Lincoln County, MT

The Weasel Fire is burning 1,100 acres on the Kootenai National Forest 14 miles northeast of Eureka in Lincoln County.

The Weasel Fire is now burning 1,100 acres on the Kootenai National Forest 14 miles northeast of Eureka in Lincoln County.

(EUREKA) --The Weasel Fire continues to grow in the northeast corner of Lincoln County. Gusty winds on Thursday helped it make an extended 5-mile run Northeast towards Frozen Lake. The lightning-caused fire has crossed onto the Flathead National Forest and into Canada expanding to 2,274 acres as of Saturday morning, August 6th. Approximately 50% of the fire is in Canada and the remainder on the Kootenai and Flathead National Forests. The fire continues to spread in heavy dense fuels in difficult terrain and experienced minor growth on Friday. A U.S. Type 3 Incident Management Team based in Eureka, Montana and a B.C. Wildfire Service Incident Management Team in Cranbrook, British Columbia, are closely coordinating on wildfire management and are sharing resources as required.

A Libby man accused of stalking a local grocery store employee was dismissed last month after he died. Keith Archer Carlson, 76, faced one felony count of stalking, but according to court documents filed July 26 by Lincoln County Attorney Marcia Boris, the case was dismissed after his death. He was arrested on March 25, 2022, after numerous incidents that allegedly began in the summer of 2021. According to court documents, Carlson allegedly approached a woman who worked at the store and asked her to have coffee. She told the request was inappropriate and the behavior was unacceptable. Carlson told the woman...

A Lincoln County man is accused of a gun crime after an incident involving his partner and a truck driver last month on U.S. 2. Charles Fernley Woods Jr., 67, of Libby, is charged with felony assault with a weapon, one count of misdemeanor partner or family member assault, and one misdemeanor count of criminal destruction of a communication device Woods Jr. pleaded not guilty to all three charges on July 25 in Lincoln County District Court. According to the probable cause statement by Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Deputy James Derryberry, he responded to a location on Either Way North and learned that...

You’ll have to forgive Bruce Vincent’s enthusiasm when it comes to the potential he sees for the Kootenai Complex Project. “It’s a game changer,” Vincent exclaimed at the July 27 Lincoln County Commissioners meeting. “After 40 years of jaw jacking, it’s huge. It’s the biggest positive news here in three decades.” For Vincent, it’s been nearly 20 years since his family’s logging business closed down and he’s hopeful his family could return to it some day. $19.3 million for forestry work in the Kootenai Complex Project, which includes Libby, Troy, Eureka, Stryker, Fortine and Trego, is coming to Lincoln County as a result...

NATIONAL FOREST TIMBER FOR SALE KOOTENAI NATIONAL FOREST The Still Pinkham DXP Timber Sale is located within Portions of Sections 24, 25, 36 T35N, R28W and Portions of Sections 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, T35N, R27W and Portions of Sections 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, T34N, R27W and Portions of Sections 5, 6, T33N, R27W, Lincoln County, State of Montana,PMM. The Forest Service will receive Sealed bids at Flathead National Forest Supervisor's Office, Kalispell, MT before or at the time of public...

The law roundup is compiled from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office incident log. It is not meant to serve as an exhaustive account. July 29 10:15 a.m. An officer responded to a noise complaint on Spencer Road, Libby. 11:29 a.m. An officer answered a call about an injured cat on the Montana 37 bridge. 3:56 p.m. A child custody dispute at Happy’s Inn led to an officer response. 4:02 p.m. An officer checked on the welfare of two dogs at a location on Farm to Market Road. 4:43 p.m. Montana Highway Patrol and a Lincoln County Sheriff’s officer responded to a traffic crash, without injuries, at milemarker 47 on U.S. 2. 5:11...

A ninth felony conviction will likely net a Butte man a hefty fine in Lincoln County. William Francis McDaniel, 61, signed an Alford plea, formally pleading guilty to one felony amended charge of criminal endangerment, on July 25 in District Court. McDaniel was charged with DUI in July 2021 after a law officer saw him driving erratically in Libby. McDaniel, who wore an orange T-shirt with the phrase “Safety First” on it at his court appearance, has had plenty of experience with DUI charges. According to court documents, McDaniel has eight DUI convictions between 1988 and 2008. Many have occurred in Silver Bow County...

Community Support of those little Bears Fund Local Agencies. Marge Kroeger with Rhea Bernardy and Chloe Adamson from the Libby Food Pantry. Marge Kroeger with Rhea Bernardy and Chloe Adamson from the Libby Food Pantry. Barb Guthneck at Lincoln County Solutions is ‘beared-up’. When Bears ‘n Stuff sets...

A Eureka woman convicted and sentenced for possession of methamphetamine more than two years ago is back in the Lincoln County Detention Center on alleged probation violations. District Court Judge Matt Cuffe sentenced Teresa Carr Mocko, 59, to five years, with three suspended, in December 2019. She pleaded guilty to possession in November after authorities arrested her on Sept. 26, 2019, after learning she was frequenting known drug houses, according to court documents. Authorities found a bag containing about two grams of methamphetamine tucked into her bra and two pens converted into snort tubes, court documents said. Mocko’s probation officer in Cascade County,...

A Lincoln County woman has been named to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s Conservation District Advisory Council. According to a news release from the state, Kathleen Johnson of Fortine has been named for northwest Montana out of the Lincoln County Conservation District. The former Resource Conservation Advisory Council (RCAC) was reauthorized July 1 and has been revamped with a more focused purpose and renamed the Conservation Districts Advisory Council (CDAC).  Johnson and six others will serve on the council for the next two years. Other members include Blaine Conservation District’s Greg Jergeson of Chinook in northcentral Montana; Missoula District’s Robert Schroeder of Florence in western Montana; Cascade District’s Gayla Wortman of Cascade, and Lower Musselshell District’s Steve Tyrell of Lavina in southcentral Montana; Treasure District’s Judi Knapp of Hysham, and Richland District’s Richard Iversen of Culbertson in eastern Montana.

A Fortine man pleaded not guilty on July 25 in Lincoln County District Court to assaulting two family members last month at a residence on Second Avenue South. Steven James Houchin, 34, is accused of choking his sister-in-law and punching her son on July 7. Houchin is charged with felony strangulation of a partner or family member and misdemeanor partner or family member assault. According to court documents, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputy Clint Heintz responded to the Fortine residence where Houchin allegedly told him he punched his nephew in the face because he caught him watching adult content on the internet...