In the video above, Tim McGonigal talks with Samari Kirby of Cascade County 4-H about the annual ice cream stand at the Montana State Fair.
Montana
Montana de Oro standoff suspect allegedly stole U.S. military-procured truck
![Montana de Oro standoff suspect allegedly stole U.S. military-procured truck Montana de Oro standoff suspect allegedly stole U.S. military-procured truck](https://calcoastnews.com/images/2024/08/GT7zngQXQAAWGQK.jpeg)
August 1, 2024
By JOSH FRIEDMAN
The suspect who engaged in a multi-hour standoff with law enforcement at Montana de Oro State Park on Wednesday allegedly stole a transport vehicle that was procured by the United States military and is designed to carry M1 Abrams tanks.
On Wednesday, a witness reported a suspicious vehicle in a parking lot off Los Osos Valley Road in Los Osos. Deputies arrived and the driver, later identified as 63-year-old Patrick Kevin VanNess of Los Angeles, then fled to Montana de Oro State Park, broke through a gate and ended up in the Sandspit Beach area.
Deputies tried to contact VanNess, but he refused commands to exit the truck. After VanNess refused to leave the truck, detail members sprayed tear gas inside the vehicle, and the suspect got out of the truck.
Deputies booked VanNess in San Luis Obispo County Jail on charges of obstructing or resisting a public officer, fleeing a peace officer while reckless driving with disregard, no evidence of current vehicle registration, vandalism, driving without a license, obstructing or resisting an executive officer and burglary.
On Thursday, the sheriff’s office announced that its detectives confirmed the vehicle involved in the incident is a M1070 Heavy Equipment Transport vehicle that was designed for the United States military. The vehicle was manufactured earlier this year and was then stolen in transit prior to being delivered to the military in Southern California, according to the sheriff’s office.
Valued at more than $500,000, the M1070 is specifically used to transport M1 Abrams tanks.
The M1070 that VanNess allegedly stole became stuck in the sand at Montana de Oro several times due to its weight and size. On Thursday, sheriff’s deputies managed to remove the vehicle from the beach at Montana de Oro with assistance from California State Parks and California Army National Guard personnel.
Sheriff’s officials say VanNess will be charged with theft of the vehicle. An investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
VanNess is currently being held in SLO County Jail with his bail set at $80,000.
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Montana
4-H ice cream at the Montana State Fair
![4-H ice cream at the Montana State Fair 4-H ice cream at the Montana State Fair](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c43ba62/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1008+0+36/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fx-default-stgec.uplynk.com%2Fause%2Fslices%2Fd09%2F08eb16cf8af2400d815b1b31a3092ff6%2Fd09d814a119b44b99fbb63cfdf2ddbae%2Fposter_8434c22270144a40915b9b58a5d5d568.jpg)
4-H ice cream at the Montana State Fair
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Montana
Mexican lagers on the rise, according to Montana Brewers Association
![Mexican lagers on the rise, according to Montana Brewers Association Mexican lagers on the rise, according to Montana Brewers Association](https://www.explorebigsky.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/PARTY-scaled-1-1000x600.jpg)
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EBS STAFF
Anyone who’s a fan of local beer has likely noticed the influx of Mexican lagers on the menu of their local brewery; the summer sipper pairs well with the hot days southwest Montana has been having.
The origins of Mexican lagers begin in 1821 after the Mexican War of Independence, when Germans and Austrians came to Mexico bringing with them their taste for lagers and their own unique recipes to brew them. These recipes evolved as brewers incorporated corn, or flaked maize, producing a clear, smooth beer, according to an article from the Montana Brewers Association.
The Montana Brewers Association goes on to list their recommendations for locally brewed Mexican lagers, including Helena-based Blackfoot River Brewing’s Cerveza Del Rio Mexican Style Lager, Missoula-based Cranky Sam Brewing’s El Vaquero and Bozeman-based Bridger Brewing’s Wildlands Festival Mexican Style Lager.
Montana
Crashes on Montana’s roads kill six people in a week
![Crashes on Montana’s roads kill six people in a week Crashes on Montana’s roads kill six people in a week](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/billingsgazette.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/c1/3c1bafa4-4e92-11ef-ae0b-3fb9cdb18fc8/66a918efe88b5.preview.jpg?crop=1280%2C672%2C0%2C23&resize=1200%2C630&order=crop%2Cresize)
Six people have died on Montana’s roads in the span of a week.
Most of the fatal wrecks occurred on highways in the southeastern part of the state, according to statements from Montana Highway Patrol. Despite the recent uptick in fatalities, overall fatalities in Montana are down in 2024 compared to last year.
A Montana Department of Transportation camera shows conditions for U.S. Highway 212 near Lame Deer on July 30, 2024.
On July 26, one person was killed and seven hospitalized after two vehicles collided on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. Three people were traveling east in a sedan on U.S. Highway 212, between Muddy and Lame Deer. At around mile marker 38, per MHP, the driver tried passing semi-truck in a no passing zone. The sedan went right into the path of a westbound SUV.
The two vehicles struck head-on. The impact killed the driver of the sedan, a 21-year-old man from Busby. His two passengers, a 20-year-old man and two-year-old girl, were hospitalized. Neither of the men were wearing seat belts at the time of the wreck, according to MHP. The crash flipped the SUV onto its roof, and emergency crews took all five of its passengers to a Lame Deer hospital for emergency care. Those traveling in the SUV included three men and two women, most of whom were from South Dakota.
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Less than an hour after the crash outside of Lame Deer, a Glasgow man died in a single vehicle crash near Roundup. The 84-year-old was driving south on U.S. Highway 87, the main artery connecting Roundup and Billings, when one of the rear tires of his minivan blew out. The driver overcorrected and the van went off the road, overturning before coming to a stop. First responders pronounced the man dead at the scene.
On July 27, a Rosebud County resident died in a rollover crash near Forsyth. A 52-year-old woman was at the wheel of a Ford Mustang going east of Old U.S. Highway 10, which runs parallel to Interstate 94 east of Forsyth. Near the intersection of Schiffer Road, the driver overcorrected after starting to drift off the right side of the road. The car skidded off the road and rolled into a coulee. The woman, who according to MHP was not wearing a seat belt, died at the scene.
That same day, a Helena man died when his motorcycle collided with a trailer in Lewis and Clark County. The motorcyclist was apparently riding at speeds in excess of 100 mph. On Monday, an Idaho man was killed in a crash near Little Bitterroot Lake in Flathead County. The 61-year-old from Idaho Falls was riding an ATV away from a boat launch when he was hit by an SUV traveling on U.S. Highway 2. The man on the ATV allegedly tried crossing the highway without yielding to traffic, per MHP.
Early Tuesday morning, a Washington man died in a wreck on the border of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, just north of Saint Mary Lake. Speeding and intoxication are suspected to be factors in the crash.
As of late July, at least 100 people have died in fatal wrecks throughout the state this year, a slight decline compared to the 105 deaths recorded at the end of July 2023. Intoxication is suspected to have been a factor in roughly half of the fatal crashes this year.
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