Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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The Whitehall Rotary Club is sponsoring a blood drive later this month. Vitalant Donor Recruitment Representative Shawn Muffich stressed the importance of the blood drive scheduled for July 14 from Noon to 4 p.m. at the Whitehall Community Center. "It's vital we keep our blood supply strong now and throughout the year. Generally, during the summer months, we see a decrease in donors due to summer vacations, surgeries, schools are not in session, etc. This year in particular we started the...
Officials for the Madison and Jefferson County Fair announced last week how they would be proceeding with their events in 2020. The Madison County Fair Board decided last week the event scheduled for August 12 to 17 is going to happen, but only with 4H and FFA shows. "Sadly, due to COVID, the Board has cancelled all entertainment, indoor vendors, open class exhibits, parade, and the NRA rodeo. We are working on a plan to possibly host a ranch rodeo and a team roping. More details will be...
There was more great news last week for Whitehall Schools with the notification they were one of four districts statewide to receive the Office of Public Instruction's Cook Fresh Award. Superintendent Hannah Nieskens said Thursday Whitehall School District's food service program staff, under the leadership of Kathy Coughlin, received OPI's Cook Fresh Award for their excellence and dedication to serving nutritious school meals, cooking from scratch, and motivation to exceed requirements....
Local residents will have plenty of chances to find a hidden gem this Saturday at the annual Whitehall Community Garage Sale. The event is scheduled for Saturday, June 27 and maps can be picked up starting Friday at the Corner Store and the day of at the Whitehall Farmer's Market and Open Air Street Market. Chamber President John Kreis said he is ecstatic they are able to start with the city-wide garage sale as one of the first green shoots of a return to something of normalcy. He added several...
The Whitehall Tax Increment Financing District (WTIF) will begin accepting applications July 1 for their 2020 grant cycle. Formed in 2012, the WTIF is an Urban Renewal program created to foster the revitalization and economic development of the downtown area and surrounding areas. The WTIF is managed by a five-member board consisting of elected officials and community members. The district uses funds collected for a variety of reasons including prevention, rehabilitation or elimination of...
There was some amazing recent news for the Whitehall School District. The Montana Office of Public Instruction announced the local district was a Montana Comprehensive Literacy State Development Project (MCLSDP) grant recipient. According to Whitehall Superintendent Hannah Nieskens, 129 school districts in the state were eligible to apply for the competitive grant. "Whitehall School District was eligible to apply because the district serves a high percentage of high needs students as identified...
There will be a fresh new look next year for those who attend games and other activities taking place at Whitehall High School. Superintendent Hannah Nieskens reported last week that the "Crow's Nest" and bleacher project is about 90 percent complete. She said that additional work that needs to be completed includes putting in a new sound system and bleacher lighting. The work coincides with a 2017 project to replace the bleachers that had been at the field for nearly 60 years. Work will also...
At last week's Town Council meeting, the governing body voted to open the Whitehall Community Pool early next month. The decision came after it was decided in May the pool would not open because of issues related to COVID-19. The decision was very well-received by many in the community who felt strongly about the issue. It was some really positive news -- people wanted to have a place for kids to go after being stuck at home for the past several months. Many also wanted a place for adults to go...
The Whitehall Community Pool will open after all in 2020. Near the conclusion of Monday night's council meeting, the governing body approved a motion from council member Shawn Hoagland to use the $4,622.80 remaining in the pool funding from the 2019-20 fiscal year budget to open the pool starting July 7. The vote comes after the announcement at the May Council meeting that the pool would be closed for the season because of COVID-19 phase opening timelines and getting the proper training for...
The administrative team at the Whitehall School District took time at last week's Board of Trustees meeting to recognize staff for their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Superintendent Hannah Nieskens said the staff was resilient, flexible, and did a great job the past three months in circumstances that were completely undesirable and unwanted. She highlighted the kitchen crew for making thousands of meals and the other staff members who helped distribute them. "I'm grateful for everyone,"...
Jefferson County voters narrowly defeated Tuesday a levy increase for both the library system and nine-mill for a non-profit animal shelter. The library increase was defeated by a vote of 1,209 to 1,058. The increase would have brought an additional $141,534 each year for the Whitehall and Boulder community libraries. The levy for a non-profit animal shelter was defeated by a vote of 2,527 to 2,490. The money would have raised $270,000 each year for the proposed shelter. in the Republican race f...
This evening the Whitehall Chamber of Commerce will honor Whitehall Eighth Graders with a special event scheduled for Legion Park. This event is just one of the many recent hosted by the chamber in an effort to not only honor local students but to also help local small businesses. A very dedicated board of directors is making a difference during a time when they are needed the most and they are doing a fantastic job. With the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, events like "Rally...
On the first day of her freshman year in the fall of 2016, Madison Loomis had her sights set on becoming the 2020 Whitehall High School Valedictorian. Earlier this year, school officials informed Madison that she had accomplished the lofty goal. "I was so excited when I got the call. This has been my goal since the first day of my freshman year. I worked so hard to get to this point and am very proud of myself for sticking to it all four years. It is such an honor," she said. Getting to the...
The Whitehall Town Council discussed last week a possible mill levy increase on the general fund. The Council unanimously approved a motion that will set up two hearings for public comments on a possible Public Safety Mill Levy to generate funding for law enforcement and the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Department. Members of the governing body are asking county officials to see what the increase would cost local residents. This would be the first general fund mill levy increase in Whitehall since...
What started at out as a "goofy poem" has now turned into two published books and a third on the way for Whitehall based writer Shirley Baustian. After publishing the children's book "Good Friends" in 2017, Baustian recently received the published copies of the sequel "More Good Friends" on May 12. She describes the book as suited for kids aged kindergarten to third or fourth grade and teaches about friendship. She said in the first book a moose becomes friends with a mouse, in the new book he...
There was some great economic news last week with the Golden Sunlight Mine announcing they have secured a customer for their Tailings Reprocessing Project. Mine officials have been working meticulously with the project and this is a very positive sign. Not only will this allow the mine to reduce their overall environmental liability, but this will also add additional jobs at the site near Whitehall, as well as tax revenue. By securing Nevada Gold Mine's (NGM) as a customer, it is a win-win for b...
The Town of Whitehall Swimming Pool will not open in 2020. At Monday's City Council meeting, Mayor Mary Janacaro Hensleigh announced the news to the governing body. Hensleigh said pool operators will be unable to take a pool certification class, lifeguards will not be able to get training, and with the window of the middle of June to open it just can't happen. She added they are unaware when Phase 2 of reopening in Montana will kick in, but even when it does the guidelines for social distancing...
Jefferson County Events Coordinator Bruce Binkowski is hopeful phase three of the reopening of Montana will happen in time to still have local events this summer. At a Chamber meeting last week, Binkowski said that while Montana Mule Days and several other events in the northern part of the county have been cancelled, organizers of Frontier Days and Community Garage Sales in Whitehall and the Jefferson County Fair are moving forward with their events. He added the Headwaters Country Jam has...
Monday's daily Governor's Coronavirus Task Force report showed the third confirmed case of COVID-19 in Jefferson County. While the report did show the local case, Karen Wandel (BSN-RN) with the Jefferson County Health Department stated the adult male in his 50's was diagnosed out of state, is not in Montana at this time, and also contracted the virus out of state. Jefferson County had not had a reported case since March 27. According to County Officials, 73 residents have been tested for...
For about five straight days I don’t think I slept more than a few minutes. Just about every type of trouble I could get myself into I did, and it felt so good doing it 2,000 miles away from home. There were rules, but I was like a 1970’s punk rocker in London and I didn’t care. Despite all of this, I also learned a lot about the history of the United States. I was scrolling through social media the other day, which I complain about all the time, but spend half my time on anyway. I came across someone talking about how their kid would not b...
There will be a new head coach on the sidelines next season for the Whitehall High School boys basketball team. Mike Moulchin was recently hired to take over for longtime coach Zach McLean who resigned following the 2019-20 season. Moulchin began his coaching career in his early 20's in a biddy ball league at the Boys and Girls Club in Las Vegas. He would later go on to coach junior high and continued his path to McQueen High School in Reno and Clark High School in Las Vegas. Taking over for a C...
There will be a new sport next year at Whitehall High School. The school board of trustees voted earlier this year to add a boys and girls golf team. Julie Kieckbusch has been hired as head coach and Kerry Sacry will serve as an assistant. Kieckbusch is excited to be the coach and is hoping to generate some interest with kids prior to the season starting in the Spring of 2021. "Since this is a brand-new sport at WHS, I am hoping to get kids excited about trying it next spring. I honestly don't...
From February to April, the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Department responded to 14 wildland fires. To deal with the dry conditions, Fire Chief Joe Granvold recently announced all burning within the Whitehall Fire Department is closed. Granvold said during those 14 calls they have had to call out the Twin Bridges Department seven times. He added on April 26 they were at a wildland fire on Franich Lane for around nine hours. "We were really lucky it didn't get any structures," he said. "It's getting...
For the second consecutive year, Whitehall High School has been awarded the Montana IGraduate Grant. According to Principal Melissa Robbins, the grant supports post-secondary research and post-secondary option exposure for juniors and seniors. She added students will have increased opportunities to visit campuses and specific programs through these funds. With the last year's grant, Whitehall students were able to travel to Great Falls to visit the Montana Academy of Salons and another group...
I have witnessed a lot of aggressive debate over the past several weeks about how the government has been handling the COVID-19 pandemic. Some feel they are doing the right thing by keeping people at a distance and slowing it down, while others feel their rights have been stepped upon. That is certainly a debate I will never get into because nobody wins, people just seem to get mad. I also see non-stop bickering between political parties and that is also a can of worms I just cannot open....
