Businessman Watson dies

A local real estate broker and longtime community member has died of leukemia after struggling with the West Nile virus last fall.

Hi-Line native Lyle Watson, 75, co-founder of Flynn Realty and owner of Law Realty, died Saturday in Havre.

Watson was diagnosed with West Nile virus in the fall of 2003 and in October was in a coma for two weeks with encephalitis as a result. Doctors at the time gave him a 10 percent chance of recovery. When Watson did recover, he said he had to learn to do simple tasks again, like walking, talking and even swallowing.

Watson was the eighth person in Hill County t...