By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief
“What did they fear a bunch of geriatric 90-year-olds were going to say?” – Montana Public Service Commissioner Brad Molnar, after the PSC tried to stop public comment.
PSC waffles on allowing public comment at ‘atrocious’ meeting
by Keila Szpaller
A lawyer for the Public Service Commission argued Tuesday against allowing members of the public who are part of 350 Montana to testify about a proposed and controversial merger. Then, the PSC didn’t discuss the merger, which was on its agenda. “There was no explanation given by anybody,” said Jim Parker, one member of the […]
Supreme Court takes up climate case testing local lawsuits against oil companies
by Alex Brown
The Supreme Court announced Monday that it will hear a significant climate lawsuit in which oil companies are seeking to avoid being tried in state court. The fate of several dozen climate lawsuits brought against oil companies by state and local governments could hinge on the decision, which could determine whether the cases can be […]
Poll shows Daines with sizable lead over Democratic, independent challengers
by Micah Drew
Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, who was the first candidate to file for election this month, has a substantial lead against potential challengers to his senate seat, according to a new poll. American Pulse Research & Polling, a Republican-leaning firm, released a statewide survey on Monday that looked at potential matchups for Daines, who […]
COMMENTARY
Columnist Jim Elliott has serious questions about how Montana's prison system operates. Not the part about locking criminals up. Not the part about the state running prisons. He questions the for-profit, private prison companies like CoreCivic.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
As many legislatures meet (Montana’s is not scheduled until 2027), there is some move to moderate some of the more conservative policies, for example, surrounding immigration. Then, there’s Idaho’s House of Representatives, which just introduced a resolution urging the federal government to overturn protections for gay marriage.
GOOD READS
Note: some links may lead to stories behind a news organization's paywall
As Montana continues to debate how to make housing affordable and the companion debate about property taxes, it turns out that the Big Sky State is not alone in this struggle about how to fund government without leaning so heavily on property taxes. A new report produced by The Pew Charitable Trusts shows that property taxes are a hot topic among legislators around the country, with states trying a number of different measures to bring relief. However, as most of them try to slash property taxes, it’s leaving cities and counties with decimated budgets.
Many of you have heard about the devastating cuts to Jeff Bezos’ media holding of The Washington Post. A few weeks ago, the venerable beltway journal announced that it was cutting nearly 40% of its staff, reducing the headcount by 300 — with huge changes to international news, local news and sports. In the periodical Puck, reporter Dylan Byers tells of how the top editor designed the cuts, then charged his managing editor with doing the dirty, even going so far as to lock out most people from the floor that his office was located on, further cementing his image as an aloof, out-of-touch “yes” man for Bezos. Until Bezos then fired him.
Our friends at the Alabama Reflector report that unless the governor steps in, the state will execute Charles “Sonny” Burton, a man who was involved in a killing, but did not pull the trigger and may not have even witnessed the murder. Instead, groups and even some of the victim’s family members are asking Gov. Kay Ivey for clemency in the case.
MONTANA ROCKS
As you probably know, we make periodic sweeps through our elected leaders’ social media accounts, and we came across Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte posing with President Donald Trump last week at the governor’s meeting in the White House. Here is another posting from Gianforte, this one with the two first ladies, one of the United States, the other from Montana.
THE HOOK
Most people know the British Band The Small Faces because of their 1967 hit song, “Itchycoo Park,” a sort of hard-rock-for-its time. It’s certainly continuing a theme here on “The Hook” of early forerunners of heavy rock or even metal. Other people know that after the band broke it, it reassembled as The Faces, this time with a young Rod Stewart as part of the band. It continued its edgy sound, and spliced in more bluesy riffs to boot.
One of our good friends points out the “A” side of “Itchycoo Park” was the hit, but he only has one 45 RPM in his entire collection, and he’s fond of the “B” side, “I’m Only Dreaming.” Just like our conversation of credible B-sides, this song is definitely a product of it’s time, slightly dreamy and psychedelic. While the song “I’m Only Dreaming” was just that — a long-forgotten B side, as I was trolling around the internet, it appears that among Faces fans, this is a favorite.
Do you have a favorite B-side that you believe is way too overlooked? We’d love to hear your stories and your take.
P.S. You probably heard about our earlier switch to a new email software template. We hope that’s working well for you. One of it’s new features is embedding YouTube videos, which are a daily staple. So, instead of clicking-through on a link, you can simply hover over song (see below) and click the “YouTube” play icon.
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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