Weekly News Roundup
Week ending March 3, 2024
Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary Welcomes New Resident
By Denise Rivette Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary (YWS) announced in a press release that it is proud to announce a new resident to the community. In mid-January, the YWS Animal Care team completed an overnight drive from Oregon to bring him home to Red Lodge.
Veterans Can Help Inform the Future of Montana’s Long-Term Care Services by Taking Survey Today
Press Release from DPHHS Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) officials are encouraging Montana’s veterans to participate in a 10-minute online survey designed to collect information that will help inform future long-term care needs of veterans in the state.
State, GOP Lawmakers Ask Supreme Court to Re-Hear Case Involving Attorneys’ Fees
By: Blair Miller for the Daily Montanan The State of Montana on Friday asked the state Supreme Court to re-hear a case after the majority of justices in late January said that lawyers who successfully challenged portions of a 2021 bill as unconstitutional
Montana delegation split on short-term funding vote to avoid federal shutdown
by Arren Kimbel-Sannit for Montana Free Press President Joe Biden on Friday signed a stopgap funding measure to keep the federal government open while lawmakers debate a series of appropriations bills. The measure, which passed Congress on Thursday, split Montana’s federal delegation.
Let’s Talk About The Rumor
by Arren Kimbel-Sannit for Montana Free Press We don’t know if incumbent Montana Congressman Matt Rosendale had a secret reason for dropping out of the race for U.S. Senate only six days after he launched his campaign, and chances are you don’t either.
Montana Highway Patrol Commissions 12 New Troopers
PRESS RELEASE FROM MONTANA HIGHWAY PATROL: HELENA - The Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) commissioned 12 new troopers at a graduation ceremony at the Civic Center in Helena Friday. Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Lieutenant Colonel Kurt Sager addressed the new troopers prior to their badge pinning and taking the oath of office.
United States to Begin Airdrops of Humanitarian Aid Into Gaza Strip
By Denise Rivette Today in the Oval Office, President Joe Biden announced, as he sat next to Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, that the United States will soon begin airdropping humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. This comes just a day after more than 100 Palestinians were killed trying to access an aid convoy in northern Gaza. Israeli officials admitted troops fired towards some in the crowd they believed posed a threat.
COMMENTARY: Denying Montana’s Heritage One Drop of Blood at a Time
By Russell Rowland for the Daily Montanan Fresh off winning the Golden Globe for her incredible performance in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Lily Gladstone met with the press, and the first question someone asked was about speaking the Blackfeet language in her acceptance speech. Gladstone responded by citing Robert Hall for coaching her in her native language. Hall, who lives and teaches on the Blackfeet reservation, has been working for years to not only retain the Blackfeet language, but also to create a written record of the language, something that has never been officially completed.
Health Department Under Corrective Plan for Delayed SNAP Applications
by Mara Silvers for Montana Free Press Federal officials have required Montana to implement a corrective action plan to improve what they call “unacceptable” delays in processing food assistance applications, a problem that the state health department has attributed to the strain that
Judge Strikes Down a Trio of Abortion Laws Passed in 2021 as Unconstitutional
By: Darrell Ehrlick for the Daily Montanan In a ruling deeply critical of restrictions placed on abortion by the 2021 Montana Legislature, Yellowstone County District Court Judge Kurt Krueger struck down three laws that he said placed unreasonable and unconstitutional limits on abortions in Montana.
How a Friend’s Death Turned Colorado Teens Into Anti-Overdose Activists
By Rae Ellen Bichell for KFF Health News Gavinn McKinney loved Nike shoes, fireworks, and sushi. He was studying Potawatomi, one of the languages of his Native American heritage. McKinney was part of the Thunder Clan of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. He also had Kickapoo and Assiniboine heritage. He loved holding his niece and smelling her baby smell. On his 15th birthday, the Durango, Colorado, teen spent a cold December afternoon chopping wood to help neighbors who couldn’t afford to heat their homes.
With Medical Debt Burdening Millions, a Financial Regulator Steps In to Help
By Noam N. Levey for KFF Health News When President Barack Obama signed legislation in 2010 to create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, he said the new agency had one priority: “looking out for people, not big banks, not lenders, not investment houses.”
Hacking at UnitedHealth Unit Cripples a Swath of the US Health System: What to Know
By Darius Tahir for KFF Health News Early in the morning of Feb. 21, Change Healthcare, a company unknown to most Americans that plays a huge role in the U.S. health system, issued a brief statement saying some of its applications were “currently unavailable.”
Report: New Health Care Model Will Better Connect Patients With Mental Health Services
By: Darrell Ehrlick for the Daily Montanan Montana has been described as a perfect storm of circumstances that lead to an acute mental health crisis. Rural areas, unforgiving weather, lack of providers and a social stigma make getting help a challenge.
Montana Attorney General Knudsen Demanding Answers From Google About 'Woke' AI Product
By Denise Rivette Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen wrote a letter today demanding answers from Google executives regarding the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) system “Gemini”. The system may violate Montana law by providing inaccurate information biased towards the Google's political preferences without disclosing that fact to consumers.
UPDATED: McConnell to Step Down as U.S. Senate GOP Leader
By Ariana Figueroa and Jacob Fischler for States Newsroom WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will step down as the Senate Republican leader in November, he said on the Senate floor Wednesday, announcing the end of a run as party leader that broke records for its length and shaped American politics over nearly two decades.
