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Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate considers Michael Boren to lead Forest Service, despite clashing with agency
President Donald Trump's nominee to oversee the U.S. Forest Service has a history of clashing with the very agency that he soon could be leading. On Tuesday afternoon, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry began the confirmation hearing for Michael Boren, an investment consultant, Idaho ranch owner and founder of a billion-dollar tech company. A bipartisan committee will assess Boren's qualifications and vote on his nomination. Boren, 62, has had disagreements with the U.S. Forest Service in recent years. One recent conflict involves building a cabin and clearing land within the Sawtooth National Forest near Stanley, Idaho, E&E News reported, citing agency correspondence and individuals familiar with the situation. He co-founded Boise-based tech company Clearwater Analytics and owns a 480-acre ranch, some of it within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, according to the Idaho Mountain Express. The work on the property began before Boren was nominated, but the matter has not yet been resolved, according to the publication. The dispute over the cabin is with Galena Mines, an LLC associated with Boren. He was a listed as manager until February of this year, before he was removed. MORE: Trump nominates 'Sharpiegate' scientist to lead NOAA Other disputes include diverting a stream, disputes over how Boren manages land within and around the national forest and disagreements about the precise locations of mining claims made by Boren's corporation, according to E&E News. A small airstrip on Boren's ranch also stirred uproar among neighbors who claim he was using it to land small planes before he was granted a conditional-use permit from the Forest Service, according to the report. Attorney Thomas Balducci, who represented Boren for the 2023 lawsuit regarding the airstrip, declined to provide a comment to ABC News. Boren's brother, David Boren, has also clashed with the Forest Service over a trail the agency built near his ranch. If confirmed as the undersecretary of Natural Resources and Environment, Boren would be responsible for day-to-day operations at the U.S. Forest Service, which manages more than 200 million acres of public land. Boren would report to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. MORE: How national parks and forests could suffer as a result of federal firings The Senate Agriculture Committee reviews presidential appointments to the Department of Agriculture's cabinet positions. After Tuesday's hearing, a full Senate confirmation will be required to complete Boren's appointment. Current members of the committee include John Boozman (R-AR), Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). Boren was a donor to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. MORE: Lee Zeldin emphasizes accountability in EPA confirmation hearing, says he'll 'look into' IRA funds On Jan. 16, Trump announced Boren's nomination on his social media platform Truth Social, describing him as "a successful businessman, who has founded six companies." "Michael will work to reinvigorate Forest Management at a time when it is desperately needed," Trump wrote. The nomination comes at a time of turmoil within the agency. On April 3, Rollins issued an ordered to remove environmental protections from about 112 million acres of national forests, and thousands of Forest Service employees have been fired in recent months. The Forest Service did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment. In a statement to the New York Times, the Forest Service wrote that Boren would "implement President Trump's America First agenda and ensure our forest system is properly managed, productive, and resilient. We look forward to his swift confirmation by the Senate." ABC News could not immediately reach a representative for Boren for comment.
