Iran Sanctions/ Health Care

Missoulian: Iran sanctions push gains supporters in Senate
S.1881: Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2013

Missoulian: GOP-led House again targets Obama health care law
H.R.3811: Health Exchange Security and Transparency Act of 2014

Mountain Lions/ Bribery/ Promise Zones/ Prison Rape

Missoulian: Study finds twice as many mountain lions in Bitterroot as expected
Bitterroot Mountain Lion Project Report - January 2014

“The purpose of the winter 2012-2013 mountain lion research in the southern Bitterroot was to estimate the abundance of independent mountain lions in HD 250 and HD 270. Concurrent with this effort, we monitored elk calf survival rates throughout the winter of 2012-2013, and are continuing to monitor elk calf survival in 2013-2014. Our long-term goal is to return to HD 250 and HD 270 several years after the liberalized mountain lion regulations are implemented and again estimate mountain lion abundance to evaluate the extent to which mountain lion abundance is controlled by harvest management prescriptions.”

Missoulian: DOJ: Alcoa subsidiary to pay $223M in Bahrain case
Alcoa World Alumina Agrees to Plead Guilty to Foreign Bribery and Pay $223 Million in Fines and Forfeiture

“Alcoa World Alumina LLC, a majority-owned and controlled global alumina sales company of Alcoa Inc., has agreed to plead guilty later today and pay $223 million in criminal fines and forfeiture to resolve charges that it paid millions of dollars in bribes through an international middleman in London to officials of the Kingdom of Bahrain, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).”

Missoulian: Obama to unveil first 5 'Promise Zones'

Fact Sheet: President Obama’s Promise Zones Initiative
“The first five Zones, located in San Antonio, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Southeastern Kentucky, and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, have each put forward a plan on how they will partner with local business and community leaders to make investments that reward hard work and expand opportunity.  In exchange, these designees will receive the resources and flexibility they need to achieve their goals.”

Missoulian: Survey finds high rate of rape, sexual assault at Montana State Prison

Review Panel  on Prison Rape
Testimony of Leroy Kirkegard, Warden, Montana State Prison

Neptune Airtankers/ Coal Mining 2014/ War on Poverty

Missoulian:  4 aerial firefighting companies protest Neptune contracts

US Forest Service issues legacy large airtanker contracts

Missoulian: Temporary rebound expected for coal mining in 2014

Annual Energy Outlook 2014 Early Release Overview

Missoulian: Benefits debate is first volley of election year

The War on Poverty: A Progress Report (committee testimony from July 2013)

“The War on Poverty officially began in the United States on January 8th, 1964 during President Lyndon Johnson’s first State of the Union Address. On that day the President opened the initial salvo in a war that the American people are still fighting forty-nine years later. When Johnson stated, “This administration today, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in America” (1), he was setting into motion a series of social welfare initiatives that have caused reverberations in American society and within the American family that are still being felt today.”- Testimony of Eloise Anderson

 

THE WAR ON POVERTY 50 YEARS LATER: A PROGRESS REPORT

JPMorgan/ Unemployment/ NSA Rulings

Missoulian: JPMorgan settles Madoff fraud claims for $1.7B

 Justice Department, Federal and State Partners Secure Record $13 Billion Global Settlement with JPMorgan for Misleading Investors About Securities Containing Toxic Mortgages

Missoulian: Unemployment benefits bill clears hurdle   
S.1845: Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act

Missoulian:  Dueling surveillance rulings stir legal ripples

ACLU v. Clapper
KLAYMAN et al v. OBAMA et al

Frostbite

Given the polar vortex, this classic comic from NOAA is relevant and a good reminder of the dangers of frostbite. More weather related information is available at www.noaa.gov .

"For more than 50 years, soft-spoken comic-strip star and veteran outdoorsman Mark Trail has been teaching people to preserve our natural resources (woods, water and wildlife) for future generations. Created by Ed Dodd in 1946 and drawn by Jack Elrod since 1978, Mark Trail appears in 175 newspapers, reaching nearly 23 million readers worldwide.

Elrod was honored in 1988 by President Reagan for his efforts to develop more pride in America. In addition to Sunday pages in which Mark Trail urges everyone to reduce carelessness and abusive activity such as littering, vandalism and theft, and wildlife poaching, Elrod has also produced a variety of materials for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help teach schoolchildren respect for the environment. Mark Trail is now the official spokescharacter for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, making him the voice of the National Weather Service and NOAA Weather Radio.
In the years since his 1946 debut, Mark Trail has spent his time outdoors fishing, exploring the woods and being romanced by beautiful women. Not bad for a self-styled everyman and roving editor for Woods and Wildlife magazine."- http://comicskingdom.com/mark-trail