Area briefs

SAF to discuss

Alvord Lake future

The Society of American Foresters, coupled with other forest partners, invites the public to the Alvord Lake community meeting Jan. 7 at the Troy Ranger Station.

The foresters want to invite anyone who is interested in the continued community use of Alvord Lake. The 6:30 p.m. meeting will be informal and is merely an opportunity to propose the Alvord Lake Community Forest idea to the public.

Currently, this parcel of land is privately owned and the landowner is no longer interested in keeping this parcel. However, the land owner would like to see this property be available for public use via a community forest. The goal of the meeting is to solicit the public’s feedback and interest in this parcel of land for a proposed community forest.

The public meeting will be held in the community building directly behind the Troy Ranger District main office, 1437 N. Highway 2. Just follow the signs posted at the district building.

Questions regarding the proposed community forest can be directed to Russ Gautreaux  at 293-3108.

Trap league signup

set for this Saturday

The Libby Scatterguns Trap and Skeet Winter Leagues will register those who want to participate  from noon to 4 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 4, at the heated clubhouse at the Lincoln County Shooting Complex.

The nine-week league begins next Saturday, Jan. 11, and each week features lunch in that clubhouse.

The complex is located on Farm to Market Road, across from the Libby Airport.

For more information, contact Mike at 293-4608, Tom at 293-7743 or Ed at 293-8742.

Whitefish stabbing

victim, 37, dies

KALISPELL — A Whitefish stabbing victim has died and Flathead County prosecutors say his wife faces amended charges.

Sheriff Chuck Curry says 37-year-old Chad Newton died Sunday, a day after being taken off life support at Kalispell Regional Medical Center. A judge granted Newton’s father the authority to make end-of-life decisions for his son during a hearing last Friday.

AnnMari Newton has pleaded not guilty to felony assault with a weapon and is free on a $25,000 bond. Deputy County Attorney Travis Ahner says he plans to amend the charges this week. He said prosecutors will look at the circumstances surrounding the Nov. 25 stabbing to determine if AnnMari Newton should be charged with deliberate homicide, mitigated homicide or negligent homicide.

Ahner said prosecutors will seek an increased bond.

Man gets 15 years

for child rape

MISSOULA — A man who is serving an 18-year federal prison sentence on a child pornography charge has been sentenced to a concurrent 15-year sentence for raping an 11-year-old girl.

KECI-TV reports District Judge Karen Townsend sentenced Roger Allan Roybal on Tuesday to 30 years in state prison with 15 suspended, to run concurrently with his federal sentence for receipt of child pornography.

In addition, Roybal was ordered to pay over $33,000 in restitution to help cover counseling costs for the girl, who said Roybal molested her from August to December 2010 in Missoula. Roybal had been living in both Helena and Missoula.