Montana
Montana silversmith finds joy in teaching others
BILLINGS — Sweet Pea Custom Silver hosted a beginner silversmithing class at Mazevo Coffee on 38th Street West on Sunday. Watch:
Montana silversmith finds joy in teaching others
“Jewelry is very intimate, especially rings,” said Meagan Anderson, owner of Sweet Pea. “Our hands are just, probably, the more intimate parts of our bodies.”
One of the students in the class, Sara Champlin, said that jewelry, such as her fiance’s birthstone in her wedding band or a ring from her parents for her eighteenth birthday, represent the things that matter most to them.
“Having something precious, it makes you feel special, I think, and cared for or loved,” said Champlin.
Originally from Kodiak Island in Alaska, Meagan now calls Judith Basin County her home.
She began silversmithing with her grandmother after following hand-written instructions on how to make a ring left behind by her great-grandfather, who passed away before she was born.
Before working with semi-rare stones and metals, Anderson worked with her hands for most of her life.
“I started working for my dad’s construction company at about 12. Then commercial fishing at 16; (I) dropped out of high school a couple times,” said Anderson. “It still is funny to me that I’ve gone back and got a college degree.”
She said she finds more value in the sentiment behind jewelry, than a piece’s monetary value.
“You can’t tell the difference between a diamond and piece of glass unless you’re a professional,” she noted, adding that she likely could not tell the difference between the two.
Meagan said she appreciates the personal value on display when others dress themselves in jewelry.
“They’re taking time out of their day to adorn themself, probably not for other people’s enjoyment, but for their own, and I think that that’s super precious,” said Anderson.
Meagan hosts classes for groups and individuals, and also sells her jewely at craft shows around Montana.
For upcoming classes and to learn more, click here to visit her website; click here for her Facebook page.
MTN News
Montana
2026 MHSA Montana All-Class State Wrestling Tournament Schedule & Brackets – FloWrestling
Unless you’re a fan of extreme cold, heavy snow, winter sports and early nightfall, you’re probably not going to be traveling to, or through, Montana during February.
But if you’re a local, and looking to stay warm and entertained, you’re in luck, as it now is time for one of the most anticipated championship event of the year, the Montana High School Association All-Class State Wrestling Tournament.
Since the mid-1950s, the history and tradition of high school wrestling in Montana have continued to grow, with girls wrestling officially joining the landscape for the 2021-2022 season and adding to the sport’s popularity and following.
The 2026 edition of the state event will take place Feb. 19-21 at the First Interstate Arena, one of the many versatile facilities that make up the 189-acre multi-use MetraPark in Billings, Montana.
Though this tournament won’t be broadcast live on FloWrestling or the FloSports app, each match will appear in the FloWrestling archives minutes after concluding.
The evolution of MHSA wrestling includes one classification in 1956, two in 1958, three in 1964 and four starting in 2007 (AA, A, B, C).
The state tournaments were held at separate sites until 1988, when the All-Class State Wrestling Tournament found its home at the MetraPark, with wrestling occurring on 12 mats.
The 12,000-seat First Interstate Arena hosts many of Montana’s largest concerts, family shows, rodeos, trade events, ice shows, motorsports events, agricultural events and more.
Check out this cool map of the wrestling floor.
Champions in girls wrestling were determined for the first time in 2021 when there was just one classification. In 2023, there were two. In 2024, there were three. Finally, in 2025, the girls got a fourth classification.
In 2025, eight team state championships were earned in Billings for the first time.
On the girls side, Billings Senior won the Class AA crown for the third consecutive season, while Custer County (Miles City) grabbed the Class A championship to deny Ronan a three-peat. In Class B, Baker won for the second consecutive season, and Simms took home the inaugural Class C trophy.
Individually, Kaura Coles from Kalispell Glacier won her third consecutive state championship and now has the opportunity to complete the four-peat in 2026 and become the state’s first four-time girls state champion. Coles was one of four girls to join the three-win club in 2025.
The boys side of the event saw legacy-building performances in the team competition.
Huntley Project took the top spot in the Class B standings for the fourth consecutive year, Billings West completed its own Class AA three-peat and Laurel won Class A for the second straight season. The final trophy, in Class C, went to Circle, which last won in 2022 to complete a nearly unprecedented five-peat.
As you get settled in for the new championship season, here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament, including links to the brackets.
What Are The Weight Classes For High School Wrestling In Montana?
