Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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Dear Editor, Barbara Lien's Letter to the Editor in the Ledger's April 2nd issue is somewhat misleading. Nationally it is true that Indivisible's mission is to elect progressive leaders and to defeat the Trump agenda. However, local chapter mission statements vary to some degree. Protecting, not rebuilding, our democracy and institutions is a part of local chapter mission statements as well as "Indivisibles." I have attended three meetings of the Whitehall Indivisible group and can...
Dear Editor, I would like to submit a letter in response to Barbara Lien's letter. Barbara, thank you for writing to express your concerns regarding Whitehall Indivisible. The seeds of the group sprouted on a snowy day in February over scones at my kitchen table. Concern about the direction of this beloved country drew us together initially and continues to draw people to the meetings, and that is nonpartisan. Violating the Constitution is a nonpartisan insult, as is law-breaking by high-level...
Dear Editor, Do you believe in justice? Let me tell you a story. One there was a young lady, barely 19 years old. This lady had developed mental illness due to a couple of very traumatic events in the last year and a half. She was diagnosed, but soon quit taking her medication. She thought that she was okay. But soon enough, the trouble started (delusions, voices, etc.). She had several encounters with tlocal police (they know her byt name.) They knew that the young lady was mentally ill. So...
Dear Editor, I would like to respond to Barbara Lien's Letter to the Editor: Please come to our meeting before you make any decisions about where this group lands on the political spectrum. I am certainly not "Far Left." I also took the Pew political quiz that you wrote about. I also landed on "Stressed Sideliners" and "Outsider Left." We are not very far apart at all! I am very distressed at what is happening in the country and what is happening to friends and family, and I am also completely...
Dear Editor, Thank you to Barbara Lien for your Letter to the Editor published in the April 2nd Ledger. Upon reading the letter and noting her mention of the name Whitehall Indivisible, I recognize an ongoing situation that has persisted for years and gradually worsened by enhancing the false division between members of both parties. Unfortunately, politicians have used that misunderstanding to their own advantage while running for office. When I read the letter and saw that she had brought up t...
Every time a celebrity signs an autograph, they end up slightly devaluing every autograph they’ve ever signed. If a highly advanced alien civilization wants to stay hidden, then we can be sure that there won’t be any evidence of them being here. Future people are going to talk about us with our micro plastics and bad food pyramid the same way we talk about the romans for using lead piping and lead cups. Could you imagine being a honey bee and knowing that a huge amount of the human population immediately associates honey with bears instead? It...
1 YEARS AGO - APRIL 1899, PART I: April of any year brings the promise of warmer weather, green fields and hills, and only a couple more months before the warm freedom of summer. Back in April of 1899, there were plenty of headlines with topics not far from what we see today. The following articles are taken as written, with edits for length, from the April editions of the Jefferson Valley Zephyr. The photo is an ad that appeared in several of those 1899 weekly papers. MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS...
A lawsuit has been filed against Lillian rodeo owners Boyd and Georgia McMillian for alleged personal injuries suffered after a rodeo bull owned by the McMillian and allegedly attacked a woman in front of her house. Nicole Salvagni, a former Whitehall resident currently attending school at Arizona State University, won $12,000 in cash and prizes on The Price is Right and just missed winning a lot more. WHS Creative Leader of the Week: Justin Lucas. Director Britta Oliverson says that Justin didn...
It would appear you are once again stuck with me, Miss Brandi, for this week’s update from the Whitehall Community Library! Let’s talk about Early Literacy! It’s not just about your child learning to read. In fact, there are several skills your child needs to master before they start learning to read. Print Awareness: Understanding how print works, reading from left to right, top to bottom, and that the words they see have meaning. Letter Knowledge: Recognizing the different shapes of each letter, knowing their names and sounds, and recog...
The April 2nd meeting of Whitehall Indivisible had 17 people present with one new face (welcome!) First up was the big item of the week that stood out in people’s minds: Senator Cory Booker’s 25-hour filibuster, Washington State Rep Pramila Jayapal’s work with resistance and protest, the Signal app chat, law firms caving to Trump’s targeting, proxy voting victory in in the US House of Reps with bipartisan support, more executive orders, massive cuts to Health & Human Services, elimination of due process for legal and possibly illegal (who kn...
The April meeting for the Whitehall Garden Club (WGC) was held Wednesday, April 2nd, at the new Whitehall Ambulance building. The conference room is very nice, accommodating with beautiful tables, chairs, and other aspects that are conducive for successful business meetings. Great technology features, too. Thank you for letting us use the conference room. The weather was not friendly for our hostess Boulder friends to come, so Janet Finney and Kathy Ross were delighted to step in and set up a...
The Whitehall Garden Club (WGC), in cooperation with the Town of Whitehall, is planning the fifth annual Arbor Day Celebration. It will be held on April 25th, a Friday, in Whitehall's Community Center from noon until 3 PM. The Town of Whitehall will raise our 32nd Tree City USA flags along Legion Street to celebrate our 32nd year as a Tree City USA. Mayor Mary Janacaro-Hensleigh will welcome the crowd and read a proclamation recognizing Arbor Day, its history, and its future. The WGC members...
March 31st marked the end of the winter moratorium in Montana, which is that period of time when regulated utility companies need to first obtain approval from the Public Service Commission before disconnecting a customer’s natural gas or electricity account for non-pay. With the end of the moratorium, many Montanans need some help catching up on that winter energy bill. There are two main sources of home energy assistance in Montana: One is LIHEAP and the other is Energy Share. Montanans can apply for LIHEAP through April 30th. LIHEAP is incom...