a day ago
- Business
Senate considers Michael Boren to lead Forest Service, despite clashing with agency
President Donald Trump's nominee to oversee the U.S. Forest Service has a history of clashing with the very agency that he soon could be leading. On Tuesday afternoon, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry began the confirmation hearing for Michael Boren, an investment consultant, Idaho ranch owner and founder of a billion-dollar tech company. A bipartisan committee will assess Boren's qualifications and vote on his nomination. Boren, 62, has brawled with the U.S. Forest Service in recent years. One recent conflict involves building a cabin and clearing land within the Sawtooth National Forest near Stanley, Idaho, E&E News reported, citing agency correspondence and individuals familiar with the situation. He co-founded Boise-based tech company Clearwater Analytics and owns a 480-acre ranch, some of it within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, according to the Idaho Mountain Express. The work on the property began before Boren was nominated, but the matter has not yet been resolved, according to the publication. Other disputes include diverting a stream, disputes over how Boren manages land within and around the national forest and disagreements about the precise locations of mining claims made by Boren's corporation, according to E&E News. A small airstrip on Boren's ranch also stirred uproar among neighbors who claim he was using it to land small planes before he was granted a conditional-use permit from the Forest Service, according to the report. Attorney Thomas Balducci, who represented Boren for the 2023 lawsuit regarding the airstrip, declined to provide a comment to ABC News. Boren's brother, David Boren, has also clashed with the Forest Service over a trail the agency built near his ranch. If confirmed as the undersecretary of Natural Resources and Environment, Boren would be responsible for day-to-day operations at the U.S. Forest Service, which manages more than 200 million acres of public land. Boren would report to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. The Senate Agriculture Committee reviews presidential appointments to the Department of Agriculture's cabinet positions. After Tuesday's hearing, a full Senate confirmation will be required to complete Boren's appointment. Current members of the committee include John Boozman (R-AR), Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). Boren was a donor to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. On Jan. 16, Trump announced Boren's nomination on his social media platform Truth Social, describing him as "a successful businessman, who has founded six companies." "Michael will work to reinvigorate Forest Management at a time when it is desperately needed," Trump wrote. The nomination comes at a time of turmoil within the agency. On April 3, Rollins issued an ordered to remove environmental protections from about 112 million acres of national forests, and thousands of Forest Service employees have been fired in recent months. The Forest Service did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment. In a statement to the New York Times, the Forest Service wrote that Boren would "implement President Trump's America First agenda and ensure our forest system is properly managed, productive, and resilient. We look forward to his swift confirmation by the Senate."
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump admin hits bullseye with first US mine for key mineral used in military ammo, night-vision, Big Tech
EXCLUSIVE: The Trump administration has helped launch the first-ever U.S. mine for a critical mineral largely dominated by China, which controls about half of global production, Fox News Digital has learned. The Idaho operation will extract and smelt antimony – a metalloid that is key to the U.S. defense and technology sectors – and reduce reliance on malign actors like the CCP – from which about half the world's stock is currently produced. Antimony has a myriad of national security uses – including in military tools like night-vision goggles, explosives, flame-retardants, tracers, lasers, nuclear weapons production, military clothing and ammunition. It also plays a role in the bloodless AI arms race, as a component in semiconductors and infrared technology, as well as its use increasing the hardness of alloys like lead and copper. Chinese Solar Tech Poses Chilling Threat To Us Electric Grid, Lawmakers Warn While not technically considered a rare earth element because of its placement on the periodic table, antimony is considered critical and less common than other elements. Read On The Fox News App Interior Secretary Doug Burgum played a leading role in the groundbreaking effort to boost U.S. energy dominance and self-reliance in terms of critical minerals and natural resources. The antimony stibnite mine will be used to mine for gold as well, Fox News Digital has learned. The mine's opening is another example of a critical global supply chain shifting stateside, as Burgum and other officials aim to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign suppliers for national security and economic stability. The National Energy Dominance Council, an executive branch advisory group founded in February by executive order and led by Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, was a key player in the opening of the mine. Burgum issued the mine's 404 permit – which governs dredging and discharge into American waters -- on Thursday to Boise-based Perpetua Resources. Trump Energy Chief Recounts Evolution Of Us Environs Over 56 Earth Days: A Handily-energized Society Works Perpetua President Jon Cherry called the achievement the culmination of eight years of study, refinement and "lots of hard work." "We are immensely proud to achieve this milestone. It's time to move forward and take the Stibnite Gold Project into a new and exciting phase of development," Cherry said in a statement. "We believe this [Trump] administration's commitment to boosting efficiency without compromising rigorous environmental standards can have a transformational impact on American mining," he added. The project will also create 550 jobs and, on the gold front, is primed to produce more than 400,000 ounces of the precious metal annually over the next four years. The antimony stores therein are estimated at 148 million pounds and are the only identified such reserve in the U.S. – and the largest outside China. It is expected to cut foreign reliance on that critical mineral by article source: Trump admin hits bullseye with first US mine for key mineral used in military ammo, night-vision, Big Tech
