Montana Crash Case, Kalispell Vote Drama, NASA Moon Mission & Local Grants

This week on News Now from the Daily Inter Lake, reporter Taylor Inman is covering the biggest stories across northwest Montana—from a devastating crash case and political controversy to a historic NASA mission with local roots.

A Flathead County judge has increased bail to $500,000 for a man accused of stealing a vehicle, leading police on a high-speed chase, and crashing into a Columbia Falls teen, leaving her with severe, life-threatening injuries. The emotional courtroom hearing drew a packed crowd in support of the victim and raised concerns about public safety.

In Kalispell, a heated 5-4 vote on the city’s new land use plan is sparking debate over conflict of interest, government transparency, and the future of development. The decision could shape how growth is managed across the Flathead Valley for years to come.

Meanwhile, two Flathead Valley aerospace engineers played key roles in NASA’s Artemis II mission, marking the first crewed journey toward the moon in more than 50 years. The milestone highlights local talent contributing to one of the most ambitious space exploration efforts in decades.

Plus, Montana history organizations receive major grant funding to preserve cultural heritage in the Mission Valley, supporting education, archival work, and community storytelling projects.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 1:24

Hello and welcome to News Now. I'm your host, Taylor Edmund. We're going over the week's biggest headlines for Northwest Montana. Flata County District Judge Danny Kaufman on Monday increased bail for a man who allegedly ran a red light and rammed his stolen pickup truck into a vehicle driven by a Columbia Falls girl, causing her severe injuries. At the bail reduction hearing, Kaufman increased Alfred Chester Flaman's bail from$200,000 to$500,000. 34-year-old Flamin of Browning, appearing with public defender Nick Amenseegger, asked to be released on his own recognizance so he could seek treatment for substance abuse. On January 9th, Flamin, driving an allegedly stolen Dodge Durango from the town pump gas station in Evergreen, drove at speeds up to 90 miles an hour to Columbia Falls. Columbia Falls police initiated a short chase as he drove through the city, but he ran a red light at the intersection of US 2 and Montana 206 and slammed into a car driven by 16-year-old Hazel Alexander, a top runner from the Columbia Falls cross-country team. She suffered numerous injuries, including a ruptured spleen, broken femur, broken jaw, shattered pelvis, and had strokes in both hemispheres of her brain. Alexander was flown to Harborview Medical Center for treatment and is in recovery. She attended a bail hearing along with her family and friends, coaches, lawmakers, and law enforcement. The courthouse was packed with people showing support, filling a second courtroom where they watched the proceedings via Zoom. Her father, Simon Alexander, took the stand and detailed her injuries to prosecutor Travis Honor. Honor asked him what he felt Flamin's bond should be, while Alexander noted that it was difficult for him to say as he wasn't an expert, but he thought$200,000 was, quote, rather light. Alexander noted it could have been anybody, but it happened to his daughter, later adding that he would be grossly concerned for the community if Flamond was released. Kaufman noted Flaman's previous criminal record. By his own admission, he had at least 20 misdemeanor arrests for theft and had recently pleaded guilty to two felony counts of possession of dangerous drugs after his arrest by Calliswell Police on August 16, 2025. According to the criminal complaint, Flaman was found trespassing at Town Pump on West Reserve Drive. Police allegedly found methamphetamine in his backpack. When he was booked into the Flathead County Detention Center, officers allegedly found meth in his pocket. He posted a$20,000 bond on August 19th and was scheduled to go to drug treatment on September 23rd, 2025. He did not attend drug treatment and was later picked up for a misdemeanor theft in Bozeman, where he eventually ended up back in the Flathead County Detention Center after a warrant was issued for his arrest. Flaman reached a plea agreement on the drug charges December 4th, and then on Christmas Eve 2025, Flaman was again released on his own recognizance. The prosecution at the time did not oppose the motion for his release. He was also supposed to enter drug treatment but never did. He allegedly stole the Durango and crashed into Hazel Alexander 16 days later. Adhering to the previous plea agreement for the 2025 drug charges, Flaman was sentenced by District Court judge Heidi Ulbricht on March 9th to a three-year suspended sentence as well as probation. He was also prohibited from using alcohol or drugs and had to submit to alcohol and drug testing as well as other counseling and evaluations. Flemond was also arraigned Monday and pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the chase in accident, including felony fleeing and eluding, felony criminal endangerment, felony theft of a light vehicle, and negligent vehicle assault. If convicted on all counts, Flemond faces 40 years in prison, Honor noted. Flamond was remanded back