News you can use
News you can use
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GRANTS PASS, Ore. — The Oregon Supreme Court unanimously ruled Thursday that a retired school bus driver can have her medical marijuana and a concealed handgun, too. The ruling upheld previous decisions by the Oregon Court of Appeals and circuit court that determined a federal law barring criminals and drug addicts from buying firearms does not excuse sheriffs from issuing concealed weapons permits to people who hold medical marijuana cards and otherwise qualify. "We hold that the Federal Gun Control Act does not pre-empt t...
CHICAGO — The FBI has requested a DNA sample from "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski as part of its investigation into the 1982 deaths of seven Chicago-area people who took cyanide-laced Tylenol from packages that had been tampered with, officials said Thursday. Kaczynski, who pleaded guilty in 1998 to setting 16 explosions that killed three people and is serving a life sentence in federal prison, has declined to voluntarily provide a DNA sample. Chicago FBI spokeswoman Cynthia Yates said the FBI is seeking DNA from Kaczynski and "...
WASHINGTON — Forcefully stepping into an explosive Middle East debate, President Barack Obama on Thursday endorsed a key Palestinian demand for the borders of its future state and prodded Israel to accept that it can never have a truly peaceful nation based on "permanent occupation." Obama's urging that a Palestinian state be based on 1967 borders — before the Six Day War in which Israel occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza — was a significant shift in the U.S. approach and seemed certain to anger Israel. AP Photo...
NEW YORK — Former International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn will return to a New York City jail pending his release on bail. AP Photo/Seth Wenig Anne Sinclair, wife of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former manager of the International Monetary Fund, arrives with their daughter Camille Strauss-Kahn for his bail hearing at Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday in New York. A prosecutor in New York says a grand jury has indicted Dominique Strauss-Kahn in connection with an alleged attack on a hotel maid. Strauss-Kahn is c...
NEW YORK — Former International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn will return to a New York City jail pending his release on bail. AP Photo/Seth Wenig Anne Sinclair, wife of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former manager of the International Monetary Fund, arrives with their daughter Camille Strauss-Kahn for his bail hearing at Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday in New York. A prosecutor in New York says a grand jury has indicted Dominique Strauss-Kahn in connection with an alleged attack on a hotel maid. Strauss-Kahn is c...
BILLINGS — A Montana tribe's plan to build a $7 billion coal-to-liquids project has stalled after it failed to attract sufficient financing, leading to a courtroom dispute between the tribe and its partner in the proposal. A federal judge in Delaware has scheduled a hearing next week on a request by a Texas-based investment group that accuses the Crow tribe of backing out of their 2009 development agreement. According to a lawsuit filed this week by Australian-American Energy Co., the Crow Tribe claims AAEC has failed to m...
HELENA — The commissioner of higher education is announcing plans to retire next year. Sheila Stearns told the board of regents meeting in Kalispell Thursday that she will be stepping down at the end of the next academic year. She has served as commissioner for nine years. Stearns says she has enjoyed working with all those associated with the college system, from students and educators to legislators and business leaders. The system under her leadership has spent time focusing on affordability, such as by freezing tuition f...
Class C track teams from across the Hi-Line have shined all season long. They house some of the state's top talent and have remained competitive all season long, but most recently they made their marks at district meets all over the state. Today the competition will continue, as the Chester/J-I Hawks, Big Sandy Pioneers, North Star Knights, Turner Tornadoes, Chinook Sugarbeeters, Box Elder Bears and Hays-Lodge Pole Thunderbirds will all compete for Northern C hardware. The Northern C meet will take place today in Great...
After the Ordinance Committee gave up on revising the city's animal ordinances earlier this month, it appears that the yearlong debate is finally resolved and over. At Monday night's meeting, the City Council passed a resolution to repeal the changes voted on late last year, and replace them with a final version of the changes that seem to have everyone's approval. The final change came not from the Ordinance Committee, but was placed on the agenda by Mayor Tim Solomon, after the committee's last meeting. In that meeting, an...
A bill requiring repeat drunken drivers to take daily sobriety tests at their own expense passed the Legislature today and is on its way to the governor for his signature. The bill, requested by Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock and modeled after a program in South Dakota, requires repeat DUI offenders to take breath tests twice a day at their own expense. Bullock ran a pilot program of the sobriety testing program in Lewis and Clark County last year. The bill passed its final reading in the House to approve Senate amend...
HELENA — A House bill that would fund $7.9 million for a massive overhaul to the automitve technology center at Montana State University-Northern is now in the fight of its life. On Monday, the House majority leader asked that the $100 million bond program be reconsidered. Rep. Tom McGillvray, R-Billings, said given the scope of House Bill 439, which uses about $100 million in bonds, he thought it should be reviewed again. His motion passed 52-42. Reps. Kris Hansen, R-Havre, and Wendy Warburton, R-Havre, voted to r...
The number of Montanans with jobs increased last month, though the jobless rate remained stable at 7.4 percent. State Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly said this morning that more people, buoyed by the brighter economic picture are entering the job market. "The number of Montanans who are working increased by 1,300 jobs this month, which is the largest over-the-month job growth since the recession started, " Kelly said. "Nearly every industry posted job gains. However, the unemployment rate remained constant because over 1,100...
Havre's impending cellphone law is progressing almost as fast as cellphone technology itself. The City Council held a public hearing on Monday night to get an idea of the public's opinion before they look at the ordinance at the May 2 council meeting. For most of the hearing's 20 minutes, the views, half of which were from the council itself, were mostly in favor. "I went over the draft, and I was very happy with it, " council member Allen "Woody" Woodwick said, continuing his long support of the ordinance. "I think it's...
