Latest news with #Westerman
7NEWS
4 days ago
- Health
- 7NEWS
Reconciliation Week: Short film ‘Change Direction' launches to draw attention to suicide crisis in Aboriginal communities
As Reconciliation Week begins, a new national awareness campaign to draw urgent attention to the suicide crisis in Aboriginal communities has been launched. At the heart of the campaign is a short film called 'Change Direction,' that delivers the urgent and important message that more Indigenous psychologists are needed to support Aboriginal communities. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: short film 'Change Direction' launches. Suicide is the leading cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 to 44 and has increased by 30 per cent in the past five years, according to research from the Westerman Jilya Institute. This means Aboriginal adults are dying by suicide at more than twice the rate of non-Aboriginal Australians and this increases to as much as five times for Aboriginal people aged 15-24. Dr Tracy Westerman AM, a Nyamal woman and founder of the Jilya Institute, says the problem isn't just the lack of services – it's that the system was never built with Aboriginal people in mind. 'This country's mental health system was built by the most privileged, for the most privileged– but it's being used to treat the people who've had the least,' Dr Westerman said. 'We don't need more tweaks to a broken system. We need to completely reimagine it – with Aboriginal people leading the design, the delivery and the healing.' Through her organisation, the Westerman Jilya Institute for Indigenous Mental Health, Dr Westerman is already driving change. By providing scholarships for Indigenous students from high-risk communities to become psychologists – it aims to create a workforce that understands the unique cultural context of the people it serves. The short film 'Change Direction,' was written by poet Dakota Feirer (Bundjalung-Gumbaynggirr) and brought to life by Cannes-winning filmmaker Warwick Thornton (Kaytetye) and advertising agency, Apparent. Reconciliation Week is held each year between May 27 and June 3, marking the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively. For more information, to view the film or to make a donation, visit the Change Direction website. The Change Direction poem in full This is my path I'm giving up There's no way I'll rise out of the pain This is my life I'm walkin in two worlds I don't belong to neither Confusion and self-hate They're a part of me I know deep down I should be proud I come from wisdom and warriors Healers and storytellers But something follows me every step I take I know them well Loneliness and trauma These feelings are generational Buried in my spirit like and echo This is who I am I'm made from this hard earth My land and culture got washed away So don't tell me There's a power that's inside of me I didn't know Feeling lost I'm not Walking in the right direction Nah, my country tells me I'm Voiceless That I'm worthless That I belong in chains My mental health is a shame It's a lie to say that There's a mob who can help me and I can talk about these feelings It's time to say goodbye to this life I no longer think that I'm gonna keep fighting This is the moment This is my path If you need help in a crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For further information about depression contact beyondblue on 1300224636 or talk to your GP, local health professional or someone you trust.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Here's Why the Federal Land Sale Bill Is a Bad Idea, and Horrible Legislation
America's hunters and anglers are raising hell this week after a proposal to sell up to a half-million acres of BLM land in Nevada and Utah made it through the House Committee on Natural Resources. They're right to raise hell. The wealth that ordinary Americans hold in our public lands and waters is one of our country's great equalizers, putting blue-collar wage workers on the same footing — literally — with CEOs and tech bros. For hunters and anglers, these public lands and waters are our backyard, our grocery store, our library, our gym, our church, and our classroom. The most obvious reason the proposal to sell BLM land outside St. George, Utah, and in Nevada's urban-growth areas is getting heat because it creates a precedent to sell other public parcels — maybe every public parcel — without a review process. But that's only half the story. The real story is how this odious amendment to a congressional budget proposal was slipped in at the last minute, with no debate, no clear budgetary purpose, no public process, and apparently against the wishes of people who live among the public lands that will be sold. That sort of political malpractice should get the attention of every Western hunter and angler, and the committee's proceedings should be required listening for conservatives who demand fiscal responsibility, relish vigorous debate, and who oppose activist government. The idea that public land might be auctioned off to balance the federal budget had been circulated for weeks before the May 6 House Natural Resources Committee budget mark-up session. But conservationists were relieved when a draft of the budget priorities didn't include a provision for selling federal properties. There was plenty to dislike in the budget reconciliation plan, including mandatory energy leases on federal land, expansion of coal mining in the West, green-lighting a controversial mine near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and a habitat-fracturing road in Alaska, and removing environmental protections and the ability to protest wrong-headed