Montana State

Colstrip, MT

Montana Free Press

Two energy companies seeking the continued operation of a coal-fired power plant in Colstrip are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block a federal emissions standard from taking effect. Talen Montana and NorthWestern Energy this week requested that the Supreme Court halt a rule the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopted...

NorthWestern Energy, Talen to Supreme Court: New EPA rules ‘put an untenable burden on Colstrip’

Maine State

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Sagadahoc County, ME

Lewiston, ME

The Maine Monitor

Editor’s note: This story contains references to suicide. When a bill to strengthen Maine’s yellow flag law went into effect earlier this month, Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry said he felt a sense of relief.

Law enforcement officers can now get a warrant to take someone into protective custody

Tupelo, MS

Mississippi News Group

Written with artificial intelligence assistance. In a significant development, the Tupelo Police Department has arrested Julia L. Brown, a 24-year-old resident of Tupelo, following a Capias Warrant issued by Lee County Circuit Court. Brown faces charges of embezzlement related to an incident reported in 2022 involving Savings Gas Station, located at 447 East Main Street.

Employee of Savings Gas Station Arrested for Embezzlement

Florida State

Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville Today

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said he will consider more DUI patrols if voters legalize recreational marijuana use in Florida. Voters will consider Amendment 3 in November. It would allow adults 21 or older to possess, purchase or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical purposes.

More DUI patrols possible if marijuana issue passes

Missoula, MT

MISSOULA — While it may have taken days for residents to get power restored or weeks to clean their yards after a disastrous thunderstorm rolled through Missoula last month, it will take decades for the city’s urban forest to recover. The July 24 storm, which included wind gusts...

July storm dealt ‘overwhelming’ damage to Missoula’s trees

Salem, OH

Northern Kentucky Tribune

Every day, 8-year-old Emma sits in a small garden outside her grandmother’s home in Salem, Ohio, writing letters to her mom and sometimes singing songs her mother used to sing to her.

Thousands of parents die of overdoses; advocates say their kids need more help

Sarasota, FL

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Akeena

Rusty Bucket, a beloved comfort food chain known for its casual American fare, is closing its Sarasota, Florida location later this month. The Sarasota branch, the only Rusty Bucket in Florida, will shut its doors permanently on August 18. The news, which was confirmed by a bartender at the restaurant, came as a surprise to employees, who learned about the closure just a week ago.

Popular Comfort Food Chain to Close Florida Location Permanently

New Jersey State

San Antonio, TX

Morristown Minute

NEW JERSEY - A San Antonio, Texas woman, Janet Bernal, also known by several aliases including “Rocky G” and “RockyG-Kruella,” has been arrested and charged with wire fraud for allegedly selling over $18 million worth of counterfeit coupons to be used at retail stores across the United States.

Coupon Queen's $18M Fraud: Woman Arrested in Nationwide Scheme

Texas State

Missouri State

CJ Coombs

When I learned the brown tarantula is also native to Missouri, I gasped, and when I say I'm not too fond of spiders of any genus is an understatement. It's psychological. They have too many legs.

It's mating season for the Texas brown tarantula also known as the Missouri tarantula

Bozeman, MT

BOZEMAN — Following an initial rejection, a citizen initiative to ban single-use plastics will make the Bozeman ballot after city officials agreed to a court settlement this week. Last week, Gallatin County Election Administrator Eric Semerad determined the initiative did not meet the signature threshold required to make the...

Ban on single-use plastics follows tumultuous path to Bozeman ballot

Wyoming State

Cheyenne, WY

WyoFile

WHITE MOUNTAIN—“That’s a lot of horses,” lamented Cheyenne resident Robyn Smith from a high-desert ridgeline. It wasn’t her first exasperated exclamation. “Argh, oh crap,” was her immediate reaction to learning a federal judge had given the Bureau of Land Management the OK to proceed with plans to fully remove two wild horse herds from the landscape in southwest Wyoming.

BLM wins two lawsuits, clearing way for elimination of two Wyoming wild horse herds

Colorado State

David Heitz

A bill quietly introduced this spring in the Colorado legislature to decriminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia obtained by harm reductionists has become law. As low-key as the legislation was introduced, the bill was signed into law without fanfare June 6. It garnered little to no media attention.

Colorado legalizes needles, pipes for meth and crack if obtained by harm reduction group

Georgia State

The Current GA

A state Supreme Court’s decision reversing a lower court’s ruling that a private contractor was exempt from the Georgia Open Records Act is being hailed as a win for open government.

State Supreme Court rules Open Records Act applies to private contractors working for governments

To increase the genetic diversity of an island population of grizzly bears , Wyoming and Montana wildlife managers recently worked together to import fresh bloodlines into the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Two Montana grizzly bears trucked to Wyoming to bolster genetic diversity, help states’ delisting case

Helena, MT

HELENA — The U.S. Department of Justice and St. Peter’s Health have reached a $10.8 million settlement over charges that the hospital submitted false claims to federal health programs related to the care provided by its former doctor. Thomas Weiner, an oncologist who worked at St. Peter’s Cancer...

St. Peter’s agrees to pay $10.8 million to settle federal investigation

HELENA — Overwhelmed by a flood of property tax appeals following last year’s historic valuation spike, the Montana Department of Revenue acknowledged earlier this month that its Bozeman-area office fell behind this year on tracking new construction that should be added to Gallatin County’s tax rolls. According...

State backlog could let some new Bozeman construction skip next year’s property taxes

ATLANTA – Georgia lawmakers are having second thoughts about switching the University System of Georgia from a quarter to a semester system back in 1999. A state House study committee will begin meeting soon to take a fresh look at whether both the university system and the Technical College System of Georgia – which moved to semesters in 2011 – should switch back to quarters.

State lawmakers mulling switch of university system to quarters

Great Falls, MT

“Great Falls This Week” is reported and written by Matt Hudson. Send your news and tips to mhudson@montanafreepress.org. Taxpayers will get a break from the 2024-2025 Great Falls Public Schools budget, but the situation leaves the district with a funding gap to cover. The GFPS Board of Trustees passed...

School district, city finalize budgets

Don Hall is an avid snowmobiler, but instead of heading for the hills each winter in search of deep powder, he takes an older snowmachine to lower elevations nearer the snow line. There’s a reason the Riverton resident prefers the lower zones despite the rocks, fences and sage most riders avoid: That’s where the coyotes are.

Wyoming allows snowmobilers to run down wildlife. Despite global outrage, it may stay legal.

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The Lens

This year’s area of low oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico is larger than average, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on Thursday. The “dead zone” is approximately 6,705 square miles , as measured last week. Within NOAA’s 38 years of measuring the dead zone, this year’s assessment marks the 12th-largest area of low to no oxygen, which can kill fish and marine life.

Gulf ‘dead zone’ larger than average, larger than expected for 2024, scientists announce

NewsBreak

How to decode your NorthWestern Energy bill

Have you ever looked at your power bill and struggled to understand the various rates and charges that dictate how much you owe your utility company?...

How to decode your NorthWestern Energy bill

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