WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news release: The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. Sgt. Nathaneil G. Irish, 23, of Billings, Montana, died Oct. 27, 2019, of a non-combat related incident at Camp Taji, Iraq. The incident is under investigation. Irish was assigned to 25th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska. For more information r  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release: Western Montana has a history of large damaging earthquakes, and it remains seismically active. Many of these earthquakes occur along faults that do not extend to the Earth's surface and are thus unmapped and unknown. Thanks to a new program developed in Montana with the assistance of funding from FEMA, area residents will now have a greater understanding of t  more

NEWPORT, Rhode Island, Nov. 1 -- The U.S. Navy issued the following story: The first eight Navy warrant officer 1 (WO1) Sailors in decades graduated from the Limited Duty Officer/Chief Warrant Officer (LDO/CWO) Academy at Officer Training Command, Newport (OTCN), Nov. 1. The new warrant officers are Benjamin Nichols, Jonathon Wynn, Brent Gray, Ryan Snyder, Devan Sorenson, Nicholas Drenning, Kevin Koller, and Brian Ruzin. "I'm enthusiastic for this new program because we can pave the way for t  more

BILLINGS, Montana, Oct. 29 -- The U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana, Kurt G. Alme, issued the following news release: A former manager at the Signal Peak Energy coal mine in Musselshell County was sentenced today to two years of probation and ordered to forfeit an RV and a Rolex watch for his role in a conspiracy to defraud the company of about $2.3 million, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. Zachary Madison Ruble, 40, of Billings, pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.   more

BILLINGS, Montana, Oct. 29 -- The U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana, Kurt G. Alme, issued the following news release: An ex-St. Vincent Healthcare nurse who admitted swapping a patient's pain pills for an over the counter medication, leaving the patient in pain, was sentenced today to four years of probation, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. Shelia Marie White, 61, of Billings, pleaded guilty in June to tampering with a consumer product. U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.   more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it intends to award $150,000 cooperative agreements to the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for Prairie Pothole joint venture activities. The agency description of the grant states: "The purpose of this agreement is to address actions identified in the 2017 Prairie Pothole Joint Venture (PPJV) Implementation Plan and supplemental Montana State Tactical Plan. The objectives are to produce t  more