Decision on transgender documents shows rifts in Montana Supreme Court.

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

"Such court opinions will not endure, nor should they. The court will have to take a future opportunity, hopefully on a more complete district court record and with parties who have standing all of their claims to clean up this mess and discern the right constitutional holding. Between that day and this, we must suffer the consequences of today’s judicial misadventures." – Cory Swanson, chief justice of the Montana Supreme Court, on the majority decision that affirmed transgender Montana residents can change their birth certificate or driver’s license.

As the Montana Public Service Commission gets ready to tackle a large merger between the state’s largest public utility, NorthWestern Energy and Black Hills Corp, groups are raising concerns that it will eliminate jobs in Montana, put the leadership out of state, and they say it looks more like an acquisition than merger.

Montana’s Auditor James Brown announces that while there has been a large increase in the number of fraud cases reported to his office, his staff has helped thwart more than $1 million in fraud. 

The United States Senate makes another attempt at trying to rein in the power of President Donald Trump when it comes to his ability to make war in Iran. And, like the other attempts, the Republican-led Senate was unable to implement a war powers resolution that could have placed more Congressional oversight on the issue.

As “Tax Day” comes and goes in 2026, both Democrats and Republicans have used the time to point out changes in law. Members of the GOP celebrate, saying that President Donald Trump and Republican legislation has meant more money back, while Democrats said that the tax cuts that should be alleviating more financial pain for the average resident have instead gone to large income earners who don’t need the ehlp.

A review of President Trump’s upcoming budget shows that he’s saving money by offering fewer services and support for those who are out of a job and looking for employment. Funding for job training and other programs is being cut.

As a partial government shutdown continues, Republicans in the U.S. Senate say they’ll figure out how to fund Homeland Security and specifically immigration without Democratic support. That will force both chambers of Congress to agree to a specific plan and use the cumbersome reconciliation process to get funding for the department through without any Democratic support.

As the economy in America continues to be turbulent with rising prices and worries about inflation and energy, states are reporting that more are buying gold and some people even have debit cards backed by gold.

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The New York Times reports that a new and growing movement among conservative families supports the idea of “household voting.” That is, one household gets one vote and that would be used by the male in a traditional household setting. Some women support either repealing the right of women’s suffrage because of a version of the family traditionally espoused by conservative Christians, which believe that the male or husband is the head of the household and wives and children are called to be submissive to his authority.

Montana still has ties to the Washington Commanders football team, thanks to Montana’s U.S. Sen. Steve Daines insisting on the ownership retaining some kind of acknowledgement to the old Redskins logo that was designed by a Montana resident. However, The Washington Post reports that a new alternate version of a jersey announced for the upcoming football season is causing new controversy because it emphasizes an arrow or spear, recalling the old logo, which was discontinued because of appropriating Native American culture and iconography.  

James Brown — not to be confused with Montana’s Auditor — was always called the hardest working man in show business. He was known for his smooth dancing moves, his colorful stage outfits, and an unyielding dedication to producing music that was just packed with sound and precision.

Still for as much as he was a legend — Brown was Michael Jackson before Michael Jackson, captivating people with dance moves that seem as impossible as they were graceful — he didn’t have as much success on the pop charts, being relegated to the “rhythm and blues” category, which limited his airplay on many radio stations. And yet, there’s no way to have rap and hip-hop without James Brown. He literally helped define the category for both its high energy use of a variety of sounds, horns and sampling.

Let’s face it: Growing up in Montana, we didn’t hear as much of James Brown as we should have. Sure, there was the well-known “I Got You (I Feel Good),” and when you grew up in the 1980s, there was the popular “Living In America,” but Brown’s genius exists in so many albums, and his pigeonholing by record executives because he refused to cede artistic control of his music to some record executives who thought they knew better.

That’s why it’s still a joyful thing to “discover” Brown. Today’s "“The Hook” is a great example of Brown’s rediscovery — and it’s shared. When he released the song “People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul,” it passed by without much popular airplay. But it was reused during the Spider-Man and “Spiderverse” franchise, and what amazes me is how much this particular song seems to presage what modern hip-hop would sound like — even though when it was released Richard M. Nixon was still president.

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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