GREAT FALLS, MONTANA – A magnitude 4.2 earthquake shook western Montana on Thursday afternoon, according to information from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The earthquake occurred at 12:41 p.m. local time roughly 7.45 miles north-northeast of Malmstrom Air Force Base.

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It was reported to be 6.21 miles below the surface, according to the USGS.

Moderate shaking was felt right near the earthquake in Great Falls, about 11 miles away.

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Light shaking was reported as far north as Shelby, Montana, roughly 85 miles from Great Falls. 

Montana’s capitol city of Helena also reported weak shaking from the quake. 

It’s unclear if any damage occurred as a result of the earthquake.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A program that aims to keep Southern Nevada residents in their homes is growing.

Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, Clark County, and the Las Vegas area Justice Courts say the Eviction Diversion Program (EDP) will expand to new jurisdictions starting Monday, Feb. 2.

The program’s goal is to prevent the eviction of seniors and people with disabilities.

The program began as a pilot in the Las Vegas Justice Court to provide eligible tenants and landlords with resources.

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Because of its success, Nevada lawmakers earlier this year approved additional funding to expand EDP to Henderson and North Las Vegas.

The partnership will evaluate those facing eviction for long-term solutions. Eligible tenants and landlords can receive rental assistance while working with Clark County Social Services, and a lawyer from the Legal Aid Center will represent the tenants.

This program covers seniors 62 and older, and those who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits due to a disability. To qualify, applicants must be facing eviction for non-payment of rent and must file a tenant answer within the notice period.

New eviction forms are available on the Civil Law Self-Help Center website.

A former member of a Norbertine community in New Mexico has been indicted on allegations that he stole millions of dollars from the religious group over the course of several months.

A grand jury handed down charges in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico alleging that James Owens stole funds belonging to the Norbertine abbey of Santa Maria de la Vid on the outskirts of Albuquerque.

The Jan. 21 charging document alleges that Owens, who reportedly became a brother at the abbey in 2009, began stealing money from the community in 2022. Owens, formerly a certified public accountant and lawyer, had been made treasurer of the organization in 2016, the same year he became a permanent member there.

As treasurer, he had signatory authority over the abbey’s financial accounts and was responsible for the payment of the community’s expenses.

Owens allegedly used “wire communications, monetary transactions,” and other methods to transfer over $2 million to multiple accounts he controlled. Some of the money was used to purchase a home in nearby Placitas, the grand jury said.

The transfers were carried out from around May 2022 to March 2023, the indictment says, during a development project to expand retreat facilities at the abbey.

In a press release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico said Owens has been charged with “eight counts of wire fraud, 23 counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from unlawful activity, and one count of attempt to evade and defeat tax.” He is facing 20 years in prison if convicted.

On its website, the Norbertine community says it established its abbey on property bought from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in 1995. The property had originally been run as a Dominican convent that replaced a late-1940s airstrip.

The facility offers retreat opportunities including “self-contained hermitages” and guest accommodations.

The community notes that “several of our brothers have their earthly resting places here in our communal cemetery.”

“As Norbertine brothers we will have an everlasting presence on this land,” the website says.