Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Sorted by date Results 1202 - 1226 of 1331
Monday, Jan. 30 8:13 a.m. - mental crisis, 460 Hwy 2 West, Whitehall 9:16 a.m. - traffic accident 2 vehicle/non-injury, I-90 eastbound, MM 236, Whitehall 12:58 p.m. - suspicious/person/vehicle/circumstance, 415 North Whitehall Street, Whitehall 2:14 p.m. - citizen assist, Edwards Addition Road, Whitehall 3:59 p.m. - abandoned auto, I-90 westbound, MM 239, Whitehall 5:24 p.m. - traffic accident, Hwy 55, Whitehall 8:25 p.m. - suspicious/person/vehicle/circumstance, Homestake, Whitehall 10:04 p.m. – traffic stop, I-90 eastbound, MM 239, W...
Hi Folks, Last week at our regular meeting, we open bids for a couple of projects in the Whitehall area. We received ten bids, which ranged from $360,000 to just under $32,000 for the Blowout Project on Pipestone Creek. We will probably award that bid to the lowest bidder at today’s meeting. We received nine bids for the Sugar Beet Row Sewer Project. These bids were fairly close, with the low bid of $216,825 being about $32,000 over the Engineers Estimate. There were also higher than anticipated costs for Bond Counsel and engineering s...
Gov. Steve Bullock vetoed the first bill of the Montana legislative session last week, reducing the proposed pay raise for legislators. House Bill 1 would have increased the legislators' pay by 14 percent for the next legislative session. Bullock vetoed the bill with an amendment to increase pay only by 1.4 percent to coincide with the rate of inflation. He said the state needs to "live within its means." "At the same time that we're tightening the belt of the rest of government, the...
The Town of Whitehall is currently exploring options to keep its ambulance service. According to Town Attorney Edward Guza, the Whitehall Ambulance Service is currently not taking calls as they are trying to figure out how to keep the service going in their current environment that he said is limited by rotations and limitations. Guza said keeping the service that is operated with an enterprise fund is not the easiest thing to do. He said as a government body you have certain requirements, and there is a lot more flexibility in how a private in...
At a Jefferson County Commission meeting last month, Whitehall Town Attorney Matthew Haus expressed concern with a resolution dealing with a proposed ambulance district. Prior to the Commissioners 3-0 vote to approve a Resolution of Intent to create the Jefferson Valley Regional EMS and Rescue Ambulance District, Haus raised several questions about Section 6 of the Resolution that deals with the estimated cost and method of financing for the proposed district whose service area would include...
Montana lawmakers heard broad support last week for the construction of a new veterans home in Butte. During the final hearing on House Bill 14, which would fund a wide variety of infrastructure projects primarily through bonding, dozens of Montana veterans spoke to the shelter's necessity. "It's time that we make a commitment to these veterans," said Rep. Duane Ankney, R-Colstrip, a Vietnam veteran. "If we're gonna send them, we've got to take care of them." Montana currently has two state-run...
Late last month, Montana Governor Steve Bullock appointed a new 5th Judicial District Judge. According to Montana State Supreme Court Administrator Beth McLaughlin, Bullock named Lewis and Clark County Deputy Attorney Luke Berger to the position that covers Jefferson, Madison, and Beaverhead Counties. He will take over for Judge Loren Tucker whose last day in the position was Friday, January 27. Berger was one of three finalists for the position. The other two finalists for the position were Lori Ann Harshbarger of Whitehall and Beaverhead...
Monday, Jan. 23 1:52 p.m. - theft, 15 Corbett Loop, Whitehall 5:14 p.m. - traffic stop, North Division Street, Whitehall Tuesday, Jan. 24 12:26 a.m. - suspicious/person/vehicle/circumstance, 413 North Whitehall Street, Whitehall 8:39 a.m. – burglary, I-90 westbound, MM 272, Cardwell 8:50 a.m. - animal problem, Forcella Road, Whitehall 11:56 a.m. – forgery, 9 North Main Street, Whitehall 6:00 p.m. – traffic stop, 2nd Street, Whitehall 6:19 p.m. – traffic stop, North Division Street, Whitehall 6:41 p.m. – traffic stop, North Division Street, W...
