This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. Today, news about the Laken Riley Act. (See the Montana section.)
Idaho
In the U.S. Senate: New bill aims to restrict transgender athletes from competing in female sports. A pericope:
“On Wednesday, U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo of Idaho, along with Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, introduced the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which aims to regulate the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports.
The bill responds to ongoing debates regarding how transgender participation is handled in athletic programs, particularly following recent changes by the Biden administration. Supporters argue that allowing “biological males” to compete in women’s categories undermines fairness for female athletes.”
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Idaho House starts 2025 session with proposal to challenge same-sex marriage.
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A video from a real estate agent: The Realities of Off-Grid Living in North Idaho: What You Need to Know.
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Idaho Fish and Game to deploy GPS collars on elk and moose calves for habitat and survival study.
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Randy Larkin sentenced to life in prison.
Montana
Senator Sheehy introduces first bill, the Laken Riley Act, on day two in office. Here is the article’s opening:
“Senator Tim Sheehy announced the introduction of the Laken Riley Act, his first bill, alongside Senator Katie Britt (R-AL), Senator Ted Budd (R-NC), and other Senate colleagues. The House passed the bill Tuesday afternoon with both Republican and Democrat supporters.
The Laken Riley Act aims to mandate ICE to arrest illegal immigrants who commit theft, burglary, larceny, or shoplifting offenses. It requires that these individuals be detained until deportation from the United States. The bill also allows states to bring civil action against federal officials who do not enforce border laws.”
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Feds deny Montana petition to delist grizzly bears, propose new rule on populations. An excerpt:
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has denied Montana and Wyoming’s petition to delist grizzly bears in the Greater Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide Ecosystems. The agency also announced a new long-term approach for grizzly recovery.
The service is proposing a new rule clarifying the geographic area where grizzly bears in the lower 48 are subject to protection under the Endangered Species Act. Instead of managing the animals under individual populations such as the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide Ecosystems, all grizzlies south of Canada would be managed as a collective.
Current management practice calls for managing bears as six distinct populations based on geographic areas. The new proposed rule would keep the bear population in Montana protected under the Endangered Species Act until the entire population in the northwest United States is considered recovered. It would also likely delay when Montana could manage the animals at a state level.”
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Bozeman woman charged in fiance’s death makes court appearance.
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Former judge-elect pleads not guilty to drug charges in Lake County.
Central & Eastern Oregon
Firefighters from 6 Central Oregon agencies headed to fight devastating L.A. wildfires.
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Caleb and Dahnte Cegers trials delayed yet again; victim Taylor Wyss’s family enraged by more delays.
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She won a marathon and was awarded a bed. Then the real work began.
Central & Eastern Washington
Washington land swap sparks debate over conservation and revenue.
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More to Every Story: The cost of deadly police shooting lawsuits in Spokane.
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Prime location for watching elk opens in Yakima County,
Wyoming
Bill would make corner crossing legal in Wyoming, settling long-running debate.
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The ‘ticking time bomb’ facing Wyoming’s public defenders and their clients.
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Casper will host a local National Civics Bee.
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Teen could get 8 years’ prison after pleading guilty to shooting man in the back on Fourth of July.
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