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The Western News
Libby man faces second child endangerment charge
A Libby man is facing criminal child endangerment charges for the second time in less than a decade after an incident last month on Swede Mountain Road.Steven Wayne Kelley, 52, pleaded not guilty Monday in Lincoln County District Court to the endangerment charge and driving under the influence, third offense, with a child under 16 years of age.Kelley was not in custody when he appeared. District Judge Matt Cuff set his next hearing for July 15.Deputy Brandon Huff got the call at nearly 10 p.m. May 22 for a crash with injuries on Swede Mountain Road. There he found a...
Ryan Eric Snyder
Ryan Eric Snyder, 56, passed away unexpectedly at his home on May 21, 2024. Ryan was born in Libby, Montana to Franklin and Emily Joyce Snyder. He graduated from Libby Senior High School in 1985 and attended Montana State University. Ryan worked for Holiday Inn in Bozeman, Montana, before moving back to Libby to care for his parents. He worked for years at the Libby Care Center. Ryan cared for his father during his battle with cancer until his passing in 2011. He also cared for his mother for decades after she was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease, until her passing in 2021. Her doctor noted that he had never witnessed a caregiver help a Parkinson’s patient live and function as long as Ryan...
John A. Jones
John A. Jones, 76, of Libby, Montana, passed away Monday, June 10, 2024, at Logan Health in Kalispell, Montana, of natural causes. He was the 13th child of Robert and Florence (Ferrell) Jones, born August 21, 1947, in Malta, MT. They saved the best for last. He grew up and graduated from Malta High School. John married Christine Plath on June 13, 1969, in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.John served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War. He served as a gunner and was awarded two Bronze Stars. Following his Honorable Discharge, John went to work for St. Regis Paper Co., Champion...
Sign-up for surplus B elk, deer tags begins June 19
Hunters were able to begin signing up for the Montana Surplus License List for leftover licenses on Wednesday, June 19.These are licenses that were not distributed by the drawing. The list will be randomized, with hunters at the top of the list contacted via email with instructions to finalize their purchase within a specified time.Resident and nonresident hunters can sign up through the MyFWP portal. This process requires hunters to keep their email address current in their ALS record. Payment of the license fee is not required to sign up on the Surplus License List. Getting a license from this list has...
Blackfeet Tribe, feds to share response at St. Mary Canal failure
The Blackfeet Tribe and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will work together to address the impacts of this week’s St. Mary Canal siphon failures, tribal officials said Tuesday. On June 17, a section of the St. Mary Canal siphon ruptured, resulting in localized flooding in Babb, on the northern part of the Blackfeet Reservation.The canal is part of the Milk River Irrigation Project, a water system connecting the St. Mary River basin to the Milk River. The project provides irrigation water to 121,000 acres of land in Canada and along Montana’s Hi-Line.The failure, according to Bureau of Reclamation project manager...
Politicians must be held accountable for their decisions
This past state legislative session, a unique and rare coalition of Montanans came together in support of SB 442. Sponsored by State Senator Mike Lang (R-Malta), SB 442 used the budget surplus from marijuana tax revenue to fund county road repair and construction, provide permanent property tax relief to disabled veterans or their widowed spouses, increase funding for addiction rehabilitation services, and create robust conservation tools to protect land and water habitat. Unfortunately, this popular bill was vetoed by our Governor in the 11th hour of the legislature, and our legislators failed to override the veto. The Montana Association of Counties,...
Fire season is here - are you ready?
Many of you have seen the news announcements of the large amounts of money coming to the Kootenai National Forest (KNF), Montana DNRC, Natural Resources and Conservation Service (NRCS) and Lincoln County for fuel reduction projects. The Kootenai Complex is one of only 10 fire prone landscapes across the Western United States that has been designated as a priority for implementing the Wildfire Crisis Strategy. $21.7 million has been received by the KNF alone in the last three years, according to coordinator Nikia Hernandez, with over 8,000 acres of fuels treatments already completed. There are also many other fuel reduction projects tied...
Legals for June, 21 2024
MONTANA NINETEENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, LINCOLN COUNTY In the Matter of the Estate of AUGUST VINCENT BREIDER, Deceased. Probate Case No. DP-2024-35 NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that Lori Cole of Department of Public Health and Human Services Third-Party Liability Unit has been named personal representative of the above-named estate. All persons having claims against the said Deceased are required to present their claims within four (4) months after the date of the first publication of this notice or said claims will be forever barred. Claims must either be mailed to Terisa Oomens, Agency Legal Counsel, Post Office Box 201440, Helena,...
Kalispell gun maker employee stole $159,000, went to Vegas
A former bookkeeper for a Kalispell firearms manufacturer admitted stealing $159,000 from her then-employer in a check scheme, spending the money in part on hotel stays in Las Vegas and Quinn’s Hot Springs.Teri Anne Bell, 58, of Columbia Falls pleaded guilty in the U.S. District court in Missoula on Tuesday to wire fraud. She faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release, according to the Montana U.S. Attorney’s Office.The government said Bell used pre-signed checks to steal from her employer from 2018 to 2021 while working as a finance manager for...
