Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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In a small town like Whitehall it is common to see the same faces over and over again. At the grocery store. At the library. At the post office. Small town life at its finest. However, the same faces at every committee meeting - that’s something that needs to change. I’m calling out to the youth of our town, the newbies in our town, the retired of our town, the bored-and-need-something-to-do of our town...basically, I’m calling out to everyone. GET INVOLVED! Right now there are so many new committees, organizations, and non-profits who need...
Dear Editor, Here in Jefferson County, particularly in our little burg of Whitehall, we have been pretty lucky when it comes to the mask mandate. Although health officials are still strongly recommending that we “mask up”, even those few businesses in town that were following the guidelines very stringently have dropped their requirement. One may note the occasional mask-wearer in certain businesses around town, but for most people, pure common sense seems to have prevailed. In essence, if you’re sick, stay home; if you’re worried about g...
There are two types of pet owners: Those who think their pet refer to them as “MOM/DAD”, and those who think their pet refers to them as “HUMAN”. People who can properly handle lottery winnings are the least likely to buy lottery tickets. Social media is the new cigarettes: companies profit from people’s addiction to an unhealthy product. If you leave your keys in the ignition and your car windows open over night, then your car would probably be stolen, meaning the dead body in the trunk is no longer your problem. No one reads Monopoly...
Dear Jo, My daughter came to visit me a couple of weekends ago. I love when she visits! She is so much fun. Where is the problem, you ask? Well, my beautiful daughter was so excited to show me her new (and first) tattoo. I still cannot believe it, but she had pistols tattooed on her hips. No, I am not kidding. The barrels of the pistols are pointing, well, you can guess. What the hell was she thinking? What was I supposed to say?! I simply stood there dumbfounded. Now she is upset with me for my reaction. We have always been close, able to...
It’s that time of year where you’re itching to get out the pumpkins to carve, candy to scarf and find tricks to play. It is only the first week in October however and some might feel it’s too soon to bring out the cobwebs, potion bottles, and ghosts. I’m here to get you in the spirit with a few fun flicks which will help get you in the magical mood. First off, Good Witch. It is easily accessible on Netflix, Hallmark, and many other platforms. This show is one of the best for a feel-good holiday show. It isn’t specifically a Halloween show but...
Jesus had the ability to look at people gently and speak to them in the most gracious tone. Compassion, kindness, sincerity--Christ displayed earnestness. It is no wonder he is the embodiment of grace worth following. “You’re full of it” is a phrase you’ve heard before, right? Often in jest, such a remark is either coarse or derogatory. I thought it would be a great twist to utilize this phrase in a positive affirmation, that which displays some of the great virtues taught throughout the Bible. After all, if we are to model Jesus or strive to b...
I hate shopping malls. I hate Chuck E. Cheese even more. Yet I found myself standing in the main corridor of Anchorage’s Fifth Avenue Mall, about to enter Chuck E. Cheese. My best friend Daryle had invited me to attend his son’s commercially canned birthday party. How could I not? Chuck’s a clever rodent. To get to or from the dining area you have to pass through the arcade. The second I entered my senses were assaulted. Strobes flashed while twinkle lights from a disco ball spiraled. Every...
ARIES Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, be gentle with your approach this week as you look to persuade someone. You don’t want to scare anyone away by being too flashy or forward. TAURUS Apr 21/May 21 This is a great time to go out and try to grab yourself a bargain, Taurus. Head to a thrift store or garage sale, or even test your negotiation skills at a car dealership. GEMINI May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, situations that have slowly been building will finally come to a head this week. A resolution will be better than the roller coaster you have been on r...
On Wednesday the 22nd, the North side of the Whitehall Community Center once again became the home of Screams Come True Haunted House. It also became the hang out place for volunteers of all ages for the next month. When this venture began in my head more than five years ago, I envisioned it as a community event. Something everyone got involved with in one way or another. I saw it as a revenue event for the entire town. And so far, after two years in action, we have brought in over 4,000 people to the area each October. Whitehall really is the...
Hitting someone’s back who is coughing is the human equivalent of smacking your electronics when they aren’t working properly. Our entire lives are spent designing our corpse. Randomly hearing your favorite song on the radio is more satisfying than playing it directly from your iPod or phone. Good ghosts are the ones scaring you to keep you away. The bad ones want to draw you in. Maybe aging is a disease and Earth is quarantined. Maybe that’s the reason aliens don’t visit us. No one has any idea of what it feels like to be dead. You might h...
Dear Editor, The cost of living seems to be increasing at an almost unthinkable rate! High as those costs climb though, Americans rise above it, because life must go on. Right?! The price of lumber, while it has fluctuated somewhat, is ridiculous. But construction goes on, seemingly unperturbed. Gas prices, while not too crazy yet, in our neck of the woods anyway, are rising. Related to that, food prices are on the rise. It seems that the best option for many of us is to shop out of town, rather than at our local store. Either that or shop...
Dear Jo, I’ve been thinking about gender roles. You know the spiel. Women belong in the kitchen. Women: stay home! Make and take care of those babies! Cooking and cleaning is women’s work. Blah blah blah. Speaking as a man myself, I feel the very notion of gender roles is ridiculous and ignorant, to say the least! Here is my question for you. Why do you think most men accept this? In fact, it seems some get their rocks off, so to speak, by keeping not just “their woman” but ALL women, under their thumb? Okay, that probably qualifies as two sep...
