A powerful area of low pressure developing across the Desert Southwest will be moving well south of Montana but it will bring just enough moisture into the state to provide a chance of isolated to scattered snow showers through the day.

No accumulation is expected over the lower elevations or plains but some mountain areas could pick up a couple inches of fresh snow.

With cloudy skies through the day, temperatures will remain cold with highs in the 20s and lower 30s.

Sunshine will return on Thursday with highs rebounding into the upper 30s.

Another storm system will cross through the state over the weekend bringing widespread mountain snow and gusty winds to the plains.

Right now, it appears that most lower elevation locations will only see scattered snow showers out of this weekend system.

Have a great day!
Meteorologist Matt Jones

 

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BILLINGS - Country/pop music star Carrie Underwood rocked Billings on Tuesday night, with opening performer Hunter Hayes delighting the packed MetraPark before she took the stage.

The bright-eyed, confident Hayes excited the crowed with his award-winnings songs "Wanted" and "Storm Warning." He performed as if he wasn't opening, but the main act.

When Underwood took the stage, the "American Idol" winner worked her pipes, belting out "Good Girl," the first single from her 2012 album "Blown Away."

Enough with our chit-chat - we'll let her do the singing. Click the video above for a 180-second taste of her performance.

 

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Montana game wardens are asking for help as they investigate the case of a cow moose that was poached this week northeast of Avon near Carpenter and Ophir Creeks.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks game warden Joe Kambic responded on Tuesday to a report of an injured moose.

He found the moose dead, with evidence of multiple gunshot wounds from a small-caliber rifle.

Kambic believes that the moose was shot sometime on Monday, February 18, did not immediately die, and was left to waste.

Kambic is now asking for help from the public to solve the case.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call 1.800.TIP.MONT (1.800.847.6668) or Kambic at 406.490.1227.

Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000 for providing information that leads to a conviction.

Photos above are from MT FWP.

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HELENA -  Angelica Melody Gray made her initial appearance in District Court on Wednesday morning after being brought back by law enforcement from California last week.

The 22-year old mother of two is in jail on violations of her probation for leaving the state without permission.

Gray's court-appointed attorney told Judge Menahan that Gray has her own attorney who wasn't present in court during today's hearing.

Despite that, the judge chose to let Gray know what she faces for the alleged violation.

Gray was previously given a deferred sentence for two counts of felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs. One of those was for psilocybin mushrooms, the other for marijuana.

In the petition to revoke, Gray could face up to five years in prison for each count.

The County Attorney's office is still deciding what charges to file against Gray for leaving her children alone at the YWCA in December when she was reported missing; her disappearance sparked a large search by several law enforcement agencies.

Gray remains in jail on a $50,000 bond.

 

 

(December 31, 2012) Angelica Melody Gray, the Helena woman who was reported missing on December 11th, is alive and currently being detained in Los Angeles, California, according to Helena Police Chief Troy McGee.

The circumstances of her appearance in Los Angeles have not yet been disclosed.

Last week, the Madera County jail in central California confirmed that they had detained James Alexander Lee of Helena for an out of state warrant for his recent connection to Gray, the 22-year old mother of two.

The Helena Police Department issued the arrest warrant for Lee in order to question him regarding Gray's disappearance.

On December 17th, authorities received information that Lee was traveling with Gray in California but when Lee was stopped, she wasn't with him, and he told authorities at the time that he had dropped her off just outside of the town of Madera.

 

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Former Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer (D) is still making headlines even after leaving office.

Public Policy Polling just released data saying that if Schweitzer decides to challenge incumbent U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D) in 2014, he would lead with 54% among Democratic primary voters. The poll shows Baucus taking 35% of the vote.

On Wednesday, someone posted the link to the poll on Schweitzer's Facebook page raising the question: will he jump into the race?

We spoke to Schweitzer on Wednesday and he said, "I am not goofy enough to be in the House, and I'm not senile enough to be in the Senate."

