Buyer may consign their purchase back to support for resale. The buyer will be billed the difference between the buyer’s bid and the resale/support price. Resale/support prices will be announced at the sale.
ADD-ONS
Add-Ons are a flat fee of any amount added on top of the sale price. Add-Ons can be submited before, during, or afer the sale, and payment received no later than September 30, 2024. If any animal(s) you pay for do not sell in the Livestock Sale, your payment for that animal will be returned to you.
BUYERS’ BREAKFAST
Please join us at the Buyers’ Breakfast, 6:30 - 7:45 a.m. outside the Hornung Arena and get in on the aucton excitement! Sale Commitee and volunteers will be available to assist you.
BUYERS’ RECOGNITION
Buyers will be acknowledged with a rosete, a certficate with a photo of the member and the animal purchased, advertsement in the newspaper, and an appreciaton breakfast prior to the sale. We very much appreciate the support of our Buyers in this community who make this livestock sale such a success for our 4-H & FFA youth!
BUYERS’ PARTICIPATION
All buyers must register by mail or at the registraton table prior to bidding at the sale. All buyers will be assigned a number.
Buyers must have this number when bidding. Numbers can be picked up at the registraton table. Your name and number will be announced when awarded the bid.
If you do not receive a Buyers’ Packet in the mail or directly from a 4-H/FFA youth member, contact the Ravalli County Extension Office at (406) 375-6611 to get the appropriate forms.
Payton Weigle
Grand Champion Dairy Owner: Paytn Griffin Buyer: Grayhorse Creek Ranch
Grand Champion Swine Owner: Quintn Woirhaye Buyer: Valley Irrigaton, Inc.
Grand Champion Sheep Owner: Kealie Hixson Buyer: Valley Irrigaton, Inc.
Grand Champion Market Goat Owner: Elliana Walz
Pigman Builders
Smurft-Stone Mill waste could wash downstream
A new study, commissioned by the Clark Fork Coalition and American Rivers and conducted by local engineering and restoration frm River Design Group, reveals alarming fndings regarding food risks at the Smurft-Stone site, a former pulp mill located along the Clark Fork River near Frenchtown. The study highlights signifcant vulnerabilities at the site, where hazardous cancer-causing toxins including heavy metals, PCBs, dioxins, and furans are known to be present and could be washed downstream during a future food.
The Smurft-Stone site is currently separated from the Clark Fork River by an aging earthen berm that was never engineered to withstand fooding and is susceptible to sudden and
catastrophic failure. A food could inundate the site by piping foodwaters through rodent burrows and leftover discharge pipes in the berm, breaching the berm, or overtopping the berm. The study examines the consequences of these failures for a 66,000 cfs (cubic feet per second) food that has a 1-in-100 chance of happening each year under current conditions, and 100,000 and 130,000 cfs foods with estimated 1-in-100 and 1-in-500 annual chance, respectively, under a future climate scenario. The future climate scenario represents warmer temperatures and heavier precipitation resulting from ongoing greenhouse gas emissions.
“Recent observations and modeling indicate that the current protec-
tive measures at the Smurft-Stone site are inadequate to prevent catastrophic fooding,” said Sam Carlson, the Clark Fork Coalition’s Staf Scientist. “The consequences of a breach or overtopping event are severe, not only for the site itself but for downstream communities and the environment.”
The study underscores the unpredictability of berm failures and the escalating risks posed by climate change-induced extreme weather events. Over longer periods of time, there is greater likelihood of a large food, underscoring the need for a timely cleanup of industrial waste.
“This research serves as a stark reminder of the dynamic nature of Montana rivers and the potential for
unprecedented fooding,” noted Lisa Ronald, Western Montana Associate Conservation Director of American Rivers. “Storing toxic waste in foodprone areas is a dangerous gamble for Montanans and the river.”
Considering these fndings, stakeholders have asked the Environmental Protection Agency to include the report in its risk assessment of the Smurft-Stone site and to ultimately adopt a plan for clean-up that removes wastes within and adjacent to the Clark Fork River foodplain and reconnects the river to its historic channel.
For more information on the study’s fndings and recommendations, please visit cleansmurftnow. org/report/.
STATION: ‘Dogust’ and old fre hall
Continued from page 1
present time.
As explained by the presentation, the preferred alternative for the site is the City Hall/Library co-location alternative. Having received nearly half of the votes from public participation, this alternative would see the building once again become city hall, while also providing for an expansion of the existing library and a connection of the two buildings. The development would involve removal of the garage bays, excavation of a basement and vacation of the alley between the buildings. The newly constructed link between city hall and the library would allow for increased access through a new stairway and elevator
to service higher foors, in addition to expanded public space.
The PAR argues that the co-location alternative presents several benefts, including keeping the historic property in City ownership and recreating the town’s original city hall. The option may also drive increased foot trafc closer to downtown businesses, while also allowing the city to consider other uses for the current city hall location at 223 South 3rd Street. In regards to the Bitterroot Public Library, the PAR states, “The Library expansion space is not currently programmed, but provides a target square footage number, as recommended in the Bitterroot Public Li-
brary Community and Facility Needs Assessment, Final Report, dated May 2023.”
Following the presentation by A&E, the councilors asked a series of questions about the PAR. Naturally, the estimated cost of the overall project was of concern. The PAR estimates that the total for both the reconstruction of the historic building and the expansion of the library over a vacated alleyway would be over $20 million.
For this reason, Rohrbach once again reiterated the need for going slow.
“It’s a big project, it’s a big price tag,” he said. “We didn’t want to come tonight with the presumption that a decision could be made.” Rohrbach
went on to say that he understood that a project of such magnitude and price could take many years and would involve many steps. The PAR, he said, represents a frst step and a way for the council to open discussions.
Later in the meeting, the council heard a presentation by City Financial Administrator Craig Shepherd and ultimately adopted the budget for fscal year 2025. Shepherd thanked the mayor and council for all the work they do to help the city run and for helping to assemble the budget, which he said was balanced and that the “total requirements do agree with the total resources.”
Please note that Sapphire Community Health will be closed on Monday, Sept. 2, in observance of
Discover more about local medical services, providers and healthcare by calling 406-541-0032 or visiting www. www.sapphirechc.org
Hamilton City Council and members of Bitterroot Humane Association were present following the Mayoral Proclamation of ‘Dogust’ on August 20th. Photo by Nathan Boddy.
Tester visits Council on Aging to highlight new cost savings on drugs
U.S. Senator Jon Tester visited with seniors and local health care providers at the Ravalli County Council on Aging in Hamilton about the cost-savings he secured for Montanans on lifesaving prescription drugs.
Tester said that the cost of 10 lifesaving prescription drugs will officially be lowered as a result of the first price negotiations authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act. An estimated nearly 25,000 Montana seniors on Medicare will see cost savings thanks to Tester’s law, and Medicare enrollees across the country are expected to save $1.5 billion on out-of-pocket costs when the new prices go into effect on January 1, 2026. Tester was the only member of Montana’s congressional delegation to vote for the Inflation Reduction Act.
“Montanans should never have to choose between filling their lifesaving prescription medications and putting food on the table – that should never be the case,” said Tester. “After hearing from Montanans about the sky-high costs of prescription drugs, I took Big Pharma head-on and passed legislation to stop them from jacking up prices on Montana seniors. These cost savings for Montana seniors and taxpayers are a no brainer and I am proud to have cast my vote to get this done.”
houses, so any help that they can get, especially with their prescription drug prices, is a big help because it’s helping that money go to food and to other things... About a third of our people here in Ravalli County are seniors ages 60 and above, and quite a few of those are veterans as well, and we would just like to thank you for your work with our programs and for supporting aging services in Montana.”
“Jeff has been a heart patient and was prescribed Jardiance in the early part of the year,”said senior
ter’s support for the provision in the Inflation Reduction Act that allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices is going to have a positive direct impact on the health of Montanans.”
Tester backed provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act that permit Medicare to negotiate the price of covered prescription drugs for the first time ever. The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is required to negotiate prices with drug manufacturers for 10 qualifying drugs for 2026, 15 drugs for each of 2027 and 2028,
price for 30- day Supply for CY 2026: $197
· Percentage saved from new price: 62%
· Estimated number of Montana Medicare enrollees who utilize the medication: 4,486
4. Januvia – used as a once-daily prescription pill that helps lower blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes.
· List Price for 30-day Supply, CY 2023: $527
· NEW Negotiated maximum price for 30- day Supply for CY 2026: $113
Tester was joined by Cathy Orr, Executive Director, Ravalli County Council on Aging; Yvonne and Jeff Gritzner, Bitterroot seniors; and Dr. Kathleen Harder-Brouwer, owner and physician at Ravalli Family Medicine.
“Thank you so much for being here with us today, Senator Tester… we appreciate your efforts to help seniors in Ravalli County with their drug costs,” said Cathy Orr, Executive Director, Ravalli County Council on Aging. “Costs are going up and people are being priced out of their
citizen Yvonne Gritzner, joined by her husband Jeff. “I was going to approach the doctor and see if we could get off of it because of the cost. It’s not only $140 dollars for us, but the total price of the drug is $1,500 dollars… So, we look forward to 2026 for it to go down.”
