Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Sorted by date Results 1137 - 1161 of 1552
Dear Editor, I want to thank the Town of Whitehall and the high school teens who took time out of their day to clean the litter in the gully by my house. They did a fantastic job! I so appreciate them. Rebecca Robinson Whitehall, Montana...
Dear Editor, A letter from the Horseman: I keep hearing all these complains about how employers can’t find people to work anymore, because the pandemic checks are more than what people make working. Well, I think back forty years ago when a ranch in Pennsylvania called and wanted to pay all of my expenses - $1500.00 a month, plus a home and all utilities – to come out and ride colts and do ranch work. Nowadays, it probably still pays the same. I feel employers should pay the same as a pandemic check of $484.00 a week, plus taxes and ben...
Dear Jo, I believe that I am Flying Solo’s mom (letter in last weeks paper). She put her question very nicely, being loved is definitely not all bad. I think a family get-together, honest and open might help, but does not always work, feelings still get hurt. Be happy Solo, your family loves you so much. Do what you do, then let them deal with it. Signed, the Bubble Wrapper Dear Bubble Wrapper, Thank you for writing in. I hope Solo reads this weeks paper. I am sure your comments will be appreciated. Signed, Jo ~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Jo, How many p...
One hundred thirty thousand dollars. That’s what it takes for a down payment to buy an average-priced home in Bozeman, Montana. Then an aspiring homeowner must fork out another $3,000 each month, which is more than two-thirds of their household’s paychecks if they make the median income for the metro area. That’s because the average home in the greater Bozeman area is going for more than $650,000, up from an already astronomical $500,000 in early 2020. A couple of tenured professors at the local Montana State University might be able to swing...
Montana is facing a housing crisis. A lack of affordable housing is keeping working Montanans out of homes and forcing families to pay up 50% or more of their monthly incomes in rent. Lumber prices and labor shortages make it even tougher for developers to offer affordable homes to working families. HB 397 bill will provide a state-based funding resource to help private developers make homes affordable and economical. Both chambers of the 67th Montana Legislature passed House Bill 397, and it is now on the Governor’s desk. The only thing s...
How often have you heard or said that age-old nursery rhyme—to yourself or someone you care about? Probably more times than you can remember. And while it has good intentions, the reality is it couldn’t be further from the truth… Words have tremendous power. They can hurt, and they can heal. They can tear down someone’s world or build it up. Thanks in part to broadened lines of communication (like social media and text messaging), people are more likely than ever to rip each other apart with hurtful words (as they hide behind the veil of tech...
ARIES Mar 21/Apr 20 It could be that you are very aware of things going on around you this week, Aries. Unfortunately, many of them will be out of your control. Still, keep an open mind. TAURUS Apr 21/May 21 Relax and settle down for a few days, Taurus. Take some time to enjoy the people around you and try to travel to some new locales along the way. A little vacation can be helpful. GEMINI May 22/Jun 21 Don’t be surprised if some relatively minor details cause a setback in the days ahead, Gemini. Some heightened focus might be in order. Try t...
Dear Editor, I’m not pro-vaccine, but neither will I condemn those who are. I may sadly shake my head and walk away, but I will not condemn their choice. I will not be taking the vaccine (not willingly, anyway), for somewhat the same reason as others who will not take it. "It’s too new!" That’s true enough, though apparently it has been tested to whatever extent. This, however, is not the main reason; the main reason I’m not going take it is because, admittedly, I’m a bit of a conspiracy theorist! No, I don’t wear a tin foil hat, though, som...
Dear Editor, There has been a lot of discussion lately about the town of Whitehall and its financial state. It has apparently not been managing its money very well. There have been some major accounting problems, some major shortcomings in funds due to these accounting issues. Using this an excuse, the town decided to try and raise the mill levies in town to make up for the shortcomings. This is a typical government answer to money woes. The right thing to do before raising taxes, especially in a community like Whitehall that has a large...
Dear Editor, Most of us would agree that we need to invest in our crumbling infrastructure. What we disagree on is defining infrastructure and how to pay for it. A conventional definition, which would include upgrading roads, bridges, rail, airports, clean water and sewage systems is certainly the bare minimum that is needed. However, in a modern and quickly changing world, doing just the bare minimum is not enough to remain competitive with China and the rest of the world. Infrastructure should also include research, development and...
Dear readers, I am going to post a Dear Jo which I have taken the liberty of rewriting to make the content ok to print. To my Dear Jo writer, I hope I both represent your question and give good advice! Jo Dear Jo, I have a big problem….My boyfriend is cheating on me. I am pretty sure it is because I have put the brakes on our sex life. I did this because that is what our entire relationship seemed about. I found myself falling into the trap of putting his “needs” ahead of mine own, but no more! I am about ready to give up on the whole thing...
Imagine yourself for a moment as an outdoor enthusiast, on the first leg of a five-day backpack journey. You are loaded with supplies, map and compass in hand. You have charted your course and plan to be at your destination by Day Two. At first, you thoroughly enjoy the fresh mountain air, animal life, and serenity. But, as the sunlight fades on Day Two, something is off, concern sets in, the landscape doesn’t match your research. You’re lost. After a sleepless night the joy of your experience turns quickly to dread, so you do your best and...
ARIES Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, love and romance are definitely in your favor this week. If you have been pondering setting up a date or taking a spouse out for a night on the town, do it. TAURUS Apr 21/May 21 Even the best partnerships can be challenging, Taurus. Right now neither one of you is looking to take the lead. Even if it means flipping a coin, someone has to step up. GEMINI May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, grab what you want this week, but remember that the more tightly you try to hang on to it, the more likely it will slip through your fingers....
