Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Sorted by date Results 1321 - 1345 of 1522
Hi Folks, We’ve had a few issues discussed at our regular meetings over the past couple of weeks. On April 25th we held a discussion about a locked gate on Rocky Road South of Boulder. We have had several requests to look at getting the road open again for Public use. It had been open and used by the Public for well over 100 years. This discussion will continue for the next few weeks. We designated Polling Places and appointed Election Judges for the Special Election on May 25th. We appointed Fire District Trustees and appointed the Election A...
HELENA -- The Montana Legislature adjourned Friday after a short and chaotic day of failed attempts to pass a package of bills that would have used bonding to fund infrastructure projects. Debate in the House was tense at times, as a Senate-set deadline neared for House Bill 8 and Senate Bill 367. The bills would have allowed for bonding, or borrowing, and the use of local matching funds for roughly $123 million to help pay for projects like water systems, a veterans' home in Butte and the contr...
HELENA -- One of the final bills the Montana Legislature passed before adjourning would create a special state fund for major public school repairs. Senate Bill 307 would, among other things, allow school districts to temporarily raise property taxes -- without putting it on a ballot -- in order to meet a state match for these repairs. The bill had already passed the Legislature, but the governor returned it to the House with a with a different reporting date. “It’s a good way to get local participation in this quality schools program,” said...
This Saturday competitors will descend upon Whitehall for the longest running youth rodeo in the Treasure State. The BY’s 4-H Club Youth Rodeo is scheduled to take place May 6 at the Whitehall Rodeo Grounds. The grand entry is slated to begin at 9:45 a.m. The cost to attend the rodeo is $3. Event organizer Tara Price said this will be the 55th BY’s 4-H rodeo, and they will be giving out buckles to first place and all around winners. She said there will also be a pig scramble at the 2017 event, and this will allow those not registered in the...
Monday, Apr. 24 11:36 a.m. - threat to injure person, 900 Hwy 2 West, Whitehall 3:08 p.m. - traffic & roads-moving, Whitetail Road, Whitehall 3:40 p.m. – harassment, 107 North Whitehall Street, Whitehall 4:25 p.m. - suspicious/person/vehicle/circumstance, 54 Sheep Camp Road, Whitehall 8:56 p.m. - suspicious/person/vehicle/circumstance, I-90 MM 257, Cardwell 8:59 p.m. - traffic accident, 81 Piedmont Road, Whitehall 9:43 p.m. – citizen assist, 407 East 2nd Street, Whitehall Tuesday, Apr. 25 6:13 a.m. - disturbance/noise,music, 248 Piedmont Road,...
A 24-year-old Whitehall resident pleaded guilty last week to a charge of providing false reports to law enforcement stemming from a self-inflicted shooting incident April 15 in Whitehall. Frederick Webb made an appearance last week in Jefferson County Justice Court in Boulder. After pleading guilty to the misdemeanor charge, he was fined $285. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department had originally responded to the call of a shooting April 15 shortly after 11 p.m. at 601 E. Legion in Whitehall. According to Jefferson County Sheriff Craig D... Full story
It was an amazing weekend for members of the Whitehall High School choir and band. Competing at the MHSA District Music Festival in Deer Lodge, Whitehall had a total of 13 students qualify for the State Music Festival May 5 and 6 in Missoula. “They did a terrific job,” school musical director Janet Heilig said. The Women’s Ensemble featuring Iris Heimberg, Bailee Hess, Rabeca Kopf, Madison Lombardi, Alycia Loomis, Alexys Mercer, Ann Russell, Imanica Sepulveda and Rachel Smith all qualified for the state competition. The Women’s Select Choir f...
Monday, Apr. 17 6:26 a.m. - traffic accident/1 vehicle/non injury, I-90 westbound, MM 248, Whitehall 9:39 a.m. - suspicious/person/vehicle/circumstance, 113 West 2nd Street, Whitehall 10:44 a.m. - care for sick/injured, 207 East Legion Avenue, Whitehall 11:45 a.m. - citizen assist, Hwy 69, MM 14, Cardwell 1:25 p.m. - public safety-fire/smoke, 131 Ridder Lane, Whitehall 6:23 p.m. – traffic stop, Hwy 69, MM 2, Whitehall 7:19 p.m. - suspicious/person/vehicle/circumstance, 64 Tebay Lane, Whitehall 9:11 p.m. – traffic stop, Hwy 359, MM 2, Car...
