Say 'Aloha' to the Hawaii Plan.

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

Today we begin in Mont … er, Hawai’i, which just passed a plan to boot corporate spending from their state’s politics. If that sounds familiar, it should because it’s the same thing as the “Montana Plan,” except that lawmakers there agreed to pass it, while in the Treasure State, it may take the people at the ballot box to accomplish the same thing. Next, is that Democrats, largely from the West, in Congress want to know more about how the Trump administration may have diverted funds used to support national parks, like Glacier and Yellowstone, instead went to the 250th birthday celebration for America in D.C. And we learned a few things about the temporary peace plan with Iran, but the White House still refused to put any of it in writing.

Pastor Dawn Maurer Skerritt who is a United Methodist pastor in Great Falls said that if you read the Bible and study scripture, you can see that Jesus was on the side of laborers and those who worked in community — and that’s why workers must have a voice when it comes to fair compensation and the ability to earn just wages.

Our friends at Stateline have provided an in-depth look at the latest threat to America: The New World Screwworm, which has been detected in cattle near the country’s southern border. While the Trump administration has blamed former U.S. President Joe Biden for the outbreak, here’s what to know about the pest.

At a United States Senate hearing on Wednesday, senators pressed President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency on what he thought the role of the agency is, and how he would handle requests for aid. A bipartisan group of senators have worried about the nomination because the administration seems resolute on shuttering the agency, or at least making states pay more for disaster recovery. There were also concerns that states led by Republicans have been treated differently than those led by Democrats.

The Federal Trade Commission and four states have joined together in a lawsuit that says parents and youth were misled about the medical and surgical procedures for minors who sought treatment for gender dysphoria.

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

Here’s a story that we love because it combines so many elements that we love: sports, Boston and beer. Our friends at ESPN reported that Sam Adams, the venerable pioneer of microbrewing, was nearly running out of beer in the Boston area after a bunch of thirsty Scottish soccer fans consumed more beer than officials had anticipated. Officials there had underestimated the amount of beer being consumed by a factor of four, and had to start additional deliveries to keep the taps from running dry.

CNN is reporting more problems with the Capitol reflecting pool that blew through the budget and is supposed to match the blue in the American flag. Apparently the White House is scrambling to fix a new algae bloom, and has been telling various media outlets that the algae there — a perennial problem that has vexed the site — will be gone soon, after installing nanobubblers to eliminate the green sludge. The problem is that the nanobubblers do not seem to be helping and dumping gallons of industrial strength hydrogen peroxide could be dangerous to birds and humans.

The Washington Post covered the first meeting of Kevin Warsh, who has become the head of the Federal Reserve Bank. The bank held the line of interest rates, drawing concerns from both conservatives and liberals who say the fed should be ready to act more quickly to reports of rising costs and inflation, even as Warsh feels the pressure to lower rates, which runs the risk of overheating the economy, causing more inflation.

We found this intriguing map that estimates the time it takes to travel across the states. I do have some questions about the map, including that, say, it only takes four hours to get across the Dakotas. That seems overly optimistic. And I am not sure it takes 11 hours to cross Washington while only needing 10 hours to cross California.

But, I also wondered: With gas prices, how much does it cost in money to drive across the state of Montana? Of course, that depends on which route you take and what you’re driving. However, we assumed a person averages 65 mph, and it takes 15 hours to drive across the state (as the map said). We also assumed average fuel economy, which, according to several sources was listed at 27.2 miles per gallon for the year 2025.

Taking all of that together, with gas at around $4.10 per gallon, that means that it would cost a person $146.61 to make it across the Big Sky State. 

As for traveling across Hawaii by boat … we’ll let someone else do the math on that.

Speaking of Hawaii, especially because they seem to have been very clever and crafty at beating us to political reform (please see our top story), I can think of so many songs that either come from Hawaii or have been inspired by the beautiful state.

I also recall recently that one of our readers was reading her Treasure State Update on a recent trip back to the island to watch a family member’s graduation. Mary Furlong gave this helpful suggestion for island-based music: “You might enjoy Waimanalo Blues by Country Comfort.  They used to play around Oahu. I stop whatever I'm doing when it pops up in my playlist. Amazing how many times I have heard it at a tourist venue where most folks don't understand the lyrics.”

WAIMANALO BLUES

Wind's gonna blow, so I'm gonna go down on the road again
Starting where the mountains left me, I'm up where I began
Where I will go, the wind only knows good time's around the bend
Get in my car, goin' too far, never comin' back again

Tired and worn, I woke up this mornin', found that I was confused
Spun right around and found I had lost the things that I couldn't lose

The beaches they sell to build their hotels, my father's and I once knew
Birds all along sunlight at dawn, singing Waimanalo blues

Down on the road with mountains so old, far on the countryside
Birds on the wing forget in a while
So I'm headed for the windward side
And all of your dreams, sometimes it just seems that I'm just along for the ride
Some they will cry because they have pride for someone who's loved here died

The beaches they sell to build their hotels, my father's and I once knew
Birds all along sunlight at dawn, singing Waimanalo blues

Singing Waimanalo blues
Singing Waimanalo blues
Singing Waimanalo blues
Singing Waimanalo blues
Singing Waimanalo blues

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.