Montana/Region

Man charged with stabbing woman, hitting her with car

Published on Wed, 01/04/2017 - 3:43pm
BILLINGS, Mont. — A 28-year-old Shepherd man is charged with stabbing a woman and hitting her with a vehicle over the weekend, but authorities say he likely faces additional charges now that the woman has died.
 
Jay Witkowski was charged Tuesday with assault with a weapon, aggravated assault and criminal endangerment. He did not enter a plea and his bail was set at $500,000.
 
Those charges were filed before 31-year-old Evelynn Garcia of Glasgow died Tuesday afternoon.
 

Bozeman man says he killed wife with cast iron frying pan

Published on Tue, 01/03/2017 - 3:46pm
BOZEMAN, Mont. — A Bozeman man is charged with deliberate homicide after confessing to killing his wife by hitting her on the head with a cast iron frying pan during a drunken argument after a New Year's Eve party.
 
Bail was set at $750,000 for Jake William Collins, 32, who made an initial appearance in Justice Court on Tuesday, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported. He is charged in the Jan. 1 death of Crystal Collins, 32.
 
Crystal Collins' mother had reported her missing Monday, the Gallatin County sheriff's office has said.

Senate Republicans seek to push Motl out as commissioner

Published on Tue, 01/03/2017 - 3:45pm
By MATT VOLZ, Associated Press
 
HELENA, Mont. — Senate Republicans who oppose giving Montana Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl a full six-year term in office want to intervene in a lawsuit that aims to do just that.
 
Senate Majority Leader Fred Thomas, R-Stevensville, told his GOP caucus Tuesday that a resolution will be introduced as early as Wednesday defending the Senate's confirmation process, which set Jan. 1 as the expiration of Motl's term.
 

Former University of Montana President George Dennison dies

Published on Tue, 01/03/2017 - 3:44pm
MISSOULA, Mont. — Former University of Montana President George Dennison died Tuesday due to complications from non-Hodgkins lymphoma, the school announced. He was 81.
 
Dennison retired from the university in 2010 after serving as president for 20 years.
 

Ski areas forced to close due to record-low temperatures

Published on Tue, 01/03/2017 - 3:43pm
MISSOULA, Mont. — Four ski areas in western Montana have unexpectedly closed due to extreme cold and wind.
 
The Missoulian reports that Snowbowl outside of Missoula, Discovery Ski Area near Philipsburg and Blacktail Mountain near Lakeside all closed Monday due to weather. All three areas were also closed Tuesday.
 
Great Divide near Helena also was closed Monday. It is closed on Tuesdays and officials said the extreme cold could impact skiing later in the week.
 

Judge overturns conviction for 2002 juvenile detention rape

Published on Tue, 01/03/2017 - 3:41pm
MISSOULA, Mont. — A retired district court judge has overturned a man's conviction for a 2002 rape at the juvenile detention center in Missoula.
 
In an order issued Tuesday, District Judge Ed McLean wrote that testimony given during a December hearing undermined his confidence in the conviction against Cody Marble, who was 17 when he was charged with raping a 13-year-old boy.
 

Kitty litter helps Wyoming bentonite past drilling slump

Published on Tue, 01/03/2017 - 3:06pm
By MEAD GRUVER, Associated Press
 
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The market for a peculiar type of clay is looking up thanks to improved prospects for oil and gas drilling and to cat owners who use the stuff to soak up their pets' business.
 

Montana Legislature starts 65th session, budget battle looms

Published on Mon, 01/02/2017 - 4:40pm
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HELENA (AP) — Just before the Montana Legislature gaveled in its 2017 session Monday, Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock looked to ease the tension building over a looming budget battle by calling on the two parties to work together for the state's best interests.

Bullock used his second inaugural address in the packed state Capitol's rotunda to appeal to the Republican legislators in the audience to rise above partisan rancor as the session begins.

Police: Woman kills self in suspected DUI stop in Columbus

Published on Mon, 01/02/2017 - 4:35pm


COLUMBUS (AP) — Police say a woman who was pulled over for suspected drunken driving on New Year's Eve in Columbus shot and killed herself.

The Stillwater County News reports that, according to dispatch records, the officer reported that the woman refused to get out of the vehicle after being stopped on Saturday night. Two minutes later the officer reported that shots had been fired and asked for medical assistance.

New Yellowstone dam challenged over sturgeon worries

Published on Mon, 01/02/2017 - 4:33pm

BILLINGS (AP) — Wildlife advocates plan to challenge the approval of a new Yellowstone River dam aimed at benefiting Montana and North Dakota farmers that critics say could kill off a dwindling population of a fish species dating to the time of dinosaurs.

A bypass channel would be built alongside the concrete irrigation dam near the Montana-North Dakota border to let endangered pallid sturgeon reach upstream spawning grounds.