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The Western News
Veterans retreat expands near Thompson Falls
Close to 100 people gathered recently on a peaceful mountain retreat in Thompson Falls to celebrate the acquisition of a new 60-acre facility for a veterans group called Patrol Base Abbate Return to Base.Located on Tanager Road, this off-grid mountain base above the Clark Fork River exists as a place for veterans to rest, reconnect with fellow military personnel and rediscover the meaning of service to themselves, families and communities.The unique name of the organization, Patrol Base Abbate, was used to honor the legacy of Marine Sgt. Matt Abbate, a Navy Cross recipient who received the award posthumously. A 26-year-old...
WILD ART-Lincoln County Pride Festival
Lincoln County hosted its fourth Pride Festival Saturday, July 13, at the Kootenai Heritage Memorial Center in Libby. The events included a dog fashion show, live music, dancing, speeches, drag performances, raffles and prizes, aerial performances by members of Kalispell-based Levitation Nation Aerial Studio and a showing of the documentary, "Stonewall Uprising." Redheaded Stepchild performs Saturday, July 13, 2024, at the Lincoln County Pride Festival at the Memorial Center in Libby. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)
Sheriff's Office blotter
The law roundup is compiled from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office incident log from July 1 to July 7. It is not meant to serve as an exhaustive account.Two deputies took a theft call on Tamarack Lane, Libby.The county animal control officer investigated a report of a dog biting a female juvenile in the 36800 block of U.S. 2, Libby.An off-road vehicle operator was warned by a deputy for riding on the road and in the fairgrounds.A resident from the 4600 block of Kootenai River Road, Libby, came to the sheriff’s office to report the theft of his fifth wheel.Dionne...
Montana’s Headwaters Tech Hub gets $41M grant from feds
The U.S. Department of Commerce and Montana’s U.S. senators announced July 2 that a technology consortium known as the Headwaters Tech Hub will receive a $41 million grant to help build out jobs within the optical and laser technologies field in four regions of Montana.Last October, the White House announced the Headwaters Tech Hub, led by Accelerate Montana, was one of 31 consortiums to be designated a Regional Innovation and Technology Hub and would get $500,000 to help launch a strategy.The hub will involve photonics, which includes optical and laser technology, autonomy, artificial intelligence and machine learning. The consortium wants to figure out how to...
A tribute to Yaak, America
On America’s Independence Day, when other candidates were waving to large parade crowds from the streets of Butte, Red Lodge, Bigfork and other great Montana towns, I traveled, instead, to a quieter corner of our state to celebrate America’s birthday in one of our more secluded communities – Yaak, Montana. And the day turned out to be a perfect reflection of all that is good in our country and our state.Unlike many parades aimed at celebrating every aspect of the Fourth of July, the Yaak Community parade has a singular mission – to celebrate the founding of America.The parade formed in...
Local governments seek candidates for study commissions
Local governments in Lincoln County will get a helping hand from Montana State University Extension’s Local Government Center as they prepare to build study commissions for review.Required every 10 years, the local government review election asks voters to decide if they want to review their local government. Voters overwhelmingly supported the creation of study commissions in the county, Libby, Troy and Eureka.The purpose of the study commission is to look at the existing form and powers of the local government and compare them with other forms available under the laws of the State of Montana. The study commission members must write a...
Return of the redband rainbow: FWP hatchery restarting native rainbow trout stock
Montana’s only native rainbow trout is making a comeback in the northwest corner of the state.Rainbow trout are common throughout much of our state due to widespread stocking. However, most of the places rainbow trout exist today are outside of its native range in Montana. The lone exception is the Kootenai drainage where native Columbia River interior redband trout, a subspecies commonly known as redband trout, are found.Redbands today exist primarily in disconnected streams across the Kootenai where native genetic strains remain intact. These fish are confined to the upper reaches of watersheds where drainage culverts, small waterfalls or other...
Dorthy Marie Schopp-Schimmell
Dorthy Marie Schopp-Schimmell, 82, of Troy, passed away at Cabinet Peaks Medical Center, July 2, 2024, with her family and friends by her side. She was born July 26, 1941, in Racine, Wisconsin, to Lorraine and Neil King. Dorthy, the eldest, enjoyed helping after her parents care for four sisters: Bett Schnitzler, Betty Schopp, Annie Sneath and Helen Stout; three brothers: Walter Schimmell, Art Schimmell and Ralph Schimmell.Dorthy had two children: son Tom and daughter Marge, with her previous husband and they later divorced. She then met the love of her life, Edwin Robert Schoop, and they were married, Feb. 11, 1964....
