Will NorthWestern Energy acknowledge climate change?

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

Happy Friday, y’all. Let me be the first to congratulate you for making it through another work week. Our first story focuses on the state’s largest utility, NorthWestern Energy, and concerns that it continues to run toward fossil fuels even as climate change continues to present a threat to the state. Others worry that the energy company isn’t being completely transparent about data centers and the strain it could place on ratepayers.

Meanwhile, 10 different Montanans have been honored by the Montana Historical Society for being spotlighted at the Capitol for contributing to the state and nation. So, go ahead: Celebrate Montana!

Republican senators have broken with their fellow party members and joined with Democrats to vote in favor of oversight by the United States Senate of the war in Iran. However, that still fell one vote short of halting the war, as Republicans maintained a one-vote advantage that allowed Trump to continue the aggression against Iran.

The Trump administration has said that it is not planning for mass immigration enforcement at polling locations, which would seem to address concerns that armed guards would be present during voting.

As the Trump administration has taken a more proactive stance in rounding up people living here without proper documentation, one of the concerns has been a shortage of truck drivers who transport goods across the nation. So, the administration on Thursday announced that it would be relaxing rules for veterans to get certified and licensed as drivers so that they can help fill the shortage of drivers created by the administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants.

A survey of states reveals that in 49 of the 50 states, the number of people enrolling in the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare,” has declined in all but one state (you’ll have to read to find out which one … and it isn’t Montana). That means that fewer people have the government subsidized healthcare, and leaders worry that will translate to more uncompensated medical care. That could mean that hospitals are experiencing more financial pressure, as things like medical bankruptcies increase.

Whether it’s measles, COVID-19 or explosive diarrhea, the Trump administration’s shift away from public health concerns has meant that there have been fewer testing and monitoring protocols, putting state and federal officials at a disadvantage as they try to get a handle on public health threats.

The United States Senate has passed along President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Diseason Control and Prevention, Erica Schwartz. Originally, there was some concern about Schwartz, including from outgoing lame-duck Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who is a doctor. The concern stems from not recommending public health policy that matches with science, but in a narrow vote on Thursday, a Senate panel recommended forwarding her nomination to the full Senate.

Speaking of U.S. Senate confirmations, the Republican-led Senate has confirmed Keith Sonderling, the nominee to lead the United States Department of Labor.

Many states are wrestling with the role of cell phones and even the presence of the internet in classrooms. A survey of state government shows that many states are voting to limit the amount of screen time that students can have.

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This is like something from a James Bond movie: The New York Times is reporting that a man is being charged with interfering in an investigation after authorities asked him for his passcode to gain access to his cellular phone. He gave them an “emergency” code, which wiped the data from his phone. While the technology to do that has been around for awhile, it is the first time that federal authorities pinned charges to an offender for refusing to turn over data on the cell phone.

Several of you appreciated the Jackson Browne selection from yesterday and added your suggestions, which we will certainly get to. A name that cropped up in several of your emails was a rockabilly and country sensation, Wanda Jackson, who defied expectations and was so revolutionary that even popular music had a hard time containing her.

Jackson started out as a rockabilly artist — that is, a female rock artist at a time when arguably the most controversial female figure in rock-and-roll was someone like Patti Page. But Jackson was not content to sing nice, easy-going ballads. She was a rocker, and she refused to take a backseat to people even such as Elvis Presley. She was rumored to have a brief dating history with Elvis, but she was so independent and wild that even the king couldn’t quite contain her. Record executives tried to relegate her, and she resisted, even if record companies largely relegated her music to country. That’s an important point: The rock-and-roll genre was so dominated by male artists that it didn’t even know what to do with Jackson.

History has helped correct that oversight, but her song, “Let’s Have A Party,” seems not only a perfect selection as we approach the weekend, but it’s a great example of her rock-and-roll bonafides. She recorded it, but many DJs and radio stations didn’t even know if it was acceptable for a woman to sing about rock-and-roll and having a party. It would take more than 30 years for her to be accepted as one of the pioneers of rock-and-roll, even though she had been largely relegated to the country charts where women, like Patsy Cline, Patti Page and Gogi Grant were more acceptable.

So, go ahead … have a party. Wanda would have wanted it that way.

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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