Latest Montana news, sports, business and entertainment: SCHWEITZER-DEMOCRATS

Schweitzer says he'd like to see primary battle end in Mont.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Governor Schweitzer says he would like to see the race between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama continue to Montana's and South Dakota's primaries on June third.

Clinton has been under increased pressure in recent days to bow out and hand the Democratic presidential nomination to Obama. Although the race is close, Obama has a clear edge in pledged delegates and appears to hold the momentum among the key superdelegates who can vote for whomever they like at the Democratic national convention in August.

But Schweitzer says the race has been good for the Democratic Party, with millions of new voters and lots of excitement and energy.

During a campaign stop in South Dakota yesterday (Thursday), Clinton said it's exciting that the votes in Montana and South Dakota will count. She says those two states will have the last word, and she told voters they have a chance between now and then to think about who they want to be the next president.

ENERGY DEVELOPMENT-WATER

President Bush signs bill to recover water produced in oil, gas production

DENVER (AP) - President Bush has signed into law a measure that will explore putting groundwater pumped out during oil and gas production to use.

The bipartisan bill directs the Interior Department to assess the feasibility of recovering and cleaning up the millions of gallons of water that are reinjected into the ground or disposed of during oil and gas development.

The bill authorizes federal grants for pilot projects to test technology that could make the water usable for irrigation and other uses.

Democratic Senators Ken Salazar of Colorado and Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico and Republican Sens. Pete Domenici of New Mexico and Mike Enzi of Wyoming sponsored the bill.

Democratic Representative Mark Udall of Colorado sponsored the bill in the House last year.

TIMBER COUNTIES

Wyden: Senate bill includes $400 M for timber payments

WASHINGTON (AP) - A Democratic senator says a war-spending bill being considered in the Senate includes 400 million dollars in payments to rural counties in Oregon and other states.

Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon says he has received assurance from Democratic leaders on the Appropriations Committee that a Senate bill funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan includes money for rural areas that once depended on federal timber money to pay for schools, libraries and other services.

Wyden says the funding couldn't come soon enough for Oregon's rural schools and communities, who depend on it for basic services.

If approved by the Appropriations Committee next week, the bill would go to the full Senate. The House version of the war-spending bill does not include money for rural schools.

ACTIVISTS REJECTED

Panel orders hearing in suit over men's exclusion from press conference

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - A federal appeals court panel says a trial should go forward on whether three conservationists were improperly excluded from a press conference at the Bitterroot National Forest's headquarters in Hamilton.

The case stems from a 2005 news conference at which the U.S. Forest Service released an environmental review of a controversial timber sale.

Three members of the conservation group Friends of the Bitterroot -- Stewart Brandborg, Larry Campbell and Jim Miller -- say they were escorted from the event by armed Forest Service law enforcement officers.

The men later filed suit against forest supervisor Dave Bull, saying their constitutional rights were violated.

In a decision issued last week, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Forest Service's right to allow only certain people to speak at its press conferences.

But it sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy of Missoula, for a hearing on whether excluding the men from the event violated their free speech rights.

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By AP writer Katie Oyan

MONTANA ARRESTS-PLEA

Former UM football player pleads guilty in home invastion

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) - Former University of Montana football player Qwenton Freeman has pleaded guilty to two charges related to a violent home invasion.

The 22-year-old Freeman pleaded guilty yesterday (Thursday) to conspiracy to commit robbery and aggravated burglary in the November 5th break-in.

Seven men broke into a rental house with the intention of stealing money and drugs. One occupant of the house was repeatedly pistol-whipped and a woman was bound with duct tape.

Freeman's plea agreement calls for a 10-year sentence to the Department of Corrections, with five years suspended. It allows him to be considered for the prison's boot camp program.

District Judge John Larson scheduled sentencing for July 17.

