Archives for April 2021

Native American lawmakers seek federal help on Montana bison

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Native American lawmakers in Montana on Tuesday called on the Biden administration to help craft a plan to reintroduce wild bison to the landscape in and around Glacier National Park and the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge.

The request was made by eight members of the Legislature’s American Indian Caucus in a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. It comes after Gov. Greg Gianforte and his fellow Republicans in the Legislature have sought to make it harder to reintroduce bison to areas of the state that the burly animals once roamed.

American bison, also called buffalo, carry cultural significance for Plains Indians and were depended on by many tribes for food, clothing and other necessities until the huge herds that once populated the U.S. West were wiped out in the late 1800s.

State Rep. Tyson Running Wolf said the American Indian Caucus members decided the administration of President Joe Biden would be more willing to help bring back bison than Gianforte, who last week cited the need to protect the agriculture industry when he canceled a bison reintroduction plan adopted by his predecessor.

“It feels like during this legislative session, Native concerns and even buffalo as part of Native culture have just been invisible,” said Running Wolf, a Democrat from Browning and member of the Blackfeet tribe. “Americans tribes in Montana have a deep-rooted connection with the buffalo, from commerce to religion to cultural values.”

But ranchers in Montana have long opposed efforts to restore the large animals to the landscape, fearing they could compete with livestock for public grazing space and spread the disease brucellosis. That’s an infectious disease carried by Yellowstone National Park bison that can cause animals to prematurely abort their young.

Haaland’s office did not have an immediate response to Tuesday’s letter. Last year her predecessor, David Bernhardt, announced a 10-year initiative to advance bison restoration efforts that had languished.

As many as 30 million to 60 million bison once inhabited most of North America, according to federal wildlife officials. Mass slaughters drove them to near extinction, and today there are roughly 11,000 wild bison on public lands in 12 states.

Federal officials have talked about restoring bison to more areas of the U.S. West for decades. But they have been brought back only to isolated areas such as the grasslands of the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where 100 bison from nearby national parks were released last year with plans to increase the herd size eventually to 1,500 animals.

The Blackfeet tribe along the Montana-Canada border has its own herd and wants to expand the animals’ range into Canada and onto adjacent federal lands, including Glacier National Park and the adjacent Rocky Mountain Front.

A conservation group, the American Prairie Reserve, has a large herd in central Montana near the 1.1 million-acre (445,150-hectare) Charles M. Russell refuge. But it’s faced strong pushback from the local agricultural community over ambitions to establish a larger area for bison to roam.

Gianforte’s decision to cancel the state bison management plan was announced as part of a settlement of a lawsuit with a property rights group. The group raised worries that state officials under Bullock had schemed to establish a free-roaming herd within the refuge along the Missouri River.

“How could you possibly keep those animals from wandering onto neighboring property? I don’t imagine you would plan to fence the entire” refuge, said Chuck Denowh, policy director for the group, United Property Owners of Montana.

Bison have been successfully restored to some Native American reservations, and that’s where they should largely remain, he added.

“They manage them well, and they don’t pose a significant threat to neighboring landowners,” Denowh said. “The tribes are ultimately responsible for those animals. That’s working in Montana, and we don’t see that we should deviate from that.”

Yellowstone National Park is home to one of the largest remnant populations of the animals, and park administrators have been trying for years to expand a program to send portions of those bison herds to tribes or public lands. Most bison that leave the park during their winter migration to feeding grounds outside the park are shot by hunters or shipped to slaughter because of worries about brucellosis.

Hundreds of thousands of domestic bison that have been interbred with cattle are raised on private ranches in the U.S. and Canada for their meat.

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Follow Matthew Brown on Twitter: @MatthewBrownAP

Q&A: Michael B. Jordan on protest, power & ‘Without Remorse’

NEW YORK (AP) — Michael B. Jordan’s power on screen has taken many forms. His heavyweight force in “Creed.” His capacity to inspire change as Bryan Stevenson in “Just Mercy.” His raw fury in “Black Panther.”

