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  • Op-Ed: Rewarding Cruelty - Serial Killing Coyotes

    MICHAEL S|Mar 5, 2025

    I was disgusted to learn of the coyote killing contest last weekend (February 21-23) in Whitehall, Montana. Apparently, a local high school senior organized the event as a fundraiser for Future Farmers of America. This is particularly disturbing and reflects poorly on the community of Whitehall. I find it hard to believe that a teenage girl would harbor that type of hatred for animals which leads me to the assumption that her father likely indoctrinated her with this cruelty towards animals. Other parents took their young children there in an...

  • Dear Editor" Montana: the "Last Best Place," or "Best at Being Last?"

    BOB WAGNER|Mar 5, 2025

    Dear Editor, Montana: the "Last Best Place," or "Best at Being Last?" Failure to pass HB 382 this past week in the House of Representatives is a clear sign that defines opposing ideologies that are inconsistent with the freedom our founding fathers envisioned for us. If passed, the state of Montana would have recognized gold and silver, which would allow residents to store wealth, despite the decline of the Federal Reserve note. As Mayer Amshel Rothchild once stated, "Give me control over a nati...

  • Dear Editor: A Fiasco with Trump, Vance, and Zeleskyy in the Oval Office

    DON LEPINSKY|Mar 5, 2025

    Dear Editor, Most of us witnessed on television or heard about the Oval Office meeting fiasco with Trump, Vance, and Ukraine's President Zelenskyy. At this point, it should be evident, even to the most trumpiest of Trumpsters, that Donald Trump is taking America and the rest of the free world down the path of ruin. However, it is not all Trump's fault. As I learned from the Stargate television series, "False gods cannot be gods without those standing beneath them gazing upwards." DON LEPINSKY...

  • Dear Editor: Missing Whitehall's Arena

    KEN MANDELIN|Mar 5, 2025

    Dear Editor, Some years ago, I attended "Mule Days" in Whitehall, MT. I was impressed by the wonderful facility and the organization of the event itself. I took many photos. I passed through last fall wanting pictures of the idle arena. I was disappointed to find only shredded caution tape and discarded water bottles. Such a shameful end for a beautiful arena! KEN MANDELIN Duluth, Minnesota...

  • Thought Provokers: 3/5/2025

    Mar 5, 2025

    Many people would instead feel right than be right. If Pokemon were real, fire types would be illegal to own in California. People tend to give you the advice that justifies their own decisions. Eye drops are blinker fluid. When we get sick with a cold, we might think we should take medicine that improves our immune system or attacks the virus, but we mostly only take medicine to reduce our body’s immune response because it doesn’t feel good. Someone will cut in front of you in line at least once in your life. Why has no one started a cla...

  • Just Ask Georgia: 3/5/2025

    GEORGIA|Mar 5, 2025

    GEORGIA, I have a question, My current partner has claimed since we started dating two years ago that bullying is his love language. Some days, I handle it well. Other days, it makes me feel very disconnected and unwanted. He enjoys taking jabs at me and has repeatedly claimed that this is what he saw between his parents, so it’s normal. I have pointed out to him that using his parents is not the greatest example of a marriage as both spouses cheated and his mother finally left his father after 20+ years of marriage, once the youngest of six ch...

  • CONNECTING POINT: God's Timing

    BILL LANES, Whitehall Assembly of God|Mar 5, 2025

    In Luke 13, there are four scenarios, three parables, and one life story to help readers understand God’s timing better. I’ll be the first to admit that there are times when my faith is weak, and I have trouble trusting God’s plans as they unfold. It’s important to recall that chapters in the Bible are interrelated; they are “addresses” that assist us in finding certain passages. Interestingly, Luke 12 brings to our attention the unexpected return of Jesus Christ; we need to be prepared. That theme continues into chapter 13, including t...

  • Horoscopes: Week of 3/5/2025

    Mar 5, 2025

    ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 You might feel like you have extra energy to chase goals and take bold actions this week, Aries. Your natural drive will be strong. Find opportunities to assert yourself in new areas. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 You may feel compelled to slow down and nurture your inner self this week, Taurus. Take time to reflect on your values and personal goals. If you have been feeling overwhelmed, get some rest. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 You are in a social mode this week, Gemini. Your communication skills will take center stage, and it’s a...

  • Thought Provokers: 2/26/2025

    Feb 26, 2025

    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: Be Part of the Solution

    HEATHER M. DOVE|Feb 26, 2025

    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: A Response to School Board Member Reiff

    JUDY CHADWICK|Feb 26, 2025

    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: Town Hall Hours?

    MAXINE SAMUELSON|Feb 26, 2025

    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: Right to Medical Aid-in-Dying

    DORIS FISCHER|Feb 26, 2025

    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...

  • Just Ask Georgia: 2/26/2025

    GEORGIA|Feb 26, 2025

    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...

  • Horoscopes: Week of 2/26/2025

    Feb 26, 2025

    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...

  • CONNECTING POINT: Ready or Not

    BILL LANES|Feb 26, 2025

    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 TIF?

    SARA HUDSON|Feb 19, 2025

    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: Seeking Truth and Clarity in the Midst of Political Chaos

    HANNEMAN HARPER DAWSON LOTT DONNELLY and MULLIGAN|Feb 19, 2025

    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: Woke

    STANLEY OLSEN|Feb 19, 2025

    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: Isn't It Ironic?

    DAVE and JENNY SCOTT|Feb 19, 2025

    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

    JIM BUTERBAUGH|Feb 19, 2025

    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: TALK

    KAMI NOYES|Feb 19, 2025

    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...

  • Thought Provokers: 2/19/2025

    Feb 19, 2025

    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...

  • Op-Ed: A Little Perspective From a Whitehall School Board Member

    JAMES REIFF, Whitehall School Board Chair|Feb 19, 2025

    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...

  • Just Ask Georgia: 2/19/2025

    GEORGIA|Feb 19, 2025

    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...

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