Montana
Montana youth first to trial over whether state obligated to protect residents from climate change
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A group of Montana youth who say their lives are already being affected by climate change and that state government is failing to protect them are the first of dozens of such efforts to get their lawsuit to trial Monday. They will try to persuade a judge that the state’s allegiance to fossil fuel development endangers their health and livelihoods and those of future generations.
The 16 plaintiffs argue that Montana has a constitutional obligation to protect residents from climate change in a case experts say could set legal precedent, but isn’t likely to make immediate changes to policy in the fossil fuel-friendly state.
Environmentalists have called the planned two-week bench trial a turning point because similar suits in nearly every state have already been dismissed. A favorable decision could add to a handful of rulings globally that have declared governments have a duty to protect citizens from climate change.
One reason the case may have made it so far in Montana is the state’s Constitutional requirement that government “maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment.” Only a few states, including Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New York, have similar environmental protections in their constitutions.
The plaintiffs criticize state officials for their alleged failure to curb planet-warming emissions while Montana pursued oil, gas and coal development that provides jobs, tax revenue and helps meet the energy needs of people in Montana and elsewhere.
The plaintiffs cite smoke from worsening wildfires choking the air they breathe; drought drying rivers that sustain agriculture, fish, wildlife and recreation; along with reduced snowpack and shortened winter recreation seasons.
Experts for the state are expected to counter that climate extremes have existed for centuries and that Montana makes “miniscule” contributions to global greenhouse gas emissions.
Carbon dioxide, which is released when fossil fuels are burned, traps heat in the atmosphere and is largely responsible for the warming of the the climate. Carbon dioxide levels in the air this spring reached the highest levels they’ve been in over 4 million years, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration said earlier this month. Greenhouse gas emissions also reached a record last year, according to the International Energy Agency.
In the three years since the lawsuit was filed, the scope of the case has been narrowed to whether Montana’s Environmental Policy Act — which requires state agencies to balance the health of the environment against resource development — is unconstitutional because it does not require officials to consider greenhouse gas emissions or their climate impacts.
Judge Kathy Seeley has said she could rule that the state’s climate change exception in its environmental law is at odds with its Constitution, but she can’t tell the legislature what to do to remedy the violation.
___
Brown reported from Billings, Mont.
BOZEMAN: A 41-year-old Montana man was charged with murder Friday in a brutal slaying at a remote campsite that had been initially reported as a possible bear mauling by people who found the victim’s body.
The suspect allegedly told authorities that he arrived at the campsite northeast of Big Sky, Montana, on Oct 10 intending to stay the night but found it occupied by 35-year-old Dustin Kjersem.
Kjersem, who didn’t know the suspect, welcomed him to the campsite and offered him a beer, according to Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer.
But sometime later the suspect driven by an unknown motive hit Kjersem with a piece of wood, stabbed him in the neck with a screwdriver and hit him with an axe, Springer said.
The victim’s girlfriend and another friend found his body Oct 12 and reported it as a possible bear attack. It turned into a homicide investigation after wildlife agents found no sign of a bear in the area.
After DNA found on a beer can from the campsite was matched with the suspect’s DNA, he was tracked down this week and arrested in Butte, Montana, Springer said.
He was being held on $1.5 million bail, according to sheriff’s department records.
Montana Lottery players lined up for a chance to win $1 million on Friday morning.
The lottery announced that ticket sales for the annual Montana Millionaire drawing would start at 5:30 a.m on Nov. 1.
The lottery game had 500,000 tickets available for purchase. Within three hours, tickets were sold out.
“The demand for Montana Millionaire this year has been absolutely incredible,” Bob Brown, the director of the Montana Lottery, said in a statement. “We knew tickets would sell fast, but under a 3-hour sellout for 500,000 tickets is truly unprecedented.”
On the lottery’s Instagram page, players are seen in long lines for a chance to try their luck at the million-dollar game. Only four people can win the grand prize.
To have a chance at winning a prize, interested players paid $20 to play the game, the lottery said.
“The Montana Millionaire lottery is back, and this year is the biggest yet!” Three Amigos Mexican Restaurant & Cantina, a retailer for the Montana Millionaire tickets, wrote in a Facebook post. “With 500,000 tickets up for grabs and FOUR massive $1 million grand prizes, 2024 could be your lucky year.”
Montana Millionaire players could also win ‘Quarter Million Monday’
Players will also have a chance at winning $250,000 in the “Quarter Million Monday” drawing on Dec. 2, the lottery said.
All players that purchased a ticket on Nov. 1 are eligible for the “Quarter Million Monday” drawing on Dec. 2 and the “Grand Prize” drawing on Dec. 26, the lottery said.
Montana Millionaire game sold out quickly in 2023
The Montana Lottery said that tickets for the 2023 game sold out in five hours.
In 2024, the lottery added 120,000 more tickets for players to purchase.
What are the odds of winning Montana Millionaire?
The overall odds of winning a prize in Montana Millionaire are 1 in 73.5, the lottery said.
Here is a table that shows the odds of winning for each drawing.
Can’t see the table? Click here to view it.
The lottery said that the odds for the “Quarter Million Monday” drawing Prize will depend on how many tickets are sold before the drawing deadline.
