Week of September 16, 2026
Week of September 16, 2026
Whitehall non-profit Angel Wings Montana Foundation is excited to announce a fun-filled night of 80s throwback fun on September 26, 2026, at 5 PM at the Whitehall Community Center. This fundraising event in Whitehall benefits mental health awareness and suicide prevention and brings support to our community. All proceeds go to Angel Wings Montana Foundation in support of mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Angel Wings will have a suggestion box so you can share where you feel our...
On Wednesday, September 16, the Town of Whitehall will be connecting the new water tank to the town's existing water main as part of the improvements to Whitehall's water system. Public Works expects the work to go smoothly and does not anticipate a significant interruption to water service. However, as with any work on the water system, there is a possibility that an unexpected issue could occur. If this happens, the town could be without water for three hours or more while the issue is...
This Thursday, September 17, at 6 PM at the Whitehall Community Center, the Whitehall community will come together to support one of their own, Jane Bowman. In early July, Jane had a serious accident at her home while cleaning her backyard - she fell into her burn pit and sustained multiple serious burns throughout her body. Jane received amazing care at the Salt Lake City Burn Center, then returned to Montana in late August. Upon her arrival at her care facility, she fell and broke her hip,...
This Saturday will be one of the most festive days of the year as the community gathers for Whitehall's 2nd Annual Harvest Festival! From 12 PM until doors open for the Jason DeShaw concert at 5 PM, Whitehall's Main Street Green (next to the Star) will be buzzing with activities for all! Start the afternoon by judging the Scarecrow Contest entries on the Main Street Green - choose your favorite, the cutest, and the scariest! Want to join the contest? Entries are due by September 18 at the...
The first Montana High School Rodeo Hall of Fame induction dinner will be held Friday, September 18th, at the Whitehall Community Center, honoring legendary Montana High School Rodeo coaches, sponsors, teams, legends, and competitors. The event will celebrate the history, accomplishments, and individuals who have helped shape high school rodeo in Montana. Doors open at 6 PM, and the Whitehall Future Farmers of America Chapter will prepare and serve dinner. The evening will include silent auctions. Tickets will cost $55 for individuals, $100...
The Town of Whitehall received a Montana Forest Action Plan grant from the Montana Urban and Community Forestry Association (MUCFA) to conduct a tree inventory and develop a tree care and management plan for its public trees. The Whitehall Garden Club, MUCFA, City of Whitehall staff, and the Extension Agent are completing the inventory. Whitehall had 520 trees in its 2013 inventory. The Whitehall public tree inventory has not been updated since 2013. MUCFA's goal is to train enough people in...
Certainly you've heard of Tex-Mex cuisine, but this might be the first Germ-Mex dinner you've ever encountered. Montana's mourning dove season opens each year on September 1 to a collective shrug. For some reason, the nation's most popular game bird doesn't hold much appeal here. While Texas tops the nation with a yearly harvest of 5 million doves, Montana hunters take only 10,000 to 20,000 annually, or about 10 to 15 birds each. But don't mourn the dove population. Even with an annual...
The fall harvest is nearly done, kids are going back to school, the weather is getting cooler, and an election is on the horizon, with plenty of political discussion taking place. It sounds like today, but these things also happened in our valley in September 1900. If you wanted to know who was registered at the Whitehall Hotel, the paper listed names and where guests were from. Those who made the long journey to Butte were listed as having visited the Smoky City. The news from outside our...
COUNCIL STRUGGLES WITH SWIMMING POOL FIX: Pool repairs and costs mount, and no solution is in sight. A frustrated Whitehall Town Council, short of funds and ideas to repair the swimming pool, took no action and made no firm plans at the September 10 council meeting to move ahead with repairs to the community swimming pool. The pool, closed all summer after leaks were discovered when it was filled earlier this summer, has seen fits and starts of work as town officials and community volunteers...
These cooler mornings have been so nice! Drinking a hot cup of tea out on the back porch, watching a covey of Hungarian Partridges flutter about in my backyard. I’m sure they will be moving on soon, but I have enjoyed them hanging around. My willows are starting to turn their fall yellow, but not all, so their contrasting colors are quite beautiful. Of course, the peaceful scene is not complete without a good book in my hand! Good thing I love my job at the Whitehall Community Library (110 W First - Whitehall) because I could sit there...
