Nuclear Danger

Missoulian: Crusading former Pentagon chief says nuke danger is growing
Nuclear Posture Review

Bison Grazing

Missoulian: Federal agency proposes allowing bison to graze on 13K acres
BLM requests input on application to graze bison year-around at Flat Creek Allotment

“The American Prairie Reserve has applied to change the class of livestock from cattle to indigenous bison on their permit to graze public lands on the Flat Creek Allotment in south Phillips County.

In addition, they are seeking permission to remove interior fencing and manage their private lands along with the public lands as one common pasture. They are also requesting to change the allotment grazing season to year-round from the current May 1 – Nov. 15 grazing season.”

Montana Employment and SNAP

Missoulian: Many Montanans still use food stamps despite lower unemployment rate
DPHHS Program Statistics (September 2015)
State of Montana SNAP Program Overview
MONTANA’S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE AT 4.0 PERCENT IN NOVEMBER
May 2014 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates: Montana

Anaconda Mine in NV Possible Superfund Site/ NORAD Santa Tracker

Missoulian: EPA wants toxic Nevada mine on Superfund list
Anaconda Mine
Anaconda Mine Radiation Assessment (2008)
Hydrogeologic Assessment for the Anaconda -Yerington Copper Mine (2009)

Missoulian: Military tracks storybook flight of St. Nick for 60th year

NORAD Santa Tracker

Disclose Act/ El Niño

Missoulian: Montana Legislature poll: Rules to enact Disclose Act consistent with spirit of law

Commissioner of Political Practices Justification for Rules
Request for poll

Missoulian: Upside-down weather pattern across US linked to El Nino

NOAA's El Niño Portal
EL NIÑO/SOUTHERN OSCILLATION (ENSO) DIAGNOSTIC DISCUSSION
“Most models indicate that a strong El Niño will continue through the Northern Hemisphere winter 2015-16, followed by weakening and a transition to ENSO-neutral during the late spring or early summer. The forecaster consensus remains nearly unchanged from last month, with the expectation that this El Niño will rank among the three strongest episodes as measured by the 3-month SST departures in the Niño 3.4 region dating back to 1950.”

Avalanche Warning/ Standardized Test Scores

Missoulian: Avalanche warning for southwestern Montana mountains
Avalanche Awareness
Avalanche Advisory

Missoulian: State releases most standardized test scores
Smarter Balance Test Results:

• 2014-2015 SBAC Results by School
• 2014-2015 SBAC Results Statewide By Grade
• Achievement Level Descriptors

Lions Endangered

Pair of male lions. Credit: Heidi Ruffler / USFWS

Missoulian: Obama administration enacts protections for lions
Lions Are Now Protected Under the Endangered Species Act
“Based on newly available scientific information on the genetics and taxonomy of lions, the Service assessed the status of the entire lion species. The new science resolved that the western and central populations of African lion are more genetically related to the Asiatic lion. These lions are now considered the same subspecies, P. l. leo. There are only about 1,400 of these lions remaining; 900 in 14 African populations and 523 in India. Considering the size and distribution of the populations, population trends and the severity of the threats, the Service has found that this subspecies meets the definition of endangered under the ESA.”

President's End of the Year News Conference/ Cutting Off ISIL Funding

Missoulian: Obama to hold year-end news conference before Hawaii getaway

President Obama Holds a Press Conference (12:00 MST)

Missoulian: EU leaders vow 'uncompromising fight' against terrorism
Security Council moves to cut off all funding sources for ISIL and other terrorist groups
“At its first ever meeting at Finance Ministers’ level, the United Nations Security Council today stepped up its efforts to cut off all sources of funding for the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIL) and other terrorist groups, including ransom payments, no matter by whom.”

CMC Sale/ Federal Budget

Missoulian: Attorney general approves proposal for $74M in proceeds from CMC sale
Attorney General Approves Sale of Community Medical Center
“Billings Clinic and RegionalCare Hospital Partners (RCHP/Billings) will pay approximately $74.8 million for Community Medical Center’s (CMC) assets. That price is at the high end of the independent fair market valuation range determined by the independent fair market valuation firm hired by the Attorney General, CBIZ Valuation Group. The sale price may change slightly at closing due to final adjustments, but it will not be less than the fair market value range.”

Missoulian: Massive year-end spending bill includes cybersecurity act
S.754 - Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015
“To improve cybersecurity in the United States through enhanced sharing of information about cybersecurity threats, and for other purposes.”

Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2016

Federal Reserve Decision

Missoulian: The Latest: US stocks open higher as Fed decision looms

Watch the press conference with FOMC Chair Janet L. Yellen live beginning at 2:30 p.m. on December 16, 2015

Winter Travel in Yellowstone/ Popular Baby Names

Interior roads opened to oversnow travel.

NPS/Herbert 

Missoulian: Yellowstone National Park to open roads for winter travel
Current Conditions
“The park is open to motorized oversnow travel. Visitors can now travel the park's interior roads on commercially-guided snowmobiles and snowcoaches from the North, West, and South Entrances. Visitors who have proper permits can also participate in the Non-commercially Guided Snowmobile Access Program. Travel through the park's East Entrance over Sylvan Pass is scheduled to begin December 22.”

Missoulian: The Most Popular American Names
Social Security: Top 10 Baby Names for 2014

ISIL/ State Property Auction

Missoulian: Obama ramps up bid to explain how US will fight ex
President Obama Addresses the Nation on Keeping the American People Safe

 

Missoulian: Changes in lease program prompts auction of 8 waterfront properties
State-owned lakefront properties up for auction
“The lakefront properties, with lot sizes from one to four acres, are located on Beaver, Echo and Rogers lakes; some sites are developed with cabins and other improvements, while others are not. A total of eight properties will be up for auction at the Feb. 3 sale. Additional properties will be coming up for auction later in the year.”

Making Bison the National Mammal

The bison is the largest land mammal in North America. Bulls are more massive in appearance than cows, and more bearded. For their size, bison are agile and quick, capable of speeds in excess of 30 mph. Each year, bison injure park visitors who approach too closely.

NPS/Herbert

Missoulian: Bison take a first step toward being named America's mammal

S. 2032: National Bison Legacy Act

“This bill adopts the North American bison as the national mammal of the United States.”

Hunting Range & Quotas/ Grizzly Bears

Bozeman Chronicle: Hunting seasons up for debate at FWP Commission 
FWP Commission Meeting Agenda

Photo credit: Erwin and Peggy Bauer, USFWS

Bozeman Chronicle: USFWS letter indicates grizzly bear delisting proposal coming soon 
 Montana Grizzlies on the Road to Recovery
“The species has recovered to more than 1,700 wild bears in the U.S., despite naturally low reproductive rates. Today, grizzlies occur in five populations spread across Wyoming, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Of these areas, the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, located in northwestern Montana, is home to the largest number of grizzlies. The Northern Continental Divide grizzlies are thriving—growing approximately three percent each year. Grizzlies here have even begun to move outside the designated recovery zone.”

Syrian Refugees/ Education Bill

Missoulian: Syrian refugees welcomed by agencies despite states' fight
U.S. Plans To Lead in Resettling Syrian Refugees
“Imagine losing practically everything – your loved ones, your home, your profession, and your dignity. Imagine the frustration of languishing for years, unable to work or send children to school, exhausting your resources and relying on handouts. Imagine fearing that this situation is never going to end.

For Syrians and for other victims of violence and persecution – resettlement offers not just an escape, but a chance to start over.”

Myths and Facts: Resettling Syrian Refugees

U.S. Refugee Admissions Program FAQs

Refugee Processing and Security Screening

Missoulian: Senate clears major new education bill, sends it to Obama

S.1177 - Every Child Achieves Act of 2015
“This bill reauthorizes and amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). The bill addresses issues such as accountability and testing requirements, distribution and requirements for grants, fiscal accountability requirements, and the evaluation of teachers.

The bill provides states with increased flexibility and responsibility for developing accountability systems, deciding how federally required tests should be weighed, selecting additional measures of student and school performance, and implementing teacher evaluation systems.

It includes grants for providing language instruction educational programs, improving low-performing schools, and developing programs for American Indian and Alaska Native students. The bill provides rural school districts with increased flexibility in using federal funding. It also revises the Impact Aid formula.”

Walleye in Swan Lake

Missoulian: Mandatory kill proposed for northwest Montana lake walleyes

Walleye
“Walleyes are found across much of Montana, but most common in some of the large reservoirs in the eastern and central parts of the state. Although there is no record of walleyes being native to Montana, they were found in the Missouri River downstream from what is now Montana.”

Largest Navy Destroyer/ Pearl Harbor/ DOJ Investigates Chicago Police

Missoulian: Largest destroyer built for Navy headed to sea for testing
USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) An inside look at the Navy's newest destroyer class

Missoulian: Surviving Pearl Harbor: Anaconda veteran recalls safer times
New National Archives Video Short Gives Fresh Look at Pearl Harbor Attack
“The story of what FDR called “a date which will live in infamy” has been told many times in print and on film. A new “Inside the Vaults” video short “Pearl Harbor: In Their Own Words” (2:42) from the National Archives highlights a source that chronicles the events of December 7, 1941, from the point of view of the men on board the ships in the harbor. Watch the video on the National Archives YouTube channel here: http://tiny.cc/PearlHarbor.”