But Jordan’s potency reaches new, muscular heights in “Without Remorse” a Tom Clancy adaptation that recasts Jordan as a globe-trotting action star. The film (which debuts Friday on Amazon Prime Video) is an updated origin story of Navy SEAL John Clark, Clancy’s best-known character outside of Jack Ryan. Jordan is hoping it spawns a franchise.

The project has been around Hollywood for decades; Keanu Reeves and Tom Hardy are among those who have previously flirted with it. But Jordan saw the possibility to not only do a big-budget action thriller and perform a lot of his own stunts, but to retailor the film to today. He’s a producer on the film via his company, Outlier Society Productions, a leading force in making Hollywood more inclusive.

Jordan spent much of the past year quarantined with his family and friends, a time he says has that has been reflective.

“The last few years I’ve been blessed to have a kind of non-stop career,” says Jordan, speaking by phone from Los Angeles. “I kind of had a moment to look at myself and family, spend time with my nephew — things that I probably wouldn’t have had as much time to do if I was running from one production to another.”

But after the pandemic put a slight pause on one of the movies’ biggest stars, Jordan is eager to embark on a new chapter. He recently filmed Denzel Washington’s “A Journal for Jordan.” He’s prepping his directorial debut with “Creed III.”

The 34-year-old spoke with The Associated Press the day after the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial. Remarks have been edited for brevity and clarity.

AP: Last summer at protests following the death of George Floyd, you challenged Hollywood to commit to Black hiring. Have you seen any progress?

Jordan: From the projects that I’ve been involved with, I’ve seen a response to that. I’m not in the weeds with every production across Hollywood but I think there was a significant or meaningful response from the industry on certain levels to be held accountable. But there’s a lot of work to be done. We’re not content with things we have or things that we see at the moment.

AP: Has anything about the past year changed your priorities?

Jordan: I went through a rollercoaster of emotions. The pandemic, the protests, this steady increase of police brutality and murders — it’s been tough, man. You have a moment where things went our way yesterday and then hours later, you have another one. This past year has seen so much of that. Recharging my batteries was something that I didn’t know I needed as much as I did. After taking that break, I feel more energized and prepared for the work to come — and that’s in all areas. When it comes to being present for my community, my culture, for my business; in front of the camera, behind the camera; in the streets, in my home. It’s given me an opportunity to be a better version of myself moving forward. I’m motivated. I’m recharged. I’m ready for all tasks at hand.

AP: In “Fruitvale Station,” playing Oscar Grant, you acted out a version of a scene that keeps replaying.

Jordan: When you’re Black and brown, it’s something that can become a reality any day. Yeah, I had an opportunity to shine a light on a story, on a young man who had his life taken away from him by the hands of law enforcement. When we shot that movie, I guess it wasn’t being seen as much as it is right now. The volume of what’s been reported has increased, it’s more a part of the popular conversation. But it’s a lot. I think solidarity amongst our community and culture is at the highest point that I’ve experienced. It’s driving us closer together. And people unified is a powerful thing.

AP: Do you ever find it difficult to balance any responsibility you feel and your own interests? Do you sometimes just want to make a movie without worrying about larger issues?

Jordan: I just made one! “Without Remorse” and “Journal for Jordan.” I like all types of movies. From action thrillers to movies with a purpose. I got “Creed” coming up. I’ve been blessed to have a healthy balance. It allows me to have that comfortable balance between entertainment and activism. That’s life, right? Trying to find a balance. You have moments in your life where you’ve got to do things for yourself, you’ve got to do things that feed your soul. And you’ve got to do things that feed your community, so you know the person looking at you in the morning in the mirror. If you can find a way to balance all those things and be successful and leave an impact — and leave the world a better place. I think making people think is the power of cinema.

AP: “Without Remorse” had been in development hell for years. What drew you to it?

