Daily News Roundup
April 17 through 19, 2024
After Farmers and Ranchers Testify, Attorney General Knudsen asks Land Board to Take Up Private Water Rights Issue at Next Meeting
HELENA – Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced in a press release that today he asked the Montana Board of Land Commissioners to remove the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s (DNRC) decision-making authority over private water rights at the Board’s meeting next month.
Change in Red Lodge Garbage Billing Could be a Jolt for Some
By Denise Rivette For years the City of Red Lodge has billed garbage fees through property taxes. That procedure will change on July 1 when the City will begin billing for garbage collection on the monthly water bill. Due to current billings being in arrears, there will be residual fees that are collected on the next property tax bill.
City-Country Mortality Gap Widens Amid Persistent Holes in Rural Health Care Access
By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez for KFF Health News In Matthew Roach’s two years as vital statistics manager for the Arizona Department of Health Services, and 10 years previously in its epidemiology program, he has witnessed a trend in mortality rates that has rural health experts worried.
Montana Highway Patrol Terminated Trooper Who Requested Mental Health Support
By Keila Szpaller for the Daily Montanan RONAN — When Zach Miller talks about the hardest part of being a Montana Highway Patrol trooper, he doesn’t point to the gruesome fatalities that still give him nightmares or a baby who died even after he performed CPR.
Progressive Dark Money Launches Montana Media Outlet Ahead of Election
by Arren Kimbel-Sannit for Montana Free Press A national progressive media organization with ties to a Democratic Party-aligned super PAC has launched a self-described news outlet in Montana ahead of the state’s slate of high-profile elections, most prominently the race for incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Tester’s seat in the U.S. Senate.
Commentary: Democracy is Never a ‘Done Deal’
By Jim Elliott for the Daily Montanan “Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely,” said conservative activist Jack Posobiec at the February 2024 meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference. To which Steve Bannon, former Trump advisor said, “Amen.”
U.S. House Speaker Gains Democrats' Backing for Foreign Aid Plan, as Far-Right Republicans Seethe
By Jennifer Shutt for States Newsroom WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democrats on Thursday began coalescing behind Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to provide assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan through a series of three bills, though far-right members of his own party grew increasingly frustrated with the Louisianan’s bipartisan streak.
U.S. House Tries Anew to Force Sale or Ban for TikTok, a ‘Spy Balloon in Your Phone’
By Ashley Murray for States Newsroom WASHINGTON — U.S. House leadership has packaged more than a dozen bipartisan bills into a so-called “sidecar” agreement meant to attract isolationist lawmakers’ support for long-stalled foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
BLM to Finalize Rule Allowing Federal Leases Targeted at Protection of Natural Areas
By Jacob Fischler for the Daily Montanan The Bureau of Land Management will publish a final rule soon allowing the nation’s public lands to be leased for environmental protection, a Thursday news release from the Interior Department said. The rule, which both proponents and detractors say marks a shift in the agency’s focus toward conservation, directs land managers at the agency to identify landscapes in need of restoration and to create plans to fill those needs.
Republican Legislators Hold Hearing on Abortion Ballot Initiative; Vote Won’t Appear on Petition
By Blair Miller for the Daily Montanan As Republicans on the Law and Justice Interim Committee were preparing Thursday to vote whether or not to support CI-128, the abortion access constitutional amendment initiative, Senator Keith Regier asked the committee attorney when and where the vote would be attached to the initiative petition.
Black Hills Sawmill Lays Off Workers and Alleges Forest Service is to Blame
By Seth Tupper for States Newsroom SPEARFISH, South Dakota. —The owner of a Spearfish sawmill is laying off 50 people and alleges the U.S. Forest Service is to blame for not allowing the company to cut enough timber. The Forest Service, through a spokesman, declined to comment.
State Psychiatric Hospital Employees Raise Alarm Over Rampant Turnover and ‘Crisis’ of Leadership
By Mara Silvers for Montana Free Press In late March, a group of nurses at Montana State Hospital received a rare dose of good news. Local labor advocates had filed a petition to create a union for advanced practice registered nurses, among the most highly trained medical providers at the state’s sole adult psychiatric facility, in Warm Springs.
Group Kicks Off Signature Gathering Efforts for Montana Abortion Access Ballot Petition
By Blair Miller for the Daily Montanan The group behind a ballot petition to enshrine abortion access in Montana’s constitution formally kicked off its signature gathering campaign Tuesday, telling supporters it is critical the initiative pass in November if Montanans want to avoid restrictions being imposed like those
Senate rejects two impeachment articles against DHS Secretary Mayorkas
By Ariana Figueroa for States Newsroom WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Wednesday dismissed two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The Democrat-controlled chamber voted, 51-49 along party lines, to adjourn the impeachment trial after finding that the impeachment articles accusing Mayorkas of not complying with federal immigration law and breaching the public trust did not rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors and were therefore unconstitutional.
Commentary: What the Rest of the World Knows (But We Don’t)
Darrell Ehrlick for the Daily Montanan Americans took the bait. That’s the bad news. The good news is just as simple (more on that in a moment). Sadly, our online addiction has helped fuel a crisis of confidence in democracy, and that’s literally by design. It’s as obvious as a sunrise to those who sit beyond the shores of America, and it’s a fact that was emphasized time and time again when U.S. Ambassador to
The Path to a Better Tuberculosis Vaccine Runs Through Montana
By Jim Robbins for KFF Health News A team of Montana researchers is playing a key role in the development of a more effective vaccine against tuberculosis, an infectious disease that has killed more people than any other. The BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin) vaccine, created in 1921, remains the sole TB vaccine. While it is 40% to 80% effective in young children, its efficacy is very low in adolescents and adults, leading to a worldwide push to create a more powerful vaccine.
Circus Elephant Temporarily Wanders Loose in Butte
By Nicole Girten for the Daily Montanan An elephant walks across the parking lot of Town Pump in Butte on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Photo courtesy of Brittany McGinnis. Of course in Butte, America, right? A circus elephant temporarily escaped the Butte Civic Center Tuesday afternoon, strutting along Harrison Avenue and into the Town Pump parking lot before safely being brought back by a trainer.
Environmental Policy Group Sues DOJ Over Withheld Communications with Canadian Coal Company
By Blair Miller for the Daily Montanan A Montana environmental policy group sued the state Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday, alleging the department is violating the organization’s right to know under the constitution by withholding communications between the department and a Canadian coal mining company
Ratings: Montana ‘Worst’ for Drunk Driving Fatalities
By Keila Szpaller for the Daily Montanan Montana is No. 1 in the nation for drunk driving fatalities, according to a new ranking by Forbes. Recent data show fewer highway deaths related to impaired driving in 2022 compared to the previous year, according to the Montana Department of Transportation.
Updated: Applications For State Property Tax Assistance Programs Now June 1
by Eric Dietrich for Montana Free Press Low-income Montanans seeking help paying their property tax bills now have until June 1 to apply for aid through two state relief programs administered by the Montana Department of Revenue — including the flagship