Montana News Roundup: BREAKING: Arrest made in Anaconda Killings

UPDATE: 3 PM Friday

Reports out of Anaconda this afternoon that authorities have apprehended killer Michael Brown, a week after he gunned down 4 people at the Owl Bar.

Details are still limited, but the Anaconder Leader is reporting Brown was located in a trailer on a property just off the highway west of town.

More information as it becomes available. 

ORIGINAL POST Thursday 11:3o pm

Anaconda school officials are telling parents they're closely monitoring the ongoing manhunt in the city, as they try to determine whether it will interfere with the start of school on August 19th.

The Anaconda Leader reports the school district is keeping in touch with law enforcement as the search for killer Michael Brown continues, and will be informing parents as soon as a decision is made.

Questions remain a week after the Anaconda murders

Today marks exactly a week since an Army veteran came into a bar in Anaconda and killed four people with a rifle. But even with 7 days gone by, there are many unanswered questions, such as a motive, whether he was affected by mental distress, and most of all, where did Michael Brown go?

Leaders of the task force that have been searching for Brown have kept details of the criminal investigation closely held, not saying whether a search of his home next to the Owl Bar turned up any clues to that "why" question, nor even more details on the kind of weapon used, other than to say it's a "rifle". The reasons given have been the strategy of the search and investigation, as well as the importance of keeping officers safe.

We do have a better idea of where officers were looking, west of Anaconda in the Garrity Mountain area, and east of Heart Lake, with the Anaconda Leader publishing a map yesterday.

      The last official briefing was Wednesday, and we are watching to see if there will be any specific updates released today.

Permits reminders after ATV plunges down the Blackfoot River

Montana FWP is reminding people it's illegal to operate a motor vehicle in a river without a permit, saying that the ATV that drove a reported 8 miles down the Blackfoot River this week wasn't authorized.

The ATV in the video that caused outrage on Instagram was taken by the_reel_406 and shows a Ukrainian-made Sherp ATV, which was being used by a weed control contractor for Powell County. FWP says while it supports efforts to control aquatic weeds, the drive in the river could cause major damage to the fishery habitat.

Flathead Safety Center Goes to a Vote

Flathead County commissioners are approving a plan to ask voters to approve a major chunk of money to build a new Flathead County Public Safety Facility.

The board has cleared the way for the $105-million proposal to be on the ballot on November 4th. That would pay for design, construction, and equipping of the new center, which would place all of the county's jail operations and the sheriff's office in one location on Snowline Lane.

Missoula County asks voters to help with bridge & road repairs

Missoula County commissioners are clearing the way for voters to consider a $1.8-million "infrastructure levy" to help generate additional money for bridge and road repairs.

As we reported Wednesday, the county's proposal would cost the average homeowner about $26 a year if the measure is approved on November 4th. 

At a public hearing Thursday, the county's Public Works Director said the county only has about $500,000 a year budgeted for road and bridge repair, but should be spending more than $4-million annually. And that's just to keep up with repairs, not the expense of bridge replacement.

Great Falls voters will decide fireworks ban

The question of whether Great Falls should ban fireworks is going to the voters in November.

The city commission has been debating the idea ever since the July 2nd house fire, believed to be caused by fireworks, that killed an elderly woman and her dogs. If approved, the new law would follow what other cities have done, banning aerial fireworks and those that explode on the ground, but leaving the so-called "safe and sane" fireworks like fountains.

Colstrip expansion praised and criticized

Governor Greg Gianforte and Senator Steve Daines are both praising this week's decisions that overturn earlier bans, keeping Montana in the coal… and coal power business until at least 2039.

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement approved the 1900-acre expansion of the Rosebud Coal Mine at Colstrip, a step that revives the mine that is the key supplier for the Colstrip power plant. That opens the way for the extraction of an estimated 34-million tons of coal, about half of what Westmoreland Mining had hoped for.

Both Gianforte and Daines praised the decision as a move to energy independence and preserving jobs.

     But the Montana Environmental Information Center, which has fought the expansion for years, says it merely feeds "the most toxic power plant in the nation."

Next, the "Bieber Burger"?

No one would have paid attention to fireworks in Great Falls this week, because all the excitement is around pop star Justin Bieber's unexpected visit to the Roadhouse Diner.

Danica, one of the wait staff working Wednesday night, told us on "Montana Talks", she and other girls were fans back in the day, but even they weren't sure until he walked by and heard them speculating.

"So we all three looked at him, and when you looked at those eyes, you're like, oh, my goodness, that's Justin Bieber," Danica explains. "And my guess is all three of us girls have scared, crazy looks in our eyes. And Justin just looks out and goes, 'Yeah, it's me.' "

"I would say, you know, there were definitely enough girls in there that people recognized him, but I would think more people probably had no clue who he was."- Danica, Roadhouse Diner Waitress

Although with no shirt under his jacket, and pants large enough that he could have been airborne if the Great Falls wind had come up, Danica says it was obvious he wasn't a local.

     Reports have varied on whether he was in the Electric City making music or just enjoying the outdoors, judging from his other posts. 

Danica confirms the story that someone called later and paid $300 for the chair cushion he sat on. And we're watching to see if a "Bieber Burger" appears on the menu.