to the Flathead County Detention Center. Counselor Jed Fisher accused Hunter of helping draft the letter, an allegation that Hunter repeatedly denied. After city officials recommended against changing the boundary in January, Hunter sought guidance from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The agency later sent a letter to council recommending the land be designated as an area of concern, citing its importance as a stopover for tens of thousands of migratory waterfowl. The vote that ultimately passed on Monday added language to the land use plan identifying the area stretching from West Reserve Drive to Church Drive as important crane habitat, and included a state-prepared map showing the designated area of concern. Before the vote, City Attorney Jonna Preble warned Hunter that his involvement could pose a problem. She said in her opinion, quote, at worst there's a potential conflict of interest and potential violation of city policy. Hunter defended his decision to vote, saying he had consistently disclosed his employment with the nonprofit, and that neither he nor the organization would receive any financial benefit from designating the area as environmentally sensitive. He compared his situation to a vote cast by Councillor Sam Nunnalee to revoke the Flathead Warming Center's permit. The city attorney gave Nunnalee the green light to vote despite his employment with the county as a manager of the Flathead County Fairgrounds. Concerns were raised at the time because the county commissioners had drafted a letter condemning homeless activity in the area and urging the public not to support the warming centers. Nunnalee voted against the changes and questioned how quickly the recommendation from Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks was produced. He said growing up in the valley, he watched biologists spend years studying species such as elk, deer, and moose. Counselors Carrie Gabriel and Fisher also voted against the changes, arguing that the newly included map placed an unnecessary label on private property outside the city limits. Counselors said Dowd criticized the state legislature for imposing policies on local governments and also took issue with the council's last-minute changes with the plan. Counselors Kyle Waterman, Lisa Blank, Wes Walker, and Dustin Leftridge all voted to include the revisions. Supporters argued that the map identifying the area of concern is no different than maps already in the land use plan that identify moose, elk, and bear habitat. The document will now guide city planners as they review future development proposals. Under state law, public input was required during the creation of the plan, while individual projects will eventually no longer receive public hearings. It was T minus three minutes to launch, and Jeremiah Hall had just enough time to dash outside the Kennedy Space Center to see the rocket launch. He and fellow aerospace engineers stood in the center's parking lot in Cape Canaveral, Florida, about eight miles from the launch pad as Artemis II began its ascent on April 1st. For the first time in 53 years, four astronauts were headed to the moon. Large clouds of exhaust billowed from the 5.75 million pound rocket. Twin solid rocket boosters ignited first, providing 75% of the thrust before four RS-25 engines flamed to life, generating 8.8 million pounds of force. After a second's delay, Hall felt a low rumble build into a dull continuous thunder. As the rocket climbed higher, there were rapid popping noises like a string of firecrackers going off. Hall didn't realize his hands were covering his face as tears welled up in his eyes. He says he doesn't normally get emotional, but it was pretty intense. Forty-five-year-old Hall is one of two aerospace engineers from the Flathead Valley contracted by NASA or the National Aeronautics Space Administration to work on the Artemis Project, a multi-part series to return humans to the moon's surface and eventually Mars. Astronauts on Artemis II will fly on a 10-day mission 5,000 miles past the moon before returning to Earth. Christina Koch, the first female astronaut to join on a lunar mission, is a former Montana resident. 47-year-old systems engineer manager Daniel Baca grew up in Calisbell and said he, quote, was very proud to be sending the first woman to the moon and that he absolutely wants to bring her back. He and his wife, Melissa Bauer, witnessed the historic launch from the NASA Causeway Bridge, a structure that spans the Indian River Lagoon. When he looked over, his wife was in tears, and he found himself lucky to share this moment with his partner. Luck is how both Flathead Valley natives describe their journey into aerospace engineering. Baca had lived in Kalispel since he was five years old, and Hall hails from Olney, attending junior high and high school in Whitefish. As a kid, Baca paid more attention to skateboarding than his studies, but he always knew he wanted to do something in space. Baca and his older brother would venture out on starry nights as his sibling recalled the Greek mythologies behind each constellation. He took a more serious approach to his studies when he attended Flathead Valley Community College. It's different when you have to pay through college, Baca said. He