The state's sexual offender registry provides a listing of sexual and violent offenders who are required to register with officials, and now it has an internet mapping feature, using Google map technology. The program lets people type in an address and get a map showing nearby registered sexual and violent offenders, mandated by federal law, with passage of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act.

Statewide, owners of 26,260 parcels of residential, agricultural, commercial and forest property have sought informal reappraisal reviews, an increase of 17,850 requests from the 8,400 filed in 2003. The Montana constitution and state law require periodic reappraisal of property, meaning an adjustment of taxable value, based on current market conditions.

The Montana Board of Investments, which invests the pension contributions from the state and local school districts and public employees and teachers, reports the assets of these two funds dropped by about 22% this past year, during the worst slide in the financial markets since the great depression. Studies are under way to revise the pension funds to make them more affordable.

A jury in Helena has awarded the parents of Brandon Patch $850,000, finding the maker of Louisville Slugger aluminum bats failed to adequately warn about the dangers the product can post. The 18 year old Miles City Maverick American Legion baseball player was struck in the temple in 2003 by a ball hit by one of the bats, and died.

For the second time this fall, Governor Brian Schweitzer, in an interview yesterday, rejected a call to summon legislators into special session to address some large increases in property tax bills, due to the latest statewide reappraisal, at acost of $80,000 a day to taxpayers, the request coming from the Northwest Montana Association of Realtors, saying many businesses and residential property owners are shocked by the large increases in estimated taxes they will have to pay on their current properties, either homes or businesses.

Legislation was signed into law at the White House yesterday, modeled after a program currently used by the Montana National Guard, which requires the military to provide a live screening for every soldier, marine, airman, or sailor, before he or she deploys to combat, as well as no later than six, twelve and twenty four months after he or she returns from combat.