Ledger Looking Back 25 Years: 7/14/1999

JULY 14, 1999:

The Whitehall Town Council voted to get tough on abandoned vehicles and get aggressive on paving Division Street during action at the regular monthly council meeting held July 12. The council approved a first reading of a new abandoned vehicle ordinance that prohibits abandoning vehicles or leaving wrecked or junked vehicles on Whitehall streets or in front yards or other "unoccupied space of a private residence opening in a yard or street." Wrecked vehicles may be stored in a garage, provided the garage owner owns the vehicle and the facility is not used for commercial purposes.

Jefferson County was awarded $400,000 in economic development funds from the Montana Department of Commerce. The county will lend the money to Jefferson Local Development Corporation, who will renovate buildings seven and eight on the South Boulder Campus. Aspen Youth Alternative will be the primary tenant.

Golden Sunlight Mine spent nearly $5 million to purchase three 150-ton haul trucks, and the new 1375 horsepower Caterpillar 785C trucks are expected to last through the mining and reclamation phase of the mine operations.

Five western sculptors, including Bruce Contway of Whitehall, were chosen as finalists, vying for the honor of rendering a bronze likeness of Chief Washakie to stand in Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. Chosen from a field of 25 artist applicants, the five selected prevailed in a "blind selection process" from slides and unidentified supporting documents.

Whitehall Athlete of the Week was Ty Nelson, one of the Whitehall Babe Ruth Bambino All-Stars, for his outstanding play at the Lewistown tournament. Nelson was named MVP in both Whitehall games, played great defense, and sparked the Whitehall attack with three hits against Lewistown. Ty is the son of Mark and Teri Nelson.

Whitehall Reader of the Week was Mary E. Segraves. Mary is a member of the summer adult reading program at the Whitehall Library. Her favorite books are the Bible, novels by Pearl Buck, and contemporary books. Mary estimates that she reads 200 books a year. "I love to read. You read about a whole lifetime of an individual just by sitting down with a book," says Mary. She says she pushes other things aside to read and that any time is a good time to read. Mary has lived in Whitehall for ten years.

The Mural Paint Crew was the Whitehall Volunteer of the Week. The first Whitehall Lewis & Clark mural went from the drawing board to near completion in three days, thanks to the dedication of Kit Mather, Michelle Tebay, and a group of volunteer painters. The mural looks terrific and wouldn't have been possible without these great volunteers.