projects. But at least there were no federal land sales in the blueprint that is estimated to either save or raise $18.5 billion, well above the committee's target of $1 billion in savings. I'll give the committee and its chairman, Arkansas Republican Bruce Westerman, this: They covered a lot of ground on May 6. For hours they waded through almost 120 amendments to the budget proposal. Most were from the minority Democrats, calling for revision or withdrawal of some of the most contentious provisions of the budget blueprint. For about 11 hours, Westerman entertained one amendment after another, though all failed on party-line votes. The day would have gone even longer, but no Republican rose to defend the blueprint or to refute Democrats' claims of self-dealing, collusion, violations of congressional order, or harms to the environment, the economy, and to communities around the country. I mean no Republican spoke up. Not one. Not even when Colorado Democrat Joe Neguse pleaded for some insight about whether a provision violated House rules that prohibit policy matters in budget bills (That question matters; it might be enough to get the entire committee blueprint rejected by the Senate parliamentarian). I mention the Republican's stonewalling, apparently in obedience to a gag order from GOP leadership, because for 11 hours, most Republicans were not even present for the mark-up, appearing only for periodic votes. The sham hearing reminded me of a politburo proceeding, a realization that would be funny if the content of the hearing wasn't so dangerous to our hunting, angling, and public-access traditions. The meeting extended well into the night, until Nevada Republican Mark Amodei, along with co-sponsor Celeste Maloy (R-Utah), dropped a 33-page amendment that calls for selling about 11,000 acres of BLM land around St. George, Utah, another 200,000 acres around Las Vegas and other Nevada cities, and would force the 'sale or exchange' of another 356,000 acres of landlocked BLM land in rural Pershing County, Nevada You can see how it all went down here, (starting at about time stamp 2:59:30 to 3:32:03). This is the trigger that has sparked outrage since the House committee approved the amendment, introduced at nearly midnight, on a 26-17 mainly party-line vote. Only California Democrat Adam Gray voted for the package, though he has indicated he won't support it on the House floor. 'This is just some truly odious sausage at 11:20 p.m. at the end of a long markup,' observed Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the committee. 'Any member of Congress that votes for this is just surrendering any semblance of good process.' I'll put a point on Huffman's comments. No member of the committee, not even Republicans, saw a map of the land sales, which are not suggested or recommended. The amendment, by using the word 'shall,' requires the federal government to execute the land sales and trades. That should get the attention of any Westerner who dislikes the idea of the government forcing its way into local real estate deals. Despite being asked repeatedly by his colleagues, Amodei could not articulate why his amendment was needed, or who had requested it. Furthermore, the amendment carries no fiscal note, since the land will be sold for fair-market value, budget drafters have no idea of the impact to the federal budget. And after committee Democrats pushed the point, Amodei acknowledged that he doesn't represent most of the Nevada committees affected by his amendment and confirmed that local officials in those regions were opposed to it. That should get the attention of home-staters who oppose the notion of an activist federal government. While the committee didn't have any maps on which to base their vote, the parcels in Utah and many of those in Nevada are identified here. And the Pershing County land exchange map is shared below. As the National Wildlife Federation has observed, the budget draft bypasses an established process of disposing of federal land that includes public input, coordination with local governments, and a transparent review process. Congress is supposed to be notified for sales exceeding 2,500 acres, and in those reviews, a formal hearing is scheduled so that proponents, opponents, and informational witnesses can provide the basis — and sworn testimony — for congressional consideration. None of that happens with Amodei's amendment. 'Rather than requiring careful analysis and local input, the amendment mandates that these lands be sold, exchanged, or transferred on an expedited timeline, essentially cutting corners on the planning, environmental review, and public participation that would normally happen under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act' of 1976, the NWF notes in a blog post. Both the local participation and environmental review should be especially critical in the Pershing County land swap. According to some accounts, proponents of the swap intend to develop metal mines on the consolidated lands. 