Montana Legislature passes bill to require trapper education course
HELENA, Mont. — The Montana Legislature has passed a bill to require a trapper education course for most people before they purchase a license to trap animals.
The bill by Democratic Rep. Pat Flowers of Bozeman would require course completion unless the person has purchased a trapping license in three prior trapping seasons or was being issued a license to trap for livestock protection.
The course must include instruction in trapping ethics, best practices, equipment, regulations and avoiding non-target species.
The bill has not yet been forwarded to Gov. Greg Gianforte for his signature.
The legislation would also help eliminate an issue in the state’s licensing system that allowed Gianforte to buy a license to trap a wolf without completing the state’s mandatory wolf trapping educational course.
In most cases, the state’s Automated Licensing Service tracks a person’s purchase history and education certifications with the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and automatically prevents users who don’t have proper certifications from buying licenses.
Completing the wolf trapping course currently isn’t a prerequisite for buying a general trapping license because the license can be used to harvest a number of species, FWP spokesman Greg Lemon told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
Gianforte had all the required licenses and tags and reported trapping and shooting the wolf outside Yellowstone National Park in mid-February, the wildlife agency said.
Gianforte said he completed the three-hour course this week after receiving a warning for having not taken the mandatory educational course. The violation was first reported by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration among regional public radio stations.
Deputy, suspect injured in officer-involved shooting
YELM, Wash. — A Thurston County deputy and suspect are both hospitalized after an officer-involved shooting late Friday night.
The deputy was sent to a home in Yelm on a call about a man who refused to leave the residence, KOMO-TV reported.
Within two minutes of her arrival, the deputy radioed that she’d been stabbed and had fired shots at the man who attacked her.
The deputy, who is in her 30s, was undergoing surgery and is in stable condition. The man, who is in his 40s, was taken by helicopter to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. His condition wasn’t released.
Roundabout project will disrupt traffic for most of the summer
GIG HARBOR, Wash. — A major street project on Stinson Avenue will disrupt traffic in downtown Gig Harbor for most of the spring and summer, city officials announced last week.
Contractors will build a roundabout at Stinson Avenue at Rosedale Street and repave Stinson Avenue between Rosedale and Grandview Street. Work was to begin Monday.
For the first month, traffic on Stinson will be northbound only. Uphill traffic from downtown will be routed to Skansie Avenue and Pioneer Way. The closure will occur between 1 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Drivers can expect “significant delays in the downtown Gig Harbor corridor,” the city said Friday. Access to homes and businesses will be maintained.
The roundabout is expected to improve traffic flow at the intersection, which has been a major bottleneck. In addition, crews will make pedestrian improvements along Stinson which will make walking along the roadway safer.
The project was a source of controversy last year, when the City Council vacillated between a roundabout and stoplights at the intersection. After considerable debate at a meeting Jan. 13, 2020, the council voted 4-3 for a roundabout.
