Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Sorted by date Results 1067 - 1091 of 1479
The Community Beacon of Hope Inc. is no longer operating in the Town of Whitehall. According to Deputy Town of Whitehall Attorney Elizabeth Musick, CBOH was provided a notice of termination of their lease Monday. Musick stated the ambulance service was unable to cure the breach of their lease agreement with the Town. CBOH was informed last week they had until August 8 at 5 p.m. to pay a $6,000 lump sum pursuant to Section 5 of their lease agreement. The payment was due August 1. Musick said Tuesday morning CBOH has surrendered the equipment... Full story
In the past several weeks, there have been multiple reports of mail thefts in Whitehall and the surrounding area. Between July 24 and 27 alone, there were three reports of postal thefts made to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. Jeremy Leder, an inspector for the United State Postal Service, recently offered several tips for residents to deter the theft of mail. Leder said one of the biggest things not to do is leave mail in a box, especially if someone is expecting something of value like...
Students and teachers in Whitehall will be returning to school at the end of the month. At a school board meeting last week, Superintendent John Sullivan said teachers would be reporting Monday, August 28 and the first day of students will be August 30. Sullivan said they hired 13 employees over the summer and only have two open positions. The district is still looking for an elementary counselor and a middle school volleyball coach. The new hires include four new teachers. Kelly Leo was hired as a science teacher, Elizabeth Clarkson was hired...
There is something special about a small town county fair. It just so happens that local residents will have the chance to attend two in the month of August. The Madison County Fair starts today, and the Jefferson County Fair will run from August 24 to 27 in Boulder. These both present great opportunities for some quality family fun. People often make the excuse there is nothing to do in a small town, but that is not true. The two events have a variety of things to that should be able to please even the pickiest person. A story on the front...
The older I get I don’t really like to try new things. I’m not sure if it is a good or bad thing, but I have a comfort zone and don’t often care to step outside of it. Every once in awhile I do, and I have to remind myself that doing something different is probably needed. I had heard for years about just how good the television show “Game of Thrones” is. I swear that about every third person I talked too would tell me how wonderful and addicting it is. I have never been a huge fan of fantasy or anything dealing with kings and queens, s...
The Town of Whitehall has informed Community Beacon of Hope Inc. they have until August 8 at 5 p.m. to pay their rent for the ambulance barn. A letter from Deputy Town Attorney Elizabeth Musick states the contracted ambulance service has failed to pay their rent pursuant to Section 5 of their lease agreement. A lump sum payment of $6,000 was due Aug. 1. “Pursuant to Section XX11 of the Lease Agreement, you have seven days in which to cure this breach. Therefore, if you fail to provide payment in full to the Town of Whitehall on or before A...
Over 40-years-ago, Whitehall resident Randy Reishus had an unforgettable Montana summer day where he was bitten by a turtle. He is now sharing his experience with a younger generation in the recently published book "The Turtle Trial". The book, with illustrations by local artist Michael R. Harding, tells the story of Reishus, his brothers Mike and Johnny, and cousins Oliver, Dickie, and Tim. The book describes the boys going to a fishing hole where Randy is bitten. The boys then come together to...
One of the more popular events at Frontier Days is the annual parade that brings a huge crowd that line the streets of Whitehall. At this year's event committee members made an outstanding decision by having the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Department serve as the 2017 Grand Marshals. This was an amazing way to honor our local heroes who do so much for the community. The value of not only our fire department, but departments across the nation is something that cannot be measured. The fact that...
A few weeks ago in an editorial I mentioned the tiny kitten I found while walking to the post office. In a short amount of time, Lil Jerusha has very much become a part of our family and has gone from a sick and abandoned kitten, to a rambunctious fireball that moves through the house like a hurricane. She certainly has her sweet and loving moments, but most of the time she is a blur that will only rest when she is exhausted to the point she can no longer move. She might even go past that point. I’m not sure where she gets the energy, but I w...
The brave and hard working members of the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Department will be honored as the Grand Marshals of the 2017 Whitehall Frontier Days Parade. The parade, celebrating “Montana Treasures”, will take place July 29 at 11 a.m. The parade will take a new route this year. All entries will proceed west on Legion from “D” Street to Stanley, and disband near Family Dollar. The parade will not be making a return trip down Legion. For those out-of-town or who cannot make this year’s parade, the annual event will be televised on Local PBS...
Several new informational signs at Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park are warning visitors about the dangers of invasive plants like spotted knapweed. The signs inform guests that shoes can carry the seeds off invasive plants, and visitors are asked to remove or brush seeds and burrs off before entering and leaving the areas near the sign. According to Assistant Park Manager Tom Forwood Jr., noxious weeds are a high level concern and at Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park they spend thousands of...
It’s once again time for the most exciting weekend of the year in Whitehall. Frontier Days will kickoff Friday and has a packed schedule for two consecutive days. This year’s event will include the popular events like the parade, street dance, stick horse rodeo and others, but will also host several new events. A potluck dinner is scheduled for July 28 at 6 p.m. and event organizers should be commended for this wonderful idea. Residents with last names starting A-G are asked to bring meat, those with the last name H-M are asked to bring des...
This Friday and Saturday those in attendance at Frontier Days will be able to view some amazing local art at the Jefferson Valley Fine Arts Show. Organizer Michelle Tebay said this will be the fifth time they have put on the event that takes places during both the Christmas Stroll and Frontier Days. This year’s show will take place at the Borden’s Conference room and will run Friday, July 28 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, July 29 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tebay said the feedback from the public has been very positive, and each time they put...