'Solidus Resources, LLC, Coeur Mining, Pershing Gold, and EP Minerals will have the ability to purchase the federal lands where their mining claims are located,' according to Pershing County's local government. It should be noted that federal-land sale and consolidation has long had support from the county government and nearby Winnemucca. That makes sense, but what doesn't make sense is that, according to the 1872 Mining Law, mineral deposits from federal lands can be extracted without paying any royalties to the U.S. Treasury. Every time the royalty provision has been revisited, it has been voted down by Western Republicans. The consequence of the Pershing County land deal may be that once-federal lands will be sold 'at fair market value' to mining companies, with minimal contributions to the federal Treasury, and then developed with no receipts going to balance the federal budget. That should raise a red flag for every fiscal hawk in Congress. To put a point on it, this land deal does not address our federal budget deficit. The problem with short-cutting the established process is that, if the budget provision passes the full House and then the Senate, and these land sales proceed, similar sales could be done again and again. And this time, budget-drafters will likely have real revenue numbers at their disposal, from receipts generated by the sale of high-value Utah and Nevada urban-interface BLM sales. Some projections are that BLM in Clark County, Nevada, could sell for as much as $120,000 per acre to developers who, given the high cost of the land, will not be interested in building affordable housing. That revenue will look mighty good to fiscal conservatives who would use the sale of our public estate to get out of a budgetary jam. The problem with that thinking, of course, is that it's like a landlord selling a house to pay a debt. It's an immediate fix, but gone is the monthly rental payment, the appreciation of the asset over time, and the enjoyment of the house in the future. Also missing from the calculation is the recreational value that almost all public lands hold. For those of us in small Western communities, it's the ability to swing out to a section of BLM land to sight-in a deer rifle before the season, or the hole in a river where we taught our kids to fish, or the trail where we experienced the frights and joys of solitude. Or the handsome ridge where we want our ashes to be spread. If we don't fight this particular time, and stop this flawed bill and hackneyed process, how can we fight when our own backyards, churches, stores, and playgrounds are on the auction block? There's still a chance to turn this around on the demerits of this particular bill. It's big government at its worst, won't solve our budget mess, and is being jammed through by drones who wouldn't know a dry fly from a streamer. And most importantly, it's neither in the national interest or your community's interest. Tell your representative to vote against the House Natural Resources Committee reconciliation budget mark-up. Tell them it doesn't deserve to live to see the Senate. And it certainly doesn't deserve President Trump's signature.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Work underway on Woodbury's new water treatment plant; traffic impacts expected
By 2028, Woodbury will have a long-term solution to removing PFAS from its drinking water as construction of a new treatment plant is in the works. 'It is the largest capital improvement project in the history of the city of Woodbury,' assistant public works director Jim Westerman said. The $330 million plant will connect all 20 of Woodbury's groundwater wells through 17 miles of pipe to a central location for treatment. The plant will treat for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances using granular activated carbon, which can remove PFAS chemicals to ensure safe drinking water, according to Westerman. The scope of the project means there will be some challenges for residents and visitors during construction. 'This effort is going to have significant disruption to the city of Woodbury and the community at large because of those pipeline projects and the traffic impacts,' Westerman said. Roads closures from April through June include Dale Road, Interlachen Parkway, Pioneer Drive, Bailey Road and Arbor Drive, according to the city of Woodbury. Other communities like St. Paul and Minneapolis rely on surface water or a combination of surface water and groundwater, while Woodbury's municipal water system comes from a 100% groundwater-based system, Westerman said. Nine of the city's wells, which have had health advisories placed on them by the Minnesota Department of Public Health, are being treated for PFAS by four temporary plants, the first of which was constructed in 2020 and has since expanded. The new, 32 million gallon per day treatment plant will add two new wells to the system and is being built on 22 acres of land south of Hargis Parkway and east of Radio Drive. The new system will replace the temporary plants as a long-term solution for addressing water contamination. More than 90% of funding for the permanent plant and pipelines will come from a 2018 PFAS settlement reached between 3M and the state of Minnesota. Additional funding for the project will come from federal sources and the city's water utility fees. Woodbury launches a new visitors bureau and website Stillwater schools make leadership changes Woodbury attorney disbarred after being convicted of swindling client Charges: Woodbury HS student had replica gun in backpack, ran from school Report of student with gun at Woodbury HS leads to search, apprehension A number of other cities in the east metro are stepping up efforts to handle the 'forever chemicals' after the EPA finalized new standards last year for PFAS in drinking water. While some communities are able to comply by shutting off certain wells or blending water with cleaner wells, others including Hastings, South St. Paul and Stillwater will have to install costly new filtration systems to remove the chemicals. Westerman said he asks community members to have patience during Woodbury's construction and understand that the ultimate goal is to provide everyone with high-quality drinking water. For more information on PFAS and Woodbury's water treatment program, go to and click on 'Water Treatment.'
