Opinion

  Somehow I cannot believe that the Ravalli County Planning Board has not yet figured out that it needs to listen to the public it represents! It seems obvious that […]

  “Only an armed people are a sovereign people and only armed people are free.” Really? I don’t exactly want to argue, just to point out that very few people […]

  The ability to comment on proposed state and federal government regulations is an important right for all Americans. Since we live in a republic, not a direct democracy, public […]

  Four of five comments concerning my March 8, 2013 letter to the editor said I lied. I quoted but didn’t list references for three studies, all of which should […]

  I am formally requesting that Commissioners Foss and Stoltz recuse themselves from deliberating about and voting on Legacy Ranch Subdivision. Commissioners Stoltz and Foss both received maximum contributions from […]

By Diane Wright, Chief Development Officer, American Red Cross of Montana When Hurricane Sandy struck last October, Montana Brownie Troop 3623 immediately took action. Realizing that many hurricane victims did […]

Interesting letters in the paper of late: freedom, freemen, water and dog rights. What is freedom? So many definitions and so many passionate pleas. We must know what it is […]

  The Ravalli County Commissioners Still working on the railroad   Now, what to do with The coming “payload”   Never should have got there (and that includes Stevi and […]

It appears to me that people don’t know, or understand, our Constitution. They have blinders on and don’t see the reason why our Founding Fathers put the 2nd Amendment into […]

  The Ravalli County Beta Sigma Phi chapters thank the citizens and businesses of the Bitterroot Valley for their support of our annual Good Friday Tulip Sale. Because of your […]

  Is cooperation dead? As Mike Dennison said on Saturday, “not the most flattering picture of their political skills or decorum.” Will the meltdown change the attitude of cooperation? My […]

  Throughout the 63rd legislative session, members of both parties have touted their efforts to create jobs and strengthen Montana’s economy. Whether it is reducing tax burdens on small business […]

  For a number of months, NorthWestern Energy has been working to find a suitable location for a new electric substation in the Stevensville area. The substation is intended to […]

I’ve been reading with interest the back and forth letters between Jerry Haslip and Van Keele. Mr. Keele and I have some differing views, but on this one Van nails […]

  I hadn’t realized until I read the Bitterroot Star last week that our commission was protesting the $25 filing fee to object to the Forest Service’s water right applications […]

  As our community continues to move forward on the path of providing a free, public skatepark for the Bitterroot, one of the questions that some are asking is about […]

  It was an historic day. The voting board showed all green, not a single red, or no, vote. Not even one! As the voting took place, which is just […]

By Patricia Meakin, Stevensville If we are going to fight wars, we should be willing to take care of our injured veterans in an expedient manner. Yet, hundreds of thousands […]

  In 1996, the Montana Freemen were a well-known group. I’ve heard Ravalli County Sheriff Printz rode out on horseback to negotiate their surrender, later to win a court case […]

  What is freedom? Is it a figment of our minds, a desire like trust, like faith, like love, hope or is it perhaps something similar to all of these […]