Montana/Region

Travel is believed to be link to outbreak in Ravalli County

Published on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 3:58pm

HAMILTON (AP) — Health officers in a western Montana county are investigating a cluster of COVID-19 cases as the state prepares to lift more restrictions meant to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The initial Ravalli County case involved a man in his 50’s who was believed to have caught the virus while traveling outside the county. He was hospitalized on Sunday, said Karyn Johnston, director of public health. She declined to say if the man had traveled out of state.

Trump administration gives temporary breaks on royalty rates for oil and gas

Published on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 3:58pm
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BILLINGS (AP) — The Trump administration has started giving energy companies temporary breaks on royalties and rent they pay to extract oil and gas from leases on public lands because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The move drew quick criticism as a handout to industry that will mean less money for state governments. A Democratic lawmaker called for an investigation into whether the breaks were justified.

Judge blocks law that prevented absentee ballot collection

Published on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 3:57pm

HELENA (AP) — With the state’s primary elections less than two weeks away, a Montana judge temporarily blocked a voter-approved law that restricts the collection of absentee ballots, the ACLU of Montana said Wednesday.

The temporary restraining order affects the law passed by voter referendum in 2018 called the Ballot Interference Protection Act, which limits one person to turning in a maximum six absentee ballots. 

Republicans files ethics complaint over Cooney’s campaign meeting

Published on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 3:56pm

HELENA (AP) — The Montana Republican Party filed an ethics complaint with the Commissioner of Political Practices alleging Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney participated in a campaign strategy call in his office at the Capitol. 

The GOP’s complaint, filed Tuesday, says under state law, a public officer or public employee may not use or permit the use of public time, facilities, equipment, supplies, personnel or funds to solicit support for or opposition to the nomination or election of a person to public office.

Child testing positive for virus closes Wyo. daycare

Published on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 3:56pm

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — A child testing positive for the coronavirus has prompted the closure of a Wyoming daycare center and testing of 32 employees and children.

The child was tested after a parent tested positive. The child last attended the Casper facility May 13, according to the Casper-Natrona County Health Department.

The case occurred amid a surge of 15 new cases in the Casper area over a week. The area had no new cases in the three weeks before that.

Virus surge blamed on carelessness nixes car show

Published on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 3:56pm

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — A surge in local cases of the coronavirus blamed on people not following social distancing recommendations or wearing face masks in public has prompted the cancellation of a Memorial Day car show in Wyoming.

Yellowstone Garage in Casper previously received verbal approval for a variance to the state health order banning gatherings of more than 25 people. 

By Monday, however, the situation had begun to change, with new cases reported over the weekend.

Park reopening quiet as Memorial Day approaches

Published on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 3:49pm
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Visitors aren’t pouring into Yellowstone National Park at high levels since the state of Wyoming allowed two of the park’s gates to open Monday.

That’s not unusual for the gateway community of Cody, Wyoming, though, according to Claudia Wade, director of the Park County Travel Council. Tourism to the town, located about 45 minutes from Yellowstone’s East Entrance, doesn’t usually pick up until mid-June, she said.

“We hope it kind of builds,” she said, and this Memorial Day weekend should bring in regional visitors, but “no hordes.”

 

Gates

SD gov. optimistic about infection trend

Published on Wed, 05/20/2020 - 4:00pm
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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Gov. Kristi Noem said Tuesday that South Dakota is seeing “fantastic” trends in the projected coronavirus rates.

While Noem said she hates to see new hospitalizations or deaths from COVID-19, she told reporters in her daily briefing, “We do know we’re far below what our projections are, and that’s a good thing for our state.”

South Dakota health officials reported two new deaths from COVID-19 Tuesday, bringing the state’s death toll to 46. Statewide, the number of confirmed coronavirus infections grew to 4,085, up 58 from the previous day. 

Dark money group ordered to report Montana campaign spending

Published on Wed, 05/20/2020 - 3:54pm

BILLINGS (AP) — A secretive group that aired election ads including images of Attorney General Tim Fox, who is running for governor, violated state campaign laws, Montana’s top political cop said.

Ads by American Prosperity Group began airing on Spectrum cable television in late March, but the group has not registered with state or federal elections regulators, putting it at odds with state campaign laws intended to prevent anonymous spending in state politics, Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan said. 

Turnout looks to be big in Idaho’s 1st mail-only primary

Published on Wed, 05/20/2020 - 3:53pm

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — County election workers across Idaho were bustling for the state primary on Tuesday, but the tasks were far from the usual routine. 

Instead, election staffers were checking on last-minute requests for ballots and keeping track of returned ballots as the state shifted to its first-ever entirely mail-in primary amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’ve gotten 14 trays of return ballots in, so they’re coming in fast,” Ada County Clerk spokeswoman Chelsea Carattini said.