Politics

Wayne Rusk is the wrong choice for Ravalli County and Montana. This greatly saddens me to write because I was both a vocal supporter and financial supporter of Mr. Rusk in his successful run for HD88. However, if you believe like I do your representatives should represent constituents’ values and needs, you will find yourself not supporting Wayne Rusk for his bid to unseat Theresa Manzella. Here is why:

There is something about shopping at garage sales. You get this feeling like you are a treasure hunter, searching for bargains on stuff that somebody else doesn't want. You never know what you will find. A barely used designer handbag? An old lamp made out of mallard duck carvings? Maybe a vintage set of cocktail glasses that say "Kiss me, I'm Irish?" It all depends on what you are looking for.

A moose and were calf were spotted on Wednesday morning in the South Third Street area of downtown Hamilton.

There is something about shopping at garage sales. You get this feeling like you are a treasure hunter, searching for bargains on stuff that somebody else doesn't want. You never know what you will find. A barely used designer handbag? An old lamp made out of mallard duck carvings? Maybe a vintage set of cocktail glasses that say "Kiss me, I'm Irish?" It all depends on what you are looking for.

​​Recently, Congressman Zinke announced he secured $1,000,000 in funding for Ravalli County and nearly $35 million for Western Montana. Here in Ravalli County, we cannot thank Congressman Zinke enough. The funding will be used to fix Ricketts Road in Hamilton. The road is in dire need of repair, and this funding will help restore the road to a usable state. Zinke’s promises are not just words, he delivers. His work on the Appropriations Committee has proven to bring results back to Montana. So happy to see one of our elected representatives bring results for the Bitterroot Valley. I look forward to more elected leaders working to take care of Ravalli County in their representation. Great work, sir! Thank you, Congressman Zinke, for your continued work for Montana.

BUTTE, MT - What does your dream home look like to you? We all have the ideal vision of a future dream home. No matter where you are in life, you always seem to have a version of a dream home that is usually unobtainable, though that's not necessarily a bad thing, and usually impossible to create or find. That's the whole point: it's dreamy and it's fun to think about. I for one am always happy with what I have, but I think its healthy to dream big and be creative with it.

BUTTE, MT - What does your dream home look like to you? We all have the ideal vision of a future dream home. No matter where you are in life, you always seem to have a version of a dream home that is usually unobtainable, though that's not necessarily a bad thing, and usually impossible to create or find. That's the whole point: it's dreamy and it's fun to think about. I for one am always happy with what I have, but I think its healthy to dream big and be creative with it.

Smoke is a common sight in our Bitterroot Valley whether it is spring, summer, winter, or fall. During the summer months, smoke from wildfires in neighboring counties, states, or Canada may be the culprit, but in the spring and fall the smoke is usually home grown. It primarily comes from residents burning debris piles, prescribed fires, or agricultural burns. Safe, controlled fire is a great way to dispose of yard waste, slash and dead vegetation. It promotes new growth and restores nutrients to the system, but the smoke that it creates can be hazardous to public health. While wildfire smoke is more hazardous to health than prescribed fire smoke, it is important that we work to manage the smoke that we can to reduce the impacts as best we can.

I don’t even know where to start with this one. It would be my hope that individuals who like to rant, strike that, complain about standard governmental policies and standards, especially those individuals who are (or have) run for elected positions representing the people of Montana (and Ravalli County), would at least somewhat educate themselves before said rant. A quick search of the Montana Secretary of State website, (so quick it’s the VERY first sentence), that: “[a}ny registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.” (https://sosmt.gov/elections/absentee/) Unlike Ms. Lackey’s mis-informed and outlandish opinion, there is no “criteria” to vote absentee (in Ravalli County or anywhere else in Montana) other than being a registered voter. despite her belief that “[a]bsentee ballots are supposed to have strict guidelines; they are not for everyone just because they apply.” Whether she wants to argue that the option for voting is solely for “military, someone who is in a nursing home or homebound … Grandma” or justify that absentee voting is a product of COVID and now “we” should return to how things were prior is displaced and backwards. The clear intent of MCA 13-13-201 in plain language reads that “any registered voter can vote absentee” (emphasis added). In my opinion, which I do not believe I am alone in holding, wanting society to “return to how things were prior” simply sounds like a way to potentially limit opposing views to those of Ms. Lackey and her husband. Expanding the options to facilitate voting, especially in extremely rural counties like Ravalli County, simply help “Get Out the Vote” and remove many (MANY) barriers to voting in Montana. I myself have voted absentee since I initially registered to vote (many more years ago than I’d like to admit) and will continue to vote in that manner every option I have. Some of us have much busier lives, many more obligations and responsibilities, and do not have the luxuries of soling sending our opinions to the editors as our self-proclaimed hobby.

