On tonight's evening newscast: At least seven new lighting-caused fires on the Bitterroot National Forest are small and manageable thanks to quick initial attack by fire crews. Forest spokesman Tod McKay says thunderstorms produced 175 confirmed lighting strikes in the Bitterroot and Missoula areas last night.
The U.S. Forest Service’s Jennifer Rankowski has the latest on the Glacier Rim Fire burning just south of Glacier National Park.
Counties across western Montana today imposed Stage One fire restrictions effective this Friday morning at 12:01 a.m. The restrictions come along with a ban on fireworks on all public and private land in Missoula, Ravalli, and Lake, and Lincoln counties. Flathead County commissioners will vote Thursday on a county-wide fireworks ban.
A grass fire that started this afternoon outside of Browning quickly grew from 30 to 300 acres, but firefighters expect to contain it this evening.
Starting July 1, Whitefish city resort tax will increase 1 percent as a result of a vote of city taxpayers last April. Corin Cates-Carney spoke with the town’s Major about the need for the tax bump.
The Glacier Rim Fire which started just outside Glacier National Park hasn't gronw much says a park spokesperson.
Montana's constitutional ban on gay marriage still remains on the books after the Supreme Court's gay marriage ruling this last week.
An executive with a credit rating agency says the problems found in a recent audit of state finances aren't likely to impact Montana's bond rating.