Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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Those looking to start 2021 off on the right foot will be able to do so with a First Day Hike planned for January 1 at Lewis and Clark Caverns near Whitehall. On Jan. 1, Montana State Parks is hosting hikes across the state. The event is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. The hike is open to all ages and is family-friendly. THE HIKE Join Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park staff to experience "The Off-Switch": A moderate guided hike to observe our most quiet season. When it seems, all life has been turned...
HELENA, Mont. - Incoming Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signaled he won't continue a statewide mask mandate in place since July, though he said he plans to wear a mask himself and get vaccinated against COVID-19. If Gianforte, a Republican, reverses outgoing Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock's mask order, Montana will be just the second state after Mississippi to lift its mandate. Thirty-eight states now have statewide mandates. "I trust Montanans with their health and the health of their loved ones,"...
HELENA - At St. Peter's Health in Helena, many doctors and medical staff spent the beginning of this week eagerly preparing for a pivotal moment. On Wednesday and Thursday of last week, the hospital said, frontline employees began receiving the first of two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, marking what many health experts consider a seismic step in the fight against the coronavirus afflicting Montana and the country. The past several months of vaccine development...
When 9,750 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine arrive in Montana as early as this week the delivery will mark the beginning of a complex distribution plan organized by public health officials, hospital administrations and commercial pharmacies. The goal of the initial round of distribution, state officials say, is to get the vaccine to as many frontline health care workers as possible. As of Tuesday, Montana reported 17,293 active cases, with approximately 70% of the state's ICU beds full, and...
On July 16, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") approved the designation of 988 as the new, nationwide, 3-digit abbreviated code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The 988 hotline will provide a phone number for Americans in crisis to connect with suicide prevention and mental health crisis counselors. Some area codes, like the 406 area code in Montana, currently allow 7-digit dialing to complete a local phone call. As a result of FCC Order 20-100, area codes that allo...
Demolition work is continuing in the mill area at the Barrick Golden Sunlight mine in Whitehall. At a Community Transition Advisory Committee meeting last week, Mine General Manager Chuck Buus reported a significant amount of demolition has taken place including the removal of the mills and cutting of concrete pedestals. The work is to ready the facility for the Tailings Reprocessing Project. Buus told committee members in his opinion the permitting is going well, and they should have a date...
The Whitehall School Board of Trustees voted last week to approve BinaxNOW, a rapid antigen test for COVID-19. The use of the tests is voluntary for both students and staff. During a presentation, School Nurse Mary Beth Hunter stressed this is not mass testing, it is not asymptomatic testing, and it is not mandatory. She added a parent has to come in and sign a release and a staff member also has to agree to the testing School Nurse Krista Glaus told the board the rapid tests would allow them...
Twelve Montana counties including Jefferson y have officially founded the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority to advocate for the return of passenger rail service across southern Montana. The finalized joint resolution, fully executed last week, seals the commissioner actions and provides for the appointment of one representative from each county to serve on the authority. Gallatin County was the first to act on July 28, and Powell County the last on Nov. 18. “Counties in Montana have done what h...
As many may have noticed, as small town changes are always noticed, P.U.L.S.E. and the Jefferson Valley EMS are now housed in what used to be the Whitehall Drug Store. This prominent location on Legion Street was made possible with assistance provided by the Jefferson Valley Rural Ambulance District. Ambulance workers will now have a place to train, wait for calls, get education and more. This is one of the many ways that the funds brought in through the JVRAD’s fees help assist the community. So what does JVRAD do and what don’t they do? The...
As time passes, we are all realizing we are not living in the same world we were this time last year. With COVID-19's uncertainties it is important to look at our own health, options, and where our care comes from. In March 2020, before COVID-19 hit, the Jefferson Valley Rural Ambulance District (JVRAD) requested an article be written to provide clear and unbiased information to the town of Whitehall and its surrounding communities. When COVID-19 hit, this article was put on hold because of the...
In Montana's largest county, Yellowstone, the public health officer said his workers are facing a backlog of more than 760 new COVID-19 cases waiting for contact tracing and case investigation. Nearly 300 miles away, Roosevelt County's public health officer says her office receives calls from people who have recently tested positive, but haven't yet been contacted by a public health worker. And in Lewis and Clark County, public health officials say they have scaled back their contract tracing...
HELENA — Montana’s 2020 election came to its anticlimactic-but-official end in a mostly empty hearing room Monday as the state Board of Canvassers met in the state Capitol to certify official vote counts. The three-person board, composed of staffers representing Montana’s attorney general, superintendent of public instruction and state auditor, spent more than six hours reviewing vote tallies county by county, guided by a handful of staff from the Montana secretary of state’s office and observed by an audience of two reporters. Secretary of Sta...