“I’m a physician in a practice for providers and I run an independent rural health clinic,” said Dr. Kathleen Harder-Brouwer. “We serve all the citizens of Ravalli County and we have a very large Medicare population, so we see firsthand the impact of high drug costs on our patients’ health and wellbeing. Senator Tes -
and 20 drugs for 2029 and each following year. Through Tester’s law, Medicare was granted the power to negotiate high cost drug prices on behalf of patients for the 10 following drugs. See below a breakdown of the cost savings:
1. Eliquis – an anticoagulant medication used to treat and prevent blood clots and to prevent stroke.
· List Price for 30-day Supply, CY 2023: $521
· NEW Negotiated maximum price for 30- day Supply for CY 2026: $231
Sheehy visits Stevensville
· Percentage saved from new price: 56%
· Estimated number of Montana Medicare enrollees who utilize the medication: 10,246
2. Jardiance – used to improve glucose control in people with type 2 diabetes.
· List Price for 30day Supply, CY 2023: $573
· NEW Negotiated maximum price for 30- day Supply for CY 2026: $197
· Percentage saved from new price: 66%
· Estimated number of Montana Medicare enrollees who utilize the medication: 3,175
· Percentage saved from new price: 79%
· Estimated number of Montana Medicare enrollees who utilize the medication: 1,928
5. Farxiga – used to treat type 2 diabetes. Also used to treat adults with heart failure and chronic kidney disease.
· List Price for 30-day Supply, CY 2023: $556
· NEW Negotiated maximum price for 30- day Supply for CY 2026: $178.50
· Percentage saved from new price: 68%
· Estimated number of Montana Medicare enrollees who utilize the medication: 991
6. Entresto – a fixed-dose combination medication for use in heart failure.
· List Price for 30-day Supply, CY 2023: $628
· NEW Negotiated maximum price for 30- day Supply for CY 2026: $295
· Percentage saved from new price: 53%
· Estimated number of Montana Medicare enrollees who utilize the medication: 858
7. Enbrel – a biologic medical product that is used to treat autoimmune diseases.
· List Price for 30-day Supply, CY 2023: $7,106
· NEW Negotiated maximum price for 30- day Supply for CY 2026: $2,355
· Percentage saved from new price: 67%
· Estimated number of Montana Medicare enrollees who utilize the medication: 197
8. Imbruvica – used to treat certain cancers (such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma, Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia).
· List Price for 30-day Supply, CY 2023: $14,934
· NEW Negotiated maximum price for 30- day Supply for CY 2026: $9,319
· Percentage saved from new price: 38%
· Estimated number of Montana Medicare enrollees who utilize the medication: 83 9. Stelara – used to treat adults 18 years and older with moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease.
· List Price for 30-day Supply, CY 2023: $13,836
· NEW Negotiated maximum price for 30- day Supply for CY 2026: $4,695
· Percentage saved from new price: 66%
3. Xarelto – used to treat and prevent blood clots. May lower the risk of stroke, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), and similar conditions.
· List Price for 30-day Supply, CY 2023: $517
· NEW Negotiated maximum
· Estimated number of Montana Medicare enrollees who utilize the medication: 62 10. Fiasp; Fiasp FlexTouch; Fiasp PenFill; NovoLog; NovoLog FlexPen; NovoLog PenFill – insulin.
· List Price for 30-day Supply, CY 2023: $495
· NEW Negotiated maximum price for 30- day Supply for CY 2026: $119
· Percentage saved from new price: 76%
· Estimated number of Montana Medicare enrollees who utilize the medication: 2,759
The Inflation Reduction Act requires Medicare to negotiate drug prices, caps out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for Medicare patients at $2,000/year, caps the cost of insulin for Medicare patients at $35/ month, and extends Affordable Care Act provisions to prevent price hikes for thousands of Montanans. The legislation was signed into law in August 2022 and is fully paid for by holding corporations and billionaires accountable, according to Tester.
Senator Jon Tester listened to Yvonne Gritzner about drug prices during the meeting in Hamilton. Later, the incumbent said, “I’m focused on my race. Folks want to nationalize this race, and this isnt about national politics, this is about Montana. It’s about making sure we have a Montanan back in Washington D.C., representing Montana values.” Photo by Michael Howell.
Tim Sheehy, campaigning for the U.S. Senate, stopped in the Frontier Cafe, in Stevensville, for a meet and greet. He said, “Everywhere we can go we’re going,” and described the upcoming election as a “pivotal election for the future of the country and the state. It’s important to get this country back on track.” Photo by John Dowd.
Mom & Dot’s providing service for community
by Kristin Kruse
“Our motto is ‘for the community and by the community,’” stated Shannon Byerly who is the co-owner of Mom & Dot’s thrift store in Florence. Along with her daughter, Abby Puderbaugh, this mother-daughter team made what they called “a spontaneous decision” to buy the business that was previously called “Gathered for Good”. “We saw that it was for sale and we did not want to see it leave the community, so we said to each other let’s do it!” The name was changed to Mom and Dot’s (Dot being short for daughter) and as frst time business owners the ladies dove into running a retail store full time. Byerly has a background in real estate, and has also worked as a church secretary and Puderbaugh has a background in community health.
The business is donation based, with each item meticulously inspected by Byerly and Puderbaugh. “We really want to keep things low priced, and have a very loyal customer base. We accept clean and well kept clothing items, shoes, toys and books,” said Puterbaugh. “We consider what we do a community service, and ofer low priced gently used clothing to families in the community.” Byerly explained that whatever items they do not accept are picked up by Missoula’s Hope Rescue Mission and put to use there, so nothing is thrown away.
Mom & Dot’s has been in business for three years, but in the last year it moved to a new location in Florence. Their address is 5501 US 93, Florence MT and their phone number is 406-550-2795. They are currently open Tuesday through Saturday and request that donations be brought in during regular business hours as opposed to beign dropped of after hours. Whether community members are looking to
to help their
or are looking for high
but afordable
for them-
Rapp Family Foundation grant applications open
The Rapp Family Foundation is in its 33rd year of supporting non-profit organizations in Ravalli County. All organizations that have an IRS 501(c)3 letter qualify. Churches are automatically considered 501(c)3 charities, if they meet the criteria required by the IRS and continually adhere to 501(c)3 requirements. Public Schools tax-exempt status
Continued from page 1
under 501(c)3 is not required for such organizations to qualify for private foundation grants. Government entities are also eligible to apply.
In an efort to encourage non-profits to work together the Foundation developed a Community Focus Multi Organizational Grant and a Community Impact Grant. These applications are accepted in the 3rd quarter only.
Mike Meloy, attorney with the Montana Freedom of Information Hotline, and an authority on Montana’s open meeting laws and the public’s right to know and participate, that the Town’s choice to withhold new information until the night of the meeting was in violation of the public’s “right to know and participate,” as was mirrored through Smith’s speech.
Also at the August 22 meeting, Mayor Michalson read aloud a letter of resignation from the Town Airport Manager, Will Rowe. In the letter, Rowe claimed he was having difculty working with both the Town government, and the Airport Board. Michalson said that he agreed with Rowe’s com-
The new forms for these grants are available now. The funding amounts for these two grants are noted in the instructions. Go to rappfamilyfoundation.org for further information.
The Regular Quarterly Grant has a maximum of $5,000. The application for this grant is also available now.
Qualifed organizations may request an application for any of the 3
ments, noting that over the last few years, the Town has seen nearly a dozen airport managers, many of whom left for similar reasons. According to Michalson, “We had a great airport manager… He really worked tirelessly.” Michalson stated that eforts need to be made to improve the situation.
In other business, the council considered including a stronger police presence near the school, where there have been parking issues for residents who live in that area. They also decided to put in new signs to prevent people from parking in private rights-of-way in front of the school. This was in response to concerns from Lance Wildey, a property owner that lives across the street from Stevensville
grants by emailing rappapps2024@ gmail.com. The deadline for the return of any completed application is September 13, 2024. Application questions for this 2024 3rd quarter cycle may have changed, so be sure the application you submit is #09132024. If you have questions email rappapps2024@gmail.com.
School. Wildey, a lifelong resident of Stevensville, has had parents and visitors of the school parking in his right-of-way for years. Not only has this prevented him from leaving his driveway and afected his use of the property, but for him the main worry comes down to safety. According to Wildey, “It’s more of a safety issue for the kids than anything else at the heart of it.” His concerns stem from the trafc that comes across that road in front of his house. He stated that kids dropped of near his place need to cross the street through trafc. Wildey himself grew up in that same home and remembered running across the street to school when he was a boy.
According to some council members as well as Mayor Michalson, there are several signs set up on school property that create a no parking zone at the school. However, these signs are unenforceable as they are posted on things such as utility poles. Wildey also has signs on his property that people have ignored.
The council also voted to form a committee regarding Berta Farms, a property within Stevensville town limits that Stevensville has been ordered by a court to clean up. This was supposed to happen by spring of this year, but it has not yet been done.
“We just don’t have the money right now,” said Mayor Michalson. According to him, with fnances tight all around for the town, there is only so much they can do. The committee was formed with the hope of addressing the issue, and several local community members were appointed, including Pat Groninger, Loey Knapp and council member Cindy Brown. The council also considered interviewing people of the town to gather opinions regarding the property to send to Ravalli County Public Health ofcials.
donate items
community
quality
clothing
seves or family members, Mom & Dot’s is worth the stop.
Shannon Byerly (Mom) next to Abby Puderbaugh (Dot) in front of their resale shop in Florence. Photo by Kristin Kruse.
Council members Stacie Barker, Cindy Brown, Isaiah Nelson and Wally Smith, joined by Mayor Bob Michalson, last Thursday during the regular town council meeting.
Vote Mullen for SOS; Bidegaray, Lynch
I write to emphasize the importance of voting for Jesse Mullen for Montana Secretary of State as articulated by Linda Schmitt’s recent letter.
The current SOS, Christi Jacobsen, has little regard for state law and less for voters’ rights. When she declared signatures of hundreds of voters on a constitutional initiative were ineligible she proved her disregard for the ofce. A judge ruled Jacobsen’s ofce had no right to decree signatures of inactive voters were ineligible. She appealed to the state Supreme Court which afrmed the lower court’s ruling.
We need a Secretary of State who respects the law, and the rights of voters. Mullen is that person.
But electing an honest Secretary of State is only the frst step.
Our state legislature is rife with Republicans who pass unconstitutional laws. They believe their super majority is a blank check to do whatever they please. Hamilton’s Jason Ellsworth, senate president, stands out as the leader of these legislative bullies.
Here, the state Supreme Court shines as the bulwark protecting citizens from these outrageous laws.
We must elect justices to protect Montana’s Constitution.
