Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Sorted by date Results 1512 - 1536 of 1558
The Missouri Headwaters Partnership, a group made up of the 9 watershed councils in the area, has been contacted by a group, the Blackfoot Challenge, wanting to “help” us reduce conflict with grizzly bears, wolves and other large predators. Most of this kind of “help” is really designed to get taxpayer funded grants for the individuals leading the effort with solving any problem with landowner or grass roots involvement being the bait to get the money. That may or may not be the case here. I have found over the years that it is better to have...
Last Friday afternoon, around 50 local residents traveled to Boulder to attend a hearing in the 5th Judicial Courtroom. They were attending the continuation of a hearing to determine if a Recall election for five Whitehall elected officials would move forward. After nearly six hours of testimony, 7th District Court Judge Katherine Bidegaray who presided over the hearing through a video connection from Sidney, did not make a decision whether the recall petitions were invalid as to form, but did publically state she was leaning in that...
I'm writing this column on a Saturday morning, just hours before my alma mater will take the field in Laramie, WY to play in the Mountain West Championship game. After a 2-10 season in 2015, the program has quickly turned around in 2016, and the University of Wyoming football team will enter the game with an 8-4 record. It will also be the first time they have played for a conference title since 1996, a heartbreaking loss to BYU I still remember like it was yesterday. I've been ready for this ga... Full story
Anyone who has recently taken a drive down Legion Avenue in Whitehall will have noticed the numerous holiday decorations. Simply put, it looks awesome! Last Saturday, members of the BY's and Ag Cats 4-H Clubs, Whitehall Chamber of Commerce members, town employees and local residents came together to decorate the town for Christmas. The Ledger would like to thank each and everyone who took time to participate, and a special kudos to the 4-H members that helped decorate. These kids are learning...
Sometimes my weeks are a lot like the movie "Groundhog Day", so I was really excited for the Thanksgiving Holiday. I was planning to travel to Wyoming last Wednesday after the paper was finished, and I was eager and ready to visit friends, family, and pets. Things were moving along smoothly Wednesday morning when I got a call from Melissa, who had traveled to Anaconda to pick up the newspaper from the printer. She informed me the check engine light had come on and the car was making a horrific...
Ho-Ho-Ho! Driving down Legion this weekend we noticed how festive it all looked. The park area, the fish pond area, the whole run of the street is decorated to the max and done beautifully! Whom ever made all the wooden decorations, painted them for display year after year needs to be thanked year after year, too. The display groupings this year are so well done, the trees are so well lighted...it looks just like Christmas/winter and has inspired us to begin the "process" at our own home. (my hubby is thrilled).So thank you, thank you, and...
The first time I walked into the office of the Whitehall Ledger in February of 2015, I quickly noticed a framed issue of a newspaper hanging on the wall near the entrance. I quickly glanced at the paper, and realized it was the first issue of the Ledger. For reasons I'm not quite sure of, the issue does not have a date on the front page, but it was published sometime in the spring of 1984. The headline for the lead story reads, "Whitehall area has newspaper", and discusses how the paper came to...
Early in the season it was crystal clear there was something special about the 2016 Whitehall/Harrison High School football team. The team started off with five straight victories, including a gritty performance on the road against Anaconda, and a trouncing of rival Jefferson County. Following their first loss of the season against Manhattan, they would once again find themselves on a five game winning streak that would eventually take them to the semifinal round the MHSA Class B Playoffs....
With Thanksgiving approaching, I'm eagerly watching the weather forecast to see if I'll be able to make it to my hometown next week. I haven't been there since spring, so it would be really nice to spend time with my family and close friends. Last year was one of the few Thanksgivings I was not able to make it home, and it was a little bit of a strange feeling. The day is about family, friends, and enjoying what we have in our lives. But it's also about the food, and lots of it. No matter where...
This week schools in both Whitehall and Cardwell will be hosting Veteran’s Day programs. The Cardwell program is scheduled for Thursday, November 10 at 1 p.m., and the Whitehall program is scheduled for Friday, November 11 at 10 a.m. in the Varsity Gym. Veteran’s Day is such an important holiday, and it really says a lot that both school districts take time to put together a special program. I attended the Whitehall program last year and was really impressed with the dedication by both students and staff members to honor those who have served o...
At an early age, I learned that when people start talking politics, things could get ugly in a heartbeat. This happens more and more as the United States inches closer to a Presidential Election. I've seen what started out as a polite and thoughtful discussion turn sour and get to the point where I thought it was going to escalate into a Pro Wrestling match and people would start whacking each other with folding chairs. Citizens from across the nation went to the polls yesterday, and came...
I don’t know if everyone has been following our Trojans Football Team? If you haven’t they are one game away from the State Championship. Our Boys are not the biggest team in the league nor the fastest but they are a team that works together and gets it done! The boys team is 10 wins & 1 loss and have this record because they’re team players. No one is the Super Star, or the Glory Hound. They’re a team that works together for a common goal, to win for their school and for their town of Whitehall. When any team or organization or “Town C...
