GREAT FALLS — Chester-Joplin-Inverness standout Brynn Kammerzell announced Thursday that she has committed to play for the Montana State women’s basketball program.

Kammerzell helped lead C-J-I o a 24-3 record and a fourth-place finish at the Class C state tournament this past season. She averaged more than 24 points per game as a junior.

WATCH: Brynn Kammerzell talks about her commitment to MSU

CJI Standout Brynn Kammerzell Commits to Montana State

For Kammerzell, the decision came down to more than basketball.

“I just love (MSU’s) winning culture right now,” Kammerzell said. “They’ve been on fire winning lots of games. Their coaching staff is just incredible. And their girls are my type of people. Just great people. Fun to be around.”

Kammerzell said seeing other Class C athletes find success at Montana State, like Roberts’ Taylee Chirrick and Saco’s Teagan Erickson, also made the transition feel natural.

“It’s really nice knowing that these Class C girls are going to be there,” she said. “I’ve known Teagan for a while when I was a freshman she was competing against me at state high jump.”

She added that staying close to home was another major factor in her choice.

“It means a lot to be a Montana girl and to be able to go play at Montana State,” Kammerzell said.

Kammerzell has been a standout multi-sport athlete throughout her high school career. Along with her basketball success, she has helped the C-J-I volleyball team reach the Class C state tournament twice and will be chasing her third straight Class C high jump state championship next weekend.

Now that her college decision is made, Kammerzell says she can fully focus on her senior season and locking up a track and field title next week. 

“I feel so relieved,” she said. “I’m so happy with the choice I made. And I can’t wait to be a Bobcat, but I want to finish off my school season with a trophy.”

BILLINGS — A new report highlighting aging roads and bridges across Montana is raising concerns in Billings, but transportation leaders say long-term investments and infrastructure projects are already underway to address the problem.

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Montana transportation leaders address aging infrastructure at Billings summit

The report from national transportation research group TRIP found seven bridges in the Billings area are in poor condition, while another 186 are rated fair. Statewide, nearly one-third of Montana’s major roads are considered in poor condition, and 7% of bridges are classified as structurally deficient.

New report flags Billings bridges, rough roads as infrastructure concerns

The report did not identify the specific bridges in Billings.

For residents like Alisha Oster, who works at a gas station near the Blue Creek bridge that spans the Yellowstone River, concerns about aging infrastructure feel personal. She said crossing the bridge can feel unsettling, especially when large trucks pass through.

“When you go across it, it sounds like it’s cracking sometimes,” Oster said. “It just sometimes makes me feel like I’m just going to fall.”

Crews rehabilitated the Blue Creek bridge in 2024, but Oster said the report heightened concerns about other bridges in the Billings area.

“So it is concerning, not just this bridge, but like all the other bridges around Billings,” she said. “What happens if the bridge does cave in?”

Transportation leaders said the report’s findings were expected and reflect challenges the state has already been working to address.

Isabel Spartz/MTN News

“We’re well aware that it was going to come out,” Montana Department of Transportation Director Chris Dorrington said. “The results are not surprising. Some of Montana’s roads and bridges need attention.”

On Thursday, transportation officials, contractors, and local leaders gathered at the Northern Hotel in downtown Billings for the 2026 Infrastructure Summit, where discussions focused on long-term transportation and infrastructure needs across the state.

Isabel Spartz/MTN News

Dorrington said the summit brought together stakeholders from transportation, water, and wastewater systems, local governments, and private industry.

“We all came together … all interested in trying to do the very best of what we can for Montana’s transportation system,” Dorrington said.

David Smith, executive director of the Montana Contractors Association and chair of the Montana Infrastructure Coalition, said many rural and county-owned bridges across Montana are decades old and in need of repair or replacement.

“We have a lot of off-system bridges, which are county bridges that are in old shape,” Smith said. “They’re 70, 80, 90 years old, so they need attention.”

Dorrington said MDT monitors thousands of bridges statewide through a rotating inspection schedule and has already developed long-term investment plans to address deteriorating infrastructure.

Isabel Spartz/MTN News

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“In Montana, out of 5,000 (bridges), we have a lot that are going to need to be rebuilt, in addition to being maintained,” Dorrington said. “We look at the report as an indicator.”

He said the state plans to invest $1 billion into bridge projects over the next five years, including repairs or replacements for roughly 40 bridges annually.

Montana bridges are breaking down, but state has $1 billion plan to fix them

Still, officials acknowledged that inflation and rising construction costs continue stretching transportation dollars thinner.

“We still receive about the same amount of fuel tax revenues, and cars are more efficient,” Smith said. “So the income level for the state has been pretty flat through the years, but the cost of construction has greatly increased.”

Isabel Spartz/MTN News

The TRIP report warned that delaying repairs only increases long-term costs. According to the report, every dollar of deferred road and bridge maintenance can lead to an additional $4 to $5 in future repair costs.

Aging roads and rising costs put pressure Montana’s infrastructure system

Despite the challenges, officials pointed to major projects already completed in Billings as evidence that infrastructure investments are improving safety and capacity. Smith highlighted the recently completed $72 million Yellowstone River bridge replacement on Interstate 90.

“It increased the safety and the capacity for the interstate through Billings,” Smith said. “It’s been a great project, but it’s not cheap.”

Leaders at the summit also discussed future transportation projects, including planned improvements to the Johnson Lane interchange in Lockwood, which is expected to become a diverging diamond interchange.

Isabel Spartz/MTN News

The summit also focused on broader infrastructure concerns beyond highways and bridges, including water systems, wastewater facilities, rail infrastructure, and airports.

While construction projects may frustrate drivers in the short term, leaders argued that proactive investment can prevent larger infrastructure failures and more expensive repairs later.

“It’s important that associations and government work together to try and make sure that we’re in front of those things and anticipating where there might be failures in the future and mitigate that,” Smith said.

After approval from the board of trustees, Cancer Support Community Montana will expand and add a physical location in Helena.

Established in 2004, the non-profit currently has chapters in Missoula and Bozeman, while Helena has been operating as a chapter-in-development.

Now that members have voted to become a full chapter, they’re looking to find a permanent space in Helena where people can gather for support and connection.

Recent data shows nearly 600 people in the Helena area are diagnosed with cancer each year.

The non-profit offers free support programs with the goal of fostering community and breaking down barriers to care.