Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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Earlier this month, Whitehall resident Francine Giono traveled to Washington D.C. to take part in the 2019 EMS on the Hill Day. Giono was one of three Montana members of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians who traveled to the April 10 event in the Nation's Capital. According to the NAEMT, the purpose of EMS On The Hill Day is to educate all members of Congress and their staff on the emergent, urgent and preventive patient care EMS provides to all in need every day. Giono...
On a cold, January afternoon last year, Wendy Gerky got a call that someone could see water rising in her downtown Havre quilt shop. She thought it was joke. By the time Gerky got to her store, Bearly Square Quilting, the water was knee deep. "Imagine it," she said. "It's like a swimming pool." The flooding came from a fire suppression pipe that ran underneath the building. After the break was found, the city had to shut off water to the block until it could be repaired. The quilt shop had to...
Barrick Gold officials are anticipating a reduction in force at the Golden Sunlight Mine on September 30. At a Community Transition Advisory Committee meeting last week, Mine General Manager Dan Banghart said an email was sent to employees April 10 informing them of the anticipated September 30 RIF. Banghart reported the end of life for the underground would be in late April April and they are anticipating shutting down operations in the mill in the latter half of May. Barrick Gold announced at...
The Whitehall School Board of Trustees did not have to look far to select a new Superintendent. The board voted 6-0 last week in favor of hiring current high school principal Hannah Nieskens. Trustee Jeff Briggs abstained from the vote. She will take over for John Sullivan whose resignation will go into effect this summer. Nieskens has served as principal of the high school since the 2015-16 school year and has been named Montana High School Principal of the Year and was one of three finalists...
Get your sponsorship today for Whitehall’s biggest party and fundraiser - the 15th Annual Black Tie and Blue Jeans - coming up Saturday, May 4th at 5:30pm at the Community Center. This event is brought to you by the Jefferson Valley Community Foundation and the Whitehall Chamber of Commerce Back by popular demand, “A Race to the Finish” theme with prizes for best derby attire. Not only is there great food, live and silent auctions, and bucket raffles, but also a Calcutta with a chance to win up to $1000. This fundraiser supports a multi...
HELENA -- The Montana House of Representatives voted 61-37 Saturday to pass a controversial bill to extend Medicaid expansion. The expanded program has enrolled nearly 96,000 Montanans to receive subsidized health insurance. The federal-state partnership was first passed into law in 2015 and includes a 90 percent funding match from the federal government through the Affordable Care Act. Rep. Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls, is carrying House Bill 658. It includes new requirements for some recipients...
Barrick Gold officials announced last week a final mill run to process gold ore at the Golden Sunlight Mine in Whitehall is currently scheduled for May. According to a release from the company, the mine has been approaching the end of its operational life in recent years, with the mine's remaining gold reserves nearly depleted. Following a detailed review of the Golden Sunlight operation, new underground development has ceased, and mining is limited to existing areas only. Underground and...
The projected completion date for Whitehall Transportation's Dick Gustin Memorial Bus Barn is set for late May or early June. According to WPT Director Paula Hippert ,the project incurred a small setback due to the winter weather. She said Jay Fortune Construction is back at it and things are progressing nicely. A ground-breaking ceremony took place Monday, December 10 for the facility located at 1173 HWY 55 in Whitehall. The 3,200 square foot facility will feature a four-bay bus barn that will...
During her monthly report at Monday's Whitehall Town Council meeting, Mayor Mary Janacaro Hensleigh reminded residents that sandbags are available at the Recreation Complex. Hensleigh said with the all the snow Whitehall has had she thinks it is important for everyone to be aware and plan ahead because she is sure there is going to be some flooding. Hensleigh also addressed the postponement of the monthly meeting originally scheduled for March 11. She said by law they have to post the meeting...
A prolific alien organism is closing in on Montana's ecosystem and could have dire consequences for food production, outdoor recreation and the economy if it crosses the state's borders. Aquatic invasive species have widely infected the Midwest and are continuing to spread. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and state lawmakers are racing to protect the state from all invasive species, but aquatic species like quagga and zebra mussels in particular. Proposals include allowing counties to...
The Montana House Appropriations Committee opened public testimony last week on House Bill 2, the bill that sets the budget for state agencies. Some of the most controversial changes come from the subcommittee that deals with the budget for the Department of Public Health and Human Services, which has proposed cutting more than 100 full-time equivalent positions from the agency. Director of DPHHS Sheila Hogan said the cuts will especially hurt rural areas where it's difficult to find qualified...
Shucking expectations of continued above average temperatures and below normal snowfall, February delivered abundant snowfall and December-like temperatures to the Treasure State. Snowfall for the month was above normal to record setting across the state, and snowpack totals for March 1 have improved in all river basins, according to snow survey data collected by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) The current Jefferson River Basin snow water equivalent is 115 percent of...
