Montana/Region

Expansion of Montana coal mine gets backing

Published on Wed, 08/28/2019 - 4:55pm
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BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Montana environmental officials on Tuesday proposed approval of a major expansion of the state’s largest coal mine after it was recently sold through a bankruptcy auction to a company controlled by the Navajo Nation.

The 72-million-ton expansion of the Spring Creek Mine near Decker will occur within the mine’s existing permit boundary, said Jen Lane with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.

It will disturb about 1 ½ square miles of additional land and extend the life of the mine by four years, to approximately 2031.

IN SHORT

Published on Wed, 08/28/2019 - 4:54pm

Former school athletic trainer gets 20 years for child porn

MILES CITY (AP) — A former Montana high school athletic trainer has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for having child pornography on his computer.

District Judge Michael Hayworth sentenced 79-year-old James Jensen Wednesday in Miles City.

Workers continue rebuilding chalet destroyed by fire

Published on Tue, 08/27/2019 - 4:59pm
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WEST GLACIER, Mont. (AP) — Workers for the general contractor toil eight days straight, in 10-hour shifts, before hiking the 6-plus miles out for six days off.

They’re replaced during that time by another crew from Dick Anderson Construction.

That rotation means the ongoing work in Glacier National Park to rebuild the historic Sperry Chalet dormitory, perched high on a stone bluff on the edge of a glacier-carved cirque, proceeds seven days a week. The chalet was nearly destroyed in the 2017 Sprague Fire.

Mormon leaders change rules against guns in church

Published on Tue, 08/27/2019 - 4:54pm
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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Most members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints already knew they were discouraged from taking their guns to church on Sunday, but the church is making sure that message is crystal clear by tweaking the policy to prohibit all lethal weapons.

The previous policy called it inappropriate to have weapons on church property. It still includes an exception for law enforcement officers.

School: Guard who wounded student was supposed to be unarmed

Published on Tue, 08/27/2019 - 4:53pm

DENVER (AP) — A private security guard who officials say accidentally wounded a student during a Colorado school shooting that left one teen dead wasn’t supposed to be armed, an online news outlet reported.

Emails obtained by The Colorado Sun show the suburban Denver charter school had requested an unarmed guard from BOSS High Level Protection about a year ago.

In a statement, STEM School Highlands Ranch said it didn’t know the guard was armed until the shooting occurred May 7 on the campus that includes students from kindergarten through high school.

STATE/REGION BRIEFS

Published on Tue, 08/27/2019 - 4:53pm

2 killed, 1 injured when semitrailer hits car near Hardin

BILLINGS (AP) — A semitractor-trailer crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a car just south of Hardin, killing the driver and a passenger in the car and injuring another passenger.

The Montana Highway Patrol says the semi caught fire after the crash Sunday afternoon, sparking a small grass fire.

IN SHORT

Published on Tue, 08/27/2019 - 4:51pm

Rockfall in Zion National Park

ZION NATIONAL PARK, Utah (AP) — Stretches of trails inside Zion National Park are temporarily closed after a rockfall injured three people over the weekend.

Salt Lake City’s KSL-TV reports the incident happened Saturday shortly before 6 p.m. around Cable Mountain.

Park officials said in a news release that a “substantial” piece of rock broke off and fell about 3,000 feet.

The impact caused a plume of smaller rocks, branches, dust and sand.

Park chief: Yellowstone doesn’t need reservation system

Published on Mon, 08/26/2019 - 5:09pm
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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — Yellowstone National Park’s top administrator says visitors aren’t harming the park’s natural resources and he sees no need to require reservations to limit crowds.

The Cody Enterprise reported Wednesday that superintendent Cam Sholly also said he doesn’t believe the park needs to set up a bus system from surrounding communities to reduce car traffic inside the park.

REGION SHORTS

Published on Mon, 08/26/2019 - 4:42pm

National Park Service approves Wyoming cell service project

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming park officials have approved a plan to bring high-speed internet into the Grand Teton National Park.

The Jackson Hole News & Guide reported Friday that the National Park Service authorized a proposal Aug. 15 to build a network of nine cell towers and 63 miles (101 kilometers) of a new fiber-optic line between Flagg Ranch, Moose and Kelly.

STATE SHORTS

Published on Mon, 08/26/2019 - 4:31pm

Officials look for disease in storm aftermath

MOLT (AP) — Wildlife officials are watching for signs of disease as the carcasses of thousands of birds that died in a hailstorm are decaying on the shores of a Montana lake.

The Billings Gazette reported Sunday that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials estimate that between 11,000 and 13,000 birds died from the Aug. 11 storm that struck the Big Lake Wildlife Management area.