In Pounds
- Girls: 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 155, 170, 190, 235
- Boys: 103, 110, 118, 126, 132, 138, 144, 150, 157, 165, 175, 190, 215, 285
2026 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament Brackets
Here’s where you’ll be able to find the brackets for the 2026 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament:
How To Watch The 2026 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament
Coverage of the 2026 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament won’t be broadcast live on FloWrestling and the FloSports app, but the matches will be available in the FloWrestling archives minutes after they conclude.
News, notes, stats and more will be available on both platforms.
If you’re going to be in the area and want to catch the action in person, tickets will be available at the venue. All-session (three days) tickets for adults are $29. Single-session (Friday or Saturday) are $16. After 4 p.m. (Thursday or Friday) will be $10. After 3 p.m. (Saturday) will be $10. There will be a $2 service fee added to all tickets.
Student tickets will be $24, $14, $8 and $8, respectively.
More spectator and ticket information is available here.
2026 MHSA (MT) State Championships – ARCHIVE ONLY
2026 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament Schedule
Here’s a look at when everything is going down in Montana:
All Times Mountain
Tuesday, Feb. 17
- 7 p.m. – Coaches’ meeting via Zoom
Thursday, Feb. 19
- 10 a.m.-1 p.m. – MetraPark opens for practice; Scales available for weight checks
- 1 p.m. – Boys & Girls weigh-in time; Grooming/skin checks
- 1 p.m. – Workers’ meeting
- 1 p.m. – Ticket gates open for spectator admission and sign/banner hanging
- 2 p.m. – Officials’ meeting
- 3 p.m. – Boys Round 1; Girls Round 1 & Round 2
Friday, Feb. 20
- 7 a.m. – Ticket gates open for spectator admission
- 8:50 a.m. – Assemble for Parade of Athletes
- 9 a.m. – Parade of Athletes
- 9:10 a.m. – National anthem
- 9:20 a.m. – Boys Round 1 Consolation & Quarterfinals; Girls Round 1 & Round 2 Consolation; Girls Quarterfinals
- 2:30 p.m. (approx.) – Boys Round 2 Consolation; Girls Round 3 Consolation
- 5 p.m. (approx.) – Boys and Girls Semifinals
- 5:15 p.m. (approx.) – Official weigh-ins
Saturday, Feb. 21
- 7 a.m. – Ticket gates open for spectator admission
- 8:50 a.m. – National anthem
- 9 a.m. – Boys and Girls Consolation Quarterfinals
- 11 a.m. (approx.) – Boys and Girls Consolation Semifinals
- 1 p.m. (approx.) – Boys and Girls Consolation Finals
- 3 p.m. – Parade of Finalists; Boys and Girls Finals (four mats)
What Teams Won At The 2025 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament?
Here are the 2025 team state champions in Montana:
Girls
- Class AA – Billings Senior
- Class A – Custer County (Miles City)
- Class B – Baker
- Class C – Simms
Boys
- Class AA – Billings West
- Class A – Laurel
- Class B – Huntley Project (Worden)
- Class C – Circle
Read more: 2025 MHSA Montana State Championship Results And Brackets
Did You Know: Butte High School Wrestling Was On Another Level
The record for team state titles in Montana is 17, held by Butte High School, which won a record 13 consecutive championships from 1980-1992, but hasn’t been back to the mountaintop since 2003.
Havre and Glasgow rank second all-time with 14 titles.
Individually, 42 boys have won four state titles, with Zach Morse becoming the latest in 2025.
For the girls, three-time defending Class AA champion Billings Senior owns the most titles with three, while three schools have two.
Individually, seven girls have won three championships, with four adding their names to the list last season.
2025-2026 FloWrestling High School Wrestling Rankings
Top 20 as of Jan. 12, 2026
Curious about how the top wrestlers from each state stack up against competitors from across the country?
Click here to see the latest high school rankings from FloWrestling.
CHANCE (The Unbelievable Story Of Chance Marsteller)
Chance Marsteller was a wrestling prodigy destined for greatness, but the journey to the top was anything but smooth. Learn all about Marsteller now.
Trackwrestling Has Joined The New FloWrestling
Trackwrestling officially has merged with FloWrestling, bringing its powerful tournament tracking tools and live data into a modern, all-in-one platform.
Fans can follow every bout with pro-grade brackets, mat schedules, team rosters and detailed wrestler profiles—all seamlessly integrated within FloWrestling.
This move delivers a faster, smarter and more connected experience for the wrestling community. Through the updated FloSports app, users can track live results, explore brackets and even sign up for free alerts so they never miss a match.
FloWrestling Archived Footage
Video footage from all events on FloWrestling will be archived and stored in a video library for FloWrestling subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.