The candidates most qualifed for this duty are Jeremiah Lynch and Katherine Bidegaray. Both are native Montanans with extensive legal experience and have expressed a commitment to defend the Montana Constitution. They deserve the chance to serve the citizens of Montana and stand up to the elected tyrants in Helena who would blatantly ignore the law for their own selfsh ends.
Three strikes
Wayne Adair Hamilton
We have sufered all three strikes and you are out!
Strike one: a Gianforte wasted mailing postcard stating “wait like good gullible Montana tax paying children for your reward coming August 15th.”
Strike two: a Gianforte/Bedey Department of Revenue “how to” rebate letter. Strike three: a Gianforte “it’s everybody’s fault but mine” and “my task force is studying it” letter. Greg Gianforte and his Republican super-majority managed to spend one of the largest Montana budget surpluses in history while allowing increased property taxes. Greg hopes to buy our votes for his reelection with tax rebates.
Get your Montana back. Vote for Ryan Busse and Raph Graybill in November.
Archie L Thomas & Merry Schrumpf Corvallis
Last best liars
Shady Sheehy’s plan could destroy VA services Montana vets depend on. That’s the latest BOLD-FACED lie by these dirtbags calling themselves the Last Best Place PAC.
1: “Could” is the huge operative here but Tim Sheehy is a vet. So, I am going with it is complete bull and like every other lying ad they put on TV is meant to pump fake fear.
2: Their frst ad claimed Bridger Aerospace took a government loan and did not pay it back. Umm… you mean a PPP loan during the pandemic? The rules for those loans were set because the government shut down your business so you could get a “loan” to pay employees who were out of work. There-
fore, the loan was completely forgiven. Tens of thousands of companies did this, and it was completely legal, not to mention the norm.
3: He allegedly took money from big government contracts. Bridger Aerospace put out fres on Federal land. So, who is supposed to pay them other than the Federal Government? The City of Lolo? Please... more fear peddling.
They rely on quotes from slanderous Democrat rags that were formerly entertainment news like The Hufngton Post or Rolling Stone for data. We’ve come to know that they are completely unreliable.
The Last Best Place PAC is funded through Chuck Schumer’s favorite bank on the East Coast. The PAC is “headquartered” in a small room in Baltimore, Maryland. They are not from Montana.
The whole purpose of this PAC is to lie and slander a US Veteran who fought for this country and helps vets. All they care about is keeping Tester’s seat Democrat so Schumer can remain in power. They do not care about Montanans, but rest assured if Charles Manson was running on the Montana Democrat ticket, they’d slander the Republican candidate with lies and tell you how great Charlie is.
Tim Sheehy made his money in the private sector. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was $8,000 in debt and couldn’t aford her D.C. rent when she took ofce 4.5 years ago. Her net worth today? 29 MILLION dollars! I’ll take private sector breadwinners over government grifters any day.
Do not believe one word these losers say.
Bill Cavanaugh Corvallis
Let’s do our duty
Former President Trump has been indicted on a conspiracy to keep himself in power using lies about a stolen election that have not stood up in court anywhere in the United States. He then is accused of using these lies to incite his supporters to attack the Capitol during a joint session of Congress to overturn the results of a verifed free and fair election. It is painfully obvious to objective observers that Trump is guilty of at least most if not all of this. He has yet to be held accountable because of the enormous immunity enjoyed by US Presidents and because of the power of his popularity in the Republican Party. He has lost the frst but retains the second. This is the fault of his supporters, abetted by cynical enablers in Fox News and other media pandering to the ignorant. This cynicism should have been obvious to even casual observers because the most strident supporters of stolen election lie, from Giuliani to Hannity have denied in court their belief in it. The next culpable group includes those of us who treat support for Trump and his destructive lies as just another diference of opinion. We can still be respectful but changing the subject when confronted is no longer a moral option. This is not about diferences in tax policy, transgender rights, or even global warming. It is about our duty to the Republic. This is not hyperbole or corny sentiment. It is as real as the peace and civil rights we all take for granted and the horror and chaos of failed states around the world.
John Schneeberger
Hamilton
Current Christian culture
Jesus Christ is worshipped as the Son of God, Prince of Peace, and Savior of all mankind. As his mother’s son, he
was of Semitic descent. As such, he had dark eyes, dark skin, and dark hair. The culture of his time informs that he had long wavy hair and a long beard.
Semitic languages are/were spoken by many peoples who are of Afro-Asian origin like Abraham, after whom many West Asian and African areas were named. DNA tests suggest that the Garden of Eden was located in the country of Botswana.
Some self-identifed Christian Republicans are requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in public places, including in schools. This is absolutely unlawful, a clear violation to the Constitution.
The Ten Commandments were given to the Jewish people. These Commandments forbid amoral conduct like adultery, stealing, and bearing false witness.
Jesus Christ instructed his followers to love our neighbors. To defne who are neighbors are, he told the story of a Good Samaritan, who was not Jewish.
I do not understand MAGA adherents, but respect their right to believe whatever they wish, as long as their actions do not harm others. Herd allegiances should never triumph over science, reality, scholarly linguistic research, and most importantly, the instructions of Jesus Christ.
Claire Kelly Stevensville
Could it be?
Most folks realize that Donald Trump’s life was spared because of divine intervention by Almighty God. But why? Why would God save his life? He is not perfect (none of us are), he has many faults, as we all do, and he is even hated by many. Why would God spare his life? Could it be that God plans on using Trump to keep our nation from becoming a socialist-communist government? God uses ordinary, imperfect people throughout the Bible and in today’s world to accomplish his will. He used Queen Ester to save the Jewish people from destruction. Ester did not save them - God did. Trump will not save America from destruction, but God can. Could it be that God will use Trump to rescue America in such a time as this? Could it be? Pray for our leaders. Pray for America.
Grace Wilson Stevensville
Support for Sheehy
Millions and millions and millions of media/advertising dollars are fowing into Montana. This outside big-buck funnel is connected to a large non-Montana consortium of lobbyists and dark campaign funding organizations that want to slice one candidate – Tim Sheehy – into tiny pieces and feed him to the sharks.
They may be afraid of his conservative values and ideas. He is a businessman with a very successful military career (SEAL team ofcer). He moved to Montana as did I and many others. His company employees 200 Montanans earning great wages as airplane mechanics, pilots, etc.
Why all the attack ads? Simple. It’s because Senator Tester votes nearly 100 percent for every Biden/Harris policy on the border and on giving 5 TRILLION DOLLARS of your tax dollars away. That spending fasco (voted YES by Tester) increased the federal defcit to an astronomical, bloated $35,000,000,000,000. Everybody hurts with massively high infation that his votes caused. Tester is anti-Montana!
Voting with Biden/Harris to squash energy development was just another
anti-Montana decision. By his votes, Tester is responsible for high fuel prices, signifcant infation eating away at every household’s budget, higher rent and grocery prices and illegals streaming into the US. Those issues afect every Montana resident and every veteran that he cozies up to during election cycles. Tester makes Montana vets and residents worse of today than four years ago. As a Vietnam vet, I am totally opposed to Tester, as are all my veteran friends. I laugh when his big-money “vet” ads roll on TV. Where was Testor when Democrats voted to basically destroy (lack of funding) the US oncemighty military? Why no Tester voice slamming Biden/Harris for radically abandoning Bagram Air Base and leaving billions of dollars worth of advanced military rockets, ammo, planes, vehicles, gear and more in Afghanistan and walking away?
Why no word from Tester about VA resources being used to process illegal immigrants?
“We’re talking hundreds of thousands of initial medical exams with follow-up exams, hundreds of thousands of prescriptions being flled, dental appointments, vision appointments…better than a lot of what the veterans are getting and without the hoops to jump through,” said Derick Carver, Allison Center for National Security at the Heritage Foundation.
Tim Sheehy needs to be our senator in Washington DC representing all Montanans. The Dems are so intent on holding onto Tester’s seat because he is a sure vote for all socialist policies that hurt Americans. I hope his next move is in a U-Haul truck back to Montana.
Vote Tim Sheehy!
Jim Kalkofen Stevensville
Tester stands up for Montana
I have been receiving postcards stating “Jon Tester voted with Biden 95% of the time!” The president doesn’t actually vote but I’ll assume they mean Biden signing Tester’s bills into law. Former president Trump signed 30 bills that Tester sponsored into law. Joe Biden has signed 26. This does not sound like “Tester is standing up for Joe Biden, not Montana.”
In fact, here are a few ways that Tester is standing up for Montana:
• sponsored into law over 3 dozen bills supporting veterans
• PACT Act with more than 35,000 Montana veterans screened for toxic exposure
• 12 new VA facilities opening or in planning and construction in MT
• funds to purchase 41 clean school buses for Montana schools
• millions in dollars for Montana’s roads, highways and bridges; rural water projects and to reduce wildfre risk nationwide
• $629 million for high speed internet infrastructure in Montana
• CHIPS act funding western Montana’s existing smart sensing technology with millions of dollars, to apply remote sensing for national security, natural resource management and disaster prevention
• $61,327,969 for Montana’s State Small Business Credit Initiative helping small businesses and startups grow and succeed
• lowered cost on many common prescriptions
• extends Afordable Care Act provisions to prevent price hikes for thousands of Montanans
• defeated a Biden proposal that would have negatively impacted family
farms, ranches, and small businesses
Perhaps the Senate Leadership Fund needs a new research editor! Jon Tester has proved he stands up for Montana; Tim Sheehy has not.
Hillery Daily Darby
Property tax increase
Do you own a home and wonder what it’s worth? You can easily look up your address on Zillow and see the estimated value is rapidly rising, translating to more property taxes.
Too many Montana families cannot keep up with an annual $249-million property tax increase imposed by Republican Governor Gianforte and his party in the Legislature. Yet, after months of analysis by the Governor’s property tax task force, they recommended a complicated process that will raise our taxes again! Why didn’t they didn’t consider the new taxes they already took from our wallets and give us our money back? Now they want to bill us for more taxes over the next two years. More bad news. Zillow refects your home’s current value, unlike the state’s property appraisal system, which is always two years behind.
