Montana News Roundup: Why The Switch to “Picture Polls”

It's not just REAL ID cards making headlines in Montana this week,

    🗳️Governor Gianforte is signing a new law that will require you to show a photo when you vote in Montana.

The change was made by Senate Bill 276 and signed by the governor yesterday. It requires pictures at the polls, but with several options, including driver's license, U-S passports, and military IDs. The bill also makes tribal ID cards official.

     -In the past, voters had been able to use non-photo ID, like a piece of mail, or a separate form to vote, but Gianforte says the change will help "secure and transparent elections."

Flathead Burglary Ring Stole Up to $1 million

Flathead County investigators are now saying that the burglary ring bust in Hungry Horse stopped a crew believed to have caused nearly $1 million in theft and damages since last fall.

The Flathead County Sheriff's Office, along with the Northwest Regional SWAT Team, served a "high-risk" search warrant Tuesday evening. They say the ring had focused on vacant homes, and especially seasonal residences around the Flathead.

     -Investigators had spent months developing the case, sometimes being involved in "dangerous chases" that had ended without arrests.

Yellowstone Tourist Goes for the Gore

Yellowstone National Park rangers are now saying it was a 47-year-old tourist from Florida who was gored after getting too close to one of the park's bison over the weekend.

Denny Bedard reports the incident happened in Lake Village when the man was gored after not maintaining his distance. Fortunately, he had only minor injuries.

READ MORE: Yellowstone Beans, Not Bison, Causing Problems

More Missiles Coming to Montana- Questions Answered

The Air Force is going to give residents and leaders in three different communities to gain a better understanding of the massive deployment planned for the new Sentinel missiles. As Jason Laird, it's a change that could have a big economic impact here in Montana…

     -Some of that discussion could cover recent reports that the Sentinels might need entirely new silos, instead of just re-using the old Minuteman 3 installations.

Montana Thursday Throwback

   🏃‍♂️May 1, 2010: Montana's best track and field athletes braved everything Mother Nature could throw at them, "snow, wind, hail, and even some graupel," in an epic Big Sky matchup in Bozeman.

The UM men outscored the Bobcats 110-79.

For a while, it looked like the Lady Cats would overcome both the elements and the Griz, with the meet tied 90-90 going into the final two events. But a second-place finish in the final rally, in the middle of a blizzard, gave UM the 103-96 victory. 🌨️ 🏃‍♀️