Montana gets federal grant to retrain laid off lumber workers
A grant from the U.S. Department of Labor is providing $2 million to the State of Montana to provide workforce retraining and other services to lumber workers losing their jobs because of the closures of two lumber companies in western Montana.The U.S. Department of Labor provided the Montana Department of Labor and Industry with the first disbursement of $800,000 on Monday, the governor’s office said, to help workers affected by the pending closures of Pyramid Mountain Lumber, the largest employer in Seeley Lake, and Roseburg Forest Products in Missoula.“For over a century, the timber industry has been an integral part of...
Print the news and raise hell
A healthy disregard of powerful government is nothing new. The Constitution set up the American system of government, stating what the three branches of government could do — but there was a serious objection to the Constitution being ratified by the states. It did not say what the government could not do, and many states were unhappy about that.Addressing this dilemma, agreement was reached that once the Constitution was ratified and the government of the U.S. properly elected, Congress would draw up a list of rights to be safeguarded and submit them to the states to ratify as amendments to...
Shirley Bess (Duffield) Robins
Shirley Bess (Duffield) Robins, 88, of Libby, Montana passed away at Libby Care Center of Cascadia on July 9, 2024, peacefully in her sleep. She was born on April 2, 1936, in Chinook, Montana to Ensign and Mary Alice Duffield. Shirley was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses at the young age of 6 on Sept. 4, 1942. She married Gerald Robins on Feb. 10, 1955. They raised four children together in Libby: Michael, Lori, Linda and Todd. In addition, they fostered Jason Decker. Their home was always open to anyone who needed a safe place for any amount of time.Shirley was...
WILD ART-Noxon bridge closed
The 102-year-old Noxon bridge that connects Highway 200 with the town is closed indefinitely after state Department of Transportation officials found cracks in the structure during a recent inspection. According to the Sanders County Ledger, the county is developing a plan to re-open the structure. County officials said the bridge is in need of rehabilitation or replacement.
Fire season expected to ramp up with hot, dry conditions
Fire season is ramping up in Montana and is expected to increase as hot and dry conditions intensify this week.According to the National Weather Service, south Lincoln County is expected to see daytime high temperatures at 100 or higher through Sunday. North Lincoln County will see the century mark begin Wednesday and continue for the remainder of the week.The Kootenai National Forest and Lolo National Forest went to very high fire danger while the Flathead National Forest remains at low fire danger, mainly thanks to a wet spring. Lands administered by the Montana Department of Conservation and Natural Resources also...
U.S., Canada strike tentative deal for Columbia River Treaty
After years of negotiations, the U.S. and Canada have reached a tentative agreement renewing the Columbia River Treaty.The proposed 20-year deal would update an agreement that’s managed the Columbia River and its hydropower dams since it was ratified in 1964.President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the agreement-in-principle Thursday, July 11.The Columbia River Treaty is a transboundary water-management agreement between Canada and the United States which optimizes flood-risk management and power generation.The treaty required Canada to build three dams in B.C. and allowed the U.S. to build a fourth dam, the Libby Dam, which flooded into Canada.Although...
Trump survives assassination attempt; investigation launched
The FBI said early Sunday it had identified the man who shot former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler on Saturday as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park.State voter records show Crooks was a registered Republican, and a Federal Election Commission filing showed he made a $15 donation on Jan, 20, 2021 to the “Progressive Turnout Project,” before he would have been old enough to vote. He was a 2022 graduate of Bethel Park High School, the school district confirmed in a statement.The U.S. Secret Service said Saturday night that the shooter “fired multiple shots toward...
Ruby Joyce (Good) Stapley
Ruby Joyce (Good) Stapley, 85, died on Wednesday, May 28, 2024, at her home in Troy, Montana. She was born on Feb. 12, 1939, in Victor, Montana to DeLoss Good and Margaret (Good) Rhoades.Ruby married Norman Stapley in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho on Sept. 7, 1955. They raised six children together as well as having their door open to anyone, young or old, who needed a place to stay.Ruby left the eighth grade to begin to help support her family at home and went back years later and received her GED. She was 16 years old when she married Norman and, eventually,...
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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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