Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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The Whitehall High School Speech and Debate team had great results at last week's Divisional Tournament in Missoula. Senior Rebecca Meyer led the way for the Trojans with a first-place finish in Impromptu. Karlie Wagner finished third in Humorous Oral Interpretation, and Issie Coleman and Bradley Morrison finished fifth in Humorous Duo. All four qualified for the state meet scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Three Forks. Meyer also qualified for state in 2018. Head Coach Dr. Kathy Meyer said...
The Whitehall Town Council approved Monday a generic letter that will be sent to residents who are in violation of town ordinances. According to Town Clerk/Treasurer Summer Fellows, the letter will notify the resident of a ordinance violation, will advise them to contact the town, and will include the amount of days they will have to take action before they will be fined or further action is taken. Fellows said the idea of the letter is to give residents a chance to make everything okay. The...
The 66th Montana Legislature opened for business Jan. 7 and lawmakers spent much of the first week discussing what they hope to see for hot topic issues and bills, like public lands and Medicaid expansion. After newly-elected Senators and Representatives were sworn in, the House voted on a temporary rules bill, which ultimately hedged off a battle among legislators that had been escalating in weeks leading up to the session. The House rules are contentious because they have potential to greatly...
After last winter's record setting snowfall, the mountains across the state of Montana have received sporadic snowfall so far this year, leaving some river basins near normal for snowpack, while others are below normal on January 1. Early season snowfall has favored regions along the Continental Divide in western and south-central Montana so far this winter, and this is where the highest snowpack percentages can be found. "What's been unique about this winter so far is that the snowpack in...
Republicans and Democrats agree funding critical infrastructure needs is important, but if the last two legislative sessions are any indication, that is where the agreement ends. Both times efforts to pass a major infrastructure investment bill failed. An infrastructure bonding bill will reappear, yet again, in the 2019 Montana legislative session. However, supporters are making some changes in hopes of winning support from the Republican-controlled legislature. "We need a bonding bill that's...
Montana's top prosecutor says he wants the 2019 Legislature to combat addiction to prescription opioids and expand on a policy of treatment rather than incarceration for drug offenders. Republican Attorney General Tim Fox said his office would suggest legislation requiring photo ID cards when picking up prescription painkillers, making the state's prescription drug registry mandatory and putting a five-day limit on prescriptions for opioids. "Opioid prescriptions are not monitored very well and...
Gov. Steve Bullock is once again proposing Montana launch a state-funded preschool program for those who cannot afford private pre-kindergarten programs for their children. The governor included a $30 million grant program to support high-quality preschool programs supplied by public schools, community-based providers or head start programs in his budget ahead of the 2019 legislative session. It is the governor's third attempt at state-funded preschool, but the first to benefit from the results...
There were plenty of changes at Town Hall in 2018. At a special meeting in January, Council members Barbara Gagnon, Katy James, Jason Good and Montina Rawson, and Mayor Mary Janacaro Hensleigh were sworn into their positions. The seat of James was later vacated. In summer, the Council voted to move town offices and public works operations to the former ambulance barn located at 207 E. Legion. 2018 was another year that showed the true giving nature of the Whitehall area community. In late...
A system error led to an unexpected lockdown December 12 for K-12 students in Whitehall. Superintendent John Sullivan said once they once they determined the lockout alert was not caused by a real threat, students and teachers were informed a system error was causing the problem. He added this happened within minutes of the alarm sounding. The company that installed the alarm is current troubleshooting to see why the error happened. “We apologize for the momentary distress this caused students and teachers,” Sullivan said....
If the Town of Whitehall were to join the Jefferson Valley Rural Ambulance District the decision would need to be made by registered voters. The process of how to get town voters to decide if they would join the district created in 2017 is however unclear. District Chair Sue Pullman gave a short presentation to the Whitehall Council Monday and said it is important to understand the district is established and functioning and if Whitehall residents wanted to join they would have to talk to their council members. Pullman, Town Clerk/Treasurer Sum...
On a cold and windy Montana morning, shovels broke the ground in what was a monumental day for Whitehall Public Transportation. A ground-breaking ceremony took place Monday, December 10 for the Richard (Dick) Gustin Memorial Bus Barn that will be located at 1173 HWY 55 in Whitehall. The 3,200 square foot facility will feature a four-bay bus barn that will accommodate offices and a passenger waiting area. Speaking on behalf of Whitehall Public Transportation, Liberty Place Executive Director Ann...
The deadline is nearing for the 2018 Whitehall Chamber of Commerce Christmas Lights Contest. Entries for the contest are due to the chamber by Friday, December 7 at 10 a.m. Houses must be fully decorated and lit for judging by December 8. Winners will be announced December 13 on the chamber Facebook page. First prize is $150 in chamber bucks, second place is $100 in chamber bucks, and third place is $50 in chamber bucks. Chamber member Jill Dove said the community is the voting committee and...
An informational meeting about the Southwest Montana Veterans' Home is set to take place Friday, November 30 at the Whitehall Community Center. The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. According to local Veteran Gary Redfern, the meeting will also focus on finding a committee member for a foundation focused on raising money for basic expenses for future residents of the 60-bed facility that will be located south of Butte. The foundation committee will include representatives from six counties....
