Everyone wants in on the data center discussion.

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

Today, we begin by reporting that one of the hottest events that people want to see is at the Montana Public Service Commission as it wrestles with power-hungry data centers. Dozens of groups want to intervene in the case, worried that these large, well-heeled developers may push the centers through literally at the expense of residential and smaller Montana customers.

And for a very brief period, officials at Glacier National Park say they’ve reopened the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Stay tuned for updates from those same officials saying that snow has closed the high-elevation twisty-turny road.

Finally, a federal court judge in Washington, D.C., has said that a plan by the Trump administration to merge voter data from individual states with the Department of Homeland Security is illegal and cited concerns about the privacy of voters’ data.

Columnist Rich Bechtel writes that for those who came together at the 1972 Constitutional Convention in Helena, it’s hard to underestimate the impact that the changes that happened with the new constitution. Now, Montana residents probably take for granted that they can watch nearly every legislative meeting and know how their representatives and senators vote.

The United States Department of Education has said that it will temporarily trim the interest rate for student borrowers who are still paying on their student debt. The two-year commitment will be available for many borrowers and be applied to those who use the auto-pay function.

President Donald J. Trump will be coming near Montana soon. He will plan to head to Medora, North Dakota, on July 1 to visit and tour the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library as well as to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. Still no word yet on whether he plans to visit Mount Rushmore for its fireworks closer to July 4, despite Trump’s recent posting on social media of what the monument would look like if he added his own face.

The Trump Administration announces that it will begin to scrutinize states that have exceptions or waivers for the Medicaid program. Some of those exceptions and waivers have been tailored to help states administer the federal healthcare program. The administration said it will begin to look even harder and be strict with those exceptions.

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

The Washington Post reports large chunks of the newly painted reflecting pool the National Mall in Washington, D.C., are surfacing after the new coat of “American flag blue” was applied. For his part, President Donald Trump has blamed the mess on vandals, although scientists and experts say the algae, the aging structure, and an unproven solution like “nanobubbler” (which has now entered the national lexicon) are the more likely culprits. Scientists have pointed out that gallons and gallons of industrial strength hydrogen peroxide that were dumped into the pool likely could have contributed to the result, too.

Our next two stories come to us from The New York Times, which reports that the number of “gray divorces” has been sky-rocketing. Gray divorces are often characterized as those who are older than 50, have been married for years, if not decades, and the couples often have children approaching adulthood. The reporting says that while divorce across all age groups tends to be dropping, “gray divorces” are an exception. Often, the relationships have been described as either empty or stagnant. However, divorce at that age often comes with new opportunities, and new challenges — like being prepared financially for retirement.

The New York Times, like so many other outlets, has reported that Great Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces that he’ll be stepping down after a new Labour Party leader is selected. Starmer, whose grasp on power was always shaky, announced his resignation on Monday, even though it had been speculated for days if not weeks. Starmer is the seventh British leader in a decade — a testament to global political instability (during a two-decade period not so long ago, England only had three prime ministers).

One of the most targeted Republicans in the Montana Legislature was George Nikolakakos, who faced off in a primary challenge against Randy Pinocci, who is a current member of the Montana Public Service Commission as well as a former legislator himself.

Nikolakakos, from Cascade County, had been targeted because of his willingness to work with other legislators who were Democrats and because of his more moderate views, which were seen as a betrayal by some in the GOP, including Chairman of the Montana Republican Party Art Wittich.

Nikolakakos won handily, and has not seemed to mind the pressure within his own party, calling out Wittich and others for demanding blind loyalty to the party instead of working to find solutions to the Treasure State’s problems. Apparently, others joined in to wish him well, including the leader of Americans For Prosperity’s Montana chapter.

That note of congratulations included an outline of AFP’s upcoming legislative priorities. Nikolakakos took to social media to respond. You can watch the short video here.

On Monday, legendary music industry leader Clive Davis died at the age of 93. He was known for his work at Columbia Records working with everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Aretha Franklin to Bob Dylan and even Milli Vanilli. He was an attorney who had a terrific ear when it came to spotting hits and then making them sparkle. Though he was not without controversy, the list of songs and artists he influenced and helped means that without him, the canon of American pop music would sound a lot different without Davis. In addition to an obituary, The New York Times also included a Spotify play list of 11 songs that helped define Davis’ career.

Today, we are spotlighting one of those songs, Alicia Keys’ 2004 hit, “Fallin.’” In addition to being one of his later hits and “discoveries,” Keys was also the artist he promoted and championed, even when others didn’t see the same things. He proved them wrong, signing her to his new record label, J. The album took five grammys, proving that he had not just an ear for a hit, but proved that he could do it across decades, changing to fit different or new musical tastes.

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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