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Hello and welcome to News Now.
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I'm your host, Taylor Inman.
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We're going over the week's biggest headlines for Northwest Montana.
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We'll get the latest on a bear attack that happened in Columbia Falls this week when a woman was walking her dog in the Cedar Flats trail complex.
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We'll also go over what we know about the man suspected of starting two fires at two public schools in Kalispell, who pleaded not guilty to a pair of felony charges.
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We'll get the newest information about the cause of the Deer Creek fire sparked near Happy's End toward the end of August.
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We'll hear discussion from Monday night's town hall meeting in Kalispell, where citizens brought concerns about proposed license plate readers to the city council and mayor.
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And we'll learn about a structure fire in Libby this week that left two men hospitalized.
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Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks and the U.S.
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Forest Service are investigating a bear attack on a woman walking her dog on the Cedar Flats trail complex north of Columbia Falls.
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The attack occurred around 7 p.m.
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on August 31st.
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The species of bear involved in the attack is currently unknown, according to Fish Wildlife and Parks.
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Investigators from Fish Wildlife and Parks and the Forest Service, with assistance from the Flathead County Sheriff's Office, searched for the bear using a thermal infrared drone but were unable to locate it.
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The Cedar Flats Trail Area and all of its trails remain closed by Forest Service officials in the interest of public safety.
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The victim sustained significant injuries and was transported to Logan Health Medical Center for treatment.
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The incident is still under investigation and no further details are available at this time.
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Fish Wildlife and Park spokeswoman Malia Freeman said that she did not know if the woman was carrying bear spray and said more information would be released as the investigation continues.
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When recreating in bear habitat, carry bear spray where it's easily accessible and know how to use it.
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Stay alert and watch for signs of bear activity, especially in areas with limited visibility.
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Travel in groups and keep members close together.
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Make noise to avoid surprising a bear, especially in dense vegetation or near running water.
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Avoid traveling at night, dawn, or dusk, and steer clear of carcass sites or areas with scavenger activity.
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The man suspected of starting fires at two Kalispell public schools earlier this month pleaded not guilty Thursday to a pair of felony arson charges.
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Dalton Andrew Coger was arraigned before Judge Amy Eddy in Flyhead County District Court on August 27th and is expected back in court December 15th for a pretrial conference.
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He remains in the county jail with bail set at$400,000.
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Authorities believe Coger broke windows at Edgerton Elementary School in Glacier High School before tossing Molotov cocktails inside both buildings in the early morning hours of August 10th, according to court documents.
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Investigators believe he was either under the influence of drugs or suffering from a mental health crisis at the time.
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Calswell police officers arriving at Edgerton at about 1.24 AM found a window on the east side of the building shot out with a pellet gun and a large portion of the staff kitchen on fire.
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Investigators found evidence of two Molotov cocktails at the scene, one that made it inside and another that landed outside of the window.
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Calswell fire officials responded to a fire alarm at Glacier at about 2.01 AM, according to court documents.
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They found a broken window on the south side of the building, and police officers located the remains of another Molotov cocktail inside a classroom.
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Turning to surveillance footage, investigators saw a man with short dark hair and a hooded sweatshirt and light-colored pants toss Molotov cocktails into both schools.
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Court documents said the man was driving a white Toyota Tacoma with a white topper.
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A ring camera located near Edgerton caught the same man taking a God Bless America sign from a front porch before hopping back into the Tacoma, according to court documents.
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Detectives took still images of the truck to a Flathead Valley auto dealership, and members of its service department recognized the vehicle and identified Coger as its owner.
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Officers pulled Coger over in the Tacoma at about 12.25 p.m., according to court documents.
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He allegedly told investigators that he set the schools ablaze to save the children.
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Court documents said that the officers spotted two pellet guns inside the truck.
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They also allegedly saw empty bottles and cotton cloths which matched the remains of the Molotov cocktails recovered at the schools.
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During a subsequent interview, Kogar allegedly admitted setting both fires and stealing the sign.
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Kogar is a registered violent offender and on probation for an assault with a weapon charge, according to the charging documents.
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Prosecutors wrote that his substance abuse troubles have previously resulted in a probation violation.
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Felony arson is punishable by up to 20 years behind bars and a$50,000 fine.
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Officials on Friday determined that the Deer Creek fire north of Happy's Inn was human-caused, but details of how it ignited remain under investigation.
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The 1,099-acre blaze south of the Pleasant Valley Fisher River was nearly fully contained as of Monday as fire crews continued to mop up the perimeter and Dowse Interior hotspots.
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About 159 firefighters remained on the incident, now under the command of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.
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The blaze was first reported August 20th and started at an active timber sale on land owned by Green Diamond Resource Company.
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Sophia Golden, public information officer for the fire, said the blaze was confined to the timber company's land.
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Golden said officials were still working to determine exactly how the fire ignited, but confirmed it was not naturally caused.
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While dozens of structures were considered threatened, none were destroyed.
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The total cost to fight the fire approached$4 million as of Sunday.
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Golden said crews will shift to rehabilitation work as containment lines are secured.
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Firefighters fully contained the Cherry Peak Fire southeast of Thompson Falls on August 28th, with a final size of 173 acres.
