Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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As you know, on February 12, 2021, the statewide mask mandate expired. Masks have been proven to reduce the incidence of disease, protect others and ourselves from COVID-19. "Correct and consistent mask use is a critical step everyone can take to prevent getting and spreading COVID-19. Masks work best when everyone wears them" CDC. Masking is an important non-pharmaceutical intervention we need to adhere to as we work to distribute vaccine. Jefferson County has just begun its vaccination... Full story
The Department of Environmental Quality is seeking public comment to aid the development of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement to analyze the potential environmental impacts from a proposed tailings reprocessing project at the Golden Sunlight Mine. The Golden Sunlight Mine is located approximately five miles northeast of Whitehall, MT in Jefferson County. The project, an amendment to the current operating permit, would allow Golden Sunlight to excavate and reprocess tailings and extend the life of the mine by up to 12 years. Golden...
The United Nations’ health agency has listed the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and drugmaker AstraZeneca for emergency use, days after a panel of experts recommended the use of the products in settings where variants of the coronavirus are circulating. A statement by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday said it had approved the relatively inexpensive shot produced by AstraZeneca-SKBio (South Korea) and the Serum Institute of India. “We now have all the pieces in place for the rapid distribution of vac...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new research on FEbruary 10, 2021 that found wearing a cloth mask over a surgical mask offers more protection against the coronavirus, as does tying knots on the ear loops of surgical masks. Those findings prompted new guidance on how to improve mask fit at a time of concern over fast-spreading variants of the virus. For optimal protection, the CDC says to make sure the mask fits snugly against your face and to choose a mask with at least t...
Governor Greg Gianforte issued two new directives and an executive order on Friday, February 12, 2021. The first directive rescinds and replaces all prior directives implementing Executive Order 2-2021, which the governor issued on January 13, 2021. Consistent with the governor’s announcement on February 10, the new directive allows the statewide mask mandate to expire. Local jurisdictions may still choose to implement their own mask requirements. “Since January 5th, I have provided a clear, consistent path to rescinding the mask man...
When the snow falls there are only two ways to handle it - plow it or play in it! Jayce Gilstrap (corner) chose the best option! CORNER PHOTO COURTESY OF TRESSA GILSTRAP...
Around 12:40 p.m. on Monday, January 25th a vehicle accidentally rammed through the center beam of the awning and high centered on a boulder before pummeling the front steel door of Whitehall Drug. Thankfully no one was seriously injured. Employees said it sounded like a bomb went off inside the building and that they were so glad no one was near the door when the car pushed through. Whitehall resident Donna Weldon, who was in the building at the time and made a last minute purchase decision -...
Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit can weigh anywhere between 1200 and 1800 pounds; Kaleb Barrett weighs about 170. Yet he looks them in the eye with the utmost confidence, ready to spar at any given minute. Barrett, a 2002 graduate of Whitehall High School, is a warrior, an all-around impressive individual who has called Whitehall his hometown for as long as he can remember, and this past weekend he put his best foot forward and took the bulls at the Montana PRC head on – as a professional b...
Governor Greg Gianforte announced Tuesday, January 19, 2021 that Montana is moving into Phase 1B of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan. In Phase 1B, COVID-19 vaccines are available to Montanans 70 years of age and older, 16 to 69 years of age with a high-risk medical condition, and Native Americans and other persons of color who may be at elevated risk for COVID-19 complications. “Focusing on the most vulnerable Montanans in our vaccine distribution will save lives. Thanks to the hard work of our local health jurisdictions and health c...
With the Whitehall Ledger under new ownership, you'll be seeing a lot of changes, big and small, over the course of the next few weeks. From the owner to the office, the front page of the paper to the services offered, the Ledger is getting a bit of a facelift. The first, most obvious change you have probably already noticed - the top banner of the Ledger has changed. "I liked the look and feel of the purple and gold Ledger header, but I wanted to move the header towards something less logo...
HELENA - Members of the House and Senate kicked off the 2021 Legislature in person at the state Capitol on Monday, formally convening and electing leadership for what may be a turbulent 90-day session during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawmakers took their oaths of office on the House and Senate floors, observed by crowded galleries of family members, friends and members of the public. Republicans in the Senate and House partially complied with mask guidelines that have been stressed by public...
Hunter Flynn of Whitehall, MT, has been named to Dickinson State University's (DSU) Dean's List for the 2020 fall semester. At the end of each regular semester, the University recognizes those students named to the Dean's List. Eligible students must have completed a minimum of 12 credit hours with a term GPA of 3.5 or above. Outstanding academic work placed 321 students, or 23.46 percent of eligible undergraduates, on the Dean's or President's list following the fall 2020 semester. "We are...
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... Full story
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... Full story
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...
