KBZK

Posted 09/03/2010 7:05 AM

KILL DEVIL HILLS, North Carolina (CNN) -- A giant Hurricane Earl raked the North Carolina coastline with high winds and 35-foot waves Friday morning, but the governor said the state had "dodged the bullet" as the massive storm moved toward New England.

Gov. Bev Perdue told CNN's "American Morning" that there had been no loss of life and apparently minimal damage from the Category 2 hurricane.

"We are all anxious to get property assessments from Dare County," said Perdue,… Click to Read More

Posted 09/03/2010 7:01 AM by Marnee Banks

HELENA - Banks from Billings to Bozeman to Helena have been hit hard by the declining economy and banking regulators have stepped in, in many of these cases to ensure Montana's money is safe.

"What we have seen in Montana is not unlike what has been occurring nationally. The economy nationally has been stressed and it has also occurred in Montana," said Annie Goodwin, Division of Banking Commissioner.

Banking regulators have a series of tools in which they use to monitor banki… Click to Read More

Posted 09/03/2010 6:59 AM by Donna Kelley

A new study suggests that at least one in seven home kitchens would flunk the kind of health inspection commonly administered to restaurants.

The small survey done in Los Angeles County found that less than two-thirds of home kitchens would get an A or B if put through the rigors of a restaurant inspection and at least 14% would fail.

In comparison, 98 percent of restaurants in the country get A or B scores each year. The study is believed to be one of the first to offer this … Click to Read More

Posted 09/02/2010 5:13 PM by Erin Yeykal

A Three Forks man who admitted earlier to killing his ex-girlfriend may now withdraw his guilty plea after his attorney raised questions about a "huge problem" he encountered while reviewing the pre-sentence report.

Jay Myran, 38, appeared in court for sentencing Thursday afternoon; but the hearing barely began before Myran's defense attorney, Peter Ohman, put it on hold.

Ohman told Judge Holly Brown he recently received paperwork that included a statement made by Myran's teen… Click to Read More

Posted 09/02/2010 5:32 PM by Meteorologist Adam Bell

Happy almost Friday everyone! Expect the beautifully sunny skies to continue into your Friday with mild temperatures also hanging tough. High pressure currently situated over Montana will continue to lead to these warm conditions over the next 36 hours or so.

As we head into the Labor Day weekend, expect conditions to slowly progress to much more unsettled fall-like weather, compared to the summer-like start we are experiencing now.

A cold front currently over the Pacific will… Click to Read More

Posted 09/02/2010 5:32 PM by Dan Boyce

A friend and fellow pilot took to the air Thursday to pay tribute to a Belgrade man who was killed when his helicopter crashed in Idaho earlier this week.

Pilot Mike Carisch climbed inside his own red and white chopper and towed a 20-by-30-foot American flag banner behind him in memory of Perry Krinitt, 43, who was killed in Kamiah, Idaho while he was on a fish counting job. Two biologists were also killed in the crash.

"I'm doing this to honor my friend. It's a salute to him… Click to Read More

Posted 09/02/2010 3:04 PM by David Sherman (KRTV)

The Rimrock Humane Society came to the rescue of two baby goats that somehow got trapped on the pillar of a 60-foot high bridge between Billings and Roundup.

The goats were spotted on the ledge on Wednesday morning; Sandy Church of the Rimrock Humane Society said it's not yet known how the animals ended up in such a precarious predicament.

Church and Cory Freeman of Animal Edventures Sanctuary were able to get help from Signal Peak Energy to rescue the goats, using a cra… Click to Read More

Posted 09/03/2010 7:01 AM by Dan Boyce

Play Video

Bank of Bozeman President Phillip Bratton wants to assure his customers their money is safe, despite a recent consent order from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

"One hundred percent safe," Bratton said. "As long as it's under the $250,000 FDIC maximum."

The June 2 order details a series of 'unsafe' banking practices undertaken over the last few years. These inc… Click to Read More

Posted 09/02/2010 5:27 PM by CNN Wire Staff

UPDATE: (CNN) -- An oil rig has exploded 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana, with 13 people overboard, including one injured, the Coast Guard said Thursday morning.

The explosion happened south of Vermilion Bay on the Vermilion Oil Rig 380, which is owned by Mariner Energy, said John Edwards, a chief petty officer with the Coast Guard in New Orleans.

Thirteen people have been accounted for, said Petty Officer Bill Colclough of the Coast Guard. One person is i… Click to Read More

Posted 09/02/2010 5:31 PM by Associated Press

BUTTE, Mont. (AP) - A security guard at the ultra-exclusive Yellowstone Club has paid $1,735 in restitution and fines for illegally killing a black bear while trying to haze the animal away from a paintball course.

The Montana Standard reports Shane Barstad paid $1,000 in restitution and a $735 fine in Justice Court in Madison County this week.

