Montana

Train derailment spills beer and clay

Paradise — After a 25-car train derailed and spilled powdered clay and a case of beer by a river in scenic western Montana, the crew faced a difficult cleanup task.

The Montana Rail Link said no one was injured in the derailment on April 2, and no hazardous materials were released, with some vehicles nearly approaching riverbanks and some in mountainous waters. was slightly submerged in

Seven cars are believed to have derailed in the narrow tunnel, making it difficult to rescue them, said Bill Nageli, manager of Saunders County Disaster and Emergency Services.

According to the Missourian, the train derailed across the river from Paradise’s Queens Hot Springs Resort, spilling clay and cases of Coors Light and Blue Moon beer in cans and bottles.

Several of Quinn’s guest cabins, which are located directly across the meandering river, have been evacuated as a precautionary measure, the Plains Paradise Regional Fire District said in a social media post.

Dennis Moase, the resort’s general manager, told the Missourian newspaper that a front desk employee “heard a loud rumbling and crashing noise, then heard a train derail.”

The tanker car carrying butane was lying on its side, but there were no leaks, Nägeli said.

Garland said the derailed areas can only be reached by vehicles on closed tracks or by boat across the river.

The cause of the derailment is still under investigation, officials said.

north dakota

Judge Orders US to Resume Intrastate Oil Lease Sales

Bismarck — A federal judge has ordered the U.S. government to resume regular oil and gas lease sales on federal lands in North Dakota. This is despite an ongoing legal battle over the Biden administration’s suspension of its leasing program two years ago to combat climate change. .

North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley hailed the ruling as a victory, saying the cancellation of lease sales would cost North Dakota more than $100 million in revenue each year, making it “extremely costly in a difficult time of high inflation and high inflation.” It deprived the country of much-needed access to oil and gas,” he said. It is a threat to our energy security,” reported the Bismarck-Tribune.

But U.S. District Judge Daniel Trainor also rejected the state’s request to force the federal agency, the Bureau of Land Management, to sell the canceled properties in 2021 and 2022.

Last year’s federal climate change law included a political compromise between Democrats by tying oil and gas lease sales to Biden-promoted renewable energy development. Citing that law, federal officials have proposed his June lease sale totaling 21,000 acres in North Dakota and Montana.

U.S. Department of Justice Senior Attorney Michael Sawyer said in court documents that North Dakota’s attempt to resume quarterly lease sales before the lawsuit was decided would constitute a “judgement in haste” and the land He said the agency would be exposed to lawsuits from environmental groups. .

In a statement, Republican Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota said he applauded the judge’s decision to require the agency to resume “lawfully required quarterly oil and gas lease sales.”

The state is one of the largest oil producers in the United States, after Texas and New Mexico.

new mexico

Governor signs bill to keep guns away from children

SANTA FE — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill on March 10 making it a crime to store firearms where children can access them.

The new law will come into force on June 16th. Earlier this year, her 6-year-old student shot a teacher in Virginia, sparking a national debate about gun control and school safety.

New Mexico legislation makes it a crime to store firearms in a manner that disregards the ability of children and teenagers under the age of 18 to access them.

Criminal charges can only be brought if the minor later brandishes the firearm, displays it in a threatening manner, or uses it to kill or injure someone. It establishes both crimes as felonies and carries a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison.

If a child accesses a firearm with the permission of a parent or guardian for lawful purposes such as hunting or recreation, criminal law does not apply. The law also includes exceptions for children accessing guns for self-defense or to protect others.

The initiative’s sponsors hope to reduce gun-related injuries among young people. New Mexico is one of the top 10 states for gun deaths per capita.

Idaho

Governor signs firing squad bill

BOISE — Republican Gov. Brad Little signed a bill allowing executions by firing squad, making Idaho the latest state to turn to antiquated methods of execution amid a nationwide shortage of lethal injections. .

Congress passed the bill on March 20 with a veto majority. Under it, firing squads are used only when states cannot obtain the drugs needed for lethal injections.

Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly banning the use of drugs by executioners as being meant to save lives. One of her Idaho death row inmates has already had her execution postponed multiple times, citing drug shortages.

Some states have begun retrofitting electric chairs as a back-up when lethal drugs are no longer available. Others have considered, and sometimes used, little-tested methods of execution.

Republican Senator Doug Ricks, who co-sponsored Idaho’s firing squad bill, told fellow senators on March 20 that the state’s trouble finding lethal injection drugs could last “indefinitely.” said he believed deaths by firing squad were “humane”. ,” and this bill will help ensure that the rule of law is enforced.

But Senator Dan Foreman, also a Republican, said the firing squad execution was “under the dignity of the state of Idaho.” He said they would hurt the executioners, the witnesses, and the people who clean up afterwards.

The bill was the brainchild of Republican Rep. Bruce Skaug, partly because the state failed to execute Gerald Pitt Jr. late last year. Pitttuto, who now has terminal cancer and other debilitating illnesses, has spent more than 30 years on death row for his involvement in the murder of two gold prospectors in 1985.

The Idaho Department of Corrections estimates that it would cost about $750,000 to build or modify a death chamber for firing squad executions.

Agency director Jeff Tewalt said he was reluctant to ask his staff to join the firing squad.

Utah

Towering Monument Valley Butte for sunset spectacle

MONUMENT VALLEY — A sunset scene featuring two mitten-shaped rock formations in late March in Navajo Monument Valley along the Arizona-Utah border.

Twice a year, in late March and mid-September, spectators, photographers and videographers get their hands on some visual treats. As the sun sets, the shadow of West Mitten Butte crawls across the desert valley floor and climbs the flanks of East Mitten Butte.

The spectacle draws people from all over the world to Monument Valley Tribal Park, which is already a tourist attraction.

Television and film critic Keith Phipps once described Monument Valley as “defining what decades of filmgoers think when imagining the American West.”

It was frequently used as a filming location for Westerns directed by the late John Ford, as well as the 1994 Oscar-winning film Forrest Gump. In the film, the character played by Tom Hanks is seen running his way to Monument Valley. In the background is the impressive landscape of the park.