How to play Montana Millionaire
To play Montana Millionaire you must purchase a $20 ticket. Tickets can be purchased at any Montana Lottery retailer (i.e. convenience stores, bars/taverns, grocery stores, and casinos), the lottery said. In addition, players can purchase tickets at all of the lottery’s self-service terminals throughout the state.
Unlike traditional lottery games, Montana Millionaire does not have a play slip or numbers for players to choose, the lottery explains. Instead, every player that buys a ticket will be given a number that ranges from 000001 to 500000.
The deadline for the limited-ticket game was originally set for Dec. 25 at midnight, the lottery said. However, once tickets are sold out they are gone.
Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, food recalls, health, lottery, and public policy stories. Email her at aforbes@gannett.com. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.
A Montana man found slain in his tent this month welcomed the suspect in his killing, a stranger, to his campsite and offered him a beer, the Gallatin County sheriff said Thursday.
Daren Christopher Abbey, 41, was arrested this week and charged with deliberate homicide in the killing of Dustin Kjersem, 35, whose body was found in his tent near Big Sky on Oct. 12, officials said.
It was a “chance encounter” at the campsite on the night of Oct. 10, and Abbey did not know Kjersem, Sheriff Dan Springer said at a news conference.
Abbey had planned to camp at the site, but when he arrived that night he found Kjersem was already there, with a wall tent, beds and a stove, Springer said.
Abbey in a confession to detectives, “stated Dustin welcomed him to the campsite and offered him a beer,” Springer said.
“At some point, this individual struck Dustin Kjersem with a piece of solid wood, stabbed him in the neck with a screwdriver and ultimately hit him with the ax,” Springer said. “The motives of this attack are still unknown.”
The state crime lab matched DNA from a beer can found in the tent to Abbey, Springer said.
Abbey was arrested Saturday in Butte, around 80 miles northwest of Big Sky. He was interviewed by sheriff’s detectives and Montana Justice Department investigators Tuesday and confessed to the killing, Springer said.
Kjersem planned to spend the weekend at the campsite with his girlfriend. He set up the camp on Oct. 10, a Thursday, and he planned to pick his girlfriend up from work the next night, Springer said.
Kjersem never arrived. The girlfriend and a friend drove to the campsite on Oct. 12, a Saturday, and found Kjersem dead in the tent, Springer said.
Kjersem’s injuries were such that the person who reported discovering his body suspected he had been attacked by a bear, the sheriff’s office has said. An autopsy confirmed it was homicide, not an animal attack.
Abbey had been living in a couple of different areas but most recently had a residence in Basin, Montana, a small community in the mountains northeast of Butte, Springer said. He had been employed in the Big Sky area at various times, Springer said.
Abbey was arrested on a probation violation in Butte but is charged with deliberate homicide in Kjersem’s death, the sheriff’s office said.
State Corrections Department records show Abbey was on conditional release after a prison sentence for a 2020 repeat driving under the influence case.
Abbey was being held in custody Thursday night without bond, jail records show. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
The investigation could take months more. Springer said detectives will work to put together more pieces of what occurred, including what motive Abbey might have had.
“We have a bit of his story, but we don’t really know what the true story is,” Springer said. “We have a story — we just don’t know if it’s accurate.”
Springer said that after he killed Kjersem, Abbey removed items he may have touched or which could connect him to the crime, including a cooler and the ax. He returned the next night and took more items, Springer said.
The sheriff’s office previously said an ax, a Yeti cooler, a shotgun and a revolver were missing from the campsite.
Richard Moore’s final words before South Carolina execution
Obituary for Marlan John Velgersdyk at Miller Funeral Home & On-Site Crematory
Titans WRs Must Step Up vs. Patriots
What channel is Iowa State vs. Texas Tech football on today? TV schedule for Week 10 game
Does Utah play today? College football schedule for Utes’ next game after Week 10 bye
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
At least 2 dead as tornadoes hit Alabama, damage homes across Southeast
Video: Our Photographers’ Favorite Campaign Trail Photos
Early in-person voting ending Saturday in North Carolina, New Mexico, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia
Brussels, my love? Instability in Georgia overshadows EU enlargement
Who is Liz Cheney? Trump fantasises her being shot during chat with Tucker Carlson
Opponents of antisemitism on campus frustrated by Schumer's failure to move on legislation: 'Stunning'
-
Movie Reviews1 week agoAlien Country (2024) – Movie Review
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25431700/STK201_SAM_ALTMAN_CVIRGINIA_A.jpg "OpenAI plans to release its next big AI model by December")
Technology1 week agoOpenAI plans to release its next big AI model by December
-
Health1 week agoNew cervical cancer treatment approach could reduce risk of death by 40%, trial results show
-
Culture1 week agoTop 45 MLB free agents for 2024-25 with contract predictions, team fits: Will Soto get $600M+?
-
Sports7 days agoFreddie Freeman's walk-off grand slam gives Dodgers Game 1 World Series win vs. Yankees
-
News6 days agoSikh separatist, targeted once for assassination, says India still trying to kill him
-
Culture6 days agoFreddie Freeman wallops his way into World Series history with walk-off slam that’ll float forever
-
Technology6 days agoWhen a Facebook friend request turns into a hacker’s trap