Biggest local stories of the year

The Havre Daily News staff voted on the Top 10 hard news stories of the Hi-Line over the past year. There was a lot of competition for the stories.

Let us know what you think of our choices. Email us at [email protected] or leave a comment here.

1. Rocky Boy scandals

It was a year of tumult at Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation.

Federal prosecutors launched an all-out effort to weed out corruption at the reservation. Several people on and off the reservation were charged with embezzling funds, with all indications that more charges are to come.

Former state Rep. Tony Belcourt, D-Box Elder, was charged with masterminding a plan to skim off federal funds from a massive water project for Rocky Boy and other rural areas in north-central Montana.

Fawn Tadios, the director of the health clinic on the reservation, was charged with embezzling funds from the clinic, in part, so she could visit her husband in a South Dakota federal prison where he was incarcerated for embezzling tribal funds.

Trials in several of the cases are set for next year. Belcourt's attorney says there will be no plea bargaining, he wants a jury trial.

The federal investigation played a key part in tribal politics.

For years, Ken Blatt St. Marks has been fighting against what he called corruption on the reservation. Finally, in 2012, he was elected tribal chair.

Tribal council removed him from office, which prompted a series of lawsuits and challenges. When voters were asked to fill the tribal chair vacancy, they again voted in St. Marks. That was followed by more challenges and lawsuits.

Tribal council members issued a press release saying if voters elected St. Marks again, they would vote him out again.

St. Marks said the controversy is because he is working with federal agents in the embezzlement investigation.

Tribal council members say St. Marks is abusive to tribal employees.

At the end of the year, several lawsuits are outstanding. Rick Morsette is acting tribal chair, and St. Marks is forming a statewide organization to fight corruption in reservations around Montana.

He vows to continue his effort to regain the tribal council chair, and predicts his opponents will keep up their effort to remove him from office.

"They want to keep having elections until they win one," he said.

2. Northern's busy year

News poured forth from Montana State University-Northern this year, as new Chancellor Jim Limbaugh sought to put his imprint on the campus.

There was dissension in the nursing program, as students and some faculty complained about its governance. This was concern to many, because the nursing program provides nurses for many area hospitals and clinics.

The campus took a close look at its programs to determine which should be kept and which should be frozen or eliminated.

Most of the campus agreed with the general direction of the report that Limbaugh presented, though some were concerned that the campus was headed toward more technical education programs and fewer liberal arts.

Controversy erupted over the decision to eliminate the high school-education programs, while maintaining elementary education.

And the stormy career of Provost Rosalyn Templeton came to an end.

She announced she would resign effective Jan. 3, but on Oct. 22, Limbaugh announced that Templeton was out, and later in the week he said three other administrators would do her work until a new provost was named. Interviews took place earlier this month, and an announcement is expected any time.

Through all the controversy, there were signs that the campus was back on track.

Enrollment increased over the past year. The increase was one of the largest in the Montana University System.

3. Johnson charged with murder

Violent murders are relatively rare in Havre, but on the evening of Nov. 9, police say, Shane Johnson was charged with killing his brother, Travis Johnson, after an altercation at the 2nd Avenue apartment they shared.

Details of the dispute have not been released, but Johnson told authorities he was defending himself from Travis, but law enforcement didn't buy that excuse.

Shane Johnson, whose criminal record includes robbing an 81-year-old woman, is in the Hill County Detention Center awaiting trial.

4. Giveaway House

For years, people have come to the Giveaway House when times got tough.

People donated used clothing to the Giveaway House, volunteers would sort it, so people in need could pick up clothes as they need them.

But a bitter dispute between two factions of volunteers broke out. Lawsuits were filed, and there was disagreement over just which board if directors was a running the show. Things got pretty nasty.

In the end, a mediator appointed by Judge Dan Boucher worked out a compromise. He appointed four people to serve on the board of directors. People from both factions will serve, but not the chief protagonists, Sheila Forshee and Sue Markley.

5. Havre Mayoral election

Democratic Mayor Tim Solomon was elected to a second term over the man he defeated four years ago, Republican Bob Rice, albeit by a smaller margin.

The race was marked disputes over campaign tactics. Rice put up lawn signs before the time allowed by city laws, his campaign sponsored youth soccer teams. And Democrats objected to his lawn signs that referred to "Mayor Bob." He hadn't been mayor since Solomon beat him four years earlier.

At a Havre Daily News-sponsored forum, Solomon charged that Rice did not meet the legal requirements to run, since he hadn't been a resident for the required two years, a charge Rice denied.