earned a scholarship to the University of Montana, where he graduated in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in math and astrophysics and a minor in computer science. He worked at Ace Hardware in Missoula for two years before he pursued a master's degree at the University of Colorado in Boulder. That's where he met Hall. Hall's love for flight technology was inspired by his grandfather, who showed him models of airplanes he worked on as a mechanical engineer in World War II. He aspired to follow in his grandfather's footsteps as a fighter pilot, but plans changed after he was rejected from the U.S. Air Force Academy. Hall diverted to study mechanical engineering at Montana State University, where he found a love of fluid mechanics. He said when he finished, he knew that he still wanted to be in the aerospace industry. That's how he ended up in Colorado, where he and Baca graduated with a master's degree in aerospace engineering. Hall specialized in computational fluid dynamics and Baca studied bioastronautics, the study in support of life in space. They were both hired by Lockheed Martin in June 2007, a renowned aerospace and defense company based in Denver. Lockheed had just won a contract with NASA that year to develop the Orion spacecraft. Bacca was hired as a systems engineer and Hall worked on computational fluid dynamics. Their first major assignment was Artemis 1, an uncrewed test flight launched in 2022. Hall said that mission was a huge motivation, and that they had, quote, just demonstrated that the system was going to bring humans to the moon. For Artemis II, Baca rose through the ranks to Systems Engineer Manager, but his official title is European Service Module Mission or Architecture and Integration Manager. He oversaw a variety of systems and engineering tasks. This included mass management, making sure the rocket isn't too heavy to lift off the ground, and designing an HVAC-like system to control temperature and volume pressure inside the cabin. Hall's primary role on the Artemis mission is purge, vent, and drainage analysis. Purge is essentially pre-launch conditioning, he said. Dry nitrogen and air are pumped into the Orion spacecraft to keep out humidity and contamination. In the two days leading up to the launch, Hall worked in the console room to ensure all systems were running smoothly. Baca was in and out of meetings to plan for Artemis III and four. The aerospace engineers were cautiously optimistic. After Artemis II took off with four astronauts inside, he took a video of himself from the bridge, a trail of white smoke painted across a blue sky. For Hall, it was a dichotomous moment. Read this full story at dailyinterlake.com. The Foundation for Montana History awarded two grants to Mission Valley organizations recently as part of its largest ever grant-making cycle. The Foundation is a nonprofit based in Helena that raises private funds and makes grants for community-based history initiatives. This year it awarded more than$255,000 to communities across Montana, and since starting its grant programs in 2012, it has invested more than$2.1 million into history and preservation projects. The foundation grants up to$15,000 for 26 projects, including seven first-time foundation grant recipients. Three Chiefs Cultural Center in Pablo, where the Confederated Salish and Kooteny tribe share history through exhibits and activities, received$14,500 for archival and collective management training. According to the press release, the funds will be used to purchase archival supplies for collection preservation and conduct on-site training for Three Chiefs creation technician Gray Johnson. The grant will also help digitize photographs that survived the catastrophic arson-caused fire that destroyed the People's Center in 2020. Three Chiefs was established in 2023 and is temporarily housed on Major Howe Road. To learn more, visit 3Chiefs.org. The Nine Pipes Museum of Early Montana south of Ronan received$8,800 for residents, Voices That Shape Nine Pipes Museum, the third installment in a multi-year award. The Nine Pipes team has created a downloadable curriculum guide that provides educators with four place-based lessons built around its Resonance Oral History Podcast series, which focuses on connections of community members to artifacts in the museum. The team is now providing pilots of curriculum to local schools. After their classroom experience, students will travel to the museum to view the items they heard about in the podcast and expand their understanding of Montana history. For details, visit ninepipesmuseum.org slash educational outreach. A complete list of grant recipients is available at mthistory.org. Thanks for joining us. News Now is a podcast from the Daily Interlake. We're proud to be the largest independent newsman in Montana and the longest continuously published newspaper in the region. Today's stories are written by Hungry Horse News Editor Chris Peterson, Daily Interlake reporters Hannah Shields and Jack Underhill, and the team at the Lake County Leader. You can read the full versions of these stories at dailyinterlake.com. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our YouTube channel to never miss an episode of The Pod. Everybody stay safe and have a great week.