(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Top 10 Daily Montanan stories of 2023 – Daily Montanan [1] ['Daily Montanan Staff', 'More From Author', '- December'] Date: 2023-12-31 This year, Rep. Zooey Zephyr made headlines that rippled far beyond Montana, property taxes are causing residents to dig deep into their wallets, and a landmark decision in a climate lawsuit could have an impact on the state for generations. The staff of the Daily Montanan got together and selected what it believes are the Top 10 stories that made headlines on our site and around Montana. Lists like this are fraught with criticism: We’ve missed some or haven’t ranked them correctly. For example, the staff debated whether the impacts of residential property taxes, which still continues to cause a tidal wave of controversy, should merit the top billing, or if the Held vs. State of Montana is more impactful. One has short-term impact, one has long-term impact, and both are top of mind. Other Montana stories and images affected a lot of people even outside this state, such as the ones showing Zephyr, a Missoula Democrat and the first openly transgender woman to serve in the Legislature, holding up a mic on the floor of the House as demonstrators urged the speaker to “let her speak.” Of course, it’s hard to look at 2023 in vacuum without seeing 2024 and what promises to be an epic political and campaign season, then followed by the 2025 Legislature. But Montana made plenty of news (and our staff felt it). What do you think? What’d we miss? And what seems right to you? We’d love to hear your feedback at [email protected]. The Held case In what some consider to be a landmark decision for Montana, a judge in August found the State of Montana was violating the constitutional rights of 16 youth plaintiffs to a clean and healthful environment by not accounting for greenhouse gas emissions and climate impacts when handing out permits for energy projects that burn fossil fuels. The youth, led by Rikki Held of Broadus, sued the state in 2020. The case finally went to trial in June after the Legislature made changes to the law the plaintiffs were challenging, and many of the plaintiffs testified alongside climate change, policy, and health experts as to why climate change was harming Montana’s youth. Two months later, Lewis and Clark District Court Judge Kathy Seeley handed down the ruling that the so-called limitation to the Montana Environmental Policy Act, which stated explicitly the state could not account for greenhouse gas emissions when considering permits, violated the youth’s rights under the state constitution. The plaintiffs and other environmental and conservation groups see the decision as one that will force the state to move away from burning coal and natural gas in favor of green energy and could affect ongoing litigation regarding a new power plant in Laurel. The Montana Attorney General’s Office has filed a notice of appeal of Seeley’s decision with the Montana Supreme Court and will have to file the appeal by Feb. 13. 2. Shocked: The rapid rise of residential property taxes More than a few Montanans aren’t happy about huge jumps in taxes for residential property owners. This year, reappraisals jumped 46% on average in the state, but taxes didn’t have to follow suit. More than one year ago, the Department of Revenue told the Montana Legislature that it could lower tax rates for residential property owners in order to keep taxes neutral given the huge jumps in reappraisals. The legislature didn’t change the rate, and some people received huge bills. Meanwhile, the state is sitting on a fat surplus. Most county commissions tried to levy fewer mills to help residential taxpayers, but the Montana Supreme Court said counties needed to stick with business as usual and levy the amount they historically have levied. So more big bills are coming. This month, Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte announced he was forming a task force to deal with rising property taxes. The idea drew some criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. But Gianforte said the task force will deliver meaningful solutions for the 2025 legislature to consider. 3. Rep. Zooey Zephyr gets booted The eyes of the nation turned to Montana this spring when protests erupted in the House of Representatives gallery after Speaker Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, barred Rep. Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula, the first openly transgender woman to serve in the legislature, from speaking on the House floor. Zephyr stood at her seat with her microphone in the air as Regier requested law enforcement clear the gallery. Chants of “Let her Speak!” echoed in the chamber as protesters were corralled into the halls, and seven were arrested. Their charges were later dismissed. Zephyr was not allowed to speak on the House floor after she said legislators in support of Senate Bill 99, which restricts gender affirming care for minors, would have “blood on your hands.” Regier decided not to recognize Zephyr on the floor after she did not apologize for her comments. Following the protest, which drew attention from around the world, Republican legislators in the House voted together to censure Zephyr, restricting her from the House floor. Republicans said they made the decision after Zephyr broke rules of decorum. The ACLU of Montana sued the state on Zephyr’s behalf claiming her censure was unconstitutional, but a Lewis and Clark County District judge dismissed the case in November. Zephyr was grouped in the national spotlight with other exiled legislators including two Tennessee legislators, who were expelled but later voted back in by their constituencies. Zephyr was included in Time Magazine’s “Time 100 Next” list, which recognizes up-and-coming leaders, artists and entrepreneurs. 