Montana is in hot water. And everyone knows it.

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

“Everybody with a flat-brimmed hat and a cool boat, and a Toyota Tacoma is a guide, right? You look at the Madison River, a lot of cool boats, a lot of cool dudes. They’re all guides? That’s not the case.”– Mike Bias, Montana Outdoor Fishing Association, speaking to state officials about the impact of more river usage in the state.

Things aren’t getting much better in airports and there’s still no end in sight for the poor Transportation Security Administration workers who are required to show up for work without pay. Republicans touted a new proposal that they said would address the concerns of Democrats but when it was proposed, the Dems balked at it, saying it neither addressed the concerns and was just a rerun of several other GOP proposals.

In an effort to lower climbing gasoline prices, President Donald Trump eases restrictions on a blend of ethanol in gasoline, hoping that mix — 15% ethanol — will provide a little relief for customers at the gas pump, as well as a boon for America’s corn farmers.

Frustrated by the lack of cooperation, Minnesota officials are suing the Trump Administration because they say the federal government won’t release or turn over information related to the shootings or other problems that were created by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after they arrived in the Twin Cities, outnumbering law local law enforcement.

South Dakota had considered different incentives to woo data centers to the state, but that effort failed. By the Legislature’s end, there were no incentives, but there were a set of regulations that would help regulate the building and operation of these power-hungry centers that are helping to fuel artificial intelligence.

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Our colleagues at the Tennessee Outlook report on a bill the Senate has proposed which would allow patients to sue doctors who they believe have “coerced” them into transgender medicine.

One of the most persistent — and yet debunked — myths is that of former U.S. President William Howard Taft, who has been fat-shamed from beyond the grave for allegedly getting stuck in a bathtub in the White House that was too small to fit his 350-pound frame. A researcher has identified the sources of that myth, and how it became so repeated that it wound up as fact.

Finally, in a piece of news that I have been saying for years: Dog researchers have found that contrary to popular belief, crossbreeding Poodles with other breeds, such as Golden Retrievers, doesn’t always — as fans of the breed claim — lead to collecting the most positive traits of both. While some of the crossbreeds may indeed shed a lot less, scientists have noted that some of the cross-bred dogs wind up having behavior problems and carrying along the worst traits from both breeds.

As folks begin debating President Donald Trump’s next pick for the federal bench in Montana, attorney Mark Baker responds that Katie Lane has deep Montana roots and has spent time working on issues Montana cares about.

Just a few days ago, we were talking about terrible lyrics and awful rhyming schemes. And that’s a gentle reminder, dear Hooksters, that if you have suggestions for “The Hook,” send them along our way.

So, there’s a sad art to bad songs, but then, there’s the opposite of that: The people who seem to write a hit nearly effortlessly. There are hundreds of apocryphal stories about artists who jotted down a lyric, remembered a fragment of a song from a dream, or just knocked out a song in minutes that made their entire careers. Those are the kind of people who make people like me insanely jealous as well as earning mad respect.

For today, we had a neat suggestion from Sara Walsh of Augusta. She writes:

“I have to share this most amazing video of Sons of Legion writing a terrific song from five random words/phrases provided by a friend.”

But it doesn’t stop there. The musicians gave themselves just an hour to work up a song. Again, that’s the kind of talent that should make anyone jealous and humbled. While this song appears to have been written in the past few months, we share it on Facebook where the creation of song to the finished product is shared.

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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