🌱 Shooting In Billings + Contaminated Food At St. Vincent Health Care

Welcome back, Billings. I'm here in your inbox per usual to tell you everything you need to know about what's going on around town.

But first, your local weather:

• Monday: Warmer with some sun. High: 77 Low: 55.
• Tuesday: Partly sunny and very warm. High: 79 Low: 55.

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Here are the top three stories in Billings today:

1. On Friday night, Billings police received a report of a shooting at the West View apartments located behind Rimrock Mall. The report indicated that a man was injured in the hallway of an apartment complex at the 2600 block of Phyllis Avenue at around 8:24 p.m. Police arrived at the scene and transported the man to the hospital with injuries that were described as life-threatening. (Q2 News)
2. On National Nurses Day, various St. Vincent Health Care facilities in Billings received possibly contaminated food, resulting in an outbreak of a gastrointestinal illness. Eighty people have shown symptoms so far, including vomiting and diarrhea. RiverStone Health is investigating the case but cannot confirm the source of the outbreak yet and is warning that the illness could spread to others. (Q2 News)
3. Savas Christian Lewis Howard, a 26-year-old Billings resident, has been accused of stealing seven firearms from a pawn shop that is authorized by the federal government to sell firearms. Howard pleaded not guilty to charges of theft, possession of stolen firearms, and prohibited persons in possession of a firearm in U.S. District Court. Additionally, he is suspected of supplying the firearm that was used in a shootout where a Great Falls police officer was injured. (Billings Gazette)

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Today and tomorrow in Billings:

Monday, May 15

• Self-Paced Tours, At Moss Mansion Museum (12:00 PM)

Tuesday, May 16

• Nature Nuts, At Montana Audubon Center (10:00 AM)

From my notebook:

• There are numerous luxury homes on the market in Billings right now, including a four-bedroom home for $750,000 in Mackenzie Meadows, near 56th and Neibauer. (Billings Gazette)
• On Wednesday, a small dog named Mocha was rescued from a drain pipe in Billings Heights, bringing the neighborhood together in support and celebration. Mocha crawled into an eight-inch pipe under the street and the neighbor's yard, where she had to be rescued by two plumbers and two excavators. (Q2 News)
• The DanMart Gardens in Billings was recently granted the designation of a botanical garden from the American Public Gardens Association. It is now one of the only official botanical gardens in the entire state of Montana. (KULR-TV)

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You're officially in the loop for today! I'll catch up with you bright and early soon with your next update.

— Lauren Kubiak

About me: Lauren is an Editor for Lightning Media Partners. She graduated from Rowan University with a Bachelor’s in journalism. She was previously a full-time editor at an association management firm, editing peer-reviewed nursing journals, textbooks, and newsletters.