Page 25 - Flathead Beacon // 12.30.15

man after an intensive search.
The skier, 65-year-old Bart Pickard of
Corvallis, was reported missing Dec. 23. He was last seen the prior morning at the lodge of the hill south of Hamilton.
The ski patrol began looking for Pick- ard the morning of Dec. 23. Search and rescue crews and the Two Bear Air heli- copter crew from White sh also joined the search. Authorities been in touch with Pickard’s family.
Ho man says it could be spring before crews recover Pickard’s body, unless someone nds his equipment sooner.
HELENA
5. Man Jailed After Student Threatened Over “Star Wars” Spoiler
A Montana man is charged with threatening to shoot a boy for sharing information about a subplot of the new “Star Wars” movie during an online conversation.
Arthur Charles Roy, of Helena, was charged with felony assault with a weapon last week during an appear- ance in Lewis and Clark County Justice Court. He remains jailed with his bail set at $10,000.
Roy, 18, became angry when he learned details about “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” from a Facebook friend, pros- ecutors said.
Roy sent the friend a picture of him- self with a gun and threatened to come to the victim’s school to shoot him, court records said. Roy reportedly said the gun was a Colt 1911 with a “hair trigger.”
The friend called a school resource o cer afternoon to report the threat.
Helena’s alternative high school was locked down after students said they were afraid Roy might follow through with his threat. Roy’s mother asked why her son was being arrested since it was only a BB gun in the photo, charging doc- uments said.
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK 6. Governor Allows Bison to Roam Outside Yellowstone
Wild bison will be allowed to migrate out of Yellowstone National Park and stay in parts of Montana year-round under a move last week by Gov. Steve Bullock that breaks a longstanding impasse in a wild- life con ict that’s dragged on for decades.
The Democratic governor’s decision likely won’t end the periodic slaughters of some bison that roam outside Yellow- stone in search of food at lower eleva- tions. But it for the rst time allows hun- dreds of the animals to linger year-round on an estimated 400 square miles north and west of the park.
The move has been eagerly sought by wildlife advocates — and steadfastly opposed by livestock interests. Ranchers around Yellowstone are wary of a disease carried by many bison and the increased competition the animals pose for limited grazing space.
Bullock said in a statement he will continue to pressure the National Park Service to reduce Yellowstone’s popula- tion of roughly 5,000 bison. Absent from announcement was a population target of
3,500 bison that the governor previously proposed as a condition of expanding where bison can roam.
Still, the governor expressed con - dence that the livestock industry would be protected, and referred to his decision as a “modest expansion” of conditions under which bison can remain outside the park.
Yellowstone has one of the largest wild bison herds remaining in the world.
BILLINGS
7. State Releases Most Standardized Test Scores
Montana education o cials have released results from more than half of the computerized tests linked to com- mon core that students took in the spring.
Education o cials said about 71 per- cent of students eligible to take new Smarter Balanced standardized tests recorded usable scores. About 38 percent of students scored pro cient or above in mathand45percentinEnglish/language arts statewide.
The test included newer standards, and new tests, which cannot be compared to previous years, according to education o cials.
“Scores from this year should not be compared to previous test years,” Mon- tana Superintendent of Schools Denise Juneau said.
Instead the scores will be used as a baseline to which to compare future tests.
The 2015 Smarter Balanced Assess- ment was taken by Montana’s kids this spring under the old guidelines of the No Child Left Behind Act, which required 100 percent pro ciency in math and reading by 2014.
Smarter Balanced is working with the New Hampshire-based Center For Assessment to conduct a validity study of results, which isn’t nished yet.
If the study shows the scores aren’t valid, the state will reassess their use- fulness, Juneau said.
The testing this spring was disrupted by glitches and scoring problems in Mon- tana as well as two other states — Nevada and North Dakota — that used Measure Progress as a vendor for the test.
BILLINGS
8. Food Stamp Numbers High Despite Lower Unemployment
The number of people receiving food stamps in Montana remains high, despite lower unemployment rates.
According to the Billings Gazette, more Montanans are working now than were working during the recession.
However, the number of people receiv- ing food stamps, also known as SNAP bene ts, has remained about the same since the recession’s peak demand for services in 2011.
O cials say Montana’s housing con- struction industry is still su ering, and service industry wages are low enough for people who are working to still qual- ify for assistance getting food.
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