Latest news with #Held
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
On The French Riviera, Gazpacho Tastes Like Summer
The recipes in Makenna Held's new cookbook, Mostly French, are organized into two large sections: "Warmer Weather" and "Cooler Weather." It is an elegantly simple way of pointing out a core truth about our appetites: What we want to eat often depends on the season we're in. It's hard to crave a steaming bowl of beef bourguignon when the humidity and heat are already off the charts, much less want to spend hours over a hot stove preparing it. This recipe for yellow gazpacho is a cold preparation, which is to say you can make this without even looking at your stove. (MORE: Have A Hot Date With This Palm Springs Date Shake) Ripe tomatoes, which are just beginning to arrive in farmers' markets across the country, are blended with cantaloupe and cucumber for a fruity and refreshing twist on the classic dish. A few colorful garnishes – cherry tomatoes, smoked paprika – give it an elegant presentation in the bowl. Held recommends serving it in the late afternoon to cool off guests at the beginning of a summer dinner party. The cookbook contains several variations on the classic dish. Held knows a thing or two about cooking in the heat. In 2015, she bought Julia Child's former vacation home on the southern coast of France and opened a cooking school, La Peetch, on the property. Of the region, Held writes, "The summer sea air is hot and thick. Villages swell with life. There are blazing beach days, dripping Popsicles and sticky hands, and food trucks parked along the shore that serve sandwiches and ice-cold beverages to barefoot kids and adults alike at prices that don't shock the wallet. It is so humid that your glasses will fog moving from the oppressive heat into an air-conditioned shop where you might wander just to cool off (if you're lucky enough to find one with A /C, they are rare)." For those of us not quite lucky enough to spend our summers on the French Riviera, we can still enjoy a taste of her recipe for cooling off. Serves 4-6 people Ingredients 1 yellow bell pepper or orange, stemmed, seeded, and cut into large pieces 2 yellow tomatoes, about equal in weight to the bell pepper, stemmed and cut into thick wedges 1/2 seedless (English) or 1 standard cucumber, peeled, seeds scooped out of the standard cucumber About 1 cup seeded and chunked cantaloupe 1/2 white onion or yellow, coarsely chopped 4 garlic cloves 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon turmeric Juice of 1/2 lemon Fine sea salt Garnishes: Halved cherry tomatoes, smoked paprika, and freshly ground black pepper Instructions 1. Add the bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, cantaloupe, onion, garlic, oil, turmeric, lemon and more salt to taste to a blender and process until very smooth. Season with salt and blend well to combine (if using a standard blender, blend the ingredients in batches and combine in a bowl). Pour into a medium bowl. 2. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours. Serve chilled, topping each serving with some cherry tomatoes, a pinch of paprika and a crack or two of pepper. MORE ON Make Mint Juleps With This Simple Syrup Feeling Spicy? Make This Thai Chili Oil Make This Etouffee With Leftover Boiled Crawfish writer Wyatt Williams is exploring the relationship between climate, food, agriculture, and the natural world.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Held lawsuit plaintiffs file climate change lawsuit against Trump, federal agencies
Glenns Lake in Glacier National Park (Photo by Jeff Pang via Glacier National Park and Flickr | CC-BY-SA 2.0). Twenty-two young plaintiffs, led by a contingent of Montanans who earned a landmark victory in the constitutional climate change lawsuit Held v. Montana, filed suit in U.S. District Court on Thursday against the federal government over a series of climate and energy policies. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Lighthiser v. Trump, argue three of Trump's executive orders issued earlier this year to 'unleash' the fossil fuel industry and remove climate protections threaten their constitutional rights to life and liberty. 'President Trump's EOs falsely claim an energy emergency, while the true emergency is that fossil fuel pollution is destroying the foundation of Plaintiffs' lives,' the lawsuit states. 'These unconstitutional directives have the immediate effect of slowing the buildout of U.S. energy infrastructure that eliminates planet-heating fossil fuel greenhouse gas pollution … and increasing the use of fossil fuels that pollute the air, water, lands, and climate on which Plaintiffs' lives depend.' The lead plaintiff, 19-year-old Eva Lighthiser, from Livingston, is one of several Montana plaintiffs who also filed the landmark Held case, which prevailed in Montana District Court and, in late 2024, in the Montana Supreme Court. Lighthiser is joined in the suit by Rikki Held, Lander and Badge Busse — sons of former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse — and five others from the Montana lawsuit, as well as young people from Hawai'i, Oregon, California, and Florida. Plaintiffs from Hawai'i were also involved in a successful youth-led climate lawsuit against the state's Department of Transportation. During a seven-day bench trial before Lewis and Clark District Court Judge Kathy Seeley in 2023, Held and 15 youth plaintiffs were found to have a right to a stable climate