Daily fishing restrictions, commonly known as hoot-owl restrictions, have been lifted for portions of the Madison and Beaverhead rivers due to cooling water temperatures. A hoot-owl restriction has been lifted for the Beaverhead River from Selway Bridge Fishing Access Site to the confluence with the Big Hole River. A hoot-owl restriction has also been lifted for the Madison River from the Warm Springs Boat Launch to the confluence with the Jefferson River. These restrictions were implemented because of warm water temperatures. Hoot-owl...
Stalks of corn tower over Greg Price. Their tassels wave in the breeze as Price weaves through rows on a warm September afternoon in Missoula. He points to goldfinches and red-winged blackbirds flitting through the air, smiling when the birds swoop down to the massive face of the randomly dispersed sunflowers among the corn. They’ll snag a few seeds before flapping back into the cottonwood trees bordering River Road Farm, where Price has been director for nearly 25 years. “We grow these sunflowers just for the birds,” he says. “It’s...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is updating the management plan for Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park and is asking the public to share their thoughts about the park. The park’s current management plan was adopted in 2000 and amended in 2007. Since then, much has changed. Visitation has grown substantially, the Lewis and Clark Caverns Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018, and the park’s tours and visitor services have continued to evolve. A management plan serves as the guiding document for a...
Fire restrictions have been removed for lands in Jefferson County managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. FWP implemented restrictions on Jefferson County lands on Aug. 15 because of dry conditions and high fire risk. FWP follows the county’s lead in placing fire restrictions on its properties within that county. FWP urges people to use caution while recreating due to dry conditions and fire danger. Fire restrictions are still in place for FWP lands in other counties. Learn more about wildfire prevention and the latest information on...
For Leslie Lance, staying healthy has never been about dramatic changes. Instead, the 71-year-old Butte resident believes in taking one step at a time. Those small steps are paying off. After learning she was prediabetic, Lance enrolled in the Intermountain Health St. James Hospital Healthy Lifestyles class, a Diabetes Prevention Program. After three sessions, her A1C levels (a measure of blood sugar) continue to improve, and she is now close to moving out of the prediabetic range altogether. “One of my friends had started going, and she...
NorthWestern Energy is committed to keeping you informed about your energy rates and helping you understand what’s changing. On Oct. 1, the Supply Rate on your electric bill will decrease. For a typical residential Montana customer using 750 kilowatt-hours of electricity a month, this means a monthly bill decrease of $8.57 or 6.58%. Your electric bill includes several rate components: Supply Rate: The cost of the electricity used in your home or business. This rate is adjusted quarterly and is also reviewed annually through a “true-up...
As we mark the Autumn Equinox and enter the harvest season, we invite you to pause, breathe, and give thanks for the gifts of abundance we are blessed with each and every day. Together, we'll journey through meditative breathwork designed to lift the heart, quiet the mind, refresh the body, and awaken gratitude-creating space to receive the fullness of joy and abundance already surrounding us. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow."- James...
ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, this week calls for a break from your usual fast pace. If you’ve been burning the candle at both ends, your energy reserves will be depleted. Focus on fortifying yourself and your space. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Miscommunication is likely if you rush your words, Taurus. Take an extra breath before responding to questions or emails. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 It’s time to audit where your money is going, Gemini. If you’ve been overspending as a balm to stress, hit the brakes. Look for areas where you can plug any...
GEORGIA, I have a question. Would I be a complete jerk if I told my friend we can’t go to the restaurant they want on our trip? We are doing a weekend trip to Chicago; they want to go to a restaurant that is an hour and 40 minutes away, according to Uber, and it will cost $75 each way. When I said it would be like $150 round trip just for transportation, they said to take it off our itinerary, but now they're asking if I want to get a public transportation pass instead and go. Google says this would be about two hours. So, we are looking at...
Instead of setting movies in a specific future year, set them X years in the future. Playing on The Price Is Right is one of the only scenarios where a very rich person is at a disadvantage. The first Goomba you encounter in Super Mario Bros. probably has the highest body count of any video game character ever. If the moon were made of Osmium, its gravity would be higher than the Earth’s. Many years down the line, you will be an ancestor of either every human alive or none. Pets don’t...