Hi Folks, A couple of weeks ago, I attended a conference in Helena put on by a group called the United Property Owners of Montana. One of the speakers was an attorney from Wyoming named Harriet Hageman. She talked about Regulation Without Representation. Harriet pointed out that when Congress passes a law, it is often fairly broad and vague, so the agencies interpret the laws and come up with regulations to enact the laws. In January 2011 President Obama announced an Executive Order to review; regulations already on the books and to remove...
Gov. Steve Bullock outlined his goals for the 2017 Legislature Tuesday during his third State of the State address, including a responsible state budget, infrastructure, business growth and education. While addressing a joint session of the House and Senate, Bullock named common values, including, "Fiscal responsibility. Education. Infrastructure. Job creation. Caring for others." "We must engage in thoughtful, rational, and constructive dialogue with one another," Bullock said. Immediately...
Though the 2017 Montana Legislative session has seen more than its fair share of partisan disputes, one issue has united lawmakers — reforming state law on rape and sexual assault. The Montana Senate advanced a package of bills last week that deal with everything from the parental rights of children conceived by rape to the very definition of “consent.” “It’s been a long time coming, and I really appreciate that we’ve kept it out of all of the politics and whatever dynamics could be out there,” said Sen. Diane Sands, D-Missoula, during a Sena...
Monday, Jan. 16 2:39 a.m. - public safety-fire/smoke, C Street, Whitehall 3:28 a.m. - disturbance/noise, other, West 1st Street, Whitehall 10:44 a.m. - burglary -forcible (residence), 108 East 3rd Street, Whitehall 12:45 p.m. – traffic stop, Hwy 55, Whitehall 4:00 p.m. – harassment, 205 West Legion Avenue, Whitehall 4:26 p.m. - traffic accident/2 vehicle/non-injury, 15 North Main Street, Whitehall 5:25 p.m. - harassment – stalking, 12 North Division Street, Whitehall 5:50 p.m. – traffic stop, 415 North Whitehall Street, Whitehall 6:10 p.m. ...
The early morning hours last Tuesday were not that unusual for Whitehall resident Bruce Hayes. Things would change in a heartbeat. Bruce, who suffers from a back injury, could not sleep much like many other nights throughout the year. He decided to step outside to take a look at the night sky, and when he turned around he saw smoke coming from his residence located at 973 MT Highway 2 West. He rushed inside and made sure his wife Tricia and dog Beasley got out of the house. After this, Bruce...
The Jefferson County Commissioners voted 3-0 Tuesday afternoon to approve a Resolution of Intent to Create the Jefferson Valley Rural Ambulance District. The vote is one step closer to putting the district proposed by members of the Jefferson Valley EMS and Rescue on an upcoming ballot. County Commissioner Leonard Wortman told the Ledger Tuesday the next step in the process will be to publish their decision and set another public hearing, most likely in Whitehall. He said they will also need to send a notice of the next meeting to all property...
After two decades of marriage, Bruce and Christina Binkowski decided it was time to move out of Southern California and on to a new adventure. While they were searching for new homes in places like Arizona and Washington, they heard the John Denver song "Wild Montana Skies" play on the radio and this pointed the compass for their search in a new direction. They would soon find a spot of land in Jefferson County, and in 2005 they built on the property. The couple spent a great deal of time at...
The last month of the year netted some of the best results of 2016 at the Barrick Golden Sunlight Mine. At the Community Transition Advisory Committee meeting last Thursday, Mine General Manager Dan Banghart reported the production at the mine was 4,123 ounces, just short of the target for the month. Banghart said it was one of the better months of 2016, and he was pleased with how the year ended. He added the tonnages in the mill and underground both exceeded their targets in December. Also at the meeting, Banghart told committee members they...
Monday, Jan. 9 8:09 a.m. - public safety-fire/smoke, Paul Gulch Road, Whitehall 10:23 a.m. - suspicious/person/vehicle/circumstance, 420 Hwy 2 West, Whitehall 2:01 p.m. - traffic accident, I-90 eastbound, MM 240, Whitehall 3:27 p.m. - stranded motorist, I-90 eastbound, MM 260, Cardwell 4:13 p.m. - citizen assist, 2 North Whitehall Street, Whitehall 4:16 p.m. – traffic offense, I-90 eastbound, MM 234, Whitehall 4:42 p.m. - stranded motorist, I-90 westbound, MM 237, Whitehall Tuesday, Jan. 10 2:29 a.m. - public safety-fire/smoke, 973 Hwy 2, W...
