LATEST NEWS

HAMILTON — On Tuesday night, Frenchtown relief pitcher Matthew Kleinsmith could be heard talking to fans of his team over the fence separating spectators from ballplayers.

Kathleen Marie Briggeman (Lass) passed away peacefully at the Hamilton Assisted Living facility in Hamilton, Montana, on March 3, 2023. Kathy was born to Thomas and Eleanor Lass on March 13, 1943, in Beresford, South Dakota. She was the oldest of three children (sister Elizabeth and brother Tommy). Kathy grew up in Beresford and graduated from Beresford High School in 1961. After high school she attended Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in education. After earning her degree she moved to Oak Knoll, California, where she began a teaching career...

Ravalli Republic, Hamilton, Mont. Mar. 15—Sapphire Lutheran Homes is hosting a fundraising dinner on March 24 for the new fire station being built by the City of Hamilton. Dominic Farrenkopf, mayor and SLH community life director, said the Hamilton Volunteer Fire Department is in “dire need of a new fire station” and that raising funds is important as inflation has increased the building costs.

MISSOULA, Mont. — The City of Hamilton warns that feral rabbits are damaging property. Officials warn that they can transmit disease and drastically damage flowers, vegetables, trees and shrubs. Hamilton is hiring a trapper to live trap and humanely dispose of the feral rabbits. Officials ask you not to...

The group of people who’d come to Chapter One Bookstore to meet renowned author David Quammen had already filled the front of the store by the time the event got underway last Wednesday, March 8th. Bookstore co-owner Mara Luther was very pleased to see the turnout, saying that it is important for bookstores to help build connections between readers and authors. In the case of David Quammen, Luther says that his time in Hamilton was particularly exciting, not only because of his impressive writing career, but because he is a Montanan and had come to town, in part, to meet with representatives of the Rocky Mountain Lab.

The Corvallis School District state on social media that law enforcement is on scene and "we are in a secure status."

The historic Sheep Creek Columbite Deposit Mine Site is located approximately 38 miles south of Darby in Ravalli County.

The story of the Class A State girls tournament in Bozeman on March 9th-11th was the dominance of the teams from Eastern Montana. The Eastern A teams took all four places, and no team from the West beat a team from the East. The Hamilton girls lost, 49-71, in their first round game against Billings Central on Thursday, March 9th. This sent them to a loser out game against Browning on Friday where they played a great game and won, 68-47. Finally, they played Laurel in the consolation semifinal and lost, 58-62. This ended a successful season for the Lady Broncs where they took 2nd in divisionals and won a game at the state tournament. They will miss seniors Taryn Searle, Layne Kearns, and Alexes Brenneman, but the future looks bright for Hamilton as they have a strong group of girls coming back next year.

The difference between winning and losing in Class A boys basketball is razor thin. For example, Hamilton and Dillon were by all measures equal teams this season, with Hamilton going 2-1 versus the Beavers and each of those games decided by 2 points or less. But at State in Bozeman on March 9th-11th, Hamilton was eliminated after losing two tough games and Dillon got hot and was the state runner up. It’s hard to predict what might happen once the game starts.

FLORENCE — Florence-Carlton High School celebrated a signing day for student-athletes who will take their talents to the college level next year. Six athletes from Florence were honored on Tuesday for making their college commitments official. That included:. Patrick Duchien who will play football at Montana State. Ryan Winters...

Montana is often described as a place with such natural beauty that it moves and inspires people, or so would be said by the authors of “On a Benediction of Wind.” The book pairs photography and poetry pertaining to the natural world and was conceived and based on the Bitterroot Valley and Stevensville. The piece was recently awarded the 2022 Montana Book Award of the year. Photographer Barbara Michelman, and writer Charles Finn, worked for some time to create what they describe, as a “good meal” paired with a “fine wine.”

MISSOULA, Mont. — Black bears are emerging from hibernation. Over the last three weeks, three have been spotted in the Missoula area. One was reported in the University District near the Rattlesnake confluence, another in West Riverside on Woody Mountain and a third near Stevensville. Montana Fish, Wildlife and...

The money would be used to bridge the funding gap that has been created due to rising operating costs.

Bitterroot Health broke ground last Wednesday for a new planned healthcare facility in Darby. The facility will be called the Darby Scripps Clinic, and according to Bitterroot Health CEO, John Bishop, the facility will be over 7,000 square feet. The facility project took two years to plan and will include space for walk-in service, limited emergency services, an X-ray suite, primary care facilities, home for the ambulance, rehabilitation services and crew and a future pharmacy. The latter will come after the building is operational. The facility will also be taking on a new doctor, Carlee Kalbfleisch, MD. In total, it will cost over $6 million and is planned to reach completion by late 2023. Bishop spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony about the goals of Bitterroot Health, and said though they are headquartered in Hamilton, “the valley as a whole is primarily what our mission is.”

On March 9th, following a public hearing, the Stevensville Town Council approved the final plat for Phase I of the Burnt Fork Estates subdivision. Phase I involves six lots for single-family residential homes on the newly named Sassafras Court cul de sac on the south side of Creekside Drive and to the west of Syringa with access off Creekside Drive.

The Bitterroot National Forest signed the Decision Notice for the 48,486-acre Mud Creek Project in January. The decision authorized the forest to move forward with planning and implementing fuels reduction, vegetation management, and transportation system activities southwest of Darby. As part of the implementation planning process, West Fork District Ranger...

A new exhibit at the Ravalli County Museum in Hamilton is helping to mark the county's 130th birthday.

The Stevensville School unveiled a state of the art Athletic Improvement Center (AIC) on Wednesday, March 8th. A diverse group of community members had given their time, effort, and donations to help establish the new facility and were honored with a first look at the center. The Stevensville School District...

The first annual Montana Matters Banquet went off without a hitch, say event organizers. Tom Powers, a leading member of Montana Matters and Montana Conservation Elders, wanted to thank everyone involved with the event. “This is definitely a great committee to work with. They are a crack team. Everybody bent over backwards to make this a successful event and everybody is owed a big thank you.” He especially wanted to put out a big thank you to Tracey Manning.

Summit Career Center is accepting applications for its spring 2023 program in Stevensville through March 20, with classes beginning April 3. The center’s new Missoula program is also accepting new students; applications are due by May 22, with classes beginning June 5. The center prepares motivated adults, who are...