The Whitehall Ledger - Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana

In public comment to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Governor Greg Gianforte and four state agencies raised issues with the BLM’s Environmental Assessment of the American Prairie Reserve’s (APR) bison grazing proposal. Gov. Gianforte and...

U.S. Senator Steve Daines pushed back against President Biden’s attempt to infringe upon Montanans’ Second Amendment rights by joining the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), an international agreement that would increase international oversight and...

U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced he has secured more than $7 million to upgrade and expand Community Health Centers (CHCs) across Montana as they continue to combat the COVID-19 crisis. Tester secured the funding—which will help support new...

This month, U.S. Senators began the markup of Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget resolution package. This rubber-meets-road moment seems to have given pause to some in their party whose votes will be needed to get a bill through Congress and across...

U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced that more than $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding is headed to Montana to help protect patients and health care workers from COVID-19. The funding—administered by the Center for Disease...

Governor Greg Gianforte today announced he is sending Montana National Guardsmen to hospitals across the state to support their COVID-19 response, fulfilling all current formal requests for National Guard resources. “Joining doctors and nurses on...

As part of his ongoing fight to secure our elections, U.S. Senator Jon Tester introduced critical legislation that will ensure every eligible Montanan has fair and equal access to the ballot box and clean up our campaign finance system. Tester’s...

Montana’s unemployment rate hit a 14-year low, dropping to 3.5% in August. The national unemployment rate for August is 5.2%. “With Montana open for business and more Montanans returning to good-paying jobs, our economic and jobs recovery...

More than half of the nation’s governors, including Governor Greg Gianforte, called on President Joe Biden to end the crisis at the southern border and secure the United States. “The months-long surge in illegal crossings has instigated an...

U.S. Senator Jon Tester sent a letter to President Biden urging the administration to allow vaccinated Canadians to travel to the U.S. through land ports of entry. Noting the economic and familial strains caused by the continued restrictions at the...

Everyone is invited to the Capitol rotunda Friday, Sept. 17, at 1 o’clock for a Constitution Day ceremony featuring Lt. Governor Kristen Juras, Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen, and Dept. of...

Governor Greg Gianforte announced that 10 Montana National Guardsmen have volunteered to assist the Billings Clinic in its COVID-19 response. “Over the last year, soldiers in the Montana National Guard have consistently stepped up to the plate,...

As a part of his years-long push to improve market transparency and ensure fairer prices for Montana producers, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced bipartisan legislation, the American Beef Labeling Act, which would ensure that beef raised in...

U.S. Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, announced more than $5.8 million in federal funding to help end veterans homelessness in Montana. Tester secured these funds as part of the American Rescue Plan Act...

Governor Greg Gianforte today announced Montana’s unemployment rate decreased by 0.1% in July to 3.6%, while the unemployment rate for the U.S. was 5.4% for the month. The labor force also had strong growth over the month. “Montana continues to...

U.S. Senator Steve Daines is urging the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to withdraw the mask mandate on school buses that infringes on the authority of Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to make their own decisions regarding the safety a...

This Secretarial Natural Disaster Designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans....

A dual degree student, Orion McKinney of Great Falls completed a Certificate of Applied Science Degree in Welding from Great Falls College-MSU before graduating from CMR High School. “In high school I never thought I’d go to college, but then...

After a public comment period that drew more than 26,000 comments, the Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted several changes to the 2021/2022 wolf hunting and trapping regulations at its meeting on Aug. 20. Changes include eliminating quotas,...

This year FWP will continue CWD surveillance in specific areas known as Priority Surveillance Areas in northwestern, northcentral, southwestern, and southcentral Montana. Carcass Disposal Requirements: In 2021, carcass parts, such as brain, eyes,...

Are you ready for hunting season? FWP can help. In addition to the following hunting forecast, FWP provides online information about hunting access, including our popular Block Management Program. Through the program, we coordinate with landowners...

Montana agricultural operations have been significantly impacted by the wildfires and ongoing, severe drought. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and financial assistance available to help farmers and livestock producers...

U.S. Senator Jon Tester released a statement Tuesday, August 10, following the Senate’s passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill that he and a core group of his colleagues negotiated with the White House. The bill will create good-paying jobs...

Representative Rosendale (R-MT) along with Representative Khanna (D-CA) introduced the USA Beef Act to support American ranchers. This legislation is a companion bill to Senator Rounds’ (R-SD) legislation introduced today in the Senate. This bipart...