Category: Montana

Missing Hiker Killed by Grizzly Bear in Montana: Officials

A man was killed by a suspected grizzly bear while hiking in a Montana park, officials said over the weekend. Park County Sheriff Brad Bichler confirmed the death of Craig Clouatre, 40, in a statement on Saturday. “It is with a very heavy heart that I am writing this update. After an extensive search this…


Four Great Things About the ‘Yellowstone’ Western Drama Series

The standout new TV series, “Yellowstone,” has been very well received. Here are four things that make it such a fantastic, unique experience. Bucks a Lot of Stereotypes The Paramount Network’s series “Yellowstone” revolves around the Dutton family, a large and complex family with behavior patterns and tastes that don’t fall into the usual stereotypes….


As Storms Start, US States Struggle to Hire Snowplow Drivers

HELENA, Mont.—More U.S. drivers could find themselves stuck on snowy highways or have their travel delayed this winter due to a shortage of snowplow drivers—a reality that could hit home Friday as winter storms start dumping snow from the Intermountain West to the Upper Great Lakes. States from Washington to Pennsylvania, including Montana and Wyoming…


Montana Inmate Confesses to 1968 Slaying, Dismemberment

HELENA, Mont.—A Montana prison inmate serving a 100-year sentence for killing his wife in 1983 has confessed to strangling, sexually assaulting, and dismembering a 19-year-old Helena woman 15 years earlier, authorities said Friday. Courtney Brooke Atlas, 79, confessed to killing Pamela Ann Dorrington, who disappeared in 1968. Part of her torso was found near the…


Cause of Montana Amtrak Derailment Still Under Investigation

HELENA, Mont.—A preliminary report on an Amtrak train derailment in Montana last month that killed three people and injured dozens more offered no clues about what triggered the accident, but said the train’s emergency brakes were activated and that Amtrak estimated the damage at more than $22 million. However, one attorney whose client is suing…


Montana Man Challenges Electronic Harassment Law in Supreme Court

A Montana man convicted of multiple counts of violating an electronic harassment law is asking the Supreme Court to invalidate the state law, arguing it is so sweeping that it violates free speech rights. Montana’s electronic harassment law is similar to laws in other states, meaning if the Supreme Court were to strike it down…


Pennsylvania School Boards Association Quits National School Boards Association

A controversial letter sent to President Joe Biden, in which the National School Boards Association (NSBA) asked that some parents attending school board meetings be considered domestic terrorists, was the final straw for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA). The letter (PDF) prompted the Department of Justice to announce that the FBI and U.S. attorneys would…


Amtrak Passenger Describes Montana Derailment

One of the passengers who survived the derailment of an Amtrak train in rural Montana last month is telling his story. The crash killed three people and injured dozens of others. Justin Ruddell of Klamath Falls, Oregon, says he was in a bathroom when the train car suddenly derailed. He said the car burst open…


Montana Rescuers Praised in Amtrak Derailmen

Federal investigators are examining overturned rail cars and a stretch of tracks as they try to determine why an Amtrak train derailed in rural Montana over the weekend. The accident killed three people and hospitalized seven others. The coordinator of emergency services for Liberty County, Montana, Sarah Robbin, said the weather was good at the…


Volkswagen to Pay $1.5 Million to Settle New Hampshire, Montana Diesel Claims

WASHINGTON—Volkswagen AG on Monday said it has agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle environmental claims with the states of New Hampshire and Montana over post-vehicle updates of software emissions arising from the 2015 diesel cheating scandal. The settlements for about $280 per vehicle is a small fraction of the maximum liability the German automaker…