Coming up next on Beartooth News at 10, the days of the cowboy aren't over as members
of an old time shooting society try to keep the Wild West alive.
We'll have more on that story at 10 o'clock.
Adam and Montana's Fish.
Governor Schweitzer was in Elkerton viewing the damage done by fires devastating lands
around interstate 90 and it was man versus beast in efforts towards wolf management in
Montana.
Beartooth News at 10 is next.
Where news comes first for North Central Montana.
This is Beartooth News, Weekend Edition.
Good evening and thanks for joining us.
I'm Brian Rodriguez.
First some breaking news, News 12.
Actually, Beartooth News has learned that longtime anchor of nightly news, Peter Jennings,
has passed away.
We will give you more on that story as we learn more.
And Governor Schweitzer was in Elkerton this morning to view the damage caused by a series
of wildfires along interstate 90.
Schweitzer flew to the scene about 1030 this morning.
Ten homes south of Elkerton remained under evacuation orders tonight.
Homeowners were told to leave Friday night after fires crossed over a ridge above them.
Officials say more residents left, but some chose to stay with their homes.
The four fires have burned a total of 4,000 acres tonight.
They are about 10% contained.
Although most of the interstate 90 is open to traffic, officials are considering closing
again because of the numerous accidents in the area.
And Montana's shares of the federal highway bill includes much needed funding for a highway
some call the lifeline of the High Line.
About $71 million in the bill is going towards improvements on US Highway 2.
And of that $71 million, about $30 million will pay for the road improvements between
Browning and North Dakota and east of Haver.
Another $25 million will be used to construct two Medicine Bridge and $6 million will go
towards work on highway in Lincoln County.
The final $10 million is earmarked to study expanding the highway from two lanes to four
between Glasgow and North Dakota.
Montana received a total of $2.3 billion from the bill.
And a Great Falls man will serve life in prison for sexually abusing a young girl for eight
years.
40-year-old Darrell Hamilton was sentenced last week to 120 years in prison after he
was found guilty of one count of sexual abuse for each year the attacks took place.
Hamilton's attorney had asked for the minimal penalty saying Hamilton had no prior criminal
record, but District Judge Keith Neal says the offenses were hideous and referenced a
statement from the victim saying Hamilton had taken away her innocence and laughter.
A case against him involving sex with another girl is still pending.
And people at this weekend's powwow on the Rocky Boys Indian Reservation are being advised
against those who cough.
The Rocky Boys Public Health Department has confirmed 22 cases of whooping cough since
June.
Health officials have urged that anyone who is ill should stay home and as a precaution
they say to keep the distance from anyone who is coughing.
Rocky Boys Public Health nurse Janet Runyon says the whooping cough outbreak has slowed
and no new cases have been reported since last week.
The prior Mountain Wild Horse's herd on the Montana-Wyoming line has rebounded after Mountain
Lions have killed almost one of their 28 foals last year.
The Bureau of Land Management says that of this year's 35 foals, 28 have survived.
The herd's current population is 167 horses.
Next month horse managers plan another round of contraception experiments to keep the herd's
growth in check.
If the shots don't keep the horse numbers down, the BLM says it will consider rounding
up horses and putting them up for adoption.
And three people were rescued in unrelated incidents in Wyoming's Grand Teton National
Park yesterday.
49-year-old Jerry Painter of Idaho Falls was climbing the east face of Mount Moran when
a rock dislodged by climbers above him struck his helmet.
Park officials say the rock broke the helmet and injured Painter's head and neck.
He was rescued by helicopter.
Heat-related illnesses and dehydration required two other evacuations of a 21-year-old woman
from Baltimore, Maryland, and a 55-year-old man from Chagrin Falls, Ohio.
And new figures show that National Yellowstone Park rangers faced fewer threats and assaults
last year than they did in 2003.
However, they still reported more incidents than any other rangers in any other park in
the country.
The figures combined for the FBI show 12 threats and three assaults reported against Yellowstone
Rangers last year.
In a typical year, between two and four assaults are reported.
In 2003, 32 assaults were reported against rangers in the park.
And managing Montana's wolves is a full-time job.
Just asked outdoor reporter Winston Greeley, who trails the wolfman in this week's outdoor
report.
Somewhere along Montana's back roads, nestled between mountains and sunsets, you'll find
John Trapp, whose role as a state wolf manager often finds him on the road.
We're in this transition phase from the federal wolf management to state wolf management.
