Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Sorted by date Results 1012 - 1036 of 1522
The Whitehall School Board of Trustees will decide tonight on the possible expulsion of a student who brought an unloaded handgun to the high school. School officials announced February 26 that students reported that another student had brought a handgun to the school. School officials immediately contacted the police and during a search, an unloaded handgun was found. Jefferson County Sheriff Craig Doolittle said a weapon was seized as evidence and the minor was escorted from the property. Doolittle added the minor was issued a citation for...
On a Friday during the 66th Montana Legislature, Rep. Kimberly Dudik, D-Missoula, joked on Twitter she might need to clone herself. But, in reality, it may have come in handy. That morning, Dudik had five bills scheduled for hearings in three different committees between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. covering issues from state child protection services to property tax relief. This is typical for the the fourth term representative who has consistently carried a high number bills each session. Dudik is...
The Whitehall Volunteer Fire Department responded early Saturday morning to a multiple structure fire at a junk yard at the intersection of Piedmont and Kountz Roads. According to Fire Chief Jeremy Ward, the department was called out a 4:15 am. and remained on scene until 11 a.m. He reported several structures including a trailer and RV were fully involved. The structures were unoccupied, and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but Ward suspects it...
The Montana House of Representatives last week advanced legislation that would require a two-third vote majority for the Legislature to transfer funds out the state's fire suppression account. The governor would still hold the authority to pull from the fund, as well. Speaker of the House Greg Hertz, R-Polson, is carrying House Bill 276 and said on the House Floor during the bill's second hearing that it was proposed in response to the historic 2017 fire season that drained government funds....
NorthWestern Energy officials announced last week a planned four-hour long power outage next month in the Whitehall area. The outage will take place Tuesday, March 5 starting at 1 a.m. and will impact an area that will cover the town of Whitehall and Whitehall Valley west to Pipestone Pass and east to the Golden Sunlight. According to a release from the company, Interstate 90 is the general northern boundary, extending south of Highway 55 near Forcella Lane and across the Jefferson River near...
McKenna Fromm was a straight-A high school student, basketball player and member of student government in 2011. By 2015, she was living in a spider-infested "drug den," estranged from her family and deep in addiction. Fromm said her life turned upside down after being diagnosed with Painful Bladder Syndrome at age 15, which caused debilitating pain. She was prescribed powerful painkillers and had 10 different surgeries. Still, she said, doctors could not get her pain under control. She had to...
The Town Council voted Monday to approve the four-year appointment of Steve Andersen as the Whitehall Justice Court Judge. Mayor Mary Janacaro Hensleigh said she appointed Andersen because he contacted her and showed interest in the job, adding she did not hear from Dean Hildebrand who was elected in November of 2018 as the Jefferson County Justice of the Peace. Hensleigh told the Council she wanted a smooth transition from Judge Dennis Guilio who had previously served in the position and...
The Montana House of Representatives has passed a bill that would use money from the coal severance tax trust fund to pay for low- and moderate-income housing projects. House Bill 16, carried by Rep. Dave Fern, D-Whitefish, passed the House on a 71-29 vote and will now move on to the Senate. The bill would allow a loan to be taken from the coal trust fund's investment pool to fund the development of housing originally financed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Unite...
The lineup has been announced for the 2019 Headwaters Country Jam near Cardwell. The event is scheduled to take place from Thursday, June 13 to Saturday, June 15 at "The Bridge" and will include headlining acts Big and Rich, Kelsea Ballerini, and Rodney Atkins. Townsquare Media Director of Events Sally Lidinsky said they are really excited to have a great mix of up and coming artists and country superstars at the 2019 Headwaters Country Jam. "There are more big-name acts than ever before. We...
Lawmakers in Helena are beginning discussions on how to build and maintain the state's infrastructure, including roads, bridges, wastewater systems and state buildings. Again, the debate will come down to which projects get funding and whether that funding comes by way of cash or borrowing. In 2017, legislators voted to end the session without funding public works projects. Some legislators thought Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock bill did not allocate enough to rural infrastructure while putting...
When Brandi King finished a 14-month deployment with the United States Army, she returned home to Montana's Fort Belknap Indian Reservation to heal. King carried with her the trauma she experienced during combat in Mosul, Iraq. She began to feel anxious, hypervigilant and she couldn't sleep at night. In rural Montana, mental healthcare resources can be scarce. King wasn't able to see a counselor or support specialist, and her post-traumatic stress progressed. She became suicidal and attempted...
The Whitehall High School Speech and Debate team had great results at last week's Divisional Tournament in Missoula. Senior Rebecca Meyer led the way for the Trojans with a first-place finish in Impromptu. Karlie Wagner finished third in Humorous Oral Interpretation, and Issie Coleman and Bradley Morrison finished fifth in Humorous Duo. All four qualified for the state meet scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Three Forks. Meyer also qualified for state in 2018. Head Coach Dr. Kathy Meyer said...
