Molnar asks judge to suspend his suspension.

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

Happy Tuesday folks. You made it through Monday — well done.

Today, we begin with Montana Public Service Commissioner Brad Molnar heading to court, this time to state court. He’s asking Lewis and Clark District Court Judge Mike Menahan to stop Gov. Greg Gianforte from imposing a one-year suspension and halting a yet-unnamed appointee from taking his place during the highly consequential proposed merger of NorthWestern Energy and Black Hills Energy.

And Montana Senate Republicans want to give Gianforte a policy win that he began when he started his first term: A uniform state income tax rate — set at 4.7%. He calls it the most fair approach out there, but Democrats say it’s the most regressive form of the tax.

Noted Montana author and Shelby native James Grady said that Montana should be extra proud during its 250th birthday. Few states have the tools that the Treasure State does, as Grady says in a column, and we can address many of the critical problems facing us because of our unique, flexible and visionary Montana Constitution of 1972.

States are becoming increasingly concerned because of new rules the Trump administration has put into place on Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, often referred to as “food stamps.” The new rules will place more pressure on states, costing billions, while some experts fear that this is a way to gut the program, potentially leaving millions without this safety-net assistance.

Twelve states have banded together to object to the mega-media-merger of Warner Brothers and Paramount, which could consolidate a huge swath of popular entertainment into one large company.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has appointed Darline Graham Nordone, the sister of Lindsey Graham, to fill out the remainder of his term in the United States Senate. Graham’s sudden death stunned the country. He arrived back in the United States from a trip to Ukraine just hours before doctors say an aortic dissection suddenly caused the death of one President Donald Trump’s biggest allies in Republican politics.  

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It turns out that we have more in common with bees than we think. In addition to liking the smell of flowers and being fond of honey, scientists have recently discovered that bumblebees actually lick their … uh, lips — who knew?!? — after feasting on a tasty treat, according to the Smithsonian magazine. And, those same bees also seem put off by bad tastes, too.

Investigate West did some digging into posts that seem to be pro-Russia and use derogatory descriptions of some people and racial slurs. The online publication revealed the identity of the man, Sam Wolkenhauer, employed as an economist for the State of Idaho.

We have featured columnist Stephen Maly previously. Today we’d suggest his blog, Freshpolitique, in which he explores different topics, often related to Montana. We were enchanted by a recent post that started with a simple question: Why did Montana adopt its state motto in Spanish? It turns out that is related to what first drew Europeans to the area — mining.

Last week, forecasters and meteorologists were warning residents to take shelter inside, especially those east of the Continental Divide, which encompasses approximately two-thirds of the state. From Livingston to the border, it was predicted that the hot weather wouldn’t just be hot — it would be record-setting hot on Sunday. For July in summer in Montana, that is really hot. A check of the National Weather Service in Billings reported that four key locations either tied or broke the all-time heat records. It may also mark the first time that — according to our super-scientific survey — not a person could be found at the largest park in the largest city, Billings’ Pioneer Park.

The heat, while technically subsiding, is still supposed to be in the triple digits for the remainder of this week and into the weekend. Here are the records that were either tied or broken Sunday, according to the NWS:

Billings 111 degrees (Tied record)
Livingston 105 degrees (Record)
Miles City 115 degrees (Record)
Baker 110 degrees (Record)

Nobody was hotter during the disco era than Donna Summer. I mean with a last name like “Summer,” you had to be hot, right? And her breathless sighing on one her biggest hits, “Love To Love You, Baby,” got the song banned on some radio stations for being too suggestive.

Few artists were better during the disco era, though. Summer’s vocal range and her unapologetic lyrics about being in love make her one of my favorites. While many of us cringe when we see the polyester suits and wild dancing of the mid-to-late 1970s, the dance music in almost any club or bar simply wouldn’t exist without the disco era and strong artists like Summer who did more than embrace the trend, and helped create the sounds that would become the foundations of both hip-hop and rap.

And since the summer weather is pounding most of the state, including a scorching weekend, we’re going to play Summer’s biggest hit, “Hot Stuff.” When the song was released, it had a special album version that clocked in at nearly seven minutes. The extended version was featured on her album “Bad Girls,” and it’s pretty clear why she may have gotten herself banned. Even the prudish reaction by some radio operators never seemed to diminish her popularity or record sales. We’re selecting that version for today’s “The Hook,” and we hope by the time this version of the song is through, the heatwave will have broken.

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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