Weekly News Roundup
Week ending March 24, 2024
Beware Pink Fentanyl - New Pills are Even More Potent and Deadly Than the Fentanyl Previously Seen in Montana - Carbon County Not Immune
By Denise Rivette Just as Carbon County law enforcement are seeing an uptick in encounters with persons in possession, and/or under the influence, of fentanyl, a new formulation is hitting the region. U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana Jesse Laslovich and Billings Police Chief Rich St. John yesterday issued a warning to the public that law enforcement is beginning to see pink fentanyl pills in Billings. Noted for their pink color, the pills are more potent than the fentanyl that has previously been seen in the community. Because of the unreliability in potency and content, any of these illicitly produced synthetic opioids can result in overdose and death.
Distribution of County Road Funds Awaits Veto Override Vote and Supreme Court Decision
By Denise Rivette Senate Bill 442, the bill that, if enacted, would change how proceeds from marijuana taxes and fees would be allocated, remains in limbo. The poll to override the veto was sent out by the secretary of state to Montana state legislators on Tuesday as required by the Montana Supreme Court order issued last Friday. Governor Greg Gianforte and Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen continue to assert through their Supreme Court appeal that they are not required to allow the legislature an opportunity to override the governor’s veto.
Montana Climate Office Warns of Water Shortages
By Keila Szpaller for the Daily Montanan The Montana Climate Office warned this week that historically low snow levels mean water shortages this year in several river basins — even with upcoming snow in the forecast. Montana Independent News note: Five weeks ago, the whole of Carbon County moved from the abnormally dry (D0) classification on the U.S. Drought Monitor to the moderate drought (D1) classification where it has remained since. The original charts in this article have been replaced with charts pertaining to Carbon County.
Nominations Open to Honor Local Emergency Medical Services
By Denise Rivette Would you like a local Emergency Medical Services volunteer or organization to be recognized for their outstanding service? Montana’s Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) is asking Montanans to submit nominations for the annual Emergency Medical Services (EMS) awards ceremony to be held Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at the Capitol Rotunda in Helena.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Files Resolution to Oust Mike Johnson as U.S. House Speaker
By Jacob Fischler for States Newsroom Georgia Republican U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a resolution Friday to remove U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from his position, using the same parliamentary measure that led to Johnson ascending to the speakership last year.
Following Discussions with Montana Law Enforcement, Tester Presses Biden Department of Justice to Better Fund Rural Law Enforcement
By Denise Rivette U.S. Senator Jon Tester took concerns he heard from Flathead law enforcement officials at a Kalispell roundtable directly to the Biden Administration today by writing a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland at the Department of Justice (DOJ). In the letter, he urges officials to do more to fund rural law enforcement and cut burdensome red tape to address public safety concerns.
Daines to Yellen: Biden Administration’s Economic Policies Harming American Workers, Companies and Families
By Denise Rivette Montana’s U.S. Senator Steve Daines today at a Senate Finance Committee hearing with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen delivered the following opening statement outlining how the Biden administration’s out of control spending and tax hikes have created economic hardship for working families:
U.S. House panel debates boost for WIC in Agriculture funding bill
By Ariana Figueroa for States Newsroom WASHINGTON — A U.S. House appropriations panel reviewed the Biden administration’s request to increase the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s budget for fiscal 2025 Thursday, with Republicans asking pointed questions about a proposal to boost a popular low-income nutrition program.
Governor Gianforte Out-Raises Democratic Challenger Busse
By Nicole Girten for the Daily Montanan Incumbent Republican Governor Greg Gianforte out-raised Democratic challenger Ryan Busse by about $350,000 in Montana’s gubernatorial race so far, filings show. Gianforte raised a total of more than $1.2 million to Busse’s $897,000 total to date, according to the latest campaign finance reports submitted to the Commissioner of Political Practices on Wednesday.
Montana District Court Judge Deborah Christopher Tenders Resignation
By Keila Szpaller for the Daily Montanan A district court judge who has been under scrutiny for the way she handled a child custody case and for repeatedly missing work is resigning from the job, according to a letter to the chief justice of the Montana Supreme Court.
Senate Passes Tester's and Rounds’ CRA Resolution to Override Biden Administration on Paraguayan Beef Imports
By Denise Rivette The U.S. Senate today passed a bipartisan Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution authored by U.S. Senators Jon Tester and Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) that would overturn the Biden Administration’s decision to lift a long-standing ban on beef imports from Paraguay. In a speech delivered on the Senate floor prior to passage of the resolution, Tester emphasized the importance of standing up for Montana ranchers and consumers.
Biden Said Medicare Drug Price Negotiations Cut the Deficit by $160B. That’s Years Away.
By Amy Sherman, PolitiFact “We cut the federal deficit by $160 billion because Medicare will no longer have to pay those exorbitant prices to Big Pharma.” President Joe Biden in his State of the Union address, March 7, 2024 President Joe Biden has been making his case for reelection to voters by telling them he is good for their pocketbooks, including at the pharmacy counter.
Roseburg Forest Products to End Operations at Missoula Particleboard Plant
By Denise Rivette Roseburg Forest Products announced today on its website that it will permanently end operations at its Missoula, Montana, particleboard plant on May 22, 2024. The closure is the final step in the company’s strategic plan to exit the particleboard manufacturing business and focus resources on other product segments, including MDF, engineered wood, plywood, and lumber.
Carbon County First Responder Blotter
TOTAL CALLS FOR SERVICE = 258 WELFARE CHECK = 11 911 HANGUPS/MISDIALS/TELEMARKETERS = 16 MEDICALS = 20 PRISONER TRANSPORT TOTAL TIME = 13 HOURS TRAFFIC COMPLAINT = 6 CRASHES = 7 ARRESTS = 2 INCARCERATIONS = 1 WARNINGS = 55 CITATIONS = 19 March 11 Caller requested a welfare check on a parent at an assisted living facility. The caller had no contact for approximately a week and reported that as strange. Deputy went to the facility and found the parent to be fine. The number to the facility was provided to the caller, so they could check directly in the future.
Pathways to Clarity
by Amanda Eggert for Montana Free Press When four hunters used a specially constructed ladder to step from one corner of public land in southern Wyoming to another, the ripples from that decision were initially small but have since ignited an impassioned debate that could open — or unequivocally restrict — access to more than eight million acres of public land across the West. Here, in the final installment of our three-part series, we explore how judges, lawmakers and public land managers could clear up some of the legal ambiguity surrounding corner-crossing.
‘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.
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.