As a native Montanan, I’m proud of our long tradition of supporting local levies that fund the services communities depend on—public schools, public safety, parks and recreation, infrastructure, among others. That civic commitment will remain under I-194, The Montana Plan. Communities will continue to ask residents, local leaders, small businesses, and civic organizations to help make the case for investments that matter. What will change is the way corporations, not individuals, may participate once a specific local levy has been...
I really enjoy watching movies and football with my feet kicked up in the recliner. Some of us are “Lazy Boys.” How about you? Do you have a comfy chair? We Montanans have comfort options in wide variety, don’t we? Comfort food, instant communication, wide entertainment choices, cozy clothing, wide open spaces, and quiet. You get the picture. Like other American Christians in general, we have developed a viewpoint expecting life to be full of fun times and avoiding personal cost. It is as if we treat Jesus as our personal...
Event organizers absolutely hate to use this phrase: “Due to lack of interest…” Unfortunately, it’s one we may start hearing more often in Whitehall. Our community is fortunate to have organizations, businesses, committees, and volunteers willing to put in the work to bring concerts, fundraisers, classes, festivals, dinners, performances, and other special events to town. What people often don’t see are the weeks—or sometimes months—of work happening behind the scenes before an event ever takes place. Venues have to be secured....
Sharlene Ann (Howser) Anderson, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend, was called home to the Lord on September 11, 2026. Born in Shelby, Montana, on February 19, 1935, to Ted and Mabel Howser. The family soon moved to a ranch outside Willow Creek, where Sharlene graduated from high school in 1953. While working on the ranch during summer break, Sharlene met John Feight. Not one to shy away from showing people how to work hard, she quickly taught John the proper way... Full story
Katlynn Griffin passed away on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, after a brief but valiant battle with ovarian adenocarcinoma. She loved all living things, especially animals. Her presence will be deeply missed. Katlynn was born May 5, 1955, at Warner-Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. Her father’s Navy career led the family to Pensacola, Florida, where she lived through her teenage years. Her aunt and uncle’s farm was her “second home,” where she befriended all the cows, pigs, and chickens.... Full story
Russell (Russ) Wayne Scruggs slipped away peacefully on July 25, 2026, to be with Jesus. Russ was born September 24, 1946, to Vadan and Marjorie Scruggs and raised in the Bitterroot Valley. He attended school in Stevensville, Montana, and achieved his bachelor's degree in geology at the University of Montana. Throughout his life, Russ held a variety of jobs, from teaching in Browning, MT, and Twin Bridges, MT, to working as an independent contractor, mining consultant, and geologist. He pursued... Full story
Ernest Nielsen, age 90, a former Glasgow Math teacher, passed away on August 14, 2026, at the Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital in Glasgow. For the last few years, he has been a resident at Valley View Home in Glasgow. Ernie was born in Butte, Mt on July 12th, 1936, to Willads and Melba Nielsen. He grew up on a farm north of Whitehall, Montana, until age 5. They then moved to Whitehall, where he received his education. After graduation, he attended Montana State University and graduated in 1958.... Full story
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 06:22:58 Traffic Stop: Whitetail Rd 06:48:35 Traffic Stop: Hwy 2 W 08:43:49 Traffic Stop: I-90 09:02:43 Traffic Stop: I-90 12:00:22 Citizen Assist: E Second St 12:57:24 Larceny/Theft: Hwy 55 13:18:09 Medical: Yellowstone Trl 14:37:57 Reckless Driver: I-90 14:48:15 Traffic Stop: I-90 16:53:11 Traffic Hazard: I-90 17:33:34 Motorist Assist: I-90 19:13:26 Traffic Stop: W Legion St 22:27:29 Vehicle Accident (Injury) 22:49:43 Vehicle Accident (Injury): I-90 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7...
MUSTANGS VS TROJANS: Friend of the Ledger and photographer GERRY MOONEY caught the Whitehall Lady Trojans in their match against the Ennis Mustangs on Tuesday, September 8. Unfortunately, the Trojans lost...
