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 little under five months, both current and former residents will help celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Cardwell School. The event is scheduled for Saturday, August 4 starting at 10:30 a.m. at the school, and will also include a dinner later that day at the Cardwell Pavilion. This event is a wonderful way to bring former students, teachers, staff and anyone affiliated to the school together for what should be an amazing day. Much like is the case with any small town school, the building in Cardwell means so much to so many people,...
When I started my career in journalism as beat reporter for a daily newspaper I would often times have to take photos at meetings, games, or various events. While the paper did have a digital camera, they were not very handy at the time for anything other than “grip and grin,” type photos that are basically people posed and not moving – think of someone presenting a group with a check. I was given a nice camera to work with, but it wasn’t as simple as going taking a picture and being done. My first week on the job I was sent into a dark ro...
The Town of Whitehall conducted a meeting late last month to obtain public comment to assist their pursuit of grants that will not only help the town meet their water requirements with the Department of Environmental Quality, but to also benefit future community development. It was very unfortunate the town water levels tested above the acceptable limit for Uranium in 2015, but it did happen. Without finding an acceptable water source the town will have to build a water treatment facility and while this is costly, pursuing grants will help...
I'll be the first to admit that I enjoy nothing more than a day off spent at my house binge watching my favorite new show or basketball, but every once in awhile I like to get out of town for a few days. My hometown is eight hours away, which is a trip I will do two or three times a year, and I also don't mind loading up the car for a trip to Seattle or Las Vegas. Sure the trip can be a little bit long, but it sure beats the cost of flying four people anywhere. Plus with the drive to an...
Montana winters can be brutal. Sometimes it is the well below zero temperatures,or the howling winds, or it can be a huge blanket of snow that sticks to the road. Several times a winter all three happen at once and it makes traveling near impossible. No matter how bad the winter conditions are, it is important to always remember law enforcement and emergency responders, as well as state, county, town employees working hard to make things better. It doesn’t matter when the bad weather hits whether it be a holiday or the middle of the day, t...
A few weeks ago I was at the district basketball tournament when I witnessed something that really bothered me. The Whitehall Trojans boys basketball team was taking on Manhattan in a game with everything on the line. The winner would live to play another day and advance to the divisional tournament in Billings and the losers would be done for the season. Anyone who has been to the district tournament knows that it is always a great atmosphere with a lot of passion and this was certainly the...
When I was a little kid it was always a big deal when my Grandma Smith would take all of the grandkids to McDonalds. It was a special time with a special woman who always made sure we had McDonalds coupons in each of our Christmas and Birthday gifts. There would also be a savings bond, but to a kid the coupons were a much bigger deal. There was one time my Grandma who was a notoriously bad driver attempted to take us to McDonalds and we ended up 15 miles away in a neighboring town, but I...
As a publisher, people will often times ask me about the current state of the newspaper business and their relevance in todays society. I will certainly admit that large publications in metropolitan areas have been struggling and many of them have closed their doors. At the same time, I will happily say that smaller community papers still have a very relevant role in today’s society and many of them do very well. While it certainly isn’t the same with social media and the Internet playing a key role on how people do things, but for smaller comm...
Often times the pages of a small-town newspaper are full of articles and pictures for high school sporting teams and this is certainly the case in the Ledger. I also feel it is very important to recognize some of the other great things going on at local schools and there is no better place to start than with the Whitehall Schools Music Department. Last week was a phenomenal one for the department. Not only did they host seven teams at a middle school music festival, the high school music department was notified they were recipients of a $2,000...
While I was in college, I always dreaded summer coming. It would mean I would have to stop the laidback lifestyle of being a student and have to work my butt of to raise money for tuition. This was certainly different than being a kid and counting down the days for the school year to end which always meant a long summer of riding my bike in the desert without a care in the world. In my hometown there were always a ton of college kids who also wanted to raise money and there were always a few...
Whether it is a cup of coffee with a friend, putting together a puzzle while catching up with the latest town gossip or a nice lunch, the Whitehall Senior Center is an important gathering spot for local residents. Next Sunday, the Center is hosting their annual fundraiser and this an integral time for local residents to come together to help with day-to-day operations. Even the smallest of donations will help the center remain a valuable part of the community. Throughout the year, the center puts together a great menu of lunches Monday through...
The other day when picking up a sandwich for lunch I decided to grab a bag of Doritos as a side. I got an interesting surprise when I opened the bag and an astonishing four chips came out. I've noticed the amount of chips that generally come in bags has slowly decreased over the years, but this seemed a little bit ridiculous. So rather than pay for some tasty chips, it appears I spent money on a brightly colored bag of air. It's almost as if with each new flavor introduced, they decide to put...
There was a special feeling in the air Friday night in downtown Whitehall, when shortly after 5 p.m., a large crowd started to make their way to the Star Theater for a special premiere/fundraiser screening of the film “The Ballad of Lefty Brown”. The event served as a wonderful opportunity for local residents to be able to meet the films star Bill Pullman and director Jared Moshe, but more importantly was a chance to raise a significant amount of money for the Jefferson Valley Museum. In total around $12,000 was raised for the museum and the...
