Montana/Region

Slain woman Gabby Petito’s boyfriend indicted for bank fraud

Published on Thu, 09/23/2021 - 4:42pm
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BILLINGS (AP) — Federal officials say the boyfriend of Gabby Petito, whose body was found at a national park in Wyoming after a cross country trip with him, has been indicted for unauthorized use of a debit card as searchers continued looking for him in Florida swampland.

The federal grand jury indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Wyoming does not explain who the card belonged to. But it indicates Brian Laundrie made unauthorized withdrawals worth more than $1,000 during the period in which Petito went missing.

Montana deploys 70 guardsmen to hospitals as COVID-19 cases climb

Published on Wed, 09/22/2021 - 12:00am

Gov. Greg Gianforte on Tuesday announced a series of Montana National Guard deployments to hospitals across the state to address an overburdened nursing labor force and skyrocketing COVID-19 case numbers — Montana twice led the nation in per-capita COVID case count increase last week, and health officials are warning that the delta variant-driven pandemic is the most devastating it’s been in months.

Body recovered, half-brother sought around Yellowstone lake

Published on Tue, 09/21/2021 - 4:46pm

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — Rescue crews in Yellowstone National Park recovered the body of a 67-year-old Washington state man and searched around a lake Tuesday for his half-brother after the pair failed to return from a backcountry canoe trip.

A 10-person ground crew was walking the shoreline of Shoshone Lake looking for Kim Crumbo, 74, a former U.S. Navy Seal from Ogden, Utah, Yellowstone officials said. A helicopter from nearby Grand Teton National Park was assisting the effort.

Missoula and Bozeman officials beg residents to wear masks, get vaccinated

Published on Mon, 09/20/2021 - 12:00am

HELENA (AP) — Health officials in both Missoula and Bozeman are begging Montana residents to wear masks indoors and get vaccinated as hospitals face increasing strain and the state remains without any statewide health mandates.

Wyoming to ask US to lift park region grizzly protections

Published on Fri, 09/17/2021 - 3:53pm

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming will ask the federal government to remove its protections for grizzly bears in the Yellowstone region and permit the region’s three states to manage and potentially allow hunting of the big bruins in certain areas, Gov. Mark Gordon said Thursday.

“We have proved time and time again that we are experts in wildlife conservation,” Gordon, a Republican, said at a news conference.

Witness: Parking lot eviction leads to fatal Kalispell shooting

Published on Fri, 09/17/2021 - 3:41pm
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KALISPELL (AP) — A man who had been living in a car in the parking lot of a fitness center in Kalispell for several weeks shot and killed the center’s manager after being told he could no longer stay there, the assistant manager said Thursday.

Matt Underhill told the Flathead Beacon  that he and the manager of Fuel Fitness confronted the man Thursday morning, refunded his remaining gym membership and told him he needed to leave. The man demanded more money, and when it was denied he said they were “going to die” and began shooting, Underhill told NBC Montana. 

Helena hospital critical care at capacity amid virus surge

Published on Fri, 09/17/2021 - 3:40pm

HELENA (AP) — A hospital in Helena was forced to implement crisis standards of care amid a surge in COVID-19 patients, hospital officials said Thursday.

Critical care resources are at maximum capacity at St. Peter’s Health hospital. Crisis standards of care are implemented when hospital resources are not sufficient to provide full care to all patients in the facility. Under such conditions, care providers must sometimes choose how to allocate scarce resources including medications and beds.

‘The situation is dire’

Published on Thu, 09/16/2021 - 3:46pm
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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho public health leaders on Thursday expanded health care rationing statewide amid a massive increase in the number of coronavirus patients requiring hospitalization.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare made the announcement after St. Luke’s Health System, Idaho’s largest hospital network, on Wednesday asked state health leaders to allow “crisis standards of care” because the increase in COVID-19 patients has exhausted the state’s medical resources.

State of Wyoming set to fight vaccine mandate in courts and Legislature

Published on Thu, 09/16/2021 - 3:32pm

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming is preparing to go to court and possibly hold a special legislative session to counter President Joe Biden’s plans to require worker vaccinations against the coronavirus, Gov. Mark Gordon said Wednesday.

“We cannot sit on our hands just watching this egregious example of federal government overreach,” Gordon, a Republican, said in a statement.

US tribes demand emergency protection for gray wolves

Published on Wed, 09/15/2021 - 3:42pm
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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Dozens of American Indian tribes asked the Biden administration Tuesday to immediately enact emergency protections for gray wolves, saying states have become too aggressive in hunting the animal.