Students deliver Christmas meals to veterans in Great Falls
In the video above, Paul Sanchez reports on students from Central Catholic High School in Great Falls, who provided all of the fixings for Christmas meals for 50 military veterans.
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.
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Brown reported from Billings, Mont.
After a thrilling 2024 season, FCS football will crown a champion when North Dakota State and Montana State battle on a Monday night. As the Bison and Bobcats near the pinnacle of the sport, let’s take a look back at their journeys.
North Dakota State finished the regular season 10-2, losing its first game to Colorado out of the FBS and its final game to South Dakota out of the MVFC. The season-ending loss prevented the Bison from winning the MVFC outright, but it didn’t matter as NDSU still got the No. 2 overall seed in the playoffs.
North Dakota State fought off an early scare from Abilene Christian in the second round to win by 20 points. In the quarterfinals, the Bison beat Mercer 31-7 in a game they controlled from start to finish.
In the semifinals, North Dakota State defeated South Dakota State for the second time this year to advance to the championship game. Click or tap here for more on the thrilling finish.
Opponent | Win/Loss | Score | Record | Ranking (AFCA) |
---|---|---|---|---|
at Colorado | L | 31-26 | 0-1 | No. 2 |
vs. Tennessee State | W | 52-3 | 1-1 | No. 2 |
at ETSU | W | 38-5 | 2-1 | No. 2 |
vs. Towson | W | 41-24 | 3-1 | No. 2 |
at No. 15 Illinois State | W | 42-10 | 4-1 | No. 2 |
vs. No. 6 North Dakota | W | 41-17 | 5-1 | No. 2 |
at Southern Illinois | W | 24-3 | 6-1 | No. 2 |
vs. No. 1 South Dakota State | W | 13-9 | 7-1 | No. 2 |
at Murray State | W | 59-6 | 8-1 | No. 1 |
vs. Northern Iowa | W | 42-19 | 9-1 | No. 1 |
vs. No. 14 Missouri State | W | 59-21 | 10-1 | No. 1 |
at No. 4 South Dakota | L | 29-28 | 10-2 | No. 1 |
vs. (15) Abilene Christian | W | 51-31 | 11-2 | No. 4 |
vs. (7) Mercer | W | 31-7 | 12-2 | No. 4 |
vs. (3) South Dakota State | W | 28-21 | 13-2 | No. 4 |
North Dakota State has a reloaded roster under first-year head coach Tim Polasek. The Bison have the Jerry Rice Award winner CharMar Brown in the backfield along top-three Walter Payton Award finalist Cam Miller. The trenches are stout yet again with NFL prospect Grey Zabel on offense and All-American Eli Mostaert on defense.
Montana State finished the regular season 12-0 with the longest regular-season win streak in the FCS. Only two Bobcat games — an FBS win over New Mexico State and a Big Sky win over UC Davis — were within one possession.
Montana State’s dominance continued in the playoffs. The Bobcats didn’t play a close game in the first two rounds, averaging 50.5 points scored and a 32.5 margin of victory.
In the semifinals, Montana State held off South Dakota to advance to the championship game. Tommy Mellott led the way offensively with 134 passing yards and a touchdown plus 125 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Click or tap here for more from the game.
Opponent | Win/Loss | Score | Record | Ranking (AFCA) |
---|---|---|---|---|
at New Mexico | W | 35-31 | 1-0 | No. 4 |
at Utah Tech | W | 31-7 | 2-0 | No. 3 |
vs. Maine | W | 41-24 | 3-0 | No. 3 |
vs. Mercyhurst | W | 52-13 | 4-0 | No. 3 |
at Idaho State | W | 37-17 | 5-0 | No. 3 |
vs. Northern Colorado | W | 55-17 | 6-0 | No. 3 |
vs. No. 8 Idaho | W | 38-7 | 7-0 | No. 3 |
Portland State | W | 44-14 | 8-0 | No. 3 |
at Eastern Washington | W | 42-28 | 9-0 | No. 2 |
vs. Sacramento State | W | 49-7 | 10-0 | No. 2 |
at No. 4 UC Davis | W | 30-28 | 11-0 | No. 2 |
vs. No. 10 Montana | W | 34-11 | 12-0 | No. 2 |
vs. UT Martin | W | 49-17 | 13-0 | No. 1 |
vs. Idaho | W | 52-19 | 14-0 | No. 1 |
vs. South Dakota | W | 31-17 | 15-0 | No. 1 |
Montana State is an experienced group with a mix of young talent. Adam Jones was the runner-up for the Jerry Rice Award while senior Tommy Mellott is a top-three Walter Payton Award finalist. Brody Grebe leads the defense; he finished ninth in Buck Buchanan Award voting.
Posted
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Students deliver Christmas meals to veterans in Great Falls
In the video above, Paul Sanchez reports on students from Central Catholic High School in Great Falls, who provided all of the fixings for Christmas meals for 50 military veterans.
Copyright 2024 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Gas prices have dropped again across Montana just as drivers hit the roads for one of the year’s busiest travel times.
GasBuddy.com reports average gasoline prices in the state have fallen 4.2¢ per gallon in the last week and are averaging $2.79 per gallon as of Monday.
Gas prices are 20.2¢ per gallon lower than at this time a month ago and 22.7¢ per gallon lower than a year ago.
The national average price of gasoline has risen 3.1¢ per gallon over the last week to $3.01 per gallon, which is 2.6¢ lower than a month ago.
GassBuddy.com reports the cheapest gas in Montana was at $2.56 per gallon on Sunday while the most expensive was $3.06 per gallon.
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