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Information from: Missoulian, http://www.missoulian.com

DUNCAN SLAYINGS

Duncan's mental compentency evaluation completed

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - A psychiatric evaluation of convicted child killer Joseph Edward Duncan III has been completed, and a federal judge could decide soon if Duncan will be allowed to represent himself in his death penalty hearing.

A jury is expected to decide this summer if Duncan should be imprisoned for life or executed for the kidnapping, abuse and slaying of young Dylan Groene in 2005. Duncan has already pleaded guilty to the crimes against Dylan and the kidnapping and abuse of his sister, Shasta Groene

Duncan has asked U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge represent himself in the sentencing hearing. Lodge said he was inclined to grant Duncan's request but first wanted to make sure the defendant was mentally competent to make the weighty decision. The evaluation was filed yesterday (Thursday), and Lodge said he would keep it under seal.

RURAL TEACHER

Teton County teacher is Montana's rural teacher of the year

GREENFIELD, Mont. (AP) - Montana's Rural School Teacher of the Year believes strongly in the benefits of a rural school setting.

Anke Davis teaches in the elementary school at Greenfield, an unincorporated Teton County town southeast of Choteau. The school has 49 students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Davis received the rural teacher award from the Montana Association of County Superintendents at its annual conference in Havre two weeks ago.

Teton County Superintendent Diane Inbody nominated Davis.

The 61-year-old Davis has been teaching at Greenfield Elementary for nine years, and says she feels privileged to be there.

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Information from: Great Falls Tribune, http://www.greatfallstribune.com

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-05-09-08 0431EDT

Latest Montana news, sports, business and entertainment: WOLF LAWSUIT

Federal judge in Montana rejects bid to delay wolf lawsuit

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - A federal judge in Montana has rejected a request by the government to delay a lawsuit, seeking to place the gray wolf back on the endangered species list.

Judge Donald Molloy, in Missoula, says he's unwilling to risk more deaths.

Molloy set a hearing for May 29 in Missoula.

At least 39 of the Northern Rockies' 1,500 gray wolves have been killed since they lost federal protection in March. The delisting put wolves under the authority of state wildlife agencies in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.

All three states have relaxed rules for killings wolves that harass or harm livestock. And they're planning public hunts later this year - the first in decades.

Environmentalists argue the loss of federal protection threatens the wolf's recovery.

WORK-COMP RATES

State Fund says workers' comp rates to drop next year

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - The board of the Montana State Fund has announced that workers' compensation insurance rates will be reduced next year by an average of 3 percent.

The move marks the second year in a row the agency has announced modest reductions.

The State Fund is a semiprivate branch of state government and is Montana's largest workers' compensation insurance company.

The rate cut is only an average. The State Fund says individual rates could be as much as 40 percent higher or lower than this week's announced reduction.

The agency says workers' comp rates for individual companies are based on many factors, including how dangerous the work is and how many on-the-job injuries a business reported the year before.

ITALIAN WASTE

Radioactive waste regulators deal blow to Italian waste plan

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Regulators from eight Western states unanimously voted to require their approval before thousands of tons of Italian radioactive waste - or any other foreign waste - can be shipped to a site in Utah.

The vote was cast Thursday by members of the Northwest Interstate Compact on Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management. The compact includes Montana.

Thursday's vote is a blow to efforts by EnergySolutions Inc. to bring Italian waste into the country. It will affect a pending decision by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on EnergySolutions' import application.

Without explicit approval from compact members, the NRC is unlikely to let the company ship the waste to Utah. The federal agency could still allow the Italian waste into the United States, to be processed by EnergySolutions in Tennessee and shipped back to Italy.

FACEBOOK SAFEGUARDS-MONTANA

McGrath: Facebook, states agree on new safeguards

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Officials from several states say Facebook has agreed to implement more than 40 safeguards to protect younger users.

Montana Attorney General Mike McGrath says the changes are designed to thwart sexual predators, fraud and online bullies at the popular online hangout.

He's one of the attorneys general who announced the agreement Thursday.

