Daily News Roundup
March 15, 16 and 17, 2024
Rebuilding Glacier’s ‘Reds’
by Justin Franz for Montana Free Press COLUMBIA FALLS — Inside a nondescript garage south of Columbia Falls sits one of the most beloved fleets of historic vehicles anywhere in America. Dave Eglsaer, the man responsible for the fleet, said keeping them inside this time of year is key because the moment they park one outside, people stop to take pictures and even ask for tours of the shop.
Commentary: Decisions by the State of Montana Defy Logic in Case of Gravel Pit
Opinion by Dick Giuliani The State of Montana, through the Department of Natural Resources and Department of Environmental Quality, approved the Elbow Lake Gravel Pit and Asphalt Plant in 2023. The 20-acre site of the pit on Highway 83 is part of the critical wildlife corridor to and from the Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area. The rationale for the decision by the State to approve the pit was that it needed funding to support education. The decision was made despite overwhelming opposition to the gravel pit from the citizens of Montana, as documented by letters submitted to DNRC and DEQ.
Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act
By Denise Rivette On Wednesday, Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania opened a discharge petition in hopes of gathering a majority of House of Representatives signatures (218) which would allow the Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act to proceed to a full vote of the House.
Community Leaders: Pyramid Mill Closure in Seeley Lake ‘Devastating,’ ‘Heartbreaking’
By Keila Szpaller for the Daily Montanan Community leaders said Friday news that Pyramid Mountain Lumber plans to close the Seeley Lake mill, the area’s largest employer, will change the fabric of the town in the Seeley-Swan. One day earlier, Pyramid announced its board of directors and shareholders unanimously voted “with the heaviest of hearts” to shut the mill and wind down operations as a result of a financial crisis that is worse than challenges the mill weathered in 2000, 2007 and 2015.
‘Fourth Wave’ of Opioid Epidemic Crashes Ashore, Propelled by Fentanyl and Meth
By Colleen DeGuzman for KFF Health News The United States is knee-deep in what some experts call the opioid epidemic’s “fourth wave,” which is not only placing drug users at greater risk but is also complicating efforts to address the nation’s drug problem.
A Montana Transgender Teenager’s Journey for Gender Affirmation
By Nance Beston and Aislin Tweedy for the Daily Montanan K.A. walks into the bathroom at his dad’s house, flicks off the overhead light and closes the door. He plugs in a dim disco ball that speckles the bathroom walls with blue, purple, green and pink. More than a year ago, K.A. began showering in the dark like this, dreading this part of his morning routine.
The View From Across the Pond: America’s Extraordinary Economy Keeps Defying the Pessimists
Excerpts from The Economist communications and publication The Economist (a British weekly magazine founded in 1843) described the difficulty of designing a magazine cover that conveys the subject matter of their main story in this week’s edition regarding the condition and prospects of the U.S. economy. They began:
The Race to Replace Supreme Court Justice Dirk Sandefur
by Arren Kimbel-Sannit for Montana Free Press The stage is set for a three-way contest to replace retiring Montana Supreme Court Justice Dirk Sandefur, a race featuring two district court judges and a man who says he’s running to “break the monopoly of the bar association.”
The Land-Grant Legacy
by Isabel Hicks for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle This article is part of a three-part collaborative series produced by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, ICT and Montana Free Press, and utilizes data obtained through the national news nonprofit Grist’s “Land Grab University”
Supreme Court Clears Way for Override Poll of Vetoed Marijuana Funds Bill
By Blair Miller for the Daily Montanan The Montana Supreme Court on Friday afternoon denied the State of Montana’s request to pause a lower court decision ordering the governor and secretary of state to send out an override poll for a marijuana fund redistribution bill Governor Greg Gianforte vetoed at the end of the 2023 legislative session.
Commentary: Medicaid Unwinding Hits Older Montanans Hard
By Terry Minow originally published by the Daily Montanan More than 120,000 Montanans lost their Medicaid and Healthy Montana Kids health care coverage in the past few months. Shockingly, 70 percent of those terminations were due to administrative reasons: failures on the part of the Gianforte administration. The administration’s poorly thought-out, under-staffed Medicaid redetermination process has hurt thousands of Montanans, especially our elders and children.
State Lawmakers Debate Whether Committees Should Be More Bipartisan
By Nicole Girten for the Daily Montanan Republican and Democrat legislators largely disagreed on how party make-up in interim committees impact the bills that come out of them during a discussion on the topic Friday. During the last session, the Republican supermajority
Ads Push SEC’s New Climate Disclosure Rule for Public Companies After Montana Joins Challenge
By Blair Miller for the Daily Montanan Montanans are likely to start seeing more political advertising surrounding climate change and investments following the Securities Exchange Commission’s adoption last week of rules to require publicly traded companies to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks to investors.
FWP Asks Anglers in SW Montana to Report Tagged Fish as Part of Study
By Blair Miller for the Daily Montanan Anglers in southwest Montana will have a chance to win prizes while also helping out with the state’s effort to study what is leading to trout population declines in some of the most famed trout-fishing rivers in the country.
Weekly Montana Health Numbers
By Denise Rivette Level of Respiratory Illness Activity Across the Country for Week Ended March 9, 2024 Montana Respiratory Illness Statistics (not updated this week by time of publication)
When Copay Assistance Backfires on Patients
By Julie Appleby for KFF Health News In early 2019, Jennifer Hepworth and her husband were stunned by a large bill they unexpectedly received for their daughter’s prescription cystic fibrosis medication. Their payment had risen to $3,500 from the usual $30 for a month’s supply.
COMMENTARY: How Your In-Network Health Coverage Can Vanish Before You Know It
By Elisabeth Rosenthal for KFF Health News Sarah Feldman, 35, received the first ominous letters from Mount Sinai Medical last November. The New York hospital system warned it was having trouble negotiating a pricing agreement with UnitedHealthcare, which includes Oxford Health Plans, Feldman’s insurer.
AI Disinformation, Threats to Poll Workers Top U.S. Senate Panel List of Election Worries
By Ariana Figueroa for the Daily Montanan WASHINGTON — Senators on the U.S. Senate Rules Committee expressed concerns Tuesday that poll workers may need protection and that artificial intelligence (AI) could interfere in the fall elections. Leading members of the committee said AI has already been used to promote disinformation that has interfered with elections, while elections workers have for years experienced intimidation. Both issues seriously threaten election integrity, the senators said.
Biden Says It’s ‘Vital’ For U.S. Steel to Remain Owned and Operated by Americans
By Jacob Fischler for States Newsroom U.S. Steel should remain a domestically owned and operated company, President Joe Biden said Thursday, implicitly rejecting an attempt by the Japanese company Nippon Steel to buy the iconic U.S. manufacturer. Biden issued a brief written statement Thursday morning that did not name Nippon, which announced a deal in December to acquire Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel.