Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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Molly Carey of the Jefferson County Health Department recently described the process officials follow after the notification of a positive COVID-19 test. After a county resident receives a positive result, she said the JCHD is notified and a nurse begins the investigation by contacting the positive case to educate them about isolation requirements as well as additional education support. According to Carey, follow-up monitoring involves daily contact with a health nurse. The positive case...
In conjunction with the USDA Convoy of Hope and Farmers to Families Food Box program, several area churches, and Love Inc. of the Greater Whitehall Area will next week be providing free pork and chicken to local residents. According to Whitehall Assembly of God Pastor Bill Lanes, the food will be handed out on August 6 and 7 starting at 1 p.m. in Legion Park. Lanes said he was extremely excited to be contacted by Convoy of Hope and they will be providing an entire semi full of food that will be...
It's been so far so good for Whitehall Drug at their new location at 411 E. Legion Avenue. According to owner Josh Morris (PharmD), things have been going great and patients are very welcoming to the new changes, especially in response to COVID-19. "We have been able to reopen our gift store and over the counter sections which has really helped business," he said. Formerly located at 203 W. Legion, Morris said their current building has allowed them to expand their pharmacy work area, which has...
I'm writing this on a Wednesday and just moments ago I spent a few minutes glancing at the Internet and found out it was National Hot Dog day. I know in this day and age there seems to be a "national" day for just about anything, but in my mind, the hot dog is very well deserving of having its own day. If I had read the article just a few minutes earlier, I might have walked down to the convenience store and picked up a couple of hot dogs and loaded them up with toppings. The only problem with...
The Whitehall summer school program came to an early end last week with students testing positive for Covid-19. According to Superintendent Hannah Nieskens, the positive cases in the school setting did trigger the Jefferson County Health Department to place 29 students and seven staff members into a 14-day quarantine. "As a result, the entire summer school program did shut down; this would have been the last week of the program," she said. "Thankfully, the students are doing well, and I wish...
Whitehall area residents hoping to "Rock the Rivers" later this summer will have to wait until next year. Officials for the annual Rockin' the Rivers music festival at the "Bridge" in Cardwell announced last week they will be postponing the event until 2021. The festival had originally been scheduled for August 13 to 15. A release from the festival said after months of monitoring and discussions with our team and local health officials, organizers are absolutely heartbroken to announce that in...
The vandalism of campaign signs has once again become an issue in the Whitehall area. Montana Senate District 38 Candidate Jim Buterbaugh reported the vandalism of an 8 by an 8-foot sign on the eastbound side of Interstate 90, just east of Whitehall. Along with being a sign for his campaign, the top half of the sign showed support for U.S. President Donald Trump. Buterbaugh said he was not surprised this happened, but very disappointed. He added that it appears someone went at the sign with a...
On February 6, Clinton Baker departed from Inlet Beach, Florida on a nationwide walk to raise awareness about suicide. Five months and around 2,000 miles later, Baker made his way to Cardwell last Thursday afternoon. "Every 40 seconds there is a suicide. I'm trying to bring awareness and 'pro'vention. I'm trying to save a life every 40 seconds," Baker said nestled in the shade at the Cardwell School. Throughout the journey that will take him to Washington State before a return trip across...
The Whitehall Town Council voted Monday to move forward with a 30 mill levy increase to generate funding for law enforcement and the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Department. This would be the first general fund mill levy increase in Whitehall since the early 1970s and would only affect residents in town limits. According to Town Clerk/Treasurer Summer Fellows, the Public Safety Mill Levy would be an increase of $40.50 per year on a $100,000 home and $81.50 on a $200,000 home. She said the next step...
Whitehall School District Officials have been busy in anticipation of the 2020-21 school year. Superintendent Hannah Nieskens said a lot of planning has been in the works in conjunction with the Jefferson County Health Department – with the plans for a regular length school day. Among the changes at the school at the start of school will include block scheduling for grades 6 to 12. According to Nieskens, kids would have three to four classes a day instead of seven with the length of the class c...
While unsure if and when the 2020 season will start, the Whitehall/Harrison High School football team has been working hard with the hopes they will be hosting Cut Bank on August 28 at Trojans Field. Trojans Head Coach Dan Lacey feels it is tough right now to figure what is going to happen with fall sports and tough decisions will have to be made, and there are a lot of factors that will lead up to those decisions. "As we stand right now, I think it's a 50/50 chance that we will play our...
The Whitehall Community Swimming Pool is officially open for the season. The pool opened for the season July 7 and will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Pool Manager Allissa Christensen said lifeguards wrapped up their training Monday and she is excited for the pool to be operational. "I'm thrilled about opening," she said. The Town Council voted in June 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....
Sincerely Paul Feeding His Sheep is making a positive impact for residents of the Whitehall area. The 501c3 non-profit organization, whose mission statement is caring people caring for people and feeding the hungry through the love and compassion of Jesus Christ, has been giving away free produce boxes each week at the Education Station located at 7 W. Legion Ave. in Whitehall. The giveaway is in conjunction with Farmers to Families and the Montana Food Bank Networks. Last Wednesday, organizatio...
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...
