Lincoln Montana

It’s been a busy spring for Montana wildlife officials dealing with bear incidents.

A grizzly bear died Monday after eating pesticides in an open garage in north-central Montana. State wildlife officials say the sub-adult female had been seen with a sibling in the area northwest of Great Falls in the days before it died. The 143-pound bear died within hours of ingesting the chemicals.

Flooding continues to be a concern on rivers and streams across western and central Montana. In Missoula, evacuation orders are still in place for 65 homes, with warnings posted for an additional 2,200 more. But there’s at least a glimmer of good news for the Clark Fork River above Missoula.

Flooding on some western Montana rivers slowed early this week, but warming temperatures mean more flooding is on the way.

The weekend’s cold front dropped a lot of rain over western Montana and sent the Clark Fork into a minor flood stage by mid-morning Sunday.

According to Missoula National Weather Service meteorologist Bob Nester says the river was expected to reach moderate flood stage by Tuesday evening.