Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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Tom Ressler had heard the naysayers, but he was not deterred. The Whitehall resident had read in the journals of Lewis and Clark about them witnessing Native Americans with beautiful and shiny bows made from buffalo horns. He would also see the bows time and time again in paintings of Native Americans from the 1800's. Despite historians saying they did not exist or if they did none have ever been found, Ressler believed there was enough historical data to try and create one and took on what he...
A shooting Saturday night in Whitehall is currently under investigation. Jefferson County Undersheriff Mike Johnson told the Ledger the department responded to a call of a shooting April 15 shortly after 11 p.m. According to the weekly Jefferson County police log, deputies responded to the call at 601 East Legion Avenue. Johnson said a 24-year-old male with a gunshot wound was transported to the hospital by Jefferson Valley EMS and Rescue. Johnson said the department is still investigating the shooting, and did not further comment about any...
An increase in water and possibly sewer rates may be imminent for residents in Whitehall. At the Monday Town Council meeting, Mayor Dale Davis said the State of Montana Board of Investments would not let the town apply for the bonds or loans until the town has paid off a previous loan from a $59,000 bond issued in 1997 for a water project. The last payment is $6,400. Currently the town has $5,800 in the reserve account for that payment and will be looking at the budget to make up the $600 needed. Requirements made by a bond counsel for rate...
Work continued last week on a project that will give local residents and businesses access to Gigabit Internet. According to Lee Good of TeleSystem Services (TSS), Dustin Laughrey, Jason Good, Shane Good, as well as a several helpful residents along 1st Street in Whitehall pitched in Friday to help install a 3,000 foot 12 fiber cable from near the Flower Shop, all the way to the head end located in the Old Cheese Factory. Good said three other fiber cables were installed Saturday before it...
At a special meeting last week, the Whitehall School Board of Trustees received an audit report for the 2016-17 school year from Debbie Ouellette of Newland and Company. Ouellette reported the Whitehall School Districts not only had a clean audit, but had the highest possible ranking they could receive. Whitehall Superintendent John Sullivan said there were a few little findings they would be taking care of, but it was the best audit the districts have had in years. In the regular board meeting, the Board of Trustees approved a proposal from...
Every April, local residents come together in downtown Whitehall for two worthwhile events geared for the entire community. The annual Jefferson River Rally and Health and Safety Fair are scheduled to take place Thursday, April 20 at the Whitehall Community Center at 11 N. Division. The events sponsored by Golden Sunlight Mine, the Jefferson River Watershed Council, and MSU Extension are scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jefferson Local Development Corporation Office Manager Gena Nellis said the events are an opportunity for the whole...
This Easter lily provides a colorful contrast to the two inches of snow that fell last weekend in the Highland Mountains near Whitehall. Local photographer Sarah Smart was able to capture this picture near her residence....
Gena Nellis remembers when Whitehall had what she called a great local music scene. With the hopes of seeing this once again in the future, Nellis and several other local residents have started a weekly open mic night at Legends Bar and Grill located at 13 West Legion in downtown Whitehall. Nellis said there are a lot of very good musicians in the area, and encouraged them to come to the event that starts every Thursday at 8 p.m. Last week was the fourth open mic night, and while Nellis said...
The last week of the month will provide a shining example of some of the great things that happen throughout the year in Whitehall. The annual Town of Whitehall Spring Clean up is scheduled for April 24 to 28 and local residents will be busy sprucing up the town for the summer months. This is an important event for Whitehall because it not only makes the town visually look better; it also allows residents to take pride in their community. During the summer, Whitehall will see an increase in tourists and visitors, and they will be coming to a...
When I was growing up, I would read just about everything I could get my hands on. I would go to the library, prefer to get a book for a gift, and when I was in the bathroom would always have a newspaper or at least read the back of the shampoo bottle. That last part probably sounds weird, but I guarantee I am not the only person who reads this that has done the same thing. We had a bookcase in our house that I grabbed a few books out of from time to time, but there were several hardback books t...
I need to begin by doing some housekeeping. This is my attempt to make the “workers” of the town hall happy. I need to state I am a resident of Madison County living in Whitehall. Now, my response to the Mayor of Whitehall. Your office workers say, I should not have any say about Whitehall because I live in Madison County. However, you do take my tax monies. Well, why should you have anything to say about the District? Thanks to you, Whitehall is not part of the District. Nowhere in the letter, did I read that the mayor accepted any responsibil...
The Guest Editorial by Mayor Dale Davis asks the question, “Is the ambulance tax district a good idea for our community?” I do not think he answered his question. What I and, I will guess, 99 percent of the folks in this area, want is for an ambulance to arrive when we need one within the shortest time and with the right equipment and sufficient, adequately trained personnel to attend my needs and transport me to a medical facility that can treat me. For years, the Whitehall Ambulance folks did a great job at this. They also brought a very sign...
