Ledger Looking Back 25 Years: 9/17/1997

September 17, 1997

Stacey Ness, the 11-year-old sixth-grade daughter of Tom and Sanya Ness of Whitehall, died Saturday, September 13 after a farm accident south of Whitehall.

Ness was riding in a hay swather on the Bill Gillespie ranch when the swather hit a bump. Ness and another youth were pitched forward and knocked the window out of the front of the swather cab. Ness tumbled out and hit her head on the sickle and suffered a fractured skull. The other youth held on to the ledge of the swather and was unhurt.

The Jefferson County Commission voted to proceed with its original plan to place about 70 fiberglass green and white street signs in the Rader Creek area. The signs were part of a national, state, and county street addressing program designed to assist emergency vehicles locate residents in rural areas.

Over a dozen Whitehall school teachers and administrators spent the summer of 1997 in classrooms…as students. Whitehall teachers traveled as far as Europe, attended classes and workshops all across the state, and updated their education on everything from law classes to math, from science to children’s literature.

Whitehall Student of the Week was Chandra Hacker, a senior at WHS. Chandra was selected for “going beyond what is required” in Sr. Physics. She is the daughter of Beady and Gregg Hacker and plans on going into secondary education/history. Chandra enjoys reading, music, and the outdoors.

Angela Lofftus, a sophomore at Whitehall High School, was Athlete of the Week. Angela is on the cross country team and finished first in the JV race at the Belgrade Invitational, with a time of 22.52. She is the daughter of Sharon and David Lofftus and enjoys the outdoors.