Birds of a feather don't always flock together.

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

The Montana Department of Corrections wants to increase its pheasant-raising program by more than ten times. But research shows that 95% of the chicks raised don’t survive a year, and now lawmakers and some hunting groups are calling for the state to halt the program that they said could also be endangering the wild bird population.

Meanwhile, scientists at Yellowstone National Park describe the only place in the park where hydrocarbons exist (and they stink). Finally, we’re once again picking a fight with our neighbors to the north, as President Donald Trump slaps tariffs on Canada. Last week, he threatened to put tariffs on them for wildfire smoke, but on Monday, he said they were implemented because Canada taxes American goods.

As Montana prepares for an invasion of smoke from Canada and the wildfires burning there, columnist George Wuerthner said that the Trump administration’s approach to embracing more fossil fuels almost guarantees more forest fires.

Career government workers and leaders from both Republican and Democratic administrations came together to speak out about the gutting of the United States Department of Education and plans to dismantle its program, sending them to other federal agencies.

A federal judge has temporarily put on hold a law that would ban advertisements for the “abortion pill” in South Dakota. Lawmakers have attempted to make it illegal to even advertise the pill, but a federal judge wants to examine whether that violates the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Family members, residents and leaders in Memphis want to know more about the death of a worker who was shot at Burger King by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Members of the National Guard have been in the nation’s largest minority majority city for months, based on President Trump’s declaration of an immigration emergency.

Speaking of immigration and ICE agents, the Border Security Czar, Tom Homan, has said that ICE agents will begin to wear body cameras for arrests and other stops, including traffic stops — where several people have been shot by agents during these stops.

A federal court judge has said that the Trump administration and officials at the Department of The Interior must preserve evidence from the Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., which allegedly was vandalized by a former Olympic canoeist. Meanwhile, other reporting suggests that either applying the liner incorrectly or even the president’s motorcade could be to blame for the peeling blue liner.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said that it is rescinding part of the public warning about consuming lettuce from Taylor Farms. The FDA said that a false positive of cyclospora had caused people getting sick in at least five different states with symptoms being described as “explosive diarrhea.”

As Montanans are being hit with another wave of heat, and as the Montana Public Service Commission considers pending rate hikes, Stateline News looks at multiple regions of America, finding that energy companies are rising rates quickly, making it unlikely that anyone is going to get relief from escalating energy costs.  

Note: some links may lead to stories behind a news organization's paywall

Our colleagues at the South Dakota Searchlight report that the state’s largest philanthropic figure, T. Denny Sanford, has died. His name, synonymous with healthcare both in South Dakota and North Dakota, has also been affiliated with many other worthwhile projects. He gave more than $4 billion to charitable causes.

The U.S. Third Circuit of Appeals Courts ruled for at least the third time that the New Jersey Legislature’s attempt at bans on assault rifles and other guns fails to pass constitutional muster and the Second Amendment, according to our colleagues at the New Jersey Monitor.

And in a battle that is sounding more and more familiar to those of us in Montana, a Democrat running for United States House of Representatives in Alaska has dropped out while the party has thrown its support to the independent candidate, according to the Alaska Beacon.

The word for related things happening happily together by chance — serendipity — defines what happened to me this weekend. If you’re a subscriber to our weekend newsletter, you may remember that I just finished reading a great biography of Edgar Allan Poe by Mark Dawidziak.

And as I was perusing a pile of vinyl, trying to stay cool this past weekend, I came across a 1976 album from The Alan Parsons Project. It was the first of their albums and characterized their experimental and outside-the-box programming that both attracted and alienated fans. The album, “Tales of Mystery and Imagination — Edgar Allan Poe,” was a fusion of contemporary 1970s rock music with the literature of Poe. All the songs were taken from and inspired by Poe’s literary works.

While I can’t say I loved every track on the album, it was an absolute thrill to hear how musicians interpret the words and stories of Poe, who could have never imagined records let alone sharing his life’s work and its progeny via email, like this newsletter.

It was a reimagining of “The Raven” by Poe that helped launch the band that would give us many great 1970s and 1980s pop tunes, including “Eye In The Sky.” Many concept albums are hard to love and are usually only cherished by super-fans of any artist, but this was approachable, and it took the creepy, fantastical vibes and transformed them into a musical thought experiment that was accessible and fun to listen to. It actually featured some songs that actually may be played again.

We also got this great note from one of our frequent eDJs and friend, Rick Meis, who noticed the book blurb, too. He shares this story:

“The first album I ever owned was an LP, mono not stereo, of Basil Rathbone reading Poe. I memorized many of his poems as a kid. ‘The Raven’ and ‘Anabelle Lee,’ for example, were two favorites. Maybe that was because the only thing on the radio was yucky pop country western music, which I still abhor (despite a small handful of great musicians barely represented).  

“Almost 25 years ago, I drove to Shelby, caught the Empire Builder and got off the Pennsylvanian in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where my sis picked me up. A couple days later, we took the train into the center of Philly, saw the historical sites, had the best Reuben sandwich at an Irish pub, and eventually made our trek to the last place on the list – Poe's home.  It was almost closing time.  No one was there.  The director was excited to have a pair of Poe fans and gave us an amazing tour and lecture ... from her perspective.” 

If you have a song that you’d like to share, or would like to get in touch with us, please send us a note at [email protected]

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