Going into last week's American Legion Montana/Alberta South A Division Tournament in Butte, the Gallatin Valley Outlaws were well aware they would already have a spot at state because it is being played at their home field in Three Forks. It turns out they would have qualified anyway after a second place finish at 3 Legends Stadium. The Outlaws opened the tournament with a 18-6 win Thursday over Livingston and a 7-0 win Friday evening over the Helena Reps. After dropping a 10-0 game Saturday ag...
In a little over a month, the Whitehall/Harrison High School football season will take to the road to open their 2017 season. The Trojans open the season August 25 at Shepherd. After a bye week, Whitehall will open its home season September 8 against new division foe Red Lodge. “It’s nice having a non-conference game right off the bat. Shepherd had a good season last year in arguably the toughest conference,” head coach Dan Lacey said. “Red Lodge is going to be pretty young this year but Coach Fitzgerald is coming back to coach again and he...
In her 13 years of selling and spinning fiber, Whitehall's Kami (Kountz) Noyes has met a lot of people who love her story of being a fifth generation rancher who raises sheep, spins and sells Montana raised wools. She is now hoping to share her story by bringing fiber artistry back to the roots of fiber at this weekend's Copper K Fiber Festival. The event will take place July 22 and 23 at the Copper K Barn located at 830 Point of Rocks Road in Whitehall, and is sponsored by Noyes of Ranching...
For the second consecutive month there was increase in the number of full time employees at the Barrick Golden Sunlight Mine. At the Community Transition Advisory Committee meeting last week, General Manager Dan Banghart reported there were two new full time employees at the mine. He said the number of full times employees at the mine is now 50. The number had been 44 in May. There is one regional Barrick employee, and 84 contract employees currently at the site. After a huge month of production with 6,451 ounces in May, the numbers at the...
Earlier this month, I was walking back to the Ledger from the post office when something caught my attention. I was a little past the Star Theater when I saw a baby kitten curled up in the shade. The weather had been nearing 100 on the day and the poor thing looked miserable. I knew that if I did not do anything about the situation, the kitten who looked to be around five weeks would probably not make it through the day. She was not in good shape. I’m not sure if she was lost, dumped, or something happened to the mother, but that did not m...
During the summer months as a kid I would spend day after day at the local golf course. I would golf with my Dad, friends, grandpa, or other family members. Sometimes I would get a ride to the course and golf with random strangers. So much for stranger danger. My Dad would like to get up at 5:30 a.m. and we would be on the course by six. I'm sure most kids don't want to get up that early during the summer, but we were there to get nine holes in before most people were at work. If it was a...
For the second consecutive year, ACT tests scores are up at Whitehall High School. According to Principal Hannah Nieskens, the scores were better than 2016, which she said was a positive considering last year’s class set a high bar. “In fact, the 2017 WHS juniors did better than any WHS junior class since the ACT became a mandatory test for all juniors statewide in 2013,” Nieskens said. “This year, the percentage of WHS juniors who achieved the ACT college readiness benchmark score increased on four of five tests - Math, Science, English...
Every May, residents from across the area come together in unison to give back to the community at the annual Black Tie Blue Jeans event. The 13th annual event in 2017 was once again a success, with over $27,000 being awarded to local organizations. According to BTBJ Committee Member Jill Dove, roughly $19,880 will go to the Whitehall Chamber for events like Frontier Days, the Futurity, and the Christmas Stroll. She said roughly $3,500 will go to the Jefferson Valley Community Foundation. Dove...
Residents from across Whitehall and the surrounding area felt the effects of an earthquake in the early morning hours of Thursday, July 6. According to the USGS, the epicenter of the 5.8 magnitude earthquake was around 33 miles Northwest of Helena, and seven miles southeast of Lincoln. A listing of significant 2017 earthquakes on the USGS website showed it was the largest earthquake of the year in the continental United States. The earthquake was felt as far east as Billings, as well to the...
Whitehall is only a few weeks away from the biggest celebration of the year at the annual Frontier Days event. Next week’s Whitehall Ledger will include a special section highlighting the variety of activities at Frontier Days. There is truly something for everyone at this year’s event. 2017 should be a great year with several new events including a potluck and 3-on-3-basketball tournament. Members of the Whitehall Chamber of Commerce have been working hard and have spent countless hours to get ready for the 2017 Frontier Days. While many hav...
When I was in grade school, I would wake up way earlier than I needed to and head upstairs to start my day. I grabbed a huge bowl of cereal, possibly a pop tart, and would read two to three newspapers. I would read the papers from cover to cover, and by the time I was about 12 I could beat just about every adult I knew at Jeopardy. It was a great use of my time. Rather than just sleeping an extra few minutes, I was actually learning everything from civics to sports. My dad used to call me a walk...
The Whitehall High School cheer squad has a new head coach. At their meeting last month, the Whitehall School Board of Trustees voted to approve the hire of Allissa Christensen. "I'm excited to be working with a school that supports the Cheer program. That makes n big difference in my experience. I'm happy to share my talents," Christensen said. The owner of the Christensen School of Dance in downtown Whitehall, Allissa is no stranger to teaching high school students. Christensen started...
