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PNS - Monday, May 19, 2025 - Former President Joe Biden is diagnosed with 'aggressive' prostate cancer. FBI says the explosion at a Palm Springs fertility clinic was terrorism, and Western hunters and anglers oppose sale of federally managed public lands.
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PNS - Monday, May 19, 2025 - Joe Biden diagnosed with 'aggressive' prostate cancer; Tornado strikes Kentucky, leaving at least 18 dead; Proposed proof-of-citizenship bill could impact all registered voters in Texas; Challenges arise in efforts to track, stop spread of avian flu.
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PNS - Friday, May 16, 2025 - Millions under threat of strong tornadoes and violent winds as storm danger increases Friday; Expanded Clean Slate laws in NC, US could improve public safety; TX farmers and ranchers benefit from federal conservation funds; Head Start supports WA parents, celebrates 60 years.
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By Kathleen Shannon - Producer, Contact - News
Big Sky Connection - Polls show rural Montanans want wealthy individuals and corporations to pay "a fair amount" of taxes relative to their income, but the state’s residential property owners continue to largely foot the bill for state services. Comments by Michael Chameides [sha-MEE-duss], communications and policy director, Rural Democracy Initiative; and Trent Bolger [BULL-jer], executive director, Big Sky 55+.
Click on the image above for the audio. Montanans paid $213 million more in residential property taxes in 2023 than 2022, a median increase of 21% per property. (Adobe Stock)
Kathleen Shannon
As the Trump administration restructures the nation's economy, rural leaders said they fear things are moving in the wrong direction for their communities.
More than three-quarters of rural Americans want corporations and wealthy individuals to pay what they describe as a "fair share of taxes" to invest in resources for working people, according to a 2024 poll by the Rural Democracy Initiative.
Michael Chameides, communications and policy director for the initiative, said the feds' approach of funding tax cuts by slashing programs small communities rely on is "dangerous."
"They're talking about cutting health care, cutting education," Chameides outlined. "They're breaking contracts that they already have with small farmers. They're talking about giving away public land, which is often a key part of our rural communities."
Chameides described rural America as hardworking and creative but argued state and federal governments need to help provide the resources for communities to succeed.
At this month's Rural Policy Action Summit in Des Moines, Iowa, a hot topic was Montana's utility giant NorthWestern Energy, which serves about two-thirds of residents. Chameides pointed out the company has repeatedly hiked rates in recent years, partly to fund its investments in methane-fired and coal-fired power plants.
"In Montana, we're seeing increasingly monopolies and giant corporations extracting more wealth from our communities and charging us more for energy," Chameides contended. "We know that working families and small businesses need to have more affordable energy."
State lawmakers just inched a property tax package over the finish line, which trims taxes for homeowners by raising them on second homes and short-term rentals. Critics argued corporations still pay a relatively small piece of the tax pie.
Trent Bolger, executive director of the group Big Sky 55+, which advocates for older Montanans, cautioned people to "be aware of the downstream effects" of giving tax cuts to big corporations.
"It's really hard to get that tax back onto the corporations," Bolger emphasized. "You're fighting at a corporate lobbyist level, which just is not an easy task."
NorthWestern Energy is Montana's single largest taxpayer, but paid 20% less in taxes in 2023 than in 2022, a difference of $36 million.
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