Ryan Schafer of Havre pleaded guilty Friday to two charges stemming from a series of thefts in the Havre area discovered last fall. Schafer, born in 1977, pleaded guilty before Judge David Cybulski in state District Court in a plea deal to felony charges of theft and criminal mischief. He is scheduled for sentencing May 24. He was charged with two felony counts of theft and two felony counts of criminal mischief. In the plea agreement, the Hill County Attorneys Office recommended seven-year suspended sentences, to run at the...
Havre City Council approved the first reading of what appeared to be the most popular ordinance ever at Monday's meeting. The meeting was preceded, at 6:30 p. m., by a public hearing, where council members sought the thoughts and feelings on the social host ordinance, before they voted on it and passed the first reading unanimously. The room was packed. More than 30 members of diverse organizations across Havre came to express support for the ordinance — from Havre High School freshman Nikki Gabrielsen to former District C...
What should be the final work in a nearly decade-long project is under way at the Hill County Courthouse, with Dick Anderson Construction working on the final stages of completing the steps on the south side of the building. The work, which includes installing the stone facing, lamps and railings on the outer walls, is expected to be completed in five to six weeks. The first project to fix the steps, completed in 2004, ended in litigation that essentially still is ongoing. It included work on the east entrance. The county...
In an effort to quell rumors, heal rifts and inspire confidence, Montana State University President Waded Cruzado visited with several groups in Havre on Monday, with a message of cooperation and collaboration. "We are a family of campuses, " Cruzado said, while meeting with community leaders. "Together we can accomplish more, together we can do more for this wonderful state than we could do alone. " The purpose of the visit was to meet with, and seek input from as many groups invested in Montana State University-Northern's...
France fires on Libyan military vehicle JAMEY KEATEN, Associated Press PARIS — A French fighter jet fired Saturday on a Libyan military vehicle, the first reported offensive action in a international military operation against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces, a French defense official said. French Defense Ministry spokesman Thierry Burkhard says the strike happened at 1645 GMT Saturday. Burkhard says the target was confirmed as a military vehicle, but it was not clear what kind. He said no hostile fire on the French j...
GOP-backed bills ask for less FWP power STEPHEN DOCKERY, Associated Press HELENA — A number of lawmakers are making it clear they believe the state Fish, Wildlife and Parks department wields too much power around Montana. Critics of the department are moving dozens of bills through the Legislature seeking to rein in the agency by reducing its jurisdiction and authority. The bills in the GOP-dominated Legislature range from restrictions on the department exercising hunting regulations to reductions of its spending on animal m...
The Chester/J-I Hawks won their second straight District 10C championship by beating Valier 46-34 at the 10C girls tournament Saturday night in Conrad. The C/J-I boys took third in the 10C boys tourney in Conrad, but won't be able to challenge for a spot in the Northern C because Dutton-Brady finished second and the Diamondbacks already beat the Hawks in the 10C tourney. The Rocky Boy boys also suffered a setback Saturday night as the Stars lost to Shelby 58-47 in the District 1B championship game in Cut Bank. Rocky Boy...
Montana House votes to nullify Endangered Species Act MATT GOURAS, Associated Press HELENA — The Montana House has overwhelmingly endorsed a plan to disregard the federal law protecting endangered and threatened species. Republicans enthused by Gov. Brian Schweitzer's recent tough talk on wolves led a 61-39 vote Saturday to nullify the federal Endangered Species Act in Montana. Tea party politics in the Legislature have spawned increasing belief in an 18th-century doctrine that purported to give states the ultimate say in c...
Bill offering leniency for guns at school stopped STEPHEN DOCKERY, Associated Press HELENA— A House committee stopped a bill Friday to make allowances for bringing guns on school grounds, as concerns over guns at schools trumped worries that students were being treated too harshly for leaving hunting rifles in their cars. House Bill 558, which was tabled in committee, would have no longer made it a requirement to expel a student who brings a gun to school and proposed that guns locked in a vehicle on school grounds do not q...
Panel hears competing plans involving gay rights MATT GOURAS, Associated Press HELENA — A Senate panel agreed Friday it is time to remove an obsolete anti-gay law from the books — a move that surprised gay rights advocates at the Capitol separately dealing with proposed changes to discrimination laws. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 7-5 to endorse a bill that removes from the books a Montana law declaring homosexual acts illegal, sending the proposal to the full Senate. The language remains in the code even though the...
Thousands of protesters surround Wisconsin Capitol DINESH RAMDE TODD RICHMOND Associated Press MADISON, Wis. — A state Capitol thrown into chaos swelled for a fifth day with thousands of protesters, as supporters of Republican efforts to scrap the union rights of state workers added their voices to the debate for the first time and GOP leaders insisted again Saturday there was no room for compromise. Supporters of Gov. Scott Walker and his effort to ease Wisconsin's budget woes by cutting many government workers' pay, b...
Officer shot in upstate NY melee dies; gunman dead MICHAEL VIRTANEN, Associated Press POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (AP) — A police officer died after being shot in the head Friday during an exchange of gunfire that killed a man who fatally shot a woman near a train station, authorities said. Poughkeepsie Police Chief Ron Knapp released a statement in the evening saying the 44-year-old officer had died from his injuries. The name of the officer, an 18-year veteran, was withheld out of respect for the family and pending notification o...
