Montana/Region

US withdraws train crew proposal that came after explosions

Published on Fri, 05/24/2019 - 4:51pm

By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Trump administration said Thursday it was withdrawing a proposal for freight trains to have at least two crew members, nullifying a safety measure drafted under President Barack Obama in response to explosions of crude oil trains in the U.S. and Canada.

A review of accident data did not support the notion that having one crew member is less safe than multi-person crews, Department of Transportation officials said. The withdrawal also seeks to pre-empt states from regulating crew sizes.

Report: Tourism to Yellowstone creates $647.1 million in economic benefits

Published on Fri, 05/24/2019 - 4:14pm

A new National Park Service report shows that 4.1 million visitors to Yellowstone in 2018 spent $512.6 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 7,089 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $647.1 million, according to a Yellowstone National Park press release.

Wife thanks doctors as trooper goes home after shooting

Published on Thu, 05/23/2019 - 4:28pm

MISSOULA (AP) — A Montana Highway Patrol trooper who suffered a traumatic brain injury after being shot three times was released Wednesday from a Utah hospital after his wife gave emotional thanks to the medical team and supporters.

Trooper Wade Palmer, 35, was wounded in the neck, face and head on March 15 while investigating a shooting in Missoula a few hours earlier that killed one person and wounded two others.

Palmer was shot after locating a suspect’s vehicle near a bar.

Officials kill mountain lion found in Helena

Published on Wed, 05/22/2019 - 4:14pm

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana wildlife officials have killed a mountain lion that was found off a busy street near downtown Helena.

Helena interim Police Chief Steve Hagen says a NorthWestern Energy employee spotted the young male cat Wednesday morning in bushes near the company’s offices on Last Chance Gulch.

The main street in central Helena leads downtown and is located near two city parks.

Hagen says state wildlife officials were called to kill the animal because immobilizing and relocating mountain lions in urban areas is not feasible or safe.

Remains of World War II soldier returning to Bozeman

Published on Wed, 05/22/2019 - 4:13pm

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — The remains of a World War II soldier from Gallatin County are returning to Bozeman to be buried with full military honors.

Army Pvt. William Boegli died in 1944, at age 25, while working to evacuate wounded soldiers from Angaur Island, east of the Philippines. He was buried there and later buried at Fort McKinley in Manila, Philippines.

The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency disinterred Boegli’s remains in January 2016 and used DNA from relatives to identify him last year.

STATE SHORTS

Published on Tue, 05/21/2019 - 4:38pm

Former House speaker announces run for attorney general

HELENA (AP) — A former Montana House speaker says he’s running for the open attorney general seat next year.

Republican Austin Knudsen of Culbertson wrote in a Facebook post Monday that he and his wife decided after much consideration that they couldn’t sit on the sidelines.

Knudsen was elected to four sessions in the state House, and was speaker for the 2015 and 2017 sessions. He is now Roosevelt County attorney.

Late to 2020 race, Bullock quickly turns to Trump-state Dems

Published on Mon, 05/20/2019 - 12:00am

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock waited until May to declare his candidacy for president, but he’s wasting no time getting to the point. Bullock launched his first

Mexican citizen gets nearly 5 years prison for meth bust in Montana

Published on Mon, 05/20/2019 - 12:00am

BILLINGS (AP) — A U.S. judge has sentenced a Mexican citizen to almost five years in federal prison after prosecutors say he brought 34 pounds of methamphetamine from Arizona to

Crow Tribe issues ‘boil order’ for Pryor water system

Published on Mon, 05/20/2019 - 12:00am

BILLINGS (AP) — The Crow Tribe’s Water Resource Department has issued a boil order for the Pryor water system due to possible contamination. The department said Friday the tribe failed

Unemployment rate down

Published on Mon, 05/20/2019 - 12:00am

HELENA (AP) — Montana’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage points in April to 3.6%, which is the same as the national unemployment rate. The state Labor Department