WESTERN MONTANA — Here's a look at Western Montana's top news stories for Friday.
A small team in Ronan is playing a big role in keeping communities safe across the West, monitoring dams around the clock at the National Monitoring Center. Remotely monitoring 140 dams across the country, the center provides early notifications to affected communities before emergencies happen. (Read the full story)
U.S. Critical Materials, the company eyeing rare earth elements near the headwaters of the Bitterroot, rescinded a draft exploratory mining plan after a wave of criticism from the community and environmental groups. Now, the company plans to submit a new scaled-back version to the Forest Service for review by the end of April. (Read the full story)
A Missoula County Sheriff's Deputy is fighting a speeding ticket in front of a jury after a deadly crash last May where he was traveling 84 mph without lights and sirens when an elderly man pulled out in front of him. The deputy's attorney argues he followed department policy, but prosecutors cite state law requiring lights and sirens when exceeding speed limits. (Read the full story)
