Briefs
State panel recommends repairs to leaky sewers at state veterans’ home
A state commission tasked with allocating federal COVID-19 relief funds voted on Tuesday to recommend more than $1 million in improvements at the state veterans’ home in Columbia Falls, including for repairs to an aging sewer system that’s been leaking gas into residential quarters for months, according to a report from state officials. The Health […]
Park: Three Yellowstone wolves killed in first week of Montana’s hunting season
Yellowstone National Park wolf biologists report that the park’s Junction Butte Pack (27 wolves) lost three wolves to Montana hunters during the first week of Montana’s wolf hunting season, according to a news release from the park. Yellowstone said the Junction Butte Pack transcends Yellowstone’s northern range and is the most viewed wolf pack in […]
VA ‘Virtual Town Hall’ will answer questions about flu shots, COVID-19 vaccines
The Fort Harrison VA Medical Center will host a live town-hall event from 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesday for all veterans who want information about flu shots, COVID-19 updates, upcoming clinic openings as well as other issues like mental health and suicide prevention. The virtual town hall for veterans can be accessed by phone at […]
Injured black bear euthanized after vehicle collision in Glacier National Park
A black bear was euthanized by park rangers after the injured animal was discovered around 2 p.m. Sept. 23 along Going-to-the-Sun Road two miles east of Rising Sun, according to a news release Monday from Glacier National Park. An initial investigation by the National Park Service indicated the bear suffered unsurvivable traumatic injuries from contact […]
Hospitals hit 90 percent capacity, Lewis and Clark County reports 100 COVID-19 deaths
The Lewis and Clark County Health Department announced Wednesday that 100 county residents have died from COVID-19 complications and urged residents to increase public health precautions to slow the spread of infections. “Due to the recent uptick in cases in our community, Lewis and Clark Public Health urges residents and local businesses to act now […]
DOC announces hiring of new Public Safety Chief
Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office Jail Commander Jim Anderson will become the new public safety chief for the Montana Department of Corrections, the department announced in a news release on Tuesday. “Jim has the experience and skillset we are seeking for this position as we forge ahead with modernization of our corrections system,” said Deputy Director […]
Yellowstone: One man likely drowned, crews search for missing companion at Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone National Park
Park search and rescue crews located the body of Mark O’Neill along the east shore of Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone National Park Monday, Sept. 20, Yellowstone National Park said in a news release Tuesday. In a brief phone call Tuesday, the park said O’Neill likely died by drowning. O’Neill, 67, from Chimacum, Washington, and his […]
Gov. Gianforte urges Biden to reopen U.S.-Canada Border
After the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Monday it again would extend the closure of the border between the U.S. and Canada for another month, Gov. Greg Gianforte urged President Joe Biden to fully reopen the northern border for trade and travel, the governor’s office said in a news release. “While our nation’s […]
Deaths ‘staggering’ in Yellowstone County; COVID-19 ‘worst’ since pandemic started in Missoula
Ten more people died of COVID-19 in Montana over the weekend, including seven from Yellowstone County, and Missoula County continued to break COVID-19 records. Among those who died in Yellowstone County were two women in their 50s, a woman in her 60s, a man in his 20s, a man in his 80s, a woman in […]
U.S. Supreme Court schedules Dec. 1 oral arguments in major abortion case
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Dec. 1 in a case that threatens to overturn decades of abortion protections established under the landmark 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade. The upcoming case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, stems from a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks. It has been […]
Sheriff: East Helena man dies by suicide in Lewis and Clark County Jail
A 25-year-old East Helena man died by suicide in the Lewis and Clark County Jail on Saturday, according to a news release from the county sheriff. According to the release, a detention center officer found Benjamin “Jammer” Halverson unresponsive in his cell at 11:09 a.m. Saturday. “Lifesaving measures were initiated but were unsuccessful, and the […]
Deb Haaland signs the Confederated Salish and Kootenai-Montana Compact
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland signed the Confederated Salish and Kootenai-Montana Compact on Friday, formally executing the Montana Water Rights Protection Act enacted by Congress on Dec. 21, 2020, the U.S. Department of Interior announced in a news release Friday. “Together, these actions pave the way to improving the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes’ […]