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Photo courtesy of Rick and Susie Graetz
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
produced daily by Shellie Nelson
Page 2
More news from the Rockies
Community
Northwestern states ask federal government to fund mussel fight
The Northwest Power and Conservation Council, which guides power and environmental policy in the Columbia River Basin, has asked Congress for $2 million to help keep boats from Lake Mead and Lake Powell that are contaminated with invasive mussels out of the waters of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
Flathead Beacon (AP); July 11

Board to probe generators' failure, power shortage in Alberta
Alberta's Market System Administrator, the panel responsible for oversight of the province's electric system, will conduct a thorough investigation of the events that occurred on Monday, when six generating plants unexpectedly failed, causing rolling blackouts in the province.
Edmonton Journal; July 11

Urban garden at Colorado Convention Center produces first crop
Centerplate, the catering company for the Colorado Convention Center, will be serving lettuce grown at the 5,000-square-foot Blue Bear Farm at the Denver events center, at the Center's next event.
Denver Post; July 11

HUD official on hand for opening of affordable-housing project in Montana
Rick Garcia, the Region 8 director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, was in Missoula on Tuesday, where he attended the grand opening of a new affordable housing complex in the Montana city.
Missoulian; July 11

Environment
Colorado mulls higher hunting limits for elk herds near Aspen
The Avalanche Creek elk herd near Aspen has about 1,100 more animals than the state's objective, and the Fryingpan River herd numbers are nearly 2,000 above Colorado's goals for that Aspen-area herd, and the Parks and Wildlife Division has begun reassessing the management plan for those herds.
Aspen Times; July 11

Wildfire forces evacuation of small community in N. Alberta
The 150 or so residents of Zuma, a community 571 miles northwest of Edmonton, were ordered to evacuate as a wildfire moved within six miles of the town.
Edmonton Journal; July 11

Swirling winds sends Montana wildfire across the border into Idaho
The Chrandal Creek fire grew from 90 acres on Monday night to 1,000 acres Tuesday morning and burned from the Bitterroot National Forest in Montana across the border into the Salmon-Challis National Forest in Idaho.
Ravalli Republic; July 11

Wildfire prompts evacuations near Montana city
Lightning sparked a wildfire near Livingston Tuesday evening, forcing the evacuation of approximately 30 homes last night.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle; July 11

Crews pounce on new wildfires in Wyoming, mop up larger ones
Lightning-packed storms ignited a number of wildfires in northern Wyoming that were quickly dispatched by fire crews, while mop up continues on larger fires in the state, including the Arapahoe Fire that destroyed 30 homes.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); July 11

Toxic algae outbreak in Alberta lake prompts warning
An outbreak of toxic blue-green algae in Lake Isle approximately 60 miles west of Edmonton prompted Alberta Health Services to warn people not to swim in the lake nor eat fish caught in the lake and to keep animals from drinking the water.
Edmonton Journal; July 11

Politics
Idaho governor keeps options open on health care
Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter said both the expansion of Medicaid and the creation of a health insurance exchange are both on the table in Idaho.
Idaho Statesman (AP); July 11

Montana's federal lawmakers respond to President Obama's tax plan
On Monday, President Obama proposed to extend tax cuts for all but the nation's most wealthy taxpayers, and on Tuesday, Montana U.S. Sen. Max Baucus said he supported the president's plan, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester said he's still talking about the proposal with fellow senators, and U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg said he opposed raising taxes on the nation's job creators.
Billings Gazette; July 11

Hundreds attend rally for Mitt Romney in Colorado
About 800 people crowded into a Colorado high school gymnasium in Grand Junction to hear Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Tuesday.
Denver Post; July 11

At Utah event, Vice President Biden says Romney's policies rooted in the past
Vice President Joe Biden was in Park City on Tuesday, where he spoke to a crowd of about 80 outside a private home where a Utah fundraiser had been held, and he said Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's social policies were similar to those in place in the 1950s, and his foreign policy harkened back to the Cold War era.
Salt Lake Tribune; July 11

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol to close Montana, Idaho offices
On Tuesday, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol announced nine offices would be closed, including offices in Billings, Mont, and Twin Falls, Idaho.
Great Falls Tribune (AP); July 11

Economy
Montana company buys Australian firm's U.S. subsidiary
Billings-based Voyager Oil and Gas, Inc. and the U.S. subsidiary of Australia-based Emerald Oil and Gas NL will combine, and the new company, Emerald Oil, will be based in Colorado and will oversee energy leases in Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado.
Missoulian (AP); July 11

Idaho leaps up the rankings of annual business study
Last year, Idaho ranked 31st in the nation for business factors in a study done by the business and financial news network CNBC, and this year the state ranked 13th. Utah ranked second and Colorado eighth.
Idaho Statesman (AP); July 11

Potato disease found in two more fields in Idaho county
An entomologist with the University of Idaho’s Kimberly center said the discovery of zebra chip, a disease that damages potatoes by causing discoloration in the flesh making the tubers unusable for french fries and other products, in two more fields in Twin Falls County means producers should be vigilant about what is happening in their fields.
Twin Falls Times-News; July 11





Mountain West News is a program of the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West
at The University of Montana.
"B y no means, don't risk your safety waiting for a telephone call. What this emergency should drive home for people is they should have a plan."

Ben Bills, public information officer for El Paso-Teller County E911, after a report that said just 1 in 13 of the 118,000 warning calls on the Waldo Canyon Wildfire in Colorado actually connected to a person.
- Denver Post

On The Bookshelf
Barbara Theroux of Fact & Fiction reviews Christine Byl's "Dirt Work: An education in the woods

5/15/2013

Mountain West Perspectives
Study uncovers the restoration realities in Montana


4/15/2013

A Look Ahead
July 21: Montana Renewable Energy Fair, National Center for Appropriate Technology, Butte

Mountain West Voices
Hear weekly stories from the Rocky Mountain West as gathered by Clay Scott

5/15/2013:  A Long Way
5/8/2013:  Making Roots
5/1/2013:  Cancer in the Real World
4/24/2013:  Sheep Country
4/10/2013:  Shearing Sheep


Mountain West News is a program of the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West



at the

The University of Montana