When will this end? Unless Governor Gianforte adopts the simple solution to reduce the residential property tax rate that we pay, as other governors have done, Montanans will continue to pay more, lose their homes while rich folks beneft.
Don’t be fooled by Governor Gianforte’s rebate and the multiple marketing materials reminding you to apply to get a wee bit of your property tax money back. The truth is your home value is rapidly increasing. What can you do? Vote for the candidates that will truly lower your taxes or buckle up because you’ll be paying way more property taxes in the future with the current leadership.
Jan Lombardi Seeley Lake Stop fearmongering ads
Republican ad campaigns have no positive messages or solutions, only fearmongering. “There’s an INVASION at the southern border!” Never mind that this so-called border “crisis” is totally trumped-up. When there was a bill to enact meaningful policy to address legitimate border concerns, the radical-right’s dear leader instructed his cultish cohorts in Congress to squash it. He wants the issue to help him regain power for himself and entrench his troop of traitor tots including Ryan Zinke, Greg Gianforte, Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy.
A real invasion is what Russia did to Ukraine. Tanks and air raids fattening buildings, indiscriminately slaughtering everyone and their children. It is not people who are feeing oppression from autocratic countries like Venezuela where another corrupt president refuses to concede a lost election.
So-called “Migrant Crime” is as deceptive as an “invasion” from Mexico. According to The Brennan Center for Justice, overall crime is down and undocumented immigrants commit far fewer crimes than U.S. born citizens. In fact, according to FactCheck.org, there is broad agreement that violent crime resulting from far-right groups, particularly white supremacists, is what’s on the rise.
If you want to be frightened, learn the facts about what should scare you. chaos, embarrassingly weird and criminal behavior is exhausting for everyone. Whose policies beneft the American people and not one weirdo and his wealthy cronies? One party platform represents name-calling bluster, ineptitude and phony fear, the other sensible governing and personal freedom. Let’s choose calm competence, joy and freedom.
Wanda LaCroix Missoula
Correcting Perryman
In response to “Sertell Was Not Truthful” (Toddy Perryman, August 13th), Perryman accuses me of lying about where the money behind CI-128 is coming from. Now, all campaign fnance information is available for the public to see, yet Perryman didn’t apparently want to look that up, and resorted to calling me a liar, instead. I take great comfort in that accusation, as Churchill said, “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” I’ll stand on the facts, and take great pride in the accusation, thanks very much.
While the original submission I’d given to the Bitterroot Star was properly cited with links to the supporting info, unfortunately, they did not include those in published version. Instead of resorting to toddler-esqe name-calling, I’ll take this opportunity to spell out the truth for you, and Perryman.
The original quote from “Don’t California Our Montana” that Perryman refers to as a “big lie” is as follows, “First, if Montanans really want this, then why is there so much out-of-state money and efort involved? In a recent article, News Nation Now reports that, “Planned Parenthood will spend $40 million ahead of November’s elections to bolster President Joe Biden and leading congressional Democrats. It will initially target eight states: Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Montana, New Hampshire and New York.” You read that right – FORTY MILLION DOLLARS! I went back to the July 12 th News Nation Now article I had quoted here, and I don’t see Toddy accusing Anna Kutz, the author of the article, of lying. Is that because this is primarily a left-leaning publication, so birds-of-a-feather are focking together? Why won’t Perryman address the fact that millions of out-ofstate dollars are fooding in to our state to fund the killing of the innocent?
That fact, probably inconvenient for Toddy to deal with, given her mention of her past, “When I was young and poor, I relied on them to provide health care. It was the only health care I could aford.”
She goes on to trot out the lie that Planned Parenthood is, “often the only provider available.” The truth is, there are thousands of pregnancy resource centers across the country that provide care for women in need, every daywithout ever killing anyone. Why does Perryman staunchly defend the killing centers, instead, even to the extent of lying, herself? She states that “Less than 3% of Planned Parenthood ‘s work involves abortion,” yet, by their own reports (see Planned Parenthood’s annual report 2022-2023, pg. 24), abortions make up 97.1% of Planned Parenthood’s pregnancy resolution services. Let’s look at the truth; Planned Parenthood kills enormous numbers of innocent human beings, and reports massive profts from doing so. However, in the original article, I also mentioned Gov. Pritzker of Illinois’ $500,000 donation to support the ballot measure in Montana, among other out-of-state donors. Perryman states that this is okay, because, as she states, “duh….it is a national issue.”
Well, DUH – no, Toddy – this is not about a national law, this is about a proposed amendment to the Montana State Constitution. Perryman seems to have the two confated.
Speaking of having facts confused, Perryman also seems confused as to what the term “healthcare” means. Simply defned, “healthcare” heals, “abortion” kills. It’s a simple matter of intent. In her article, Perryman states, “Montana doctors want to be able to provide a full range of options for all of their patients.” Doctors perform healthcare, and abortion is not healthcare. Abortionists, on the other hand, intentionally kill at least half of their patients; all the babies – and some of the mothers. Abortions are not performed by doctors alone; it’s a startling, but grave fact that most abortionists are not licensed medical doctors. But, maybe Perryman isn’t aware of that. Maybe these are all just things Perryman was confused about. Such as her closing statement that “We don’t want anyone forcing us to make choices based on the religious convictions of others.” No one is forcing anyone to make choices based on religious convictions, Toddy. The scientifc fact is that when an egg is fertilized by sperm, a person is formed. A new, separate and distinct person, with their own, unique DNA. So, let’s stick to the facts, shall we?
Or, are they too inconvenient? The fact is, CI-128 is not something proposed by Montanans. It’s not funded by Montanans, and the signatures have yet to be verifed. In fact, those signatures were gathered by people from all over the country who were paid big bucks to come to Montana to canvass. Then, Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights, the proponents of the measure, recently sued our Secretary of State in an unprecedented move, forcing her to accept inactive voters on the petitions, mandating that she break the law, in order to add enough signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot – but that’s a topic for another article. Perryman says, “Sertell seems to imply that Montanans don’t want this on the ballot, but the number of signatures gathered suggests this too is a lie.” No; the truth is, these were strong-arm tactics that wouldn’t have been necessary if “Montanans want this.” It’s an extreme measure that brings in out-of-state politics driven by out-of-state money. Vote NO on CI-128. Robin Sertell Hamilton
On August 6, the Stevensville Town Council held a public hearing and special meeting on proposed water and sewer increases. The meeting was advertised and the proposed increases were published on the Town’s website.
However, when the meeting was convened, heavily attended by concerned members of the public, the proposed rates that were presented, discussed and subsequently approved by the council were not the same rates that had been advertised.
This is a clear violation of Montana statutes regarding the public’s right to know and participate in their local government. There is no way that the public, as well as members of the town council, can ofer informed comments or make an informed decision, if they don’t have the necessary facts. In this case, the amounts of the proposed rates were a critical component of the topic to be discussed.
After the meeting, council member Wally Smith met with the Star to express his concern about the improper procedure. He was only given the new information with the changed rates when he got to the meeting.
A minimum of 48 hours notice is required prior to any meeting where
an item of signifcant public interest is to be discussed. At last Thursday’s regular meeting, Smith read a prepared statement expressing his belief that the mayor had violated state law by presenting new information at the August 6 meeting without prior notice. He stated that to correct the situation a new and properly noticed meeting needs to take place, at which time the public can give meaningful input, and the council can make their deliberations with the correct information before they make a new decision.
Instead of acknowledging his error, the mayor doubled down on his assertion that even though new information was being presented, 48 hours was not required in this instance. He claims the law does not apply to special meetings. In fact, state law does apply, and the 48-hour requirement is also part of Stevensville’s Town Council Rules.
Although perhaps inconvenient, the right thing to do on this issue is to start the public process for any proposed rate changes over again, including properly-noticed and scheduled meetings. This is the way to re-establish the public’s faith that their local government truly has their best interests at heart.
A Course of Love study group
Fridays 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon.
Center for Spiritual Life, Hamilton Call: 406-381-6480
Florence American Legion
Florence American Legion Post
134 is having a free pancake breakfast on the frst Saturday of each month from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Florence Rural Fire Hall.
Yoga for Veterans
FREE to veterans, frst responders, and their families! Tuesdays, 1-2pm at the American Legion Post 94 in Stevensville Register at: redwillowlearning.org OR call 406-530-7175. Come see us on 1st Friday in May ‘bout 1800 for more info! We’ll be in front of Active Care Wellness on Main in Stevensville.
MS Support Group
Bitterroot MS Support Group meets every 3rd Thursday of the month in the Gallery room at the Cofee Cup Cafe in Hamilton, 500 S 1st Street, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Have a slice of pie, dinner, or just come to chat with others about living with Multiple Sclerosis. This is a positive and uplifting group that holds open discussions, and the occasional guest speaker. Find more information at www.nationalmssociety.org or contact Jackie Peterson, (970)518-293, jackierpeterson@gmail. com
Bitterroot Celtic Society
The Bitterroot Celtic Society meets every 3rd Thursday at 6 p.m. at BJ’s restaurant in Hamilton. The Bitterroot Celtic Society is a passionate group of volunteers, dedicated to keeping the Celtic culture, heritage, and history alive in the Bitterroot Valley. Their biggest event is the Bitterroot Celtic Games and Gathering, held every third weekend in August at the Historic Daly Mansion. They also host a Burns’ Night supper, St. Andrew’s, St. Patrick’s, and Tartan day events. The BCS is a non-proft organization. The public, new members, and the curious are always welcome to attend. For any time changes or additional committee meeting info, follow their Facebook page for updates.