Facebook has agreed to ban convicted sex offenders from using the service and will make it harder for older users to search online for subscribers who are under age 18.

Facebook will also join a task force seeking better ways to verify the ages of users.

The agreement is similar to one reached in January with Facebook's larger rival, MySpace.

BANK ROBBERY

Man charged in Billings credit union robbery

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - A 49-year-old Billings man has been charged with felony robbery for taking money from a cash register at a downtown credit union.

James Canda appeared before Justice of the Peace Larry Herman via video from the Yellowstone County Jail. Herman set Canda's bail at $100,000, and set a District Court appearance for May 12.

Court records say a man wearing a white hard hat, a brown ski mask and blue overalls entered the Valley Federal Credit Union on May 2. A credit union manager told police the man ran behind the counter to a cash register and began stuffing money in a tan canvas bag.

Court records say the robber threw the bag in a trash bin after noticing that he was being chased by a customer. Canda was arrested about 10 minutes after the robbery.

INMATES ESCAPE-PLEA

Inmate pleads guilty to June 2007 escape

DEER LODGE, Mont. (AP) - A Montana State Prison inmate slipped away from the prison ranch with another inmate in June 2007. Now Kelly Frank has pleaded guilty to escape.

Frank entered his plea this week before District Judge Ray Dayton in Deer Lodge. Frank faces a 10-year sentence.

Frank, now 46, escaped from the prison ranch with inmate William Willcutt on June 8, 2007. They were arrested five days later in the Swan Valley.

Last November, Willcutt pleaded guilty to felony escape and felony theft and was given concurrent 10-year sentences. Willcutt, now 23, was serving time for burglary.

Frank had been serving a 10-year term for theft, for overcharging talk show host David Letterman for painting on his ranch near Choteau.

ASSAULT SENTENCE

Lame Deer man sentenced to prison for assaulting woman

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - A 37-year-old Lame Deer man has been sentenced to five years in prison for burning and kicking a woman during an argument.

Kevin Whiteman apologized to the victim in federal court before sentencing by U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull (SEE'-bul).

Whiteman pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury for the June 2007 attack on Betty Kills On Top. He held her hand on a hot stove burner, then kicked her so hard she needed surgery and five units of blood.

Kills On Top says she forgives Whiteman and that he is a good father to their child -- when he is sober.

POWERBALL WINNER

Louisiana man claims $97 million Powerball prize

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A Louisiana man, who runs his own construction company, has claimed a 97 million dollar Powerball prize.

Carl Hunter becomes the the largest winner in Louisiana Lottery history.

Hunter won the jackpot in January, but the 73-year-old small-business man waited nearly four months before claiming the prize today. He says he wanted to get wrap up some of his construction work before he and his wife, Dianne, turned in the winning ticket.

Hunter took a lump sum payment that lottery officials say will give him about 34 million dollars after taxes.

Hunter and his wife say they don't have specific plans for the money - besides retirement.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-05-08-08 1648EDT

Latest Montana news, sports, business and entertainment: MSU ATHLETE-SENTENCE

Former MSU athlete sentenced for role in shooting death

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) - A former MSU football player has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for his role in the Bozeman shooting death of a suspected drug dealer.

John Lebrum pleaded guilty to helping former MSU basketball player Branden Miller rob 26-year-old Jason Wright. Miller and Lebrum accused each other of shooting the suspected cocaine dealer.

Lebrum was sentenced to 40 years in prison on the robbery charge. He was sentenced to 10 years in a separate case, for violating probation on a conviction that stemmed from a fight. Lebrum was accused of punching a man in the jaw and breaking his teeth.

Miller pleaded guilty to murder in Wright's death and was sentenced Tuesday to 120 years in prison. He also was sentenced to five years for a bar assault that occurred six days before the murder.

