Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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Dear Editor, It's too bad the town of Whitehall isn't as enthusiastic about controlling mosquitoes as it is about controlling traffic with dubious four-way stops. Joe Dillon Whitehall, Montana...
State and local public health officials are reminding Montanans to be aware of the risk of exposure to rabies as summer approaches. The risk for potential encounters between humans and wild animals increases during spring and summer because of the time spent hiking and engaging in other outdoor activities. On June 13, 2023, DPHHS received the first report of a rabid animal this year. A striped skunk in Powder River County tested positive for rabies. In 2022, 13 animals submitted for rabies...
Did you know that stress, in one form or another, is the cause of 80-90% of chronic diseases? Think of stress like the layers of an onion. There are layers made up of physical stressors. These include dehydration, poor nutrition, lack of movement and sunlight, poor sleep, and exposure to toxins and radiation. Then there are the mental, emotional, and spiritual layers. These include financial strain, traumatic events, toxic relationships, family stress, work or school stress, and loneliness. We a...
The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) honored Montana Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel from White Sulphur Springs, Great Falls, Whitehall, Bozeman, Miles City, and Anaconda during an awards ceremony at the Capitol Rotunda Wednesday, May 24. The event included an address by Lt. Governor Kristen Juras to representatives from the Meagher County Volunteer Ambulance, Montana Medical Transport of Helena and Great Falls, Jefferson Valley EMS, Gallatin County Dispatch,...
Following the successful creation and placement of the beautiful mural at Jefferson Fresh Foods the Whitehall Mural Restoration Project is moving forward strongly in 2023! At this point, it is expected that this year the faded murals at Rocky Mountain Bank and the Billsgary(K-Bar) building will be removed and new vibrant murals will replace them. This repainting and reconstruction is currently underway and progress has been dramatic. The Murals Project would like to sincerely thank Mayor Mary Janacaro-Hensleigh and the Town of Whitehall for...
Dear Editor, We have been reading and hearing about the issues of the Whitehall Saddle Club and the Town of Whitehall. So just show the real reason the town is pushing this. There are so many rumors being floated around. Rumors are that the town will be getting a substantial amount of money for the development of the recreation area. Rumors are, developing an RV area? (There is already parking in the park for that, also the town would be competing with other local RV parks in the area). That is...
Dear Editor, Montana is a beacon of fiscal responsibility; it's time to apply it in DC. The state's budget surplus this year is a clear indicator that Montana is doing something right economically. We've seen this money be put to good use by reducing our tax burden and smart spending on programs that will boost our economic prosperity and bring growth and opportunity to the state. Representative Matt Rosendale has brought that same mentality to Congress. It's clear that Democrats have overspent...
Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) officials are reporting a recent increase in the number of cases of chickenpox reported in school-aged children. And, at least half of these infections were acquired from an adult family member with shingles. Chickenpox, or varicella, can be a serious illness and is easily preventable with vaccination. “The best way to protect yourself and your child from chickenpox is vaccination,” says Jessica Lopeman, a registered nurse and epidemiologist with DPHHS. In 2022, there were 23 reported cas...
Although I’ve lived in a small Western town for 30 years now, I have never known much about one of its fundamental institutions, the service club. Many small-town residents still center their lives on Lions, Elks, Rotary, or similar organizations. Not me: I’m not a joiner. Yet as our national culture moves farther away from such settings for broad discussions, I worry that I’m part of the problem. A while ago when I was asked to speak at our local Rotary Club, I hesitated, picturing white guys networking with each other and complaining about...
The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) will begin conducting Medicaid and Healthy Montana Kids (HMK) eligibility redeterminations on April 1 for the first time in three years. Federal requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic led to the suspension of annual redeterminations, in order to keep every individual enrolled in Medicaid covered throughout the pandemic. However, last December’s federal omnibus spending bill directed states to resume evaluating the eligibility of Medicaid enrollees on April 1. Beginning in April a...
Experiencing pain in some form is a fact of life on earth. Unfortunately, many people experience chronic daily pain and come to accept it as part of the “human condition.” But have you ever asked yourself why we experience pain? Pain is a teacher. It comes when we need to make a change, whether it be physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, or relationally. Some of us avoid pain by silencing it or covering it, and some of us surrender to it as our forever reality. When we take these act...
At 12:55 AM on February 3, 1943, a torpedo from German U-Boat 223 detonated on the starboard side and well below the waterline of the USTT Dorchester. The former coastal luxury passenger liner converted to troop transport, carrying 904 servicemen, civilian workers, and crew, sank in only 27 minutes, taking 672 souls to the bottom of the freezing North Atlantic. It was one of the worst shipboard disasters in US naval history. The first Sunday of each February is designated Four Chaplains Sunday, commemorating the sacrificial service of...