There was good news last week for the Whitehall School Districts. At a school board meeting March 6, Debbie Ouellette with Newland and Company presented her audit findings for the district. Superintendent John Sullivan said they received the highest rating a district can obtain, and they have a really good net position and rating. The trustees also approved the re-hire of K-5 Principal Kurtis Koenig, 6-12 Principal Hannah Nieskens and the resignation of Sullivan. According to Sullivan, the board has advertised the Superintendent position...
Large amounts of snow last week and temperatures well below zero Monday and Tuesday have been quite the nuisance for residents in the Whitehall area. The winter weather has created problems for the Whitehall Schools who decided to use several delayed starts to the school day. Whitehall Superintendent John Sullivan said the past few days have been a challenge but starting school at 10 a.m. allows students to get to the schools safely and for them to stay open. Sullivan added the late start also...
The Whitehall School Board of Trustees will decide tonight on the possible expulsion of a student who brought an unloaded handgun to the high school. School officials announced February 26 that students reported that another student had brought a handgun to the school. School officials immediately contacted the police and during a search, an unloaded handgun was found. Jefferson County Sheriff Craig Doolittle said a weapon was seized as evidence and the minor was escorted from the property. Doolittle added the minor was issued a citation for...
On a Friday during the 66th Montana Legislature, Rep. Kimberly Dudik, D-Missoula, joked on Twitter she might need to clone herself. But, in reality, it may have come in handy. That morning, Dudik had five bills scheduled for hearings in three different committees between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. covering issues from state child protection services to property tax relief. This is typical for the the fourth term representative who has consistently carried a high number bills each session. Dudik is...
The Whitehall Volunteer Fire Department responded early Saturday morning to a multiple structure fire at a junk yard at the intersection of Piedmont and Kountz Roads. According to Fire Chief Jeremy Ward, the department was called out a 4:15 am. and remained on scene until 11 a.m. He reported several structures including a trailer and RV were fully involved. The structures were unoccupied, and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but Ward suspects it...
The Montana House of Representatives last week advanced legislation that would require a two-third vote majority for the Legislature to transfer funds out the state's fire suppression account. The governor would still hold the authority to pull from the fund, as well. Speaker of the House Greg Hertz, R-Polson, is carrying House Bill 276 and said on the House Floor during the bill's second hearing that it was proposed in response to the historic 2017 fire season that drained government funds....
NorthWestern Energy officials announced last week a planned four-hour long power outage next month in the Whitehall area. The outage will take place Tuesday, March 5 starting at 1 a.m. and will impact an area that will cover the town of Whitehall and Whitehall Valley west to Pipestone Pass and east to the Golden Sunlight. According to a release from the company, Interstate 90 is the general northern boundary, extending south of Highway 55 near Forcella Lane and across the Jefferson River near...
McKenna Fromm was a straight-A high school student, basketball player and member of student government in 2011. By 2015, she was living in a spider-infested "drug den," estranged from her family and deep in addiction. Fromm said her life turned upside down after being diagnosed with Painful Bladder Syndrome at age 15, which caused debilitating pain. She was prescribed powerful painkillers and had 10 different surgeries. Still, she said, doctors could not get her pain under control. She had to...
The Town Council voted Monday to approve the four-year appointment of Steve Andersen as the Whitehall Justice Court Judge. Mayor Mary Janacaro Hensleigh said she appointed Andersen because he contacted her and showed interest in the job, adding she did not hear from Dean Hildebrand who was elected in November of 2018 as the Jefferson County Justice of the Peace. Hensleigh told the Council she wanted a smooth transition from Judge Dennis Guilio who had previously served in the position and...
The Montana House of Representatives has passed a bill that would use money from the coal severance tax trust fund to pay for low- and moderate-income housing projects. House Bill 16, carried by Rep. Dave Fern, D-Whitefish, passed the House on a 71-29 vote and will now move on to the Senate. The bill would allow a loan to be taken from the coal trust fund's investment pool to fund the development of housing originally financed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Unite...
The lineup has been announced for the 2019 Headwaters Country Jam near Cardwell. The event is scheduled to take place from Thursday, June 13 to Saturday, June 15 at "The Bridge" and will include headlining acts Big and Rich, Kelsea Ballerini, and Rodney Atkins. Townsquare Media Director of Events Sally Lidinsky said they are really excited to have a great mix of up and coming artists and country superstars at the 2019 Headwaters Country Jam. "There are more big-name acts than ever before. We...
Lawmakers in Helena are beginning discussions on how to build and maintain the state's infrastructure, including roads, bridges, wastewater systems and state buildings. Again, the debate will come down to which projects get funding and whether that funding comes by way of cash or borrowing. In 2017, legislators voted to end the session without funding public works projects. Some legislators thought Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock bill did not allocate enough to rural infrastructure while putting...
When Brandi King finished a 14-month deployment with the United States Army, she returned home to Montana's Fort Belknap Indian Reservation to heal. King carried with her the trauma she experienced during combat in Mosul, Iraq. She began to feel anxious, hypervigilant and she couldn't sleep at night. In rural Montana, mental healthcare resources can be scarce. King wasn't able to see a counselor or support specialist, and her post-traumatic stress progressed. She became suicidal and attempted...
