Rating:

5.0 (1 vote)

Mid-Day Top Stories on Montana's News Station for Wednesday, February 8, 2012.

Click the image to watch the video.

- A civil lawsuit on behalf of 10 alleged child sex abuse victims has been filed against the Catholic Diocese of Great Falls-Billings. One man says that a priest who currently advises diocese Bishop Michael Warfel on handling sex abuse cases is himself a sex predator. The locations of the alleged abuse include Great Falls, Absarokee, Hays, and Hardin; the lawsuit claims that the abuse occurred in the 1970s and 1980s. Tim Kosnoff, attorney for the plaintiffs, said that the victims are seeking "non-monetary reform and healing measures," including asking the court to order the bishop to personally visit schools and churches where the alleged abuse occurred, posting the names of the alleged abusers on the diocese web site for 10 years, and the creation of a toll-free phone and website where anonymous complaints can be made. The lawsuit was filed by the same legal team that now represents more than 160 abuse survivors suing the Diocese of Helena.

- The Freedom From Religion Foundation has filed a lawsuit over the recent U.S. Forest Service decision to renew a use permit for the statue of Jesus Christ that sits on Big Mountain in Whitefish. The case was filed late Tuesday and FFRF says in a news release issued Wednesday that the "continued presence of a six-foot-tall statue of Jesus Christ in the Flathead National Forest, on a 25-by-25-foot plot owned and administered by the United States Forest Service, violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States." The filing of the suit had been expected after Flathead National Forest Supervisor Chip Weber announced that he was reauthorizing a special use permit to the Knights of Columbus Council No. 1328 of Kalispell at the end of January that's good for 10 years. The statue, which was erected by the Knights of Columbus and Montana veterans of the 10th Mountain Division, has sparked a controversy between people who believe the religious statue shouldn't be on public land and those wanting to let it stay.

- Corey Stapleton has selected former MT State Senator Bob Keenan of Bigfork as his running mate in the race to become the next governor of Montana. Keenan owns his own business in Bigfork, and once served as the President of the Montana Senate. During a press conference in Helena on Wednesday, Stapleton says he chose Keenan because of his background and his commitment to expanding Montana's economy, adding, "There is nobody better, not in the Republican Party, but in either party across this state, at understanding state government." Stapleton says the focus of their campaign will be to reduce the size of government while expanding the state's economy.

- The Gallatin County Sheriff's Department has called off a search for a woman reportedly seen near the Gallatin River and Interstate 90 wearing only a towel. A full scale search was initiated about 9:30 p.m on Tuesday after the sheriff's department got reports of a naked woman along the interstate. The woman was reportedly only wearing a towel wrapped around her head. Sheriff Brian Gootkin said his department moved quickly because of the extreme cold and the danger it could pose to someone exposed to the weather. More than 30 emergency responders were called out to help, as well as crews from the Manhattan Fire Department and Belgrade's Central Valley Fire Department. Searchers combed about a mile of the river between Belgrade and Manhattan for nearly three hours before ending their efforts around 1 a.m.

- North Dakota's governor has officially signed extradition warrants issued by Montana's governor for Michael Spell and Lester Waters, Jr., accused of kidnapping and possibly killing Sidney teacher Sherry Arnold. A spokeswoman for North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple says the governor received the requests on Tuesday from Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, and signed the warrant requests. The signing of the governors' warrants affirms the upcoming extradition hearing and the fact that the state wants the men back in Montana to face charges. Spell and Waters are set to appear at an extradition hearing in Williams County, North Dakota, on February 14th, where the public is expected learn more about what connection the suspects have to Arnold's disappearance. The status of the Arnold investigation has not changed; Sherry Arnold's body has not yet been found.