Krista Glaus, RN, has been named a recipient of a School Health Mini-Grant Award from the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS). She has received $1,000, which will contribute to staff CPR and first aid training in the Whitehall School District. Glaus provides nursing services to the Whitehall School District, where she works with students and their families to ensure students' health and well-being. She is among a select number of school nurses awarded grants by the DPHHS...
"Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!" is a famous line turned into a cliché from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz used to express fear. In the 2020s, the fear of "Lions and Tigers and Bears" has been replaced with the fear of "climate change and anti-vaxxers and Article V of the US Constitution," which are strange bedfellows indeed. Oh my! There has been the same banter going on back and forth around a resolution that has been trying to get passed through our legislature since 2015 to add Montana...
The Whitehall Murals Project, spearheaded by the Whitehall Chamber of Commerce, is excited to announce that it has received a tremendous, helpful grant from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation. The grant consists of an immediate grant of $5,000 and a matching grant of $2,500. The matching grant has, of course, a stipulation. The stipulation for the matching grant is that an additional $2,500.00 will be granted to the project by the Washington Foundation should there be contributions of...
Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) officials are reporting substantial influenza (flu) activity during the first three months of this current flu season, from September through December 2022, that has far exceeded the prior five-year averages. Since the week of September 25 through December 31, 2022, there have been 408 influenza-associated hospitalizations reported to DPHHS, well above the five-year seasonal average of 88 hospitalizations for that same time frame. The five-year seasonal average for hospitalizations for an...
Dear Editor, Thank you, Mr. Buterbaugh, for the information on the massive budget bill. The current spectacle of the House of Representatives is another example of what seems to be the inability to use reason. Joy Des Rosier Whitehall, Montana...
Dear Editor, A “critique” of the Ledger’s Letters to the Editor on 12/7/2022. “J. Butt” - Blah blah blah blah blah boring. Double dribble. “Computer Kelly” - the Earth is flat. Elvis is alive. And the cow jumped over the moon. “The Professor” - How does “civilized discussion” jive with the embrace and defense of the murder weapon, a gun, while lifeless school children are piled up in their Uvaldi classroom waiting to be identified by the “color of their tennis shoes.” And, two were decapitated - how? “The Terminator” - Direct. Abras...
Dear Editor, The TERMINATOR - straight from the insurrectionist’s mouth: “I haven’t read the Constitution, but from what I’ve been told, most of it is a waste of paper quite frankly; the fifth amendment is the only part worth saving.” A former President of the United States and the freak has not read the Constitution. Wow. “When I left office, I took a lot of documents with me, but I had no interest in taking the Constitution. If I could have cut the 5th amendment out of the Constitution and put it in my pocket, I would have done that, but t...
Much like vote counting results in some places around the country, I am a little slow on delivery. However, local elections are officially in the rearview mirror. Approximately 58 percent of registered Jefferson County voters participated from the ten precincts within the county. The good news is that this was on par with the state, whose total turnout was just over 60 percent. Since it’s our number one responsibility as sovereign actors within our government, perhaps we should expect higher p...
Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) officials are urging Montanans to be aware of the importance of appropriate antibiotic use during U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week Nov. 18-24, 2022. This is an annual observance that provides participating organizations in the state’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Program an opportunity to raise awareness about antibiotic use to combat the threat of antibiotic resistance. DPHHS officials state that while antibiotics are a common treatment for numerous bacterial infections, they are not always t...
Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) officials said today that increased benefits are now available to families through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, commonly known as WIC. “We want to ensure that WIC recipients and those who are eligible, but not yet enrolled for the program, are aware that benefits increased in October,” said Kevin Moore, acting WIC Director for DPHHS. “This is great news because we know that with increases in food prices, times are tough for many famil...
After a summer of anticipation, information, and hard work by Kit Mather the old mural came down and the beautiful new mural went up last Thursday. If you haven't seen it please go to Jefferson Fresh Foods and see it. It is bright, beautiful, and clear. It was a full day to remove the old mural and reinstall the new one. Thanks are due to many people first of all to Kit Mather who gave up her entire summer and worked every single day to make this vision come to fruition. Thanks also to the...
The Jefferson Valley Community Foundation is pleased and excited to announce its Short-and Sweet awards evening. The awards event will be held on November 10th at the Whitehall Community Center beginning at 7:00 PM. Representatives of those non-profit organizations who have applied for specific monetary grants should be present to find out the results of the awarded grant. A pie social will provide delicious refreshments and make the event a special evening, Non-profit organizations who have missed the grant deadline or who were unaware of...
Wow, we’re finally there, the Lewis and Clark mural located on Jefferson Fresh Foods is going up this Thursday (weather permitting)to replace the original weathered mural. Local contractor Tim Geary has agreed to donate personal time to remove the old mural and put the new mural in place. The old mural originally painted by artist Kit Mather with calligraphy done by Carilyn Jenkin has been a beautiful, special, signature for our community’s enthusiasm for art and history. The Whitehall Chamber is looking for a new home for the old mural, tho...