HELENA -- After nearly five months of rigorous debate, Montana's 65th Legislative session is coming to a close. While lawmakers are only constitutionally required to draft and pass a two-year budget for the state's numerous offices and programs -- which they did last week -- legislators from all walks of life address the concerns of their constituents, as well as their own ideas in the other bills they bring. Some of these bills were inspired by personal struggles, like Livingston Republican...
Hi Folks, Last Tuesday after we reviewed claims at 9:30, we met with Road Supervisor, Rory Parsons for his weekly update. The Whitehall crew has finished redecking the Williams Bridge. Parrot Castle Road is having some issues but it seems to be getting better. We also met with Public Health Nurse Karen Wandel. We spent some time going over financials for some of the grants she deals with. At our regular meeting, our new Events Coordinator, Bruce Binkowski, gave us an update on what he has been doing and presented us with some options to...
The Golden Sunlight Mine submitted an application March 31 to amend their operating permit, with the possibility of extending the life of the mine up to three years with the proposed underground Apex Project. According to the BLM, the current workforce predictions for the project are for 50 mine employees and 100 contractors, a slight increase from the existing workforce. The amendment would allow Golden Sunlight to conduct underground mining north of the Mineral Hill Pit. A legal noticed published in this edition of the Whitehall Ledger...
A shooting Saturday night in Whitehall is currently under investigation. Jefferson County Undersheriff Mike Johnson told the Ledger the department responded to a call of a shooting April 15 shortly after 11 p.m. According to the weekly Jefferson County police log, deputies responded to the call at 601 East Legion Avenue. Johnson said a 24-year-old male with a gunshot wound was transported to the hospital by Jefferson Valley EMS and Rescue. Johnson said the department is still investigating the shooting, and did not further comment about any...
The state of Montana is not immune from the dangers of aquatic invasive species. At a meeting last week, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Wildlife Biologist Vanna Boccadori discussed the dangers of zebra and quagga mussels, and stressed the importance of cleaning boats after use. Boccadori discussed recent findings in water samples that found that AIS were present in the Tiber Reservoir and possibly in the Canyon Ferry Reservoir. Boccadori said this is a huge deal, and if the mussels get into...
After three and half years as the Cardwell School Clerk, Dawn Lewton has stepped down from the position. Despite leaving the job, she will still have a direct impact on the school. At their regular meeting in May, Lewton will be sworn into take the place of Mike Mastel on the Cardwell School Board of Trustees. “I love the Cardwell School and this seemed like a good transition,” she said. Looking back at her time at the school, Lewton said it has been a good experience, but it was also a very hard job. Lewton said she didn’t know how much went i...
For the second straight month, the production numbers were above target at the Barrick Golden Sunlight Mine. At the Community Transition Advisory meeting last week, Mine General Manager Dan Banghart reported the production for the month was 4,992 ounces, well above the target of 4,100. In February, the mine reported production of 5,076 ounces, compared to a target of 4,484. The productions numbers may however drop in April. Banghart said they will start a shorter six-day mill run April 20, and the numbers should be lower. He said this would...
HELENA -- With the future of health care on the federal level still unclear, Republican lawmakers in Helena are pushing legislation that could reshape how Montanans access and pay for medical services. Three bills -- House Bill 266, and Senate Bills 100 and 362 -- operate under the philosophy that individual states should be able to determine what health care practices are best suited for their residents, and that costs should be lowered. "Finally a handful of legislators on both sides of the...
HELENA -- A legislative committee has tabled a lawmaker’s attempt to clarify how private land is leased to oil companies. Speaker of the House Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, is the sponsor of House Bill 384, which would have revised language used on oil and gas leases to inform landowners of the associated costs of oil extraction from their land. Knudsen said leases tell landowners they will receive royalties from wells on their land. However, he said the oil industry tends to deduct transportation and operating costs from that royalty. That i...