4. 100,000 Montanans lose insurance State officials predicted Montanans would lose insurance this year, but more people don’t have coverage than expected. In April, the Department of Public Health and Human Services kicked off a federal process to make sure people getting Medicaid are, in fact, eligible for it. But the process has been tumultuous for people and providers, and people have been losing insurance more quickly than the state projected, including 72,000 for procedural reasons. In September, nearly 19,000 people who were expected to be insured through Medicaid weren’t covered, according to a report this month to a legislative budget committee. Federal data showed an estimated 41,513 applications were still being processed, and 40% of renewals were pending, above the national average of 22%. A couple of Democratic legislators asked DPHHS to pause the redetermination process in order to catch up on paperwork and prevent problems for people trying to get medical care, but agency Director Charlie Brereton said no. He said DPHHS has started redetermination for more than 90% of people covered by Medicaid, and the number of people losing coverage for procedural reasons had dropped from May to November, 36% to 25%. 5. Cascade County struggles with elections, commission Election administration in Cascade County took center stage this year with a series of mishaps, leading to at least two filed lawsuits, after businesswoman Sandra Merchant beat incumbent Clerk and Recorder Rina Moore for the position by less than 40 votes in 2022. Merchant is known in the community as an election denier. In the lead up to May elections, Merchant’s office struggled with staffing shortages and the closure of a local ballot sorting company shop. Merchant sent emails in March to jurisdictions holding elections saying a mail-in election would not be possible. After public outcry, Merchant held a well attended meeting and ultimately decided the election would be hybrid– with polls open and absentee ballots sent out. The Great Falls Public School board certified the results of the May election, but recognized the “irregularities” that took place– with at least two precincts not getting absentee ballots and outstanding questions on the additional cost of the poll election. The additional costs incurred by the district added up to $17,000, both in legal fees and in-person voting. The district later asked the county to assume duties of election administration, citing lack of communication with Merchant. The election was not close, which made some board members more comfortable with certifying the election. Two districts sued the county for the management of their May elections, the lawsuit is still ongoing. The Great Falls Public Library went to court to have a judge order an elections monitor for their levy election in June, citing the ongoing issues with the May elections. The selected monitor was Lynn DeRoche, who worked in the Elections Office under Moore for 16 years and for Merchant for the first month of her term. The levy election largely went smoothly, with some citing the monitor’s influence, and the levy passed. In November, the aftermath of the municipal election did not go as smoothly, with the canvass going well into the night and requiring an additional meeting to certify, which Commissioner Joe Briggs ultimately saying he voted to certify the election “reluctantly” as he still had concerns. The Cascade County Commission took a controversial 2-1 vote earlier this month to remove election duties from Merchant’s office after more than seven hours of public comment. Merchant’s supporters are requesting the commission rescind their decision, threatening to take legal action, but Briggs said he’s been assured by the county’s legal staff they are within the law with their decision. 6. Bison hunting near Yellowstone The coldest and snowiest winter in at least a decade led to one of the largest migrations of Yellowstone National Park’s cherished bison herd out of the park’s northern boundary near Gardiner in search of food. That allowed hunters from several tribal nations and Montana the opportunity to hunt the bison in much greater numbers than had been seen in recent years, and by the end of the winter, more than 1,000 bison had been killed despite the park holding hundreds within the boundaries to stop the full migration. Bison conservation groups were incensed at the carnage in and around Beattie Gulch and the harm to the herd, whose population dropped below 4,000, park officials said. Yellowstone National Park released an updated bison management plan and draft environmental impact statement that aims to bolster the bison population, to which the Gianforte administration strenuously objected. The bison management plans for this winter have been finalized in recent weeks, and park officials are recommending that no more than 1,100 bison are removed through transfers or hunting this winter, which is expected to be much milder than the last because of El Niño. Several groups’ request that the Forest Service closed Beattie Gulch to hunting this year has so far gone unmet. 