Join The State Wrestling Conversation On Social
Montana
NFL legend Joe Montana lived around top VC execs as a 49er, then leveraged those ties to launch his second career as an investor | Fortune
Four-time Super Bowl champion Joe Montana wasn’t looking to be an investor after his NFL career, but his San Francisco 49ers teammates convinced him to give it a shot.
In an interview with CNBC on Thursday, the legendary quarterback recalled how former offensive tackle Harris Barton and former safety Ronnie Lott approached him with an idea to start a “fund of funds.”
“And because we lived around all the guys who were running Sequoia, Kleiner, Excel, all the top-tier funds, we’re going to leverage our friendships into access,” Montana said.
Silicon Valley and the NFL are converging again on Sunday as the Super Bowl will be played in San Jose, where the 49ers now play their home games.
Back when Montana first got into investing, he and his associates initially raised $15 million, and the fund grew from there, helping them get into leveraged buyout funds, hedge funds, and real estate funds, he said.
But Montana later moved two hours away from San Francisco to the Napa wine country, forcing him to step back from investing.
Then he connected with angel investor Ron Conway because their kids attended the same school. The cofounder of SV Angel introduced Montana to tech incubator Y Combinator and encouraged him to start his own fund, Liquid 2, in 2015.
Conway advised Montana, who shared a key lesson he learned from the legendary Silicon Valley investor.
“Everybody thinks it’s always about product,” he told CNBC. “But as early as we invest, most of the time it’s about people, and what you’re betting on are the founders.”
Montana also said his Liquid 2 work is more interesting than the fund of funds as his current job requires deeper involvement in his portfolio companies, especially in the early stages.
For his part, Conway told Worth magazine that Liquid 2 is now as big as SV Angel, adding that he and Montana invest together a lot.
“Because of his affable personality and his brand, he is able to get into really good syndicates and have lasting relationships,” he said.
Liquid 2 has invested in over 800 companies and was an early backer of GitLab, Rappi, Anduril, and Pipe, among others, according to Worth.
While Montana didn’t want his athletic fame to define his fund, he still draws on his experience in pro sports to help him invest. He said NFL coaching icon Bill Walsh showed him how to assemble a good team. Montana also learned to see parallels between great founders and elite athletes.
“It all stems from what’s inside them and their drive to succeed,” Montana told Worth.
Montana
Memorial for Swiss bar fire victims goes up in flames
A memorial for the victims of a deadly fire at a new year party in Switzerland caught fire early on Sunday, probably sparked by candles left burning inside, police have said.
The memorial was a makeshift tribute to the 41 people killed and the 115 injured in the fire that erupted in the early hours of 1 January at Le Constellation bar in the ski resort town of Crans-Montana, which was packed with mainly teenagers and young adults.
Laden with flowers, candles and messages of condolence, it had been set up near the site of the tragedy. It caught alight shortly before 6am on Sunday, regional police in Switzerland’s south-western canton of Valais said in a statement.
Images broadcast by Swiss public broadcaster RTS on Sunday showed the blackened top of a white, igloo-like tarpaulin erected over the memorial to protect it from the weather, visible behind a white screen and police tape.
“Thanks to the rapid intervention of the emergency services, the fire was quickly brought under control,” police said.
No one was injured in the fire at the memorial, they said, though “several commemorative objects were damaged by the flames”.
A large book of remembrance, filled with messages of condolence left by those who have visited the memorial over the past five weeks, had been saved, the statement said.
Police said an investigation had been opened into what caused the blaze at the memorial, which had initially been placed in front of the burned-out bar but which had recently been moved a bit farther away.
“According to initial reports, the fire started near the candles placed on a table in the centre of the memorial,” the statement said. “At this stage, third-party involvement can be ruled out.”
Investigators believe that the new year inferno at Le Constellation started when champagne bottles with sparklers attached were raised too close to a ceiling in the bar crowded with revellers, igniting sound insulation foam.
The French couple who co-owned the bar, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, are facing charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.
Crans-Montana’s head of public safety and a former local fire safety officer are also under criminal investigation in connection with the blaze at the bar, which had not undergone mandatory annual fire inspections since 2019.
Following weeks of harsh criticism of local and regional authorities’ handling of the crisis and the investigation, family members voiced consternation upon learning of the fire at the memorial.
“What to say?” Laetitia Brodard-Sitre, whose 16-year-old son Arthur Brodard was among those who died at Le Constellation, posted on Facebook over a link to a report about the memorial fire. “It is the municipality’s responsibility to ensure a memorial that is secure.”
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