Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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We often complain about others’ headlights being too bright, not knowing how bright our headlights are. If a movie or show is live-action, you are an extra, though you are far off-camera. An infestation of bugs is unwelcome unless they’re ocean bugs called lobsters. “Happy Birthday to You” is probably the song you will hear most in your life directed at you. Getting a 3 out of 5 stars is much better than a 6 out of 10. It’s crazy that society tends to glorify pirates and make them seem cool as we’re growing up. You don’t realize how well your...
Dear Editor, I have lived in Whitehall for nearly 30 years now. At one time, I was very involved in this community, but life has taken some hard turns, so now I live quietly and relatively uninvolved. However, I was in a local store the other day, and two women were attempting to talk in "hushed" tones. Obviously, they did not want people to know they were talking about the heated "issue" at hand in Whitehall. They were simply voicing their opinions, but I was a bit shocked to realize what the p...
Dear Editor, I would like to respectfully respond to James Reiff's letter in the Whitehall Ledger on February 19, 2025. Mr. Reiff, I think you did not totally understand the problem with the Whitehall School Administration's handling of the play and the response from the community. First of all, the school administration did not review the play draft in a timely manner, which resulted in a lot of drama from many sides. I firmly believe the drama teacher and the kids accepted the decision not to...
Dear Editor, I was of the understanding that the Whitehall Town Office would be changing the hours open to the public beginning with the first week of February 2025. However, I dropped by to get an agenda recently and found it closed and locked - again! The hours state that the doors are locked at 1:00! What happened to the 4:30 time? I also thought the office would be open to the public on Fridays, but that is not the case. When will the Whitehall Town Office be open during normal public...
Dear Editor, The Montana Legislature is considering a bill to prohibit medical aid-in-dying. Senate Bill 136 declares that doctors who provide this end-of-life option for certain terminally ill patients can be prosecuted for homicide, like murderous felons. SB 136 recently passed the Senate and is now in the House. Under a 2009 State Supreme Court ruling, medical aid-in-dying was found legal in Montana. The term refers to the process by which a doctor writes an oral prescription for a patient wh...
Brent Edward Nordlinder passed into the hands of the Lord in the early morning hours of February 16, 2025, with his wife by his side, after a short battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer at his home in Whitehall, Montana. Brent was just shy of his 66th birthday. Born in San Diego, California, on March 12, 1959, he was the youngest of three children, Deborah, Linnea, and Brent, and the only son of Clifford and Jean Nordlinder (nee St. Ives). At age three, the family relocated to Bothell,...
GEORGIA, I have a question, I (21F) am in college and usually go home for the holidays to spend time with my dad (48M) and extended family. My parents divorced when I was 12, and I’ve always spent part of the holidays with each parent. My dad remarried early last year to “Lisa” (46F), and while we’re polite to each other, we’re not particularly close. This past year, I made plans months in advance to visit my mom’s side of the family for Christmas. I told my dad and Lisa early on, and both seemed fine with it. Fast forward to the second week...
ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 People are not mind readers, Aries. If you want others to know how you are feeling, you must give them some indication this week. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 You may discover that you enjoy much support from other people, Taurus. This includes those who you didn’t realize are on your side. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Even though it can be challenging at certain times, try to see the positives in every situation, Gemini. This may make it easier to overlook some of their faults. CANCER - Jun 22/Jul 22 Try to stretch beyond your c...
A burglar broke into a house late one night. He shined his flashlight around, looking for valuables, when a voice in the dark said, ‘Jesus knows you’re here, and he’s coming back.’ He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight off, and froze. When he heard nothing more, after a bit, he shook his head and continued. Just as he was pillaging through the jewelry box on top of the dresser, clear as a bell, he heard a voice.... saying, ‘Jesus is watching you, and he’s coming.’ Freaked out, he shined his light around frantically,...
Dear Editor, Who will pay for Senator Hertz's reform of tax increment financing? Tax increment financing (TIF) is a policy driver that incentivizes private developers to develop in areas they would not otherwise develop, e.g., 100-year-old vacant, blighted structures full of contaminants on rural Main Streets. Why? They can't cash flow them. They can't maximize their profits. It is cheaper to buy ag and green lands outside of the city boundaries where they don't have to hassle with city codes,...
Dear Editor, We are seeking feedback from our community for truth and clarity in the midst of this political chaos. We'd like to do a weekly column about the issues of today that provides a path to the truth based on primary sources and evidence. We have asked former Whitehall High School librarian Holly Harper to do the heavy lifting vis-a-vis research, and she is eager to hear the questions and find the answers. Full disclosure: Holly is a Never Trumper but answers to the truth, not to a...
Dear Editor, In recent online discussions in town regarding policies recently perpetrated by our illustrious school administration, I was accused of being “woke.” I found this to be quite upsetting as, until now, I had subscribed to Hess’s description, “Woke is being the inverse of politically correct and wanting everyone to know just how correct you are.” I have never in my life striven for political correctness and have rebelled against it. I always regarded “woke” by its current defin...