Residential homeowners on a fixed or limited income may qualify for the Property Tax Assistance Program (PTAP) (https://bit.ly/3E0DRyP). Qualifying applicants receive a reduced property tax rate reduction of 30, 50, or 80% on the first $350,000 of their home’s market value. Eligibility for this program is based on home ownership, occupancy requirements, income levels, and marital status. Montana veterans who are 100% disabled or the unmarried surviving spouses of deceased veterans who were 100% disabled may qualify for the Montana Disabled V...
While I’m away at the Main Street Now 2025 conference in Philadelphia, I want to take a moment to share why this event is so important for Whitehall. This year’s theme, “A Healthy Main Street Movement,” couldn’t be more relevant to our community as we work to strengthen our businesses, preserve our history, and create a welcoming place for everyone. Main Streets are more than just roads and storefronts—they are the heart of our town. They bring people together, tell our community’s story, and fuel economic growth. This conference will focus on...
On Tuesday, April 1st, the Whitehall Chamber of Commerce and the Montana Main Street Program held a Montana Main Street 101 session to reintroduce the program to our community. While attendance wasn't as strong as we had hoped, I'm incredibly grateful for those who came and engaged in meaningful discussions about Whitehall's future. Our Main Street program thrives on community involvement, and this conversation is just getting traction again. Whitehall has been a Montana Main Street Community...
TEAM Mint #1: 15 wins, 2 losses Mint #2: 12 wins, 5 losses K-Bar #1: 12 wins, 5 losses Two Bit #1: 10 wins, 7 losses MEN 4 wins, 0 losses: Randy Reynolds, Colt Smith, Ken Breining, Dwayne McClanahan, Will Bowen 3 wins, 1 loss: Jay VonBergen, Todd Choquette, Chuckie Dirkson, Tyler Blair, Mike Wall, Caleb Powers WOMEN 3 wins, 1 loss: Terry Chadwick 2 wins, 2 losses:Shawna Amidon, Leslie Dyson, Elena Wagner...
Dwayne McClanahan: 65 wins, 19 losses Rick Kelley: 62, 22 losses Chuckie Dirkson: 62 wins, 22 losses Will Bowen: 56 wins, 20 losses Jay VonBergen: 50 wins, 26 losses Colt Smith: 48 wins, 32 losses Leslie Dyson: 46 wins, 38 losses Mike Wall: 45 wins, 23 losses Gordon Lyons: 45 wins, 35 losses Terry VanVictor: 45 wins, 35 losses Tyler Blair: 44 wins, 24 losses Jeremy Jensen: 44 wins, 40 losses Tyler Babcock: 42 wins, 30 losses Fred LeProwse: 42 wins, 42 losses Terry Spenser: 41 wins, 35 losses Caleb Powers: 41 wins, 43 losses Ken Breining: 38...
How to Protect Your Kids Online In today’s digital world, kids are growing up with smartphones, tablets, and social media at their fingertips. While the internet offers valuable educational tools and entertainment, it also presents serious risks—like cyberbullying, inappropriate content, and online predators. As a parent, you don’t need to be a tech expert to help your kids stay safe online. A few simple steps can go a long way. Start with Conversations, Not Controls. The most important tool you...
We spend a lot of time debating a variety of different issues here at the Montana Legislature. However, many of our neighbors really just want us to address one thing: property taxes. With only 90 days to work every two years, it’s important for us to prioritize policies that the people of Montana sent us here to accomplish. There have been multiple proposals to lower property and income taxes, but few have made their way to the Governor’s desk, with only a handful of weeks left to go this session. So, what gives? Sadly, it appears that all...
Montana Judges could be required to take child abuse and domestic violence training if a bill in the Montana Legislature passes the House. Sen. Dennis Lenz, R-Billings, is carrying Senate Bill 318, which supporters are calling “Brody’s Law.” Lenz said the bill will help judges deal with the suspects in abuse cases, whose personalities he said are frequently manipulative. The bill is named after a Bozeman child who took his life in 2023 after what his mother, Jody Hill, described as continued abuse. Hill said at a hearing on April 1 that her s...
Parents, guardians and teachers could have been reimbursed for education expenses through a new income tax credit that died in committee last week. Senate Bill 549 would have reimbursed up to $1,250 for tuition, materials, exam fees, transportation and other services like tutoring and therapies, among others. The fiscal note on the bill estimated a yearly $45 million in state funds being used for these credits starting in 2027, when estimated payouts would have started. Sen. Jeremy Trebas, R-Great Falls, who is carrying the bill, said that...
Legislators are considering a proposal to invest in suicide prevention for Montana veterans, an effort proponents say will help to mitigate high rates of suicide in the veteran population. Sen. Mike Yakawich, R-Billings, is the sponsor of Senate Bill 95. He said the bill has had a long journey to pass the Senate and arrive at the House for deliberation. The final proposal includes a request for $300,000 to implement a three-pronged approach: screening services, educating providers, and peer support. Jestin Dupree, a tribal council member for...
mittee voted down two major tax bills backed by Gov. Greg Gianforte Wednesday, killing a measure that would have cut a full percentage point off the state’s primary income tax rate and another that would have increased property taxes on second homes as part of efforts to lower homeowner tax bills. The Republican-controlled committee, chaired by Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, also voted down an income tax credit-based property tax relief bill that minority-party Democrats had pushed through the House. Separately, the Senate Finance and Claims Commit...
Hamburgers are a staple of backyard barbecues. When summer arrives, few foods embody the laid back vibe of the season better than grilled hamburgers. There's nothing wrong with a traditional approach to hamburgers, but going the extra mile and augmenting the flavor with some special ingredients can make these beloved summertime staples even more popular. If that's your goal, then consider this recipe for "Hamburgers with Stilton Cheese, Caramelized Shallots and Mushrooms." INGREDIENTS: For...