In the waning days of the campaign, the issue of city infrastructure came to the forefront when a portion of 2nd Street collapsed and the waters of Bullhook could be seen from the sidewalk.

In the end, voters opted for Solomon and his low-key style over the more outspoken Rice. While Democrats have dominated the mayor's office for most of the city' 125-year history, Solomon will be the last person elected as a Democrat. Voters approved plan for non-partisan elections henceforth.

6. Havre schools plan approved

It has been years since voters were asked to fund major repairs to Havre schools, but the school board thought it was time.

After months of deliberations, the board sought approval to make renovations to the locker rooms and fitness center at Havre High School, make changes to the Havre Middle School parking lot and add on to Sunnyside School.

A low-key campaign took place for the mail-in referendum. When the votes were counted, it easily passed.

7. Rocky Boy murder

The death of an 11-month-old toddler rocked Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation earlier this year.

Two Rocky Boy residents, Garrett "Kirby" Lafromboise, 21, and Cecilia Rose Gardipee, 22, were charged with killing her.

Federal officials were unusually quiet about the case. A pretrial hearing is set for February.

8. Community pool finally resolved

Havre's Community Swimming Pool has been a source of pride and entertainment for the community, but the debate over how to finance the operations have turned nasty in recent years.

Initially it was intended to be paid for jointly by the city and Hill County, but the county never paid the one-third it had agreed to in 1974, and in 2006 the city demanded the one-third and decades-worth of back payments.

Protracted political clamor and lawsuits soon predominated.

The dispute was winding itself through the legal system at a snail's pace. City officials feared the lawsuits would go on forever.

No matter who won, it was almost certain the loser would appeal.

So the city opted for an out-of-court settlement.

Mayor Tim Solomon was criticized for "caving in" to the county, but council members felt that legal fees were far more costly than any benefit the city would get from winning the case.

9. Rick Dow's, memorable time on Havre City Council

The conservative Republican defeated incumbent Bob Kaul in the 2011 elections. Dow immediately raised conservative issues before council.

He questioned whether the city should be seeking federal aid for projects since the feds were broke and he led an effort to bring Chick-fil-A restaurant to town. Chick-fil-A was surrounded by controversy because its owners were strongly opposed to gay rights. Liberals gasped when he opposed a proclamation in support of Earth Day.

Council Democrats, in the majority, made a decision to let Dow have his say to avoid getting into a public spat with him.

But Dow's wife, Dr. Margaret Dow, got a job at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and he had to resign.

Even in departing, Dow created another political donnybrook.

Both political parties said they wanted to keep partisan politics out of the replacement process. But council voted along party lines to elect Jay Pyette, a Democrat, over Republican Debi Rhines.

(Two stories were tied for number 10 on our list.)

10. Bison return to Fort Belknap

More than 125 years ago, white people arrived on the Hi-Line and began quickly to decimate the bison herds that had fed and provided clothing for Native peoples.

In more recent years, there has been a bitter dispute over whether the bison should be allowed to return.

Native groups, citing religious, spiritual and historical reasons, favored bringing them back to reservations.

Ranchers and farmers were dubious, fearing the bison would escape the reservation and cause damage to crops.

A lower court ruled for the farmers, but Montana's Supreme Court gave Montana's Fish, Wildlife and Parks the green light to transport the bison.

Fort Belknap residents greeted the arrival of the bison with songs and prayers. Dozens of people took pictures of the historic event.

10. The legislative session

There was a great deal of partisan rancor during the Republican-controlled Montana legislature session in 2013, but there was also some signs of bipartisan cooperation.

The highlight of the legislative session for the Hi-Line was approval of a building program program that included a new auto and diesel building at Montana State University-Northern. The building will replace an aging facility.

The auto and diesel programs are very popular with students, who can graduate and walk into high-paying jobs. College officials believe enrollment will increase with the new building.

Northern is to raise $3 million for the building, and it is determining how to raise the funds.

On several budget issues, gay rights issues and campaign finance matters, moderate Republican legislators formed an alliance with Democrats to pass legislation against the wishes of the GOP leadership in the Senate and House.

Still Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, vetoed 71 bills, just short of former Gov. Brian Schweitzer's record of 79 vetoed bills two years earlier.

The political lines were clearly drawn in the Hi-Line delegation. On nearly all issues, Rep. Kris Hansen, R-Havre, and Wendy Warburton, R-Chinook, were on one side, while Greg Jergeson, D-Havre, Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, and Clarena Brockie, D-Hays, voted on the other side.