Federal judge says PSC spat is 'juvenile behavior.'

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

In celebration of Juneteenth, we take this moment to remember the nation’s continuing struggle to form a more perfect union. We remember this quotation from pioneering civil rights leader Frederick Douglass:

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."

Columnist George Ochenski writes that he remembers what happened the last time the State of Montana worked with Tom Schultz, the man President Donald Trump picked to lead the United States Forest Service. He said “Chainsaw Tom” is once again talking about the “sustainable yield” for the state’s forests, but that is a loaded term often masquerading as talk for cutting as many trees as possible.

Democratic lawmakers in Congress have proposed legislation that would bar President Trump from sending members of the Armed Forces to polling locations during the election without prior approval from lawmakers.

New reporting shows that more than half of the population in America struggled with how to pay for health insurance premiums. With rising costs everywhere, cuts to Medicaid by Congress, experts say the problem of healthcare affordability is unlikely to subside in 2026.

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

Our colleagues at the Alaska Beacon report that a former lawmaker has lost her legal fight against Alaska Airlines, which has permanently banned her from the airlines. She argued that in the expansive and rural state that booting someone from flying is an unfair restriction on her right to travel. A court didn’t agree. She had been banned during the COVID-19 pandemic by refusing to wear a mask.

A Republican lawmaker in Tennessee wants to make a few tweaks to the state’s book banning statutes. Apparently, there’s been a lot of book-banning activity, but he believes the decision to boot a book from the shelf of a public or school library should ultimately belong to someone who is elected, according to the Tennessee Lookout.

Scientists have discovered a new, previously unidentified, octopus, according to Smithsonian magazine. This tiny blue creature is about the size of a hand and was discovered more than a mile below the surface of the water around the Galapagos Islands.

On Wednesday night, I attended a great concert from a great band — The Dead South, which has been touring and with stops in Montana. They visited downtown Billings for an open air concert that brought together one of the most interesting cross-sections of audience I have seen. From older gentlemen in hats and suspenders to punk-goth fans, their high-octane hillbilly mix of country, bluegrass and roots music was a testament to how much sound can be produced from four instruments — including a cello. I would classify the band’s music as “Americana” although the band is from Canada.

I first got hooked on the band after their hit “In Hell I’ll Be In Good Company” — a sort of personal anthem for me. We’ve featured that song and amazing video previously. Though most of their songs feature amazing musicianship played at finger-breaking speeds, I was especially fond of their slower song, “Broken Cowboy,” which we feature today. It’s a song that tells of the high hopes of being young, slowly being crushed by life’s events as we age.

Broken Cowboy
(lyrics by members of The Dead South)

It's been a long dark dirty road
And pocket full of gold
I've been out here now
All on my own
It's real quiet here
Just the way I like it here
There's no one to bother me
Except

In 1955, born into Wadena's pride
I laid my head on that
Milligan creek bed
When I was a young man
I helped build this land
Oh, I put down these rails as a
CPR man

Thought I'd live forever
With my heart in my pocket
Oh, my gun by my side
And my feelings in a locket

Well, that was a cold year in '77
But I married my wife
We had two kids
I gave her a daughter
She gave me a son
And we rode those damn horses 'til we had none

Fist still like flyin'
Doing things for dyin'
Oh, I should have put that old gun away

Well I, I am a broken Cowboy
And I don't feel right no more
'Cause I am a broken Cowboy

Livin' life in the fast lane
Racing cars and robbing trains
I thought I had it all
Then one day, I got the call
A father's worst dream
My son went down and I

The colours deceive me
As I see grey
Oh, you're cutting me down with those
Cold words you're saying
Then you called me, brother
But this can't be so, 'cause you
Slander my name, anywhere the wind will blow

Well, I am a broken cowboy
And I don't feel right no more
'Cause I am a broken cowboy
Yes, I am a broken cowboy

It's been a long dark dirty road
But a pocket full of gold
And I've been out here now
All on my own
Well, it's real quiet here
Just the way I like it here
There's no one to bother me
Except that old taunting tree

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]

Thanks for reading Treasure State Update. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.