Community briefs

Libby's DeShazer gets national notice

Libby senior standout football player Jace DeShazer recently got some notice at the national level.

According to Sports Illustrated’s SBLive (scorebooklive.com), DeShazer made a Top 20 list of the nation’s most underrated high school tacklers.

DeShazer, already a two-time state wrestling champion, had 146 tackles in nine games in 2022. He also added 585 yards and five TDs.

DeShazer’s Loggers kick off the 2023 season tonight at Logger Stadium, hosting Stevensville at 7 p.m.

Fans have a chance to vote for the tackler they think will boost his stock the most this season. Voting concludes at 9:59 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 27. The online poll can be found at https://highschool.si.com/national/2023/08/19/vote-now-which-high-school-football-tackling-machine-will-boost-his-stock-most-in-2023.

As of Thursday, Aug. 24, DeShazer was fifth with 2,693 votes.

Elk Foundation seeks volunteers for banquet

The Lincoln County chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is seeking volunteers to host their annual fundraising banquet.

An informational meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29 at the Venture Inn in Libby.

For those who can’t attend the meeting, but would still like to help at the event or have questions, contact Chelsea Porter at 406-529-6565 or at CPorter@rmef.org.

Libby Police get grant for new tasers

Flathead Electric Cooperative’s Roundup for Safety board of directors on Aug. 10 awarded $33,986 in support of community safety projects proposed by nonprofit organizations.

The Libby Police Department also received Roundup for Safety funds to update their nearly obsolete Tasers.

Chief Cody Ercanbrack presented on behalf of the department, explaining that the current Tasers are “worn out and less than 25% effective,” which forces officers to use higher levels of physical force.

“Being able to effectively use a Taser drastically drops the chances of excessive or deadly force occurring” Ercanbrack said.

The Roundup directors awarded $7,485 toward new Tasers.

The Roundup for Safety Board will consider September applications through Aug. 31 and vote on them at its Sept. 14 meeting.

If your nonprofit is interested in applying for community safety funds, visit www.flatheadelectric.com/roundup or call Courtney Stone at 406-751-1820.