Bitterroot Star

Newly elected Stevensville Town Council member Bob Michalson was selected to serve as Council President at the January 9 Town Council meeting. Michalson served previously on the council and as president before resigning because of what he claimed were on-going illegal activities by Mayor Brandon Dewey. None of the legal complaints lodged with the Town […]

Four Ravalli County Deputy Attorneys have filed a suit in District Court against Ravalli County over unpaid wages. The attorneys allege that their Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) payments have been withheld illegally. They argue that they should have been receiving the same COLA increase as every other county employee who is not bound under […]

The Ravalli County Commissioners denied the request for an extension of the Preliminary Plat Approval granted to the Granstdale Addition major subdivision in 2011. One of the largest subdivisions ever approved by the county, the Grantsdale Addition proposed the creation of 181 lots on 67 acres at the intersection of Skalkaho Road and Grantsdale Cut-Off. […]

  There probably isn’t a ranch in the Bitterroot Valley that doesn’t have a squeeze chute in their corral system. Most were painted bright red. Built to handle cattle in an efficient and humane manner while doctoring, branding, pregnancy testing or artificially inseminating cattle, these red squeeze chutes could, and can, be found on almost […]

The Bitterroot Public Library in Hamilton is gathering petition signatures to place an additional three-mill levy on the June ballot. The request comes as the library seeks funding to support its operating expenses and allow it to continue serving a growing population in the Bitterroot Valley.  “The library board and I have not taken the […]

The Lone Rock School District Board seeks voter input on priorities for a proposed General Fund operations levy this spring. A Fact Sheet and Survey was mailed to Lone Rock District voters this week, with information about projects identified by the Board, seeking voter input. Completed survey forms need to be returned in the stamped […]

John Ellington is the Town of Stevensville’s newest police officer, having started work on December 17, 2019. Ellington is a veteran, having served in the U.S. Marine Corps infantry, serving in combat in Afghanistan. Following his five years in the Marines, Ellington attended Police Academy and then took a job as a County Sheriff’s Deputy […]

The Daly Hospital Foundation Board of Directors recently voted to disburse $500,000 from its investment earnings and targeted fundraising campaign to help Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital (MDMH) purchase a new DaVinci Robotics System for the Surgery Center.   Tom Grymes is the Treasurer for the Foundation with responsibilities to oversee the investment accounts. He said, […]

The Stevensville High School ‘We the People’  program is holding a community hearing on Thursday, January 9 at 6 p.m. in the Stevensville Multi-Purpose Choir Room. The program is in its third year and has now had over 45 students compete in this 30-year program sponsored by the Center for Civic Education. The purpose of […]

“It was a busy and productive year for the City of Hamilton,” states Hamilton Mayor Dominic Farrenkopf at the beginning of his 2019 Mayor Report to the City Council. His report offers a month by month account of the City’s accomplishments which he attributes to the efforts made by the City Council, City Employees, County […]

Just like that, the year 2019 is behind us and we welcome not only a new year, but a new decade as well. With any transition or change in time, many of us take time to reflect on the previous year. Hopefully, that reflection leads us to strive to do better than the year before. […]

Governor Steve Bullock and First Lady Lisa Bullock last week announced nearly $28,000 in private grant funding to implement the Breakfast After the Bell program in an additional eight Montana schools. Florence-Carlton School was one of the eight schools that will receive funding. “Starting the school day with a nutritional breakfast allows students to focus […]

Water and sewer customers in Stevensville may have noticed an inaccurate usage reading on their January 2, 2020 bill. According the Town’s Finance Department, the software system that manages the billing functions for the Town’s water and sewer utilities incorrectly interpreted meter reading data and billed all customers at their base rate. While the issue […]

Mike Hansen’s family has owned land up the West Fork of the Bitterroot for a long time. He is an avid fisherman and has enjoyed fishing since the 1950s on a stretch of the West Fork that he can walk to from his house. He is especially avid about wade fishing. “If you can suddenly […]