Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Sorted by date Results 1357 - 1381 of 1522
Liz Schwartz's brother overdosed in their parents' garage after sucking prescription opioids out of a used fentanyl patch. His mother found him on the floor and immediately called an ambulance. He made it to the hospital in time and survived. But within a year, Schwartz's father overdosed the same way. He, too, survived. "You think the addict is getting clean, or they're on the right track to getting there, and there's setbacks like that," Schwartz said. "It's terrifying." While Montana's drug...
Town Clerk/Treasurer Summer Fellows reported a water break on Whitehall Street Wednesday evening. Fellows said the Town of Whitehall is unsure how long the break will take to fix, but city workers are working on the break diligently. Fellows said Town Hall employees tried to call everyone they knew would be affected, but there were some they were unaware were connected to the line. The Town hopes to have the problem resolved quickly as the break has some residents without water.... Full story
The annual meeting of the Jefferson Valley Museum will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 6, 2017 in the Fellowship Hall at the Trinity United Methodist Church on 102 North Brooke Street. A short board meeting will review the Museum’s key business items and an election will be held for the expiring board member positions currently held by Kermit Hoyenga and John Joy. The annual historic program will follow. This year, museum volunteer Arlene Weber will provide a review of Piedmont, Pleasant Valley, Renova, and some of the events and people wh...
The Montana Legislature is responsible for accomplishing a great deal during the 90 days it meets every two years. But lawmakers are actually only constitutionally required to do one thing - create and pass a state budget. Last week, the House of Representatives got one step closer to that goal. Fifty-six days into the session, legislators passed House Bill 2, the bill that lays out funding for every major state agency. Lawmakers allocated $10 billion in general fund money to be spent over two...
There were plenty of positives during February at the Golden Sunlight Mine in Whitehall. At the Community Transition Advisory Committee earlier this month, Mine General Manager Dan Banghart reported the production during the month was 5,076 ounces, well above the 4,484 target. Banghart added the underground tonnage exceeded plans, and there will be two mill runs this month. The mine had no reportable injuries in February and has gone 421 days without an injury. There were also no reportable spills during the month. Banghart stated there are...
Stageline Pizza is coming to Whitehall. The restaurant will be located in the former home of the Chinese Garden at 605 W. Legion. According to officials at Town Hall, a business license for the restaurant was obtained March 8. The business is owned by Ken and Tina Bates. A new sign was placed at the location late Monday afternoon. Ken Bates confirmed with the Ledger Tuesday that the restaurant will open in April. Look for a complete story about the new business on the front page of the March...
Monday, Mar. 13 7:53 a.m. - traffic accident/ 1 vehicle /non injury, 80 Daly Road, Whitehall 10:01 a.m. - suspicious / person/vehicle/circumstance, 6420 Hwy 41, Whitehall 10:55 a.m. – citizen assist, 409 East Legion Avenue, Whitehall 1:31 p.m. – citizen assist, LaCasa Trailer Court, Whitehall 3:23 p.m. - DUI—liquor, 415 North Whitehall Street, Whitehall 4:54 p.m. - trees/debris on roadway 5:04 p.m. – traffic stop, Hwy 359, Cardwell 6:14 care for sick/injured, 595 Hwy 55, Whitehall Tuesday, Mar. 14 12:50 a.m. – traffic stop, East Legion Avenue,...
Hi Folks, At last week’s meeting we reviewed claims and then met with Road Supervisor, Rory Parsons. The Road crews are cleaning up things from the winter. The crew is going back to working four tens for the remainder of the spring, summer, and fall. They will be working from 6:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Thursday. We also met with Candice Bell, our Solid Waste Manager. We are still discussing what options might be available for Solid Waste moving forward. We would like to come up with two or three different options and then present them to...
