Here is the latest Montana news from The Associated Press

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) Cascade County officials are concerned that the high cost of certifying levees along the Sun River. If the levees aren't certified by the county, nearby areas could be designated as floodplains as the Federal Emergency Management Agency updates flood insurance-rate maps.

Missoula, Mont. (AP) A 52-year-old Missoula man who escaped from federal prison has finally been sentenced on the charge that put him behind bars in the first place. David Phillips was sentenced to 27 months in prison on a perjury charge. He escaped after being arrested in March 2003 and spent about three years on the run.

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) A 47-year-old Kalispell bookkeeper has pleaded guilty to bank fraud for embezzling more than $227,000 from two companies. Prosecutors say July Hammack took more than $157,000 from a masonry company and more than $70,000 from a construction company. She admitted forging her employer's signature on some checks.

Washington (AP) Congress is moving to increase subsidies for flights in and out of rural communities like Harve, Montana. For Havre, each of its 359 passengers last year received an almost $2,900 subsidy double for a round trip ticket. On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved $175 million for the program, a $39 million increase from current funding.

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