News you can use
News you can use
Sorted by date Results 274 - 298 of 2820
BILLINGS (AP) — A man shot and killed by six federal and local officers outside a Montana hospital had escalating legal problems during the months before his death, including breaking into his former wife's house, court records said. Officers were trying to arrest John Barry Marshall, 48, for violating the terms of his release on the burglary charge when he ran away, tripped and a shot fired from his gun into the window of the hospital Friday, authorities said. The officers weren't sure if that shot was intentional, but when...
HELENA (AP) — A Republican lawmaker on Tuesday called for Montana to join 24 other states in supporting a convention that would amend the U.S. Constitution to require a balanced federal budget. Rep. Matthew Monforton of Bozeman introduced House Joint Resolution 4 in the Judiciary Committee, which did not take immediate action. He said an amendment is needed to stop runaway spending by the federal government. "Why I believe in this and so many others do ... this is our last solution, our last chance to get control of the f...
Sen. Kris Hansen, R-Havre, voted against the gay protections bill. HELENA AP — Montana lawmakers all in one day heard testimony, voted against and then tabled a bill that would provide protections for gay, lesbian, transgender and other people in the state. Sen. Christine Kaufmann of Helena introduced Senate Bill 179 Friday in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The openly lesbian Democrat told lawmakers the world is changing and the law needs to keep up. Under the measure, the words "gender identity and expression and sexual o...
ALISON NOON Associated Press (Reps. Stephanie Hess, R-Havre, and G. Bruce Meyers, R-Box Elder, voted against striking the same-sex marriage ban.) HELENA — On the heels of a district judge's ruling against the law, legislators considered on Friday whether to strike a voter-enacted ban on gay marriage from the Montana Constitution. Rep. Bryce Bennett, D-Missoula, introduced House Bill 282 in the House Judiciary Committee on Friday. The bill would remove same-sex couples from a list of prohibited marriages. On Nov. 19, U.S. D...
HELENA — Gov. Steve Bullock says in order for Montana to flourish state government must provide good roads, 21st century classrooms, safe bridges and clean drinking water. He used his second State of the State address Wednesday evening at the Capitol in Helena to promote his proposal to spend nearly $400 million on infrastructure projects. `The Democrat's Build Montana proposal asks lawmakers to support using a mix of cash and bonding to pay for 280 infrastructure projects and includes $45 million for areas of eastern M...
HELENA — A Republican state lawmaker has agreed to pay a $4,000 fine and not run for public officer for four years to settle a lawsuit that accuses him of breaking campaign finance laws. The agreement with Rep. Mike Miller of Helmville was filed in District Court in Helena on Friday. Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl filed a civil action against Miller and eight other Republican legislative candidates stemming from the 2010 primary election campaign. Motl says the candidates coordinated with and took i...
ILLINGS — Federal regulators on Friday ordered a pipeline company to make major upgrades to a line that spilled almost 40,000 gallons of oil into Montana's Yellowstone River and fouled a local water supply. The order comes after Bridger Pipeline of Casper, Wyoming, announced plans to bury its line deeper beneath the Yellowstone to protect against future accidents. The Department of Transportation order would make that improvement mandatory and require identical action where the line runs beneath the Poplar River in n...
HELENA — Montana government agencies would be barred from going after a reporter's sources or information through companies like Google under legislation proposed in a House committee Thursday. Republican Rep. Daniel Zolnikov of Billings introduced the measure in the House Judiciary Committee. He said while Montana has one of the best media shield laws, his bill would close an electronic communications loophole. "My bill does not change existing law, but adds to it based on a new age of digital communications," he said. T...
HELENA — The Montana Senate has approved two bills that update peeping Tom and indecent exposure laws to prohibit committing those crimes through electronic means. Senate Bill 50, which is sponsored by Republican Jennifer Fielder, passed 47-0. It would make it illegal to secretly watch or record another person either in person or by means of a hidden electronic device. Senate Bill 60, which is sponsored by Democrat Robyn Driscoll, passed 46-1. It would update the indecent exposure law to prohibit people from exposing g...
BILLINGS (AP) — Federal regulators on Friday ordered a pipeline company to make major upgrades to a line that spilled almost 40,000 gallons of oil into Montana's Yellowstone River and fouled a local water supply. The order comes after Bridger Pipeline of Casper, Wyoming, announced plans to bury its line deeper beneath the Yellowstone to protect against future accidents. The Department of Transportation order would make that improvement mandatory and require identical action where the line runs beneath the Poplar River in n...
HELENA — The state Senate approved two bills Thursday that would update peeping Tom and indecent exposure laws to prohibit committing those crimes through electronic means. Senate Bill 50, sponsored by Sen. Jennifer Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, passed 47-0. It would make it illegal to secretly watch or record another person either in person or by means of a hidden electronic device. The bill also addresses a section of the current law that resulted in the release of a man who was accused in 2012 of secretly videotaping women in...
BILLINGS — Thousands of people in Glendive were told Thursday they can resume using tap water after tests showed no further signs of contamination from a weekend oil spill into a nearby river, and water in Williston, North Dakota, also was deemed safe. The 6,000 residents of Glendive had relied on bottled water since Monday after elevated levels of cancer-causing benzene were found in the public water supply. The chemical came from 40,000 gallons of oil that spilled Saturday from a pipeline breach beneath the Yellowstone R...
