Weekly News Roundup
For week ending June 16, 2024
Murder/ Suicide in Carbon County
Press Release from the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office On June 12, 2024 at approximately 9:30 p.m., deputies responded to a residence north of Silesia to do a welfare check on the residents. The welfare check was requested by friends who had been unable to contact the residents after receiving a concerning email from the male living at the residence.
Storm to Bring Snow and Rain to County
By Denise Rivette A late spring storm system will move through the region tomorrow and Tuesday bringing snow to the mountains above 7,000 feet. This includes the Beartooth Highway, where 1 to 4 inches of snowfall are forecast. Monitor the latest forecast and check road conditions if planning to travel through the mountains.
DPHHS Urges Consumers to Discard and Not Purchase Diamond Shruumz-Brand Products
The Department of Public Health and Human Services just released the following bulletin: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising people to not eat, sell, or serve any flavor of Diamond Shruumz-brand chocolate bars, cones, or gummies, and that consumers should discard any previously purchased product immediately. Diamond Shruumz-brand products can be purchased online and in person at retail locations.
Water Flows by Belfry and Edgar; Elsewhere Emergency Repairs are Necessary to Save Roads and Bridge
By Denise Rivette Yesterday, the Clarks Fork from Belfry through Edgar entered the night under a flood advisory. This morning, as most in the southcentral portion of the county were heaving a sigh of relief that the runoff from last weekend’s mountain precipitation was moving through without incident, and that a fire in the Bridger district had been extinguished quickly, Carbon County Commissioner Bill Bullock was dealing with a critical incident on East Rosebud where Tuttle Lane was damaged and the Tuttle Bridge was threatened by the hard Spring runoff.
Where Electricity Transmission And The Energy Transition Meet
by Amanda Eggert for Montana Free Press Project developers, policymakers and think tanks working in the capital-intensive arena of energy development say a new Montana-North Dakota high-voltage transmission line could be a game changer for an area of the American West that’s seen limited expansion to its power grid in four decades. The North Plains Connector Line would be the region’s first major grid expansion since the construction of
Senator Regier Challenging Subpoena of Records Tied to Creation of New Public Service Commission District Map
By Blair Miller for the Daily Montanan A Helena law firm challenging the Public Service Commission (PSC) redistricting map drawn and approved by Republican lawmakers last year is now in a fight with the sponsor of the bill that changed the map and the Montana Department of Justice over the communications the senator had regarding why he drew the map the way he did.
ManyWounds Frustrated With Montana Justice System, But Still Hopeful
By Keila Szpaller for the Daily Montanan Shanna ManyWounds, a mother who had her son unexpectedly taken away from her by a Lake County district court judge last year, said this week she’s disappointed in yet another court order, but she’s also holding out hope for justice.
Montana to Receive $3.5 Million From Baby Powder Settlement With Johnson & Johnson
By Daily Montanan Staff Montana will receive more than $3.5 million in a multi-state settlement with Johnson & Johnson to resolve allegations the company manufactured, marketed and knowingly sold baby powder tainted with carcinogenic asbestos, the Attorney General’s Office announced this week.
Biden’s Title IX Transgender Protections Blocked in Federal Court
By Greg LaRose for States Newsroom A federal judge has temporarily halted enforcement of new rules from the Biden administration that would prevent discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty of Louisiana issued a
Montana Creates Emergency ‘Drive-Thru’ Blood Pickup Service for Rural Ambulances
By Arielle Zionts for KFF Health News Crystal Hiwalker wonders if her heart and lungs would have kept working if the ambulance crew had been able to give her a transfusion as the blood drained from her body during a stormy, 100-mile ride. Because of the 2019 snowstorm, it took 2.5 hours to drive from her small town of Lame Deer, Montana, to the advanced trauma center in Billings.
U.S. Senate Republicans Reject Democrats’ Bill on IVF Protections
By Jennifer Shutt for States Newsroom WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats’ attempts to bolster reproductive rights failed again Thursday when Republicans blocked a bill guaranteeing access to in vitro fertilization from moving forward. The 48-47 procedural vote came just one day after Republicans tried unsuccessfully to pass their own IVF access bill and one week after GOP senators
Biden Title IX Regulation Targeted by Republicans in Congress
By Shauneen Miranda for States Newsroom WASHINGTON — Republicans in Congress got one step further in their efforts to reverse the Biden administration’s final rule for Title IX after the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved a measure on Thursday that would overturn the updated regulations.
Trump Claims ‘Great Unity’ After Talks With Congressional GOP
By Ariana Figueroa and Ashley Murray for States Newsroom WASHINGTON — In his first visit to Capitol Hill since leaving office in January 2021, former President Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, mapped campaign strategy with GOP lawmakers and projected party unity ahead of the November elections.
Sheehy didn’t disclose former board membership at Bozeman think tank
By Blair Miller for the Daily Montanan Montana’s Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy failed to disclose to the U.S. Senate that he was a board member of the Property and Environment Research Center, a “free market environmentalism” nonprofit think-tank based in Bozeman, prior to his run for office.
Political Practices Commissioner Rules That Attorney General Candidate Was Ineligible
By Darrell Ehrlick for the Daily Montanan The Montana Commissioner of Political Practices has ruled that Republican Attorney General candidate and Daniels County Attorney Logan Olson was not qualified to run for Montana Attorney General in the 2024 primary election, but stopped short of saying he knowingly violated the law.
The Facts About the $35 Insulin Copay Cap in Medicare
By Juliette Cubanski and Tricia Neuman for KFF, The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news. In a recent post on his social media platform, Donald Trump claimed credit for lowering insulin copayments to $35 for “millions of Americans,” stating – inaccurately – that President Biden had “nothing to do with it.” This brief walks through the facts about actions taken under both the Trump and Biden Administrations related to capping insulin copayments for people with Medicare and explains the differences between their approaches.
