Montana/Region

Three bodies found in Belfry, Mont.

Published on Thu, 04/07/2016 - 4:08pm

BELFRY — The bodies of three people were discovered Thursday morning at a residence near Yellowstone Avenue and State Street in this small community 16 miles east of Red Lodge.

Carbon County Sheriff Josh McQuillan said a neighbor of the residence called his department at 6:30 a.m. requesting a welfare check. McQuillan and two deputies arrived and made the discovery. 

A male has developed into a person of interest in the case, according to authorities.

Campaign regulator finds auditor filed late reports

Published on Thu, 04/07/2016 - 4:07pm

HELENA, Mont. — State Auditor Monica Lindeen violated campaign rules by missing filing deadlines following the 2012 elections, but she and her chief counsel did not improperly use the services of an office employee for their campaigns, Montana's campaign regulator said Thursday.

Revered Crow war chief laid to rest

Published on Thu, 04/07/2016 - 4:06pm
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BILLINGS, Mont. — Montana officials and tribal leaders in ceremonial headdresses laid to rest a revered warrior and keeper of Crow Indian traditions Wednesday, 102-year-old Joe Medicine Crow.

He was the last in a long line of Crow Tribe war chiefs, and later successfully assimilated into the modern world to gain widespread acclaim as a Native American historian. More than 700 mourners, including Gov. Steve Bullock and other state officials, gathered to bid Medicine Crow farewell at a service marked by military pomp and traditional regalia.

Supreme Court declines to intervene in Boy Scout rape case

Published on Thu, 04/07/2016 - 4:01pm

KALISPELL, Mont. — The Montana Supreme Court has declined to rule in a lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America by women who were raped by a scout leader as children.

William Leininger Jr. was convicted in 1976 of raping six female Explorer Scouts. He died in 2002.

The high court on Tuesday rejected the Boy Scouts' request that it dismiss the women's case because time had run out to file a lawsuit.

Montana bull sold at auction for $350,000

Published on Thu, 04/07/2016 - 3:59pm

HELENA, Mont. — A Montana bull has sold for $350,000 at auction.

The Black Angus known as HA Cowboy Up came from a ranch near Malta and was sold Tuesday to the owners of N Bar Ranch southeast of Lewistown.

Observers say it is the highest price paid for a bull in memory, and possibly the highest in the state's history.

Cowboy Up weighed more than 1,600 pounds in January. Its medium frame and the rate at which it gained weight made him attractive to buyers.

Montana invites PayPal after firm spurns North Carolina

Published on Wed, 04/06/2016 - 4:02pm

HELENA, Mont. — Montana officials sought to capitalize on North Carolina's loss and announced Wednesday that they would be courting PayPal to open an operations center.

In a letter, Gov. Steve Bullock and U.S. Sen. Jon Tester commended the online payment company for its decision to drop plans to invest $2.3 million in a center in North Carolina because a new state law restricts protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Bullock and Tester invited PayPal to consider bringing the center and its 400 jobs to Montana.

Rare triplet calves born on Montana ranch

Published on Wed, 04/06/2016 - 4:01pm

GREAT FALLS, Mont. — A cow on a Montana ranch has delivered healthy triplet calves, a rare occurrence that happens only once in 105,000 live births.

The Great Falls Tribune reports the three calves owned by rancher Iain McGregor were born Saturday. McGregor says it took the cow a while before she warmed up to the trio, but that she's now letting them all nurse.

State panel won't push to expand law on youth concussions

Published on Wed, 04/06/2016 - 3:59pm

HELENA, Mont. — A legislative panel won't recommend any changes to a Montana law protecting school athletes against concussions.

The Education and Local Government Interim Committee had discussed expanding the law to cover community youth sports and other non-school athletics. But member decided Wednesday against amending rules enacted three years ago to protect student athletes from brain injuries caused by collisions and other severe blows.

Low-speed police chase in Billings involved car with 3 tires

Published on Wed, 04/06/2016 - 3:56pm

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Police participated in a low-speed chase through Billings after a woman was seen driving her car on three tires.

The Billings Gazette reports that authorities on Tuesday spotted a car with a wheel rim digging into the roadway where a fourth tire should have been.

Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office deputies and Billings police officers followed the vehicle at speeds between 15 and 26 mph.

Federal agency: Anaconda plant workers exposed to arsenic

Published on Wed, 04/06/2016 - 3:52pm

HELENA, Mont. — Workers at a plant in Anaconda that produces roofing materials and abrasives are exposed to high arsenic levels for prolonged periods, with the highly toxic substance found in the air, on clothing and even on the lunchroom microwave, federal officials said Wednesday.

Air samples taken at the U.S. Minerals plant in October and November found between 1.25 and 4.75 times the permissible exposure limit for inorganic arsenic, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.