Schweitzer told the Montana Television Network he hadn't even seen the poll and he doesn't post to his own Facebook page. He says his staff does that and he would go take a look at it.

He did however say that he would have "big news" for us in the next week or so.

In the meantime he is at his place on Georgetown Lake snowmobiling and putting logs on the fire.

The Public Policy Polling report (click here, PDF) notes that Schweitzer's +77 favorability rating (86/9) with Montana Democrats is also 19 points higher than Baucus' +58 job approval rating (76/18).

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Top stories on KXLH for the evening of Wednesday, February 20, 2013.

- Gray In Court: Angelica Gray made her initial appearance in District Court after being brought back by law enforcement from California last week. The 22-year old mother of two is in jail on violations of her probation for leaving the state without permission. Gray was previously given a deferred sentence for two counts of felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs. In the petition to revoke, Gray could face up to five years in prison for each count. The County Attorney's office is still deciding what charges to file against Gray for leaving her children alone at the YWCA in December when she was reported missing; her disappearance sparked a large search by several law enforcement agencies.

- Stebbins Plea: William Stebbins, accused of breaking into a woman's apartment and then stealing and forging her checks, has changed his plea in District Court to guilty. Stebbins is charged with felony burglary, misdemeanor theft and forgery. In exchange for his plea, the County Attorney's office is expected to accept a four-year deferred sentence on the charges along with restitution to the victim.

- Rape Trial: After a four day break, the trial resumed today in the Jordan Johnson rape case. The former UM Grizzly quarterback is accused of raping a woman at her apartment while the two were watching a movie. 

- Poached: Montana game wardens are are investigating the case of a cow moose that was poached this week northeast of Avon near Carpenter and Ophir Creeks. There was evidence of multiple gunshot wounds from a small-caliber rifle. FWP believes the moose was shot sometime on Monday, February 18, did not immediately die, and was left to waste. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call 1.800.TIP.MONT (1.800.847.6668) or Kambic at 406.490.1227.

- Airport Changes: The Transportation Security Administration has unofficially informed the Helena Regional Airport they intend to remove the latest full body scanner from the airport tomorrow. It is one of several across the country at small airports slated to be removed; they'll be transferred to larger airports to replace nude body image x-ray scanners. Helena airport director Ron Mercer is looking for ways to stop the removal.

- MT Jobs: Governor Steve Bullock aims to keep Montana construction projects in the hands of Montana companies. House Bill 490 would require that 75% publicly-funded projects be completed by Montanans, rather than the current requirement of 50%. Bullock says many of our neighboring states mandate that an even higher percentage of the work be carried out by state residents.

- Campaign Finance: The MT House of Representatives approved two campaign finance reform bills. The first would require "dark money" groups to put a disclaimer on all their campaign ads. The second bill would require political groups with anonymous donors to file a report with the Commissioner of Political Practices. Both bills face one more procedural vote before heading to the Senate.

- Assisted Suicide: Doctors and patients testified about a bill which would prohibit physician-assisted suicide. The legislation would create stiff penalties if a doctor prescribes life-ending drugs to a terminally-ill patient. Supporters say the bill prevents elder abuse and doctor misconduct. Opponents say these end of life decisions need to be left between the doctor and the patient, and not the government.

- Senator Schweitzer? Former Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer (D) is still making headlines even after leaving office. Public Policy Polling just released data saying that if Schweitzer decides to challenge incumbent U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D) in 2014, he would lead with 54% among Democratic primary voters. The poll shows Baucus taking 35% of the vote.

 

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GREAT FALLS - Brandi Rae Bargas pled guilty in a Great Falls courtroom on Wednesday to charges of endangering the welfare of a child, and criminal endangerment.

Bargas appeared in court in August after her 9-month old son was taken to the hospital with near-deadly levels of methamphetamine in his body.

Lab results showed that the amount of meth ingested was among the highest ever seen in a child that survived.

Bargas's sentencing is set for April 3rd.