7. Montana State University under investigation for civil rights abuses Montana State University faces an onslaught of discrimination complaints, and the federal Office for Civil Rights opened up two investigations based on the allegations. MSU in Bozeman is the state’s largest university. The investigations are underway. In October, the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education informed MSU President Waded Cruzado the university was being investigated for failing to respond to threats against the Queer Straight Alliance, a group that supports LGBTQ+ students on campus. OCR said it had received more than 20 related complaints. In December, the Office for Civil Rights opened up a second investigation, this one for failing to respond to harassment of students and other individuals of Jewish descent and harassment of female students. MSU spokesperson Tracy Ellig stressed the federal agency has not issued any findings, and the complaints are only allegations at this point. Students, including ones who filed complaints, and some faculty told the Daily Montanan conservative politics and money have an outsized influence on the president and other leaders at MSU. President Cruzado, who appears to be the highest paid public employee in the state with $503,304 a year in salary and retention plus $56,000 in deferred compensation, has declined multiple requests for interviews. Cruzado also has not made any public statements about the investigations. 8. The Montana PSC allows energy companies to hike rates Customers in Montana are paying higher power bills after multiple increases — including one described as historic — approved by the Public Service Commission. The hit to families’ pocketbooks and small business owners comes on top of inflation and property tax increases — and after much public protest. The five-member, all-Republican commission plans to reconsider one of the rate increases, likely in 2024. In August, following significant objections from across eastern Montana, the PSC voted to increase rates for Montana-Dakota Utilities customers. As a result, residential customers are paying 9.1% more, or another $100 a year. In October, the PSC approved an increase of 24% for NorthWestern residential electric customers and 25% for small businesses from August 2022. It means the average resident will pay another $260 a year. However, several parties involved in the NorthWestern case asked the PSC to reconsider, and this month, the chief legal counsel for the PSC said commissioners plan to take another look, likely early next year. 9. Attorney General Austin Knudsen faces 41 ethics charges Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen was charged in September with a 41-count ethics complaint alleging he violated state rules of professional conduct in a case several attorneys called “extraordinary.” A special counsel for the Office of Disciplinary Counsel filed the ethics complaint, which alleges Knudsen and his deputies tried to undermine confidence in the state judiciary and Montana Supreme Court with their communications and public statements during a lawsuit fight over separation of powers and subpoenaed records. Knudsen’s office and other Republicans have said the complaint is nothing more than a political attack, though other attorneys said it’s rare for such a complaint to make it to this point in the process without some form of discipline being handed down. Knudsen filed his response to the complaint in late November, arguing the counts should all be dismissed because he was “zealously” representing the views of his client, the Montana Legislature, during its fight with the Supreme Court. Next in the process, the Commission on Practice will set a hearing to listen to arguments, and afterward, a panel will send recommendations to the Supreme Court on what discipline, if any, Knudsen should face. The court could dismiss the counts against Knudsen entirely, but potential sanctions range from probation, public or private admonitions, public censure, suspension from practicing law, or disbarment. 10. Fort Belknap Indian Community under scrutiny for predatory lending A several-month investigation by the Daily Montanan uncovered how the Fort Belknap Indian Community uses money generated from their high-interest tribal lending companies as their main economic driver, and how alleged financial mismanagement of the tribe-owned Island Mountain Development Group has led to several federal lawsuits that could have deep ramifications for the reservation. The tribal council ousted the former board of IMDG in January, leading to a default on IMDG’s loans and an investigation by the new board that resulted in a lawsuit alleging the company’s former attorney was behind the alleged financial management of the company. The attorney and company have denied any responsibility. The company and tribes also face allegations in Alabama and New Jersey they are violating state usury laws by collecting on illegal high-interest loans that are testing tribal sovereignty doctrine, and the Minnesota Attorney General sued IMDG’s new officers in early November, also alleging the tribal lending companies are violating state and federal law with their short-term loans that carry interest rates between 400% and 800%. [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2023/12/31/top-10-daily-montanan-stories-of-2023/ Published and (C) by Daily Montanan Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/