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MISSOULA
4. Skunk Infected with Rabies Reported
The Montana Department of Live- stock reported the first case of non-bat rabies in Missoula County in nearly 20 years after an infected skunk bit a resident.
The rabies-infected animal was a skunk captured in the Harpers Bridge Road area of Missoula County on Sept. 10. A day earlier, a resident in the area was bitten by a skunk but the skunk was not captured. The next day, a neighbor cap- tured a skunk after the animal had an encounter with his dogs and submitted it for testing.
Missoula County public health offi- cials indicate that the bite victim has begun the rabies post-exposure treat- ment and notification has been given to area residents.
MDOL has placed Missoula County under a rabies quarantine following the diagnosis. Under Administrative Rule of Montana, counties are quarantined for 60 days following the diagnosis of rabies in a terrestrial animal. Dogs, cats, and ferrets must be current on rabies vacci- nation for a minimum of 28 days prior to travel outside of the county while the county is under quarantine. County health regulations require that all dogs, cats and ferrets three months of age or older be vaccinated against rabies and revaccinated at appropriate times.
HELENA
5. Chicken Pox Vaccinations Required in Public Schools Oct. 1
Montana public school students who have not received a chicken pox vaccina- tion by Oct. 1 will not be allowed to attend school unless they receive an exemption.
A new law that takes effect in two weeks also requires the whooping cough vaccination for pre-kindergarten through high school students.
Children over age 6 were previously exempt from pertussis immunization. Students in grades 7-12 will now need a booster shot called Tdap.
K-12 students who have not received a second chicken pox shot by Oct. 1 must fill out a conditional attendance form.
Medical and religious exemptions must be submitted in writing to the school. Students who already have had chicken pox are also exempt.
Montana this year became the last state in the nation to require the chicken pox vaccination.
HELENA
6. Commissioner: ‘Flirting’ with Candidacy Allowed Under Law
A person considering a run for office does not have to file with the commis- sioner of political practices unless he or she has solicited or received contribu- tions or spent money on a campaign.
Commissioner Jonathan Motl ruled last week that Montana law allows room for a person to “flirt” with being a candi- date before actually declaring his or her candidacy.
Motl rejected a complaint filed by a Butte resident against entrepreneur Greg Gianforte.
Richard LeBreche accused Gianforte of acting like a candidate before the Boz- eman Republican’s August filing for an exploratory run for governor in 2016.
The complaint says Gianforte spent money on a website, an employee and went on a statewide speaking tour.
Motl agreed with Gianforte’s argu- ments that the money he spent was as an individual and not as a candidate.
WHITEHALL
7. Gold Mine to Lay Off Most Employees Due to Market
More than three-fourths of the employees at the Golden Sunlight Mine near Whitehall will be out of a job at the end of November as the mine is scaling back production.
The Montana Standard reports that general manager Daniel Banghart announced last week that about 140 employees who work primarily in the open pit operations, maintenance and processing area will be offered sever- ance packages. About 34 employees will remain to support the facility’s process- ing and contract underground mining operations.
Banghart says the decision is due to the weak gold market, which has dipped significantly in the past four years. He also cited geotechnical concerns in the Mineral Hall Pit limiting safe access to open pit mining and a lack of adequate mill feed as a result of limited surface mining.
BILLINGS
8. New Pipeline Safety Rule Pending After Increase in Accidents
A long-delayed rule to strengthen safety requirements for pipelines that move oil and other hazardous liquids will be unveiled this month following a recent surge in accidents, the U.S. gov- ernment’s pipeline safety administrator said last week.
More than five years in the making, the rule will determine if extra safety measures that are required in environ- mentally sensitive and populated areas should be expanded to new locations.
It was cleared by the White House this week, and the proposal will be released publicly in the next seven to 10 days, said Marie Therese Dominguez, head of the Department of Transportation’s Pipe- line and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
A boom in U.S. energy production in recent years has led to rising numbers of pipeline accidents.
There were 445 pipeline accidents spilling a combined 1.9 million gal- lons of hazardous liquids in 2014. That marks roughly a 30 percent increase in accidents annually prior to 2008, when domestic crude production started to ramp up, largely to expanded produc- tion of shale oil in the Northern Plains and Texas.
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SEPTEMBER 23, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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