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HAMILTON — Former Ravalli County Sheriff Jay Printz took the microphone during a question-and-answer period following a presentation Monday claiming election anomalies and rigging in the county during the 2020 and 2022 elections. “Not a one of these guys here is corrupt or dishonest or doing anything illegal,” Printz...

A special meeting of the Ravalli County Commission turned tense at points Monday as a group of citizens spent nearly five hours presenting local elected officials with what they claimed was irrefutable evidence of rampant corruption in Montana’s elections. The event at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds was scheduled in...

It was standing room only along Main Street in downtown Corvallis for the 103rd Annual Memorial Day Parade. The parade was put on by the Corvallis American Legion Post #91, the Auxiliary Unit of Post #91 as well as the Terry Nobles Squadron of Corvallis Post #91. Since 1920, the Corvallis American Legion has hosted the parade in downtown Corvallis. This year’s parade theme was “Be the One.”

The best bareback riders in the world descended on the Richard Cromwell Memorial Rodeo Grounds in Darby on June 2nd & 3rd for the Yellowstone Darby XTREME Bareback competition. Kaycee Feild, the 6-time World Champion from Genola, Utah, scored 93.5 points on Pickett Pro Rodeo Company’s Night Crawler in the...

On a recent Friday, Saturday and Sunday Montana Junior High cowboys and cowgirls met in Darby, Montana to compete in the Montana Junior High State Rodeo Finals. The weekend consisted of two go rounds Friday and Saturday with a short go on Sunday where the top ten in each event competed for year end standings.

There is a saying that it takes a village to raise a child. I believe it takes a village to make a strong community. In the ‘community’ of the Bitterroot Valley, there is a couple that has worked to make this valley we call home a better community. Michael and Victoria Howell have been working to do this for almost 38 years. Now it’s our turn to show them some appreciation and love.

HAMILTON, Mont. — Bitter Root Day celebrates the Salish at the Ravalli County Museum in Hamilton on June 10. The day kicks off at 9 a.m., with the cultural heritage festival features traditional Salish drummers and dancers and a celebration of the Bitterroot flower. There are events for everyone,...

The Florence girls softball team had another successful season, winning Divisionals and qualifying for State. As such, the following Florence players were honored with post-season awards:. Rylee Yeoman – All-State & 1st Team All-Conference. Maggie Schneiter – All-State & 1st Team All-Conference. Ava Philbrick – 2nd Team All-Conference...

CORVALLIS — What Olivia Lewis did this season for Corvallis High School can be described in one word: historic. Arguably no one in Montana had a more dynamic track and field season than Lewis, and the junior capped it off last weekend in Laurel with three individual state titles and a team championship for the Blue Devils.

HAMILTON, Mont. - A motorcyclist was killed in a crash near Hamilton Tuesday afternoon. Montana Highway Patrol reports a Dodge Dakota was southbound on US-93 when it made a left turn across both northbound lanes. A Kawasaki motorcycle traveling in the northbound lanes reportedly struck the Dodge as it turned.

HAMILTON, Mont. - A motorcyclist was killed in a crash near Hamilton Tuesday afternoon.

Bette Jean Bedey, 87, of Hamilton passed away in her sleep on April 10, 2023, while receiving hospice care at the BeeHive Homes. She had been independent and active until only a few months before her death when the toll of age finally caught up with her. On that day when she met the Lord, He undoubtedly greeted her with two words: “Well done.”

A 38-year-old motorcyclist from Lolo died on Tuesday in a two-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 93 in Ravalli County.

On Tuesday, May 23, the driver of a Stevensville school bus was pulled over and the driver given a sobriety test. The driver is said to have run into a fence near Ridge Lane and Three Mile Creek Road. After striking the fence, Janette Sessions, the driver of the school bus, was reported by students to have fallen out of her seat. She retook her position in the driver’s seat and continued to drive, after which she picked up more students. The charging documents mention that there were at least two children under the age of 14 and 10 children of 14 years or older present during the initial impacts. She picked up an additional 11 children throughout the morning before finally being pulled over by a state trooper. The defendant admitted that the children on the bus requested that she stop, but she refused to do so. Sessions also admitted to taking anti-anxiety medication of an unknown variety as well as aspirin. After performing the sobriety test on Sessions, the trooper determined that Sessions was in fact under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Sessions showed difficulties with balance, perception and coordination. Blood samples were taken and the Sessions was taken into custody.

HAMILTON, Mont. — “We thought we were moving to the country. To farmland.”. Those words, spoken by Kathy Matranga at a recent Ravalli County Planning Board meeting, speak volumes about the pressure on land development in western Montana. Matranga spoke in opposition to the proposed Sapphire Heights subdivision that would bring 12 new homes into an area largely surrounded by ranches in the Bitterroot Valley. Matranga was not alone in her opposition.

The Class C State Track & Field meet was in Laurel on May 25-27. The Darby boys finished in 6th overall. Darby’s William Martin had an excellent meet. Martin finished 2nd in the 200m (22.92), 2nd in the 300m hurdles (40.07), and 3rd in the 110m hurdles (15.79). Darby’s 4x400m relay team of McCoy Townsend, Cullen Duggan, William Martin, and Peyton Ehmann took 3rd (3:32.32). Darby’s Lily Adair took 3rd in the 1600m (5:24.11) and 4th in the 3200m (11:50.77).

The tennis teams of Hamilton and Corvallis competed in the Class A State Tennis Tournament in Missoula on May 25-26. For Hamilton, Andy Purcell defeated Polson’s Torrin Ellis 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 to become the Class A Boys Singles State Champion. Colin Hanley placed 5th in boy’s singles, and the boy’s team took 2nd place overall. Ciara Hanley placed 5th in girl’s singles.

The U.S. Forest Service has approved a plan by a pair of mining exploration companies to continue preliminary surveys in the southern Bitterroot valley. The companies believe there may be a deposit of rare earth minerals at the site. The Bitterroot National Forest announced on May 30 they had approved...

This Memorial Day, Christina Cain, a Missoula social worker who was raised in Stevensville, was afforded the opportunity to be a part of an outreach program in Washington D.C. Cain is a licensed clinical social worker and therapist who works for a branch of the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Readjustment Counseling Services. Based in Missoula at the Missoula Vet Center, Cain was nominated by her directer there to take part in the event.

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.