According to court documents, in April 2012, Bargas was eating dinner when her child spilled her drink on the floor and then licked his hands.

The child then began acting strangely; court documents state that Bargas recorded some of the behavior on her cell phone, and the video showed the child "lying on the floor and pivoting around on the floor with his head in one place and his body moving in a circle around it."

Bargas told police that she then called her relatives for advice; one of them told her to take the baby to the hospital.

Court documents say the child was screaming and had tremors in his legs and hands at the hospital.

The MT Department of Health & Human Services reported that initial lab results showed that the level of the drug in the baby's system was the highest that health officials had ever seen where the child survived.

Court documents state that Bargas initially told police that she suspected the baby ingested the drug from meth residue on the floor of the apartment left by former tenants.

Bargas then admitted to police that's she's a recovering addict and that the last time she had used meth was 40 days before the incident.

The baby recovered and was released to the custody of a grandmother.

 

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After a gloomy Wednesday, sunshine is back in our forecast today as high pressure starts to build in from the west.

Highs will climb into the mid 30s across the Helena Valley which is just slightly below average for this time of year.

Clouds will be increasing once again on Friday and it will be windy at times over the higher elevations.

Highs will climb into the lower 40s Friday afternoon.

A Pacific storm system will race across the state over the weekend bringing gusty winds and widespread mountain snowfall.

For the lower elevations, scattered snow showers can be expected Saturday into early Sunday morning with little accumulation.

Temperatures will cool slightly as this system moves through with highs in the upper 30s.

 

Have a great day!

Meteorologist Matt Jones

 

 

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BUTTE - As we near St. Patrick's Day, it will be all about the Irish, but there is one Cornish dish that has been around for decades and continues to survive in Butte: the pasty.

Tom Laity, the owner of Joe's Pasty Shop, explained, "The original idea was for the miners in Cornwall and various parts of Great Britain to take them for lunch when they were working in the mines underground and it came over to this country when the miners came over here."

The original pasties in Cornwall, England, had a handle of sorts so that the miners in could lift up the pasty; Laity says that extra crust was a way for miners to not have to touch the main part of the pasty with their dirty hands.

Today that extra crust is cut off from the pasty.

Laity says making pastys is like making a little piece of history every morning: "It's still basically the same thing. We've had people tell us that it's the same thing they had when they were here as little kids and we've had people come in from England and Cornwall and different places and say that they think they were home because it tastes very close to what they would get over there," he says.

Laity and his wife have been operating Joe's Pasty Shop for almost 20 years.

 

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HELENA - Montanans who want the option of ending their own life with a doctor's help told lawmakers in Helena on Wednesday why they should have that right.

Doctors and patients testified on a bill which would prohibit physician-assisted suicide.

The legislation provides for stiff penalties if a doctor prescribes a terminally ill patient life-ending drugs, and the physician would face 10 years in prison or a $50,000 fine.

Supporters say the bill prevents elder abuse and doctor misconduct.

"Doctors are held in high esteem by the public. But they would significantly undermine their public trust in their profession by aiding in killing their patients. Therefore, we need to close the door for good on physician assisted suicide," Big Sky resident Ted Friesen said.

But opponents say these end of life decisions need to be left between the doctor and the patient and not the government. They also say it could lead to imprisonment of doctors.

"I plead with this committee. Let me listen to my patients. Let me honestly answer their questions. Let me respect their constitutionally protected rights. Let me continue to deserve their trust.," Dr. Kenneth Eden with the American College of Physicians testified.

The proposed bill does not apply to comfort care at the end of someone's life.

 

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It's not often you will ever have the chance to win a car but a Helena man was given the keys to a new ride after winning a nationwide sweepstakes by Chevrolet.

A brand new *Hot Wheels* real-life special edition Chevy Camaro is now under the ownership of Jacob Lafountaine.

When Jacob first got word he was a winner, he didn't think it was actually legit.

But now after sitting in the car he doesn't know the long term plans with the Camaro other than testing it out on the open road.