I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was in the ninth grade and my friend Paul handed me a CD that he insisted I borrow for a few days. It wasn’t uncommon for him to turn me onto different kinds of music, but this day was different. He insisted I go right home and listen. He said to skip homework, chores, or whatever else I needed to do because these 11 songs would change my life. Little did I know, but Paul was right. His kind gesture of letting me borrow the album “Ten” by Pearl Jam has given me over 20 years of enjoyment. Pearl Jam’s...
Each and every year, the Whitehall Country Store does an incredible job giving back to the local community. In last week’s edition of the Whitehall Ledger there was an article about the Country Store announcing they would be giving five scholarships to local students, and this is another amazing example of their importance to the community. A $5,000 scholarship will be integral to the each of the five students. When going to college every dollar helps, and this is a great opportunity for local students. The Ledger would like to thank the b...
A few weeks ago, I wrote a column that discussed the dangers of teenagers completing challenges they found out about on social media. It wasn’t more than a week after I wrote about this topic that the national media started reporting about a challenge that was sweeping the nation that involved teenagers eating laundry detergent “pods”. I honestly could not believe what I was reading as the word about the challenge spread like wildlife on the news and social media. When I wrote the column I figured there would be a new stupid thing for teena...
I'm probably a week or two late on this, but I figure it is still January so it is still most likely timely. I've never been one to make a New Year's resolution and I'm certainly not going to start this year. I tried one once or twice and it didn't last long. I'm not talking about I only made it to the Super Bowl, I didn't even make it past the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. Instead, what I will do is share what I would like to see more of in 2018. There are so many wonderful things in the world,...
Just a few weeks into 2018, members of the Whitehall Chamber of Commerce are already working hard planning events for the year. With the start of the new year, this is a perfect time for local businesses to join the chamber or for volunteers to help plan and work at upcoming events. While the chamber staff and many active members do a great job promoting Whitehall, they also work diligently to put together events throughout the year. There hard work does not go unnoticed, but they could always use an extra hand. One of the huge upcoming events...
Since it was built in the 1990’s, the Varsity Gym at Whitehall High School has served as a large gathering spot for the local community. Large groups gather throughout the year for sporting events, concerts, and graduation. The gym area is also most likely the place that is visited by more people from out of town over the course of the year. Often times the gym is the only thing people may visit when in town and its appearance is important. Over the past several weeks, school officials have been...
Trying to take a vacation while owning a weekly newspaper can be tricky. Not only is it important to get the product out to customers each and every week, I also have a postal permit that requires me to publish even if I had some sort of crazy idea of combining a couple of issues at the end of the year or during the summer. In the past couple years I have taken a three-day weekend several times, and once took four days in a row off. Despite saying I would be taking time off, I would generally spend an hour or two each day getting stuff ready...
The Whitehall High School wrestling team is once again off to a great start with some outstanding performances the first few weeks of the season. Next Tuesday, January 9, the Trojans will wrap up their home schedule for the season when they host the annual Whitehall Mixer scheduled to start at 6 p.m. in the Varsity Gym. The team does not get a lot of chances to wrestle at home, so this is a great opportunity for local fans to cheer them on. For those who may not have been to a wrestling meet in...
I'm sure I'm not the only who probably watched "A Christmas Story" over the holidays, and despite the fact I watched it a million times, it never gets old. For me, it is the quintessential holiday film, and I can most likely recite it word for word if I ever found myself in a predicament where I needed to save my life or win a $1 million. This year I also decided to record and watch "A Christmas Story Live". It was cute and very well done, but it went on and on and after about an two and a half...
In a little under two weeks, a new Mayor and several members will be joining the Whitehall governing body. Incoming Mayor Mary Janacaro-Hensleigh, Montina Rawson, and Jason Good will all be sworn in at the January 8 meeting. While it certainly is an exciting time for both the town and new members, it is also important to thank those who served in office prior to them. I will certainly be the first to say that I didn’t always agree with the previous administration all the time, I do however commend them and thank them for the years of service th...
It’s time for elected officials in Montana to stand up for the safety of residents and pass a law that bans the use of cell phones while driving. How this law has not been passed yet is baffling, and something needs to be done as soon as possible. A lot of people may think this is not a huge issue, but it really is paramount to the safety of residents across the state. Distracted driving is something that can be seen on a daily basis and the consequences are severe. One text, selfie, or post to a social media site can be just enough to cause a...
Earlier this month Google announced the top global searches in 2017. There were of course obvious searches like “Hurricane Irma”, “iPhone 8”, and “Fidget Spinner”, but I was really surprised to see “India National Cricket Team” come in at number ten on the list. I guess with a population of 1.2 billion if cricket is the national sport, it is going to get a lot of searches. I tried to watch cricket once on ESPN at about 4 a.m. and it might have been the most confusing and never ending game I have ever witnessed. I kept hoping a Lion would be l...