Hi Folks We didn't have a regular meeting last week. I hope everyone had a very great Thanksgiving. Carole and I were able to go help with the free dinner at the Stageline Pizza on Thanksgiving Day. Event Coordinator, Bruce Binkowski and his wife Christina were also there. Bruce helped promote the event and they had a great turnout. I think they served over 100 people. Bill Pullman also stopped by and spent a lot of time visiting with folks and getting pictures. It was a great way to spend Thank...
Cowboy Strong – The Man Behind the NFR Legacy in Vegas, a special one-hour documentary produced to chronicle the incredible career of Shawn Davis, will air on CBS Sports Network on Sunday, November 25 at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET. The program will re-air on Thursday, Dec. 6 at 5:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. ET. Davis was a three-time PRCA World Champion saddle bronc rider prior to turning his attention to the business of rodeo. That decision changed the fortunes for the sport and Las Vegas. Davis cast the deciding vote to move the National Finals Rodeo f...
The Whitehall School District honored those who have served last week at the annual Veteran's Day Program. The program included a 100th year celebration of Armistice Day in 1918 by Whitehall fifth graders. The event also included performances by the combined choirs, a Roll Call, "Marches of the Armed Forces", and a performance of "God Bless America". The program started with a presentation of colors from the cheer squad and a performance of the national anthem by the middle school and high...
Whitehall resident and photographer Sarah Smart was recently selected as the first place finisher in the Heritage Foundation photo contest. Her photo taken during the Field of Honor Celebration on July 4 in Butte has been published on the cover of the 2019 Heritage Foundation Calendar. Smart was not notified she had won and said she was so surprised when she opened a big envelope with calendar and saw her image. Pictured above is the award-winning photo by Smart....
Montana voted against two highly publicized ballot initiatives. In unofficial results from the Montana Secretary of State, voters easily defeated I-186 by a count of 229,072 to 161,440. The initiative would have denied approval to any new hard rock mines in the state unless they can provide “clear and convincing” evidence the mine will not require perpetual water treatment. I-185 was also defeated by a vote of 215,278 to 178,578. The initiative would have placed an extra tax of cigarettes to raise money for Medicaid. In Montana House Dis...
Montana voted against two highly publicized ballot initiatives. In unofficial results from the Montana Secretary of State, voters easily defeated I-186 by a count of 229,072 to 161,440. I-185 was also defeated by a vote of 215,278 to 178,578. In Montana House District 71, incumbent Republican Ray Shaw defeated Democratic challenger Jay Frederick by a vote of 3,653 to 1,815. Libertarian Michael White received 841 votes. In House District 75, Republican Greg Devries defeated Democratic challenger J. Bryher Herak by a vote of 3,332 to 2,474. In...
STOP I-186 Campaign members have been busy since mid June spreading their message about the proposed Initiative they say will have devastating impacts to both future and current mining operations as well as mining jobs in the Treasure State. STOP I-186 Campaign Director Dave Galt and Montana Mining Association Executive Director Tammy Johnson have both played a large role is discussing the detrimental affects of next week’s ballot initiative. In a recent interview with the Whitehall Ledger, both discussed the importance of keeping the b...
Earlier this month, a power outage led to the cancellation of morning bus routes in the Whitehall School District. In June, numerous local businesses were affected by a 12 plus hour outage in the Whitehall and Cardwell areas. Local business owners and residents will get a chance to detail the impacts recent outages have caused at a special meeting Monday, October 29 at the Borden’s Conference Room. According to JLDC Co-Manager Tom Harrington, representatives from Northwestern Energy will be on hand at the meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. ...
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department has responded to several recent complaints of vandalized campaign signs. "It always seems to be a problem during the campaign season," said Sheriff Craig Doolittle. " I have had several of my signs vandalized and stolen over the years from many different areas." The Whitehall Ledger had several residents contact them about their signs either being stolen or vandalized. Ruth Lott of Cardwell said political signs have been stolen and disfigured, one in...
Montana smokers could be on the hook for an additional $2 per pack if ballot initiative Initiative 185 passes. The tobacco industry is shelling out big bucks in hopes it won't happen. It's a big reason your mailbox is stuffed this election season with flyers arguing its pros and cons. The initiative's backers see its passage as a "win-win." Higher taxes for tobacco products could discourage their use and perhaps reduce medical problems they cause. The extra money raised would help expand Medicai...
While talk of reductions at the University of Montana have grabbed a lot of the attention, the decisions Montanans make at the ballot box this fall may have much broader implications for the state's eight public higher education institutions. Organizations and people around the state of Montana have been working to make sure that voters continue to support the property levy that has been a critical part of higher education support in the state since 1948. The levy is a tax on property values....
Decisions about the U.S. Supreme Court have turned into an intense partisan battle in Washington, but in Montana the only contested race for the high court is for the job of clerk. Three candidates are in the running for the seat. Rex Renk is a Democrat who has worked as the deputy clerk for more than 20 years and now seeks the top job. Bowen Greenwood is a former executive director of the Montana GOP and Roger Roots is an outspoken Libertarian activist. They are battling over a position that...