Jordan: I’m a gamer. I love playing videogames. I grew up playing (Tom Clancy adaptations) “Rainbow Six” and “Ghost Recon” before I even got introduced to the films. Man, I got an opportunity to play a character I used to envision myself playing, that I spent hours upon hours (laughs) in my room playing. Being able to step into the Tom Clancy universe and do an action movie where I do my own stunts. I was a kid in the candy store.

AP: You’ve talked about injecting yourself into a role like a Trojan horse. Was there anything especially that you wanted to bring to “Without Remorse”?

Jordan: It was a great collaboration between the studio, the producers, the director to create an origin story. It was cool to see a character that just is. There’s no extra “This character is Black because of this and that.” It’s a movie about a guy, know what I mean?

AP: Like another upcoming film of yours, a new “Thomas Crown Affair,” your character wasn’t originally written as Black and had previously been played by white actors (Willem Dafoe and Liev Schreiber). Do you give any significance to that?

Jordan: There’s a business behind this, as well. A lot of people don’t understand the nuances of how movies get made — what (intellectual property) is at what studio, what IP is available, the value of a reboot versus doing something without that title. There’s a lot of different factors to consider when you remake a movie or you do a movie. People would be surprised that race is very low on the totem pole when it comes to making some of those decisions. A lot of people speculate on these movie choices but what I pay attention to is: I really like the movie. The character’s interesting. It’s entertaining and I’m going to have fun making it. And representation is important. Somebody like myself playing a character like that in a world like that is also very progressive and entertaining. It’s a nuanced decision to develop movies like that. Sometimes it’s not that simple. Other times, it’s not that complicated, either.

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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

Arizona governor signs abortion ban for genetic issues

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Tuesday signed a sweeping anti-abortion bill that bans the procedure if the woman is seeking it solely because a fetus has a genetic abnormality such as Down syndrome.

Doctors who perform an abortion solely because the child has a survivable genetic issue can face felony charges. The proposal also contains a raft of other provisions sought by abortion opponents.

The measure passed the Republican-controlled Legislature on party-line votes over unanimous opposition from minority Democrats. The Republican governor is an abortion opponent who has never vetoed a piece of anti-abortion legislation.

Senate Bill 1457 moved through the Legislature in fits and starts, stalling twice before moving again amid intense pressure by abortion opponents on GOP lawmakers who opposed some of its provisions. It finally passed both chambers last week.

The abortion bill as originally written made it a felony for a doctor to perform the procedure because the fetus has a genetic abnormality such as Down syndrome, and contained a slew of other provisions, including one that confers all civil rights to unborn children. Democrats call that “personhood” provision a backdoor way to allow criminal charges against a woman who has an abortion.

In addition to the ban on abortions for genetic abnormalities and the “personhood” provision, the bill bans mail delivery of abortion-inducing medication, allows the father or maternal grandparents of a fetus aborted because of a genetic issue to sue, and bans the spending of any state money toward organizations that provide abortion care.

The measure also requires fetal remains to be buried or cremated, and it forbids state universities from providing abortion care.

“There’s immeasurable value in every single life — regardless of genetic makeup,” Ducey said in a statement. “We will continue to prioritize protecting life in our preborn children, and this legislation goes a long way in protecting real human lives.”

The bill was amended twice to allay the concerns of a pair of Republicans — one worried that a woman would be forced to carry a fetus that could not survive and a second concerned that a doctors’ medical decisions could be overruled by a jury. That GOP-backed amendment also clarified that the “personhood” provision does not ban in-vitro fertilization.

The Democrats issued a lengthy written rebuttal to the bill after the final amendment.

The measure was a top priority for the social conservative group Center for Arizona Policy. Its president, Cathi Herrod, routinely backs anti-abortion bills in the Legislature. National anti-abortion groups hailed its passage.

Minutes after the governor acted, Herrod sent out a news release with the subject line “Life Wins!”