A tragic wreck just moments after another accident resulted in a fatality Monday on Interstate 90 between Cardwell and Whitehall. According to Trooper Michael O’Connor of the Montana Highway Patrol, there were two accidents Monday morning, the first was a semi who struck an elk on the Interstate. He said shortly after and before the scene was secured, a single-occupancy passenger vehicle also hit the elk and the vehicle then ran into the semi. The driver of the passenger vehicle was killed in the accident. The semi-driver and passenger were n...
Construction activities on Whitetail Road are paused over the winter. Crews will continue to work on fencing (weather permitting) and wrap up remaining work in 2021. "We'd really like to thank the community for being patient during construction," said MDT Butte District Engineering Project Manager Shane Watson. "The contractor will need a few weeks next year to finish up the project." The remaining work includes chip sealing and striping (painting) the asphalt on the northern section of the...
The Whitehall School district announced last Tuesday they will be closing the campus and moving to remote learning from Monday, November 16 to Monday, November 30. Accounting for the Thanksgiving holiday, students will have eight days of remote learning. The Cardwell School has also decided to close on-site learning the week of November 16 to November 20. Two Whitehall elementary school classes were quarantined last week due to 2 positive COVID-19 cases associated with the school. In a letter...
Golden Sunlight Mine General Manager Chuck Buus is hopeful by this time next year they will have concentrate being shipped by truck to Nevada. In an update at last week's Community Transition Advisory Committee meeting, Buus discussed the Tailings Reprocessing Project and said they are hopeful to have a record of decision from the state by September. He said they have been able to do work inside of the mill area, but will not be able to do any work outside until the record of decision. As far...
Whitehall Superintendent Hannah Nieskens has been named to Governor-Elect Greg Gianforte's COVID-19 Task Force. The 21-member task force is comprised of healthcare experts, business leaders, school administrators, law enforcement, and local and tribal leaders. Nieskens said the members are from all different backgrounds and will start meeting in the coming week where they will serve to advise and recommend COVID-19 related matters for the new Governor. Nieskens was both surprised and honored...
A majority of Town of Whitehall residents voted last week against a public safety mill levy. The unofficial total vote count was 307 against and 260 for the levy that would have generated funding for the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Department and the town contract with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. This was the first time the town had asked for a general mill levy increase since the 1970s. In Jefferson County, 82 percent (8,247 or 9,466) of registered voters participated in the...
Two Whitehall Elementary School classes were placed in quarantine last week. In a letter sent to parents, Superintendent Hannah Nieskens said the district was notified that two individuals associated with the school had confirmed, positive tests for COVID-19. The district release they have one third grade and one kindergarten class under quarantine. The rest of the district remains open. "Please note that the district will strictly adhere to privacy laws and will not disclose identifiable...
The Whitehall Schools Veterans Day Program will air six times on Wednesday, November 11. The program will air on TSS/Whitehall Low Power TV station 49.2 at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The program will also be streaming on the Internet at the same time. Go to www.streamingaudiosolutions.com, and Whitehall Events. The program will also be available as a link on the school’s website https://www.whitehallschools.org and on the school’s Facebook page. PLAY The Whitehall High School performance of “Money to Burn” is schedul...
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office reported numerous incidents following a winter storm that arrived late Saturday, November 7. The department reported Sunday, November 8 at 5:19 a.m. that emergency crews were responding to multiple vehicle crashes and spinouts with partial lane blockage on both lanes of travel on Homestake Pass on Interstate 90. At 11 a.m., crews were called out to a jackknifed semi-truck on the northbound lane of I-15 near mile marker 171 on Boulder Hill. On Monday, crews...
The COVID-19 pandemic has not had a huge impact on the number of calls received by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department but has shown a significant decrease in burglary calls and an increase in non-violent domestic calls. According to Sheriff Craig Doolittle, from March 1 to November of 2019 they had 7,769 calls compared to 7,979 for the same period this year. While the calls have increased by 200, Doolittle said they have been increasing every year and believes this to be fairly normal...
Madison County residents may have noticed recent changes at the Cardwell Container Site that include a new fence and gate. The location near Jefferson Island is also going to be available only three days a week. According to Kacey Smart of the Madison County Sanitarian's Office, the container site will be open starting Nov. 15 on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The location will be locked at all other times. In July of 2019, the Madison County Sanitation Board had...
Governor Steve Bullock announced last week Montana residents can now notify health officials of violations of COVID-19 directives by using the Consumer Complaint Form used to report foodborne illnesses and other public health and safety issues. "The Consumer Complaint Form will allow citizens to report their concerns about businesses and events that have not enacted the directives intended to protect everyone," Governor Bullock said. "All Montanans deserve a safe community and a healthy...
The Jefferson Valley Community Foundation will be holding their annual "Short and Sweet" on November 4th, at 7:00 p.m., at the Whitehall Community Center. Those non-profits that applied for grants are asked to be represented at this pie and coffee event. Also, we will have a drawing for up to three $1,000 Mystery grants to non-profits not receiving grants this year. Masks will be required....
