Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Sorted by date Results 1274 - 1298 of 1522
Sheriff Don Bell worries about the state of Lake County's jail, which like many in Montana, is regularly filled to capacity. "My jail right now, everybody in there is on a felony charge. There's no minor, misdemeanor people in my jail, so it's really considered a max jail," said Bell. To put this in some perspective, county jails aren't meant to house felony offenders after they receive a sentence, that's the job of state prisons. In Sheriff Bell's 2016 annual report, the Lake County Jail proces...
Concerns about the dump in Cardwell were addressed last Thursday at a regular meeting of the Madison County Solid Waste and Recycling Board. Chris Wagner was one of the handful of residents at the meeting, and he expressed concerns about not only the appearance of the dump, but also illegal dumping. Wagner said the trash is a big deal and they have to fix the problem. He stated they have to make the location look good. "Let's keep it clean," Wagner said. Wagner also addressed concerns with...
The search for a missing Whitehall woman came to a tragic end Tuesday afternoon. The body of 21-year-old Kirsten Ryerson was found Tuesday afternoon on Point of Rocks Road near Whitehall. She had died from injuries suffered in a 4-Wheeler accident. According to the Montana Standard, the Montana Highway Patrol responded to a crash site Tuesday around 3 p.m. The Standard reported Trooper Ken Klapan had stated the crash had remained undiscovered until Tuesday because the vehicle had veered down an...
Two candidates have filed to run for Mayor of the Town of Whitehall. According to Leslie Martini, Chief Deputy for the Jefferson County Clerk and Recorders Office, Mary Janacaro Hensleigh and Tyler Q. Steinebach both filed for the four-year term prior to the June 19 deadline. Hensleigh has previously served a four-year term as Mayor of Whitehall. Current Mayor Dale Davis did not file for re-election. There were two candidates to file for the Council position in Ward 3. Jason Good and Montina Rawson have both filed prior to the deadline. Katy...
Monday, June 19 5:58 a.m. - traffic accident/1 vehicle/injury, I-90 westbound, MM 257.5, Cardwell 8:45 a.m. - animal problem – injured, I-90 eastbound, MM 256.5, Cardwell 9:18 a.m. - animal problem, I-90 MM 256, Cardwell 9:49 a.m. - trees/debris on roadway, Edwards Addition, Whitehall 10:48 a.m. - animal problem – injured, Hwy 2 West, MM 5, Whitehall 2:54 p.m. - stranded motorist, I-90 westbound, MM 233, Whitehall 3:46 p.m. - 911 Hangup, 5 Baker Lane, Whitehall 4:48 p.m. - fraudulent activities, 11 West 1st Street, Whitehall 5:08 p.m. - public...
We didn’t have a regular meeting last week. Tuesday evening we held a Public meeting to talk about the proposed rest area at the Boulder interchange. We have some interest in establishing a Targeted Economic Development District (TEDD) West of the Boulder interchange. The County is working with the State to have the current rest areas at Jefferson City moved to Boulder. The County would put in the infrastructure across the interstate to facilitate the rest area and for future development. The Public was mostly supportive. One rancher was c...
It was a perfect home for their growing family. James and Josephine Slack had purchased a small house in a rural neighborhood on Mill Road just north of Helena, Mont. The home had a big yard surrounded by mountains in the distance, ideal for the Slack's two young daughters and soon-to-be born son. They also had no idea it was toxic. It was 2005, the same year methamphetamine use and manufacture pushed states like Montana to enact its first series of laws regarding the cleanup of meth...