Hi Folks, Last week we met with Road Supervisor Rory Parsons for his weekly update. We are scheduled to get another several thousand yards of millings off the Interstate between Basin and Boulder this summer. We will have several miles of roads that we will be able to hard surface in the Boulder area. We are looking at also putting millings on Capp Lane. The State would then use that as a detour while the new bridge is put in across Pipestone Creek. We also met with Candice Bell, our Solid Waste Manager. We are looking at having three separate...
Monday, Apr. 10 9:47 a.m. - 911 hangup, UNK, Whitehall 10:25 a.m. - suspicious/person/vehicle/circumstance, 80 Boe Lane, Whitehall 10:39 a.m. - 911 hangup, UNK, Whitehall 11:23 a.m. – traffic stop, Edwards Addition, Whitehall 12:53 p.m. – stranded motorist, I-90 eastbound, MM 265-266, Cardwell 4:54 p.m. - theft-labor/services/use property, 8 West Olive Street, Whitehall 9:11 p.m. – traffic accident, I-90 eastbound, MM 241, Whitehall 9:44 p.m. - traffic/roads parking, 515 North Whitehall Street, Whitehall Tuesday, Apr. 11 12:37 a.m. – traffic/re...
A shooting Saturday night in Whitehall is currently under investigation. Jefferson County Undersheriff Mike Johnson told the Ledger the department responded to a call of a shooting April 15 shortly after 11 p.m. According to the weekly Jefferson County police log, deputies responded to the call at 601 East Legion Avenue. Johnson said a 24-year-old male with a gunshot wound was transported to the hospital by Jefferson Valley EMS and Rescue. Johnson said the department is still investigating the shooting, and did not further comment about any... Full story
An increase in water and possibly sewer rates may be imminent for residents in Whitehall. At the Monday Town Council meeting, Mayor Dale Davis said the State of Montana Board of Investments would not let the town apply for the bonds or loans until the town has paid off a previous loan from a $59,000 bond issued in 1997 for a water project. The last payment is $6,400. Currently the town has $5,800 in the reserve account for that payment and will be looking at the budget to make up the $600 needed. Requirements made by a bond counsel for rate...
Work continued last week on a project that will give local residents and businesses access to Gigabit Internet. According to Lee Good of TeleSystem Services (TSS), Dustin Laughrey, Jason Good, Shane Good, as well as a several helpful residents along 1st Street in Whitehall pitched in Friday to help install a 3,000 foot 12 fiber cable from near the Flower Shop, all the way to the head end located in the Old Cheese Factory. Good said three other fiber cables were installed Saturday before it...
At a special meeting last week, the Whitehall School Board of Trustees received an audit report for the 2016-17 school year from Debbie Ouellette of Newland and Company. Ouellette reported the Whitehall School Districts not only had a clean audit, but had the highest possible ranking they could receive. Whitehall Superintendent John Sullivan said there were a few little findings they would be taking care of, but it was the best audit the districts have had in years. In the regular board meeting, the Board of Trustees approved a proposal from...
Tuesday, Apr. 4 8:45 a.m. - care for sick/injured, 10 Whitetail Drive, Whitehall 9:52 a.m. – traffic stop, Piedmont Road, Whitehall 10:15 a.m. – traffic stop, Piedmont Road, Whitehall 1:08 p.m. – trespass, Division Street, Whitehall 2:15 p.m. - alarms burglary false/error, 1078 Hwy 2 West, Whitehall 3:34 p.m. – alarms, Route 3 Lot #1, Whitehall 4:44 p.m. - traffic violation/ driver suspended/revocation, South Division Street, Whitehall 6:11 p.m. – traffic stop, Tebay Lane, Whitehall Wednesday, Apr. 5 9:57 a.m. - 911 hangup, 11 Irvine Lane, Car...
HELENA -- When it comes to balancing the state budget, there are two schools of thought - raise taxes and generate revenue, or cut spending and save money. With the state facing a budget shortfall, that ideological difference has become all the more prominent throughout Montana's 65th Legislative session. Often, it defines party lines. In Gov. Steve Bullock's original budget proposal, he suggested a wide variety of tax increases on everything from cigarettes to medical marijuana. Perhaps most...