CHILD DEATH-SENTENCING

Billings woman sentenced for son's death

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - A Billings woman admitted she failed to promptly seek medical treatment for her son, after a man dropped the boy on his head. Jessica Thompson has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Thompson pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of negligent homicide in the death of her 3-year-old son, Ropati "Lupe" Mulipola.

It happened in December 2006. Thomas Larson admitted holding the boy by the ankles and letting his head slam to the floor. His sentencing is scheduled for today.

A murder charge against Larson's wife, Jennifer, is pending. Prosecutors have said she also failed to get medical attention for the boy.

SHOOTING DEATH

Airman killed at party posthumously promoted

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) - A 20-year-old airman, who was shot and killed at a party in Great Falls, has been posthumously promoted to airman first class.

John Howry was scheduled for the promotion later this month.

Jonathon Higgins served with Howry. He's been arrested and charged with negligent homicide.

A witness told police the two men were at a party Monday evening, when Howry took out a knife and jokingly said he was going to "shave" Higgins.

The witness said Higgins pulled a handgun from his waistband and fired. Howry died a short time later at a hospital.

TRUMPETER SWAN SHOT

Trumpeter swan shot near Choteau; FWP looking for culprit

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) - A state game warden says someone shot a trumpeter swan southwest of Choteau.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Warden Rod Duty says the federally protected swan was shot over the weekend. He says a state fisheries biologist found the carcass in a pothole area southwest of the Pishkun Reservoir.

Trumpeter swans are protected under federal law. Anyone convicted of killing one could be fined up to $5,000 and face time in prison.

On Sunday and Monday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released 10 young trumpeter swans near Ovando in Montana's Blackfoot Valley. Those swans are unable to fly because their wings were clipped. But they will be able to fly in July after they molt.

TRAILER PARK EVICTION

Billings residents have a month to leave trailer park

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Residents of a Billings trailer park have been given a month's notice that they have to leave their rental trailers because the property is going to be sold.

Some of them are angry, saying they weren't given enough time to find a decent place to live in the city's tight rental market.

The eviction notices were delivered May 1 by representatives of BP Asset Management, which manages the park for Turnbull ITC.

Developer Aaron Sparboe confirmed he is buying the property, but can't say yet what kind of development is being considered.

Rick Dorn is managing partner of Turnbull. He says about a third of the people who were living in the park have already been relocated to other properties owned by Turnbull.

Dorn says they'll also try to find housing for the other residents.

FACEBOOK SAFEGUARDS-MONTANA

McGrath: Facebook, states agree on new safeguards

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Officials from several states say Facebook has agreed to implement more than 40 safeguards to protect younger users.

Montana Attorney General Mike McGrath says the changes are designed to thwart sexual predators, fraud and online bullies at the popular online hangout.

He's one of the attorneys general who announced the agreement Thursday.

Facebook has agreed to ban convicted sex offenders from using the service and will make it harder for older users to search online for subscribers who are under age 18.

Facebook will also join a task force seeking better ways to verify the ages of users.

The agreement is similar to one reached in January with Facebook's larger rival, MySpace.

WORK-COMP RATES

State Fund says workers' comp rates to drop next year

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - The board of the Montana State Fund has announced that workers' compensation insurance rates will be reduced next year by an average of 3 percent.

The move marks the second year in a row the agency has announced modest reductions.

The State Fund is a semiprivate branch of state government and is Montana's largest workers' compensation insurance company.

The rate cut is only an average. The State Fund says individual rates could be as much as 40 percent higher or lower than this week's announced reduction.

The agency says workers' comp rates for individual companies are based on many factors, including how dangerous the work is and how many on-the-job injuries a business reported the year before.

CHERRY HARVEST

Cherry harvest down with the temps

YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) - Fresh cherry pie on the Fourth of July? Perhaps not on the East Coast this year, and consumers can blame freezing spring temperatures in the Northwest.

Sweet cherries are grown on 52,000 acres in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Utah.