Press release Organizers are planning a sled dog race near Olney for Feb. 28 and March 1. Teams are already entering and the trails are getting unseasonal high snow coverage. The Flathead Classic is a new nonprofit, taking the place of Flathead Sled Dog Days put on by Snow Action Sports Inc. The Flathead Classic sports great trails, beautiful scenery, dog-friendly trails and people, and a great finish to the season. There will be several classes to choose from and the public is invited to come and cheer each team off, have...
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana lawmakers considered for the first time Monday whether to regulate electronic cigarettes. Sen. Diane Sands brought the bill before the Senate Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee on behalf of the Montana attorney general's office. Senate Bill 66 would include e-cigarettes, related electronic paraphernalia and nicotine under the state's definition of "tobacco products" that people under the age of 18 cannot legally access. Sands, a Democrat from Missoula, and Jon Bennion, deputy a...
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Certain welfare applicants would be required to take drug tests under legislation proposed in Montana. Republican Rep. Randy Pinocci, of Sun River, introduced the bill in the House Human Services Committee on Monday. He says thousands of Montanans asked him to sponsor the bill and that the goal is to protect children. House Bill 200 would require people who apply for assistance under the state's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to fill out a drug abuse questionnaire. The applicant would t...
HELENA — Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock's latest plan to accept federal money to expand Medicaid coverage has been formally introduced. Bullock announced the measure called the Healthy Montana Plan with sponsor Rep. Pat Noonan at the Capitol on Monday. Under House Bill 249, people earning 138 percent or less of the federal poverty level would qualify to receive Medicaid. Adults making up to $16,105 per year and a family of four earning up to $32,913 would qualify under the bill. Republicans rejected the expansion in the 2...
Special to the Daily News HELENA — AARP has named Tim Summers to be its new state director in Montana, replacing Bob Bartholomew, who retired after more than 15 years in the post. “Tim has the management and leadership skills necessary to ensure that the AARP Montana State Office remains a vital advocate for Montanans over 50 as well as their families,” said Ralph Yaniz, regional vice president for AARP. “Older Americans continue to face tough challenges, and Tim will bring an experienced voice and a new commitment to helping...
Special to the Daily News BILLINGS — Leadership Montana, the state’s premier leadership development organization, has opened the application process for the Class of 2016. The class will meet in communities across the state during the months of September to May in 2016. Applications are accepted until April 15 of this year. “We look forward to receiving applications from all corners of Montana,” said executive director Chantel Schieffer. “Our program is designed to meet the needs of professionals in all stages of their car...
BOZEMAN (AP) — A bill being drafted by a Billings legislator would ban cellphone use while driving in Montana. Most major cities in Montana have enacted bans on talking and texting while driving. According to the Montana Department of Transportation, approximately 63 percent of Montanans already live in areas that ban cellphone use while behind the wheel. Democratic Rep. Virginia Court, of Billings, is drafting legislation that bans using a hand-held electronic device while driving on a highway, including while being s...
BILLINGS — Montana officials said Sunday that an oil pipeline breach spilled about 50,000 gallons of oil into the Yellowstone River near Glendive, Montana, but they said they are unaware of any threats to public safety or health. The Bridger Pipeline Co. spill occurred Saturday night, said Dave Parker, a spokesman for Gov. Steve Bullock. The initial estimate is that 1,200 barrels of oil spilled, which is about 50,000 gallons, he said. Some of the oil did get into the water, but the area where it spilled was frozen over and t...
HELENA (AP) — As the 114th Congress convened this week, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester said he isn't daunted by his new status as the lone Montana Democrat in Congress or by the fact that his party is now the minority in the Senate. "It will be similar to the state Legislature days when I spent time on the minority," Tester said. So far the ranking Democrat, both parties and his Montana Republican cohorts, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines and U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, are "playing nice" with each other, Tester said. Tester, Daines and Zinke have c...
HELENA — Montana Republicans have voted to join a lawsuit seeking to limit their primary elections to those registered with the GOP. The Republican State Central Committee approved the motion by an 83-43 vote Saturday in Helena. They will join a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in September against the state and its open primaries. The lawsuit currently includes 10 Republican county central committees. It asks a federal judge to strike down as unconstitutional Montana laws allowing any registered voter to participate i...
(AP) — The winter storm that moved through Montana Sunday and Monday continued to cause trouble today. An avalanche temporarily closed U.S. Highway 2 about 10 miles west of Essex just before 6 a.m. The Daily Inter Lake reports highway crews had one lane open less than an hour later. Road crews had cleared smaller slides overnight. The avalanche danger remained high today in mountain ranges across western and in southwestern Montana. The National Weather Service issued a w...
HELENA — Montana lawmakers said at the opening of the legislative session Monday that they will work together and show respect for one another during the 2015 legislative session after a contentious session in 2013. House Republicans and Democrats elected as the new House speaker Rep. Austin Knudsen, a 33-year-old lawyer from Culbertson. Knudsen said he looks forward to a productive session. "We here in this body can disagree without being disagreeable," he said. Knudson also told members of the House his role is not one o...
Department of Corrections director Mike Batista announced Monday in a press release that former Havre Police Chief Kevin Olson has joined the department as administrator of the Probation and Parole division. Olson, who was appointed Havre police chief in 2000, left that job to head the Montana Law Enforcement Academy in 2004. “Kevin brings a wealth of experience as a public safety manager and the strong relationships he’s developed with the department’s criminal justice partners,” Batista said in the release. “It’s i...
