Suicide / Bills / Crime

Missoulian:  Suicide rate among Montana's senior citizens outpaces national numbers

 U.S.A. Suicide Official Final Data

Montana Strategic Suicide Prevention Plan 

“Though we have made progress since the initiation of the inaugural Suicide Prevention Plan, Montanans are still faced with many challenges. Montana’s suicide rate remains among the highest in the Nation. Over the past seven years, suicide is the second leading cause of death for children, adolescents and young adults in our state and the rate of suicide is high throughout the life span. We have identified many areas where improvements can be made.”

Suicide Prevention 
“Suicide is a serious public health problem that can have lasting harmful effects on individuals, families, and communities. While its causes are complex and determined by multiple factors, the goal of suicide prevention is simple: Reduce factors that increase risk (i.e. risk factors) and increase factors that promote resilience (i.e. protective factors). Ideally, prevention addresses all levels of  influence: individual, relationship, community, and societal. Effective prevention strategies are needed to promote awareness of suicide and encourage a commitment to social change.”

Missoulian: Legislative preview: Budget, abortion among topics in this week's hearings 

SB12: Require temporary appropriation for state group benefit plan expenditures 

HB30: Revise late registration laws 

HB108: Revise registration and proof of identity requirements for voting

SB78: Require elementary students to be proficient in reading before advancement

SJR6: Interim study of the impacts of Montana's renewable portfolio standard 

SB31: Revise definition of eligible renewable resource

SB97 Revise redistricting laws to reduce the number of House and Senate seats

SB98: Revise redistricting laws to reduce the number of House and Senate seats 

SB41: Prohibiting consideration of future subdivision impact

SB40: Generally revising provisions governing subdivision review

HB104: Criminalize offenses involving death to an unborn child

Missoulian:  Crime reported to law enforcement rises 

 

Early 2012 Crime Stats

“According to statistics from our Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January-June 2012, the number of violent crimes reported by law enforcement for the first six months of 2012 increased 1.9 percent over figures from the same period in 2011. Property crimes also rose 1.5 percent overall.”

Milk / Russian Crown Jewels

Missoulian: Deal reached for stopping spike in milk prices

S . 3240 

“Establishes a dairy production margin protection program under which participating dairy operations are paid: (1) basic production margin protection program payments when production margins are less than threshold levels, and (2) supplemental production margin protection program payments if purchased by a participating dairy operation.

Provides for a transition period under which the dairy production margin protection program and the milk income loss program shall both be in existence and producers may participate in either program.”

                                           www.usgs.gov

NPR: The Mysterious Disappearance Of The Russian CrownJewels

Diamonds and Dusty Pages 
“The Russian Crown Jewels today—their value is almost unimaginable. This discovery and the documentation it will provide researchers in the future is an extremely important find not only for the USGS but for researchers around gems and gemstones worldwide.”

MT Governor's Appointments

Missoulian: Gov.-elect Bullock names directors of Healthand Human Services, Administration

Governor Elect- Steve Bullock 

Birth Control / State Parks

Missoulian: Justice refuses to block morning-after pill rule

Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. v. Sebelius (12/26/2012)

“Applicants do not satisfy the demanding standard for the extraordinary relief they seek. First, whatever the ultimate merits of the applicants’ claims, their entitlement to relief is not “indisputably clear.” Lux v. Rodrigues, 561

U. S. ___, ___ (2010) (ROBERTS, C. J., in chambers) (slip op., at 2) (internal quotation marks omitted). This Court has not previously addressed similar RFRA or free exercise claims brought by closely held for-profit corporations and their controlling shareholders alleging that the mandatory provision of certain employee benefits substantially burdens their exercise of religion.”

Missoulian: 6 Montana State Parks offer guided hikes Jan. 1

Montana State Parks

Lewis and Clark Caverns

Lone Pine

Spring Meadow

Makoshika

Lake Elmo

First Peoples Buffalo Jump

Statewide Fisheries Plan

Missoulian: Montana FWP adopts first statewide fisheries plan

Statewide Fisheries Management Plan 

“The plan will identify overarching goals for fisheries management, habitat protection and improvement, fishing access and angling opportunities. The plan will also guide priority-setting and decision-making for the different waters in the state. FWP expects that the plan will serve the angling public, the FWP Commission, public officials, and FWP staff.”

NORAD Tracks Santa

NORAD Tracks Santa 

"For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa's flight.

The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement misprinted the telephone number for children to call Santa. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief's operations "hotline." The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born."