“Today, Arizonans win. Arizona children diagnosed with disabilities prior to birth will no longer be discriminated against,” Herrod wrote in the release. “Arizona women will be ensured commonsense safeguards if they choose the abortion pill. Arizona taxpayers will not be forced to support abortions at public colleges and universities, and the laws of Arizona will be interpreted to value all human life.”

Abortion rights groups had rallied at the Capitol on Monday, urging Ducey to veto the measure and presenting him with petitions signed by opponents of the bill.

Democrats lamented the governor’s action, including Rep. Diego Espinoza of Tolleson.

“Gov. Ducey’s decision to sign SB1457 is not pro-life. It is anti-families, anti-woman, and anti-doctor,” Espinoza tweeted. “I’m disappointed to see Arizona moving in this direction, ignoring the needs and desires of doctors, women, and families for an extreme political agenda.”

Republican-controlled legislatures in Arizona and several other states — emboldened by the possibility that a more conservative U.S. Supreme Court could overturn Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 decision that found women have a constitutional right to seek an abortion — have embraced proposals this year that could completely ban abortion. An Arizona proposal doing that, however, has not advanced.

Earlier this month, a divided federal appeals court lifted the hold on a similar Ohio law that prohibits doctors from performing abortions based on a fetal diagnosis of Down syndrome.

Judges of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals narrowly reversed two earlier decisions blocking enforcement of Ohio’s 2017 law. A majority of the appeals court said the law doesn’t impede a woman’s right to an abortion.

Monday’s amendment to the Arizona bill also added a legislative intent clause that included much of the reasoning the appeals court used in the Ohio decision.

Private Florida school won’t employ vaccinated teachers

MIAMI (AP) — A private school founded by an anti-vaccination activist in South Florida has warned teachers and staff against taking the COVID-19 vaccine, saying it will not employ anyone who has received the shot.

The Centner Academy in Miami sent a notice to parents on Monday informing them of a new policy for its two campuses for about 300 students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Teachers or staff who have already taken the vaccine were told to continue reporting to school but to stay separated from students.

Co-founder Leila Centner told employees in a letter last week that she made the policy decision with a “very heavy heart.” Centner asked those who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine to wait until the end of the school year, and even then recommended holding off.

Centner stood by the decision Tuesday in a statement sent to The Associated Press, which featured the biologically impossible claim that unvaccinated women have experienced miscarriages and other reproductive problems just by standing in proximity to vaccinated people.

“These vaccines are not live COVID virus,” Dr. Andrea L. Cox, professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told The Associated Press in a call. “They can’t infect the people who receive them and they can’t be spread.”

Cox also added that vaccines have not caused miscarriages in the people who got them during pregnancy.

The Florida Department of Education did not respond to a request for comment on the school’s stance on the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and leading women’s health authorities have declared the COVID-19 vaccines being used in the U.S. to be safe and effective, and they are undergoing unprecedented scrutiny for safety. Around the country, teachers were prioritized for early access to the vaccines to protect them from exposure to the coronavirus as schools reopened.

Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious disease specialist with Florida International University’s Wertheim College of Medicine, said there is no evidence that unvaccinated people face any risks from the vaccinations of others.

Centner and her husband David Centner started the school in 2019 after moving to Miami from New York. The school’s website promotes “medical freedom” from vaccines and offers to help parents opt out of vaccines that are otherwise required for students in Florida.

Earlier this month, Centner criticized measures by the CDC to curb the spread of the virus, and said her school went against the guidelines from the moment it reopened in September.

“We did not follow any of the tyrannic measures that were in place. I did not force our kids to wear a mask,” Centner said while attending a “Health and Freedom” rally for a Republican candidate that featured supporters of former President Donald Trump and critics of public health restrictions in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Millennial Money: Shopping small makes a big impact

I get it. It’s easy to shop on Amazon. Running low on toilet paper? Need lightbulbs? Want a bath caddy on a whim? With two clicks and even less thought, the item you need/want/desire is at your doorstep, often in 48 hours or less.