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Transfer of command from the local Type III incident management organization to a local type 4 incident commander took place last week, and the two interagency hotshot crews assigned to the fire were sent to other fires.
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The two hand crews were expected to hike out over the weekend once the work was complete.
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Operations over the weekend focused on backhauling hose, pumps, and other gear used during suppression efforts.
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Firefighters will complete suppression repair work, returning areas where line was constructed to a more natural state where possible.
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People may see smoke over the next several days as vegetation is consumed within the fire's interior.
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The road closure for Forest Service Road 420 south of the junction with Forest Service Road 7600 was expected to be lifted.
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On the Bob Marshall Wilderness, the Camp Creek fire reached just over 9,600 acres and was 0% contained as of Monday.
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The lightning started fire, 40 miles west of Augusta along the Danaher Creek, was first spotted by the Jumbo Lookout on August 21st.
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It burned more than 6,500 acres in just two days.
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A number of trail closures remain in place because of the fire.
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To the north, the silver tip fire was 15% contained as of Monday at 7,247 acres.
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Natural features such as rocks and cliffs have prevented the fire from spreading south.
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A major shift in weather is predicted by the middle of the work week.
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Widespread rain showers are likely to increase across western Montana beginning Wednesday.
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Rainfall rates up to a half an inch an hour are possible in some areas.
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Temperatures will run below seasonal norms with a low pressure system settling over the entire Pacific Northwest.
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The Flathead Valley could see highs top off in the 60s and lows in the 40s.
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The proposed license plate reader system for downtown parking enforcement dominated the conversation at a Monday night town hall hosted by Calisbow Mayor Ryan Hunter.
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More than 20 people attended the informal gathering at City Hall and tended to provide another line of communication between city leaders and the community beyond the public comment portion of city council meetings.
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Over roughly two hours, City Manager Jared Nigren, Hunter, and several other counselors who attended responded to questions and complaints from the public about license plate readers, code enforcement, and council salaries.
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Attendees urged council to consider alternatives to automated license plate readers for downtown parking enforcement.
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The technology has drawn scrutiny nationwide over privacy issues, government surveillance concerns, and the potential for it to be misused by law enforcement.
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Some attendees said the city should return to its previous method of chalking tires to enforce time limits, which was carried out by a parking enforcement officer who has since retired.
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Nigren argued that the system was inefficient, as the officer could only check the same spot every four hours.
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He said they've been doing it this way for decades, but it's not working, as they hear about parking issues every single budget session.
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He also rejected calls to add a second parking enforcement officer, saying that the added cost cannot be justified given the city's growing list of needed infrastructure projects.
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Margaret Davis, Executive Director of the Northwest Montana History Museum, suggested giving the city's newly adopted parking rules time to work before pursuing a license plate reader.
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In July, Council approved higher fines for parking infractions and an ordinance targeting people who evade the downtown two-hour parking limit by periodically moving their vehicles.
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The changes are intended to discourage downtown employees and other long-term users from occupying on-street spaces and instead steer them into using the city's underutilized permit lots.
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Nigren said that the ordinance targeting motorists who repeatedly move their vehicles down a space to evade the time limits would be difficult to enforce without a license plate reader.
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He also said that several Montana communities, including Whitefish, Great Falls, and Missoula, already use license plate readers to enforce parking.
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Hunter added that residents with concerns about the technology should also direct them to officials in Whitefish.
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City officials have said the system would consist of a camera mounted on a parking enforcement vehicle operated by a city employee and would not be connected to any criminal justice databases.
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While council agreed to strike funding for the system from the budget for fiscal year 2027, the body agreed to hold future meetings about how the city would tackle parking enforcement and what a potential policy for license plate readers could look like.
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Read more about the Town Hall meeting at dailyinterlake.com.
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Libby Volunteer Fire Department crews battled a structure fire on Tuesday afternoon that sent two men to the hospital.
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The call came in at 11.39 a.m.
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and when firefighters arrived at the single-wide mobile home in Vanderwood Court, it was fully engulfed.
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Libby Volunteer ambulance crews took the men to Cabinet Peaks Medical Center.
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Fire investigator Matt Backen was able to talk to one of the men, who told him he was in his bedroom when he saw smoke come out from under his door, and when he exited the room, he saw the fire.
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He helped the other man who lived there get outside.
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Someone also helped a dog in the Fencedon area of the home escape.
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Fire Chief Steve Lowers said that the cause of the fire is under investigation.
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He also reported a good response to the fire with 15 firefighters, one engine, and two water tenders.
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Flathead Electric shut the power off so crews could work safely, and officers from the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office assisted with traffic control.
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Thanks for joining us.
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NewsNow is a podcast from the Daily Interlake.
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We're proud to be the largest independent newsroom in Montana and the longest continuously published newspaper in the region.
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Today's stories were written by Hungry Horse News Editor Chris Peterson, Daily Interlake regional editor Matt Baldwin, News Editor Derek Perkins, and reporter Jack Underhill, and Western News editor Scott Schindeldecker.
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You can read more of these stories at dailyinterlake.com.
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Everybody stay safe and have a great week.
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