system under Montana's constitutional right to a 'clean and healthful environment.' The Held decision, affirmed by the state Supreme Court in December, is mentioned numerous times in the Lighthiser case, and several of the same law firms are representing the plaintiffs in the new suit. Eleven federal agencies and their respective agency heads, including the Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, and NASA, are named as defendants along with the president. Three of Trump's executive orders — 14156, 14154 and 14261 — declare a 'national energy emergency' and direct numerous federal agencies to 'unleash American energy' by accelerating oil, gas and coal production on federal lands, and bolster fossil fuel development. They also roll back funding that bolstered climate protections, including through the Inflation Reduction Act. Various clean energy grant programs, including wind, solar battery storage and electric vehicles, were also targeted in the orders. The 126-page complaint argues that the federal directives threaten the plaintiffs' health and wellbeing by accelerating harms from the fossil fuel industry and climate change. 'Plaintiffs were born into and now live in a destabilized climate system. Fossil fuel pollution has created this emergency—a dangerous situation for Plaintiffs requiring immediate action,' the suit states. '… EPA reports that climate change effects, including heat, displacement, financial or food insecurity, loss of recreation, loss of sleep, and risk of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), harm children's health.' The plaintiffs are asking for the court to find the three executive orders 'and any implementing executive actions' unlawful, unconstitutional and invalid, and seek a permanent injunction against implementing and enforcing the orders. In a statement, Deputy White House press secretary Harrison Fields said the executive orders are part of President Donald Trump's efforts to protect Americans. 'Promoting domestic energy production is crucial for shielding American families from price volatility and securing a stable energy supply for our nation and its allies. The President has a proven history of bolstering American energy production and will restore our nation's position as a global energy leader,' Fields said in a statement. A representative for the Department of Justice declined to comment. In a press release about the lawsuit, Lighthiser said Trump's executive orders amount to a 'death sentence for my generation.' 'I'm not suing because I want to — I'm suing because I have to. My health, my future, and my right to speak the truth are all on the line. He's waging war on us with fossil fuels as his weapon, and we're fighting back with the Constitution.' In the suit, the plaintiffs list harms experienced in their young lives related to climate change, including from longer wildfire seasons that affect their health, increasingly extreme weather patterns that affect their livelihoods, and changes to their local environments and cultural homes. The suit also mentions the executive orders' effect on decreasing career opportunities for some plaintiffs, through canceled climate science research and study programs. The complaint also condemns the federal government's directives to implement the executive orders by 'a wholesale scrubbing, suppression and dismantling of government agencies' climate science, thereby blinding the government,' and argues that the President exceeded his constitutional and statutory authority— 'acting ultra vires' — in issuing the executive orders. The youth are represented by Our Children's Trust, an Oregon-based law firm, along with Gregory Law Group, McGarvey Law in Kalispell, and Public Justice. l'These young plaintiffs refuse to be collateral damage in a fossil fuel war on their future,' lead attorney Julia Olson of Our Children's Trust said in a press release. 'They are demanding accountability where it still matters—in a court of law. The executive branch is not above the Constitution, and these young people are here to prove it.'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers accused of 'deeply troubling' tactics in court battle with young activists: 'It's going to take us years to unwind what they're doing here'
Montana lawmakers are pushing a series of legislative changes that critics say will undercut a historic court ruling that favored youth plaintiffs in a climate case, Inside Climate News recently reported. The Held v. Montana ruling was seen as a major win for young climate advocates. However, since the verdict, legislators have introduced bills that would limit the state's obligation to consider climate pollution in decision-making. The Held decision found that Montana residents have a constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment, including protection from climate harm. Yet in response, some state legislators are fast-tracking measures that restrict how state agencies evaluate the release of polluting gases. Lawmakers aim to block courts from enforcing certain constitutional provisions through legislation like House Bill (HB) 971 and others that amend the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA). HB 971 says state agencies shouldn't factor in planet-warming gas pollution in environmental reviews, while the MEPA requires them to carefully assess the environmental impact of major projects before giving permits. These changes could reshape how Montana evaluates and