The end of an era in Butte: Pekin Noodle House closes.

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

“It comes with the territory. You take a look at what’s happened to some of our greatest presidents, and it doesn’t happen to people that don’t do anything,” – President Donald Trump, after gunfire at the White House Press Correspondents dinner in Washington D.C.

Veteran and columnist Ed Saunders said that there are indeed issues with the VA, but for every negative, he can think of 10 other positive things about the care that many veterans receive at the healthcare centers.

While Vice President JD Vance has pledged to root out fraud within the Medicare and Medicaid, the Trump administration through Centers for Medicare and Medicaid leader Dr. Mehmet Oz said the federal government would be cracking down on fraud in not just Democrat-led states, but all 50 states. Meanwhile, state officials push back that the incidents of fraud are much lower than private insurance companies.

A federal appeals court deals the Trump administration a legal setback as it says that those who come to the southern border seeking asylum do not have to stay in a different country, and can come to the county. The ruling said that the executive branch does not have the power to set law like that; instead, it is up to Congress to set the rules.

The U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., has announced that it will drop its investigation into current Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell. The Trump administration likely dropped the pursuit when Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina in the U.S. Senate had threatened to stall confirmation of future federal reserve nominees.

As Montana looks for ways to more rapidly reduce the number of gray wolves in the state, our friends not too far away in Washington report one of the largest rebounds for the species, as the gray wolf population there sets a new high.

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

Our colleagues at the Alaska Beacon report that due to troubling reports of abuse of youth who were housed in psychiatric facilities and programs that the Legislature there is going to implement more oversight of minors. Several years ago, Montana became the epicenter of youth counseling and rehabilitation programs which had failed to protect young adults and children from abuse or exposure to extreme environments without any licensing, supervision or parental consent.

And, Montana is not the only state to have bear problems. New Hampshire apparently is seeing more and more black bears as people are traveling farther into bear country there, according to the New Hampshire Bulletin.

In a fascinating article in the Smithsonian magazine, scientists haven’t just documented a rare Iberian lynx, but they’ve also discovered that the big cats use water and pools to drown already dead prey. Scientists theorize that it softens up the prey for their kittens to eat, proving that cats can use tools to help them survive.

I have a very soft spot in my heart for The Monkees —the popular late 1960s band that got its start as a literal made-for-television band. By no means were the four group members the first teenagers to be exploited or manufactured to sell songs; I can think of folks like Fabian, Bobby Rydell and Annette Funicello a half generation before who were made to sell surf and beach movies. And, from the Osmonds to the hit show “American Idol,” some performers and stars are manufactured. The Monkees were no exception to that rule. I think what surprises me still is that they were pretty good at creating credible pop hits. Granted, while they were producing “Daydream Believer,” The Beatles were producing “Sergeant Peppers’ Lonely Hearts Club Band.” So, there was a gradation already of how “heavy” or “hard” the rock was, even then. Still, as pop hits go, I find The Monkees particularly satisfying when it comes to plain ol’ radio rock-and-roll music.

And yet one of the tragedies of the band is that they will always be relegated to the very surface-level bubblegum pop, although even I would challenge that assertion because some of their deep cuts from albums reveal a level of sophistication that didn’t quite make it to the radio or the goofy, slapstick television series. Maybe the greatest tragedy of the band was that Michael Nesmith — arguably the truest musician in the group — could never quite shake the plasticky pop reputation. But, after The Monkees, he went onto record a mountain of good music, some of which made the charts. He wrote Linda Ronstadt’s “Different Drum” and “Some of Shelly’s Blues.” And his albums are chocked full of interesting, sophisticated pop songs.

I have been relistening to many of them, which means: Stay tuned, Hooksters. But, I came across one that even I had missed previously. It’s Monday, and I am not sure who needs to hear, this, but”Keep On” from the 1972 album, “And The Hits Keep On Coming” is one that deserves more than the obscurity it got.

Keep On
By Michael Nesmith

Consider the source, and ignore, if you can
Whatever is said to undo the plan
Consider the source, and ignore it, my friend
You're doing just fine, keep on keepin' on

Keep in mind the difference between courage and will
Don't be afraid to stop what you've begun
These straight folks think that winning
Gives them license to kill
But number good is better than number one

Consider the source, and ignore, if you can
Whatever is said to undo the plan
Consider the source, and ignore it, my friend
You're doing just fine, keep on keepin' on

The eye that cast dispersions on the quiet way of life
Is lost among the past, and partly blind
And aggressive undermining of what you know is right
Is the work of fools who think without their mind

Consider the source, and ignore, if you can
Whatever is said to undo the plan
Consider the source, and ignore it, my friend
You're doing just fine, keep on keepin' on

With a gentle overturning of the darkness for the light
Extend yourself with caution to the call
And should tomorrow find you moving slowly through the night
Don't let their cries of terror make you fall

Consider the source, and ignore, if you can
Whatever is said to undo the plan
Consider the source, and ignore it, my friend
You're doing just fine, keep on keepin' on
You're doing just fine, keep on keepin' on
You're doing just fine, so keep on keepin' on

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