Michael Howell

Ravalli County Weed District employees did not just find a new home to house their operation; they pretty much built it. Or, more exactly, they rebuilt the old Victor Volunteer Fire Department to meet their needs. Just to be clear, they re-modeled the old fire hall themselves with their own sweat, labor and tools. If […]

Ravalli County Commissioners last week officially adopted a COVID-19 Emerge Strong Plan which aims to serve as “a blueprint to emerge from the pandemic with renewed economic resilience and continue being a powerful engine for Montana’s economy,” according to the title of the report.  The plan identifies the major problem areas in the local economy […]

There are new digs going in at Ambrose Creek Community Park and golden shovels glistened as several Three Mile community members broke ground for the long dreamed of community meeting center. Luckily they were backed up by Randy Nentwig on his excavator. It’s been a long time coming. The effort to build the center began […]

Ravalli County Clerk and Recorder Regina Plettenberg has notified Stevensville Mayor Brandon Dewey that enough signatures on the recall petition submitted against him had been verified to trigger the next stage in the process in which the Mayor will have until June 4th to respond with a written statement to be placed on the ballot […]

The Stevensville Town Council has not legally met since March 20, 2020, the day it adopted its COVID-19 emergency declaration suspending all regular meetings in the face of a looming pandemic. Although the Governor of Montana issued guidelines instructing local government how it could go about holding meetings, including over the internet on Zoom, to […]

Hamilton City Judge Michael Reardon has announced his intention to retire as soon as the City Council can appoint a replacement. At a City Council meeting on May 5, Mayor Farrenkopf was authorized to advertise the position at a starting salary of $60,000 plus benefits. Reardon indicated that he would resign as soon as a […]

Hamilton City Judge Michael Reardon was quick to put to rest any notion that his recently announced retirement in mid-term was due to some dissatisfaction with the job. He said it wasn’t any frustration with the job or for any lack of support from the city. So why is he retiring now? “I’m seventy-two and […]

After more than a month with no new COVID-19 cases, the Ravalli County COVID-19 Incident Management Team reported on May 17, 2020 at 11:30 a.m. that the results of a ‘rapid test’ from a person in Ravalli County having COVID-19 symptoms, were positive. In the meantime, the 50 to 60 year old male is in […]

The fate of the Bitterroot College District after the May 5, 2020 election is anything but clear as the voters approved the formation of the district by a heavy margin but turned around and declined to approve the levy that would fund it. Both of the closely related issues were placed on the ballot separately […]

Montana Commissioner of Political Practices Jeffrey Mangan received a complaint about Stevensville Mayor Brandon Dewey from Stevensville resident Jim Crews on April 23. Crews lodged a complaint about Dewey’s use of the Town’s website to comment on and defend himself against the recall petition that is currently being circulated. Crews claims the mayor is using […]

National Hospital Week is following close on the heels of National Nursing Week and, of course, they have a lot to do with one another. This year, Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital and the nursing staff at the hospital and associated clinics have found themselves, like the rest of us, facing a pandemic crying out for […]

Will there be live music concerts in the ‘new normal’? Debra and Jason Hicks, founders of the Joan Zen Band, like many professional musicians across the nation are not immune from the catastrophic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The Bitterroot Star asked Debra Hicks to share with us the impacts of this epidemic and the measures […]