Missoulian: US Justice Department to investigate Chicago police
Justice Department Opens Pattern or Practice Investigation into the Chicago Police Department
“Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch announced today that the Justice Department has opened a civil pattern or practice investigation into Chicago Police Department (CPD), pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.  The department’s investigation of CPD will seek to determine whether there are systemic violations of the Constitution or federal law by officers of CPD.  The investigation will focus on CPD’s use of force, including racial, ethnic and other disparities in use of force, and its systems of accountability.”

NASA Launch Delay/ US Jobs/ Agriculture Risk Programs

Missoulian: More lousy weather as NASA tries for space station delivery
Today’s Weather Outlook: 30 Percent ‘Go’
“Forecasters from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station 45th Weather Squadron have issued an updated prediction for today’s launch of an Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo spacecraft at 5:33:11 p.m. EST aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.”

Bozeman Chronicle: US adds healthy 211K jobs; unemployment steady at low 5 pct. 
Payroll employment rises by 211,000 in November; unemployment rate unchanged at 5.0%
“In November, the unemployment rate held at 5.0 percent, and the number of unemployed persons, at 7.9 million, was essentially unchanged. Over the past 12 months, the unemployment rate and the number of unemployed persons are down by 0.8 percentage point and 1.1 million, respectively.”

Bozeman Chronicle: Enrollment opening soon for agricultural safety net programs
USDA- Major Risk Management Programs

Air Ambulances/ Yellowstone Wolves/ Climate Talks

Missoulian: Montana hospitals: Air ambulances too expensive, often mean high bills for patients
Survey Responses from (Most) Air Ambulances Serving Montana
Air Ambulance Services Operating in Montana

GAO: AIR AMBULANCE Effects of Industry Changes on Services Are Unclear

Wolves do not recognize political boundaries and often move between different jurisdictions--state, tribal, and federal. Here, the 8-Mile Pack wolf pups sit on a boulder in 2013.

NPS/Stahler

Missoulian: Yellowstone tallies 104 wolves at end of 2014
Yellowstone Wolf Management
“There were at least 104 wolves in 11 packs, including nine breeding pairs, living primarily in Yellowstone National Park during December 2014. From 2009 to 2014, wolf numbers have fluctuated between 83 and 104 wolves, and 6 to 9 breeding pairs. Pack size in 2014 averaged 9 wolves (range = 2 to 14). Forty pups survived to year-end, including 17 in northern Yellowstone and 23 in the interior of the park. An average of 4.4 pups per pack (82%) survived in the nine packs that had pups. For the first time, the size of a wolf pack was estimated via genetic sampling methodology, using scat samples from a den site.”

Missoulian: The Latest: UN climate official sees 'the stars aligning'
21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
“The stars are more aligned now for a historic, universal agreement than they ever have been. We need an agreement for the decades where ambition ramps decisively up the path to global deep decarbonization. We need a strong, unified transparency regime of reporting and review so everyone can see how we’re all doing. We need to elevate our focus on building resilient societies and addressing the impacts of climate change.”

Vaccinations/ US in Syria/ Transportation Bill/ Blackfeet Water Settlement

Missoulian: Students turned away from Missoula County schools for not having vaccinations
Montana Immunization Program
CDC- Vaccines & Immunizations

Missoulian: US-led airstrikes pound IS near Iraq's Ramadi
Coalition Strikes Hit ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq
“U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.”

Missoulian: Congress reaches deal on 5-year transportation bill
H.R.22 - Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015

Missoulian: Senate panel to vote on Blackfeet water agreement
S.1125 - Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act of 2015

EPA Cleanup at Columbia Falls/ Cyber Security Bills

Missoulian: Glencore reaches agreement with EPA for Columbia Falls cleanup
Final agreement to study contamination at Columbia Falls aluminum plant site (Flathead County, Mont.)
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a final agreement to investigate contamination at the Columbia Falls Aluminum Plant, also known as the Anaconda Company Columbia Falls Reduction Plant site, in Flathead County, Montana. Under the terms of the agreement, the site’s current owner, Columbia Falls Aluminum Company, will conduct a comprehensive investigation of soils, river sediments, and ground and surface water to determine the nature and extent of contamination at the site. The company will reimburse EPA for its future costs in overseeing the investigation.”