Justice of the Peace Mary Ann O'Malley says Barstad paid the penalties for the misdemeanor citation for killing a large animal o… Click to Read More

Posted 09/02/2010 10:13 AM by John Sherer reporting

Play Video

Two people were taken to the hospital after a three-vehicle collision near the intersection of Thorpe and Amsterdam roads in Belgrade this morning.

The crash happened at about 8 a.m. Amsterdam Road was closed for about a half hour after the crash.

The vehicles involved in the crash were traveling eastbound on Amsterdam Road about a quarter mile west of the intersection with Thorpe Road when they collided. A line of cars had stopped at the intersection of Thorpe and Amsterdam r… Click to Read More

Posted 09/02/2010 11:05 AM by Lindsay Clein

Knife River officials say the Valley Center Road construction project off of Love Lane is going well. They expect to have most of the project done by November, leaving chip sealing and striping for next summer.

The project has involved rebuilding and reconstructing the road and incorporating new pedestrian facilities into the road.

County Commissioner Bill Murdock says this project has been a top priority for secondary road money for Gallatin County Commissioners f… Click to Read More

Posted 09/02/2010 11:06 AM by Lindsay Clein

The Montana Department of Transportation says that a light is being installed at the intersection of Huffine Lane and Gooch Hill.

The signal installation has caused reduced speeds to 35 miles per hour on Huffine Lane as well as some single lane traffic.

MDT officials say the single lane traffic will swap depending on the side of the road they are working on.

The project is expected to be complete by the end of October.

Posted 09/02/2010 9:19 AM by Dan Boyce

The Museum of the Rockies unveiled a surprise new short term exhibit on Wednesday, a congressional act considered one of the 100 most important documents in U.S. history.

The Morrill Land Grant College Act of 1862 will be on display from this Friday, Sept.r 3 until Oct. 2. Its carefully protected parchment bears the signature of then President Abraham Lincoln.

The act set aside land in each state or territory to be sold or leased to produce a public university. In Montana, it … Click to Read More

Posted 09/02/2010 5:30 PM by Donna Kelley

A Belgrade pilot who was killed in the helicopter crash in Idaho knew at an early age he wanted to fly helicopters, his mother said Wednesday.

Florence Krinitt sat down Wednesday to remember her son Perry Krinitt who was killed in Kamiah, Idaho yesterday on a fish counting job. Two biologists were also killed in the crash.

Mrs. Krinitt said Perry loved helicopters and was very accomplished. He had his pilot's license for many years and was also a trai… Click to Read More

Posted 09/02/2010 9:05 AM

Scientists in Montana, Colorado and Idaho are conducting a $3.85 million research project that will examine how a changing climate will influence wildfires.

The work, which is being pursued in partnership with scientists in Australia and New Zealand, kicked off on Wednesday.

Montana State University professor Cathy Whitlock says the goal is to identify how wildfires are driven by human activities and climate change.

Whitlock added that the frequency and severity of… Click to Read More

Posted 09/02/2010 5:30 PM by Mark Holyoak

WASHINGTON DC - A U.S. magistrate judge recommended the dismissal of a lawsuit by groups in support of Montana's "Firearms Freedom Act," which states federal gun laws do not apply to guns made in Montana.

The judge agreed with a brief filed by several anti-gun groups, arguing the law is unconstitutional.

"The gun lobby's so-called ‘Freedom Acts' would threaten public safety by circumventing lifesaving federal laws," said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Center. … Click to Read More

Posted 09/02/2010 9:19 AM by Meteorologist Mike Heard

High pressure is now building into Montana, clearing skies nicely early this morning.

A dry weather pattern is likely now through at least Friday with this building ridge and temperatures will be climbing to near normal levels by Friday and continue into Saturday. Forecast highs today will only reach the 60s and a few lower 70s, but Friday and Saturday look for those numbers to go up into 70s and a few low 80s.

The ridge pattern should flatten and weaken by Sunday, a series of… Click to Read More

Posted 09/02/2010 9:16 AM by Meteorologist Mike Heard

From the graphic above you can see three storms out in the tropical Atlantic Ocean.

The first major hurricane is Earl, and it will skirt the East Coast Friday into Saturday and work into eastern Canada by Sunday. This storm is expected to stay mostly just off the East Coast out in open water but should produce flooding rains and damaging winds to North Carolina up to Massachusetts. This storm system will be stealing the weather spotlight Friday and Saturday.

Read more on my bl… Click to Read More

Posted 09/02/2010 9:17 AM by Dan Boyce

Congressman Denny Rehberg was in friendly political company for a discussion session with top officials of the Montana Farm Bureau Wednesday afternoon.

The small group spoke for about an hour on a range of hot button issues. Many of these, like the recently passed healthcare reform bill and stimulus package, were not directly related to agriculture but a consistent theme ran throughout.

The typically conservative federation agreed with Rehberg in wanting lower government spend… Click to Read More