Montana Briefs - Oct. 24, 2016

$24M gift pushes UM to raise money for new forestry building

MISSOULA (AP) — The University of Montana plans to raise money for a new building for its College of Forestry and Conservation after receiving a record $24 million pledge.

The donation from Bill and Carolyn Franke and their children was announced earlier this month. The money is going to the College of Forestry and Conservation and the Global Leadership Initiative.

The university will work to acquire funding for a new building as part of the agreement outlining the terms of the donation.

UM President Royce Engstrom says the plans “will be a long-term discussion.” He says it’s too early to identify possible funding sources, location and timing for the project.

The board of regents will discuss the donation and renaming the forestry school after Franke at a November meeting.

Meat market accepts big game meat donations

BILLINGS (AP) — A Billings meat market has accepted big game donations to give to organizations for more than 20 years.

4th Avenue Meat Market sends donated meat to Billings Food Bank and the Wounded Warrior Project.

Owner Kevin Harrell said the market gets about 100 wild game every hunting season.

He said it’s nice to provide meals to the many needy families out there.

The market asks for a small monetary donation that goes toward processing costs.

Deer and elk hunting season started Oct. 22.

Montana State University raises over $300 million

BOZEMAN (AP) — Montana State University has brought in $308 million to hit a fundraising goal two years earlier than planned.

The money will be spent on scholarships, classrooms and other projects.

The university set out to have $300 million raised by the 125th anniversary of the school’s founding in 2018.

MSU Alumni Foundation president and CEO Chris Murray said this was the biggest fundraising campaign ever in Montana.

He said the foundation will continue to raise funds for the next two years.

Hundreds expected for hearing on coal-export terminal

LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) — Hundreds of supporters and opponents are expected at a federal hearing today about a proposed coal-export terminal along the Columbia River in southwest Washington.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is taking comments on its draft environmental review of the project at a public hearing in Longview.

Millennium Bulk Terminals-Longview is proposing a project in Longview to handle up to 44 million metric tons of coal a year. Coal would arrive by train from Montana, Wyoming and other states to be stored and loaded on ships for export to Asia.

Company CEO Bill Chapman and other proponents are scheduled to speak at an afternoon rally.

Opponents, who worried about potential train accidents, increased vessel traffic and other issues, say they’ll turn out in large numbers as well.

The state is also doing its own separate environmental review of the project.

Mom sentenced for abducting children from supervised visit

BILLINGS (AP) — A woman who took her children from a supervised visit will spend as much as five years with the Department of Corrections.

Maria Christianna Sandoval, 34, said during her sentencing that she took the children thinking that they were being abused by their foster parents.

Ed Zink of the Yellowstone County Attorney’s Office said Sandoval neglected the kids and abused illegal substances when they were in her care.

Yellowstone County District Court Judge Rod Souza recommended that Sandoval spend her sentence at a community-based women’s facility in Billings.

Court documents say Sandoval took the children with the help of their father, 35-year-old Donald Ira Stratton.

Stratton received a three-year deferred sentence.

Chief justice, other judges denounce campaign attack ad

BOZEMAN (AP) — Montana’s chief justice and two dozen other current and former state judges say an outside group’s attacks on a district judge running for Supreme Court could threaten the integrity and independence of the judiciary.

The letter signed by Chief Justice Mike McGrath and the other judges says an ad attacking District Judge Dirk Sandefur for being soft on crime is untrue, misleading and unfair.

A political action committee called Stop Set ‘Em Free Sandefur produced the ad that criticizes sentences Sandefur handed down in three criminal cases as being too light.

Sandefur is campaigning against University of Montana adjunct law professor Kristen Juras to replace Justice Patricia Cotter on the Montana Supreme Court.