Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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Local author Raylynn (Lauderdale) Van Oort will host a special hometown event to celebrate her debut memoir, From Sh*t to Sunshine, sponsored by Whitehall business Tona’s Treasures, located at 1 E. Legion St. in Whitehall, Montana, on Saturday, May 3, from 1 PM to 4 PM. The event will feature a special reading and book signing. Raised in Whitehall, Van Oort is excited to return home with the untold story of her life. From Whitehall High Class of 1974 Valedictorian to jailbird, and now, Hope H...
The Whitehall Garden Club (WGC) celebrated its 5th Annual Arbor Day on Friday, April 25th, in the Whitehall Community Center. Diane Ward, President of the Montana Federation of Garden Clubs, welcomed everyone by giving a Proclamation recognizing Arbor Day, its history, future, and how trees can solve climate change. In addition to the Whitehall Garden Club providing tree seedlings free to attendees, there were a variety of tree and plant-related information tables and vendors assembled, along...
Local non-profit We Are HER (Healed, Empowered, Restored) has opened its 5th Annual Survivor Retreat application. Join us for a transformative 5-day healing experience nestled in the serene mountains of Montana. Designed for eight survivors of abuse, assault, or stalking, this retreat focuses on empowering survivors through trauma recovery education and fostering connections within a supportive community. Applications are open April 8 - May 10, 2025. Visit http://www.weareher.net/retreat to...
The Ladies of St. Teresa of Avila invite you to a spring Tea - their official Par-Tea - on Sunday, May 4 from 2 PM to 4 PM. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased by contacting Bonnie at 406-490-0265 or Kim at 406-580-7743. Special guest speaker Arlene Weber will present Early Women of the Jefferson Valley. A variety of teas, tea sandwiches, and desserts will be provided, as well as door prizes and a bucket-style raffle. Let's Par-Tea this Sunday at St. Teresa's at 2 PM!...
Ready to fill your belly for a wonderful cause? Get down to the Whitehall Senior Center (3 N. Division) on Saturday, May 3rd from 4 PM to 7 PM for a delicious fiesta feast! This fundraising event benefits the Whitehall Senior Center and features soft and hard shell tacos, chicken or beef, rice and beans, cheesy nachos, sour cream, salsa, and more! Family price is $30; adults are $10, children 6-12 $5 and children under five are free!...
Gold Junction Presents and the historic Star Theatre are planning something FABULOUS for Saturday, June 14th. Just put it in your calendar as The Roarin’ Twenties: Dress to Impress, Fight to Forget. More details coming soon......
A common sentiment throughout cultures and history is the dreaded visit of a tax agent or tax collection day. In the U.S., April 15 annually is set for income taxes, although hundreds of thousands of businesses file quarterly. There are also strong sentiments on what our government does or does not do with our money as taxpayers. Rather than getting into a tangled mess about taxation, I would like to draw your attention to the streets of Jericho during the first century. A chief tax collector, Zacchaeus, had a life-changing conversation with Je...
Dear Editor, I was once again amused to read another extreme Op-Ed by Roger Koopman in the April 23 edition of the Ledger disparaging those of us peacefully demonstrating against President Trump's policies. As usual, Mr. Koopman weaponized his editorial with name-calling and derogatory statements. Once again, little or no substance was included in his misleading rant. I do concede that his tirade of abuse could be found entertaining by uninformed extreme conservatives, but not constructive. Why...
It’s illegal to let your child/pet starve, but legal to let them get morbidly obese. It’s crazy how the previous generations were so addicted to cigarettes that they had built-in lighters in their cars. The children most impacted by peak leaded gasoline fumes are now 50-75. Grape soda is always purple, which completely ignores the existence of green grapes. There was only a short time between the “Oh, this is Al” phase and the “Is this Al? I’m not sure” phase. Some people chew the dry skin off their lips. They’re eating themselves. Tha...
You may have noticed all of the new mulch and weeding done to the front and side yards of the Whitehall Community Library this last week. The Friends of the Library donated ten bags of mulch to keep the moisture in and the weeds out. Our many volunteers have been working hard to get the flower beds ready for summer, and we can't wait for all the irises to come up that Brandi planted last fall. We are not sure what color they are, so this will be a fun surprise. Have you ever wanted to learn...
Fifteen concerned citizens met last week for the Whitehall Indivisible meeting and discussed Montana legislation, the federal government, and the ongoing issue of Head Start in Whitehall. HB740, brought by Rep Bertoglio, is a bill that would set a floor for prescription payments, critical to the survival of small pharmacies like Whitehall Drug. This bill has passed to the governor’s desk. HB932 is brought by our own Rep Ken Walsh and clarifies and secures some existing public lands funding. This much-amended, complicated bill passed with b...
The Whitehall Garden Club (WGC) will hold its monthly meeting on Wednesday, May 7th, in the Whitehall Ambulance Barn at the corner of N. Whitehall Street and West Second Street. The public is invited as we are excited to host Norm DeNeal of Butte, who will share his knowledge of native flora. With community support, Norm and the Butte Garden Club helped restore the Butterfly Garden at the Columbia Gardens in 2001. This special program will begin at 11 AM. Guests are also welcome to join at 9:30 AM to socialize and enjoy refreshments provided...