The Whitehall Town Council approved Monday a generic letter that will be sent to residents who are in violation of town ordinances. According to Town Clerk/Treasurer Summer Fellows, the letter will notify the resident of a ordinance violation, will advise them to contact the town, and will include the amount of days they will have to take action before they will be fined or further action is taken. Fellows said the idea of the letter is to give residents a chance to make everything okay. The...
The 66th Montana Legislature opened for business Jan. 7 and lawmakers spent much of the first week discussing what they hope to see for hot topic issues and bills, like public lands and Medicaid expansion. After newly-elected Senators and Representatives were sworn in, the House voted on a temporary rules bill, which ultimately hedged off a battle among legislators that had been escalating in weeks leading up to the session. The House rules are contentious because they have potential to greatly...
After last winter's record setting snowfall, the mountains across the state of Montana have received sporadic snowfall so far this year, leaving some river basins near normal for snowpack, while others are below normal on January 1. Early season snowfall has favored regions along the Continental Divide in western and south-central Montana so far this winter, and this is where the highest snowpack percentages can be found. "What's been unique about this winter so far is that the snowpack in...
Republicans and Democrats agree funding critical infrastructure needs is important, but if the last two legislative sessions are any indication, that is where the agreement ends. Both times efforts to pass a major infrastructure investment bill failed. An infrastructure bonding bill will reappear, yet again, in the 2019 Montana legislative session. However, supporters are making some changes in hopes of winning support from the Republican-controlled legislature. "We need a bonding bill that's...
Montana's top prosecutor says he wants the 2019 Legislature to combat addiction to prescription opioids and expand on a policy of treatment rather than incarceration for drug offenders. Republican Attorney General Tim Fox said his office would suggest legislation requiring photo ID cards when picking up prescription painkillers, making the state's prescription drug registry mandatory and putting a five-day limit on prescriptions for opioids. "Opioid prescriptions are not monitored very well and...
Gov. Steve Bullock is once again proposing Montana launch a state-funded preschool program for those who cannot afford private pre-kindergarten programs for their children. The governor included a $30 million grant program to support high-quality preschool programs supplied by public schools, community-based providers or head start programs in his budget ahead of the 2019 legislative session. It is the governor's third attempt at state-funded preschool, but the first to benefit from the results...
There were plenty of changes at Town Hall in 2018. At a special meeting in January, Council members Barbara Gagnon, Katy James, Jason Good and Montina Rawson, and Mayor Mary Janacaro Hensleigh were sworn into their positions. The seat of James was later vacated. In summer, the Council voted to move town offices and public works operations to the former ambulance barn located at 207 E. Legion. 2018 was another year that showed the true giving nature of the Whitehall area community. In late...
A system error led to an unexpected lockdown December 12 for K-12 students in Whitehall. Superintendent John Sullivan said once they once they determined the lockout alert was not caused by a real threat, students and teachers were informed a system error was causing the problem. He added this happened within minutes of the alarm sounding. The company that installed the alarm is current troubleshooting to see why the error happened. “We apologize for the momentary distress this caused students and teachers,” Sullivan said....
If the Town of Whitehall were to join the Jefferson Valley Rural Ambulance District the decision would need to be made by registered voters. The process of how to get town voters to decide if they would join the district created in 2017 is however unclear. District Chair Sue Pullman gave a short presentation to the Whitehall Council Monday and said it is important to understand the district is established and functioning and if Whitehall residents wanted to join they would have to talk to their council members. Pullman, Town Clerk/Treasurer Sum...
On a cold and windy Montana morning, shovels broke the ground in what was a monumental day for Whitehall Public Transportation. A ground-breaking ceremony took place Monday, December 10 for the Richard (Dick) Gustin Memorial Bus Barn that will be located at 1173 HWY 55 in Whitehall. The 3,200 square foot facility will feature a four-bay bus barn that will accommodate offices and a passenger waiting area. Speaking on behalf of Whitehall Public Transportation, Liberty Place Executive Director Ann...
The deadline is nearing for the 2018 Whitehall Chamber of Commerce Christmas Lights Contest. Entries for the contest are due to the chamber by Friday, December 7 at 10 a.m. Houses must be fully decorated and lit for judging by December 8. Winners will be announced December 13 on the chamber Facebook page. First prize is $150 in chamber bucks, second place is $100 in chamber bucks, and third place is $50 in chamber bucks. Chamber member Jill Dove said the community is the voting committee and...
An informational meeting about the Southwest Montana Veterans' Home is set to take place Friday, November 30 at the Whitehall Community Center. The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. According to local Veteran Gary Redfern, the meeting will also focus on finding a committee member for a foundation focused on raising money for basic expenses for future residents of the 60-bed facility that will be located south of Butte. The foundation committee will include representatives from six counties....
Hi Folks We didn't have a regular meeting last week. I hope everyone had a very great Thanksgiving. Carole and I were able to go help with the free dinner at the Stageline Pizza on Thanksgiving Day. Event Coordinator, Bruce Binkowski and his wife Christina were also there. Bruce helped promote the event and they had a great turnout. I think they served over 100 people. Bill Pullman also stopped by and spent a lot of time visiting with folks and getting pictures. It was a great way to spend Thank...