And so I think it's as much information as we can get out right now is the best.
Providing information and community outreach is just one aspect of a job that runs day
through night.
I can't go, sir.
They're going to come up this hill, probably.
The most eerie feeling one might get from howling wolves at night is the exact feeling
John and other state wolf managers are trying to dispel.
I've been alone in the woods many times with wolves.
They've never been threatening to me, even alone.
They, most of the time they run.
They don't like to deal with humans.
Mending these misperceptions is one focus of Montana's wolf management program, which
aims to create a balance between wolves and the Montanans who share the landscape.
Because people and wolves are living in relatively close quarters, it's important for us to make
sure people have all their questions answered and myths dispelled, I guess.
Winston Greely, out among Montana's fish, wildlife and parks.
Montana's wolf management policy seeks to maintain a benchmark of 15 breeding pairs
of wolves in Montana.
And more than 1,000 people crowded the parking lots at Cape Disappointment State Park in
Washington to witness the release of the shiny new Ocean View Nickel, which marks the arrival
of the Lewis and Clark expedition at the Pacific Ocean 200 years ago.
The new nickel is the fourth in a series honoring the explorers.
Like Lewis and Clark, Friday's visitors were welcomed by the Chinook Indian Nation.
Between 800 and 850 million nickels will be minted.
And think the days of the cowboy are over?
Not for some members of the Old Time Shooting Society.
Jenna Bennett spent the afternoon revisiting the 1800s.
Welcome to the wild, wild west.
Here in the hills just outside of Sims, members of the Sun River Rangers Shooting Society
travel back in time.
Once a month they meet up to participate in an old time cowboy action shoot, where they
get to recreate the 1800s.
They have a stress in the authentic clothes.
They have a stress in those, so it actually brings back that time period.
And we have to shoot all single action guns, because they didn't have any big machine guns
back then.
The cowboys compete in shooting scenarios, which are based on real situations gunslingers
faced in the Old West.
Members then go through one of five stages like this, where they draw their guns and
go for the target.
While the group does travel to statewide shooting contests, they say the sport isn't about competition,
but having a good time.
They don't care if they hit all the targets or not.
They're just here to dress up and have fun, play cowboys like the old John Wayne days.
How could it be any better?
You get to dress up like a cowboy, wear real guns, and shoot stuff.
Not only does the group dress up, they also create their own cowboy names to use during
the shootouts.
They say it's just another way to keep the Wild West alive.
In Sims, Jenna Bennett, Beartooth NBC.
For more information about the Sun Rivers Rangers Shooting Society, you can visit the
website at www.sunriverrangers.com.
And coming up next on Beartooth News at 10, you may think it's only what you do while
you're driving that causes accidents, but a study says it's also what you wear, plus
weather and sports.
Stay tuned.
Live from Montana's capital city with reports from north central Montana, Brian Rodriguez,
weather caster Rachel Hoffenberg in sports with Corey Heffala.
This is your NBC for Great Falls, Pever, Helena, and Lewistown.
Beartooth News at 10, weekend edition.
Your first choice for local news, weather and sports.
First, it was cell phones distracting drivers behind the wheel.
Now, a new study says that the shoes you wear, specifically flip-flops, could cause an accident.
James Satori has more.
From beach wear to urban chic, flip-flops have arrived, even at the White House, worn
by a college lacrosse team.
But a British insurance company says when it comes to driving, 75% of those it asked
admitted that flip-flops make it difficult.
It's funny, but it's out there, and it does get in the way of people's driving abilities.
Just ask Irene Seco, whose car was hit by a flip-flop-wearing driver three years ago.
And she looked down at her feet, and she said, but something happened to my shoes.
I think flip-flops might be the fashion, but when you're driving, wear sensible shoes
like these.
Jan Stevens went back to hard souls after a flip-flop fluke.
And the shoe got caught under the pedal, and my toes were on top of the clutch pedal.
And thank God there was nobody behind me.
A spokeswoman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says she's not aware
of any studies into footwear causing traffic accidents.
But she says it is intuitively obvious that wearing flip-flops while you're driving can
cause problems.
Experts say it isn't a question of legality.
Right now there is no law saying that you must wear shoes.
So barefoot, wearing flip-flops, high heel shoes, it doesn't matter.
But simply common sense.
Don't come near me when you're driving those shoes, because they're dangerous.
James Hattori, NBC News, Vallejo, California.
We will have the complete look at the forecast when we return, but first, here are the results
of this week's Web Poll Question.