An April cold snap damaged pockets of the five-state cherry region, and farmers are estimating their crop will be down 15 percent to 20 percent this year.

And the harvest will fall later in the season, which could make it more difficult for East Coast supermarkets to get a full supply in time for the midsummer holiday.

Northwest growers harvested a record 147,800 tons in 2006, then nearly matched that a year later. This year, the crop is estimated at 120,290 tons.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-05-08-08 1225EDT

Latest Montana news, sports, business and entertainment: FARM BILL

Farm bill negotiators say they have agreement

WASHINGTON (AP) - Negotiators on a five-year, 300-billion-dollar farm bill say they have reached a tentative agreement on the legislation, and it will be considered by the House and Senate next week.

The Bush administration has objected to the bill, and the White House says it seems unlikely that Congress will pass farm legislation the president can sign.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin said after meetings yesterday (Wednesday) that the negotiating is finished, but he acknowledged that some minor issues remain unresolved.

None of the lawmakers would provide details of the final agreement, which is the latest of several proposed frameworks that have been renegotiated after the White House or other members of Congress signaled opposition.

DEMOCRATS-ENERGY

Senate Democrats seek to tax oil companies

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Democrats are calling for a limited windfall profits tax on the largest oil companies and a rollback of 17 billion dollars in oil industry tax breaks, as part of an energy package that also would impose federal penalties on energy price gouging.

Senate Republicans strongly oppose those measures, which are widely viewed as having little chance of being enacted. Even then, they would almost certainly prompt a veto by President Bush.

The 25 percent windfall profits tax would apply only to oil companies that "fail to invest in increased (production) capacity and renewable energy sources," according to a summary of the proposals released by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office.

Montana Senator Max Baucus says it's not right that consumers are paying record high gas prices while while big oiil companies get billions in tax breaks.

The energy proposals also seek to halt deliveries of oil into the government's Strategic Petroleum Reserve until oil prices drop to $75 a barrel.

PLUM CREEK-REY

Commissioners press for release of information

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Missoula County commissioners are pressing the government to release information about talks between Plum Creek Timber and Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey, who oversees the U.S. Forest Service.

Rey and Plum Creek have been discussing potential changes in about 200 road easements that pass through publicly owned forests in Montana, and are up for renewal. The commissioners say those changes could lead to greater real estate development by Plum Creek.

Rey met with commissioners April 28 in Missoula and invited them to submit further comment afterward.

In a letter, the commissioners say their ability to comment is limited because Rey either is unable or unwilling to share relevant documents.

Rey spokesman Charlie Richmond says the letter has been received and Rey will respond to the commission.

FREUDENTHAL-OBAMA

Wyo. governor looks ahead to Montana event

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal (FREE'-den-thawl) says he's curious about what Bill Clinton will say when the two square off on behalf of presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton in Montana this weekend.

Freudenthal and the former president will speak at an annual Democratic Party dinner at Montana State University-Billings on Saturday. Freudenthal will speak on behalf of Obama.

Freudenthal says former President Clinton could be the finest political orator in the United States today. Even so, Freudenthal says he's not intimidated.

He says he's mostly just curious because he didn't get to see the former president campaign for his wife in Wyoming in March.

Montana's Democratic primary is on June 3rd.

HISTORY MUSEUM

Governor says state may buy museum site

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Governor Schweitzer says the state will buy an aging shopping mall to build a 40-million-dollar state museum -- as long as backers can privately raise almost all the money.

Schweitzer says the state will pay 6.5 million dollars for the 1960s Helena shopping mall with money allocated by the Legislature for the project. The governor says no more state money will be used.

He says private fundraisers have until November 15th to raise 13 million dollars of the construction costs before the state will buy the land. The rest of the money for the project will be raised later.

He called the private fundraising effort a "Herculean" task.

Former first lady Betty Babcock has been lobbying the governor to pursue the project, and met with Schweitzer yesterday (Wednesday).