In the last several issues of the Whitehall Ledger, there has been information about the Noxious Weed Mill Levy that will be on the ballot November 8. The levy passed in 2012 is set to expire in June of 2017. According to Jefferson County Weed and Mosquito Coordinator Jill Allen, the mill levy would be a continuation of the existing mill to maintain what is currently operating the herbicide cost-share program. She added the other two mills would be for the outreach program, continuing education, information pamphlets, and training. In the last...
I keep reading stories about retail businesses that are coming out publicly and stating they will be not be open on Thanksgiving. I'm a little bit surprised by all the hoopla. Are they are expecting the public to come together in unison and laud them for such a bold move? I've really got question them for doing this, because when did it become socially acceptable for them to be open in the first place? I'm not going to get really excited about a big box store doing something they should have...
You can hear the passion in the voice of Ed Handl when he discusses the upcoming Whitehall Rotary Club Harvest Dance. He speaks of the event that will take place Sunday, October 30 starting at 4:30 p.m., as a truly family friendly atmosphere that will have a little bit of something for everyone. The Whitehall Ledger would like to encourage local residents to make their way to the Community Center on Sunday afternoon to spend some time eating, dancing, listening to live music and visiting with their friends and neighbors. While there was a good...
If you’re reading this, the paper has somehow made it out, but at this point I’m not really sure if it is going to happen. I’m writing this on a Tuesday morning, shortly after our external hard drive that we use to store most of our information, quit working. Long story short, all of the work we have done the past several weeks is gone. Everything I had ready to go for this edition of the Ledger is no longer available. The information is recoverable, but will have to be done professionally and I may not get it back for months. So in one day’s...
The voters of Jefferson County will have the chance to vote on whether to continue and strengthen the Jefferson County DES Emergency Radio Broadcast Service on November 8th. Although I am paid a nominal fee to maintain these stations, I am personally convinced that these stations are extremely important to the community in the case of the next future emergency, and that even considering shutting these stations down when we might need them the most would be a disaster in itself. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) states that...
This Friday night is a huge one for the Whitehall/Harrison High School football team. They will be playing for a spot in the Class B playoffs that begin next week, and to finish the regular season with an impressive record of 8-1. They will also be honoring the nine seniors on the 2016 team prior to the game. These are all great reasons to come and support the Trojans. There would be nothing better for them to run onto the field in front of a standing room only crowd. The senior class has given fans so many memories on the gridiron. They need...
It doesn't matter what I'm doing, I keep hearing about creepy clowns. While that doesn't sound serious, it is. It's all over the Internet, television, and it is even coming up in conversations. The kids have actually come home and said the whole school is talking about clowns. I'm honestly not sure how the whole clown shenanigans began, but it really needs to stop. Even Ronald McDonald has had to scale back promotional appearances because people are getting leery of even friendly clowns. I'm...
This Thursday, October 13, non-profit organizations from Whitehall and the surrounding area will come together at the annual Jefferson Valley Community Foundation’s Celebrate Community Grant Award Event. The event is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the Borden’s Building Conference Room. All non-profit organizations are invited to attend. The JVCF will be announcing their 2016 grants that include the $2,500 Barrick/Golden Sunlight Mine and possibly up to $10,000 in other grants for local organizations. Since 2002, the foundation has awarded ove...
The list of while I do not like traveling could go on for days. I could go through ten trees worth of paper just describing why people on airplanes make me legally insane. While the stress of traveling can be a little bit much with flying or sharing the road with people that never learned to drive properly, there is one thing I look forward to anywhere I visit. I love to be able to find some of the best local restaurants and to fill up to point I'm nearly sick. When I get up from the table and...
The Jefferson County Commissioners were recently sent an analysis from the Montana Department of Transportation in regards to the possibility of lowering the speed limit for a majority of Homestake Pass. The analysis states that for a ten-mile stretch of the pass, it is recommended the speed limit should be lowered in both east and westbound lanes from 75 to 65 miles per hour. This is a stretch of highway that is used often by local residents and it can be downright nasty during inclement weather. It can be sunny in Whitehall, and a whole nothe...
My eyes are heavy while I'm writing this column, and with every word I type I can feel myself slouching further down into the chair. I've got a horrible cold and the medicine I took this morning is making it difficult to keep my eyes open. As I was getting ready for work this morning, I started thinking to myself what would be a more idea situation, being home sick, or at work feeling 100 percent? My initial answer was that not being sick would be the way to go. There is nothing fun about a...
Before people get too excited about waiving their flags and being all patriotic about democracy, here is some food for thought concerning the article written by Chad Cross. Let me start with our Bill of Rights; Articles V and XIV. Article V tells us that in our great nation we cannot be held to a crime without the right to a jury of our peers, double jeopardy is unlawful, nor can we be deprived without Due Process of law. Article XIV also states that if we are born in these United States that we are American, but also, importantly, “nor can a... Full story
It doesn’t matter if it’s a hot summer day or a cold January afternoon, the Whitehall Senior Center is always full of activity. The center is such an important part of the local community, it’s value immeasurable. Seniors get together to eat, have a cup of coffee, participate in events, and many times just to visit and share stories. This Friday the center will be hosting a fundraising event that will not only bring the community together; it is also integral to day-to-day operations. The Fall Festival Haystack Dinner is scheduled to take...
