Thursday afternoon, about 12:30, at the Helena Regional Airport, a wounded warrior of the war in Afghanistan will be arriving with his Helena native wife after months of convalescence following an IED attack.

His buddies were killed and he was seriously wounded...

So, Thursday, Helena, let's show up at the airport at 12:30 and give this hero, Lt. Luke Moncla of Texas, a real Montana welcome home...
[Posted:   10:04 PM, Wed Mar 10  ]        Back to top

__________________________________________________

HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- A top aide to Rep. Denny Rehberg who is facing poaching charges says he is innocent and the allegations are being used to try to hurt the congressman olitically.
Randy Vogel was cited last November for allegedly poaching a young bull elk last. He was charged last week, two days after being named Rehberg's state director. He is now on leave.
Vogel tells KTVQ television and the Northern Broadcasting Network that he legally shot a cow elk.
Vogel says that he has been caught in a "political firestorm." He says an audio recording of Rehberg's Democratic opponent talking about the investigation is proof the allegations being used for political purposes.
McDonald says he was repeating rumors he heard in the ranching
community.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-03-11-10 1056MST



[Posted:   2:29 PM, Thu Mar 11  ]        Back to top

__________________________________________________

HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- A veteran Commerce Department employee says
he was forced out by the Schweitzer administration after the release of a politically charged list highlighting local grants that had been frozen.
David Cole had been administrator of an agency division and was nearing retirement.
Cole says that Gov. Brian Schweitzer's office was upset that he
had responded to a Republican senator's inquiry about why $3.5 million in local government grants were being stalled. That list was made public, and became the focal point of criticism the GOP
was levying against the governor.
Cole says he was ordered Friday to pen a hasty handwritten resignation letter and quit immediately.
Commerce Director Anthony Preite says he couldn't talk about it even if it did occur due to personnel reasons.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-03-11-10 1040MST


[Posted:   2:21 PM, Thu Mar 11  ]        Back to top

__________________________________________________

Helena police investigators are in Butte Thursday to talk to a person of interest.

They are investigating the suspicious envelope filled with a white powder that was opened in the Walt Sullivan building Wednesday.

The third floor was shut down as a hazmat team and the National Guard investigated.

The substance was taken to the state lab.

Wednesday, police have the results from those tests.

They have not released them and say it is part of the ongoing investigation.

As we learn more about this case we'll bring it to you.

Reporting from the Capitol, Ryan Whalen, Beartooth NBC.
[Posted:   12:26 AM, Wed Mar 10  ]         View Video       Back to top

__________________________________________________

Wednesday, First Lutheran School in Helena donated money students collected through the month of February for their "Hearts for Haiti" project.

First Lutheran School says "Hearts for Haiti" was a way to get their students involved in helping others and the Haitian relief effort.

The students collected approximately $300 for Haitian relief following the earthquake which devastated that Caribbean nation.

Principal Erin Lavender says students brought in money they earned from doing chores and helping around the home as well as their own savings.

"We actually had a couple of children who brought in all of their own money that was their own personal money from their piggy banks. Which I thought was so generous and everything."

First Lutheran Church in Helena will forward the students donations along with other donations to Haiti though the Lutheran World Wide Relief Fund.

In Helena, Andrew Knaus, Beartooth NBC.
[Posted:   5:16 PM, Wed Mar 10  ]        Back to top

__________________________________________________

The Montana Department of Labor and Industry says don't be discouraged if you're looking through those classifieds.

The state unemployment rate increased, but by only point one percent.

However, the US rate decreased from 10% to 9.7%.

The Department of Labor and Industry says the recession impacts Montana later than other states.

The forestry and construction industries in Bozeman and western Montana have been hit hardest.

Labor economist Barbara Wagner says the national trend is a good sign.

Besides, with a 6.8% rate, the state's not doing too bad.

"Montana's unemployment rate is still lower than the U.S. rate. We're actually eighth lowest in the nation and Montana's economy has not been as affected by the recession as the national economy has."

Ryan Whalen, Beartooth NBC.
[Posted:   2:29 PM, Wed Mar 10  ]        Back to top

__________________________________________________

HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- Defense officials say the body of a Montana
soldier who died in Afghanistan has arrived in the United States.
The body of Army Pvt. Nicholas S. Cook of Hungry Horse arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware early Tuesday. The Department of Defense says it will not release any more information until Cook's extended family has been notified.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-03-09-10 2149MST


[Posted:   11:45 AM, Wed Mar 10  ]        Back to top

__________________________________________________

HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- A top staff member for Rep. Denny Rehberg is facing poaching charges in Madison County for allegedly taking an elk out of season and abandoning the carcass.
Randy Vogel was named Rehberg's state director on March 1. Two days later, the 57-year-old aide was cited by a state game warden for allegedly poaching a young bull elk near Ennis in November.
Vogel is due to appear in court next week on four charges: harvesting a spike bull elk during closed season, abandoning the carcass in the field, killing more than one elk without
authorization and obstruction of a peace officer.
Rehberg spokesman Jed Link says the congressman was not aware of the allegations until after Vogel's appointment. Link said Tuesday
that Vogel has since asked for and been granted an indefinite leave without pay.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-03-09-10 1829MST