SOLDIER KILLED-FLAGS

Montana governor orders flags flown at half-staff for soldier killed in Iraq

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Schweitzer is ordering flags be flown at half-staff tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday in honor of an Army captain from Billings who was killed in Iraq.

Captain Andrew R. Pearson, with the 4th Infantry Division from Fort Hood, Texas, was killed on April 30th after his vehicle was hit by an explosion in Baghdad.

Also killed in the blast was 21-year-old Spc. Ronald J. Tucker of Fountain, Colorado. Their mission had been to train Iraqi forces.

The 32-year-old Pearson joined the military in June 1998 and had been with the 4th Infantry since February 2007.

Memorial services are planned at the War Memorial in Billings on Saturday, and at Fort Hood on May 15th. Pearson will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

RED LODGE-WILLIE NELSON

Willie Nelson to perform in Red Lodge in August

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Country music legend Willie Nelson is scheduled to perform in Red Lodge this summer.

Tickets go on sale in June for the August 22nd concert at the Red Lodge Rodeo Grounds.

Nelson is also scheduled to perform in Wyoming at the Casper Events Center on August 24th.

Nelson drew about 4,000 fans the last time he performed in Red Lodge, in August 2000.

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Information from: Jami Bond, KTVQ-TV, www.ktvq.com

SPRING SKIING

Snowbird to extend ski season

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - In Utah, the only resort still open for skiing has so much snow it might be able to keep running until summer.

With 11 feet of snow on the ground, Snowbird says it'll stay open for skiing into June, and possibly longer.

Snowbird has even fired up one of the chair lifts it had closed for the season, while shutting down its signature 125-passenger tram for maintenance.

The Little Cloud chair takes skiers almost to the top of the mountain from the bottom of a northwest-facing bowl.

Skiing was to have ended Memorial Day, but Snowbird President Bob Bonar says he'll keep the resort open as long conditions allow.

Snowbird lifts have run as late as July 4. Bonar says it's too early to know if that's possible this year.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-05-08-08 0432EDT

Latest Montana news, sports, business and entertainment: BODY FOUND

Body of missing woman found in Yellowstone River

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - The Dawson County sheriff says the body of a missing Glendive woman has been found in the Yellowstone River.

Authorities had been searching for 34-year-old Susan Casey, who was last seen on April 12. Her body was found Tuesday near Fallon, about nine miles northeast of Terry.

Sheriff Craig Anderson says authorities have switched from a missing-person investigation to a suspicious-death investigation, and will have no further comment.

Casey's ex-husband, Walter Larson, has been charged with violating an order of protection Casey had filed against him. Court records say he made 44 calls to her phone in the days before she disappeared. He has pleaded not guilty in Justice Court in Dawson County.

Anderson hasn't commented on whether he believes Larson is connected to Casey's disappearance.

STUDENT REGENT

Governor appoints UM Western student to Regents

DILLON, Mont. (AP) - Gov. Brian Schweitzer has appointed Mitch Jessen, a student at the University of Montana-Western, to the student regent post on the state Board of Regents.

Schweitzer announced the appointment today on the UM-Western campus in Dillon.

Jessen grew up in Dillon and previously attended Universal Technical Institute and the University of Utah. He works in the UM-Western admissions office, for Facilities Services and for Safe Ride at Montana Western.

At the University of Utah, Jessen worked as an orientation leader and a resident adviser.

His one-year term as student regent begins July 1st. He replaces Kerra Melvin of Montana Tech as the Regents' student member.

MSU BUSINESS DEAN

Montana State business dean to step down; interim dean named

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) - Montana State University says Richard Semenik is stepping down as dean of MSU's College of Business, effective August 1st.

He will be replaced by an interim dean, Dan Moshavi, an associate professor of management in the College of Business.

Semenik was appointed dean in July 2000. He says he decided to leave the post because the timing was right. He will continue as a professor in the College of Business, and plans to teach marketing courses in the spring semester of each year.

