We're not an agriculture state. We're not a mining state. We're a tourism state.

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

Good morning and welcome to a new week, folks. Today, we begin with a story that points to a mismatch between what state leaders say about Montana, and what money says about Montana. While we often cling to our agricultural or mining heritage as an identity, reports show definitively that Montana is a tourism-based, recreational state.

Meanwhile, on the national scene, President Donald Trump lashes out to defend a large settlement fund that has been repeatedly called a “slush fund” that would be open to any American who feels they have been victimized by federal government “lawfare,” but the Commander-in-Chief has said the purpose is to aid those convicted of Jan. 6 insurrection, a group that Trump has referred to as the most mistreated group in American history.

One of the lesser popular ideas that has been championed and pushed by the Trump administration is the notion to dismantle the entire United States Department of Education. Politicians worry that closing the department will have far-reaching consequences for some of the most vulnerable students (think special education or even those victims of civil rights violations). A United States Senate panel has rejected some of those changes, which means it is becoming harder to see a reality where the Department of Education disappears.

Immigration advocates are worried that expiring funding will exacerbate an already tragic situation. Funding that gives legal assistance and aid to children who have crossed the border without parents is expiring, leaving these already vulnerable kids in a much more difficult position.

Let’s just be clear: The purpose of this section is not to make anyone feel old. And we fully recognize that this is a Monday.

Aug. 1 marks a fairly significant pop music anniversary. Forty-five years ago on Saturday, a cable television channel, Music Television, or “MTV” for short, launched, which would — as much as anything — help define the decade. For many of us who grew up during that era, we’re nostalgic and would welcome the return of a channel dedicated to nothing but music videos and maybe a few episodes of “Beavis and Butt-Head” sprinkled in.

Most people know — either because they witnessed it or because it’s become a ubiquitous trivia question — that the Buggles’ “Video Killed The Radio Star” was the first video played on the network, a fitting and foretelling video. However, most people don’t remember the second video to air on the network. That honor belongs to Pat Benatar, a great artist who was as popular of an artist as there was in the 1980s. Sadly, she still doesn’t quite get proper credit for being one of the defining female voices during the height of 1980s pop music, and she deserves consideration with the likes of Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, and groups like The Bangles and Go-Gos.

This song, “You Better Run,” not only is a song by an artist who is often forgotten, but is a song that has all but vanished from our collective musical memory. That’s a shame because there are so many elements in this video that would come to define the look and style of 1980s music.

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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