Section 10 of Montana’s Constitution states that “the right of individual privacy is essential to the well-being of a free society and shall not be infringed without the showing of a compelling state interest.” But as technology rapidly advances, finding the line between individual privacy and “a compelling state interest” is more complex than ever before. In response, the 2017 Montana Legislature will begin to make distinctions, wrestling with bills that deal with issues like cell phone data, GPS-enabled heart monitors and even revenge porn. T...
Montana's 2017 Legislature has begun to tackle a wide swath of issues, from public safety to infrastructure, from education to agriculture. But as the first of many bills were read in committee rooms around the Capitol last week, it became clear that everything this time around would focus on the budget. During a Republican caucus Tuesday, House Speaker Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, told fellow party members the challenges the entire Legislature faces in the coming months would be daunting. "The...
The Whitehall School Board of Trustees voted Tuesday night to renew the second year of a three-year contract for Superintendent John Sullivan. Prior to voting, Board President Michelle LaFountaine said Sullivan always works hard to improve both himself and the district, and he is also great to work with. Sullivan said that the district and board have been doing good things and hopes they continue to do so. The renewal of the contract at the monthly board meeting passed 4-0 with Trustees Gina Ossello, Angie Davis, Paul Shaw and LaFountaine all...
The Whitehall Town Council tabled the discussion on a resolution at their monthly meeting Monday that increases the fees for solid waste services. The discussion on resolution 2015-6 has been tabled until the governing bodies March meeting. The resolution increasing solid waste services was passed by council in 2015. Town Clerk/Treasurer Summer Fellows said the current commercial rate is $24.50 per month for a 300-gallon commercial trashcan picked up once a week. Public Works Director Kory Klapan said some people are paying too much, some not e...
The Jefferson County Commissioners have changed the date they will discuss a Resolution of Intent to Create the Jefferson Valley Rural Ambulance District. The Commissioners moved discussing the issue from their January 10 to their meeting January 17 at the Clerk and Recorders Meeting Room in Boulder. The Resolution will be discussed during the afternoon session of the meeting that is set to begin at 1:30 p.m. In the morning session, the Commissioners will go over claims, and meet with the I.T. Department and County Extension Agent. In the...
Tuesday, Jan. 3 1:57 a.m. - traffic stop, North Whitehall Street, Whitehall 11:02 a.m. - care for sick/injured, 409 East Legion Avenue, Whitehall 1:59 p.m. - suspicious/person/vehicle/circumstance, 13 West Legion Avenue, Whitehall 3:34 p.m. - care for sick/injured, 205 West Legion Avenue, Whitehall 3:36 p.m. - public safety-fire/smoke, 178 Rolu Road, Whitehall 4:51 p.m. - traffic stop, West Legion Avenue, Whitehall 7:27 p.m. - citizen assist, 201 West Legion Avenue, Whitehall 9:59 p.m. - stranded motorist, Makowski Lane, Whitehall Wednesday, Ja...
Hi Folks, At our regular meeting last week, we gave Final Plat approval for the Elkhorn Crossing Minor Subdivision near Montana City. We chose Cory Kirsch to be the new Presiding Officer (Chair) for 2017. Resolution 02-2017 was approved to keep all the office hours for the Courthouse the same as they have been. We also approved Resolution 03-2017 which sets the Per Diem and Mileage rates. A Special Committee of the Rocky Mountain Development Council, based in Helena decided to shut down the Head Start Program in Whitehall. When Commissioner Bob...
With the recent temperatures dropping well be-low zero, local residents may have been letting their vehicles warm up unattended for a few minutes before leaving home. Jefferson County Sheriff Craig Doolittle said Tuesday that while this might have been something local residents could have done in the past, they should not do it anymore. Doolittle said there have been two recent auto thefts in the Town of Whitehall, and stressed the importance of locking vehicles. He said during this time of year they will sometimes leave Sheriff's Department...
