The Richland County Youth Hockey Association members received their inflatable dome in January. Preparation had been going on for weeks to make room for the dome, located west of the city pool on city property.

Sidney's Lynn McChesney took center stage after winning the state championship at 130 pounds in the Class A state-wrestling meet held in February at Billings.

Fairview resident will remember March 17, 1990, as one of the worst days in the history of the community. James Allen shot long-time Police Chief Orville Sharbono to death. Sharbono went to Allen's residence to serve civil papers. Allen made his first court appearance on April 13 and pled not guilty to the charge of deliberate homicide.

Uncontrolled development of the oil boom days came back to haunt the city when land developer Bill Wilkinson ask for a refund on 70 of the 75 prepaid sewer hookups paid for in 1979. Wilkinson used the $14,000 to start a new business venture in Sidney.

In late May, another developer, Jack Mayo, Cavalier, N.D., was granted a $7,600 refund for similar reasons as Wilkinson.

The Salvation Army relocated its operations to the abandoned El Rey Motel on Central Avenue. The organization leased the building from the county, who took over the hotel in 1989 from the Small Business Administration through tax deed proceedings.

In June Allen's attorney used a mental defect defense, and the suspect was sent to the state hospital in Warm Springs for evaluation.

Fairview Mayor Bryan Cummins announced that the city hired Harlem police chief Jim McDaniel to replace Orville Sharbono, killed in the line of duty in March.

The pool project received a boost in July when the Svarre Foundation of Sidney agreed to give the city $200,000 for the project if voters approved the bond issues which reduced the amount of the bond from $900,000 to $700,000.

Fairview's Judy Johnson took over as the county home economist extension agent. Johnson replaced Carol Tarnavaky, who died in March of cancer.

Early morning on Aug. 23, 16 families northeast of Sidney were evacuated from their homes when an oil well fire caused concern over hydrogen sulfide gas emissions. The emissions made the fire one of the most dangerous in Richland County in several years.

Physicians at the state hospital concluded that Allen was incompetent and unable to stand trail. Deputy County Attorney Phil Carter filed a motion to have Allen re-evaluated. By years end the results of the second evaluation and whether or not there would be a trial were not clear.

Deputy county treasurer Donnette Dopp, motor vehicle supervisor Joni Brenner, Penelope Delaney and Yvonne Forsberg resigned from the Treasurer's Office in August because of problems with county treasurer George Kroll.

Further complicating the controversy was the pending general election. Dopp, a Democrat, was running against Kroll, a Republican, for the office. Kroll claimed many of the problems were politically motivated.

Former Richland County attorney Milton G. Anderson died of a heart attack at 79 in September. Anderson was also well known to the community because of his music. Anderson brought the Dixieland sound to Richland County. He formed a band called "Milt's Dixie Connection" which played at many community functions. The city council decided to name the Central Park Pavilion the Milton G. Anderson Performing Arts Pavilion in honor of his contributions to the community.

Lambert's postmaster Helen Heringer retired after 33 years. Heringer started as a clerk in the post office in 1955. Two years later she was appointed acting postmaster. Heringer took the civil service test in 1959 getting a high score; she then became the postmaster. Kevin Kieppelid from Circle took over the duties of postmaster.

One of the first adoptions in Montana from the revolution-torn country of Romania started in the spring by Nancy Vaira and husband, Duane Smith, became final in October when Vaira brought McKenzie Mariana Smith home.

In November, the voters rendered their verdict for county treasurer: Dopp won over Kroll 2,782 votes to 1,448. Voters passed the measures for new swimming pool and expansion of Richland Homes.

One of the third-grade classes at West Side Elementary sent boxes of supplies to soldiers fighting in Operation Desert Shield in the Persian Gulf.

Conoco awarded Sidney firefighters with a plaque in December for their efforts in fighting the August oil well fire. The company also donated a monitor to the department to help measure hydrogen sulfide gas emissions.

Sidney physician Lt. Col. Virgil Hayden, along with the hospitals director of anesthesia Major Gary Howard, was called to duty during the Persian Gulf conflict.

Wal-Mart opened in Williston, N.D., just in time for the holiday shopping season.

The county's population decreased by 13 percent since 1980, from 12, 243 to 10,664. Sidney's population decreased 10 percent, from 5,726 to 5,182. Fairview saw the most significant decline, losing 37 percent of its population, going from 1,366 to 866.

Footnote: Information provided by the MonDak Heritage Center's archives. Previous years can be found on the Herald Web site www.sidneyherald.com/herald_facts