HELENA -- As Republicans and Democrats grapple with how to fund statewide infrastructure projects at the Montana Legislature, one bill in the House aims to put that decision in the hands of local voters. House Bill 577, introduced by Rep. Dave Fern, D-Whitefish, would allow cities and towns to adopt an infrastructure tax on luxury goods and services at a maximum rate of 4 percent. However, the tax would have to be approved by local voters. “House Bill 577 empowers our cities, towns and counties to solve their infrastructure problems,” Fern said...
Former Whitehall Ambulance Director Tyler Steinebach gave an update for Beacon of Hope Inc. at Monday night’s council meeting. Steinebach said Beacon of Hope Inc., who will be leasing the ambulance facility and equipment from the Town of Whitehall, should be up and running this week. “We are waiting for the insurance cards, which is paid and already mailed out, to be in hand before we say we have them,” Steinebach said. The cards Steinebach mentioned are for vehicles, property and malpractice insurance. Town Attorney Ed Guza said at the meeting...
The idea of purchasing an activity bus was once again a topic of discussion at the Whitehall School Board of Trustees meeting last week. Superintendent John Sullivan shared with the board a proposal he was given by Harlow’s Transportation. Sullivan said in discussions with Harlow’s, he was informed the cost of a new bus for the district would be around $160,000. He said the new bus in the Harlow proposal would be able to seat 49. Sullivan has also had discussions with Tucker Transportation of Butte about a larger, charter size bus. Sul...
After uncertainty about how the upcoming special congressional election would change the makeup of the Montana Legislature, the nomination of Democrat Rob Quist and Republican Greg Gianforte means it's back to business as usual at the state Capitol. Multiple legislators had announced their intention to run for the vacant congressional seat after former Rep. Ryan Zinke was nominated and then confirmed as U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Sen. Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls, and Reps. Amanda Curtis, D-Bu...
The main state budget bill at the Montana Legislature passed first reading last week with some surprises, like the restoration of $11.5 million to higher education funding, and some expected cuts. But one area has consistently struggled to find funding throughout the entirety of the 65th Montana Legislative session — special education. Funded through a combination of federal dollars and state funds, special education has seen minimal increases in state funds, leaving local and federal dollars to pick up the slack, according to a report by t...
Monday, Mar. 6 7:40 a.m. - agency assist, I-90 westbound, Cardwell 8:01 a.m. - suspicious/person/vehicle/circumstance, Cottonwood Road, Cardwell 8:30 a.m. - VIN inspection, 5 Lester Lane, Cardwell 8:38 a.m. - mental crisis, 460 Hwy 2 West, Whitehall 9:46 a.m. - public safety/gas/liquid, 8 Kelly Road, MM 16, Whitehall 12:16 a.m. - keeping the peace, 101 Lower Radar Creek Road, Whitehall 1:39 p.m. - traffic violation/driver suspended/revocation, I-90 westbound, MM 246, Whitehall 2:52 p.m. - traffic violation/driver suspended/revocation, 5 Lester...
Hi Folks, At our meeting Tuesday morning, we met with our new Event Coordinator, Bruce Binkowski. He has been very busy talking with a lot of people. He has commitments from several groups that do events in Jefferson County, but have never acknowledged us, to include information about Jefferson County in the future. Some of the groups agreeing to put a link to the Jefferson County Website on their Websites are Country Jam, Butte 100 Cycle Race, Elkhorn Endurance Run, Wulfman CDT (14K trail race), and Tizer Garden. Some of the groups will also...
Monday, Feb. 27 3:01 p.m. - assist other agency in state, 112 1st Street East, Whitehall 5:58 p.m. – traffic stop, North Whitehall Street, Whitehall 9:16 p.m. - dog at large, 17 Mormon Lane, Whitehall Tuesday, Feb. 28 12:13 a.m. - welfare check, 3 Patty Cake Drive, Whitehall 10:47 a.m. - care for sick/injured, 105.5 South Division Street, Whitehall Mt 11:22 a.m. - VIN inspection, 313 East 2nd Street, Whitehall 3:30 p.m. - traffic accident/ hit & run, 415 North Whitehall Street, Whitehall 4:53 p.m. - DUI—liquor, 113 West Legion Avenue, Whi...
