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The City of Libby, Montana experienced two incidents this week. Firstly, a new police officer was hired to rebuild the city police force. Secondly, a 32-year-old woman died after leaving a vehicle on U.S. Highway 2 near Happy's Inn.

The City of Libby has hired a new police officer. Continuing its efforts to rebuild the city police force, Don Luthey was sworn in by Chief Cody Ercanbrack at Monday’s city council meeting. Luthey retired from the Ripon Police Department in October 2020 after a 26-year career. Ripon is a small town located between Modesto and Stockton in California. Chief Ercanbrack was hired in late April to replace former Chief Scott Kessel, who parted ways with the city in the early part of the month after both sides approved a separation agreement. Kessel came under fire after three officers, Sgt. Chris Pape and officers...

Jammin' Java, a fresh addition to Troy's coffee scene, has swiftly gained popularity among locals. This coffee shop stands out with its nostalgic 70's ambiance, which contributes to a uniquely groovy atmosphere. It boasts a one-of-a-kind menu, featuring delightful options like the Philadelphia Skinny Dipper and toasted bagels served with a smoked salmon spread. Customers rave about the food, with the generous chunks of smoked salmon in the spread garnering special mention.

Editor's note: Libby resident and proud parents Scott and Patti Lennard shared the story of his son Jacob earning his PhD. The Western News is pleased to share it with our readers. Libby native and 2008 Libby High School graduate Jacob Bridger Lennard recently received his PhD in Accounting from the University of Central Florida. Jacob had an interesting path en route to his PhD. At first he didn’t have any interest in attending college after graduating high school. Instead being the avid reader and lover of books that he was, he decided to work and help manage his mother’s “Cabinet Books”...

It was, to say the least, a big game in this year’s Western 6-player conference football action. It was also Homecoming for the Noxon Red Devils. The field was great, the fans were excited and two conference leaders, West Yellowstone and host Noxon were on the turf. But the Wolverines didn’t travel more than 400 miles to be entertained, they came to win. And unfortunately for the Red Devils, the visitors did just that, chalking up a 44-28 win in a crucial mid-season match up. Noxon opened the game in a big way when senior running back Antonio Lodi broke free down the sidelines...

The Libby Loggers football team hosts Corvallis Friday in the homecoming game and in need of a win after two straight defeats. Bigfork beat the Loggers, 41-6, last Friday. The Vikings led 41-0 in the third quarter before Libby’s Isaac Lamere caught a 5-yard TD pass from Tristan Andersen. Andersen hit 20 of 34 passes for 122 yards and ran for 39 yards. Senior Jace DeShazer ran for 35 yards and led the Loggers with eight tackles. Beating Corvallis won’t be easy. The Blue Devils are 4-0 and have outscored their opponents 146-6. They’ve beaten Browning, Frenchtown and Butte Central Catholic...

A meeting is being held Friday evening in Troy to vote on the dissolution of the Troy Area Dispatch District. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in city council chambers at 301 E. Kootenai Ave. A flier announcing the meeting was posted on a bulletin board at the Lincoln County Courthouse Wednesday afternoon. According to the agenda, a board chair and secretary/treasurer will be appointed, then a vote will be taken for dissolution. The dispatch center stopped offering services on Monday, July 17, according to a July 19 post on the Troy Area Dispatch Facebook page. Emergency and non-emergency dispatch services...

A Troy woman is facing charges of animal cruelty involving a dog after an investigation by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Maygen Susann Reid, 38, is charged with three misdemeanors. They include cruelty to animals, carrying or confining; failure to provide food and water and animal abandonment. Each were first offenses. A conviction for animal cruelty may result in a one-year term in the Lincoln County Detention Center. A fine of $1,000 may also be imposed. According to the probable cause statement filed by County Sheriff’s Deputy Anthony Smith, he spoke with the owner of a property on Aug. 27 on Twin Creek...

The Libby Lady Loggers volleyball team lost to visiting Browning Friday night. The Lady Indians had a height advantage that helped carry them to the three-set win, 25-13, 25-19 and 25-18. Browning was coming off three straight losses to Havre, Polson and Whitefish. They placed 10th at the Western A Tipoff Tournament in Columbia Falls. The Lady Loggers won the freshman and junior varsity matches. Libby fell to 0-7 after a road loss at Ronan Tuesday. Saturday, they host Whitefish. ...

Cabinet Peaks Medical Center was recently awarded the Montana Rural Healthcare Performance Improvement Network’s Quality Improvement Award for its Foley improvement project, as well as streamlining prior authorization for services. The Montana Rural Healthcare Performance Improvement Network (PIN) is a voluntary membership of 49 critical access hospitals throughout the state. Through the network, member hospitals are able to benchmark their performance with their peers on a variety of financial, utilization and direct patient care measures that encourage safe, effective, patient-centered care delivery in even the most remote communities of the state. PIN quality of care measures are based on national benchmarks, but are tailored...