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Yahoo
A Boise teacher faced child porn allegations. Parents filed a $50M tort claim
Parents of a Valley View Elementary School student have filed a $50 million tort claim against the Boise School District after a special education paraprofessional was accused of producing pornography of their child. The elementary school employee, Gavin Snow, committed suicide in January after Boise Police Department officers attempted to arrest him on suspicion of child sexual abuse and exploitation crimes. He was 22. Police began investigating Snow after the Boise School District contacted them over allegations that he was producing child porn, according to a news release from law enforcement. Officers spoke to Snow on Jan. 7 and seized his electronic devices. Once they received a search warrant, officers said they found evidence of child exploitation and the production of child sexual abuse materials. Snow was placed on administrative leave the next day. Officers then on Jan. 10 attempted to arrest Snow at his home off of Mountain View Drive in Boise, according to a police report obtained by the Idaho Statesman through a public records request. He attempted to flee through his backyard, and when an officer asked him to stop, he cut his own throat with a large kitchen knife, police said. The parents are being represented by Boise-based attorney Jeffrey McKinnie, who filed the claim in mid-April. Tort claims are precursors to lawsuits filed against government agencies, but they don't always mean someone will sue. The claim was first reported by Idaho Education News. The school district provided the Statesman with a copy of the claim upon request Friday evening, but it declined to comment and directed the Statesman to prior statements. 'This claim involved negligent, reckless, willful, deliberate, intentional, deliberately indifferent, wanton, and grossly negligent conduct committed by agents and employees of Valley View Elementary School and the Boise School District,' McKinnie wrote in the four-page legal document. Snow 'was involved in multiple instances of inappropriate behavior with more than one student in the bathroom and sensory room at Valley View,' according to the Boise School District, which has since implemented changes for special-education staff, the result of an outside investigation. The parents accused Valley View, along with the school district, of failing to have the proper policies and procedures in effect to protect its special needs students, 'including those most vulnerable.' 'There were gaps in policies and procedures as to special education students, including, without limitation, allowance of cell phones in bathroom facilities, lack of appropriate toileting procedures including as to the lack of a two-adult staff member supervision, requirement, a lack of training on possible indicators of child abuse as to special needs students, and a lack of line-of-sight into certain rooms,' according to the complaint. Administrators from the Boise School District and Valley View met with parents and guardians in early April to go over the findings of an investigation conducted by Holinka Law P.C. Reporters were barred from attending, but the district sent out a summary of the investigation the next day. Many of the changes implemented at Valley View address issues raised by the tort claim. Staff members are prohibited from bringing cellphones into the bathrooms while toileting or diapering students, the Statesman previously reported. They also aren't allowed to be left alone with students in the sensory room or during bathroom procedures. 'We deeply regret what happened to the children at Valley View Elementary and the damage done to the trust our public places in us every day,' the district wrote in a news release last month. 'We recognize that no words can undo the trauma experienced by students and families, but we hope that our actions — both in the immediate aftermath and through long-term reforms — demonstrate how seriously we take this violation to our students.'
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
URM Stores names new CEO, Roger F. White
You can find original article here Supermarketnews. Subscribe to our free daily Supermarketnews newsletter. URM Stores has named Roger F. White as its next CEO and President after a months-long hunt for a new leader following longtime CEO and President Ray Sprinkle's retirement announcement last year. White will also preside over URM's wholly owned subsidiaries, Rosauers Supermarkets and Peirone Produce, the food co-op announced Tuesday. White, a seasoned industry leader with over 30 years of experience, first began his grocery career at Boise-based Albertsons before joining Associated Food Stores, where he led teams across advertising, marketing, merchandising, category management, private label, retail support, procurement, warehousing, and transportation. White will succeed Sprinkle effective June 1, . 'After the years I have had guiding this incredible organization, I couldn't be more confident in passing the torch to Roger,' said Sprinkle. 'His decades of industry experience, proven leadership, and strategic mindset make him the ideal leader to take URM into the future. The company will be in excellent hands.' Sprinkle, who is retiring this summer, was first hired in 2003 as the vice president of Procurement, Retail Services, and Profit Centers. Ten years later, in March of 2013, he was promoted to the CEO & President of URM Stores, Inc and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Rosauers Supermarkets and Peirone Produce. Spokane, Wash.-based URM Stores, Inc. has 132 member-owners, encompassing 259 grocery stores (including 30 company-owned stores), as well as over 750 restaurants, convenience stores, and others. Sign in to access your portfolio
