Weekly News Roundup
For week ending July 7, 2024
Diamond Shruumz Issues Company Recall, First Death Reported
By Denise Rivette “Prophet Premium Blends of Santa Ana, California is recalling Diamond Shruumz Infused Cones, Chocolate Bars, and Gummies (Micro- and Mega/Extreme-Dose), because such products contain Muscimol, a chemical found in mushrooms of the genus
Slow Moving Fire Swiftly Contained by Roberts Volunteer Fire Department
By Denise Rivette According to the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, on June 23 a tractor caused a slow-moving fire around one acre in size after one of its haying implements struck a rock causing a spark. Roberts Fire units contained and extinguished the fire before turning the land back over to the owner.
One Dead, One Injured in Fourth of July Shooting at Yellowstone National Park
By Denise Rivette The U.S. National Park Service announced today that there was a “significant law enforcement incident at Canyon Village in the central part of Yellowstone National Park overnight and this morning, July 4.” They assured everyone that there are no active threats to the public at this time. An area around the Canyon Lodge complex remains closed for the investigation.
‘Frustrating’ partisan stalemate: the new normal for farm bills?
WASHINGTON — The stalemate over the current farm bill may be solidifying a new era in farm politics as it joins the last three farm bills in a trend of delays and partisan division — a contrast from the legislation’s history of bipartisanship. Every five years, Congress is tasked with drafting a new federal farm bill. The omnibus law that began 90 years ago as various kinds of payments to support farmers now has an impact far beyond the farm, with programs to create wildlife habitat, address climate change and provide the nation’s largest federal nutrition program.
Montana Supreme Court to Hear Oral Arguments in Climate Change Case Wednesday
By Blair Miller for the Daily Montanan The Montana Supreme Court will hear oral arguments next Wednesday in the state’s appeal of a district court judge’s decision in the Held vs. Montana case, setting the stage for a decision that will have broad impacts on environmental law and regulations in Montana.
‘Quick construction’ on tap for broken St. Mary canal siphons
By Keila Szpaller for the Daily Montanan Repairs to the broken St. Mary Canal pipes that are part of the Milk River Project can begin immediately through an emergency authorization with the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Senator Jon Tester’s office announced Friday.
Timber sale Pintler project pits mapped lynx habitat and grizzly turf over economic development
By Keila Szpaller for the Daily Montanan If a federal judge stops the timber sales that are part of the Pintler Face Project, the largest employer in Powell County, Sun Mountain Lumber, might not be able to keep its mill running, said a lawyer representing the company.
Plan for Bull Trout in Gunsight Lake Violates Federal Law, Groups Allege
By Keila Szpaller for the Daily Montanan Just because climate change could affect bull trout doesn’t mean federal agencies can move them to Gunsight Lake from other St. Mary watershed lakes without complying with the law. That’s according to a notice sent Monday to Glacier National Park, the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by two conservation groups alleging violations of the federal Endangered Species Act.
U.S. House Judiciary Files Suit to Obtain Audio Tapes of Biden Special Counsel Interview
By Ariana Figueroa for States Newsroom WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Judiciary Committee Monday filed suit against Attorney General Merrick Garland, in an ongoing effort to obtain audio recordings from President Joe Biden’s interview with a special counsel during an investigation of the president’s handling of classified documents.
Legislative Democrats Unveil Montana Property Tax Proposals for 2025
By Blair Miller for the Daily Montanan Democrats in the Montana Legislature unveiled a property tax plan Tuesday they will bring forward on the first day of next year’s legislative session they say would reduce tax payments for most homes valued under $750,000, create new tax tiers based on a property’s value and reverse a tax burden shift to Montana homeowners.
Pain Doesn’t Belong on a Scale of Zero to 10
By Elisabeth Rosenthal for KFF Health News Over the past two years, a simple but baffling request has preceded most of my encounters with medical professionals: “Rate your pain on a scale of zero to 10.” I trained as a physician and have asked patients the very same question thousands of times, so I think hard about how to quantify the sum of the sore hips, the prickly thighs, and the numbing, itchy pain near my left shoulder blade. I pause and then, mostly arbitrarily, choose a number. “Three or four?” I venture, knowing the real answer is long, complicated, and not measurable in this one-dimensional way.
Federal Judge Stops Flathead Forest Plan Because It Doesn’t Protect Grizzly Bears
By Darrell Ehrlick for the Daily Montanan Federal Judge Dana Christensen has stopped the Flathead National Forest from implementing its forest plan for the 2.4 million acres because the U.S. Forest Service ignored the impact of roads on the endangered grizzly bear and bull trout populations.
Montana U.S. Senate Candidate Tim Sheehy Resigns From Bridger Aerospace
By Blair Miller for the Daily Montanan Montana’s Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy resigned on Monday from his positions at the aerial firefighting and surveillance company he founded with his brother, saying Bridger Aerospace needs a fully engaged chief executive officer during this year’s fire season while he focuses on his run for office.
Presidential Immunity Extends to Some Official Acts, Supreme Court Rules in Trump Case
By Ashley Murray and Jacob Fischler for States Newsroom WASHINGTON — U.S. presidents enjoy full immunity from criminal charges for their official “core constitutional” acts, but no immunity for unofficial acts, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, sending former President Donald Trump’s election interference case back to the lower courts.