By JACK H. SMITH Ledger Publisher The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department is investigating the whereabouts of 21-year-old Whitehall resident Kirsten Ryerson. According to Sheriff Craig Doolittle, Ryerson was last seen sometime Thursday, June 22, in Whitehall. She was reported missing by her family around noon on Friday, June 23. Doolittle said they have received conflicting times about the last known sighting of Ryerson. He said there have been reports she was at the Mint Bar in Whitehall... Full story
A Whitehall High School teacher was the recent recipient of a prestigious national award. Caitlin Chiller was one of 15 teachers nationwide to earn the National Council of Teachers of English 2017 High School Teacher of Excellence Award. Chiller said she was happy to receive the award, especially because she was nominated by her teaching colleagues throughout the state. “I didn’t realize they had been considering me so I was pleasantly surprised. I feel very honored,” she said. “To have recognition what I’m doing is exemplary and outstandi...
In early May, the Rocky Mountain Development Council (RMDC) held a meeting with parents concerned about the possibility that the Whitehall Head Start program may close. Parents and concerned citizens were informed that two issues needed to be resolved in order to ensure the program would continue for the 2017-2018 school year. The deadline given for resolving the two issues was June 5. The first issue was finding a teacher for the program since long-time teacher Elaine Henningsen will be...
Local outdoor enthusiasts should soon have a new walk in fishing and floater's camping site on the Jefferson River. Members of the Jefferson River Canoe Trail are currently in the process of acquiring nearly 31 acres of property near the Parsons Bridge in Waterloo. According to Trail President Tom Elpel, the Citizens Advisory Board for the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust has supported a $195,000 grant application for the purchase of Waterloo Grove. He said the board will meet and...
Tuesday, June 13 12:03 a.m. – traffic stop, Hwy 359, Cardwell 10:58 a.m. – agency assist, I-90 eastbound, MM 232, Butte 12:50 p.m. – dog at large, I-90 MM 241, Whitehall 12:53 p.m. – dog at large, 303 South Division Street, Whitehall 1:10 p.m. - traffic accident/2 vehicle/non injury, I-90 westbound, MM 237, Whitehall 3:00 p.m. - care for sick/injured, 1455 Hwy 2 East, Cardwell 4:52 p.m. – citizen assist, I-90 eastbound, MM 235, Butte 5:22 p.m. – traffic stop, Hwy 359, Cardwell 11:19 p.m. - traffic accident/1 vehicle/non injury, I-90 eastbound,...
Hi Folks, I missed last week’s meeting so I could attend the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals Conference in Big Sky. Community Development Extension Agents from around the country attended. Micky Zurcher, Tom Harrington, and Drew Dawson received first place for the “Excellence in Teamwork” award for the 11 state western region. They won for the work they have done for the “Making Boulder’s Future Bright” project, as a result of the coming closure of the Montana Developmental Center. They were also part o...
The Whitehall Town Council and Community Beacon of Hope Inc. (CBOH) are working toward having a clarified lease agreement ready for the council meeting in July. At the special Town Council meeting on Monday night Town Attorney Ed Guza said, “The committee that was formed at the last council meeting had an opportunity to meet today and discuss the issues that are pertaining to a new lease. Most of that has to do with issues of inventory, mileage and those types of things.” Guza went on to say they would like to get a complete inventory to see...
At their regular meeting Monday night, the Whitehall Town Council tabled voting on a possible new lease agreement with the Community Beacon of Hope Inc. Ambulance Service. The matter was tabled and contingent upon the ambulance service paying some outstanding bills. The ambulance service must pay all outstanding bills (power bill and repair bill on an ambulance) before signing a new lease with the Town of Whitehall. In the meantime, Beacon of Hope Inc. will be under the previous lease agreement with the town. The new lease would be increased...
The cost of school lunches will be increasing in the Whitehall Schools for the 2017-18 school year. At the Whitehall School Board of Trustees meeting last week, Superintendent John Sullivan said the USDA and OPI recommended for school districts to raise the prices to reimbursement levels. The prices for next year will change from $3.25 to $3.50 for adults, from $2.25 to $2.50 for K-6 students, and from $2.50 to $2.75 for 7-12 graders. Sullivan also reported that the bleachers at the high school football field have been demolished. He said new...