It’s really exciting to see so many events coming up in the next few weeks. Dare I say it? Could we be headed back to “normal”? Honestly, I don’t think things will ever return to what they were pre-March 2020. But in many ways, I don’t think they should. We’ve become much more aware of one another, of illness, of feelings, or how our actions affect those around us, how our political viewpoints may differ from our neighbors. Normal, before, seemed (to me) to mean looking out for #1, for yourself. Now that we’ve experienced a pandemic, and...
Dear Editor, During the past year, federal employees nationwide and 12,898 active federal and U.S Postal workers of Montana have dedicated themselves to keeping our country running while weathering a global pandemic. They continue to provide essential financial services, processing stimulus payments, tax refunds, small business loans, Social Security checks, mortgages, and student loans to keep the economy churning and households operating. As they do every day, they have kept us safe, tracking cyber threats, protecting the food supply, and...
I read with interest last week’s letter to the Editor about the Senate and House bills that will endanger public lands. I have been watching what goes on in Helena and for the life of me, I didn’t remember any of those bills on the agenda. So, I decided to look them up; I will do this in the order of their claims. Let’s start with HB320. The claim was “a bill to pave the way to transfer public lands out of public hands.” When I looked HB320 up, I found that it was actually “AN ACT PROHIBITING FUTURE SALES OF LAND GRANTED OR TRANSFERRED...
Dear Jo, I find myself discombobulated after the town Easter egg “hunt”. It appeared to me to be more of a “gathering” of eggs. Just a bunch of non-biodegradable plastic eggs lying on open ground. An Easter egg hunt is just that, a hunt for the eggs, hidden of course by the Easter bunny. This even could’ve been held over at the pavilion, where the eggs could’ve been hidden. I suppose those raised here do not find the town Easter egg gathering odd, I do not know for sure. My suggestion is to re-name the event or actually hide the eggs. Thank...
ARIES Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, you have a unique perspective, and sometimes you appear uninterested in the opinions of others. But this week it is best to be humble and accept other’s thoughts. TAURUS Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, you routinely put caring for others ahead of caring for yourself. This compassion is commendable, but you can’t offer help if you aren’t in top form. GEMINI May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, let others bring up issues with you rather than prying. You willingness to lend an ear is well-known, and others will come to you on their own. CANCE...
As a new business owner with no employees in office, I had always wondered what would happen should I fall sick on a Monday or Tuesday when the paper needed to get out to the printers. And this week I, unfortunately, found out. Monday morning my son and I woke up with terrible stomach pains and nausea. I called him in sick to school, where I found out there was a significant stomach bug going around. We also had had some suspect chicken the night before, but that hadn’t affected my husband. Stomach bug, food poisoning - whatever it was, it w...
Dear Editor, To the truck driver’s wife (and damn proud of it) who submitted the anonymous letter to the editor last week; kudos to you: you should be VERY proud of your husband! And there are many truckers like him out there, feverishly driving their hearts out every day, making sure that we have the daily necessities (and some not so ‘necessities’). We thank them for their service and wish them nothing but the best! On the other hand, though, there are those truck drivers that tend, for whatever reason, to stretch (even to the breaking point...
Dear Editor, The AS&CC Spay and Neuter Program would like to specially thank everyone for their constant help and support making our Low Cost Spay & Neuter program such a huge success. A BIG shout out for Cory Tebay of Western Veterinary Services for his constant help and support. We are very fortunate that our local Jefferson County Veterinarian Cory Tebay of Western Veterinary Services and his partnership with Elanco Animal Health continues to sponsor our clinic’s offering vaccinations at a very low price for Jefferson County Residents at our...
Dear Editor, Once again, the Rally for Public Lands at the State Capitol was proof that our public lands and outdoor way of life bind us. The numbers bear it out: 89% of Montanans visit public lands every year. 64% hunt or fish. 79% consider themselves conservationists. 89% say public lands positively impact our overall quality of life. These values are the common ground on which we build strong families and pass on the traditions that shape us. But some fringe state lawmakers don’t seem to share these values. These lawmakers are attacking o...
Dear editor, Dear editor; to begin, I would like to say I think the Editor of the Whitehall Ledger is doing an outstanding job on covering the news, events, and all points of view in a professional manner! As for the wife of a truck driver (I will leave my personal feelings aside)... As a local business owner on Legion Avenue, I agree that semi trucks and automobiles need to slow down on Legion. There are too many children, elderly and businesses that utilize parking on both sides of the street! I am also an active CDL holder who drives...
Dear Editor, Around 6pm on Sunday, April 18th, I headed up to our MT Web business location on Noble Street. When I pulled up the hill, I saw a fire with flames about three feet high spreading south rapidly through the grass. I called my wife and told her to call the fire department while I began to stomp at the edge of it to keep it from spreading. However, it jumped the alley with a big gust of wind, carrying it to Chris & Gretchen Tavenner’s lawn. I ran over and began stomping the area out, got two areas put out, then began working on the m...
Dear Jo, I try to keep myself well-groomed and looking sharp, so I shave every couple of days. For the most part, this works out fairly well, but I sometimes ‘nick’ (sorry, Nick) myself and end up bleeding like a stuck pig. How would you suggest I keep it clean without bleeding out or forgetting to pull the toilet paper off my cuts? Signed, Clean-shaven but NOT cut-free Dear Clean and Cut, Being well-groomed and looking sharp IS important. I have two suggestions. First, are you taking your time while you do your grooming? You may be trying to...
