The Western News

1 week ago | thewesternnews.com | Scott Shindledecker

Voters in Libby were overwhelming in their rejection of a school levy request. Libby School District voters defeated the request by a more than two to one margin. 1,635 voters said “no” while only 742 supported the measure. Rising maintenance and insurance costs led Libby School Superintendent Ron Goodman to seek the additional funding. The levy would have been permanent and generated $250,000 annually. "We were a bit disappointed," Goodman said. "The additional funds would have been a great help.

1 week ago | thewesternnews.com | Scott Shindledecker

The future of Libby’s CARD Clinic has never looked more bleak. In a Wednesday morning press release from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, it announced it served a Writ of Execution on the Center for Asbestos Related Disease, Inc. for $3.1 million to satisfy a judgment against the clinic. The judgment stems from a lawsuit won in 2023 by railroad giant BNSF, owned by billionaire Warren Buffett, that accused the clinic of filing hundreds of fraudulent claims over several years.

1 week ago | thewesternnews.com | Scott Shindledecker

A coalition of property owners in the Thompson Chain of Lakes area is not giving up its fight to stop a developer from building a large RV park in Happy’s Inn. A few months ago, Lincoln County District Judge Matt Cuffe ruled in favor of the county Board of Commissioners and Parks Family Real Estate. Parks Family Real Estate and Happy’s RV Park wants to build a 21-acre park which would include 63 recreational vehicle sites and 20 tent sites.

1 week ago | thewesternnews.com | Scott Shindledecker

While the end result favored the Polson Pirates, the Troy Trojans baseball team honored its seniors Saturday and even enjoyed a lead in the game at Roosevelt Park. Cooper Carsley, Preston Norder, Lucas Peterson, Trapper Savage, Kempton Sloan and Cody Todd were recognized along with their family members. Todd, who is still recovering from a ruptured spleen and resulting surgery after a fall during basketball season, threw out the first pitch.

1 week ago | thewesternnews.com | Scott Shindledecker

A Libby man who pleaded guilty to a felony count of assault with a weapon received a 6-year deferred sentence Monday in Lincoln County District Court. Ronald James Toczek, 59, was first charged after allegedly pointing a pistol at the head of a woman and her eight-month-old baby at a Vicks Lane residence on Jan. 22. Toczek was initially held in the Lincoln County Detention Center before posting $75,000 bail. At a March 10 court appearance, he pleaded guilty.