In the 1970s, you didn’t use to see many new pickups in Trout Creek, and when you did you knew who it belonged to. Now, you don’t see many old pickups and when you do you also know whose they are. So times have changed. The parking lots in front of two of the bars […] The post Another endangered Montana landscape appeared first on Daily Montanan.

Resource managers will begin the fall drawdown of Lake Pend Oreille on Tuesday, Sept. 19, in keeping with the typical schedule of holding the lake at its normal pool of 2,062.5 feet until the third Sunday in September or Sept. 18 — whichever is later. According to the Lakes...

Kootenai National Forest officials announced a number of projects this fall. The first was scheduled to begin Monday, Sept. 18, with road repair work on Quartz Creek Road No. 600 in the Libby Ranger District. The work is planned between mile markers 2 and 4. Work is planned to occur through Friday, Sept. 22, and again from Monday, Sept. 25 to Friday, Sept. 29 with intermittent road closures expected. The maximum closure interval anticipated is one hour at a time. For more information, please call the Libby Ranger District at 406-293-7773. Forest officials are also planning to conduct prescribed fire projects when weather,...

NOTICE OF TRUSTEE’S SALE To be sold for cash at a Trustee’s Sale on January 16, 2024, at 02:00 PM outside the North door steps at the Lincoln County Courthouse located at 512 California Avenue, Libby, MT 59923, the following described real property situated in Lincoln County, State of Montana: That part of the SE1/4SE1/4NE1/4SE1/4 of Section 4, Township 30 North, Range 31 West, P.M.M., more particularly described as Irregular Plat #321. AND A parcel of land in Libby in Lincoln County, Montana, lying within the W1/2E1/2NE1/4SE1/4 of Section 4, Township 30 North, Range 31 West, P.M.M., more particularly described as Parcel A...

The Libby boys and girls soccer teams each claimed wins over Frenchtown Tuesday. The girls squad won big, 5-1, while the boys edged the Broncs, 4-3. Katie Scott had a monster game for the Lady Loggers with four goals. Madison Vincent had the other goal. For the boys, goal scorers included Joaquin Canizares, Sami Jocks, Dylan Warner and Gabe Gier. Both Libby teams were dealt defeats by Columbia Falls Thursday, Sept. 14 at J. Neils Memorial Park. The boys fell 9-2 to the visitors. Warner scored Libby’s first goal as the Loggers trailed 3-1 at the half. Canizares scored the second on a header in...

Messiah's Mansion's Live Museum has been on the road spreading their message of the Old Testament for over 28 years. The museum came to Libby last week where area residents and school groups got the opportunity for an unique learning experience. They are an organization based out of Oklahoma by the man who has been in it from the beginning, Clayton Leinneweber. He said the idea grew from the original lesson of a project at his church to create a larger representation of the sanctuary that is talked about in the Book of Exodus. Starting from just that idea and a...

Photo from Unsplash and unrelated to the city. For most people, it is a constant necessity of life to manage gas prices. The national average price for a gallon of regular-grade gas on Tuesday is $3.880, a week ago the price is $3.836 , according to AAA.

Libby’s Wilderness Run at the Flower Creek Cross Country Ski Trails always provides runners with a scenic and challenging course that isn’t often found many places. The event, with the Cabinet Mountains as the backdrop, last Saturday proved to be the same and top five finishers also received hand-made medals courtesy of the shop program at Libby Middle High School. John Love’s students made laser-engraved medals made of pine. “Mr. Love coordinated the process and we loved how they turned out,” Libby cross country coach Brittany Katzer said. “We’re also extremely appreciative of the community support we received. We had a lot of...

Two incidents occurred in Troy, Montana this week. In the first incident, a Yaak resident, Jeremy B. O'Day, pleaded not guilty to felony charges of kidnapping, assault with a weapon, and criminal mischief. The alleged incidents took place on July 10 and O'Day's next court hearing is scheduled for October 30. In the second incident, a Troy man, Joseph Michael Haughton, was jailed on arson and burglary charges related to a fire at a popular restaurant. Haughton pleaded not guilty to the charges and his next court hearing is set for November 27.

A Libby man is charged with stabbing a woman during an alleged incident at a Libby bar early Saturday morning. David Kenneth Reid, 38, was lodged in the Lincoln County Detention Center after allegedly stabbing a woman in the Pastime Bar on Mineral Avenue. According to jail officials, he posted $125,000 bail and has been released. Reid is charged with assault with a weapon, a felony, and obstructing a peace officer and carrying a concealed weapon while under the influence, both misdemeanors. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 20 in Lincoln County Justice Court. According to a probable cause statement by Libby...