Fairgrounds now closed at night Three juveniles have been cited in Youth Court by the Hamilton City Police on felony burglary and criminal mischief charges. The male juveniles are 11, 12 and 13 years old. The juveniles were cited following an investigation of a couple of break-ins at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds that took place […]
Hamilton airport closed for construction
By Michael Howell As of Tuesday, April 6 at 7 a.m., Ravalli County Airport was officially shut down for construction of a new runway and is expected to remain closed through June 30, 2021. Runway 17-35 is scheduled to open July 1, but some partial/short term closures can be expected through October. The new 5,200-foot […]
Hamilton amends municipal codes
The City of Hamilton has agreed to submit a joint application with Ravalli County to the Montana Department of Commerce for a Community Development Block Grant-Economic Development Program (CDBG-ED) grant. According to Julie Foster, Executive Director of the Ravalli County Economic Development Authority, the CDBG-ED program is a federally funded program for communities of less […]
NIH scientists use human cerebral organoid to test drug for deadly brain disease
It was about two years ago that National Institutes of Allergies and Infectious Diseases researcher Dr. Cathryn Haigh at Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Hamilton held aloft a flask containing cerebral organoids, a laboratory produced “mini-brain,” that she and her team of scientists used to demonstrate that a prion disease, in this case sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease […]
Glass recycling event scheduled
It’s not every day that Bitterrooters get the chance to have their glass waste recycled without having to drive to Missoula. In fact, it’s about one day per year. It is only thanks to the continuing efforts of Ravalli County Recycling that our next chance is even coming up, so you don’t want to miss […]
Kate Stone named biologist of the year
Kate Stone of Stevensville was recently selected to receive the Biologist of the Year Award by the Montana Chapter of the Wildlife Society. Awards are given annually in recognition of Montana wildlife professionals who exemplify remarkable professional contributions to wildlife science and/or conservation. Co-workers, supervisees, supervisors, and other professional or public associates of a candidate […]
New animal shelter about to open
It’s been a long time coming, but the Bitter Root Humane Association’s new facility located on Fairgrounds Road is very close to opening. For board members, staff and many, many critters, the new facility is a dream about to come true. The vision of a new, safer, more “humane” animal shelter first gained traction close […]
From coal to clean energy
The Bitterroot Climate Action Group hosted a Zoom meeting last week featuring a presentation on climate change and the efforts to transition from fossil fuel sources to renewable energy sources like solar, wind and water. In her presentation, Ann Hedges, Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs at the Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC), discussed Montana’s […]
Vigil held for crash victims on Highway 93
Looking at his watch, Bill Howe said, “In two hours it will be one week since it happened.” Nodding towards the highway he said, “You can still see the tire tracks on the road out there.” We were standing just a few yards from the site where his sister-in-law Christine Howe died last Wednesday while […]
Vaccine delivery to Ravalli County jumps by 600%
Ravalli County’s supply of vaccine doses against the COVID-19 virus jumped a whopping 600% in the first week of February as the county received a 600 dose delivery from the state. They had been regularly receiving 100 doses per week for the last five weeks and administering 20 doses a day. According to Commission Chair […]
Hamilton revises Municipal Code to meet new gun laws
The Hamilton City Council is in the process of amending various provisions of the city’s municipal code by repealing some sections, modifying others, and making some additions. The first of the proposed changes specifically addressed what is allowed and what is prohibited in terms of firearm possession in City parks and public buildings as a […]
Hamilton may maintain prohibition against medical marijuana dispensaries
In 2017, after medical marijuana use was legalized in the state, the City of Hamilton placed a temporary prohibition on medical marijuana dispensaries in store fronts until rule-making was done by the state of Montana. Since then the rule-making has been done but the City hasn’t taken any action. According to City Planner Matthew […]