Montana/Region

Avalanche center director studies snowpack to save lives

KALISPELL (AP) — Most guests at Whitefish Mountain Resort turned in as the snow picked up on a Wednesday afternoon. But wintry conditions are part of Zach Guy’s job.

To demonstrate his work, the avalanche forecaster pointed his skis toward a gentle slope near the Flower Point chair, pulled a folding shovel out of his pack and started digging. Looking at a chiseled cross-section of the snowpack, he drew conclusions that would escape an untrained eye.

Grizzly trapper prepares for 24th summer in the woods

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BOZEMAN (AP) — If you were to imagine someone who traps grizzly bears for a living, you’d imagine someone like Chad Dickinson. Large, bearded, deep-voiced. The kind of guy who would much rather be deep in the woods than in an office talking to a newspaper reporter.

His love of being out there is part of the reason Dickinson is slated for his 24th consecutive summer of trapping grizzlies.

Regional News Briefs

Death of Wyoming man whose car caught fire was an accident

ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. (AP) — Investigators say the death of a 47-year-old man whose car caught fire in southwestern Wyoming was an accident. Michael Lee Tinnie was driving to see a waterfall west of Rock Springs on Feb. 15 when his car got stuck in an area of tall, thick sagebrush that pressed tightly against the driver’s side door. Investigators believe heat from the exhaust system or the catalytic converter sparked the blaze.

US bank halts NRA credit card

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The nation’s largest privately-owned bank holding company and a major car rental chain said Thursday they will stop promotions aimed at National Rifle Association members.

The Nebraska-based First National Bank of Omaha will not renew its contract to issue the group’s NRA Visa Card, spokesman Kevin Langin said in a statement.

“Customer feedback has caused us to review our relationship with the NRA,” Langin said.

Langin declined to say when the contract would expire and would not elaborate on what sort of feedback the company had received.

Idaho schools to adopt new science standards

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — After three years of resistance at the GOP-dominant Statehouse, Idaho schools are implementing a new slate of robust science standards.

The Senate Education Committee on Thursday approved adopting the updated science standards after little debate.

Out-of-state insurance plans bill heads to Senate

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A proposal to allow health insurers from other states to sell their plans in Idaho won enough support to advance to the Senate floor on Thursday, despite concerns from lawmakers the bill will likely not deliver on its promises.

“I don’t see land mines in this, I don’t think, but this language makes me wonder does it really have any utility,” said Sen. Grant Burgoyne, a Democrat from Boise, before voting favor of the measure. “And if it doesn’t, I kind of wonder what we’re doing here.”

Regional News Briefs

Montana boy accused of making school threats faces charges

Montana ballot initiative would target mining pollution

BILLINGS (AP) — Conservationists are proposing a citizen’s initiative for Montana’s 2018 election that would toughen pollution rules for new hardrock mines.

Supporters of the initiative say they filed paperwork with the Secretary of State’s office on Wednesday in preparation for a signature gathering effort expected to begin next month.

Judge orders gov’t review of Keystone pipeline documents

BILLINGS (AP) — Federal officials must go back and review documents related to the disputed Keystone XL oil pipeline, under a Wednesday court ruling that came after environmentalists accused President Donald Trump’s administration of withholding details on the project’s approval.

U.S. District Judge Brian Morris said the government must provide any relevant documents by March 21 or explain why they should be withheld.

Yellowstone fee proposal advances in Wyoming Legislature

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A proposal advocating for the collection of a fee at Yellowstone National Park to fund wildlife conservation efforts in the states surrounding the park is advancing through the Wyoming Legislature.

The nonbinding resolution, which passed the state House Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Committee on a 9-0 vote Wednesday. It also approved expanding the concept to Grand Teton National Park, which is just south of Yellowstone in northwest Wyoming.

It now goes to the full Wyoming House for debate.