The top stories of 2014, from month to month
January
Jan. 7. Troy resident Eric Howe receives treatment in a Salt Lake City hospital for burns he sustained on Dec. 11, 2013, in a fire at Pine Tree Plaza in Troy. Howe, described as a hero, helped save his girlfriend and three-year-old son before re-entering the building to warn others of the danger. Howe required skin grafts for burns he received to 31 percent of his body including his arms, back, neck and head.
Jan. 14. Lincoln County Clerk and Recorder Tammy Lauer points to 1996 Initiative 105 as a main reason why districts across the county received tax revenue beyond their voter-approved limits. Lauer initially said it was “a combination of errors” that led to at least three districts receiving more than $1.6 million in excess taxes over the past 15 years. At the heart of the issue are the three districts formed by voters in the 1990s with the stipulation that they shall not exceed a specific number of tax mills.
Former Sheriff’s Office detective’s assistant Amy Butler pleads guilty to embezzlement. Butler, 37, stole more than $11,000 from the agency’s 24/7 Sobriety Testing program.
February
Feb. 11. In a press conference at Libby City Hall, County Commissioners, County Clerk and Recorder Tammy Lauer and Executive Director of the Montana Association of Counties Harold Blattie explain how the county has miscalculated its countywide mills for years. Lauer accepted blame for “miscalculating a figure that has to do with the monies from the Troy mine.” The mistake cost county taxpayers an estimated $1.1 million this year and $2.19 million during the last three years, which accounts for 22 percent of the county’s total tax revenue.
Feb. 18. Greenchain wrestler Garret Chapel became Troy’s first state champion. The 170-pound wrestler defeated Sidney’s Cody Christensen at the state tournament in Billings. Zach Crace took third for the second straight year.
March
Mar.18-“This just completely changed the game in the Libby area,” said CEO of Montana Skynet Joe Sullivan, after the company completed a project laying fiber-optic cable from Kalispell to Libby. The fiber-optic cable provides 10 times the amount of bandwidth than previously available, offering locals faster download times and making Libby an even more attractive site for business looking to move to the area.
Mar. 21. A plea bargain drops Joshua Peterson’s charge from attempted deliberate homicide to aggravated assault for beating his wife with a baseball bat while she lay sleeping in the couple’s bed in Troy. The agreement recommends a 25-year sentence with 18 years in prison and seven years suspended. Tracee Peterson agreed to the plea for two reasons, “One, I know it’s done and I didn’t want it to take months to get where we are now. Two, the kids have been through enough and I did not want them to have to take the stand.”
April
Apr. 15. Dwindling enrollment at Libby High School results in the school board voting to drop the school to the Class B level for sports competition. Some question the transition citing adequate enrollment numbers but the problem being a decline of student participation in sports.
Apr. 18. Local free-throw and golf phenom, Ryggs Johnston, takes third in the Elks Hoop Shoot National Finals in Springfield, Mass., the birthplace of basketball. Johnston sank 43 of his 45 freethrows during competition. “I try to keep my elbow in and follow through and be square to the basket when I practice so it is automatic during the competition,” said Johnston.
May
May 20. District Court Judge James Wheelis sentenced Joshua Peterson to 30 years without the possibility of parole. The judge cited the extreme violence of the attack on his wife and Peterson’s history of volatility as reason he sentenced the man to more time than was suggested by county attorneys. Peterson addressed his wife sitting in the courtroom holding to their oldest daughter saying, “Tracee Jo, seeing you after I hurt was the worst feeling of my life. I destroyed my best friend. I continue to pray for you and the children daily.”
May 27. More than 400 people showed up at Riverfront Park on Memorial Day for the dedication of the new veterans monument on Memorial Day. The 12-foot tall bronze and granite statue stands in the middle of two circles of bricks bearing the names of military service members from Lincoln County and beyond. It took less than two years for the newly formed Lincoln County Veteran Memorial Foundation to raise the $150,000 needed to bring the monument to a reality. The statue was designed and molded by local residents.
June
June 20. William “Bill” Tebby, 32, went missing three weeks ago after he stepped out of a bar to smoke and didn’t return. Tebby was last seen outside the Libby VFW at about midnight and has not been seen since. Tebby’s mother, Judy Hutchinson, said it was uncharacteristic for her son to not have contact with family for so long. “He loved the great outdoors. He loved fishing, he loved his family and he loved to help others,” said Hutchinson.
June 24. Two young female grizzly bears were relocated to the Cabinet Mountains as part of an ongoing effort to increase bear population in the area. The augmentation program is a joint effort of the Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that captures grizzlies with no known prior human interaction and relocates them in an attempt to create a self-sustaining grizzly population in the area. Biologists believe 100 grizzlies in the wilderness area is necessary for that goal.
July
July 1. Libby graduate Sam Moreau donated a portion of his technical achievement award from his employer Microsoft, with $35,000 going to Libby Public Schools and $36,500 donated to the Center For Asbestos Related Disease. Moreau has worked with Microsoft since 2006 and was a central figure in the development of Window 8.
July 4. A grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development of $4.7 million, in addition to a $3.7 million loan, will allow the Flower Creek Dam to be replaced. The announcement of the funding follows a setback in the planned 2013 construction of the 68-year-old dam because of a request from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service request for a biological assessment.
August
Aug. 9. Lincoln County and Revett Minin Co. came to an agreement over how Revett will be compensated for being overtaxed for several years starting in 2010. The agreement calls for the county to repair and maintain the road leading to Revett’s Troy Mine. Revett was overcharged $105,478 on its net and gross proceeds and taxes, according to Lincoln County.
Aug. 12. The Christ Lutheran Church in Libby celebrates 100 years in the community. Originally called the Scandinavian Lutheran Church, the doors to the church opened in the fall of 1914. Reverend Skindlov served the community of Bonners Ferry, but entertained a need in Libby by providing service once a month in a local resident’s home.
September
Sept. 9. The Montana Supreme Court upheld a denial for a substitution of judge in a case between Mines Management Co. and a group of claimholders now associated with former Montana governor Brian Schweitzer. “This is the court rejecting Montanore’s attempt at court shopping,” said Schweitzer. The state case concerns the legitimacy of 58 claims held by Arnold Bakie and other on the location of the potential Montanore Mine.
October
Oct.31-Workers at the Troy Mine received a national award after two years of impressive workplace safety. The National Mining Association’s 2013 Sentinels of Safety Award was presented to workers from the Troy Mine in Washington, D.C. Revett Minerals, Inc. President and CEO John Shanahan said via email, “We’ve got excellent people up there. The employees are world class. I’ve been on mining projects around the world and these people are top notch.”
December
Dec. 9. An Environmental Protection Agency report that details health risks from Libby Amphibole asbestos was released. Agency project manager for Libby, Rebecca Thomas, and senior toxicologist, Dr. Deborah McKean, released information that validated the cleanup work that has been performed by the agency on approximately 2,000 properties in Libby during the past decade. The Environmental Protection Agency has previously stated that the total removal of all Libby Amphibole asbestos is not practical will not happen, despite promises to do just that when the agency arrived in Libby 15 years ago.
Dec. 23. LiV Golf Cars Libby facility manager, Phillip Erquiaga, confirmed the company has a deal in place to deliver 76 golf cars to a California golf course in February 2015. The company opened their facility in Libby with financial assistance from the Lincoln County Port Authority and the Big Sky Trust fund. LiV has promised to have 22 employees on their payroll by September 2015, which would significantly impact Lincoln County’s economy.