skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Sunday, March 16, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Second federal judge orders temporary reinstatement of thousands of probationary employees fired by the Trump administration; U.S., Canada political tension could affect Maine summer tourism; Report: Incarceration rates rise in MS, U.S. despite efforts at reform; MI study: HBCU students show better mental health, despite challenges.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump administration faces legal battles on birthright citizenship; the arrest of a Palestinian activist sparks protests over free speech. Conservationists voice concerns about federal job cuts impacting public lands, and Ohio invests in child wellness initiatives.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Farmers worry promised federal reimbursements aren't coming while fears mount that the Trump administration's efforts to raise cash means the sale of public lands, and rural America's shortage of doctors has many physicians skipping retirement.

MT food bank, neighbors collaborate to improve food access for tribal nations

play audio
Play

Tuesday, March 11, 2025   

Food bank organizations teamed up in four states, including Montana, to launch the 104 Degrees West Collaborative in 2021 to better serve their Indigenous community members.

Early research has helped them understand how to serve these rural communities in culturally informed ways. There are 23 federally recognized Native Nations across North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana, each with unique food access, security and sovereignty issues.

Gayle Carlson, president and CEO of the Montana Food Bank Network, said the collaborative spent its first year interviewing key tribal leaders to make a cultural learning series for food bank staff and board members.

"It goes the gamut from the historical perspective of how food was used as a weapon, all the way to who's the point of contact we should first be working with," Carlson outlined. "So that we had that full spectrum of understanding. "

She pointed out the Montana Food Bank Network distributed more than 1.7 million pounds of food across the state's reservations in 2024.

Carlson noted in cases of extremely long traveling distances, it can make more sense to use food bank resources to support agencies on or near the reservations to help serve people living there, rather than food banks delivering food themselves. She added the four-state area is almost 400,000 square miles.

"That was something that really struck home to me is the rural nature of these reservations," Carlson observed. "They are a long way away from any services. They do not have public transportation. So for them to go a hundred miles to go to the Walmart is really, really difficult."

The Montana Food Bank Network is supporting the Blackfeet Nation and the nonprofit Food Access and Sustainability Team-Blackfeet, in their mission to reclaim and build food sovereignty, including around traditional foods such as bison.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
According to Wisconsin's Judicial Code of Conduct, judges are not required to recuse themselves based on an endorsement or campaign contributions. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Early voting for the Wisconsin Supreme Court race starts next week and, although the seat is technically nonpartisan, both candidates have clear …


Environment

play sound

As the warming climate continues to reshape the environment, its impact on people's health is becoming increasingly evident in Florida. Doctors and …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Maryland is facing a $3 billion budget deficit, and planned cuts in 2026 would include millions in disability assistance. But one advocate says those …


A rally for property tax cuts is set for Monday at the Indiana Statehouse. Organizers have encouraged attendees to wear green to signal their opposition to high property taxes. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Indiana lawmakers introduced a third property tax plan this week, aiming to protect local governments from funding cuts while offering minimal relief …

Social Issues

play sound

Nearly half of Americans age 50 and older are using credit cards to pay for basic living expenses, according to a new AARP survey, and a Minnesota …

Expanded oil and gas subsidies, included in current versions of upcoming federal tax legislation, would support a massive expansion of LNG projects to more than double national export capacity by 2030. (Jeeraphun/Adobe Stock)

play sound

Forty religious leaders from different denominations gathered in Texas this week to call for an end to fossil-fuel subsidies and expansion of related …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Researchers at the University of Michigan have found that Black students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Predominantly Blac…

Environment

play sound

The Sierra Club's Utah chapter said electric utility PacifiCorp's long-term plan to embrace renewable energy has changed and is now placing more relia…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021