Montana News Roundup: 90? Another Wacky Montana Weather Week

Will Montana go from snow to 90 degrees in a week?

Well, anyone who's lived here for a while will testify that's entirely possible. We started the week with several inches of sloppy, wet snow in some parts of the state. And now forecasters say the end of the week will be even warmer than last weekend.

     ☀️ Billings and Great Falls are expected to hit the mid-to-upper 80s by Saturday, with Missoula and the Bitterroot Valley potentially seeing the first 90-degree readings of the year.

Butte and Bozeman will remain cooler, but still reach the upper 70s before thunderstorms start to develop across the state later on Saturday.

READ MORE: Here's Where Montana's Summer Fire Season Starts

Firefighters Continue to Battle Big Hole Blaze

Just over 100-hundred firefighters are continuing to work to expand containment on the first big fire of the season burning in the Big Hole Valley.

The Sawlog Fire broke out last Thursday, north east of Wisdom, and grew to more than 15-hundred acres by Sunday evening. However, the cooler and wetter weather at the start of the week has helped fire crews reach 10% containment, as it continues to burn on Forest Service and BLM land south of the Big Hole River.

3-crews, 3-engines, and a helicopter continue to work the fire, as firefighters try and prepare for drier and warmer weather.

Here's What Happened in That Big Bozeman Chase

Bozeman Police say the officer who was hit during that wild cross-city chase yesterday was hurt, but suffered "non-life-threatening" injuries.

The pursuit involved Bozeman officers, the Montana Highway Patrol, and Gallatin County Sheriff's deputies and started when the suspect reportedly flashed a weapon during a "road rage" incident. The chase caused several crashes and ended on North 7th when the police car was hit. Charges are pending.

Taxes Throttle School Funding, But Hamilton Breaks Through on New School

It was a mixed night for school levy proposals across the state, as the voters' concerns over high property taxes continue to impact education funding requests.

Voters in the Billings region were voting down several smaller school funding requests, including levies in Laurel. However, in Bozeman and Missoula, voters were in a spending mood, approving several general fund and building requests.

UPDATE: 

Initially, there were indications Hamilton voters were going to approve a $49-million bond for K-12 class space, a big step forward to replacing the district's aging middle school.

However, after all the ballots were in, the measure failed with a 62% "no" vote, even after the school district cut $20 million from the last proposal two years ago.

Montana Wayback Wednesday

The oldest school building in Montana is a well-known landmark in Twin Bridges, which dates back to 1967. Philipsburg has the oldest continuously operating school, where classes have been held since 1896.