Tuesday, Apr. 4 8:45 a.m. - care for sick/injured, 10 Whitetail Drive, Whitehall 9:52 a.m. – traffic stop, Piedmont Road, Whitehall 10:15 a.m. – traffic stop, Piedmont Road, Whitehall 1:08 p.m. – trespass, Division Street, Whitehall 2:15 p.m. - alarms burglary false/error, 1078 Hwy 2 West, Whitehall 3:34 p.m. – alarms, Route 3 Lot #1, Whitehall 4:44 p.m. - traffic violation/ driver suspended/revocation, South Division Street, Whitehall 6:11 p.m. – traffic stop, Tebay Lane, Whitehall Wednesday, Apr. 5 9:57 a.m. - 911 hangup, 11 Irvine Lane, Car...
HELENA -- When it comes to balancing the state budget, there are two schools of thought - raise taxes and generate revenue, or cut spending and save money. With the state facing a budget shortfall, that ideological difference has become all the more prominent throughout Montana's 65th Legislative session. Often, it defines party lines. In Gov. Steve Bullock's original budget proposal, he suggested a wide variety of tax increases on everything from cigarettes to medical marijuana. Perhaps most...
Competing in just their second event of the year at last week's Great Falls Tournament, Whitehall High School tennis coach Kerry Sacry was very happy with the way his team fared. "Everyone played well. Very pleased with the performance," Sacry said. Monica Sepulveda is showing she will be a force to be reckoned with during her senior campaign. Sepulveda was a perfect 5-0 at last week's Great Falls Tournament, picking up wins against opponents from Harlem, Chester-Joplin-Iverness, Simms, Fort...
Scholars at the Cardwell School began the first of six weeks of the Montana Outdoor Science School. This program provides opportunities for the kids with hands on learning. With that in mind, the school will be having a Science Fair on Wednesday, April 26th. Participants are the 5th through 8th grades. It’s been a couple of years since this competition was held, but is a great opportunity for the students to become inventors or just investigators. This week is Easter week and on Wednesday, during the Book Fair, there is a Parent Read-a-thon a...
The RMDC Head Start will be hosting an open house next Tuesday, April 18 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at 405 West Legion in Whitehall. RMDC Head Start has been In the Whitehall community for 20 years. It is an important community program that needs community support to continue. We would like to invite everyone to come and see our site to understand who we are and what we offer for children and families. Head Start is a federally-funded program that has proven successful and effective for children and families. It provides free, comprehensive child d...
If a person wanted to improve her overall health, what would have the most impact? Many factors can influence an individual’s health including genetics, obesity, physical activity and diet. Genetics gives us the structure within which we get to operate, but the other factors are under our control. Americans spend billions each year on dietary supplements, exercise equipment and memberships to seek health improvements or weight loss. But how many of us have paid the gym membership, bought the treadmill, bought the supplement and the only c...
Thanks to a grant funded by Humanities Montana, students in Whitehall were recently able to take part in a program to learn more about community dances. According to Whitehall teacher Robyn Smith, Mark Matthews made a recent visit to the school for the program that encompasses the gamut of fun and easy to learn community dances such as squares, contras, and circles. Mathews is a writer, historian, dance instructor, officer with the Missoula Folklore Society, and writing instructor at the...
April 15, 1992 Supporters of a scenic railroad in southwestern Montana are encouraged that Burlington Northern has ended its push to abandon and remove existing tracks between Butte and Whitehall, according to State Auditor Andrea “Andy” Bennett. “I’m very encouraged to hear of BN’s recent decision to rescind its April 30 deadline for a business plan and purchase offer from the Jefferson-Silver Bow Scenic Railroad. It now appears this new railroad will be given a much deserved opportunity to get on track, instead of being derailed by arbitrary...
(Note from the publisher: This is the second part of a guest editorial submitted last week.) On the 17th of January, 2017, the Jefferson County Commission created Resolution No. 04-2017; a resolution of intent to create Jefferson Valley Regional EMS & Rescue Ambulance District. What is the significance of this resolution? First, since the 16th of July 2016, this is the seventh resolution written for forming this service tax district. Resolutions were made, then rescinded for lack of content or incorrect procedure. Our county officials...
Happy National Library Week! If you do not have a library card or have not been to the Library in a while, we invite you to come check out all of the programs and services. Also, coming up is National Children’s Book Week, May 1-7, and the “Erin in Exile” exhibit with activities throughout the month of May. In June the summer reading program will begin with this year’s theme “Building a Better World”. There will be programs on building a better world through science, dance, art, puppetry, and more. One of the most interesting classes I t...