Christians to this day eagerly wait for Christ’s return. If we are eager today, what might be one of our goals? Our mission is to reach the lost and make disciples for Jesus. At a more personal level our goal as believers is to simply grow in Christ’s grace. This is a life long journey on this side of eternity. The late preacher, Billy Graham said, “Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion-it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ.” Are you growing? That is the central question. Our reflect...
The year was 1877. Having signed the contract in the year previous, "The Professor" officially became the Documenter for the Northern Pacific Railway's west-ward expansion. Young Frank Jay, or F. Jay as he was known to friends and family, had just relocated to Moorhead, Minnesota, where he proceeded to open the first of four photographic studios under the family name. Along the way, Frank married his high school sweetheart Lily Snyder. While in Moorhead, Frank and Lily had a daughter, Bertha....
ARIES Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, a few days of self-reflection is not a selfish endeavor. Sometimes you need to give yourself a little TLC so you can more effectively care for others. TAURUS Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, if you find that some bad habits are increasingly getting in the way, then push those vices aside for good. Focus on activities that benefit your overall health. GEMINI May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, you are wielding a lot of energy and some people just may not be ready for your kind of motivation. Read the room before you come in like a whirlwind....
Dear Editor, This is in reply to the constant diatribes written by Gerald Johnson from Cardwell. Mr. Johnson, we get it. You don’t like guns, so don’t have one. If a person wants to kill another person, they can do it just as well with a knife, a baseball bat, a golf club, a fireplace poker, a cast iron skillet, a car, or even a large rock. Would you like all these items banned as well? Please find something else to occupy your time as I’m sure the majority of people are getting very tired of your constant ramblings about guns and viole...
The phrases “You are alone” and “You are not alone” can be equally scary in the right context. Nightmares are our brains making up stories and then getting scared of its own made up story. People will swim in the ocean, even though there are definitely many cadavers in it. People will not swim in a pool with one cadaver in it. Humans all have a cadaver to water ratio that is acceptable for them to swim in. If a murderer is chasing you then you both are running for your life. Until trains were invented in 1804, every human who ever lived t...
Dear Editor, Not to be too negative, but this is getting ridiculous! Mr. Johnson’s latest representative statement, “People do not control guns. Guns control people” has become reductio ad absurdum (reduced to absurdity). Although I can understand his reasoning, as he mentions addiction later on in his latest letter, it really should come as no surprise that he should stand upon such a blatantly ridiculous statement. In the past, Mr. Johnson, by his very questionable reasoning, has seemingly given life to what should be otherwise known as an...
Dear Jo, What do you do when your spouse comes home after 30 year of marriage and simply does not want to be married anymore?! No reason, no big problem, no affair. How does a person come to terms with this?! Signed, Pissed off and confused Dear Pissed and Confused, There is no way but forward. Move that direction and don’t stop. You cannot change a mind that is made up. You are meant for greater things. Let that $#!% go and run for your future. You will be ok. It will take a bit, but you’ve got this. Signed, Jo Dear Jo, I want to start a line...
Lately the subject of generosity has been on my mind but as I read God’s Word, I’ve noticed how grace is an integral part of what it means to be generous. Jesus exemplified this in his life and ministry; he was both truthful and graceful. “An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it...
ARIES Mar 21/Apr 20 Attention to detail is very important this week, Aries. Be sure not to lose your focus as things you do will be highly scrutinized by others. Ask a third party to check your work. TAURUS Apr 21/May 21 Give others room to breathe and respect how they’re feeling in certain situations, Taurus. Just because you feel comfortable doesn’t mean others will as well. GEMINI May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, reminisce about those people with whom you had strong connections. If you lost touch, this can be a great time to rekindle relationships and...
Dear Editor, Once again (probably not for the last time either), I feel compelled to respond to Mr. Gerald Johnson’s almost ignominious “war” on firearms. I say almost because I do not believe he means to bring shame on his obviously favored political position. Unfortunately, by claiming the “War on Terror” to be touted as America’s Longest War simply goes to show his seeming disregard for actual facts when it comes to his pet project, which, again, seems to be much stricter gun-control laws, or simply a gun ban. He goes on to list several inj...
Dear Editor, I am writing this on September 11th, twentieth anniversary of the most horrific attack on America; when we lost a lot of our freedoms and family. I am going to make this short and sound as I don’t spend too much time with “stupid”. Johnson, what are you thinking? You’re selfish, naïve, and have too much time to yourself. Might I suggest you spend more time learning how America was founded, how our forefathers bled and fought for the freedoms you choose to project your stupidity of knowing? You know how to insult our great nation....
Dear Editor, So, some of you still hold to the addiction induced belief that “guns don’t kill people…” That may be true in an alternate universe using alternative facts showing that people are in control, but not in this universe. In this universe people have never been in “control,” especially when it comes to guns. People do not control guns. Guns control people. An example: Missoula’s Hellgate High on the third day of 2021 classes. The report of a gun on campus “controlled” all things that followed. People were not the threat. School au...
Dear Jo, I have been waiting for so long to meet someone who I am attracted to. I am definitely attracted to the new man in my life. We have a problem though. He has a habit of scratching his, well, you know. He not only does his scratching in private, but is perfectly comfortable scratching on our dates! He even scratched, you know where, at the dinner table in a restaurant! How do I let him know that I really enjoy our time together and find him very attractive, but that he needs to stop!? Signed, Itching To Be Honest Dear Itching, Be honest...
