Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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There will be plenty of great rodeo action this weekend in Whitehall. The annual Whitehall High School and Junior High Rodeo are scheduled for Saturday, September 12, and Sunday, September 13 at the Rodeo Grounds. Saturday action is set to begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday will start at 9 a.m. According to organizer Lonna Johnson, there is no gate charge for the 2020 rodeo, and spectators are being asked to practice social distancing of six to 10 feet, unless with immediate family. "The kids are...
Afternoon fishing restrictions on several southwest Montana waters were lifted last week. "Hoot-owl" restrictions were put in place on Aug. 6, prohibiting fishing each day from 2 p.m. to midnight on the following waters: • The lower Gallatin River from the Highway 84 bridge near Four Corners to the Missouri River. • The lower Ruby River from Duncan District Road to the Beaverhead River. • The Big Hole River from the North Fork of the Big Hole River to Dickie Bridge west of Wise River, and from...
While it may have been a little different from those in past, there was still plenty to smile about at the recent Madison County Fair in Twin Bridges. According to Mikayla Hudson, 4-H & Youth Development Extension Agent for Madison and Jefferson County, it was an amazing experience to see so many smiling faces excited to see their friends. 4-H organizers were able to include most of their schedule this year with all shows taking place in person but did reorganize to shorten the week and...
The Jefferson County Rodeo Association is hosting a three-day event this week. The In-County Rodeo is free of charge and scheduled to take place August 28 to 30 at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds/Recreation Park in Boulder. The event was scheduled after COVID-19 restrictions led to the cancellation of both the Jefferson County Fair and NRA Rodeo. This week's event will kick off August 28 at 5 p.m. with MBHA approved barrel racing. Peewee, Youth, & Open is scheduled for 6 p.m. It will be a busy...
Students in both public and private schools will be required to wear masks at the start of the upcoming school year. Montana Governor Steve Bullock issued a Directive last Wednesday that is applicable to counties with four or more active COVID-19 cases. Jefferson County currently has five active cases. At the time of the announcement, the Whitehall School District did not have a mandatory mask policy for the 2020-21 school year. On July 15, Bullock announced a directive that required the...
Helena, MT – Census takers in Montana are working to follow up with households that have not yet responded to the 2020 Census. The current self-response rate in Montana is 56.9%. The national self-response rate is 63.3%. The Census Bureau will need to visit the remaining addresses to collect responses in person. Households can still respond now by completing and mailing back the paper questionnaire they received. Those that respond now will not need to be visited to obtain their responses. What...
Jefferson County Commissioner Cory Kirsch announced last week the county is looking for some help to allow them to hold polling place elections rather than a mail-in only election in November. "We are in need of election judges for the polling places and without these critical volunteers, our polling place election may not be possible. This task requires you to be at the polling place all-day on Election Day and to wear personal protective equipment," he said. Earlier this month, Governor Steve...
Several rivers in southwest Montana will close to fishing during the afternoon each day due to a seasonal rise in water temperatures. "Hoot-owl" restrictions prohibit fishing during the hottest times of the day. A hoot-owl restriction prohibiting fishing from 2 p.m. to midnight each day went into effect on Aug. 6 for the following waterbodies: • The lower Gallatin River from the Highway 84 bridge near Four Corners to the Missouri River. • The lower Ruby River from Duncan District Road to the...
Whitehall Town officials are pleased with the result of the recent chip sealing project completed by HardDrives Inc. At a Council meeting Monday, Whitehall Public Works Director Kory Klapan told the governing body the chip seal looks wonderful compared to when the company did the project in 2017 and that it should work out well. Mayor Mary Janacaro Hensleigh said both the recently completed MDT sidewalk and the chip seal project both turned out well. HardDrives Inc. had originally provided a chi...
Three Forks resident Julia Caruana was returning home after to a trip to Pipestone when she saw the vandalization to the joint campaign sign for U.S. President Donald Trump and Montana Senate District 38 candidate Jim Buterbaugh. What she witnessed propelled her into action. Caruana said there is always that "what the" moment when you've driven past something countless times has suddenly changed and she spent much of that evening storming over how something like this could happen in Whitehall...
HELENA - Gov. Steve Bullock issued a directive Thursday giving Montana counties the option of shifting to all-mail ballots for the November general election as they did for the June primary, saying the order gives local election authorities a way to prevent COVID-19 from spreading among election-day crowds at polling places. The governor, who will be on the fall ballot as the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, said he is issuing the order at the request of the association representing...
The Montana Department of Transportation is replacing two pipe culverts carrying the Little Boulder River beneath Whitetail Road (S 399) with one larger box culvert. The work is expected to begin soon and take several weeks to complete. Whitetail Road will be closed between Broken Limb Road and Hot Springs Road while the work is performed. During the closure traffic will be detoured using Hot Springs Road and MT 69. Hot Springs Road is a gravel surface with a reduced speed limit. Please slow...
