MISSOULA — Here's a look at Western Montana's top news stories for Wednesday.
Treyson Lee Sharp of Browning was arraigned in federal court for the death of Jadie Butterfly on Tuesday, facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and possession of an unregistered firearm. Sharp pleaded not guilty to the charges stemming from an incident on December 28, 2024, when Butterfly was shot and killed on the Blackfeet Reservation. (Read the full story)
The body of 67-year-old David Easterly, who went missing after jumping from a boat into Flathead Lake on Saturday, was recovered by search crews on Tuesday. His body has been sent to the Montana State Medical Examiner's Office for an investigation into the cause of death. (Read the full story)
The ACLU of Montana argued on Tuesday that gender identity discrimination is a form of sex-based discrimination in the case of Berndt v. Montana Department of Justice, which relates to the lack of an "X" marker for gender identity on driver's licenses. While the state claims there was no discrimination because the plaintiff did not complete the form, the ACLU argues that transgender and non-binary individuals should be considered a protected class. (Read the full story)