Welcome back.
Rachel Hoffenberg is off, but let's take a look outside at our Mountain West Bank weather
camp.
As you can see, it's a beautiful sunset.
All the haze from the fires in the state really make the colors light up.
This was taken out earlier at around 845.
Now let's take a look at our current conditions.
It's 86 degrees right now in Helena.
You can see no real significant wind or humidity out there tonight.
Some clouds lingering, and we may have some thunderstorms rolling in tomorrow like the
ones we had this morning.
And for today, we see that we're not very far away from our record highs and lows at
100 degrees in 2001, and in 1990, we got a little bit of rain with that thunderstorm
this morning, but only about a hundredth of an inch.
And in Great Falls right now, we're seeing a lot of haze from those wildfires and getting
some wind as well.
It's 82 degrees right now, and there is a chance of thunderstorms tomorrow for Great
Falls as well.
And in the Almanac, we see that it's a hot day, but we didn't make the record high of
101 degrees set back in 1970.
And let's take a look at the current temperatures around the state.
Tonight's lows are pretty mild for the most part, 52 in Missoula, 55 in Great Falls, and
58 in Helena, and a very chilly 45 in Kalispell tonight.
And tomorrow, we can expect more of the same around the state temperature.
And of course, we see the lows here at 56 degrees and 60 in Glasgow.
And for tomorrow, we see that it's going to be 84.
Look at all the sunshine, but we will have a few showers.
It's 88 in Great Falls for a high and 91 in Helena.
For the five day, we start to see some thundershowers rolling in from the tail end of tonight up
until tomorrow and continuing up until Thursday.
So we're going to see about a high of 91 on Monday, and it's going to cool down a bit
and a high of 86 when it clears up on Friday.
And in Great Falls, we see it's going to be 87 showers also, 86 on Tuesday, 82 on Wednesday,
a low of 49 on Wednesday.
And showers continue from Thursday and clear on Friday with a high of 89 degrees and a
low of 57.
So we're going to see a few showers out there, but it will cool down just a bit.
So not to worry.
It's going to be a little bit wet.
It's going to be a little cooler, so it's not too bad.
Who knew?
You didn't even have to go to meteorology school, and you can still do the weather.
I don't know about that.
I tried.
I don't know about that.
Rachel and Curtis, they still got me beat, I think.
Well, close.
It's close.
They do.
And it was an exciting world in sports, wasn't it, Corey?
It was.
You know what?
A couple of guys got inducted into the Hall of Fame today.
Real good quarterbacks.
I'll tell you who they were after the break.
And now, sports with Corey Heppelar.
After seven games, the Helena Brewers are perfect.
Now, you'll remember, that's exactly how the Brewers began the first half of the season.
And you know what, that didn't finish too poorly, did it?
No, it didn't.
The Brewers won the first half of the season, and all the Brewers came within four outs
of throwing their second no-hitter in three days.
Will Inman, he was spectacular.
He didn't allow a hit over seven innings, striking out 10.
The Brewers stayed perfect in the second half, five to one over Billings.
As for Great Falls, they drop another one-run game, three to two against Missoula.
The Sox, they're struggling right now.
They fall to two and six in the second half.
Other scores, Idaho Falls tops Ogden seven to six in 12 innings, and Casper slips by
Orem six to five.
It happened tonight in Major League Baseball.
Atlanta leading St. Louis in the ninth, but bases loaded.
David Eckstein, oh, he's woofing.
Woof!
A walk-off grand slam.
Cardinals win.
Check out this guy, going after a fall ball.
Look at that.
He spills his beer all over himself.
Look at him.
No!
Why?
Twins and Red Sox, two on, only one out.
Alex Cora flies to left.
Shannon Stewart makes a play.
Yeah, there's only two outs now.
Kevin Millar, he comes around to score.
Sox win.
These two guys did the same job in two completely different ways.
One was a pocket passer, the other a scrambler.
But Dan Marino and Steve Young do have one thing in common, and that's that they were
two of the best quarterbacks ever.
Oh, and another thing.
Today they were both inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.
Although they were different on the field, the results were pretty much the same.
They both won a lot of games, with Young winning the Super Bowl in 1995.
Marino, he set almost every passing record known to man, something not many teams thought
he could do.
I've always been asked the question, did it bother me that 26 teams passed on me in the
first round?
And I'll always answer no.
Well I lied.
Today I want to thank those 26 teams for passing on me.