responds to climate-related risks. Legal experts and environmental advocates argue that these bills could roll back key protections affirmed by the ruling and limit the ability of residents to hold the government accountable for decisions affecting the climate. The urgency and volume of the proposals suggest a deliberate effort to sideline the court's judgment and limit the legal avenues available to implement initiatives for climate protection. As Anne Hedges, executive director of the Montana Environmental Information Center, warned, "It's going to take us years to unwind what they're doing here. And they [Republican lawmakers] know it; to them, that's a win." The youth plaintiffs' legal team is closely watching legislative changes as they unfold while Republican lawmakers defend the measures as necessary to limit judicial overreach. As a Reddit user shared, "It's deeply troubling that Montana Republicans are trying to roll back climate action after a court recognized the state's constitutional duty to protect a clean environment. … They need to be held accountable." Do you think governments should ban gas stoves? Heck yes! Only in new buildings Only in restaurants Heck no! Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. For now, advocates say the best way forward is to stay informed, support pro-climate leaders, and back candidates who prioritize environmental protection. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Governor signs suite of bills changing Montana's environmental laws
Gov. Greg Gianforte speaks before a bill signing ceremony for a suite of bills that make changes to Montana's environmental laws. (Micah Drew/Daily Montanan) Three state representatives joined Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte for a bill signing ceremony for five new laws making changes to the Montana Environmental Policy Act. 'At its simplest, MEPA is a process that ensures that we think about the potential environmental impacts of our decisions,' Gianforte said in remarks to press. 'Last year, the Montana Supreme Court issued a series of rulings that led us to develop solutions to reduce potential litigation and provide certainty to Montana businesses, large and small, that are trying to make a living here in our state.' The suite of laws came as a direct response to the decision in the Held vs. Montana lawsuit, in which a district court judge found that the state could not limit the analysis of greenhouse gas emissions during the environmental review process. When the Montana Supreme Court upheld the ruling last December, incoming Republican legislative leaders told the courts to 'buckle up' and brought a number of bills aimed at changing the judicial system as well as addressing the Held decision. 'In the Held v. Montana court case, they tried to twist MEPA into something it was never meant to be — a tool to deny permits and block development,' House Speaker Brandon Ler, R-Savage, said at the signing ceremony. 'With the signing of this MEPA reform package, we're making it clear that Montana's environmental policy is about reform decision making, not weaponizing and litigation.' Earlier during the session, House Democrats pushed back against many of the bills related to MEPA, including one brought by Ler. 'Montanans expect us to defend their Constitutional right to breathe clean air and drink clean water, and that's exactly what House Democrats did,' said Rep. Jonathan Karlen, D-Missoula, in a press release. 'But some Republican politicians are determined to erode what makes Montana the last best place. We will continue to fight those efforts every step of the way.' The Held lawsuit, brought by 16 youth plaintiffs from across the state, was the nation's first constitutional climate change trial. A district court judge in Lewis and Clark County sided with the plaintiffs in 2023, and in December 2024, the Montana Supreme Court upheld the decision. The court found in a 6-to-1 decision that Montana's constitutional guarantee of a 'clean and healthful environment' includes a stable climate system. 'Plaintiffs showed at trial — without dispute — that climate change is harming Montana's environmental life support system now and with increasing severity for the foreseeable future,' the order stated. In response to the Supreme Court's decision Democrats introduced bills that sought to strengthen MEPA's role in protecting the environment, although none passed. The majority of bills introduced, including the five signed on Thursday sponsored by Republicans, put sideboards on the environmental review process and clarified the state's existing laws. Speaker Ler introduced House Bill 285, which he said was designed to provide clarity and efficiency to MEPA. The bill emphasizes that MEPA is a tool for assessing environmental impacts, not a regulatory mechanism. 'House Bill 285 sets the record straight: MEPA is procedural,' Ler said. 'It's a way to gather facts, weigh impacts and then make informed decisions, not dictate them. This bill reaffirms the Legislature's intent.' Ler's bill passed both Legislative chambers along party lines. Other MEPA-related bills drew more bipartisan support. House Bill 270, introduced by Rep. Katie Zolnikov, R-Billings, updates MEPA language to remove the parts invalidated by the Held decision, alters the process if someone fails to comply with the act, and prevents state agencies from vacating permits without considering the economic effects. Her bill saw unanimous support in the House and saw only a handful of opponents in the Senate. Similarly, Senate Bill 221, carried by Sen. Wylie Galt, R-Martinsdale, also drew support from both parties. His bill directed the Department of Environmental Quality to develop guidance on greenhouse gas emission assessments while aiming to prevent industry and development from getting bogged down in litigation. 