The Stevensville Town Council went awry last week when one of the two applicants for the vacant council position withdrew his application during the public comment period and the other applicant was, without an interview and without council discussion, unanimously rejected. Before any agenda items were considered, the mayor read some email correspondence into the […]
GSK invests $100M in Hamilton facility
In a press release from its U.S. office in Philadelphia, PA, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced recently “$100 million of new investment in its manufacturing site in Hamilton, Montana to expand the production capacity of key components of the adjuvant system used in several of GSK’s vaccines, including SHINGRIX, which was approved by the US Food and […]
Time to get ‘Bear Aware’ in the Bitterroot
The Bitterroot National Forest Supervisor’s Office in Hamilton hosted an open house last Thursday to provide bear awareness information to Bitterroot Valley residents. The free event featured the Montana Bear Education Working Group’s Bear Aware trailer, bear spray demonstrations, and a bear safety training session for the public. Bear education coordinator Danielle Oyler […]
Earth Stewardship Program gets students out in the field
As predictable as the return of loons in spring, young students from across the valley who have participated in the Earth Stewardship Program sponsored by the Bitter Root Water Forum over the course of the school year, began spilling out into the forest for an actual day out in the field. Last week it was […]
Stevi council errs in stopping meeting for lack of town clerk
Misinterpreting state law, the Stevensville Town Council abruptly adjourned its latest town council meeting without conducting any business last week, claiming that council cannot meet without the Town Clerk being present. Town Clerk Audree Tribbensee recently resigned due to what she called a hostile work environment created by council members. The Town’s Chief Finance Officer, […]
Road, curb improvement work now in progress in Stevi area
Eastside Highway through Stevensville Motorists in the Stevensville area will need to exercise caution while driving through Stevensville beginning Wednesday, May 20. The Montana Department of Transportation is updating sidewalk corners along Secondary 269 (Main Street) through downtown Stevensville in conjunction with planned pavement preservation efforts. Approximately 20 curb ramps are being updated as part […]
Growing conservation easements in the Burnt Fork
Another conservation easement is winding its way through the county’s Open Lands Bond process as the Bitterroot Land Trust slowly adds to its long list of success stories in the Burnt Fork area of the Bitterroot. On April 15, the Ravalli County Commissioners gave conditional approval to a request for use of Open Lands Bond […]
Stevensville school bonds approved
A whopping 52%, or, 3,908 out of the 7,523 registered voters in the Stevensville School District turned out to vote on two bond propositions in the recent election. Both bonds were approved. The $6,369,000 elementary school bond was approved by a vote of 1,596 to 1,243. The $14,169,000 high school bond was approved by a […]
A plea to preserve Old Growth
When Van Keele first came upon the ancient Ponderosa Pine that had been felled as part of a Forest Service tree-felling training session in the spring of 2018, he was appalled. Counting the tree’s rings, it was estimated to be about 565 years old. That means it started growing around the time Constantinople fell and […]
Connecting classrooms and community
Stevensville School District has had an advisory program up and running for a few years called Connecting Classrooms, in which classrooms of different grades are “buddied up” with one another. Once a month, each class “connects” with its buddy class and engages in some project together. Elementary School Principal Jessica Shourd said that the Connecting […]
Applications to mine gravel near Big Creek found deficient
The Department of Environmental Quality recently issued letters of deficiency to a couple of landowners in the Victor area who have applied for permits to mine gravel in the vicinity of Big Creek. The letters of deficiency, dated April 25, 2019, read pretty much the same for both Todd Townsend and Wade Moudy, citing the […]
Celebrating nurses
As part of National Nurses Week, Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital participated with other regional hospitals and medical employers in a celebration of their nursing staffs by soliciting nominations for Nursing Awards based on letters of nomination submitted by their patients and peers. According to Marcus Daly’s Marketing and Communications Director, Amy James-Linton, the hospital performed […]