Biden Administration Advances Plan To Remove Medical Debt From Credit Scores
By Noam N. Levey for KFF Health News Americans would no longer have to worry about medical debts dragging down their credit scores under federal regulations proposed Tuesday by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. If enacted, the rules would dramatically expand protections for tens of millions of Americans burdened by medical bills they can’t afford.
New Yellowstone Bison Plan Calls for Larger Population, More Tribal Transfers
By Blair Miller for the Daily Montanan Yellowstone National Park is on the verge of finalizing new management plans for bison in the park that will likely aim to keep the total population around where it has been over the past decade and prioritize utilizing a program to transfer bison to Native American tribes and more tribal hunting to manage the population.
Auditors Find Montana May Not Target Housing Funds to Those Most in Need
By Darrell Ehrlick for the Daily Montanan Affordable housing has become one of the most pressing issues in Montana in the past couple of years — so important that Governor Greg Gianforte has created two special task forces to examine the problem and propose solutions.
Immigration Group Pleads for Help Bringing Deported Relatives Back to the United States
By Lia Chien for States Newsroom WASHINGTON – The Ohio Immigrant Alliance at a Tuesday press conference at the U.S. Capitol called on members of Congress to bring deported family members back home to the United States. Present at the event were relatives of those deported asking for both Congress and President Joe Biden to reform the American immigration system and allow their loved ones to return, many of whom had lived in the U.S. for decades.
U.S. Senate Republicans Outline Their Farm Bill Framework
By Ariana Figueroa for States Newsroom WASHINGTON — Republicans on the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on Tuesday released their framework for a new five-year farm bill that will set the policy and funding levels for key food, agriculture and conservation programs.
Man Sentenced to Two Months in Prison, Fined $10,000 for Killing Grizzly Bear, Tampering with Evidence
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Montana press release MISSOULA — A Troy area man who admitted to killing a grizzly bear on his property in 2020, not reporting the shooting as required and throwing the bear’s GPS collar in the Yaak River was sentenced today to two months in prison and fined $10,000, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Carbon County First Responder Blotter
TOTAL CALLS FOR SERVICE = 362 CIVIL PROCESS = 9 911 HANGUPS/MISDIALS/TELEMARKETERS = 11 MEDICALS = 24 PRISONER TRANSPORT TOTAL TIME = 6 HOURS TRAFFIC COMPLAINT = 12 CRASH = 3 ARRESTS = 4 INCARCERATIONS = 2 WARNINGS = 99 CITATIONS = 27 June 3 The Beartooth Pass, which had finally just opened on June 1st, closed again today for several days after a snow storm hit the top. Several vehicles got stuck and mostly buried in the white out conditions. Deputies responded to do traffic control while the highway was being shut down. Wyoming was also notified to assist in clearing since the blockage was just across state lines.
Tree Scorched In Yellowstone National Park In Start Of Fire Season
By Daily Montanan Staff Yellowstone National Park said Sunday marked its first wildland fire this season, one detected by a motorist on Highway 191 on the west side of the park, but firefighters were expected to have it under control Monday. “The .1-acre lightning-ignited Milepost 17 Fire torched a single tree almost a mile west of Highway 191 and 17 miles north of West Yellowstone,” the park said.
Trump Says He’ll Work ‘Side By Side’ With Group That Wants Abortion ‘Eradicated’
By Jennifer Shutt for States Newsroom WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump said Monday that if reelected he plans to work “side by side” with a newly formed religious organization that says abortion is the “greatest atrocity facing” the United States and should be “eradicated entirely.”
Three Republican Calls For a Special Legislative Session Fail
By Nicole Girten for the Daily Montanan Three separate Republican calls for a special session failed to get enough votes from legislators, the Montana Secretary of State’s Office announced Monday. Legislators need to get 76 affirmative votes in order to convene. None of the three calls – requesting legislators meet in Helena to address issues from immigration to judicial election reform – broke 60 votes after Friday’s deadline.
Tester and Sheehy face off in first Montana US Senate debate
By Blair Miller for the Daily Montanan The first debate between Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Tester and Republican challenger Tim Sheehy on Sunday showed the two candidates sticking to the central themes of their campaigns – Tester as a Big Sandy farmer who works across the aisle to get things done for Montana, and Sheehy as a political newcomer and former U.S. Navy SEAL who says Tester and the old guard in Washington, D.C., have failed and new leadership is needed.
Link to Watch Sheehy/Tester Debate
By Denise Rivette The debate between Jon Tester and Tim Sheehy that took place in Anaconda yesterday can be viewed on CSPAN HERE.Montana Independent News is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Funeral Procession For Fallen Officer To Drive Through Northern County Wednesday
By Denise Rivette Today Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) announced that tonight around 11:00 PM, a procession of local law enforcement officers, along with officers from the Gila River Police Department, will escort Fallen Officer Joshua Briese, from the Billings Logan International Airport, through downtown, to a local funeral home.
WEATHER THAT STARTED LAST WEEK
Flood Advisory Remains In Carbon County, But Major Flooding Not Expected At This Time
By Denise Rivette The Billings office of the National Weather Service (NWS) provided an update on the potential for flooding today after last night’s rainfall. Below is a radar estimate of the precipitation from last night. NWS reports over an inch fell in some of the highest elevations where snowpack is still substantial. Snow has been melting at around an inch of water per day, we will have to wait to see if the rainfall brings a faster melt. As a result of this precipitation, NWS plans to keep the Flood Advisory in place for the Beartooth mountains and foothills through tomorrow to account for the runoff timing from the higher peaks down to the populated areas of the foothills. Less precipitation fell in the Crazy mountains, so they plan to cancel the Flood Advisory in areas along and north of I-90.