Federal closure of Idaho mine devastating to town

Many in the Silver Valley still are absorbing the blow of the just announced one-year closure of the Lucky Friday silver mine. Federal safety regulators want the walls of the primary shaft in and out of the mine cleaned before production can resume. The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration's decision to close the mine shaft will have devastating consequences, those in the valley said Thursday. "It's going to kill this valley," said Chuck Reitz, a Mullan City Councilman. "It's a disaster in the long term," said Mike Dotson, owner of Bitterroot Coffee House in Mullan. "I think it's going to be really tough when both wage earners work there. Everybody is just trying to absorb the shock." He said the community has weathered tough times in the past. Ted Drake, a Mullan resident who was out walking his dogs Thursday, said, "The guy in the bar told me it's going to impact them big time." Mullan doesn't have more than a small handful of businesses. For the community and the greater valley, Drake said, "It's devastating, and going to cause a chain reaction. It's going to put a major damper on Mullan. But it's going to hit everybody." He said he has talked to laid off miners who said they'll be heading out of state to find work. The closure means 185 of Hecla Mining Co.'s workers at Lucky Friday have been laid off, along with up to 100 workers employed by contractors that do work at the mine...more