Fantozzi joins Cabinet Peaks Clinic Family Medicine
Cabinet Peaks Clinic Family Medicine announces the addition of Tony Fantozzi, PA-C, to its dedicated team of healthcare professionals. A native of Libby, Montana, Fantozzi is a third-generation Montanan who feels privileged to serve the community he calls home.Fantozzi brings a wealth of knowledge and a deep commitment to addressing the unique healthcare needs of rural Montana. His background and passion for community service have driven him to be actively involved with the David Thompson Search and Rescue's medical unit, where he plays a crucial role in providing emergency medical care in challenging situations.In addition to his broad medical expertise, Fantozzi...
Millpond hosting annual motocross races Saturday
It’s motocross time in northwest Montana!One of Libby’s signature summer events is happening this Saturday at the Millpond Motocross track.The track is located on Fish Pond Road, just east of Libby.Racers will come from northwest Montana, Idaho, Washington and Canada.“We are so thankful for the support we get from our hard-working volunteers, the local community and generous businesses,” race organizer Jenn Remp said. “One of our goals is to get electricity on the property so we can do night races. A lot of the money we make during race weekend goes into upgrading our equipment.”The all-volunteer outfit, in operation since...
Cabinet Peaks set to host "Playing for Fundsies" on July 13
The 31st Annual Cabinet Peaks Medical Center Foundation’s Playing for Fundsies Golf Tournament is almost here! As always, the CPMC Foundation is preparing for a fun filled 18-hole outing. This year the tournament takes place on Saturday, July 13, at Cabinet View Golf Club.Tourney organizers are bringing back some old favorites to the fun-filled tournament and adding some new exciting twists for another round of hilarious golf, all for a good cause. "Bringing back the traditional Fundsies theme is one my favorite highlights this year,” said Donna Nicely, Executive Director of the Foundation. “As in recent years, most holes have their own...
Willis R. Schikora
Willis R. Schikora, 86, of Libby, Montana passed away Friday, June 14, 2024, at his home on the river in Libby. Services will be 11 a.m., Saturday, June 22, 2024, at Schnackenberg Funeral Home in Libby. Visitation will be 1-7 p.m., Friday, June 21, 2024. Arrangements are under the care of Schnackenberg Funeral Home of Libby.
Coyote trapping, snaring enters grizzly management debate
The Montana Stockgrowers Association wants to intervene in a lawsuit that aims to reduce the unintentional trapping and snaring of federally protected grizzly bears. The Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force and WildEarth Guardians sued the state of Montana and the chair of the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission in federal court last year to limit trapping and snaring of grizzlies during the months grizzlies are likely to be out of their dens. They argued that traps and snares set for animals have injured, and even killed, grizzly bears on more than 20 occasions since 1988. Grizzly bears are currently protected under the Endangered...
Charlotte Bluhm Woods
Virginia Frederika Charlotta Gretschel Bluhm Woods - “Charlotte” was born in Angola, West Africa on April 11, 1934, to German parents, Walter and Henrietta Gretschel.Initially raised in what one could call an opulent household, complete with servants, upon Hitler’s invasion of Belgium, the family was relocated to an internment camp in the Belgium Congo, where they would stay for the next eight years. Rustic, sparse and confining, the family made do in their new surroundings. After the war, the family was repatriated to Germany, but with a country in shambles, Walter used his connections to relocate the family to Port Alegre, Brazil. From there, the family was sponsored by Charlotte’s eldest sister, Dores and settled in the Los Angeles area of California. Using what savings the family...
Northern pike found in Sanders County's Bull River
While it was probably just a matter of time, state wildlife officials recently announced a northern pike was found in the Bull River in Sanders County.The announcement came in a June 13 press release from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks FWP after it received a report from an angler who observed a pike in the river south of Bull Lake near Noxon.State fisheries biologists confirmed the observation by catching and removing the fish. The presence of pike in the river is believed to be the result of an illegal introduction.FWP is asking anglers to report any northern pike caught or...
VA expands toxic-exposed veterans’ eligibility for benefits
Leveraging authorities granted to it by Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester’s PACT Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently added three new cancer types to its list of service-connected disabilities presumed to be caused by military toxic exposure. Presumptive service connection ensures VA automatically assumes a disease is service-connected—making the disability compensation claims process more seamless for veterans.VA’s move was done under Tester’s PACT Act, which created a framework that enables VA to further expand presumptive service connection benefits for toxic-exposed veterans. Prior to the PACT Act, VA’s ability to establish presumptive conditions was slow, cumbersome, and often...
Crossing the dam: Wings 2024 Motorcycle Fun Run
The 2024 Wings Motorcycle Fun Run was one for the ages.For the first time since Sept. 11, 2001, public vehicle traffic was allowed to cross the Libby Dam.Event organizer Dee Teske credited Annette Best, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineer employee and a Wings volunteer, with her efforts in helping arrange the chance for poker run riders to cross the dam.“Annette put a good amount of time, phone calls, emails and a lot of perseverance to get it set up, so she deserves a lot of credit,” Teske said. “She doesn’t seek the attention, but the run was an even...
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The Western News, a twice weekly newspaper located in Libby, was one of the first Montana newspapers to go online - the first among smaller publications. The first online issue appeared in early Spring 1995 with our Spring and Summer Visitors Guide. The Western News reaches roughly 3,000 households with every edition and is the largest paid-circulation newspaper in our region. We cover southern Lincoln County, including Libby and Troy.
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