Montana News Roundup: Investigators to Analyze Copter Crash

Investigators will look into the cause of yesterday's crash of a medevac helicopter, which came down right on the shoulder of Highway 200 in Lincoln.

Fortunately, the crash happened in the middle of the night, right around 1 am, so traffic was minimal.

Life Flight Network is saying the crew on board the Missoula-based helicopter escaped injury, and there wasn't a patient on board. The agency didn't say whether the aircraft was responding to a medical emergency or merely in transit between hospitals.

Lincoln Volunteer Fire Rescue Chief Zach Muse indicated the aircraft was attempting to land when it ran into trouble.

     Traffic was diverted around the crash for several hours.

Weather changes impact firefighting

Cooler weather is in the forecast today for areas in Western Montana, where late-season fires are continuing to cause hazards. And while that will generally be of help, firefighters on the big Windy Rock Fire in Powell County are bracing for winds that could pose additional runs of the fire, which has already burned about 3500 acres.

Firefighters have been working to strengthen lines in advance of those southeasterly winds. Evacuation orders are still in place for residents living closest to the fire, with a community meeting tonight in Helmville.

Firefighters now have 21% containment on the Knowles Fire in Sanders County. Last week's big fires in Madison County are contained, with the exception of the Cloudrest and Bivens Creek fires in the backcountry, but even there, containment has been progressing.

Montana DNRC reported just 4 new fire starts through last night.

Governor asks Montanans to keep practicing fire safety

Visiting Madison County today, Governor Gianforte noted the passing of the Oregon firefighter who died from cardiac arrest this week, and appealed to Montanans to continue caution.

"So this is difficult business," Gianforte told reporters during a stop in Ennis. "It's tough conditions. And for everybody out there, I would just say, it's going to be hot and dry for a bit longer. Please be careful when you're out in the woods."

Jefferson, Big Hole Rivers are completely closed to fishing

The fall rains can't come soon enough for anglers and tourism-related businesses along the Jefferson and Big Hole Rivers. It's already been a summer of "hoot owl" fishing restrictions. But now, Montana FWP has closed both rivers entirely, because stream flows have dropped to just 280 cubic feet per second at Twin Bridges, and 100 cis at Wise River.

FWP says the order is in keeping with the drought management plan and will remain in place until further notice.

Missoula to explain more about housing deal

We are set to learn more today about a new joint venture which could bring new development to an unused piece of city-owned property next to Missoula's Southgate Mall.

Mayor Andrea Davis announced yesterday that the city will work with Arizona-based Miramonte Companies on plans for the site, which the city had purchased last year. She says this is a different approach, where the city is letting developers pitch their ideas, rather than the city stipulating specifics.

"As we said, there is a Midtown master plan," Davis explains. "We understand that this piece of property has long been sought to help catalyze the Midtown Master Plan. We want to see the proposals that come forward."

That direction has the Missoula Economic Partnership meeting with 30 different development teams during the discussions.

READ MORE: City Approves Purchase of Southgate Crossing

     Miramonte has already developed a local project, the Missoula Loft Homes, 2 years ago.

New "AI" child porn law seeing first use in court

A different kind of child porn case is entering the courts, with the Montana Attorney General's Office filing three felonies this week against a 31-year-old Carter County man who is accused of using "AI" to produce the illicit pictures.

Prosecutors accuse Shy Herbert McCutchan of Alzada of capturing images of a child from the parents' public social media accounts and using AI to digitally alter the photos, uploading them to a wireless cloud backup. It may be the first case prosecuted under a new state law approved by the Legislature this year.