Lincoln County employees for what he alleges are misconduct and even criminal conspiracy against him. The case is being heard in federal court in Missoula.

5. DISPATCH OVERDRAWN: For 15 years Troy Area Dispatch has overdrawn its number of voted mills at a taxpayer cost of $986,022. The budgetary oversight began in 1999 and has gone unchecked for at least eight consecutive years. Dispatch received $320,460 more than it should have in the current fiscal year alone.

“This is a combination of errors between the Dispatch Board, the commissioners and the clerk and recorder’s office,” Lincoln County Clerk and Recorder Tammy Lauer said. “Apparently, the Board did not know it was limited to 20 mills a year.”

Voters in 2000 elected to make Troy Dispatch a 24-hour service and raise the district’s appropriated mills to 20 from the original seven it was allotted when formed in 1996. However, dispatch has never taken 20 mills. In 2000, dispatch counted 22.5 mills. In 2001 it was 23.1; in 2002, 23.8.

By 2013, the number of mills had grown to 56.8, nearly three times the authorized limit.

6. SPANKY’S DEMISE: More than a year ago, people around town noticed a particularly friendly and majestic mule-deer buck. Residents took pictures and closely followed the deer’s exploits. Oftentimes, the buck liked to pick apples from the tree behind Gene’s Body Shop.

In time, the buck became something of a downtown mascot, and even those hunters who would relish the opportunity to see such a deer in their rifle scope in the wild became Spanky’s most ardent supporters.

This year, as the buck’s rack blossomed, a town bank manager noticed the friendly buck at the beginning of what became daily visits to his business. He named him Spanky. The moniker stuck and spread through town.

In the end, it was Spanky’s friendly association with people that did him in, the fatal shot coming from the local game warden.There were concerns for public safety as Spanky approached the rutting season.

The loss of a budding town mascot and local celebrity has shaken the community to its core. Children learning of the loss cried.

7. WOLVES KILL: A thrilling hunt ended in the worst way for several local cat-hunters, as a harrowing night led to an expected and sad end.

Three hounds set loose in wild country by their owners to tree a mountain lion were never again seen alive by their owners.

Their owners, Phil Soucy, Clyde Carpenter and Todd Hittle, were chasing the cat between Flower and Parmenter creeks, just two miles from the edge of Woodway Park on Saturday, Feb. 2.

The hunters circled the area to look for fresh wolf tracks heading in the direction they wanted to free the hounds and finding none, deemed it safe for the dogs.

They were wrong.

The three dogs, Sadie, Dan and Roy, were killed by wolves shortly after they were set loose, Soucy estimates. The bodies of the dogs were recovered the next day.

8. MODEL-T RECOVERED: A Flathead County man has been charged with the theft of a 1918 Ford Model T from a family that intended to give the vintage auto to the Heritage Museum.

Shane R. Berry was arrested  and charged with one count of felony theft and now faces a fine of up to $50,000 and up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the theft on Oct. 17 of the 95-year-old car from the Schneider Ranch located south of Libby at 50328 Highway 2.

“We’re just tickled to death to get it back,” said John Schneider, 78, the grandson of John Schneider, the German immigrant who purchased the hand-crank starting, once-blue Ford Model-T purchased from the Bill Cady Ford dealership in Libby.

“I remember my grandfather had to find two other people to buy cars, too,” Schneider said. “They needed to ship at least three to Libby.”

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department report on the theft resembles a case of misrepresentation and interception of a vintage automobile family members meant for Libby’s Heritage Museum.

9. PAYMENT FOR REPAIR: Libby Mayor Doug Roll, who owns an automotive repair business, replaced the ignition system on a 1996 Chevrolet pickup truck assigned to the Wastewater Treatment plant and took payment for that repair, an unethical move said Councilman Allen Olsen.

The controversy led right up to the mayoral election last month, balloting that saw the mayor retain his post by 13 votes over Councilman Olsen.

 DP Automotive was asked to do the repair after mechanics at the City Garage were unable to pinpoint the source of the electrical problem.

The controversy came to light during a Feb. 4 City Council meeting when the council voted to 5-1 to approve payment of all the January bills, which included a payment to DP Automotive for $289.20, which included $93 for labor. Olsen voted to approve all bills excluding the one to DP Automotive.

Olsen chastised Roll for repairing the truck, citing Montana law, which prohibits an elected official from giving contracts to his own business.

Roll later said he repaid the city the amount he was given for the truck repair.

10. LEGION BASEBALL:  After an outstanding run at the state title, the Loggers concluded their season with a 38-22 overall record, finishing fourth in the tourney by virtue of a 13-5 score in their final game against the Belgrade Bandits.

The loss followed a defeat by Laurel that pitted the Loggers against Belgrade in the loser-out semifinal round of the double-elimination tournament.

“Well, that first loss was an extremely tough one, they bounced back,” Coach Kelly Morford said. “We just kind of ran out of gas there at the end.”

The semifinal game was a stride for the finish, with hard defensive fronts from both teams before the Bandits drew first blood and dashed to victory.