Montana woman uses chicken therapy to comfort seniors, others recovering from illness, injuryPOLSON, Mont. — Therapy dogs can be a comfort for seniors and those recovering from illnesses and injuries. Fowl Play: Montana woman finds her chickens to be therapeutic, shares them with othersPOLSON, Mont. — Therapy dogs can be a comfort for seniors and those recovering from illnesses and injuries. So how about therapy chickens? Jana Clairmont of Polson, Mont., calls her therapy birds — a white rooster and Cornish game hen — “Fowl Play.” Co-founder of exclusive Yellowstone Club has 10 days to arrange turnover of personal fortuneBILLINGS, Mont. — The bankrupt co-founder of Montana’s millionaires-only Yellowstone Club has 10 days to arrange how she will part with jewelry, furs, cars, houses, art and furniture. Bozeman wants applicants to hand over passwords for Internet groupsHELENA, Mont. — Job applicants with the city of Bozeman are finding that their private Internet discussions and pictures may not be so private after all. Montana approves expansion of gravel pit operation next to Glacier National ParkHELENA, Mont. — Environmental regulators in Montana are allowing a gravel pit next to Glacier National Park to expand its operations, with restrictions to limit its noise and dust. EPA declares public health emergency in Montana town ravaged by asbestosWASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Wednesday it will pump more than $130 million into a Montana town where asbestos contamination has been blamed for more than 200 deaths. Judge says bankrupt co-founder of exclusive Yellowstone Club has to sell personal assetsBUTTE, Mont. — A bankruptcy judge has rejected Edra Blixseth’s bid to reorganize her finances, pushing the co-founder of the ultra-exclusive Yellowstone Club into a forced sale of her many houses, cars and other properties. National Folk Festival in Butte, Mont., July 10-12 celebrating the WestHELENA, Mont. — The lineup for the second National Folk Festival taking place in “Butte, America” July 10-12 stars about 250 singers, dancers and other artists, along with hoofed performers from all over Montana. Grizzly bear victim and his savior plan Montana meeting on 50th anniversary of maulingHELENA, Mont. — Joseph Williams was a 20-year-old Midwesterner hungry for adventure in 1959 when a hike through Glacier National Park turned into a vicious encounter with a grizzly bear. PROMISES, PROMISES: For many American Indians, free health care is a treaty promise not keptCROW AGENCY, Mont. — Ta’Shon Rain Little Light, a happy little girl who loved to dance and dress up in traditional American Indian clothes, had stopped eating and walking. She complained constantly to her mother that her stomach hurt. NorthWestern Energy adds fuel-efficient bucket truck to fleetBUTTE, Mont. — NorthWestern Energy has added a hybrid bucket truck to a growing list of fuel-efficient vehicles in the utility company’s fleet. Researchers bet purple carrots will be easier to swallow than petroleum-based dyes in foodFRESNO, Calif. — The ancient purple carrot is returning to its roots, this time to dye processed foods rather than the robes of Afghan royals. Montana teen, 17, charged with killing 1, injuring 2 in dispute over girl starting with textsHELENA, Mont. — A Montana teenager is accused of killing another teen and injuring two others in a shooting that police say stemmed from an argument over a girl. ND regulators seek change in federal rules on wind power cost sharingBISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota’s wind development boom may force utility customers to pay higher electric bills unless rules on sharing transmission costs are changed, state regulators say. $115M sale of exclusive Yellowstone Club to Boston investor group approved by judgeBILLINGS, Mont. — A federal bankruptcy judge has approved a plan to sell the exclusive Yellowstone Club in Montana for $115 million to a Boston investor group. Lawsuits over hunting of gray wolves filed in federal courts in Montana, WyomingBILLINGS, Mont. — A pair of federal judges will decide which states in the Northern Rockies