EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the final year of Sidney Herald stories in celebration of its 100th anniversary in 1908. If our readers would like the newspaper to continue with this feature in the fall, please e-mail publisher@sidneyherald.com or contact the Herald office and let us know.

Henry Johnson announced in January that he wouldn't seek re-election for the position of Richland County commissioner. Johnson served as commissioner for district one. He was in his 12th year as commissioner.

Sidney's Dan Goss earned the 2008 bid calling championship at the Montana Auctioneers Association's competition held in Lewistown Jan. 25. Libby Berndt, publisher of the Sidney Herald, received the chamber's Partners in Progress award at the awards banquet held in February.

Basketball referee Jerry Callen retired after 35 years. Callen worked more than 1,000 games and more than 300 tournament contests including Class C, Class B and Class A tournaments.

Kathy Irigoin finished her first term as district judge for the Seventh Judicial District, Department 2, which encompasses Richland and McCone counties. She planned to run for re-election for another six-year term.

The Sidney Herald's 100th Anniversary was March 13, 2008; the paper published a historical page in the March 12 issue celebrating the anniversary.

The first county-wide conference was held at the Sidney Assembly of God Church's activities center; it was to help determine the direction of Richland County's future.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection's [CBP] Montana Air Branch Black Hawk helicopter landed at Moose Park. Sidney Middle School students were able to watch it land. Men from both border patrol and homeland security briefed the crowd on their duties and machinery.

Herald reporter Lindsey Bright started the day in a life series with the Fairview police department.

The U.S. Geological Survey released an assessment of the Bakken formation in April which estimated 3.65 billion barrels of undiscovered technically recoverable oil, 25 times greater than the 150 million barrels from the previous assessment conducted in 1995.

Sidney School Board unanimously voted to accept Sidney Superintendent of Schools Doug Sullivan's recommendation to add all-day kindergarten in the 2008-2009 school year.

Sidney High School newspaper, the Spokesman, was selected best in Class A rank in May. The Pacesetter is awarded to the best overall school newspaper in their respective class. The Spokesman staff was surprised by the award because two years before the Spokesman was not in production and this is the first year that any of the staff members had worked on a newspaper.

Richey High School featured one Class of 2008 member, valedictorian Kyle Senner.

In June gas prices broke records, the national average at $4 a gallon, energy and energy development was on the tip of everyone's tongues. From politicians advocating ethanol to wind farms to more national drilling, it seemed any ideas to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil were heard as election season heated up.

Pella Lutheran Church celebrated its centennial in June.

The Sidney Area Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture held the first Town & Country Festival, saluting the entire area as well as the Sidney Herald's 100 years of covering town and country.

One of the prides of Mon-Dak Country, the Burning Hills Amphitheatre home of the Medora Musical, celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Sidney lost its middle school principal and high school head boys basketball coach in July when Rollie Sullivan turned in his resignation. Sullivan accepted a position as high school principal in Kamiah, Idaho.

The Budweiser Clydesdales returned to the Richland County Fair in August; they took part in the rodeo and a parade. The famed Clydesdales are on tours up to 330 days a year, the team came from Menifee, Calif.

After going without local air service since early March, area residents celebrated the return of service when Great Lakes Airlines flights started in September.

A $700 billion bailout plan was voted down in the House in a 228-205 in-favor vote. Failure to pass the historic package sparked an immediate round of blame-game politics on Capitol Hill as stocks plummeted across the country and banks teetered across the globe. The bailout was passed by the House of Representatives and signed into law by the president on Friday, Oct. 3, 2008.

Varsity assistant coach Danny Strasheim was named head coach for the Sidney Eagles. Strasheim replaced Rollie Sullivan, who resigned from the middle school principal and head basketball coach positions in July.

Loren Young, Fairview, won the election for Richland County commissioner in November. Young received 2,921 votes or 65 percent. Josh King garnered 1,397 votes.

Sidney Mayor Bret Smelser told city council members in December that Hansen Park was recommend as the location for the new skateboard park.

Footnote: This is the final 100 years of stories celebrating the Sidney Herald's 100th Anniversary. Information provided by the MonDak Heritage Center's archives. Previous years can be found on the Herald Web site www.sidneyherald.com/herald_facts.