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Regina Rebels defeat Outlook Ice Hawks in storm-delayed Saskatchewan Junior Female Hockey League championship series
Horrible road conditions delayed the Saskatchewan Junior Female Hockey League championship series, so the Regina Rebels waited one extra day before travelling to Outlook and winning their decisive game 4-1 against the hometown Mainline Ice Hawks on Saturday. 'We were just about to leave our houses to meet the bus on Friday when they decided to postpone it till Saturday,' said Rebels captain Brianna Westerman. 'Everyone had their bags packed. It was kind of disappointing because we were all hyped up, ready to go and we had been planning this day for awhile. 'It was definitely the safer option. The roads were not safe to go out there, so we understood. And it worked out.' A March storm with heavy snowfall and freezing rain made driving unsafe on Saskatchewan highways leading up to the weekend. So the Rebels regrouped Saturday morning for the 200-kilometre bus ride northwest along Highways 11 and 15 for an afternoon matchup at Outlook's Jim Kook Recplex, where the Mainline Ice Hawks had lost only once all season. Included in Outlook's hometown victories was a 4-3 overtime decision that opened the best-of-three final series, before the Rebels forced a tiebreaker with a 5-2 victory at the Al Ritchie Memorial Centre. Outlook earned home-ice advantage by placing first in regular-season standings with a 15-3-2 record. Regina was second at 16-4-0, but had lost its last four of five meetings against the Ice Hawks before Saturday's finale. After a scoreless first period, Piper Ast scored for the visitors and Teanna Crossman replied to send the teams into the third period tied 1-1. Victoria Mann scored the game-winner on a 2-on-1 rush before power-play goals by Nyah Lang and Westerman, into an empty net, clinched the victory. Regina fired 35 shots at Outlook goalie Sydney Martin while Rebels goaltender Ryleigh Carson made 16 saves. 'We really had to figure out a way to beat their goalie, because they have a really strong goalie,' said Westerman, one of four Rebels who will be graduating from the under-22 junior squad. 'We got lots of shots but we couldn't figure out how to finish, until we got the first one and we started to feel more comfortable.' This was the second season for the SJFHL, which was established to give women an opportunity to continue playing competitive hockey after completing their high school and under-18 eligibility. Saskatoon Prairie Blaze, who placed third this season and got eliminated by Regina in their semifinal series, was the reigning champion. Westerman, Ast, Starla Mann and Zoe Kourles are Regina's graduating players. Westerman said coaching might be in her future. 'I'm super grateful we got to play junior and proud that we won,' said Westerman. 'And it would be super cool (to coach). I love hanging out with the team and I'm definitely gonna miss it. Coaching would be an awesome opportunity for me. It's a fun way to get involved in the game again.' High-caliber junior league gives women a chance to continue playing hockey; Regina Rebels want to win it Rebels upbeat for deciding game against Ice Hawks in Saskatchewan Junior Female Hockey League final The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe. With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Endangered Species Act Has Been ‘Warped by Decades of Radical Environmental Litigation,' Says Lawmaker Who Wants to Overhaul It
The chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources introduced a bill Thursday that seeks substantial revisions to the Endangered Species Act. It's the latest attempt in a decades-long bid by conservatives to remake the ESA. Now, with the current makeup of Congress, some version of a reform to the 52-year-old legislation has a chance of passing into law. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) presented his ESA Amendments Act of 2025 as a way to make 'critical reforms' to legislation that he says has fallen well short of its promises. 'The Endangered Species Act has consistently failed to achieve its intended goals and has been warped by decades of radical environmental litigation into a weapon instead of a tool,' Westerman said in a statement. 'With the reforms we are introducing today, we can look forward to a future where the ESA works to support the continued abundance of America's rich and diverse wildlife.' Congress enacted the ESA — which received strong bipartisan support — in 1973 during the Nixon administration. Since then approximately 1,700 species have been listed as threatened or endangered. Critics, including Westerman, say just 3 percent of species ever listed under the ESA have been recovered and subsequently delisted, according to the release. These stats are reflected in a 2023 report by the Property and Environment Research Center that noted the USFWS had recovered 'only' 57 species in 50 years. Such statistics are a fundamental misrepresentation of conservation efforts, says leading ESA historian, lawyer, and conservationist Lowell Baier. 'What they fail to say, and what everyone fails to recognize, is that with this law in place, [we] protect more species than [we] lose,' says Baier. 