Year in Review, Part 2

April 1

Tommy Martin makes three rounds in state spelling bee

Besting orthographic trickery like “durham” and “richter scale” during a second-place run in countywide competition, Libby seventh-grader Tommy Martin went on to advance this year through three rounds of the Treasure State Spelling Bee.

Martin, during a fourth and final go on the big stage in Bozeman, ultimately faltered on “vestibule” to finish in a commendable 20th place statewide.

He outpaced nearly 40 other top Montanan spellers and is now working on his bid to win the 2023 state spelling bee.

Libby’s Isaac Lamere had secured the top spot in the Lincoln County Spelling Bee this year but ultimately deferred his win for Martin to make the trip representing the county in Bozeman.

Dispensaries secure initial approval for locales in Libby commercial districts

Would-be cannabis shops in Libby proper garnered initial approval this week to operate downtown and within the city’s U.S. Highway 2 commercial district.

On Monday, the Libby Zoning Commission unanimously recommended that both dispensary varieties be allowed as conditional uses within the city’s downtown business and highway commercial districts.

The proposed zoning additions come as part of a broader set of regulations being developed by the Libby City Council, dubbed simply as its “Marijuana Ordinance.”

New recreational pot facilities still will be not allowed statewide until July 2023.

Water advisory lifted

County officials have lifted a health advisory for municipal water use.

The Lincoln County Health Department placed the advisory on Libby’s municipal water supply after an increase in turbidity earlier this month.

The advisory encouraged vulnerable residents to consider purifying any water coming out of taps or turning to an alternative water source.

Vulnerable individuals included the immunocompromised, young children, pregnant women and the elderly.

Bacteriological samples taken March 21 showed safe results, and turbidities have returned to normal levels, according to the health department.

April 5

Tek fights back on new selenium standard

Canada’s premier steelmaking-coal miner says fish tissue cautioning dangerous doses of an otherwise trace mineral remain bloated downstream in northwestern Montana.

Data rivalries continue to mount on fish tissue and water collected to assess selenium levels for aquatic life at Lake Koocanusa, as the deadline hit Friday to cease a state review on a stricter limit set at the reservoir on selenium freed upstream by British Columbia coal works.

Teck Resources Ltd. currently operates four surface steelmaking-coal mines stretching just north of the international boarder in B.C.’s Elk Valley, with plans to expand its operations.

Teck — pointing to its own data, and that of the U.S. — contests that the stricter limit set within Koocanusa, “the most stringent in America,” proves unattainable at times even upstream of its southeastern B.C. mining operations.

April 8

Libby stays water hookups at Cabinet Heights

Landowners looking to tap municipal water in the Cabinet Heights area will have to wait until the city main is replaced there to allow more flow to the housing development.

Libby City Administrator Samuel Sikes has issued a moratorium on new hookups to the city's current 6-inch water main serving properties generally surrounding Cabinet View Golf Club’s front nine, due south of Libby.

Sikes told the Libby City Council on Monday that area development so far has tapped out the main, leaving residents complaining of little or no water flow and otherwise sucking away critical resources for fire suppression.

April 15

Assance gets 5 years in state prison

The man shot by a Lincoln County sheriff’s deputy during an early 2021 domestic call was sentenced Monday to five years in state prison, minus time already served.

Tristan Kirk Assance, 33, faced a bevy of felony and misdemeanor charges following the Jan. 14, 2021, police-involved shooting at a home along Fallen Bear Lane south of Libby.

April 19

Troy schools opt for baseball team

Troy Public Schools superintendent Jacob Francom said Wednesday the local system is looking into starting a school baseball team.

In January, the Montana High School Association approved baseball as part of its allowed prep sports options for students in the state.

Francom discussed the proposal last week during a work session of the Troy City Council, which appeared to support the option.

He said the school system is now looking at potential sites in Troy for a field, preferably with enough room to install a local track.

April 26

$19.3 million pegged for wildfire mitigation work

A swath of Northwest Montana pegged for forestry work aimed at reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire is among a handful of similar projects across the West selected for an initial surge of federal dollars.

The Kootenai Complex Project targets areas surrounding Libby, Troy, Eureka, Stryker, Fortine and Trego in Lincoln County. Forestry work on 7,200 acres — including thinning, prescribed burns and planting — is expected to be completed over the next few years, with an initial 900 acres being treated by the end of 2022.

April 29

Water projects selected for federal grants

Lincoln County was selected for two federal grants to help fund local water and wastewater projects.

The Libby Creek Community Water and Wastewater Improvements project was flagged to receive a $1.36 million competitive grant from American Rescue Plan Act disbursements. The project is estimated to cost $2.4 million.

