☛ ☛ NTERPRISEt he l i v i n g s t o n E Thursday, May 6, 2021 ฀฀฀฀฀ ฀฀ $1.00 TO BOOST PRODUCTION FOR THE WORLD US backs waiving property rules on vaccines WASHINGTON (AP) — The facturers to produce the life- In a tweet, the director of U.S. Trade Represen- India first proposed in Octo- Biden administration on saving vaccines. the Africa Centres for Dis- tative Katherine Tai ber. The idea has gained sup- Wednesday joined calls for “ T h e A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ease Control and Prevention, testifies during a port among some progres- more sharing of the technolo- believes strongly in intellec- John N. Nkengasong, said the Senate Appropria- sive lawmakers in the West. gy behind COVID-19 vac- tual property protections, but Africa CDC welcomed the tions subcommittee More than 100 countries cines to help speed the end of in service of ending this pan- waiver and called the deci- on Commerce, Jus- have come out in support of the pandemic, a shift that demic, supports the waiver sion “leadership in action.” tice, Science, and the proposal, and a group of puts the U.S. alongside many of those protections for COV- He added: “History will Related Agencies 110 members of Congress — in the developing world who ID-19 vaccines,” Tai said in a remember this decision as a hearing on Capitol all fellow Democrats of want rich countries to do statement. great act of humanity!” Hill in Washington on Biden — sent him a letter more to get doses to the She cautioned that it would Tai’s announcement came April 28. last month that called on him needy. take time to reach the hours after WTO Director- AP to support the waiver. U.S. Trade Representative required global “consensus” General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Opponents — especially Katherine Tai announced the to waive the protections spoke to a closed-door meet- from industry — say a waiv- government’s position, amid under WTO rules, and U.S. ing of ambassadors from er would be no panacea. They World Trade Organization officials said it would not developing and developed access to COVID-19 treat- rary waiver for intellectual insist that production of talks about a possible tempo- have an immediate effect on countries that have been ments. property protections on COV- rary waiver of its protections the global supply of COV- wrangling over the issue, but The WTO’s General Council ID-19 vaccines and other that would allow more manu- ID-19 shots. agree on the need for wider took up the issue of a tempo- tools, which South Africa and See Vaccines, Page 5 Unemployment claims fall to a pandemic low WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell last week to 498,000, the lowest point since the viral pandemic struck 14 months ago and a sign of the job market’s growing strength as businesses reopen and consum- ers step up spending. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that applications declined 92,000 from a revised 590,000 a week earlier. The number of weekly job- less claims — a rough measure of the pace of layoffs — has declined significantly from a peak of 900,000 in January as employers have ramped up hiring. At the same time, the pace of applica- tions is still well above the roughly 230,000 level that prevailed before the viral out- break tore through the economy in March of last year. Enterprise photo by Sam Klomhaus The entrance to Livingston HealthCare just east of Livingston. Hospital board members resign, AP A signs announcing they are hiring hangs in the window of a restaurant in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Man- citing Billings Clinic interference hattan in New York on Tuesday. As vaccinations have been more widely By Sam Klomhaus Livingston HealthCare released a been working with governance experts administered, restrictions on businesses Enterprise Staff Writer statement on the resignations, which to ensure a robust board structure that is have gradually lifted and consumers have read: in accordance with national best practic- become more willing to travel, shop and At least five members of the Livings- “Livingston HealthCare has accepted es to ensure alignment of LHC’s opera- dine out, stronger spending has boosted ton HealthCare Board of Directors and the resignations of board members serv- tional goals with LHC Foundation sup- hiring, slowed layoffs and accelerated one member of the Livingston Health- port. Livingston HealthCare invites com- growth. The economy grew last quarter at Care Foundation Board of Directors munity members to reach out if they a vigorous 6.4% annual rate, with expecta- have resigned, citing ongoing differenc- “It’s a wonderful hospital. have an interest in helping to continue tions that the current quarter will be even es with the Billings Clinic, of which LHC But the problem