Hamilton school board
Thursday – September 5, 2024
12:00 p.m. – District Ofce Conference Room
The Committee will be conducting
this meeting with live participation. In addition to meeting in person, the District will also be streaming the meeting on YouTube. You are encouraged to join the meeting at: https://www.youtube.
com/@HSD3Boardmtg
Regular Board Meeting
Tuesday – September 10, 2024
6:30 p.m. – District Ofce – Conference Room
The Board will be conducting this meeting with live participation. In addition to meeting in person, the District will also be streaming the meeting on YouTube. You are encouraged to join the meeting at: https://www.youtube. com/@HSD3Boardmtg
Governance Committee Meeting
Thursday – October 3, 2024
12:00 p.m. – District Ofce Conference Room
The Committee will be conducting this meeting with live participation. In addition to meeting in person, the District will also be streaming the meeting on YouTube. You are encouraged to join the meeting at: https://www.youtube. com/@HSD3Boardmtg
Regular Board Meeting
Tuesday – October 8, 2024
6:30 p.m. – District Ofce – Conference Room
The Board will be conducting this meeting with live participation. In addition to meeting in person, the District will also be streaming the meeting on YouTube. You are encouraged to join the meeting at:https://www.youtube. com/@HSD3Boardmtg
NV Library events
Myths & Fairytales - Thurs. Aug 29 at 6pm
Join us as we travel east of the sun, west of the moon, and into the deep dark forest, to dive into the hidden depths of myth and fairytales. Zoom option available.
Closed for Labor Day - Mon. Sept 1
The Library will be closed on Monday, Sept. 1, in observance of Labor Day.
Art Event at the 2024 Ravalli County Fair
The Ravalli County Fairgrounds Foundation and the Ravalli County Fair have teamed up again to present, Plein Air at the Fair, at the 2024 Ravalli County Fair! The
Stone Creek Masonry
Tula Ln. Tucson, AZ 85743
Email: Joeldiaz6565@gmail.com
2024 Plein Air at the Fair event is being sponsored by Norma Lee Pfaf Fine Art, Clearwater Credit Union & The Paper Clip. It is an opportunity for artists to create artwork that is inspired by and created solely, at the fair. Contest registered artists will be painting on the fairgrounds, Wednesday, August 28th anytime between 10am and 10pm; art will be judged on Thursday morning with awards for Best of Show, Best Fair Theme and People’s Choice.
Artwork will be on exhibit in the Plein Air at the Fair Art Gallery, located in the Farmers Bank Event Center, and will be for sale during the fair with proceeds to the artists and the Ravalli County Fairgrounds Foundation, Inc. a 501(c)3 nonproft organization.
For more information contact Ravalli County Fairgrounds Foundation, Inc. at 406.361.1499 or email to rcfairgroundsfoundation@gmail.com
Assistance for Business Clinic
Businesses looking for guidance about resources to improve their operations can attend the upcoming Assistance for Business Clinic (ABC) sponsored by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry in partnership with the Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce and economic development organizations on Tuesday, September 10 at the Hamilton Fire Hall.
Assistance for Business Clinics provides new and established employers, accountants, bookkeepers, human resources professionals and attorneys the opportunity to meet with state workforce development experts to learn about state and local resources available to businesses, including: Montana Minimum Wage
Unemployment Insurance
Workers’ Compensation Law
Using Independent and Construction Contractors
Overtime Regulations Labor Law Posters
Using Labor Market Data
Montana Registered Apprenticeship
Job Service Montana
“The State of Montana ofers a variety of resources and tools for employers to grasp a better understanding of their requirements and opportunities,” said Department of Labor & Industry Commissioner Laurie Esau. “We’re excited to work with our partners across the state to provide this information to Montana employers.”
These clinics also provide continuing education credits for attendees. Registration fee is $35. Register online at bitterrootchamber.com.
Climate talk
The Bitterroot Climate Action Group will be hosting a presentation and Q&A session on Climate Change by Nobel Prize co-recipient and climate Scientist Dr. Steve Running. Chair of the Bitterroot Climate Action Group, Peter Reynolds, says that “The issue of climate change is sometimes too large for people to comprehend in terms of its impact and what to do about it. Adding to the confusion is a proliferation of opinions on the internet, some credible and some not, that are contrary to the broad scientifc consensus. As a group, we wanted to address that fact head-on by bringing in Dr Running, someone local who is also a highly regarded expert on the subject. Steve Running is the absolute best to give a primer on this vital topic, as well as answer questions from those who may not be on board with human-caused rapid climate change.”
This free event will be at the Hamilton Performing Arts Center on Friday, September 6th at 7:00 PM. For more information, go to BitterrootCAG.org.
For more information: John Schneeberger, Event Coordinator, 406-370-3230, schnee@ blackfoot.net
600 South 3rd Street, Hamilton, MT 2 PM - Sunday, September 8th, 2024 Sunday, September 8th at 2 pm
Bitterroot Baroque Orchestra presents “Bacchus & Wine,” French Baroque Music from Opera, led by Lindsey Strand-Polyak, violin and Eva Lymenstull, cello.
Celebrate Bacchus with Bitterroot Baroque’s French opera program, including the North American premiere of Jean Claude Gillier’s Les Plaisirs de L’amour et Baccus (1697). 17th century French opera is all about opulence and spectacle so be prepared to be transported to Louis XIV’s Versailles by the God of Wine.
Program
Jean-Baptiste Lully - Le Triomphe de l’amore et de Bachus LWV 47 (1672) Jean Claude Gillier - Les Plaisirs de L’amour et Baccus (1697) Marin Marais - Arianne et Baccus (1696). Suggested Donation $30
Vendor registration
St. Mary’s Christmas Craft Sale Event “Fall
Sports
by Scott Sacry Sports Editor
Busy weekend for high school sports
High school sports begin in earnest this weekend, as Bitterroot Valley teams start their fall seasons with their first taste of competition.
Every Bitterroot Valley high school football team has a home game, so get ready for some Friday night lights - or Saturday noon sun for Victor.
There are some intriguing football storylines this year. Florence is coming off their third straight state title: can they make it four? Corvallis made it to the State Semifinals last year: can this year’s team go all the way? Hamilton got bounced in the State Quarterfinals last year: are they ready to return to past dominance?
Every Bitterroot Valley volleyball team will travel to Tip Off Tournaments outside the area. Corvallis, Hamilton and Stevensville will be at Frenchtown. Victor and Darby will be in Philipsburg, and Florence will be in Choteau.
And that’s just the tip of the sports iceberg. Below is a breakdown of all the high school sports activities for the upcoming weekend. Times may be subject to change.
Cross Country: Ronan Canal Run (Stevensville, Corvallis, Hamilton)
Cross Country: Florence at Libby Invite
Soccer: Stevensville hosts East Helena, girls 4pm, boys 6pm
Soccer: Hamilton at Billings Central, girls 4pm, boys 6pm
Volleyball: Tip Off Tournament in Frenchtown (Stevensville, Corvallis, Hamilton), times vary.
Volleyball: Florence at Choteau Tourney
Football: Darby hosts Troy, 5pm
Football: Florence hosts Jefferson, 7pm
Football: Corvallis hosts Browning, 7pm
Football: Hamilton hosts Whitefish, 7pm
Football: Stevensville hosts Libby, 7pm
Saturday, August 31
Volleyball: Tip Off Tournament in Frenchtown
(Stevensville, Corvallis, Hamilton), times vary.
Volleyball: Florence at Choteau Tourney
Volleyball: Victor & Darby at the Tip Off Tournament in Philipsburg
Soccer: Hamilton at Laurel, girls 10am, boys 12pm
Football: Victor hosts Plains, 1pm
Flag Football: Hamilton Jamboree, 11am
• The original 40 acres for the fairgrounds was purchased by Ravalli County in 1913, for the sum of $9,750, the grounds now total almost 67 acres.
• Marcus Daly hosted the frst Ravalli County Fair in Hamilton in 1894.
• The Fairgrounds has an open gate policy and is a peaceful place to bring the family to enjoy the outdoors.
The Corvallis football team made it to the State Semifnal game last year - this year ’s team hopes to make it further. They are led by senior QB Aydan Mayn (#9). Corvallis hosts Browning on Friday, August 30 at 7pm. Photo by Scott Sacry.
Bird Squawk
Antillean Nighthawk: 700!
Before I explain “700” let me give you a little background. I write about Montana birds that you will most likely see. On occasion I tire of watching and writing on Montana birds and want to expand my repertoire of birds by traveling. I used to do a foreign trip once a year, but after birding all seven continents, and getting older we have decided to restrict our birding to North America. Running down the concourse for the next fight has ceased to be an adventure. It became painful and exhaustive.
I now only bird the ABA area which has 1,168 species. The American Birding Association (ABA) defnes the ABA area as “the 49 continental United States, Hawaii, Canada, the French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, and adjacent waters to a distance of 200 miles from land or half the distance to a neighboring country, whichever is less”.
This year my birding partner grandson Caleb, realized I had 680 species on my ABA area list. Where could we go to have a shot at 700? California was out, we had birded it last summer. Texas and Maine ofered new birds but not enough to reach 700. The only chance was southern Florida. There were enough new birds there. We would have to do a lot of
planning and target bird only, to get to 700. The planning was through eBird. eBird can tell you where a specifc species has recently been seen. We looked up each species we needed and designed an efcient travel plan. We hoped we could fnd 20 of the 30 species of Florida birds that weren’t on my ABA life list.
From July 8th to July 12th this year we concentrated on the fve most southern counties of Florida; Miami/Dade, Monroe, Boward, Palm Beach and Martin. We few to West Palm Beach and for 5 days worked our way south to Key West. We birded city parks, county parks, beaches, the Key Islands and the Everglades.
I had birded Florida in 1997 and had 48 species in the state. Our effort this time produced 39 checklists of places we birded and we observed 105 species. That brought my Florida total to 123 species. Of those 105 species, 12 were life birds, bringing my life list to 2,546 species. We also saw 27 new ABA area birds bringing my ABA area species to 707! We had made it, mostly through Caleb’s good planning.