This special edition Camaro's value is about $7,000 more than a standard model, making it worth over $30,000.

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HELENA - William Stebbins, accused of breaking into a woman's apartment, changed his plea to guilty on Wednesday.

Stebbins is charged with felony burglary, misdemeanor theft, and forgery.

In exchange for his plea, the County Attorney's office is expected to accept a 4-year deferred sentence on the charges along with restitution to the victim.

The incident occurred in 2011 when the woman reported her checks missing.

They were later found to be written out to Mr. Stebbins and cashed at the Gold Bar.

His sentencing is scheduled for April 3rd, following a pre-sentence investigation.

 

 

(September 19, 2012)   William S. Stebbins of Helena has been charged with breaking into a women's apartment, and then stealing and forging a check.

The alleged incident occurred in 2011 when the woman reported her check missing, which was later found to be written out to Stebbins and cashed at the Gold Bar.

Stebbins, who was the former manager of a local TV station and former manager of the Capitol Hill Mall, is being held on a $50,000 bond.

If convicted on the burglary charge he could face up to 20 years in prison.

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The Transportation Security Administration has unofficially informed the Helena Regional Airport they intend to remove the latest full body scanner from the airport this week.

It is one of several across the country at small airports slated to be removed; they'll be transferred to larger airports to replace nude body image x-ray scanners. The scanner in Kalispell was removed on Wednesday.

The TSA has until June 1st to get rid of all of those scanners nationwide.

Helena airport director Ron Mercer is looking for ways to stop the removal: "It seems there should be other things looked at, like extending the period of time to get more of these machines manufactured and put them into the larger airports. Some states haven't even heard about it. Some have heard rumors. I mean, it's the poorest orchestrated mess I have seen from somebody who is a 'partner' with us in aviation security that I've ever seen."

Mercer says the Helena Airport will still have its older model walk-through unit, but it will be accompanied by pat-downs.

The changes will also increase the length of passenger waiting lines at the checkpoint.

Helena Regional Airport spent $125,000 installing the new body scanner about a year ago.

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HELENA - A pair of campaign finance reform bills sailed through the Montana House of Representatives on Wednesday.

The first would require "dark money" groups to put a disclaimer on all their campaign ads.

MT State Representative Rob Cook (R-Conrad) said, "The purpose of the bill is to provide the voter with a clearer understanding of what kind of money is responsible for the election materials they are receiving. The proposed disclaimer would read: his communication is funded by anonymous sources. The voters should determine the veracity of it's content."

The second bill would require political groups with anonymous donors to file reports with the MT Commissioner of Political Practices.

The report would list how much money the group spends and which candidate or issue they are advertising for.

The bills still face one more procedural vote before heading to the Montana Senate.

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HELENA - "Through With Chew" week is underway; it's a time dedicated to raising awareness of the negative effects associated with smokeless tobacco.

Health educator Brett Christian says this hits home with our youth.

He says high school boys in Montana chew tobacco at a much higher rate than their peers across the country.

Christian said, "The tobacco companies are heavily marketing their smokeless products (by) saying that they are safe alternatives, but then remember smokeless tobacco is not a safe alternative to smoking even though they are being marketed that way by the tobacco companies."

To help raise awareness, health advocates will be offering a free screening of the documentary called "Addiction Incorporated."

The free showing will be held on Thursday, February 21st, at 7pm at the Myrna Loy Theater.

 

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HELENA - Governor Steve Bullock aims to put more Montana construction projects in the hands of more Montana workers.

House Bill 490 would require that 75% publicly-funded projects be completed by Montanans, rather than the current requirement of 50%.

Bullock says many of our neighboring states mandate that an even higher percentage of the work be carried out by state residents.

Bullock said, "Pass this measure, we can put more money into the hands of Montana business and create jobs for more Montana workers. It is just common sense, when taxpayer money is funding a project, let's put Montana companies and Montana workers first."

The bill is scheduled to be heard in front of the House Business & Labor committee on Thursday.