He also plans to do consulting in branding and advertising strategy.

Moshavi has been on the MSU faculty since August 2000. He's been the recipient of several university awards for outstanding teaching.

OBIT-SNELL

Crow elder, educator Alma Hogan Snell dies at 85

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - A distinguished elder of the Crow Tribe -- Alma Hogan Snell - has died in Billings. She was 85.

Snell was a tribal historian, educator and healer.

She received an honorary doctorate from Montana State University in a special ceremony in Billings last week.

She died Monday.

Her son, Bill Snell, is scheduled to attend MSU's graduation ceremony Saturday in her place.

Snell wrote two books: "Grandmother's Grandchild: My Crow Indian Life," and "A Taste of Heritage." She lectured throughout the country about the healing properties of plants and traditional health and well-being.

DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT

Butte-Silver Bow employee wins age discrimination complaint

BUTTE, Mont. (AP) - A hearing officer says Butte-Silver Bow must pay a long-time employee for back wages and emotional distress in an age discrimination complaint.

The state Labor and Industry Department ordered the city-county to pay courthouse secretary Linda Raiha $4,830 in back wages and $5,000 in emotional distress damages.

Hearing officer Gregory Hanchett also ordered Butte-Silver Bow to immediately install 63-year-old Raiha as clerk of the city court. Raiha alleged she wasn't considered for the post because of her age.

The city-county has two weeks to appeal the April 30th ruling. Personnel Director Tim Clark said the city attorney is reviewing the decision.

FATAL FALLS

Study: Montana 8th in fatal falls for people 65 and older

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - The National Safety Council says Montana has the nation's eighth highest death rate from accidental falls among people over 65.

The safety council's Bill O'Connell says falls among people 65 and older are now the leading cause of injury deaths; and the mortality rate from falls for older Americans went up 39 percent between 1999 and 2005.

The council compiled its 50-state breakdown using 2005 figures reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those figures show Montana with 68 deaths by fall per 100,000 people in the 65-and-over population.

Washington, D.C., had the highest death rate, and Alaska had the lowest.

DELTA-VIP LOUNGES

Delta shutting 9 airport VIP lounges

ATLANTA (AP) - Delta is closing nine of its airport VIP lounges in the U.S. and Britain, citing the need to manage costs due to hefty fuel prices.

A spokeswoman said the move also is designed to align Delta's worldwide offering of clubs to its flight schedule.

In a further streamlining move, the nation's third-largest carrier also said it would convert its BusinessElite lounges at Hartsfield-Atlanta and New York's JFK International into Crown Room Clubs.

The locations Delta slated for closure in April and May are at airports serving Boston, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Seattle, San Juan, Phoenix, Denver, Honolulu and London.

Customers continue to have access to Delta Crown Room Clubs in more than two dozen cities.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-05-07-08 1644EDT

Latest Montana news, sports, business and entertainment: BODY FOUND

Body of missing woman found in Yellowstone River

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Dawson County Sheriff Craig Anderson says the body of a missing 34-year-old Glendive woman has been found in the Yellowstone River.

Authorities had been searching for Susan Casey, who was last seen on April 12. Her body was found Tuesday near Fallon, about nine miles northeast of Terry.

Anderson says authorities have switched from a missing-person investigation to a suspicious-death investigation, and will have no further comment.

Casey's ex-husband, Walter Larson, has been charged with violating an order of protection Casey had filed against him. Court records say he made 44 calls to her phone in the days before she disappeared. He has pleaded not guilty in Justice Court in Dawson County.

Anderson hasn't commented on whether he believes Larson is connected to Casey's disappearance.

SHOOTING DEATH

Iraq war vet charged in shooting death of fellow airman

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) - A decorated Iraq war veteran has been charged in the shooting death of a fellow airman.