BUTTE, MT - What does your dream home look like to you? We all have the ideal vision of a future dream home. No matter where you are in life, you always seem to have a version of a dream home that is usually unobtainable, though that's not necessarily a bad thing, and usually impossible to create or find. That's the whole point: it's dreamy and it's fun to think about. I for one am always happy with what I have, but I think its healthy to dream big and be creative with it.

BUTTE, MT - What does your dream home look like to you? We all have the ideal vision of a future dream home. No matter where you are in life, you always seem to have a version of a dream home that is usually unobtainable, though that's not necessarily a bad thing, and usually impossible to create or find. That's the whole point: it's dreamy and it's fun to think about. I for one am always happy with what I have, but I think its healthy to dream big and be creative with it.

Last Saturday, a group of community members and officials gathered in Hamilton to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new home. According to Bill Bean, director of operations for Ravalli County Habitat for Humanity, this is the culmination of a several year long journey for this family. Dan and Coleen Fernandez...

Both the Ravalli County Board of Commissioners (BCC) and some conservationists have made public statements recently opposing any plans to actively reintroduce an experimental Grizzly Bear population into the Bitterroot Ecosystem. The statements were made in response to a request for public comments from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, as the agency is currently in the process of producing a court ordered Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) concerning Grizzly Bear recovery in the area.

The Ravalli County Planning Department is inviting public comment on floodplain application FA-23-29 for work proposed within the FEMA regulated floodplain of the Bitterroot River. The applicant is Michael Steven Jones. The project is proposing to construct a residential structure north of the existing trailer. The proposed residential structure will be served by the existing septic system and the existing trailer will be removed. The project site is located at 78 Crystal Lane, Stevensville, MT in Section 05, Township 8 North, Range 20 West, Ravalli County. Detailed information regarding this application is available for review at the Ravalli County Planning Department at 215 S 4th St, Suite F in Hamilton. Written comments may be mailed, hand-delivered or emailed (planning@rc.mt.gov) and must be received by April 3rd, 2024 (Reference Application #FA-23-29).

Help us solve this mystery. I was surprised to see an unfamiliar name in the list of people who filed with the state to run for office in the Bitterroot. Not that I know all the Democrats, but this name came out of the blue. As Chair of the Ravalli County Democratic Central Committee, I make an effort to know our candidates, ensure they have the information they need, and help them meet the various requirements that come with running for office.

Sadly, I must take the time to write this letter. I wanted to write to explain my thoughts on an event I attended sponsored by the Ravalli County Fish and Wildlife Association and Trout Unlimited about the Sheep Creek Mine. I must now, however, write and explain why it is so important for you to protect our heritage.

I read with horror, but not surprise, in the Bitterroot Star, comments made by Ravalli County Commissioners Greg Chilcot and Jeff Burrows at a meeting about homelessness in the county with City Attorney Karen Mahar. In a futile effort to get the commissioners to treat the problem with the seriousness it deserves, she spoke of its economic costs. Being rather savvy, she probably knew that an empathetic argument was a lost cause.

I am so blessed to reside in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana where this beautiful land is filled with beautiful Christian people!. Even elected officials profess their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. I see that for Vocational Education (post high school) there is already the...

Two factions of “Republicans” exist in Ravalli County today. The vocal faction is the defeated leadership of the Ravalli County Republican Central Committee (RCRCC), who, rather than assisting in a peaceful transfer of power, seeks revenge by disrupting the new leadership’s efforts to reach constituents and sowing division. These sore losers, seeking power anywhere, wrested control of the North Valley Pachyderm Club through unannounced, surprise elections, usurping the rights of legitimate members, dividing yet another conservative group.

On February 23, elements of the John Birch Society of Ravalli County met with our commissioners to angrily demand that all ballots in the future be hand counted. The turnout was so large, the meeting had to be moved from the county meeting room to the auditorium of Hamilton’s Bedford Building.