Click here to read the full bill.

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HELENA - Jay Gleason of Bozeman has claimed a $815,486 Wild Card jackpot in the Montana Lottery.

Gleason purchased the winning ticket at Rosauer's Food & Drug in Bozeman for the February 13 drawing.

Gleason, who has a background in math and statistics, noted "I like numbers."

When claiming his prize at Montana Lottery headquarters in Helena, he carried with him more than 10 years worth of Lottery numbers he has tracked.

Gleason says that he writes down the numbers from each drawing and how often each number comes up, and as a 73-year old retiree, he says that he "has plenty of time to analyze the data."

Gleason is a long-time lottery player, and said that won $10,000 in 2004 playing Hot Lotto.

Gleason has no firm plans yet for his winnings but said he will probably pass some of the money along to his kids and grandkids.

 

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HELENA - Lewis & Clark County Commissioners say they plan to be transparent about choosing their next fellow commissioner.

Three candidates were selected and sent to them for review by the Republican Central Committee last month.

Commissioners plan to include the public during their interview process.

Commissioner Andy Hunthausen said, "That's our plan, is to make it as public and open as possible. We're going to do it at one of our commission meetings which will be on TV. The public's invited to come. We want to ask the questions in public, we want them to answer in public and then we want to invite the public to ask questions or to make public comment on the candidates and what they think and all of that will allow us as the two commissioners making the decision more information as to make the best decision possible."

The candidates will make their debut for the interviews on Tuesday, February 26th, at 9:00 am, during the County Commission meeting in room 303 at the City County Building.

The public is invited to attend.

(January 30, 2013) Lewis & Clark County Commissioners are one step closer to filling the seat vacated by former Republican Commissioner Derek Brown.

Commissioners received a letter from the County Republican Central Committee on Tuesday with the names of three candidates: Gilda Clancy, Pat Faber, and Dan Wickens.

Commissioners say they hope to conduct background checks on the candidates before interviewing them.

Mike Murray, chairman of the commission, said, "If one individual happens to have a problem with a background check, we will immediately ask for the additional three names. After our interviews with the individuals if we don't find the perfect date among the three, it would be our intent to ask for three more names then so we'd have a total of six names or six individuals to pick from."

Clancy is a former state legislator from the district and is currently a partner in a family business brokering land royalties and leases.

Wickens is a former Marine intelligence officer. He works to protect the Montana National Guard from crime, such as terrorism, disaster and cyber attacks.

Faber is a hydro-geologist consultant on issues relating to water and the environment.

Brown still had two years left on his six-year term when her abruptly resigned several weeks ago.

 

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Helena police are asking for the public's help in finding brand new La-Z-Boy furniture that was stolen while still in their boxes, awaiting transport.

The furniture was stolen from semi-trailers parked at Watkins Shepard while awaiting shipment.

Thieves broke the seal on the trailer door and hauled the furniture away a piece at a time.

Helena Police Chief Troy McGee said, "Three La-Z-Boy sofas, a La-Z-Boy chair, five various type tables that go in living rooms, a bench, and valued at about $6,100."

The trucking company believes thieves may have taken the furniture sometime between late January and February 14th.

If you have any information about this crime or others, you are asked to contact Helena Police or Crimestoppers.

 

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John Marshall Denny has been reported as missing and/or endangered by the Whitefish Police Department.

The announcement has been posted on the Montana Department of Justice website.

Denny was last seen leaving his residence in Whitefish on Tuesday, February 19th, 2013, at approximately 12:30 PM.

Denny is 25 years old, 6'1", about 250 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair.

The Whitefish Police Department says that Denny has known mental health issues and is off of his medications.

He is not known to have any weapons or vehicles.

Denny was last seen wearing a red hoodie, blue jeans, and black and white tennis shoes.

Authorities say that he may have a goatee and may be wearing glasses.

Anyone having contact with Denny is asked to call the Whitefish Police Department at 406-863-2420.

 

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