have enough gray wolves to allow public hunting, as the bitter debate over the region’s wolves heads to courts in Wyoming and Montana. GM bankruptcy closely watched by provider of precious metals for cars Stillwater MiningBILLINGS, Mont. — An official at Stillwater Mining Co., which sells platinum and palladium for use in automobiles’ catalytic converters, says the company is monitoring the General Motors bankruptcy to see if Stillwater-GM contracts will be honored. Amateur paleontologist sentenced to 60 days for stealing raptor bones in MontanaBILLINGS, Mont. — A commercial fossil hunter, whose discovery of the world’s best-preserved dinosaur brought scientific acclaim, will serve 60 days in jail for stealing raptor bones from private land. NCAA looking at Montana’s fantasy sports betting in light of stance against gamblingHELENA, Mont. — State and university officials are working to prove a Montana law that allows fantasy sports leagues does not violate the NCAA’s stance against gambling on sporting events. Gitmo on the Plains: Hard-luck Montana town offers its never-used jail for Guantanamo inmatesHARDIN, Mont. — On Capitol Hill, politicians are dead-set against transferring some of the world’s most feared terrorists from Guantanamo to prisons on U.S. soil. But at City Hall in this impoverished town on the Northern Plains, the attitude is: Bring ‘em on. Correction: Grizzly Bear CoolersHELENA, Mont. — In a May 28 story about food coolers that passed tests for resistance to grizzly bears, The Associated Press misspelled the surname of the owner of Engel USA in Jupiter, Fla. His name is Paul Kabalin, not Kabelin. Bankruptcy judge says Swiss bank’s bid for posh Mont. club must include $42M in debt paymentHELENA, Mont. — A federal bankruptcy judge ruled Wednesday that Credit Suisse must offer about $42 million in cash to clear other creditors’ claims on top of any bid it makes for a luxury Montana resort at auction. Federal bankruptcy judge says Credit Suisse loan to Yellowstone Club was predatoryHELENA, Mont. — A federal bankruptcy judge has ruled that a $375 million loan made by Credit Suisse to a Montana resort for the ultrarich was predatory and should be subordinated to other debts. Offensive lineman J.D. Quinn, at center of Sooners’ NCAA case, agrees to deal with DolphinsMIAMI — Undrafted offensive lineman J.D. Quinn, whose brief career at Oklahoma led to NCAA sanctions, has agreed to terms with the Miami Dolphins. Dave Zelio appointed assistant sports editor for AP’s Central deskCHICAGO — Dave Zelio, assistant bureau chief for The Associated Press in Chicago, has been selected as assistant sports editor for the AP’s Central desk, which covers 14 states in the Midwest. Dave Zelio appointed assistant sports editor for AP’s Central deskCHICAGO — Dave Zelio, assistant bureau chief for The Associated Press in Chicago, has been selected as assistant sports editor for the AP’s Central desk, which covers 14 states in the Midwest. Financial giant Credit Suisse defends its $375M loan to Montana’s fancy Yellowstone ClubMISSOULA, Mont. — Financial giant Credit Suisse is defending its $375 million loan to a now-bankrupt Montana resort for the rich, saying it was a legitimate transaction that reflected standard lending practices at the time. Wyoming, Idaho governors slam federal brucellosis plan, ask Vilsack to withhold actionBILLINGS, Mont. — The governors of Wyoming and Idaho say a federal plan to create a special livestock disease management zone in the Yellowstone region would “taint” the area’s cattle industry but do nothing to eliminate the disease. Autopsy: No drugs in system of pilot in fatal Montana plane crash, likely no heart attackHELENA, Mont. — A Montana coroner says the pilot in a March plane crash that killed 14 had no drugs or alcohol in his system and did not appear to have suffered a heart attack. Yellowstone Club owner says she opposed $375M loan blamed in collapse of Montana resortMISSOULA, Mont. — The owner of the ultra-exclusive Yellowstone Club says she opposed a $375 million loan blamed for the resort’s financial collapse, but never tried to stop the transaction. |