Dear Editor, Super job, Drama Team!!! Genuine concern for our young folks means we would listen to them. Isn't it ironic that their production was stifled when it dealt with this exact issue? Shame, shame! DAVE AND JENNY SCOTT Whitehall, Montana...
Dear Editor, I can't wait to talk about it! Oh my....what a load of hubbub. I listened to people I know and heard about the "woke" play I Don't Want To Talk About It. One thing I have learned in dealing with politics is to do research. I encouraged others to check it out: read the script, talk to Liz [Pullman], ask the school board. I read the article published by Montana Talks. It was distorted at best. I read about all the awards and praise from Missoula (honestly, I don't put much weight behi...
Dear Editor, We went and saw the play I Don't Want to Talk About It this past Saturday. First off, kids and coach, well done!!! The Whitehall I know is who showed up and supported. The message was clear: TALK. As families, preachers, friends, and community members we need to listen. The worst part of this whole thing is that the Whitehall public school administration and school board proved they aren't willing to listen. Thankfully Whitehall is much more than the public school system. As the...
All people born post-internet will likely die having forgotten more total information than all their ancestors combined ever learned. What percentage of people have sat in the back seat of their own car? If commercialized space travel becomes a reality, we will buy water from Europa as a luxury product, the same way we buy iceberg water now. A perfectly straight road would go into space. When we were younger, most of us didn’t understand why it was common for people to bring their phones into the bathroom. Most people don’t wear sweatpants when...
I have been on the Whitehall School board for around a decade. I have seen a lot of controversy from a lot of different angles in my time on the board. In every situation there are multiple sides and perspectives, and someone is always disappointed, angry, or sad by the way it plays out. I think it is important to try to understand the point of views of all parties, and empathize when you can’t agree. Over the past couple months that Whitehall High School Drama Club has prepared and performed a play called, “I don’t want to talk about it” T...
GEORGIA, I have a question, I (25F) am the youngest of four; the rest of my siblings are all married, two of them have kids. I have one child with my ex and two with my fiance. My fiance (29m) is the oldest of three; his two sisters are not married and do not have kids. We have our wedding planned for July. Ever since we told his family, they have been planning nonstop. They literally have vision boards made up at their house, without my opinions or anything. My mother-in-law bought her dress already in a VERY light gold color. Whenever I see...
One of the well-known phrases of Jesus, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34), is both powerful and thought-provoking. However, the context is even more revealing if we take the time to understand Christ’s statement. This teaching was sparked by a question from a nearby listener, “Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ Jesus replied, ‘Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?’ Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all...
ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, impulsiveness may cause friction with loved ones this week, so avoid rushing into decisions. Keep an open mind when others come to you with their thoughts. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, expect some clarity regarding a recent financial decision this week. You’ll get the answers you need about budgeting and other investments you’ve been mulling over. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 This week you may be tempted to overcommit to social endeavors, Gemini. Keep your boundaries in check, especially if you are having dif...
Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous said, “A hypocrite is one who sets good examples only when he has an audience.” This statement mirrored many of Jesus’ warnings centuries ago. He didn’t mince words; He was a truth teller confronting the lies of legalism, which subtly crept into the lives of religious leaders of His day. He taught His disciples to be on guard for hypocrisy. “Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: ‘Be on your guard against the...
Dear Editor, I want to talk about the proverbial elephant in the room. The most recent debacle in our quaint little burg of Whitehall proves how much this "elephant" needs to be confronted and maybe even run out of town. Don't worry; I won't point fingers or name names, as I'm sure I don't need to. The problem, as I see it, is that every individual, not just in this town but in the world at large, has their own particular (peculiar?) version of "the Box." Depending on the individual's sensibilit...
Dear Editor, I am writing to express my strong opposition to Senate Bill 42, which proposes introducing partisan elections for Montana's judicial offices. I urge you to vote NO on this bill. When any Montanan has their day in court, they have the constitutional right to impartial treatment regardless of political beliefs. Adding partisan politics to our courts is an attack on that right. Montana's current system of nonpartisan judicial elections has served the state well by ensuring that judges...
Dear Editor, Criticism, by its very nature, reflects the individual who is criticizing. An individual's response to criticism is also self-reflective. In my humble opinion, Superintendent Nieskens and Principal Jason Slater are modeling an extremely inappropriate response to the criticism they have received over their censure of the play "I Don't Want To Talk About It". They are modeling it to the very students they have been given the privilege to educate and as paid representatives of our...
Dear Editor, What a busy time for President Musk and Mrs. Trump! But following Steve Bannon's recipe for creating chaos, while pretending to be acting in the best interests of the American people, doesn't seem to working as successfully as Bannon's advice to "claim victory anyway" when it was apparent Trump had lost the 2020 election. Mrs. Trump's complete lack of understanding of how tariff's really work has been a global embarrassment and her/his (?) illegal tactics in the USA are being...