The production numbers were well above target during May at the Barrick Golden Sunlight Mine. At the monthly Community Transition Advisory Committee meeting last week, mine environmental superintendent Chuck Buus reported production at 6,451 ounces, well above the target of 4,000. Buus stated he was pleased with the May production and hopefully this will get them to their target for the year. Buus also reported that four new employees were hired at the mine bringing the total of Barrick employees from 44 to 48. There are currently over 100...
Whitehall Mayor Dale Davis and Council members Vincent Keogh, Gary Housman, Tom Jenkin, and Joe Adams have filed a notice of appeal to the Montana Supreme Court. The notice of appeal comes after a May ruling in Boulder by Seventh Judicial District Court Judge Katherine M. Bidegaray in regards to costs related to a failed 2016 recall petition for five elected officials in the Town of Whitehall. In her May decision, Bidegaray ruled in favor in favor of respondents, Jefferson County Election Administrator Bonnie Ramey, Montana Secretary of State L...
A public meeting concerning the issues at the Cardwell Dump will be held June 22 at 1 p.m. The meeting with the sanitarian and Jefferson County Commissioners will be at the Cardwell School....
Celes Castrol remembers that day in eighth grade when she and her friends discovered the meth pipes in one girl's parents' room. Castrol and her friends decided to test them out, and from that point on, Castrol was hooked. She used on and off throughout high school. Most of the time, Castrol's parents weren't aware she was using and she remembers it being pretty easy to keep them in the dark. Castrol's parents would often ground her, but that didn't stop her from using. She continued until she...
Hi Folks, At our regular meeting last week we tabled a Public Hearing and Resolution for a Budget Amendment and transfer of funds for the Museum in Clancy. We held a conference call with Ken Brown, the Executive Director of the Western Counties Alliance (WCA). WCA lobbies on behalf of Western counties. He talked about the PILT payments increasing by about 3% this year, but we still have little progress on the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) payments. One issue that we don’t have right now, but is big in many other Western Counties are wild horses a...
Judge Luke Berger formally launched his candidacy to retain his position as district court judge in Montana's Fifth Judicial District this week by filing the necessary paperwork with the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices. In January of 2017, Berger was appointed by the Governor and confirmed unanimously by the Montana Senate to fill the remaining two years of Judge Loren Tucker's term. He will stand for election on November 6, 2018. "It is an honor to work in each courthouse in...
A new restaurant opened earlier this week in downtown Whitehall. Chuchos Tacos served their first customers Monday at the business located at 14 East Legion Avenue. The restaurant is owned by Heather Fortin and Dawnie Cox, and will be open during lunch until next week. They will then be open Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The current menu features both taco and burritos. Cox described their cuisine as Southern California Baja Mexican food. Tacos are available in combos or ala-carte....
Local voters will have a chance to decide if they want an ambulance district in Jefferson County. At their meeting last week, the Jefferson County Commissioners voted 3-0 to approve Resolution 14-2017, Calling for an Election Regarding the Formation of an Ambulance District in the Whitehall area and the Election of a Board of Trustees. The Commissioners also voted 3-0 to approve Resolution 15-2017, Setting the Qualifications and Duties of the Ambulance Board of Trustees. Commissioner Bob Mullen told the Ledger the vote would be through mail in...
Monday, May 29 11:58 a.m. – traffic stop, Delmoe Lake Road, Whitehall 12:35 p.m. - theft-shoplift, 501 West Legion Avenue, Whitehall 3:28 p.m. – care for sick/injured, 16 Gornick Lane, Whitehall 3:59 p.m. – traffic stop, Pipestone Road, Whitehall 5:27 p.m. – child endangerment, Delmo Lake Road, Whitehall 5:45 p.m. – traffic accident/1 vehicle/injury, Delmo Lake Road, Whitehall 7:37 p.m. – stranded motorist, I-15 northbound, MM180, Clancy 8:02 p.m. – traffic stop, Delmo Lake Road, Whitehall 8:12 p.m. – mental crisis, 460 Hwy 2 West, Whitehall 10...