Meanwhile, the Troy Wastewater System Improvements Project was selected to receive a $2 million competitive grant and $93,558 in a minimum allocation. The project is estimated to cost $2.2 million.

May 6

New trustees elected to Troy school board

The Troy Public School board of trustees has two new members following the May 3 election.

Eric Storkson tallied 288 votes and Cam H. Foote garnered 285 to win the two open seats on the board.

Libby schools did not have an election with four trustee positions being filled by acclamation.

Electric vehicle charging station to be installed in Libby

The City of Libby and Flathead Electric Co-op will cut the ribbon for Libby’s new electric vehicle charging station on May 11 at 1 p.m.

The charging station is located on land owned by the City of Libby and leased to the Co-op. It is near the Libby Chamber of Commerce and central to several Libby hotels, restaurants, and shops.

May 9

Kayaker dies after falling into Yaak River

A 50-year-old Idaho man died after falling out of his kayak on the Yaak River near Troy on Sunday.

Local authorities said they found the body of Steven Koning in the nearby Kootenai River near the state line between Idaho and Montana about 3:33 p.m., May 8. Koning was kayaking with three others when he fell overboard earlier in the day, said officials with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

May 13

DNRC’s Libby Unit earns Outstanding Service Award

Gov. Greg Gianforte was in Libby on Wednesday to announce an upcoming expansion of a forest management agreement and to acknowledge the work of local land managers.

Gianforte joined local leaders, staff from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, and Forest Service representatives to announce a forthcoming expanded, decade-long agreement committing to treating priority wildland urban interface in the Kootenai National Forest, the Governor’s Office stated in a press release.

To recognize DNRC’s Libby Unit for its work to strategically coordinate, plan, and implement these and other forest management programs, Gianforte presented the team with his Outstanding Service Award.

May 16

Man killed in accident at Koocanusa boat ramp

A man was killed Sunday after his truck and boat trailer was submerged in Lake Koocanusa near Libby following an apparent medical issue.

According to information from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the driver of the pickup was Daniel Hollenkamp.

The Sheriff’s Office report indicates that deputies were dispatched Sunday at 4:52 p.m., to a report of a vehicle in the water at Koocanusa Marina north of Libby. Upon arrival, deputies found a Ford F-250 with boat trailer attached in the water at the end of the marina’s boat ramp.

Others on the scene managed to get Hollenkamp out of the pickup and started CPR before emergency crews took over, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.

May 22

Suspect in custody following fatal shooting near Libby

One man is dead and a suspect is in custody following a shooting at a campground near Libby on Saturday afternoon.

The suspect, Garry Douglas Seaman, 63, was arrested Sunday morning near his home in Flathead County following a multi-agency manhunt, according to information from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies were called Saturday at about 2:45 p.m., to a report of a shooting in the Alexander Creek Campground north of Libby. Upon arrival, they found the deceased man and a woman with multiple gunshot wounds. The woman was transported by Life Flight helicopter to the hospital.

May 24

Libby's Beagle surprises field to win divisional tennis title

Libby’s Ryan Beagle, a freshman, got an upset win over Polson’s Torrin Ellis in the boys final in two sets with one tiebreaker, 7-6 (6-1), 6-0. Beagle also defeated Ashten Nelson of Polson, and Whitefish’s Austin Gunset and Joe Brandt en route to the divisional title. Brandt ended up fourth.

May 27

Alleged campground killer charged with deliberate homicide

The man arrested for allegedly killing one and wounding another in a campground shooting near Libby over the weekend made his first appearance Tuesday in Lincoln County Justice Court on deliberate and attempted deliberate homicide charges.

Garry Douglas Seaman, 63, of Kalispell is being held without bond in the Lincoln County Detention Center following his extradition from Flathead County. He was arrested May 24 — a day after the slaying — near his home in the Flathead Valley following a manhunt involving multiple law enforcement agencies.

May 31

Libby's Sears among stores closing nationwide

The Sears Hometown store in Libby is among the nearly 100 retail locations across the U.S. that will close its doors for good this summer.

Sears Hometown Libby owner Markus Messmer announced the store closure Monday in an email to local press.

According to Messmer, the store on Mineral Avenue hasn’t been able to recover from challenges brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Libby’s Stevenson leads Loggers at state track

Libby’s Cy Stevenson earned a silver medal in the shot put at the State Class A track and field meet last weekend in Butte.

In the boys high jump, Logger leaper Trey Andersen cleared 6 feet to place third overall in the finals. In the girls high jump, Lady Logger Rylee Boltz cleared 4-10 to place seventh in the finals. Boltz also placed eighth in the 400 run. Logger Dawson Rose cleared 13 feet for third place in the pole vault.