Say That Again: Using Hearing Aids Can Be Frustrating for Older Adults, but Necessary
By Judith Graham for KFF Health News It was an every-other-day routine, full of frustration. Every time my husband called his father, who was 94 when he died in 2022, he’d wait for his dad to find his hearing aids and put them in before they started talking.
PODCAST: Wait, Is Insulin Cheaper Now?
By Dan Weissmann Pharmaceutical companies that manufacture insulin made headlines last year when they voluntarily agreed to provide discount cards that lower the monthly cost of insulin for many people to $35. But getting your hands on this card — and persuading a pharmacist to accept it — can be a hassle.
Five things to know about Montana’s school funding formulas
by Eric Dietrich and Alex Sakariassen 02.27.2024 Montana’s K-12 school system plays an essential role in this state — as essential as any of the many public institutions covered by Montana Free Press. It’s also an expensive endeavor, with districts across the state spending, according to data from the state Office of Public Instruction, about $2.5 billion last year.
Montana Expands Medicaid Coverage for Housing Assistance and Transition From Prison
by Mara Silvers 02.27.2024 The federal agency that oversees Montana’s Medicaid program has approved requests from Gov. Greg Gianforte’s administration to cover more services for Montanans with mental illnesses and substance use disorders, part of a multiyear effort to leverage state and federal funds to fill gaps in Montana’s health care system.
UPDATE: DEAL MADE-SHUT DOWN AVERTED FOR ONE WEEK With Partial Government Shutdown Days Away, No Agreement Yet on Federal Funding
By: Jennifer Shutt and Ariana Figueroa for States Newsroom WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden huddled with top congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday amid a crunch over government funding as well as a familiar stalemate over assistance to two major allies — and no solution is immediately in sight.
Montana Nurses Association: Support nurses in union contract, at legislature
By: Keila Szpaller for the Daily Montanan Some 650 nurses at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula are entering mediation on a union contract a labor leader said will shape the hospital’s ability to care for patients going forward. “This contract negotiation is really going to be telling on the future of St. Pat’s as we know it,” said Cassidy Dillon, a registered nurse and bargaining team member for the Montana Nurses Association Local 17, in a phone call Tuesday.
Tester, Rounds Introduce Resolution to Overturn Biden Administration Decision Allowing Beef Imports from Paraguay
By Denise Rivette As part of Senator Jon Tester’s continued efforts to work with his Republican counterparts, to support American ranchers and to ensure the safety of consumers, he along with Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) today officially filed a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that would overturn the Biden Administration’s recent decision to lift a long-standing ban on beef imports from Paraguay.
Monthly Weather and Drought Update
Nick Vertz and Ted Jamba of the National Weather Service gave an update on the past month’s weather and future outlook. As you can see on the map below, our local area snow pack is currently about 64% of normal.
Carbon County Law Enforcement Blotter
TOTAL CALLS FOR SERVICE = 327 DISTURBANCE = 5 WELFARE CHECK = 5 MEDICALS = 19 ACTIVE ALARMS = 12 TRAFFIC COMPLAINT = 3 February 19 A man reported that he and his wife were receiving threats from a man out of county. RLPD officer took a report and provided the man with the appropriate agency’s contact information so that he can obtain a protection order through them.
RECALL ALERT: Eye Lubricant Recall
By Denise Rivette On February 16, Brassica Pharma Pvt. Ltd. voluntarily sent out a recall notice for eye ointment products with expiration date ranging from February 2024 to September 2025. The products are being recalled due to lack of sterility assurance at the facility noted during an inspection conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Montana Supreme Court overturns district court, restores permit for mine near Smith River
By: Darrell Ehrlick for the Daily Montana The Montana Supreme Court on Monday overturned a district court decision that blocked a proposed 1,888-acre mine near Sheep Creek, which feeds into the Smith River watershed. In a split 5-to-2 decision, Justice Beth Baker wrote for the majority of the court that the Montana Department of Environmental Quality relied on expert resources when considering the mine and remediation, and that it was not court’s role to substitute its judgment for that of the agency experts who concluded the project was safe.
Health care workers push for their own confidential mental health treatment
by Katheryn Houghton, KFF Health News States are redefining when medical professionals can get mental health treatment without risking notifying the boards that regulate their licenses. Too often, health care workers wait to seek counseling or addiction treatment, causing their work and patient care to suffer, said Jean Branscum, CEO of the Montana Medical Association, an industry group representing doctors.
U.S. Justice Department Files Statement in Lawsuit Concerning Unnecessary Law Enforcement Responses to Mental Health Emergencies
By Denise Rivette The Justice Department on February 22 filed a statement of interest in a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleging that the District’s reliance on police officers as the default responders to mental health emergencies violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Horse Sedative Use Among Humans Spreads in Deadly Mixture of ‘Tranq’ and Fentanyl
By Sam Ogozalek, Tampa Bay Times in conjunction with KFF Health News TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. — Andrew McClave Jr. loved to lift weights. The 6-foot-4-inch bartender resembled a bodybuilder and once posed for a photo flexing his muscles with former pro wrestler Hulk Hogan.
Land, Wealth and Higher Education
by Alex Sakariassen for Montana Free Press For more than a century, thousands of acres of land expropriated from Montana’s Indigenous peoples have been managed to generate revenue for Montana State University and other campuses. Among them is this roughly two-acre parcel along Missoula’s Reserve Street corridor, advertised as available for lease by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. Credit: Alex Sakariassen / MTFP