Critics say Collins' vote against Coney Barrett is 'too little, too late'

Sen. Susan Collins broke ranks with her party on Monday night to vote against the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court — a decision that Collins’ critics and opponents say was both ineffectual and calculated, as the vote falls amid a tense political battle for re-election.

The 52-48 vote in favor of Barrett’s confirmation gives conservatives six of the court’s nine seats, locking in a conservative majority for years to come. Democrats and activists argue legal abortion and protections for millions of Americans under the Affordable Care Act, among other rights, are in peril.

In a statement submitted to the congressional record Sunday, Collins emphasized that her vote against Coney Barrett was based on precedent rather than the judge’s qualifications.

“Prior to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, I stated that, should a vacancy on the Supreme Court arise, the Senate should follow the precedent set four years ago and not vote on a nominee prior to the presidential election,” Collins said. “Since her passing, I have reiterated that in fairness to the American people — who will either be re-electing the President or selecting a new one — the decision on the nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy should be made by whoever is elected on November 3rd.”

Read more: https://mainebeacon.com/critics-say-collins-vote-against-coney-barrett-is-too-little-too-late/

Maine small business owners endorse Gideon for Senate

Members of the Maine Small Business Coalition (MSBC), a group that represents 4,000 small businesses across Maine, endorsed Democrat Sara Gideon for U.S. Senate at a virtual forum on Tuesday.

The small business owners said that Gideon earned their support over Sen. Susan Collins because of the incumbent’s insufficient record on addressing climate change, her votes imperiling health care through the Affordable Care Act, and her role is passing tax cuts that tilted the playing field in favor of large corporations over small businesses.

Eleanor Kinney, a farmer and owner of River House, a farm-to-table restaurant on the Damariscotta River, said Collins has not taken action on keeping fossil fuels in the ground.

“We are very, very focused on sustainability,” Kinney said. “I want a champion in the Senate who shares those values. And I do not feel that about Susan Collins, I do not feel that she has been a consistent advocate for combating climate change. She does say that she believes climate change is real and that she supports job creation and renewable energy. But those are the easy positions.”

Read more: https://mainebeacon.com/maine-small-business-owners-endorse-gideon-for-senate/

Both newspapers in Utah's capital plan to cease daily publication

SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City will go from two daily printed newspapers to none after both of its major publications cut print days to once a week in unusual moves for a large city that could portend more struggles for the country's newspaper industry.

The 170-year-old Deseret News in the state capital said Tuesday it will stop publishing daily starting next year, a disclosure that came a day after the Salt Lake Tribune made a similar announcement.

It's an unusually deep cutback in print days, even in an era of steeply declining revenue, media analyst Ken Doctor said.

"To go from seven to one just like that and to have it done by both papers in the same city shows us how deep the reckoning is for the American newspaper industry going into 2021," said Doctor, who writes the Newsonomics blog.

Read more: https://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/national/story/2020/oct/28/both-newspapers-utahs-capital-plan-cease-daily-publication/847024/

Japan PM says plan to release Fukushima water coming soon

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday that his government is working on the final details of a plan to release massive amounts of radioactive water being stored at the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, a decision that has been delayed by protests.

More than nine years after the disaster, the government still hasn't made clear what it will do with the water at the plant, though a release into the ocean has been largely speculated on in recent years.

“We cannot put off our decision forever without making a plan," Suga told a parliamentary session Wednesday, saying the plant is running out of storage space. “Based on discussions and expertise we've had, we will further deepen our discussion and responsibly make a decision at an appropriate time.”

A government panel in February issued a report recommending releasing the water into the ocean as the most realistic plan. The government and the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., or TEPCO, say all radioactive materials but tritium can be safely removed, and that tritium is largely harmless.

Read more: https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Japan-PM-says-plan-to-release-Fukushima-water-15680698.php

Person brandishing two weapons arrested at Noem's campaign stop for Trump

Source: Rapid City Journal

While on the campaign trail for President Donald Trump in Maine on Wednesday morning, Gov. Kristi Noem's security detail "responded" to a person brandishing two weapons who was arrested, policy director Maggie Seidel said.