Members of the Whitehall Rotary Club and three other volunteers completed filling 49 large bags with sorted aluminum cans earlier in April for delivery to the recycling center in Butte during Earth Day week. They received a higher price during that time for the aluminum, which totaled 2919 pounds. Money earned from this effort helps fund the club's many local projects. Non-member volunteers included Tom and Sarah Ahlin and Thane Burtch. Thane hauled the bags in multiple trips to Butte, for...
In today's world, we rely on electronics for everything - from communication and entertainment to work and daily convenience. But replacing phones, laptops, TVs, and tablets every few years can get expensive. The good news? A little care and a few smart habits can significantly extend the life of your devices. KEEP IT CLEAN: Dust is the enemy of electronics. It clogs vents, causes overheating, and can even damage internal parts. Remember to wipe your devices with a soft, dry cloth gently. For co...
"An Act of Art," the May 6 fundraiser for the Whitehall Lewis and Clark Mural Project, will feature close to 35 original works of art by prominent area artists, and some of the artwork is currently on display in the lobby at Rocky Mountain Bank. The Whitehall Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Renea Cassidy, said the artwork includes original paintings, pottery, bronze and ceramic sculptures, photographs, and functional artwork from various area artists. Some artists have regional and...
Butte SPIRIT Homes is excited to announce its upcoming Singo Fundraiser, taking place on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at the Butte Elks Lodge on Galena Street. Doors will open at 5 PM for food and socializing, with Singo beginning at 6 PM. Singo is a high-energy, music-driven spin on traditional bingo. Instead of numbers, players listen for popular songs and mark their cards accordingly. The event promises a fun, lively evening for all ages. Entry is $10, which includes admission and two Singo cards....
Loren Floyd Hines, a beloved partner, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, friend, and endeared and admired R.N., passed away unexpectedly of natural causes at his Whitehall home on April 24, 2025. Loren was born in Helena, MT, and was raised in Lewistown. In 1971, he quit high school, married Patty Toth, and joined the army. He and Patty had two children and later divorced. After six years of military service, he was honorably discharged and returned to Montana, where he worked as an auto... Full story
In my most recent column, I shared a few accounts from my personal and professional life that I consider "Stories Worth Telling" – narratives that provide insight into my views and values on preventing illness and promoting community health. Today, I'd like to share one more – the story of a rural Montana boy who grew up to become the world-class scientist and great public health champion Maurice Hilleman. Still largely unknown, Hilleman was born and raised on a farm in Custer County. He was dri...
A bill that would allow for the creation of experimental treatment centers in Montana has perked the ears of venture capitalists and biotech companies nationwide, but legislators on both sides of the aisle remain skeptical. Senate Bill 535 is an extension of the federal Right to Try Act, which allows terminally ill patients to try experimental treatments that have passed phase one of clinical trials but are not yet accepted medical practice. Patients are also only eligible if they have exhausted all FDA-approved treatment options. The bill...
After heated debate, a bill that will lower property taxes for primary residences while raising taxes for second homes and short-term rentals awaits final approval from the House before hitting Gov. Greg Gianforte’s desk. House Bill 231 is one of a series of property tax bills up for debate this week as lawmakers count down the days to the end of the legislative session. Sen. Shane Morigeau, D-Missoula, said Montana’s housing crisis needs attention, and House Bill 231 could help mitigate the impacts of out-of-state owners who profit off of pro...
As federal headwinds continue to swirl, state legislators are considering a study on how shifting funding will affect Montana’s largest state agency, the Department of Public Health and Human Services. House Resolution 66, proposed by Rep. SJ Howell, D-Missoula, would set aside time before the next Legislature convenes in 2027 to examine the impacts of federal funding changes to the healthcare system. Howell said the study is a proactive step to address the turbulent federal climate. Federal funding makes up 68.3% of the Montana DPHHS budget a...
The House of Representatives is advancing legislation that will create a study of early literacy rates in Montana’s children, a move proponents say will help address low rates of reading proficiency in young kids. Rep. Linda Reksten, R-Polson, said House Resolution 63 will provide data to inform the next Legislature about whether early literacy intervention programs created in 2023 and 2025 are working. “The reason to follow this data is because we can make the strongest improvement in our student achievement in accessing skills of reading and...
There is a new venue to purchase beautiful potted flowers, herbs, outdoor furniture, shrubs, bedding plants, and more. Summit Valley Outdoor Living will open its greenhouse doors to the public at 613 MT Hwy 359 on May 1st, just a few miles past the turnoff for South Boulder Road. The property boasts a huge greenhouse surrounded by outdoor furniture, pergolas, cabins, and more. Daniel and Irene Miller moved from New York in September of 2024, putting down roots next to their children, who own...
To breathless media coverage, a company called Colossal Biosciences now claims to have produced three genetically engineered pups of the long-extinct dire wolf. Scientific criticism followed fast. The company’s press release claimed the pups to be “the world’s first de-extinct animals … brought back from extinction using genetic edits derived from a complete dire wolf genome, meticulously reconstructed by Colossal from ancient DNA.” Experts in paleogenetics pointed out that only 14 genes, with 20 differences between living gray wolves an...