You gave me an opportunity, gave me an opportunity to play for one of the greatest franchises
in the NFL, the Miami Dolphins.
I have found heaven on earth for football.
Think back to the 49ers of the late 80s and 90s.
Think of all the names that rushed to your memory.
How lucky was I to be in the middle of that?
Steve Young played in Joe Montana's shadow for a while, but he busted out seven Pro Bowls,
two MVPs, and that Super Bowl victory over San Diego.
That ring is about the only thing Dan Marino never got, but Dan, he set records, baby.
Nine Pro Bowls, all Pro, eight times, and one MVP award.
Speaking of greats, Wayne Gretzky is returning to the ice, except as a coach.
Sources say the NHL's all-time leading scorer will become the new coach of the Phoenix Coyotes.
There had been speculation that Gretzky would move from the front office to the bench, but
the great one said he would wait until the NHL ended its lockout.
As a player, Gretzky won four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers and is the NHL's
all-time leading goal assist and point producer.
This week on the PGA, points are good.
Sure, at the International, they're using the stable forward scoring system, giving
the players points for good holes and taking them away for bad holes.
The PGA Championship starts Thursday, but you can't keep Ratif Goosen away.
Earlier this morning, third round, Brent Job on nine.
No, it's not Brent, it's Brant.
He would birdie the hole.
That's two points.
But that final round got him.
Remember, Job's a righty.
He has to swing lefty there.
He would fall out of the lead.
Just partially because of this guy, Ratif Goosen on nine.
He's swinging a nine iron here.
Watch this.
Oh, he gets it to come right back to the pin.
Give that man two points and the one point lead.
And on 18, Job one last chance for the win.
Nope.
So Goosen, he gets some momentum headed into the PGA Championship that starts this Thursday.
Next tail cup, the Allstate 400, that's at the Brickyard.
Lap 23, Bobby Hamilton Jr.
He's in the detergent car there.
He cuts a tire, but he's a professional driver.
He keeps it under control.
Later though, his pit crew would actually repair that part of the track.
Lap 61, on the restart, you're in the head of Dale Earnhardt Jr.
He gets bumped.
His day was over.
It's sure been a tough year for Jr.
Forty laps later, hometown boy Tony Stewart, he takes the lead over Brian Vickers and Stewart
wins for the fourth time over the last six races.
Yeah, he is now your points leader.
All right.
I can't miss reality television show.
16 Texas Tech students, they'll attend Knight School.
That's right.
Hall of Famer Bobby Knight.
He's putting on this reality television show that gives one student the chance to walk
on to his basketball team.
So that's good television.
I have never used steroids, period.
I do not know how to say it any more clearly than that.
Never.
Someone's lying.
This week, Rafael Palmeiro was suspended by Major League Baseball after testing positive
for a performance enhancing drug.
Oh yeah, and after he told the world in March he didn't dip.
Sources say Palmeiro tested positive for the same potent steroid that Olympic sprinter
Ben Johnson was caught using when he won the gold medal in the 1988 Olympics.
Johnson was stripped of his gold.
The crazy thing is, Raffi tested positive in May so when he hit number 3000 a couple
of weeks ago, he celebrated knowing he'd been caught.
All right, celebrate good times.
Palmeiro says the test was an accident, but you got to know what you're putting into your
body at this point.
Oh, absolutely.
Yeah, that's something else right there.
All right, thanks, Corey.
And still to come on Beartooth News, it was a great day to be a kid.
We'll show you how some were celebrating in Lewistown for National Kids Day.
Stay with us.
You're watching Beartooth NBC, your official jackpot alert station.
Here are the estimated jackpot amounts from the Montana Lottery.
Today is National Kids Day and to celebrate, many in Lewistown, 60 children plus parents
shared some meaningful time with fun and games at the Boys and Girls Club in Lewistown.
Activities included golf, frisbee, basketball, arts and crafts, and perfect for a hot afternoon,
ice cream making, and dunking the parent.
Some communities do huge projects, much larger than our own, but we're really happy that
we're able to provide a fun afternoon for kids here.
Oh, wow, it looks a lot of fun out there, huh?
It's always kids day, isn't it?
Oh, yeah, especially for Corey Heflick.
Only I could be your agent, Corey.
Yeah, whatever.
All right, well, join us again tomorrow at 6 and 10 for your check of local news, weather,
and sports.
Until then, this is Corey and I'm Brian.
We'll see you.