There is currently a total of 9 active COVID-19 cases in Jefferson County. The total confirmed cases in the county are 28, with no current hospitalizations and 19 recovered cases. Health Department Officials reported Lewis and Clark and Silver Bow Counties to be experiencing a surge in cases. "Crossing county lines to a county that is having a difficult time corralling the virus is risky behavior. We recommend saving that travel for essential activities such as work or for a list of items you...
Molly Carey of the Jefferson County Health Department recently described the process officials follow after the notification of a positive COVID-19 test. After a county resident receives a positive result, she said the JCHD is notified and a nurse begins the investigation by contacting the positive case to educate them about isolation requirements as well as additional education support. According to Carey, follow-up monitoring involves daily contact with a health nurse. The positive case... Full story
On a late-June bikepacking trip from Superior, Montana, to Hailey, Idaho, fire ecologist Philip Higuera studied wildfire's impact on the landscape, as is his habit when he's in the woods. He started his trip in a rugged and thickly forested area along the Montana-Idaho border that burned in 1910 and continued south through fire scars new and old before arriving in an open, high-elevation area studded with sagebrush 630 miles later. Along the way, Higuera noted the abundance of standing dead...
While it may look at little different in 2020, Frontier Days is still a go for 2020. The popular annual event is scheduled for Friday, July 24, and Saturday, July 25 in downtown Whitehall. This year's event will include bingo in the park, historical tours, museum gab fest, parade, horseshoe tournament, Mine/Chamber BBQ and vendors. Officials announced Tuesday the Ranchers Roundup Rodeo had been cancelled. For more information please click on the special publications link on this...
The Whitehall summer school program came to an early end last week with students testing positive for Covid-19. According to Superintendent Hannah Nieskens, the positive cases in the school setting did trigger the Jefferson County Health Department to place 29 students and seven staff members into a 14-day quarantine. "As a result, the entire summer school program did shut down; this would have been the last week of the program," she said. "Thankfully, the students are doing well, and I wish...
Whitehall area residents hoping to "Rock the Rivers" later this summer will have to wait until next year. Officials for the annual Rockin' the Rivers music festival at the "Bridge" in Cardwell announced last week they will be postponing the event until 2021. The festival had originally been scheduled for August 13 to 15. A release from the festival said after months of monitoring and discussions with our team and local health officials, organizers are absolutely heartbroken to announce that in...
The vandalism of campaign signs has once again become an issue in the Whitehall area. Montana Senate District 38 Candidate Jim Buterbaugh reported the vandalism of an 8 by an 8-foot sign on the eastbound side of Interstate 90, just east of Whitehall. Along with being a sign for his campaign, the top half of the sign showed support for U.S. President Donald Trump. Buterbaugh said he was not surprised this happened, but very disappointed. He added that it appears someone went at the sign with a...
The Whitehall Town Council voted Monday to move forward with a 30 mill levy increase to generate funding for law enforcement and the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Department. This would be the first general fund mill levy increase in Whitehall since the early 1970s and would only affect residents in town limits. According to Town Clerk/Treasurer Summer Fellows, the Public Safety Mill Levy would be an increase of $40.50 per year on a $100,000 home and $81.50 on a $200,000 home. She said the next step...
Jefferson County Health Department Officials are currently working with St. James Hospital about possible sentinel testing. A release from the county stated they have been working with St. James on getting this planned for county residents, but no dates or times have been established as both entities are busy and short-staffed. In an article from the Missoula Current, Public Health Nurse Pam Boyd discussed sentinel testing in Missoula. "It's a surveillance system where we look at specific...
The annual Fiber Arts Festival is returning July 18-19. Local artisans, Kami Noyes and Betty Kujawa, are teaming up with artisans to host the fourth annual Fiber Arts Festival, located outside Whitehall, MT, at the beautiful Copper K Barn. The Fiber Festival is similar to Art in the Park--only with textile arts. People interested in purchasing products directly from producers are welcome to come browse items such as hats, scarves, socks, pottery, soaps, yarn, art and more, all in a friendly...
Work continued last week on the Montana Department of Transportation Whitehall ADA Sidewalk Project. According to MDOT, sidewalks on Legion Avenue from Brooke Street west were completed and ready for use. This week, crews will continue to work on Legion Avenue from Brooke Street to A street. By the end of the week, they also hope to begin demolition on Whitehall Street. They will be starting on the south end of Whitehall Street moving north, with work on the east side of the street happening...
Governor Steve Bullock and Lt. Governor Mike Cooney released last Thursday the Governor's Plan for Reopening Safe and Healthy Schools for Montana to provide flexible guidance for public schools to prepare to offer in-person instruction in the fall. "We are acutely aware of the role played by in-person teaching, not only in the students' lives, but also in the lives of the entire family. Public education has shaped who we are today, and we want to make certain that our children have the same...
Last week, as a part of ongoing community involvement efforts, the Whitehall Chamber of Commerce put out a survey to businesses and community members alike. Many entities have been working hard to ensure that Whitehall Frontier Days 2020 can happen in a safe and healthy manner. The survey requested input from the community about what events they would like to see in 2020. Through the survey, ongoing discussions amongst the board and with member businesses it was decided that Frontier Days 2020...
