Montana News

EPA Pushes Tough Asbestos Standard for Mont. Town

A proposed standard for federal cleanup of asbestos contamination in a Montana town concludes that even a tiny amount of the material can lead to lung problems, a benchmark far more rigorous than any in the past and one that …

Montana Legal Group Gets $1.2M From Settlement Over Insurance Fees

State insurance officials say a Montana legal services charity will receive $1.2 million from a law firm that represented plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit over insurance fees. Montana Securities and Insurance Commissioner Monica Lindeen is scheduled to announce final resolution …

Montana DUI Program Reaches Milestone

Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock says 100,000 alcohol breath tests have so far been conducted under the state’s year-old drunk driving enforcement program. The 24/7 Sobriety Program forces repeat DUI offenders to undergo daily alcohol tests at their own expense. …

Experts Predict High Wildfire Risk In August

Wildfire experts say states across the West are now at the highest risk of the season for wildfires as hot weather patterns continue to dry out fuels and forests across the region. Ed Delgado at the National Interagency Fire Center …

Environmentalists To Sue Colstrip Over Pollution in Mont.

Environmentalists filed notice Wednesday that they plan to sue the six companies that co-own eastern Montana’s Colstrip power plant over alleged pollution violations. The Sierra Club and Montana Environmental Information Center say the plant’s owners failed to upgrade pollution control …

Dead Cattle, Devastation In Wake Of Western Fires

Cecil and Delores Kolka thought they escaped the worst of the Ash Creek Fire when the 390-square-mile blaze spared their home and several pastures as it ripped through the couple’s Montana cattle ranch. But when the family went to round …

Former Prison Employee Files Lawsuit Over Virus

A woman who worked at the Montana Women’s Prison while she was pregnant has filed a lawsuit alleging she contracted a virus that caused her child to suffer severe neurological damage. The Billings Gazette reported Brittany Mumm and her husband …

Great Falls, Mont. Bans Cell Phones For Drivers

Great Falls banned hand-held cell phones for motorists and cyclists, hoping to make navigating the streets of this central Montana town a bit safer from distracted drivers. The Great Falls Tribune reported commissioners favoring the ban sought to underscore expectations …

Judge: Parents Of Child With Lung Disease Can Sue

A District Court judge in Gallatin County says a Montana couple who say they would have terminated a pregnancy if they had known their daughter would be born with cystic fibrosis can move forward with their lawsuit against their health …

Montana City Considering Cellphone Ban For Drivers

Officials in Columbia Falls, Mont. are considering a cellphone ban while driving after a man drove into the Flathead River while texting. City Manager Susan Nicosia told the Flathead Beacon that the incident along with several other close calls led …