Shoshone County Top 10 articles 2024

Shoshone County enjoyed many successes in the past year. It also experienced tragic and traumatic events during that same time. However, in true Silver Valley fashion, the community rallied to take care of one another while celebrating the positives.  

Here’s a look back at the 10 most read articles, according to our online readership.  

1. Arrests made in connection with Kellogg man's death 

Two California men were arrested in April following a fight that resulted in the death of 28-year-old Reed Norris. Norris was found two days later behind a nearby business. Initially charged with manslaughter, charges were dropped in November.  

2. Rockslide delays Moon Pass opening 

A massive rockslide near the top of Moon Pass resulted in 10,000 cubic yards of debris wiping out the road. This delayed the pass’s annual spring opening by months and cost more than $300,000 to clear. 

3. Snake Pit gets new owners 

In March, it was announced that Autumn and Viljo Basso had purchased the landmark North Fork restaurant from Tom Richards. They reopened in the summer with an updated menu.  

4. “We have to start over.”  

In September, the Shoshone County commissioners announced that the company they hired to complete their long-awaited wage study had abruptly ended offering that service. The county had to restart its search for bids, which continued through the end of the year.  

5. Kellogg woman graduates from Merchant Marine Academy  

Kellogg High School Alum Shea Curran graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Curran has since been stationed in Minnesota.  

6. “The second time around was for me”  

Silver Valley native Lynsey McCarver completed her second season on the hit Discovery Channel program "Naked and Afraid." This time competing during one of the show’s XL seasons, McCarver spent 40 days trekking across Colombia, South America, in the nude.  

7. Cold case closed after 90 years 

The near century-old cold case of missing game warden Ellsworth Arthur Teed was closed and a suspect was named in his disappearance. According to the case details, on Aug. 28, 1934, Teed planned to go to Boulder Gulch in Mullan to investigate evidence of illegal game hunting of deer and birds. Teed's Model A Ford Coupe was found around the upper Mullan cemetery where he had been headed when he was last seen alive, and his lunch and coat were still locked inside the vehicle. Multiple accounts from the time alleged that Teed was last seen with George Pentland and two young boys.  

8. Wallace Blues Festival Canceled  

Organizers of the popular outdoor music festival canceled the event days before it was supposed to take place. Several people are still awaiting refunds from pre-purchased tickets. In the wake of the festival’s cancelation, a new music event was organized by a group of Wallace residents called Wallace Music Fest. The three-day concert series was made free to the public and ended up being a massive success for the community.  

9. Kellogg killer gets life without parole 

Majorjon Kaylor was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in March after pleading guilty to four counts of second-degree murder. He shot and killed his neighbors on Father’s Day in 2023 following an argument in their shared backyard.  

10. Real Life pastor remembered as 'a helper to his core' in Silver Valley celebration of life 

Hundreds filled Kellogg High School’s Andrews Gymnasium to remember the life of Real Life Pinehurst Pastor Gene Jacobs. Jacobs died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in April, according to the Pinehurst Police Department. Kevin Kessler, Jacobs’ replacement as the leader of the church, told attendees to be gentle to one another no matter where they are in the grieving process and to show their love to one another.  

    Curran
  

    Autumn and Viljo Basso
  

    Ellsworth Arthur Teed went missing Aug. 28, 1934, while investigating a possible case of poaching in Shoshone County.
  

    This area of West Park Ave. was where the body of Reed Norris was discovered on April 22.
  

    Majorjon Kaylor is escorted out of Shoshone County's District Court by sheriff's deputies just moments after being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the June 18, 2023, murders of Kenneth Guardipee, Kenna Guardipee, Devin Smith and Aiken Smith.