'Our next steps will be to develop that guidance document that will outline exactly how we will do greenhouse gas assessments for fossil fuel activities, as well as what parameters we'll look at for non-fossil fuel activities,' said Sonja Nowakowski, director of DEQ. 'These will be very open and transparent processes, and we look forward to engaging with the public and getting everyone's input as we move forward.' Gianforte also signed House Bill 291, which prevents the state from adopting more stringent standards for air pollutants than the federal government; and House Bill 466, which defines 'categorial exclusions' for projects that do not require environmental assessments, similar to the National Environmental Policy Act. Combined, Gianforte said the package of bills would help protect the state's environment while bolstering the economy. 'Left unchecked, the rulings would have impacted our energy sector at a time when Americans have seen the cost of electricity soar nearly 30% over the last four years,' Gianforte said. Anne Hedges, director of the Montana Environmental Information Center, criticized many of the bills Gianforte signed, especially SB 221 and HB 285, saying they reduced MEPA to a 'paper exercise.' 'Without the requirements in MEPA to fully analyze a project's impacts, the state does not have a mechanism to comply with the public's constitutional rights to know, to participate, and to have a clean and healthful environment,' Hedges said in a prepared statement. 'The people of this state will not stand for a loss of these constitutional rights, and so these bills will only result in conflict and wasted state resources.' Gianforte has signed 222 bills into law, as of Thursday afternoon, out of a total 878 passed by the Montana Legislature, according to the state's bill tracker.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Yahoo
‘I don't want it swept under the rug': F-M father speaks out after son is threatened with knife
MANLIUS, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — As students head back to the classroom today from spring break, a Fayetteville-Manlius father hopes a dangerous encounter his son experienced gets brought back into the spotlight and back in front of school leaders. Jason Held said his 15-year-old son was threatened with a knife ten days ago inside a bathroom at Fayetteville-Manlius High School. While the other student now faces three misdemeanor charges, the father worries the district and the police department are downplaying the situation. A message sent to F-M families on Friday, April 11, reads in part, 'This afternoon, apparently after a verbal altercation was diffused, an FM student was found to be in possession of a knife.' A news release from the Town of Manlius Police used similar language the same day, adding, 'A 15-year-old FM student was found in possession of a knife. No one was injured in the incident.' Held said his 15-year-old son, a ninth grader, is the one who was threatened. He said the phrase 'possession of a knife' doesn't capture the seriousness of what happened. 'According to my son, he had it held with the blade face toward him, and they were about an arm's length away, and reared and jabbed it directly toward his chest,' Held said. The knife never made contact, and no one was hurt. But Held said his son feared for his life. 'That's my baby boy. I don't want anything to happen to him,' Held continued. The Town of Manlius Police Department said it worked with the district and consulted with the district attorney's office regarding the incident. The other student, who is also 15, is now facing three misdemeanors, including menacing in the second degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, and endangering the welfare of a child. He was also issued a family court appearance ticket. Held doesn't think misdemeanor charges go far enough. 'I'm angry, I'm scared. I don't want this to go away cleanly; I don't want it swept under the rug,' Held added. A lieutenant with the town of Manlius Police Department tells us the father's concerns, along with the 'totality of the complete investigation was forwarded to Family Court for their action.' He went on to say, 'The charges were based upon the facts and circumstances of the investigation.' In response to Held's concerns, Fayetteville-Manlius Superintendent Dr. Craig Tice tells NewsChannel 9: 'The safety of our students and staff is our number one priority. The district is committed to providing a secure learning environment and ensuring that individuals adhere to the Code of Conduct designed to protect the school community. While we cannot discuss student disciplinary actions, the incident is being handled according to the Code of Conduct and state law. As always, families are encouraged to discuss personal safety with their children and remind them to report any concerns to a trusted adult.' Over the weekend, Held said he got confirmation that he'd be meeting with the principal Monday morning. He's also planning on attending Monday night's school board meeting. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
