News you can use
News you can use
Sorted by date Results 1107 - 1131 of 2820
WEST GLACIER, Mont. (AP) — Supporters of Glacier National Park and fans of its iconic red tour buses are upset that the park's new concessions contract calls for replacing half of the buses with alternative fuel vehicles by 2029. "I believe it would be an absolute tragedy to eliminate any of the red buses from the fleet," said Bruce Austin, who served on the Red Bus Team that worked to refurbish the fleet from 1999 to 2002. "They should all be kept and refurbished. The public's interest in these vehicles is huge." The t...
HELENA (AP) — Gov. Steve Bullock said Wednesday that federal money for Medicaid will create jobs in the state and help solve costs associated with uninsured patients, applying pressure to Republican legislative leaders to expand the program. Bullock unveiled his plan for Medicaid expansion Wednesday, a highly anticipated measure that aims to ensure that most of the state's residents have health insurance. It would extend coverage to as many as 70,000 Montanans with federal money. The state would pay only a small share, about...
HELENA (AP) — A Montana precious metals mining company targeted for takeover by a group that includes former Gov. Brian Schweitzer reported Wednesday that its profits dropped almost 62 percent in 2012. Stillwater Mining Company's year-end results showed the company had $55 million in net income, down from $144 million in 2011. Revenues for the Billings-based platinum and palladium miner fell 12 percent, to $800 million, as prices for the metals dropped through much of last year. Schweitzer and a New York-based hedge fund, t...
MISSOULA (AP) — Former University of Montana quarterback Jordan Johnson testified Wednesday that he did not rape the woman who accuses him of assaulting her last year as the two watched a movie. "I would never do that to anyone," he said. Johnson told jurors the sex was consensual and the woman never told him to stop, or he would have. "If somebody says no, you stop," he said. "You respect that." Johnson is charged with sexual intercourse without consent. A defendant is not required to testify at a criminal trial, and j...
HELENA — A Republican lawmaker is arguing it will take more money — not less — in politics to beat back the tidal wave of so-called dark money. Rep. Scott Reichner, of Bigfork, wants to increase the donation limits candidates can receive from various sources, for instance individuals could give $2,500 instead of $500 to a candidate for governor. There would be no limit on the amount of money political party or action committees could contribute. The Republican argues that the increase makes sense since the donations would...
BOZEMAN (AP) — Montana State University's athletic department is facing a budget crunch that has it raising ticket prices, asking for higher donations from boosters and asking the school for another $1.1 million to buy new equipment, hire trainers and stabilize the department's budget. Athletic Director Peter Fields said even though athletics is bringing in more money than ever, in part because of an expansion of the football stadium, other costs such as travel, medical insurance and scholarships have risen rapidly. In r...
HELENA (AP) — The Montana Senate has backed a measure that would repeal some of the powers of eminent domain granted by the 2011 Legislature. Senate Bill 180 would roll back the law that gave both public utility companies and other energy development companies the right to purchase private property for public use. The bill's sponsor, Republican Sen. Debby Barrett of Dillon, says the 2011 Legislature made a mistake in passing HB 198. She says more than 40 states have laws limiting the seizure of private property for e...
BILLINGS — Montana's bolo tie-wearing former governor is teaming up with an unlikely ally — a New York hedge fund — to seek control of a precious metals mining company that has sunk more than $500 million into projects deemed questionable in Canada and Argentina. Democrat Brian Schweitzer says he's intervening to save Stillwater Mining Co. and its 1,500 employees from the same fate that befell Montana's legendary Anaconda Co. That copper industry giant cratered after the Chilean government took over much of its foreign asset...
POLSON (AP) — The board that sets employment and training standards for law enforcement officers is requiring the Polson police chief and one of his officers to attend ethics training. The Montana Public Safety Officer Standards and Training Council set the conditions that allow Police Chief Wade Nash and officer Cory Anderson to keep their certifications, the Missoulian (http://bit.ly/WKPQQc ) reported Wednesday. The council investigated Nash over allegations he intimidated a witness in a 2010 Fish, Wildlife and Parks i...
HELENA (AP) — A Republican proposal to revamp the state's primary election system is being tabled. The House State Administration Committee made the move Thursday with a 16-3 vote just two days after the bill was introduced. Under the proposal, only the top two candidates who receive the most votes in a primary election would advance to the general election. A candidate receiving more than 50 percent of the vote in a primary would win the election outright and no general election would be held. Some Republicans believe t...
HELENA (AP) — Republicans bruising from defeat in last year's U.S. Senate race proposed Tuesday to reduce the number of candidates on the general election ballot. The measure would create an open primary that would allow any candidate filing the fee to appear on one ballot. Currently, Montanans vote on either a Democratic Party or Republican Party primary ballot to choose contenders for the general election. Minor parties with ballot access sometimes hold a primary if there are enough candidates to do so, otherwise their c...
HELENA — About 150 Native Americans and their supporters gathered at the Montana Capitol for a rally and dance in solidarity with a protest movement by Canadian tribes. It was the second Idle No More protest at the state Capitol. The Great Falls Tribune reports Monday's rally drew three times the participants as the one on Jan. 7, the first day of the legislative session. The Idle No More movement began last year in protest of a budget bill being considered in Canada that protesters say alters the approval process for l...
