Ledger Looking Back 25 Years: 9/10/1997

September 10, 1997

The Whitehall Town Council rejected the possibility of a mail-in ballot during the November 1997 town elections, heard from some concerned town residents about private property damage during the construction of the new drinking water system, and gave conditional approval of improvements at the Whitehall Rodeo Grounds/Ballfields Complex. All the actions happened during the council’s regular monthly meeting. The vote against the mail-in ballot was unanimous and firm, and members of the public in the audience made it clear they also opposed the write-in proposal. About 40 Whitehall residents contacted the Whitehall town offices to voice complaints about damage to property during the construction of the water improvement project, and a couple of them showed up with pictures. The council approved a request made by the Whitehall Little League to construct improvements on the baseball fields near the rodeo grounds. Upgrades would include moving a road about 100 feet to the west, which would help make permanent improvements such as new dugouts, better drainage, improved player safety, and additional parking.

Larry Brazill, a teacher in the Whitehall school system for 15 years and Drama Club sponsor for the past five years, earned an ARTS PLUS Recognition Award and was honored at a reception at the Whitehall Middle School Library. Brazill was selected over 17 teachers from 15 school districts by Helena Presents - a fine arts organization in Helena - for demonstrating exemplary practices in promoting the arts with children, staff, parents, and the community.

Whitehall Student of the Week was Tiffany Dodge, who is doing an independent study in French 3 and has a “flair for languages” according to the teacher, Susie Tilton-Chiovaro. Tiffany is the daughter of Byron and Rene Hanson and Gary Dodge. Tiffany enjoys skiing and riding horses.

Whitehall Athlete of the Week was Travis McCloskey, who ran for over 100 yards in the Trojan 28-7 win over Simms. Travis is the son of Chuck and Cheryl McCloskey and “played very solid on both sides of the ball” against Simms. Travis enjoys hunting, fishing, and sports.