Ledger: Looking Back 25 Years

Gail and Topper Giono were recognized Monday morning to 15 years of service to the Deerlodge National Forest above and beyond the call of duty. Topper is a deputy of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and his wife Gail is the Whitehall area dispatcher. “When things go to heck at Delmoe Lake, we give Top a call and he’s up there, even in the middle of the night,” said Jefferson District Ranger Grant Godbolt in presenting a plaque to the couple. “We get Gail up, too,” Godbolt added. . . .

Jefferson County has “a real serious problem,” Game Warden Chad Murphy told the county commission Thursday. The county, one of the fastest growing in the state in recent years, is suffering growing pains. As the population increases, more homes are being built on deer winter ranges, he said. Since the county has no animal control ordinance to deal with loose dogs, inevitable conflicts are occurring, Murphy said. “I’ve had over six complaints this winter with dogs destroying deer,” said the game warden. And, although there have been witnesses who were able to report the incidents and identify the offending dogs, Murphy said he has been hampered by laws with no teeth. . . .

A special supplement to the paper concerned “What will Whitehall be in 2010?” Tourist trap, bedroom community, ghost town or ??? What kind of place will Whitehall be in which to live and work in 5 years? In 10 years? In 15? Can we decide what changes will come, or will they just happen to us? Those questions are the driving force behind a “visioning” group which has been at work in our community. Just what is “visioning” and what does it mean for Whitehall? Visioning is a process that looks at what we want to preserve from the past and present, as well as examining what could be better, in order to create a vision or scenario for the future. . . .

Trojan Athlete of the Week is C. J. Baker a Senior at WHS. He was chosen by Coach Nelson, for being an outstanding wrestler at the divisional tournament in Cascade. He is the son of Chuck and Anne Baker.

Trojan Student of the Week is Brian French a Senior at WHS. Brian was selected by Mrs. Gallagher, English Dept./Creative Writing teacher for teaching a class of poetry writing to fifth graders. He is the son of Diana Parks and Dick French.