is what advancing our mission of serving the better. is an affiliate. community through high-quality, patient- The rapid turnaround has led many busi- Former LHC Board members Shiell you get from Billings.” centered care.” nesses, especially restaurants and others Anderson, Michelle Becker, Daniel Kaul, The LHC administration declined to in the hospitality industry, to complain that David Stanley and Joseph Swindlehurst, – Pat Gilligan, comment further on the resignations. they can’t find enough workers to fill open and former foundation Board Chairwom- LHC Foundation Board member Becker, who, according to the resigna- jobs. Some other employers are raising an Mary Ann Bearden all signed their tion letter served as LHC board presi- pay to attract applicants. names to a letter saying the current lead- ing on our foundation and operating dent for more than 15 years before being Pointing to the $300-a-week federal job- ership and governance of the hospital board of directors. We thank them for unseated three years ago, said Wednes- less check that was included in a $1.9 tril- are “unacceptable.” their years of service and their many day she’s disappointed things have come lion rescue package enacted in March, The letter alleges some board mem- contributions to the organization and to a head in this way after all the success some employers have complained that bers purport to represent the Livingston community. the board has had over the years. some unemployed people can receive more community and others are representing “This past year has been a time of Becker said she decided to resign money from jobless aid than from a job. the interests of the Billings Clinic, and extraordinary challenges in the midst of because of a lack of governance and The complaints have led Gov. Greg Gian- there has been conflict between the two a global pandemic. LHC rose to meet leadership at the hospital, and because of forte to announce that Montana would stop groups. these challenges and navigated the COV- “aggressive” behavior by some of the issuing the federal unemployment pay- “It has become clear to each of us that ID-19 pandemic in collaboration with all directors she said were more aligned ments at the end of June. Instead, the state our participation in the governance of of our community partners. We are with the Billings Clinic. will use some of the federal money to pay LHC is no longer valued, and that we grateful to our entire staff for their “When a board is highly functioning as $1,200 bonuses to unemployed workers cannot fulfill our obligations as board tenacity and dedication through these who take jobs. Montana’s unemployment members by continuing to serve under trying times. rate has fallen to 3.8%. About 30,000 peo- these circumstances,” the letter reads. “For the past several months we have See Hospital board, Page 5 ple are receiving jobless aid in Montana. US proposes ending rule that weakened wild bird protections BILLINGS (AP) — The Biden Trump’s last days in office rep- Industry groups supported songbirds and more than 20 administration on Thursday resented part of the Biden the Trump policy, but since owl species. Non-native spe- proposed revoking a rule administration’s efforts to President Joe Biden took office cies and some game birds, like imposed under former Presi- ensure that agency decisions they have expressed willing- wild turkeys, are not on the dent Donald Trump that weak- are guided by science. ness to work with the Demo- list. ened the government’s power “The Migratory bird Treaty crat. Besides the BP case, hun- to enforce a century-old law Act is a bedrock environmental The migratory bird policy dreds of enforcement cases — that protects most U.S. bird law that is critical to protect- was among dozens of Trump- targeting utilities, oil compa- species. ing migratory birds and restor- era environmental actions nies and wind energy develop- The Interior Department ing declining bird populations,” Biden ordered reconsidered on ers — resulted in criminal announcement comes after Haaland said in a statement. his first day in office. Former fines and civil penalties total- officials in March said they The prohibition against acci- federal officials, environmen- ing $5.8 million between 2010 were reversing a Trump policy dental bird deaths was used tal groups and Democrats in and 2018. that ended criminal prosecu- most notably in a $100 million Congress said many of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- tions against companies settlement by energy company Trump rules were aimed at vice officials have said rela- responsible for bird deaths BP after the 2010 Gulf of Mexi- benefiting private industry at tively few of the cases end that could have been prevent- co oil spill killed about 100,000 the expense of conservation.