ST. REGIS – There may be some good news this week for Mineral County’s struggling economy thanks to a new operator is taking over ownership of Tricon Timber’s mill in St. Regis. The mill is one of a handful still operating in the once thriving timber industry in Western Montana. But keeping the stud mill going has been a challenge in recent years, as Tricon has struggled against a number of market forces, such as Canadian lumber imports, and a drop in available wood supply. Tricon laid off  90-employees two years ago which was a big economic blow to not only St. Regis, but also to Superior and the rest of the county. But now Coeur d’Alene-based Idaho Forest Group is announcing that it has agreed to acquire Tricon’s St. Regis mill with a deal expected to close on Dec. 1.