[Posted:   9:24 AM, Wed Mar 10  ]        Back to top

__________________________________________________

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) -- The developer of a planned coal-fired
power plant near Great Falls plans to appeal a judge's decision requiring the city of Great Falls to release nearly all the documents detailing the financial relationship between the city and the developer.
Attorney Mary Jaraczeski also asked District Judge E. Wayne Phillips of Lewistown to stay his Monday order while Southern Montana Electric Generation & Tranmission's appeal is pending.
The Montana Environmental Information Center filed a lawsuit
nearly three years ago seeking information about the city's stake
in the proposed Highwood Generation Station being developed by SME.
Phillips had earlier ruled in the MEIC's favor, but SME sought to keep some documents private. However, the company annoyed the judge when it turned over two boxes of papers it said contained trade secrets, and the judge found innocuous memos, some documents
that already had been made public, a copy of a newspaper article, and pricing information readily available on the Internet.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-03-11-10 0854MST


[Posted:   11:15 AM, Thu Mar 11  ]        Back to top

__________________________________________________

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) -- Montana Air National Guard officials have honored four guard members with military awards.
Tech. Sgt. Eric Miller was granted the Montana National Guard istinguished Service Medal for his work last year providing lifesaving aid to passengers in a car accident. Brig. Gen. Brad
Livingston presented Miller with the medal last week. It's the highest military award given by the state of Montana.
On Sunday, the Air Force Combat Award Medal was given to Master Sgt. Richard Zitzka, Tech. Sgt. Clinton Perry and Tech. Sgt. Ryan Whithorn. All three were recognized for their 2004 tours in Iraq.
------
Information from: Great Falls Tribune,
http://www.greatfallstribune.com
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-03-11-10 0710MST

[Posted:   11:09 AM, Thu Mar 11  ]        Back to top

__________________________________________________

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) -- A District Court judge has ordered the
city of Great Falls to make public nearly all the documents detailing the financial relationship between the city and a power plant developer.
The Montana Environmental Information Center filed a lawsuit
seeking the records nearly three years ago.
MEIC program manager Anne Hedges says the city made bad decisions in working with Southern Montana Electric Generation & Transmission. The MEIC sought information on the obligations the city of Great Falls made on behalf of its residents in partnering
with SME in plans to build a natural gas-fired power plant near Great Falls.
District Judge E. Wayne Phillips had earlier ruled in MEIC's favor, but the city and SME sought to keep secret a 22-inch stack of documents. Phillips agreed to seal five documents and ruled the rest must be released.
------
Information from: Great Falls Tribune,
http://www.greatfallstribune.com
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-03-10-10 1011MST


[Posted:   2:27 PM, Wed Mar 10  ]        Back to top

__________________________________________________

POLSON, Mont. (AP) -- A 23-year-old Idaho man has pleaded guilty to his role in a high speed chase and drug bust in northwestern Montana in January.
Court records say the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes had been investigating a suspected drug dealer when officers tried to pull Steven D. Leischner's car on Jan. 19. The driver led law enforcement officers on a chase that reached speeds of over 100 mph
and covered nearly 50 miles. Bags of methamphetamine out the car window during the chase, which ended near Charlo.
Leischner, of American Falls, Idaho, pleaded guilty Thursday in District Court in Polson to criminal possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and tampering with evidence. Prosecutors are recommending a 10 year sentence with the Department of
Corrections and fines of over $6,000 when he is sentenced on April
16.
An attorney for co-defendant Dustin J. Morgan says a plea deal is in the works for her client, who is also from Idaho.
------
Information from: KERR-AM, http://www.750kerr.com/
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-03-11-10 1309MST


[Posted:   2:32 PM, Thu Mar 11  ]        Back to top

__________________________________________________

KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) -- The Kalispell planning board is ecommending the city council ban medical marijuana production, processing and sales in the city limits.
The board on Tuesday called for the city to follow federal law, which says marijuana is an illegal drug.
Three medical marijuana outlets were operating in Kalispell before the city council enacted a 90-day moratorium while it considered zoning regulations.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced in November that the U.S. Justice Department would not enforce federal marijuana laws in states which have passed medical marijuana laws.
------
Information from: Daily Inter Lake,
http://www.dailyinterlake.com
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-03-11-10 0900MST