Seidel confirmed the incident with the Journal and said Noem and her detail — two South Dakota Highway Patrol troopers — were not injured.

"At no time was she personally in harm's way," Seidel said. President Trump was not at the event.

"Two South Dakota Highway Patrol troopers, who were serving as the Governor's security detail Wednesday in Maine, encountered a person brandishing a weapon in an area where the Governor and others were located," Tony Mangan, spokesman for the Highway Patrol, said in a statement. Mangan said he was told about the incident Wednesday morning.

Read more: https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/person-brandishing-two-weapons-arrested-at-noems-campaign-stop-for-trump/article_2348bc20-6cb0-5553-8fc6-86babdab4cec.html

COVID Update for Oct. 28: South Dakota New Cases Hit Another Record

South Dakota saw a record 1,270 new COVID-19 infections in Wednesday’s update from the Department of Health (DOH). Nine new deaths were also reported.

Also, during a media briefing Wednesday, South Dakota Secretary of Health Kim Malsam-Rysdon said the federal government has notified states to expect a shipment of COVID vaccine by mid-November. She said the vaccine will initially be available to emergency personnel.

Malsam-Rysdon did not know which manufacturer would be providing the vaccine or if mid-November was a confirmed time frame.

“The federal government has asked states to be ready by Nov. 15. We will be ready,” she said. “If the vaccine shows up on our doorstep on that day, it will be getting out to folks immediately. That’s the direction and we are well prepared for that. If it comes at the end of November, we will still be prepared.”

Read more: https://www.yankton.net/community/article_a6d621c2-1948-11eb-a67d-e365d2652c5a.html
(Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan)

Noem, Trumpism Lead to Dakotas' Massive Coronavirus Outbreak

Everyone in South Dakota needs to read Vox reporter German Lopez’s explanation of why coronavirus is almost five times as bad in the Dakotas right now as it is in the rest of the United States.



Yes, you can blame Kristi Noem:

Senate hopeful Dan Ahlers has faced long odds before and won. He could be part of the Democratic

Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library organizers raise $100M, can tap into $50M in state money

Organizers of the planned Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library say they've raised $100 million for the project, unlocking $50 million in state money.

Top donors include Gov. Doug Burgum, a Walmart heir and a raft of North Dakota business executives.

The library's foundation on Tuesday announced "$100 million in commitments" for the project. Burgum championed the library to the 2019 Legislature, which approved a $50 million operations endowment that's accessible only after $100 million is raised privately for construction, planned for near Medora. The Old West tourist town sits at the gates of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the Badlands.

The announcement came during a virtual event on the anniversary of the 26th president's 1858 birth. Roosevelt ranched and hunted as a young man in the Medora-area Badlands in the 1880s before moving on to the White House.

Read more: https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/theodore-roosevelt-presidential-library-organizers-raise-100m-can-tap-into-50m-in-state-money/article_c5498a0f-646c-5ed8-9f44-62bbed26f67a.html

Bismarck adopts one-month mask mandate: 'We are going to be just fine'

BISMARCK — The city of Bismarck will have a mask mandate starting Nov 1. until Dec. 8 in an effort "to do something" to curb the spread of COVID-19 in North Dakota's capital city.

The Bismarck City Commission voted 3-2 for an amended mask mandate that will last one month and have no penalties for noncompliance. The commission said it would consider extending the mandate at its Dec. 8 meeting.

The amendments came after more than two hours of discussion in which the majority of commissioners expressed dismay at a proposed penalty for businesses who did not comply with the mask mandate. The commissioners also wanted an exception to the mandate for religious activities.

The goal is to get the positivity rate for Burleigh County, which encompasses Bismarck, down to at least 8% from its current 12.7%.

Read more: https://www.inforum.com/newsmd/coronavirus/6736158-Bismarck-adopts-one-month-mask-mandate-We-are-going-to-be-just-fine