Getting bird 700 was exciting, and what a bird. An Antillean Nighthawk. Common Nighthawks
can be seen across America. I had seen the Lesser Nighthawk in its restricted range of Arizonia, New Mexico, and Texas. The Antillean Nighthawk is even more restricted to only a few islands of the Keys in Florida. Only 6 Antillean Nighthawks had been reported in 2024 by eBird. All of those were at the airport on Marathon Island. We went to the airport at dusk
by Gary Swant
and found 2 doing a magnifcent aerial display catching insects on the wing!
So how big a deal is 700 species in the ABA area? It is estimated that there are 45 million birders in America. Sixteen million have traveled at least one mile to look for birds. The ABA estimates 1.2 million birders travel consistently across state lines working on their ABA area list. eBird has 565,000 birders that have submitted data for the ABA area and 190,800 birders have submitted a checklist for the 1,168 species in 2024. The top birder has found 955 species for 82% of all ABA area birds. I am listed as number 956 with 61%. I know 956 is a long way from number one, but there are 189,004 birders behind me. That’s
something to feel good about if you are a birder!
Please don’t think you have to be as serious as Caleb and I to enjoy birds. Just seeing birds in your yard brings a lot of pleasure. Be sure and have a good feld guide such as National Geographic’s Birds of North America. I would also recommend my book, “My Montana Birds”. It provides detailed information not found in feld guides, on the most common Montana birds. You can get a copy by sending $39.95 to Bird Squawk, 800 St Marys Avenue, Deer Lodge, MT 59722. My book has been getting good reviews and I know you will like it. The book has a 5-star rating with Amazon.
Abortion initiative to appear on November ballot
by Mara Silvers Montana Free Press
Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen has certifed that Constitutional Initiative 128, the proposal to create a specifc protection for abortion rights in the Montana Constitution, has received the required number of signatures and can appear on the November ballot.
The announcement, two days before an Aug. 22 deadline to certify ballot issues, launches the multi-month fght over whether to solidify abortion access in Montana into a new phase. Similar campaigns in other states, including Arizona and Missouri, have also recently received certifcation to bring the issue to voters this fall.
While abortion is currently legal in Montana under the state Constitution’s right of privacy, backers of the proposal say it will further safeguard access in a national legal landscape roiled by the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The sponsor group for CI-128, Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights, celebrated the announcement in an emailed statement Tuesday night.
“We’re excited that CI-128 will be on the ballot in November and Montana voters will fnally have the opportunity to make their voices heard and protect reproductive rights in November,” said Martha Fuller, head of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana, one of the members of the group. “The government cannot overstep into our most personal healthcare decisions, and Montanans must vote Yes on 128 to protect their right to abortion and pregnancy-related care.”
If approved by voters, CI-128 would create a new section of the Montana Constitution that explicitly establishes a right “to carry out decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to abortion. This right shall not be denied or burdened unless justifed by a compelling government inter-
est achieved by the least restrictive means.”
The measure faced a series of legal hurdles earlier this year after Attorney General Austin Knudsen, a Republican, determined it to be “legally insufcient” and then drafted summary ballot language that Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights took issue with. The Montana Supreme Court ultimately wrote a new ballot statement intended to neutrally convey the initiative’s substance to voters.
Later in the summer, CI-128 backers again went to court, along with the sponsor of two other constitutional initiatives, to challenge Jacobsen’s decision to block inactive voters from counting toward the minimum threshold of signatures required for the proposal to make the ballot. A state district court judge eventually sided with the plaintifs, fnding that Jacobsen had changed the state’s protocol after signatures had been submitted.
Opponents of CI-128 include the Montana Family Foundation, Pro-Life Montana, and the national group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, all of which have already begun urging voters — through door knocking, tabling events and leafet handouts — not to support the measure.
Among other arguments, some opponents have pointed out that the language of CI-128 does not explicitly allow for parental involvement in a minor’s abortion and could still allow for abortions after fetal viability in order to protect “the life or health of the pregnant patient.”
“Montana deserves the truth about CI-128. This amendment is too extreme: it allows for late term abortion after viability and eviscerates parental rights. These out-of-state interests should leave Montana’s Constitution alone,” said Derek Oestreicher, chief legal counsel for the Montana Family Foundation, in a Tuesday night comment.
Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights, which includes the ACLU of Montana and Forward Montana, has raised millions in contributions in support of CI-128. As of June, major contributors included political action groups Think Big America-MT, the Sixteen Thirty Fund and The Fairness Project, all of which are registered out of state.
The Montana Family Foundation was one of the organizers of an efort to videotape signature gatherers for CI-128 over the summer, a strategy Oestreicher and his colleague, Patrick Webb, said was intended to disrupt and
dissuade signature gathering.
On Tuesday evening, hours before Jacobsen announced CI-128’s certifcation, Webb moderated an online webinar called “CI-128 Weekly Update Call,” attended by MTFP and roughly 30 others.
When the news came down, Webb told participants he wouldn’t discuss the group’s strategy for opposing the initiative between now and November, but encouraged attendees to be involved.
“This is indeed going to be on the November ballot,” Webb said. “Just be aware that this is no longer a hypothetical. This is a reality.”
Photos courtesy the Macaulay Library Collection at Corneil Lab of Ornithology.
Obituaries
Linda Ann Dallas
Linda Ann Dallas of Florence passed away Friday, August 16th, 2024, at her home after a long battle with cancer. She was born April 10th, 1948, in Newport News, Virginia, the daughter of James R. Davis and Helen L. Catlett.
Linda graduated from Warwick High School in 1966 and worked in the computer room at NASA in the late 60s. She moved to Montana in the early 70s, and it quickly became the home she loved the most. Linda went to MSU for a couple of years before meeting her husband, whom she married on December 6th, 1975. She had her only child the following year. Linda fnished her Bachelor’s degree at Eastern Montana College in the mid-80s and devoted the rest of her time to raising her son and being a homemaker. Later she would go on to work in the dental profession as a neuromuscular technician and then in real estate.
Charles Anderson
Charles Anderson, 89, of Victor, Montana, died August 19th after a long illness. He was born on the family farm near Niagara, North Dakota, and was the seventh of 10 children born to Mortinus and Florence Anderson; he had two brothers and seven sisters.
Charlie’s strong work ethic was evident from a young age. He was drafted into the Army in 1954 at the age of 19 and underwent basic training in Fort Leonard, Missouri. His skills were used in Korea, where he specialized in bridge construction. This early experience in the Army set the tone for his future as he continued to work hard in all aspects of his life.
After returning to the States, he moved to Great Falls, Montana, to find work. There, he met the love of his life, Rose Remillard, in the fall of 1958. After a year of dating, the two got engaged and married on October 31, 1959, at St Joseph’s in Great Falls. The newlyweds moved to Polson, Montana, in August of 1960 and welcomed their first child, Thomas, that October. The family continued to stay in Polson for five years, and Catherine and Carol were born in 1962 and 1963.
In August 1965, Charlie began his long career of driving with The Finest Oil Company. This career change prompted the family to move to the Bitterroot Valley, where their youngest child, Charles Jr., was born in March 1967. Charlie eventually worked at Stevensville Feed and Fuel, where he worked for 18 years until his retirement. In addition to Feed and Fuel, Charlie was
Linda loved arts and crafts projects, decorating and gardening. She was an avid golfer and loved talking with friends and would do anything for them. Most of all, Linda loved animals and rescued as many as she could. She was a kind, caring, gentle, and sweet lady that also had a tough side. Linda loved Christmas and would spend months decorating her home and eight trees.
Linda is survived by her husband, William; son, Bill; future daughter-in-law, Camille; sister, Sandra; and brothers, Rudy and Donnie.
A memorial service will be held at Daly-Leach Chapel on Saturday, August 31st at 1:00 p.m. with a reception following in the funeral home’s community room. Family suggests memorials to be made at your local animal shelter. Condolences may be left for the family at www.dalyleachchapel. com.
a dedicated bus driver for the Stevensville school system. He took pride in his position and was known for always having the cleanest bus.
Charlie loved his family; he was always involved in various activities for his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Charlie was a people person; he would talk to anyone who would listen for as long as they were willing to stand there. For 25 years, Charlie was a volunteer fireman in the Polson, Florence, Stevensville, and Three-Mile areas. Charlie was a long-time member of the Knights of Columbus and the American Legion, and he enjoyed helping others in any way he could as long as he could tease you the whole time. He was a serious card player and played to win. Charlie and Rose were avid square dancing participants, taking them on many travels. No matter the adventure, one thing was sure: Charlie would eventually find himself a vanilla ice cream.
Charlie is preceded in death by his daughter, Carol; his parents, Mortinus and Florence; his brothers, Edward and Fred; and his sisters, Rosalie, Marie, Pearl, Frieda, Katherine, Jeannete, and Rosemary. He is survived by his wife, Rose; his children, Thomas (Dawn), Catherine, and Charles; his 11 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
A vigil service will be held on Monday, September 2, 2024 at 7 p.m. at the Blessed Trinity Catholic Church in Missoula. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, September 3, 2024 at 11 a.m., also at Blessed Trinity
Anna Pearl Harrsch
Anna Pearl Harrsch 85, of Missoula passed peacefully Wednesday, August 14, 2024, at her home.
Anna was born August 16, 1938 in Cody, WY, the daughter of the late Charles and Katherine Campbell.
She grew up in Hamilton and graduated from Hamilton High School in 1956. She married young to Donald Smith and had two sons, Wayne Smith and Johnny Smith. They live in St. Paul, MN. After separation from Don, Anna moved back to Hamilton and in 1965 married Richard “Buck” Harrsch. Living in Darby. Anna gave birth to a daughter, Valerie Sue, in 1966.
Death Notices
Raymond Hanson
Anna had many jobs in the Darby area over the years as well as being a mother and homemaker. Pearl enjoyed her family, community and her church.
Pearl is survived by her sons, Wayne of Minnesota, Johnny of Billings and her daughter Valerie, and husband John “Bubba” Vandenberg along with several grandchildren, and great grandchildren.
Pearl will be forever in our hearts and minds. A celebration of life will be held at a later date to be announced. Pearl so loved her pets and guardian pooches, and we suggest donations to animal shelters in your area in lieu of fowers. She would love that. Godspeed my lady, we love you.
