By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief
“Not being a politician, I had no idea who Art was, so I called him, and he returned my call, and he said, ‘You know I am the chair of the state Republican Party?’" – Giuseppe “Gman” Caltabiano, who ran for Republican Precinct representative against Art Wittich, the head of the Montana Republican Party — and won.
Montana Senate race takes shape as Bankhead emerges from Democratic primary
by Jordan Hansen
HELENA — With music bumping in a backroom at the Rialto Bar, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alani Bankhead was pacing, in a little bit of a shock following her Tuesday night victory in the party’s primary. Bankhead, seemingly out of nowhere, won by almost 12,000 votes over Reilly Neill, who had been campaigning for the […]
Whitefish councilor beats state GOP Chairman Art Wittich for precinct committee seat
by Keila Szpaller
When Giuseppe “GMan” Caltabiano put his name in the hat for Republican precinct “committee man” in Flathead County, he figured he’d be running unopposed. Those officers elect party leaders and vote at county GOP conventions for delegates to the state convention, where delegates to the Republican National Committee convention are elected. Caltabiano, on the Whitefish […]
Federal appeals court denies youth climate lawsuit against Trump executive orders
by Micah Drew
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in a June 2 ruling rejected a youth-led constitutional climate lawsuit seeking to overturn three of President Donald Trump’s executive orders aimed at supporting the fossil fuel industry, curbing renewable energy and suppressing climate science. A three-judge panel agreed with a Montana District Court judge who dismissed the […]
MORE FROM MONTANA
When all the votes were counted for Montana Public Service Commission District 1, longtime politician Jeff Pattison beat a Jeremy Trebas, who has served in the Legislature in the Republican Primary for the seat being vacated by current member Randy Pinocci, who is termed out.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
As the lieutenant governor of Utah, Republican Spencer Cox, who is now governor, created quite a sensation when he openly apologized for how he treated members of the LGBTQ+ community. The LDS leader, though, has seemed to shift to a more conservative position lately, especially as he — along with other GOP governors — declared that June was “fidelity month.”
During what was a marathon voting session, the United States Senate passes a $70 billion deal for the Department of Homeland Security with virtually no limit to what can be spent on immigration enforcement.
GOOD READS
Note: some links may lead to stories behind a news organization's paywall
Our colleagues at the South Dakota Searchlight report an effort to create a medical school in Rapid City led by Indigenous leaders who train Native American doctors, focusing especially on treatment of issues facing those communities, and preparing them to go back into tribal areas.
The Smithsonian magazine says that scientists have identified “zombie tissue,” which are cells that seem to be immortal. These aren’t cells from humans, or even engineered cells from an animal. Instead, they’re cells from the very scary … sea cucumber.
THE HOOK
When it comes to popular music, every generation tends to look back with an amount of nostalgia and envy — wishing to have seen their parents or grandparents’ generation pop stars in the prime. I remember looking at The Beatles and the artists who came from the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis with a special reverence. The fact is: I still do.
Imagine how weird it is to have your teenagers talk about how they missed the opportunity to become “mall rats,” or that they would have loved to witness the release of an album like Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” As fun as both of those things were, I never thought someone would get nostalgic about The Gap and some really bad mall pretzels.
Still, I have been collecting some of the lesser known 1980s artists as they’ve begun to circulate through the second-hand record shops. Some of the music with its overproduced electronic sound were truly awful. Other songs hold up well.
Sometimes, it comes as a shock to some who didn’t live in the 1980s that certain artists weren’t bigger. My kids assure me that everyone they know has been “Rick-rolled;” that is, everyone in their generation knows who Rick Astley is. And, if you were betting on which artists would become legendary 1980s artists, not many of us would have put money on Astley.
It’s also interesting because there’s certain songs that they don’t seem to know — and then seem confused when they hear them (I’m thinking in particular about The Bangles’ song “Walk Like An Egyptian” in which we were not interested in Egyptology, nor did we walk like them, necessarily). One of the other things that blow their mind: That Devo wasn’t as big as it is now. Though many assume that the quirky, innovative new-wave band, Devo, was bigger, they were more of a one-hit wonder. But, then again, why wouldn’t “Whip It” be a legendary song because it seems to predate the punky and funky music that would follow, and the innovative and abstract videos complete with risque undertones. But alas, to most of us who grew up with Devo, it’s interesting that they are possibly more popular now than they ever were then.
What other groups do you know of which fit that description?
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.