Shopping locally requires more thought. Supporting small businesses is an intentional act — one that the mom and pop shops in your neighborhood desperately need you to make.

Tens of thousands of small businesses closed over the past year, many of them permanently. Each closure leaves a void that goes deeper than an empty storefront. The community loses dollars, jobs and resources that now-shuttered business would have circulated back into the local economy.

SMALL BUSINESSES REINVEST

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, when you spend $100 at a small business, $48 stays in the community. Spend the same $100 at a big-box store or national retailer and only $14 stays.

Why? Because local businesses rely on other local businesses.

Kela Nabors is the founder and CEO of Organically Bath & Beauty, an organic vegan skincare line and shop in San Antonio . She uses a local firm for marketing and financial services whenever she can. The cards she puts in each gift set come from another local business: Belle & Union.

“We keep it local as much as possible,” says Nabors, who also partners with and supports a local food bank and frequents other small businesses for her personal shopping.

If her business went under, which it nearly did last year, the loss would ripple through the community. But Nabor’s customers came through, buying products and promoting her store.

“Some people were buying something every day to send to people they knew,” Nabors says. “It really helped create new relationships with people outside of our core (customer) base.”

TURNING THE LIGHTS ON

Local support is the only thing keeping the lights on for many businesses. In some cases, it’s turning the lights back on.

Some small businesses that had to close earlier in the pandemic have been able to reopen, in large part because of customer support, according to a January 2021 report from Facebook and the Small Business Roundtable , a coalition of organizations that advocate for businesses and entrepreneurs.

According to the report, 25% of small businesses were closed in December 2020, an improvement from 31% in April 2020. Among those that closed and later reopened, 31% say customer support is the reason they were able to do so . Businesses also cited social distancing measures (40%) and loosened restrictions (30%) as factors that allowed them to reopen.

Nabors had to close her storefront early in the pandemic when sales plummeted from around $15,000 per month to just $500 in March.

“I thought, ‘We can’t make rent like this.’ So we moved everything back into our home,” Nabors says.

Customers kept reaching out, asking Nabors to add products to her website and encouraging her to do more outreach on social media. Her online sales grew from around 10 per month to 50 to 100 per day. She reopened her storefront in May and is now looking to expand.

“We were able to actually thrive and grow during the pandemic,” she says.

LOCAL SHOPS HIRE LOCALLY

Businesses need to staff up as they reopen and gradually bring operations back to pre-pandemic levels. That hiring is going to happen locally, says Tom Sullivan, vice president of small-business policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“Small businesses have a unique advantage when it comes to hiring: a network of community that is different than Indeed or LinkedIn,” Sullivan says. “We’re going to see more of an emphasis on local hiring than we have ever seen before.”

Nabors is already looking to hire. Her business went from three employees pre-pandemic (two of whom have since relocated) to one employee and a handful of family members in the early months of the pandemic. Now, she has five employees, is shopping for warehouse space and plans to hire 22 new employees.

A RISING TIDE

There’s a saying: a rising tide lifts all boats. It means everyone benefits from a good economy. This happens on a micro level, too.

When a town or neighborhood has a healthy small-business district, property values rise and housing demand increases, says Matt Wagner, chief program officer at the National Main Street Center Inc., a nonprofit organization that works to revitalize historic commercial districts.

Other small-business owners notice, too.

“You get a bandwagon effect, with more entrepreneurs wanting to enter the market,” Wagner says. “A lot of it has to do with having small businesses there, whether it’s a brewery, coffee shop or grocery store. It becomes a neighborhood.”

Small-business districts become a point of pride, a place to show off to friends and family when they visit.

“It’s become an amenity in some ways. It’s like having a robust school system or parks and trails system,” Wagner says. “People may have taken it for granted before, but we see now that it could be gone and that does a lot to your personal quality of life.”

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This column was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Kelsey Sheehy is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: ksheehy@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @kelseylsheehy.

Archives for April 2021

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