Missoula - Raymond Hanson passed away early Sunday morning, August 18,2024 with family at his side after a battle with cancer. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family. at www.brothersmortuary.com.
Catholic Church. A reception will directly follow the mass in the fellowship hall at the church. Interment with Military Honors will be at 4 p.m. on Tuesday at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Stevensville. Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at www.whitesittfuneralhome.com.
At frst I hated fshing tricos. They were too much of a mystery – not much was written about them, then, and all I knew about them were things I didn’t like: They were too small. There were no standard patterns – that I knew about, anyway – so I had to start from scratch.
The trout kept sipping them of the surface with maddening regularity for hours every morning. And when the tricos were on, it was useless to fsh with anything else. If I wanted to catch these fsh, I’d have to learn more about these little latesummer bugs..
my time catching bugs.
I saw that the fat, outstretched wings of the naturals were about two to three times the length of their bodies. I went home and tied some accordingly. And the tails of the naturals were too long to duplicate in an artifcial.
by Chuck Stranahan
In those days the small group of old-timers who gathered at the Cassel Forebay above what is now the Wild Trout section of Hat Creek were like a private club. There was an easy sense of fraternity between them. They were cordial enough to me when I showed up one evening and I took a spot well above them.
The fshing on that stretch of fat water was as demanding as what became the fabled Hat Creek Wild Trout Project that the forebay eventually dumped into by way of the Hat 2 PG&E Powerhouse.
My mind, that frst time I joined the old guard as a young buck fyfshing diehard in his early twenties, was set on learning how to catch more fsh – fsh that had me frustrated. When they learned that I was sent their way by one of their own who couldn’t make it, I was welcomed. They treated me like one of their own.
a downstream cast and drift, a long leader and gentle cast, but for the morning trico fshing I kept coming up short. One morning I left my rod leaned against the willows that grew along the streamside path and spent
Some of the natural fies had all black bodies, and some had a very pale light greenish, almost white, abdomen and black thorax. I tied fies to represent both types, with bodies the length of the natural insects. I tied three sizes of fies - #18, #20, and #22..
Not knowing any better, I used about a # 14 or #16 hackle wrapped sparsely through the dubbed thorax of a #20 fy for the wings, and trimmed the bottoms so they’d lay fat on the water like the naturals. The tails of my fies were sparse and long, too, but not so long as to interfere with hooking.
The next morning with my newly-invented fies was triumphant. I arrived late, and had the forebay all to myself. The sun was too hot for the regulars, and there would be no shade until evening when they’d show up. We could buy an extremely limp 5X tippet material in that era and I tied one of my pale olive and black spent-wings to a long tippet of this new 5X. Today you can fsh tricos on 6X and fner tippet.
I waded slowly, carefully, into water just beside the current line where the fsh were feeding, but far enough
barely broke the surface and my fy disappeared, I didn’t overstrike. I was poised, ready.
I had a fsh on, one that took my newly-crafted fy and probably wished it hadn’t. It tried to wrap into the weeds near the bottom. I had to keep him out, mindful of not stressing that light leader or tearing that small hook out. It was a challenge, quiet and yet exciting, and I was reveling in it.
A while later I netted a healthy fourteen-inch
Choose trico fy patterns that have the proportions of this natural - or tie your own.
Photo by Chuck Stranahan.
STORMS: trees down, power outages,
Continued from page 1
of Saint Marys Road.
Evacuation warnings remain in effect for the area of North Kootenai Creek Road west of Wakantanka Way; west of the east side of Sharrott Hill Loop; west of Salish Trail; west of the intersection of Saint Marys Road and Salish Trail; and west of Saint Marys Road and the intersection of Indian Prairie Loop.
An evacuation shelter is available at the LDS Church in Stevensville at the corner of Middle Burnt Fork Road and Eastside Hwy. Evacuation questions can be directed to the Ravalli County Emergency Operations Center at 406-375-6650. The Sheriff’s Office asks that people not call 9-1-1 for questions regarding fire or evacuation information.
Ravalli County Sheriff Steve Holton said that on Monday morning residents over 18 years old from evacuated areas were being given access through the roadblocks to check their homes and properties. Sheriff Holton also issued a statement thanking the residents and Stevensville community for their patience and understanding over the last three days. “While evacuations and roadblocks are certainly inconvenient, we are thankful that no one has been injured and no private prop -
erty has been affected,” said the statement. “The Sheriff’s Office is constantly assessing the need for evacuations and will rescind the orders as soon as it is safe to do so.”
A community meeting was scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Stevensville High School gymnasium.
Expertise & Excellence
Above, the Ravalli County Incident Command setting up Friday afternoon in front of Super 1.
At left, a tree blown down across 3rd street, between State street and Bedford street, in downtown Hamilton.
Photos by John Dowd.
Book Review
Booked for the season
by William Kent Krueger
c.2024, Atria
$28.99 336 pages
“The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to follow the Constitution’s Original Meaning” by A.J. Jacobsc.2024, Crown Publishing
Rabbit knew the spirit world, and so when he seemed to speak to spirits in the woods one afternoon, his grandfather paid attention – and Cork made a grisly discovery.
for another installment, and “Spirit Crossing” will make you very happy.
Your usual chair at the table is unoccupied.
$30.00 304 pages
They say you have to fght for the right to party.
Down the hall, your bed’s still made; the blankets, straight. The noises you make, the scent of you, it’s
You also have the right to rant and the right to be wrong. You can belt “All Right Now” at full-blast, if the lyrics feel right, right now. You may have the right to turn right on a red light because you’re an upright citizen. And in the new book “The Year of Living Constitutionally” by A.J. Jacobs those are just a few of the things you got right.
New Yorkers aren’t used to seeing a guy in a tri-corner hat, carrying a musket, but if it meant living like our Founding Fathers, A.J. Jacobs was game.
His eforts started some years ago when he wrote a book, “The Year of Living Biblically,” and he noticed that the Bible had a lot in common with America’s Constitution. He’d once lived like a Levite; why not party like it’s 1787?
The frst order of business was to fnd and actually read the entire Constitution. It was a “revelation... just how much our lives are afected by this 4,543-word document inscribed on calfskin...” We’re afected so much so, even after 200-plus years, that today’s SCOTUS wrestles with centuries-old Constitutional verbiage to make modern laws. Mostly, Jacobs says, any interpretation depends on whether you prefer “living constitutionalism” or originalism. The former argues for adaptation; the latter, for literal interpretation.
Jacobs chose the latter, and living like Ben Franklin, so he learned to write with a quill pen with light from a beeswax candle. George Washington plied Virginia voters with gallons of
Daniel English, O’Connor’s sonin-law and Waboo’s father, worked as a tribal police ofcer and he’d been talking angrily about the large number of Native American girls who’d
all gone, missing from the places you should be. Will you return soon? Only you can be sure but, as in the new novel “Spirit Crossing” by William Kent Krueger, there are people hoping you will.
Annie O’Connor hadn’t wanted to come back home for anything but the family wedding that was a month away. She hadn’t wanted to leave Guatemala, though she spoke to her partner, Maria, about home in many warm ways. She wasn’t afraid that she’d encounter problems for being what the Anishinaabe called “Two-Spirits,” because her family was open and loving. No, Annie had another secret, and she didn’t know if she’d have time to tell it.
As you’ve come to expect, author William Kent Krueger pulls readers into this novel in his O’Connor series quick and easy, with characters you can’t help but get involved with –including some of Krueger fans’ old favorites, some recent favorites in new plotlines, and new folks you’ll really want to get to know. It’s like attending your home-town’s small-town festival and running into new friends and people you’ve known for years but haven’t seen in awhile. You’re happy to have a cold one with some of them.
Others, big jerks and troublemakers, not so much.
If this is your frst Cork O’Connor
novel, reach back a few – at least three or four novels – to get your bearings. If you’re already a fan, get “Spirit Crossing” and put the phone on silent. You won’t answer it anyhow; you’ll be occupied. by Terry Schlichenmeyer
by Terry Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm Sez, LLC
The Bookworm Sez, LLC
today. He joined a re-enactment group and learned to shoot that musket. He took advantage of the free press and the right to assemble (in his living room). He “quartered” a soldier and petitioned Congress. And he determined that when it comes to our Constitution, “We the People” must be vigilant...
If ever there was a right time to read “The Year of Living Constitutionally,” it’s today. Our lives, our futures are being debated and decided now, in real time. It’s serious stuf. Or not so much, with author A.J. Jacobs at the wheel.
spirits, and Jacobs appreciated the “liquid courage.” Jacobs tried to vote
gone missing in northern Minnesota, and how the local police did little about it.
Case in point: the young woman who lay in a shallow grave in a blueberry patch.
Daniel believed – hoped – she was one of the Lakota girls he’d been searching for.
Like a lot of seven-year-olds, Corcoran O’Connor’s grandson, Waaboo (Ojibwenowin for “Little Rabbit”) was curious, active, and smart. Unlike his contemporaries, however, Little
But Waboo said there were two girls whose spirits were lost. Was the other spirit that of Olivia Hamilton, a white girl whose father had money, and who the police were trying hard to fnd? Why were young women disappearing without a trace in northern Minnesota? And, as the county and tribal police got closer to a killer, why would someone want to murder a little boy who saw people that others could not see?
It’s been a long summer, and you’ve missed Cork O’Connor, haven’t you? Yep, so you’re good and ready
Who knew that history could be so fun? Jacobs makes it so, by bravely living like a Founding Father, even if it seemed embarrassing sometimes – and then he tells us about it.
Remember that guy in high school who’d accept any dare if there was a few bucks involved? Yeah, it’s kind of like that, only better because Jacobs also teaches his readers a thing or two about the years in which our Forefathers lived, and about a document that we can’t – and perhaps shouldn’t – stop talking about.
out loud, but though a secret ballot isn’t a Constitutional right, it’s the law
This is an enjoyable book, maybe a slight bit irreverent for certain readers, but surely full of humor and things you didn’t know. If you think you really need to read “The Year of Living Constitutionally,” well, you’re right.