Troy's Grant claims two bronze medals

Troy High School runner Trevor Grant earned some hardware at the State Class B track and field meet last weekend.

Grant placed third in the 800 meter run with a 2:00.78 in the finals.

Grant also took third in the 1,600 meter run, clocking an impressive 4:37.10.

Libby’s Beagle third at State A tennis

At the State A tennis meet in Bozeman, Northwest A champion Ryan Beagle of Libby was third, defeating Whitefish’s Joe Brandt in the third place match.

June 3

Body of apparent homicide victim found near Eureka

Authorities in Lincoln County are investigating an apparent homicide after a body was discovered south of Eureka on Tuesday.

Deputies and detectives with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Thirsty Lake Road area about 6:24 p.m., May 31. There, they found the body of a dead man who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, according to a press release.

June 5

Missing Lincoln County child found safe

A missing 4-year-old boy in the Bull Lake area in Lincoln County has been found alive.

According to a message Sunday afternoon from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Ryker Webb was found alive and in good health.

According to Sheriff Darren Short, Webb was found by the owners of a cabin located on Pine Ridge Road, off South Fork Bull River Road in Sanders County.

"The owners of the cabin saw on Facebook that the child was missing and they came to check on the property," Short said. "They found him in a shed where they had a generator."

The search began for Webb Friday evening after a concerned neighbor called 911 at 4:53 p.m. Friday to report a possible missing child. At that point, the child had been missing for two hours.

June 7

Man accused in Lincoln County homicide pleads not guilty

A Kalispell man accused of shooting two people, killing one, at a campground near Libby last month appeared in the Montana 19th Judicial District Court Monday afternoon.

Garry Douglas Seaman, 63, pleaded not guilty to three felony counts, including deliberate homicide, attempted deliberate homicide and evidence tampering in front of District Judge Matt Cuffe.

Seaman is being held without bond in the Lincoln County Detention Center.

According to court documents, investigators say Seaman shot James Preston Freeman to death and wounded a woman on May 21 at the Alexander Creek Campground near Libby Dam.

June 10

Lincoln County officials to hand-count primary ballots

Election officials in Lincoln County will tally the results of the June 7 primary with a hand count after a printing error left absentee ballots a quarter inch too short to run through tabulation machines.

Officials expect that the hand count could delay the release of unofficial results by up to three days.

Yaak River and Eastside roads closed in Lincoln County

Heavy rainfall has created conditions which led to the closure of two roads in Lincoln County Tuesday afternoon.

According to the Montana Department of Transportation, Yaak River Road, also known as National Forest 508, is closed from mile marker 4 to 18 due to rock slides that have left debris on the road. The conditions are described as extremely dangerous in the area.

June 17

Mistrial declared in case of Troy log furniture maker

A mistrial was declared in the matter of a Troy man accused of stealing thousands of dollars from people all over the country after taking orders from them for custom log furniture and then not producing the items.

Steven Edward Grable, 55, was on trial for one felony count of theft Wednesday afternoon in the 19th District Judicial Court when Judge Matt Cuffe made the ruling.

June 21

Libby native assists in road-side baby delivery

Primal isn’t necessarily the way most mothers would describe themselves, but for Casey Vincent, that word is now worn as a beautiful badge of honor.

When Casey woke up this past Friday morning she was pregnant and began her day as such.

By the end of the day, she was no longer pregnant and had lived one of the wildest days that any of us could ever experience.

June 28

County will pursue tax on recreational marijuana; city enacts ordinance

The Lincoln County Commission will plan for an election this fall to pursue an additional 3% local tax on recreational marijuana.

Libby City Council asked the county to seek the tax in March. Commissioner Jerry Bennett (D-2) said the election, to have the best possible voter participation, would likely be held in September or October.

Commissioner Brent Teske said the election must be held separately and could not be part of the general election in November.

Bennett said money from the tax would go to law enforcement or mental health services.

June 29

Authorities seek Eureka man accused of killing father

Law enforcement officials are seeking a man from Eureka who is accused of killing his father in the Thirsty Lake Road area on Monday, May 30.

Joshua Joseph Sauls, 23, has been charged with deliberate homicide in the shooting death of John Lewis Sauls.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed on June 21 in Lincoln County Justice Court, efforts by law enforcement to locate and interview Joshua Sauls have been unsuccessful. Law officers wrote in the charging document that “he appears to have left the area shortly after the shooting and according to family members may be hiding with friends in a neighboring county.”

In the charging document, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office received a report on Tuesday, May 31, of a dead man, later identified as John Lewis Sauls, on Thirsty Lake Road, about 7.5 miles up Meadow Creek Road.