Missoulian: Cybersecurity bills would add secrecy to public records laws

S.Amdt.1569 to S.Amdt.1463
“To improve cybersecurity in the United States through enhanced sharing of information about cybersecurity threats.”

H.R.1735 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016
“The bill authorizes the FY2016 personnel strengths for active duty and reserve forces and sets forth policies regarding military personnel; compensation and other personnel benefits; health care; acquisition policy and management; DOD organization and management; civilian personnel matters; matters relating to foreign nations; cooperative threat reduction; and strategic programs, cyber, and intelligence matters.”

S.754 - Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015
“This bill requires the Director of National Intelligence and the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), Defense, and Justice to develop procedures to share cybersecurity threat information with private entities, nonfederal government agencies, state, tribal, and local governments, the public, and entities under threats.

To detect, prevent, or mitigate cybersecurity threats or security vulnerabilities, private entities may monitor and operate defensive measures on: (1) their own information systems; and (2) with written consent, the information systems of other private or government entities.

Liability protections are provided to entities that voluntarily share and receive cyber threat indicators and defensive measures with other entities or the government.”

International Climate Talks

Missoulian: Obama: Climate pact an 'act of defiance' after Paris attacks
Remarks by President Obama at the First Session of COP21
Ban Ki-moon (UN Secretary-General) on Climate Change and COP21 - UN Radio Interview (Paris, 29 November 2015)

Yellowstone Buffalo

Missoulian: Bison plan draws comments from around nation, world
Yellowstone Bison Management Plan
“The National Park Service and the State of Montana held a public scoping comment period for the Yellowstone-area Bison Management Plan/EIS from March 16, 2015, to June 15, 2015. Three public open house meetings were held during the comment period at different locations in the vicinity of Yellowstone National Park. The public was encouraged to submit comments through this website. Comments were also accepted at the open house meetings, by postal mail, and in person at the park. Approximately 3,000 pieces of correspondence were received during the public scoping comment period, and approximately 8,830 comments were derived from all correspondence.”

E. coli

Missoulian: E. coli cases in Montana, other western states linked to Costco chicken salad
Chicken salad pulled from Montana Costco shelves due to E.coli
“The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other western states, are issuing a notice to Costco customers who have purchased chicken salad between October 18, 2015 and November 23, 2015. Customers who have purchased chicken salad from Costco stores in Montana should not consume this product, due to a risk of illness.”

Krakauer v. Commissioner of Higher Education

Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Media groups say Montana case could have national influence

Krakauer v. Comm. of Higher Ed. (10/2015)
Amicus Curiae Brief  
Appellant Brief  

Krakauer v. Commissioner of Higher Education
Reply Brief  (3/4/2014)
Amicus Curiae Brief  
Appellee Brief  
Amicus Curiae Brief  

Syrian Refugees/ No Public Access to Anaconda Road

Missoulian: House OK of GOP Syrian refugee curbs is just start of fight
H.R.4038: American SAFE Act of 2015

“This bill requires that, in addition to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) screening, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shall take all actions necessary to ensure that each covered alien receives a background investigation before U.S. refugee admission.

A "covered alien" is any alien applying for U.S. refugee admission who:

is a national or resident of Iraq or Syria,
has no nationality and whose last habitual residence was in Iraq or Syria, or
has been present in Iraq or Syria at any time on or after March 1, 2011.”

Missoulian: High court says no to public access on road near Anaconda
Letica Land Co. and Don McGee v. Anaconda-Deer Lodge

Grizzly Poaching

Missoulian: Poacher sought in grizzly bear's death near Seeley Lake
Information Sought on Dead Grizzly Found North of Seeley Lake
“FWP and the Service are asking for anyone with any information on this case to call 1-800-TIP MONT. Callers do not have to identify themselves and a reward of up to $2,000 may be available for information leading to a conviction.”

Chronic Wasting Disease/ Navada Lake/ Sentencing Laws/ Student Loans

Missoulian: Officials find fatal disease in deer near Yellowstone
Latest round of testing finds CWD in new hunt areas
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Map

Missoulian: FWP proposes adding acreage to Nevada Lake Wildlife Management Area
Nevada Lake- Wildlife Management Area

Missoulian: House panel approves bill to overhaul sentencing laws
Statement of Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte Markup of H.R. 3713, the "Sentencing Reform Act...

Missoulan: Lenders taking more borrowers to court over student loans
Key Weaknesses Limit Education's Management of Contractors, GAO-16-196T: Published: Nov 18, 2015. Publicly Released: Nov 18, 2015.