Updated: May 20, 2013 9:11 PM
By KRTV

Top stories on KRTV for the evening of Monday, May 20, 2013:

- Peterson In Custody: Jayson Peterson, wanted in connection with a suspected arson fire on March 27th at a U-Haul store, has turned himself in to the Great Falls Police Department. Sgt. Bryan Slavik of the GFPD said that Peterson turned himself in on Monday and is now in the county jail.

- Amber Alert Update: Jamie Finley, arrested on Sunday after assaulting a Polson mother and then kidnapping her child, has been released from custody by a Polson judge. Finley was charged with one count of felony kidnapping after she reportedly assaulted the mother of Lillianah Dawn Marie BigCrane before taking the girl and driving away in an SUV late Saturday. Polson Police Chief Wade Nash told us that Finley is the sister of the woman she assaulted. The child has not been returned to her mother and father and remains in the custody of the Tribal Department of Family Services.

- Flood Outlook: There is increasing concern about the current runoff situation around Montana. The overall flood outlook calls for near-average flooding potential but it wouldn't take much to change things quickly. With rain falling on top of more than 30 inches of snowpack in some higher elevations, it could cause river and stream levels to rise rapidly. Since it had been so dry, most of the rain so far has been absorbed by the soil but once things become saturated, the concern will increase.

- Road Work: Construction crews east of Great Falls had planned to re-open the 7-mile stretch of Highway 87 from Armington Junction to Raynesford on Sunday, but wet weather pushed the opening back.  Residential traffic will still be allowed access this week, but other vehicles will continue to be detoured until the anticipated re-opening on Friday. May 24.

- Buckle Up: The Montana Highway Patrol is promiting a "Click It Or Ticket" campaign to encourage more Treasure State residents to wear their seatbelt when traveling by car. 

- Schweitzer: Former Montana governor Brian Schweitzer has been elected as the chairman of the Stillwater Mining Company's board of directors.
He says shareholders around the world need to "focus like a laser" on Montana's assets.

- Unemployment: Last week the Montana Department of Labor announced that the state's unemployment rate dropped a tenth of percentage point and now stands at 5.5%. But what does this mean? Are there more people out of work than the numbers might indicate? Reporter Marnee Banks answers these questions in a special report.

Updated: May 21, 2013 10:08 AM
By Judy Slate, Jamie Leary

BOZEMAN - More than a week after RheaLynn Baxter died after contracting Hantavirus, her fiancé Zak Stark is left grappling with the news of her death.

Meanwhile, some neighbors in the mobile home court where she lived are preparing to move.

Baxter, 20, was admitted to the emergency department in a Bozeman hospital and discharged with what she thought was a nasty virus.

RheaLynn's fiancé tells us she was airlifted to Billings on May 10 and died the following day.

RheaLynn had just recently become engaged. Stark has been working in Williston, North Dakota. Now, he's trying to cope with RheaLynn's death.

"I'm having a hard time grasping the fact that she is gone and that she's not coming back," he said.

Zak and RheaLynn dated on and off for about two years before becoming engaged the day before Easter.

When RheaLynn became sick, Zak was in North Dakota. He remembers one night when they were video chatting: "She told me that she had to go and before it ended, I heard her throwing up."

He says RheaLynn went to Bozeman Deaconess Hospital and was sent home with some pills for nausea and a headache, but she was soon back in the hospital.

"The day before she passed away, her mother texted that she was being airlifted to Billings," he said.

Zak dropped everything and rushed to Billings. He was with RheaLynn for about an hour before she was put into a coma.

"I told her that I loved her and that everything was going to be OK and that I was here, and I told her she was going to get through it," he said.

RheaLynn passed away the next morning.

"I've just been so lost and so confused, and I don't really know what to do," Zak said.

RheaLynn was a rodeo queen, and Zak says he was working in Williston to make enough money to help RheaLynn realize her dream of qualifying for the National Finals Rodeo.

Zak has since moved out of the couple's home in Morgan Court near Logan.

