MtPublicRadio

A Montana District Judge says state utility regulators erroneously gave NorthWestern Energy a pass from a legal requirement to buy power from local small-scale renewable energy projects. 

Darryl and Kanga are brothers with a deep, dark secret that could get them killed. You see, the boys are robots, hiding in plain sight among their robophobic human neighbors in 1990’s small-town Michigan. Darryl—the “mom” of the pair—is content for he and his brother to fly under the radar as forgettable weirdos, avoiding any undue attention. But when Kanga shows a preternatural talent for basketball and makes the junior varsity team, both of the boys are thrust into the spotlight and the danger of being discovered increases exponentially. 

Updated 5:24 p.m. 

Severe thunderstorms that could impact wildfires are forecast for Friday through Sunday, for details, click here. 

Updated 3:16 p.m.

A public information meeting for the Horsefly Fire will be held on Friday, August 9, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. It will be held at the Canyon Creek Rural Fire District station located at 7560 Duffy Lane in Canyon Creek.

Updated 2:05 p.m.

The Lolo National Forest says, “fire managers are hoping for 100% containment of the Wagon Mountain Fire by the end of the day (today, Thur 8/8).”

A release says firefighters had, “another successful day on the Wagon Mountain Fire. Containment is now is at 70%. All of the control line was finished, and hose lay was placed around the fire’s perimeter. No helicopters were utilized in yesterday’s operations.

Multiple partners are working the fire including the Montana Department of Natural Resources, Bitterroot and Nez-Perce Clearwater National Forests, and crews form other districts on the Lolo National Forest. There are 65 people assigned to the fire and it is being managed by a Type 4 Incident Commander. Strategy for managing the fire will be weather dependent.

Ant lions, or "doodlebugs" have impressive mandibles, are adept at camouflage, and are very successful at trapping and ambushing their prey. "Field Notes" takes a closer look at these fascinating insects.

The new board chair of Potter’s Field Ministries says a third-party financial audit is underway following the closure of the Whitefish-based nonprofit and its subsidiaries due to allegations of fraud, financial mismanagement and abuse. Two law firms investigating over 100 allegations against the ministry question the integrity of the audit.

Searchers have recovered the body of a 64-year-old Canadian man who is believed to have drowned in a small lake at Glacier National Park.

The National Park Service says rangers received a report about 4:30 p.m. yesterday of a man struggling in Pray Lake and then going under water.

Witnesses reported that it appeared the man may have gone into the lake to retrieve a dog. A dog has been found dead.

Rangers dove into the lake but were unable to find the man. Rangers and others searched until dark without finding him, and the search resumed this morning.

37 years ago, Atlantic Richfield abandoned an open pit copper mine in Butte and allowed it to flood with toxic mine water. Now, the company estimates they’re one month away from proving they’re in control of the Berkeley Pit. MTPR's Nora Saks got a sneak peek of their new water treatment facility and has more.

Another 25 to 30 homes could be evacuated about 15 miles east of Lincoln if the fast-growing Horsefly Fire continues moving east-southeast.

Twelve counties around Montana have now instituted burning restrictions because of dry conditions, low humidity and warm temperatures.

The body of the man who drowned in a Glacier National Park lake was recovered today. 

A Montana wildlife management specialist says one of the oldest male grizzly bears recorded along the Rocky Mountain Front was euthanized this week for killing livestock. 

Few sights have the romantic appeal of a lone tree growing in the grasslands of Montana. While these trees are beloved by photographers and artists for the serenity and peace they evoke, their origins typically lie in a more abrasive past. As the Wisconsian and Pinedale glaciations began their slow march from the mountains of western Montana and greater Yellowstone, they picked up rocks of varying sizes from pebbles to house-sized boulders. When the climate shifted and the glaciers melted, the rocks trapped in the ice settled on the ground and became known as glacial erratics.