Twenty-two-year-old Jonathan Higgins appeared in court yesterday on a charge of negligent homicide in the death of 20-year-old John Howry. The pair served in the 341st Space Wing Security Forces Squadron, at Malmstrom Air Force Base near Great Falls.

According to court documents, a witness told police the two men were "goofing around" at a party Monday evening, when Howry took out a knife and said he was going to "shave" Higgins.

The witness says Higgins pulled a handgun and fired. Howry died a short time later at a hospital, with a wound to his lower abdomen.

DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT

Butte-Silver Bow employee wins age discrimination complaint

BUTTE, Mont. (AP) - A hearing officer says Butte-Silver Bow must pay a long-time employee for back wages and emotional distress in an age discrimination complaint.

The state Labor and Industry Department ordered the city-county to pay courthouse secretary Linda Raiha $4,830 in back wages and $5,000 in emotional distress damages.

Hearing officer Gregory Hanchett also ordered Butte-Silver Bow to immediately install 63-year-old Raiha as clerk of the city court. Raiha alleged she wasn't considered for the post because of her age.

The city-county has two weeks to appeal the April 30th ruling. Personnel Director Tim Clark said the city attorney is reviewing the decision.

OBIT-SNELL

Crow elder, educator Alma Hogan Snell dies at 85

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - A distinguished elder of the Crow Tribe -- Alma Hogan Snell - has died in Billings. She was 85.

Snell was a tribal historian, educator and healer.

She received an honorary doctorate from Montana State University in a special ceremony in Billings last week.

She died Monday.

Her son, Bill Snell, is scheduled to attend MSU's graduation ceremony Saturday in her place.

Snell wrote two books: "Grandmother's Grandchild: My Crow Indian Life," and "A Taste of Heritage." She lectured throughout the country about the healing properties of plants and traditional health and well-being.

FLATHEAD FUEL SPILL

County official: Pollution from fuel spill has stabilized

POLSON, Mont. (AP) - A Lake County official has some good news for residents of five homes along Montana Highway 35, forced to evacuate after an April 2nd fuel spill: It could be a matter of months - not years as was earlier believed - before those families can return home.

An overturned tanker dumped 6,380 gallons of gasoline into the ground near Finley Point on a stretch of road close to Flathead Lake.

Last week engineers installed "vapor extraction systems" in the five homes to suck out any fumes that might be emanating from the basement floors. Engineers have also built 10 test wells to monitor water quality.

Carey Cooley is with Lake County's office of emergency management. She says recent data from the wells indicates the pollution has stabilized.

MINE LAYOFFS

Mine lays off workers after equipment failure

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Montana Tunnels Mine, west of Jefferson City, has temporarily laid off 150 workers after a crack was found in a large ball mill that grinds ore.

The mill processing facility and the mine have been shut down at least until May 19th.

The cylindrical ball mill grinds ore, in preparation for a process that produces concentrates containing lead, zinc, silver and gold.

WILDLIFE COMMISSION

FWP to consider Yellowstone bison grazing agreement

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Montana's Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission will make final decisions on the administrative rule for fire emergency closures at a May 15 meeting in Glendive.

The commission will also act on two conservation easements.

Tentative decisions before the panel include the 2008 upland game bird quotas.

The commission will also be asked to endorse a grazing rights agreement on the Royal Teton Ranch to allow for bison north of Yellowstone National Park and west of the Yellowstone River.

Commission spokeswoman Diane Tipton says the panel's endorsement of the federal-state agreement is a formality.

The state commission will meet Thursday, May 15 at 8:30 a.m. in the Ullman Center at Dawson Community College in Glendive.

JACKPOT WINNER

Missoula woman claims Montana Cash jackpot

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - A Missoula woman has claimed a $70,000 Montana Cash jackpot from the April 30 drawing.

The Montana Lottery says Donna Williams bought her winning ticket from Albertsons at 1003 East Broadway in Missoula.

Lottery officials announced Williams as the jackpot winner on Wednesday.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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