[Posted:   11:17 AM, Thu Mar 11  ]        Back to top

__________________________________________________

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) -- A district judge has ruled that Belgrade police violated a Bozeman woman's constitutional rights while investigating a crash that killed a woman who was walking home from
work.
Lora Whitmore was 30 when she was charged with negligent vehicular homicide after 56-year-old Chong Suk Everett was struck and killed in November 2008.
Judge John Brown agreed with defense attorneys yesterday (Wednesday) that Whitmore's blood was forcibly drawn twice after the crash and that she was questioned without an attorney despite
her request for one.
He threw out some of the evidence that was gathered after the
crash but denied a defense motion to dismiss the case entirely.
The trial is set to begin March 29.
------
Information from: Bozeman Daily Chronicle, http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-03-11-10 0314MST


[Posted:   11:04 AM, Thu Mar 11  ]        Back to top

__________________________________________________

Montana is among six states chosen by the National Governor's Association to host a Governor's forum on postsecondary credential attainment by adult workers.

Each state will be awarded up to ten thousand dollars in grants from the Lumina Foundation for Education.

Dan Villa, education advisor to Governor Brian Schweitzer, says it will help with the states "college now" initiative.

He says, "were we're able to advocate on the behalf of the state, be they adult or in the k-12 system to gain additional credentials to gain that two year certificate, go into an apprenticeship program or a degree program so we can respond to the needs of the workforce across the state."

Other states selected to host governors forums include Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Andrew Knaus, Beartooth NBC.
[Posted:   4:48 PM, Wed Mar 10  ]        Back to top

__________________________________________________

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) -- A cancer treatment center that opened in
Billings in 1987 will close this fall, and its patients will be treated at a new facility.
St. Vincent Healthcare announced Tuesday that the Northern Rockies Radiation Oncology Center will close at the end of October.
The center was a partnership between St. Vincent and Billings Clinic until last year, when Billings Clinic withdrew from the agreement to offer its own radiation services at a new cancer center at its downtown campus.
At the time, both hospitals said the Northern Rockies center would remain open.
On Tuesday, St. Vincent said its cancer patients will begin receiving radiation treatment at Frontier Cancer Centers and Blood Institute. Frontier is a new cancer center being built by a St. Vincent affiliate and scheduled to open in August.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-03-10-10 0917MST



[Posted:   11:43 AM, Wed Mar 10  ]        Back to top

__________________________________________________

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) -- Officials with a faith-based addiction recovery group say former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is coming to Missoula in September to fire up a fundraising campaign.
Teen Challenge Montana offers a residential program designed to help women give up drugs and alcohol to lead healthier lives.
Executive Director Jan Henderson says she met Palin during a book signing event in Billings, and asked her to speak in Missoula at a fundraiser for Teen Challenge.
Henderson says Palin agreed, and is slated to speak on Sept. 12 in Missoula. The group is selling tickets for the event for $100.
------
Information from: Missoulian, http://www.missoulian.com
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-03-10-10 0652MST



[Posted:   11:41 AM, Wed Mar 10  ]        Back to top

__________________________________________________

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) -- A 42-year-old Bozeman woman who embezzled $140,000 from a plumbing and heating equipment company has been sentenced to seven years in prison with three years probation.
Diane Corrick pleaded guilty in November to stealing from Radiant Engineering while she was the company's office manager. An investigation revealed that she embezzled more than $100,000 by writing checks to herself and by using company credit cards for
unauthorized purchases between March 2004 and October 2008.
Corrick also was ordered yesterday (Tuesday) to pay $140,000 in restitution.
------
Information from: Bozeman Daily Chronicle,
http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-03-10-10 0336MST


[Posted:   11:39 AM, Wed Mar 10  ]        Back to top

__________________________________________________

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) -- NorthWestern Energy is facing another lawsuit stemming from a natural-gas explosion last year that killed one woman and destroyed half a city block.
Steve Zabel owns Montana Trails Gallery. He says the energy company knew or should have known that a threaded connector in the service line behind the gallery was substandard and could fail. Zabel's art gallery was destroyed in the blast.
His lawsuit says NorthWestern instituted a replacement and assessment policy a decade ago to minimize the possibility of leaks occurring because of threaded connections. The energy company does not dispute that it rescinded the policy, but says the pipeline and threaded joint met safety standards.
------
Information from: Bozeman Daily Chronicle,
http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-03-10-10 0315MST


[Posted:   11:36 AM, Wed Mar 10  ]        Back to top

__________________________________________________

KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) -- Flathead County authorities say a man whose body was found in a snowbank on the southern edge of Glacier National Park was an 18-year-old from Lake Forest, Ill., who had been reported missing in September.
Detectives say it appears Alexander Charles Rettinger committed suicide by huffing helium gas. A helium tank was found near his body, along with a train ticket from Chicago to Seattle. Detectives say it looks like he got off the train in Essex sometime in late
September.
Officials say a man who was out for a walk spotted Rettinger's body near the Izaak Walton Inn in Essex last week.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-03-09-10 1655MST


[Posted:   10:13 AM, Wed Mar 10  ]        Back to top

__________________________________________________