Since RheaLynn's death, some groups have been working to move some of her neighbors to more suitable living conditions.

Those who are not moving are worried about their health.

"When I came home from work, I had seen some of her friends were wearing masks and moving stuff out of the trailer next to us," neighbor Jessica Campbell said.

Campbell lived next door to RheaLynn and Zak.

"You never know how many mice are carrying it. We live so close to them and if the mice aren't dead, they could travel over to us," Campbell said. "I picked up some masks and bleach. My main concern is my neighbor that has kids."

Personnel at the Human Resources Development Council (HRDC) say the organization is working with the Health Department, along with Pioneer Church and United Methodist Church, to move some of Campbell's neighbors to better living conditions. But for now, Campbell is cautiously staying put.

RheaLynn is the 10th person reported to have died from Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome in Montana since 1993. This is the first Hantavirus-related death in Montana in 2013. The greatest risk for contracting Hantavirus is associated with exposure to rodent feces in closed, dry areas.

Health experts say the Hantavirus is extremely difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are non-specific. Symptoms include shortness of breath, muscle aches, fever and chills. Symptoms may not show up until one to six weeks after exposure.

There is no cure for Hantavirus.

"Really there is no specific thing that can be done except to treat the symptoms and to manage the individual in terms of manifestation for example pulmonary syndrome," said Karl Milhon of DPHHS.

The experts say that if you've been around rodents or rodent droppings and have the symptoms, be sure to tell your doctor.

Updated: May 20, 2013 10:54 PM
By News9.com - KWTV

NEAR OKLAHOMA CITY - A massive tornado that ripped across Moore on Monday afternoon has killed at least 51 people. The twister wiped out neighborhoods, destroyed two schools and left dozens injured.

The state medical examiner confirmed the number of people killed, but there's no specific number on how many people have been injured.

The powerful tornado first touched down in Newcastle and churned toward Interstate 44 and S.W. 149th Street. It hit Plaza Towers Elementary School, which is northeast of S.W. 19th and Santa Fe. There are still reports of children and staff still trapped in the debris. Emergency workers are on the scene, searching through the debris. There are also unconfirmed reports children were killed at the school.

Crews are bringing cadaver dogs to search for children trapped under the rubbles.

The tornado also hit Briarwood Elementary School, destroying the building. Parents ran to the school, trying to make sure their children were all right. Firefighters and police raced to the scene to help rescue trapped students and staff.

A teacher told News 9's Karl Torp that students and staff took shelter before the storm struck in hallways and under their decks. There were some minor injuries but all students were accounted for.

Click here for continuing coverage at News9.com.

Click here to donate to tornado relief through the American Red Cross.

Updated: May 21, 2013 10:10 AM
By Erin Schermele (erin@krtv.com)

The DECA club in Belt is putting Montana on the map at national competitions.

Will Green, Joshua Fenner, and Nathan Simonich were the only team from Montana to make the finals in this year's National DECA competition.

The boys placed in the top 16 in the world for their presentation in the business operations research category.

Their project was to help a local veteranarian with his business and marketing.

After taking first at the state competition, the team spent five hours a day, five days a week for a month, making their project perfect - and it paid off.

But they weren't the only members of Belt's DECA team to be successful.

Seventeen of the 19 participants qualified for the National competition.

In the last 10 years the Belt DECA program has helped start a wellness center, raise thousands of dollars for Komen Montana and helped pass a Montana law promoting teen driver safety.

Updated: May 20, 2013 11:12 PM
By KRTV

One man has been injured after a van crashed through a fence in Great Falls.

It happened at around 8:30 p.m. on Monday near the 900 block of River Drive South.

Initial reports indicate that the man suffered a head injury; the severity of the injury is not yet known.

Great Falls Fire Rescue and Great Falls police crew are at the scene.

Northbound traffic on River Drive South has been temporarily blocked.

Authorities are still investigating to determine what happened.

We will update you when we learn more.