Posting Date May 6, 2024
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Legal Notices
Naomi J. Cheeney
CHEENEY LAW, PLLC PO Box 212 Hamilton, MT 59840
Phone: (406) 363-9060
Attorney for Personal Representative
MONTANA TWENTY-FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, RAVALLI COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF BEVERLY M. KEARNEY, Deceased.
Case No.: DP-41-2024-82
Dept. No. 1
NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned has been appointed Personal Representative of the above-named Estate. All persons having claims against the Decedent are required to present their claims within four months after the date of the frst publication of this notice or said claims will be forever barred. Claims must either be mailed to Cynthia M. Roberts, the Personal Representative, return receipt requested, at Cheeney Law, PLLC, PO Box 212, Hamilton, MT 59840, or fled with the Clerk of the above-entitled Court.
DATED this 29 th day of July 2024. Cynthia M. Roberts, Personal Representative BS 8-14, 8-21, 8-28-24. MNAXLP
LEGAL NOTICE
The Darby Planning Board will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, September 3, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. at the Darby Town Hall, 101 East Tanner Avenue, to receive comments both oral and written regarding a variance request to allow two residences on a single parcel at 102/106 Kerlee Avenue in Darby. For more information visit Darby Town Hall or call (406) 821-3753.
8-21, 8-28-24. MNAXLP
Joseph D. Houston Jones & Houston, PLLC 2625 Dearborn Ave., Ste. 102 Missoula, MT 59804 (406) 541-3333 joe@jonesmtlaw.com
Attorneys for Personal Representative Melissa N. Dunlap MONTANA TWENTY-FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, RAVALLI COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF: TED DUNLAP, Deceased.
Dept. 2 Cause No. DP-41-2024-89 NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Melissa N. Dunlap has been appointed Personal Representative of the abovenamed estate. All persons having claims against the Deceased are required to present their claims within four (4) months after the date of the frst publication of this Notice, or their claims will be forever barred.
Claims must either be mailed to Jones & Houston, PLLC, Attorneys for the Personal Representative, return receipt requested, at 2625 Dearborn Avenue, Suite 102, Missoula, Montana 59804, or fled with the Clerk of the above Court. I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Montana the foregoing is true and correct. Dated this 12th day of August, 2024.
/s/ Melissa N. Dunlap, Personal Representative of the Estate of Ted Dunlap /s/ Joseph D. Houston, Attorney for Personal Representative BS 8-21, 8-28, 9-4-24.
MNAXLP
Montana 21st Judicial District Court, Ravalli County
In the Matter of the Name Change of Sarah Ruth Grifn Nelson, Sarah Ruth Grifn Nelson, Petitioner.
Cause No.: DV-24-315
Dept. 1
NOTICE OF HEARING ON NAME CHANGE
This is notice that Petitioner has asked the District Court for a name change.
The hearing will be on September 25, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. The hearing will be at the courthouse in Ravalli County.
DATED this 13th day of August, 2024.
/s/ Howard Recht
District Court Judge BS 8-21, 8-28, 9-4, 9-1124.
MNAXLP
LEGAL NOTICE
Proposed Rose Lane
Citizen-Initiated Zoning District (CIZD) Regulations. The Ravalli County Planning and Zoning Commission is holding a public hearing on September 5th, 2024 at 2:30pm to review the proposed Rose Lane CIZD Regulations. The Rose Lane CIZD boundaries were established on November 20th, 2023 under resolution No. 4552. The Rose Lane CIZD is located approximately 1.2 miles south of the City of Hamilton, Montana of Grantsdale Road in the NW ¼ of Section 05 & the NW ¼ of Section 06, Township 5North, Range 20West, P.M.M., Ravalli County, Montana. The applicant is Kelly Davis of the KD Ventures LLC and the consultant is Surveyor-Terry Nelson of Applebury Survey Inc. A copy of the proposed Rose Lane CIZD regulations are available for inspection at the Planning Department, in the County Administrative Center, 215 S. 4th St., Suite F, Hamilton, MT 59840. A copy of
the proposed regulations and a map of the Rose Lane CIZD are posted on the Planning Department’s website at https:// ravalli.us/179/Zoning. Written comments are encouraged to be submitted to the Planning Department prior to the below hearing so they can be forwarded to the Planning and Zoning Commission. The Ravalli County Planning and Zoning Commission will be holding a Public Hearing to review the proposed regulations on Thursday, September 5th, 2024 at 2:30pm in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room (Third Floor, BCC Conference Room) at the Administrative Center. The public may comment verbally, or in writing, at the meeting. Comments and information submitted at the public meeting will be considered in the decision on the proposal. However, please note that only under select circumstances will new information be allowed into the record after the public hearing.
BS 8-21, 8-28-24.
MNAXLP
Montana 21st Judicial District Court, Ravalli County In the Matter of the Name Change of Daemin Lee Larson, Brandy Riddle, Petitioner.
Cause No.: DV-41-20240000295-NC
Dept. 1
NOTICE OF HEARING ON NAME CHANGE OF MINOR CHILD
This is notice that Petitioner has asked the District Court to change a child’s name from Daemin Lee Larson to Daemin Bradley Riddle. The hearing will be on September 18, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. The hearing will be at the courthouse in Ravalli County.
DATED this 30th day of July, 2024.
/s/ Paige Trautwein, Clerk of Court By: Catherine di Gleria, Deputy Clerk of Court. BS 8-28, 9-4, 9-11, 9-1824. MNAXLP
MONTANA TWENTY-FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, RAVALLI COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF: ORVILLE ORIN WARNER, Deceased.
Probate No. DP-2024-88
Dept. No. 1
NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Laura Melis has been appointed Personal Representative of the above-named estate. All persons having claims against the said deceased are required to present their claims within four (4) months after the date of the frst publication of this notice or said claims will be forever barred. Claims must either be mailed to Laura Melis, the Personal Representative, return receipt requested, in care of Montana Legacy Law, PLLC, 178 South 2nd Street, Hamilton, MT 59840 or fled with the Clerk of the above Court.
BS 8-28, 9-4, 9-11-24.
MNAXLP
NOTICE OF SELF STOR-
AGE SALE
Please take notice Park River Storage located at 17 Red Ranch Rd. Stevensville MT 59870 intends to hold an Auction of storage units in default of payment. The sale shall occur as an online auction via www.lockerfox.com on 9/5/2024 at 10:30AM. Unless stated otherwise the description of the contents are household goods, furnishings and garage essentials. Unit #75. This sale may be withdrawn at any time without notice.
BS 8-28-24. MNAXLP
Megan S. Winderl CHOUINARD & WINDERL, P.C. 99 Marcus Street, 3rd Floor Hamilton, MT 59840 (406) 218-4888
meganw@cwlawmt.com pleadings@cwlawmt.com
Attorneys for Co-Personal Representatives
MONTANA TWENTY-FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, RAVALLI COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF ROBERT WILLIAM FROST, a/k/a BOB FROST, Deceased. Probate No.: DP-41-2024-
Cowboy poetry at Ravalli County Museum
by John Dowd
Montana’s history is a story that cannot be told without including tales of the cowboy. To remember that history, the Ravalli County Museum holds an event every year to remind an audience of the old ways of the West. The Cowboy Music and Poetry fundraiser has been held for 15 years, and the event got its start from another key component of western lore, the rodeo.
Years ago, the National Senior Pro Rodeo Association held its hall of fame inductions in Hamilton. Along with that event, the inductions included a showing of cowboy-themed music and poetry, in the style of the Old West. Cowboy poetry is a form of storytelling that grew in popularity in the days of the frontier and originated from cowboys and ranchers looking for entertainment on the range. It often includes serious or even humorous anecdotes of life in the West, and specifcally the lifestyle of the American cowboy. The style often involves a rhyming couplet, featuring romanticized imagery of the American West and the life of a cowboy. A guitar is often but not always involved.
Each year, the museum gathers performers from across the western part of the state, many of whom are cowboys themselves with a love for the art. Artists in this year’s performance came from all over, including Dillon, Missoula, Darby and more. Many of these artists often contact the museum to participate every year, and usually the museum tries to include at least six performers. Michelle Nowling, the museum’ Executive Director, said the artists that participate in the Cowboy Music and Poetry fundraiser “do this as a service to the community.” According to Nowling, they want to grow the event, and get more people involved. To her, it is a special event.
thing for the museum. She said they took a break during the COVID-19 years, but brought the event back last year and plan to continue the popular event in perpetuity.
“It’s a great way to appreciate this beautiful style of music and poetry that’s so unique to the West,” said Nowling.
that performed a mix of both poetry and music. The last of the participants did so as a duo.
All the funds raised from the event go into the museum general fund. According to Nowling, much of this money really gets used for all of their other community events in order to continue to keep them free for the public. The museum would also love to move to free visitor admission to the museum, though prices are already modest. To visit the museum, admission is $3 for individuals, $10 for a family, $2 for students and seniors and members can visit for free.
“We want it to be accessible to everyone,” said Nowling.
The museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. More information can be found by contacting the museum at (406) 363-3338. It is located at 205 Bedford, Hamilton, adjacent to the Ravalli County Courthouse.
Nowling has a deep family history of the art form in her own family line. Some of her relatives hail from Wyoming, and many are still musicians performing in this old style today.
Nowling would love to see not only more attendance in the audience, but more artist participation. She has heard of youth groups dabbling in the art, and said it would be awesome to see them perform for an audience at the museum. She said it’s not just about old original works being represented, but also fresh ideas and original compositions created by current living artists.
“It’s cool to see the modern perspective in the old style,” said Nowling.
Bringing back the event has been an exciting
This year, the event was emceed by museum board member, Perry Bartol, who told the audience that he has a deep love for this unique history of the West. He introduced the seven artists in attendance
Philip Page performing at the museum. He played several of his own original works as well as a couple of classic cowboy songs. Photo by John Dowd.