'There are hundreds of species that wouldn't be around today but for the ESA. They would've been destroyed.' Of all the species ever listed by the ESA, noted the USFWS in 2021, 99 percent have avoided extinction. Recovered species include the Columbian white-tailed deer, the bald eagle, the Louisiana black bear, and gray wolves in the Northern Rockies, to name a few. Baier, who has written three books on the ESA and interviewed the original advocates of the act — including legendary conservation champion John Dingell — says Westerman's bill would make some key improvements to the ESA. A major provision is blocking many of the expensive, frivolous legislation from 'radical environmental groups that litigate all the time,' such as the Center for Biological Diversity and the Western Watersheds Project. The bill would put a cap on how much such attorneys receive in legal fees ('that's wonderful,' says Baier'), require fee transparency, and help deflect the ongoing lawsuits that affect hot-button species like grizzlies and wolves. 'Bruce's law [would] prohibit anyone from challenging the review of a listing during the five-year monitoring period after the species is listed,' says Baier, noting this would also help mitigate lawsuits to reverse delisting. 'Wolves are a perfect example. They've been delisted, and then listed again by court order, then delisted, then listed again. It's just a joke. This prohibits that kind of nonsense.' Other tenants of Westerman's bill would fundamentally destabilize the ESA, says Baier, who adds that he knows Westerman personally and believes the Arkansas politician genuinely cares about conservation and the environment. The worst part of the bill, says Baier, is requiring economic consideration for a listing. While economic consideration may sound reasonable at face value, the feds already consider the economic impact when designating critical habitat for a newly listed species. (That's the part that affects landowners who may have a listed species on their property.) The federal government was careful back in the 70s to keep these considerations separate, and Baier says the conservation community has fought this change for years. The reason? It undercuts science-based management. 'The government can't use an economic impact as part of the listing process. Bruce's bill reverses that, and that's absolutely terrible because it will bring all the bugs out of the woodwork. In other words, people who have those species on their ground will fight tooth and nail and throw up every economic excuse in the book as to how that will damage or affect them personally. … The ESA has always been based on science, and science alone. And this reverses that.' Another issue with the bill is it would introduce duplicative processes (despite stated goals to reduce them) and mandating states get involved in listing processes. 'Different states have different dispositions toward endangered species. Some states hate them, and some states respect the law and deal with them. If the states are involved in the listing process, it's going to derail it because every state has its own bias. And the government said 'No, this is a national issue, it's got to be a uniform standard of science, and the states cannot be involved — in a listing decision. At the critical habitat level, states can be involved, and the law says that. … Informally, the way it really works is that states are involved anyway. Informally that happens anyway, and he's trying to mandatorily put that in the bill, and that's wrong because it drags in all the state biases.' For years, Republicans have pushed to reduce the red tape associated with ESA listings. Westerman introduced a streamlined version of the current bill in September during the last Congress. While that bill might've received bipartisan support, this expanded remaking of the ESA Westerman has proposed is likely to receive substantial Democratic opposition in the Senate. Baier also suspects a few Republicans may cross the aisle to side with Democrats in opposition to it. On Jan. 3 — the first day of this Congress — Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) put forth similar provisions in his own ESA amendments. Called the Endangered Species Transparency and Reasonableness Act of 2025, H.B. 180 would also cap attorney fees and require the DOI to maintain a searchable database of federal expenses related to ESA litigation. By his best rough estimate, Baier puts some version of Westerman's bill at a fifty-fifty chance of passing into law. So far, he says, there have only been three amendments to the ESA and they were all in the 70s. Baier says the trouble with trying to amend the ESA now is that there's now telling what the end result could be. 'If [Westerman] puts that bill on the floor of the House and the Senate, there are going to be all sorts of additions and so forth. Once his committee approves it, he doesn't control what happens … It's going to open it up to all sorts of amendments that people want because their constituents are pushing them to have them. That has been the fear for the last 52 years … Some things in [this] bill are really going to cause a problem.' Read Next: How Seriously Should We Take the Sale of Federal Lands? Very Seriously, Experts Say The full legal text of H.B. 1897 is not yet available on and could not be provided by either the House Committee on Natural Resources or Westerman's D.C. office when contacted Friday. In the meantime, a summary of the bills provisions are available here. Westerman could not be reached for comment as of press time. The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, an organization whose mission is to advance America's legacy of conservation, habitat, and access, and which has historically waded into policy issues like this one, declined to comment for this story. Three other hunting, fishing, and conservation organizations contacted for this story also declined to comment.