BILLINGS (AP) — None of the Montana runners participating in the Boston Marathon were injured when two explosions rocked the area near the finish line, but several who were nearby described the chaos and relief they felt because they and their loved ones were safe. Rocky Mountain College cross country coach Alan King, 33, was eating lunch with his wife and 4-year-old son about a block from the finish line at the time of the explosions Monday afternoon. He was the 100th person to finish the race about 2 1/2 hours earlier a...
HELENA — A House panel heard a measure Friday that would remove an obsolete Montana law that criminalizes gay sex by labeling it a deviate sexual behavior on par with bestiality. Senate Bill 107 seeks to remove that language from the existing statutes, reflecting a 1997 Montana Supreme Court ruling that said the law prohibiting gay sex is unconstitutional. The measure to strike the law has already passed the state Senate in a 39-11 vote, but now is before the House Judiciary Committee — the same panel that killed a sim...
HELENA — A House panel heard a bill Tuesday that would require companies to divulge the personal information they glean from consumers and to which entities they sell the information. House Bill 572 would give consumers the option to request the personal information an entity has collected about them. Rep. Bryce Bennett, D- Missoula, told the House Business and Labor Committee the data collected by companies belongs to the consumers. "The reality is ... there are these big companies that are doing this. They openly admit t...
HELENA — The Montana Legislature inched closer Tuesday to finding a fix for its beleaguered pension system when a committee decided to advance both of the major proposed fixes. But the Joint-Select Committee on Pensions opted to leave the big decision to the House, which will have to choose between a plan to fix the current system and one to end it in favor of a defined-contribution plan. Analysts say Montana's public pension system, which includes both state and local government employees, faces a roughly $4 billion s...
HELENA — A measure aimed at undermining any potential federal ban on assault weapons was endorsed by the Montana Senate on Tuesday as it speeds toward the governor's desk. House Bill 302 would prohibit local authorities from enforcing any federal ban on certain semi-automatic weapons. Supporters argue it is needed to send a strong message to Congress that the state does not want such a ban. "I view this bill basically as pushback to the discussion in Washington, D.C.," said state Sen. Jennifer Fielder, R-Thompson Falls. "...
HELENA — A panel of lawmakers is set to vote on the state's budget this week after three days of public testimony on the best way to spend more than $9 billion over the next two years. "I think that we've made great progress," Dan Villa, the governor's budget director, told the House Appropriations Committee last week. "I don't think I've ever seen an executive and legislative branch be this close this quickly in the process." At the moment, the governor's requested budget and House Bill 2, the Republican-led appropriation s...
HELENA – Montana-based data security experts have teamed up with a legislator to make sure individuals' private information does not fall into the wrong hands. Eric Fulton knows the risks that come with collecting data. He hacks into government agencies' and corporations' networks to find weaknesses in their systems and improve security. Information that's stolen or sold to a third party can have detrimental effects on people's lives, often without their realization, he said. Take, for example, the discount cards consumers sw...
BILLINGS — Federal officials say they anticipate finishing by late 2014 a risk study to guide the cleanup of a contaminated Montana mining town where hundreds have died from asbestos exposure. That comes after a panel of scientists recently backed a draft study that said even minuscule amounts of asbestos from a W.R. Grace & Co. vermiculite mine outside Libby, Mont. can lead to lung problems. The risk study will determine when Libby's cleanup can end. It has so far has cost more than $447 million over more than a decade. E...
HELENA (AP) — A proposal to expand the state's wolf hunt is being fast-tracked through the Legislature and shortly will be sent to the governor's desk for his signature. The Montana Senate on Thursday suspended its rules so it could take initial and final votes on the same day on the measure that already had overwhelmingly cleared the House. The Senate backed it 45-4. House Bill 73 lets the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks increase the number of wolves one hunter can take, allows for electronic calls, and removes a r...
HELENA — The Montana Senate is debating a plan to use federal money to expand the number of Medicaid recipients in the state. Some Republicans in the chamber joined Democrats to advance the bill to a full vote on the floor Tuesday afternoon. Democrats argue that Senate Bill 395 by Sen. Dave Wanzenried of Missoula also promises reforms to Medicaid sought by conservatives. GOP leaders in the chamber tried to kill the bill in committee. But some Republicans bucked their leaders on a procedural motion, sending the measure to a f...
HELENA — The Montana National Guard brigadier general who ordered an investigation into the state's Disaster and Emergency Services was fired last year after he rehired a woman who was suing the state over her dismissal from the troubled agency. Brigidier Gen. Joel Cusker said he was given no explanation for his dismissal, but he concluded from meetings and conversations with then-Gov. Brian Schweitzer's chief of staff and Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger that it was over the decision to rehire a person who had shown such "...
MISSOULA (AP) — The jury hearing the rape trial of former University of Montana quarterback Jordan Johnson has begun their deliberations. The seven-woman, five-man jury heard closing arguments Friday and were sent to deliberate shortly after 1 p.m. Johnson is charged with sexual intercourse without consent. Both Johnson and his accuser testified that they had been kissing and had removed some of their clothing while watching a movie at her residence on Feb. 4, 2012. The woman said at some point, Johnson's demeanor changed a...
MISSOULA — A former University of Montana quarterback was acquitted Friday in a rape trial that has played out amid NCAA and federal investigations into how the city and school respond to rape allegations on campus. The accusations against Jordan Johnson, 20, have drawn much attention in Montana, where UM football is the top sports attraction. Jurors deliberated for less than two hours. Johnson led the University of Montana to a successful 2011 season as starting quarterback before being accused of assaulting a woman as they...