Jefferson County has recorded its first influenza death this year in a hospitalized individual, a reminder of how severe influenza can be. The person was over 65 years of age and had more than one chronic health condition. Fourteen Montanans have died from influenza this flu season, all adults 50 years and older. In Montana and nationwide, the highest rate of influenza hospitalizations has occurred in the 65 and over age group. Children under 5 and adults 50-64 age groups have the next highest rates of flu hospitalization. The influenza season...
Hi Folks, At last week’s meeting we reviewed claims at 9:30 and talked with the County Sanitarian, Megan Bullock about water and sewer issues in Clancy. Megan has contracted with Montana Tech to do water sampling and testing within the Town site of Clancy because of some test results that showed high levels of Nitrates in the well water. Road Supervisor, Rory Parsons updated us on what is going on in the Road Department. Kip Harris from the Boulder shop has left to take another job. We are currently advertising for that position. County T...
The Town of Whitehall hosted a public informational meeting Monday night with members of the DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) and NCI Engineering out of Great Falls. The purpose of the forum was to give residents updates and information about the uranium issue with the drinking water. “The Town of Whitehall engaged the firm to help with the uranium problem and what we are headed for, or hope to head for, is to find an alternate water source; another well that doesn’t have uranium in it. We strongly believe that is a preferred alternati... Full story
The 65th Montana Legislative Session has reached its halfway point, and the state budget still weighs heavy. Both Republicans and Democrats are working to reach a compromise on how to fund state programs, with battles over other policy happening simultaneously. March 1 marks the session’s transmittal break, when general bills have to be moved from one chamber to the other. Roughly 300 bills are currently active in both the House and Senate. The House has also tabled nearly 150 bills, while the Senate has tabled over 60 of their own. This l...
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines addressed the Montana House of Representatives last week, touching on his role in Washington, his support for the Keystone XL Pipeline and support for the appointment of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Daines repeatedly said he and other Republicans in Washington are seeking less federal power and more states' rights. "Montanans are best at running Montana," Daines said. Daines opened his speech by applauding the "peaceful transition of power" from Barack Obama...
The office of the Whitehall Ledger will close for the week Thursday, March 2 at Noon. The staff of the newspaper will be covering the Divisional Basketball Tournament in Billings. The office will reopen Monday, March 6 at 8:00 a.m. The deadline for the March 8 paper will still be March 6 at 5 p.m. Go TROJANS!...
Monday, Feb. 20 12:10 p.m. – agency assist, 26 Sugar Beet Row, Whitehall 12:56 p.m. – welfare check, I-90 westbound MM 249, Whitehall 1:42 p.m. - abandoned auto, I-90 eastbound MM 247, Whitehall 5:34 p.m. – transport, 208 1st Street West, Whitehall 6:02 p.m. – traffic stop, Hwy 69, Whitehall Tuesday, Feb. 21 1:05 p.m. - suspicious/person/vehicle/circumstance, Piedmont Road, Whitehall 5:12 p.m. – traffic stop, Makowski Lane, Whitehall 9:03 p.m. – traffic stop, Hwy 69, MM 14, Cardwell 9:31 p.m. – traffic stop, Hwy 69, MM 11, Cardwell Wedn...
Hi Folks, At our regular meeting last week, we met with Road Supervisor Rory Parsons. The crew has been very busy trying to keep up with winter and spring maintenance issues. One of the big issues this time of year is trying to keep culverts flowing. They generally tend to freeze up and then when the water starts to run there is no place for it to go. They try to get out and unthaw the culverts before we get big flows but that doesn’t always work. We have had some closures on Milligan Canyon Road because we just couldn’t keep ahead of the fre...
A Whitehall High School senior was able to get some hands on experience in politics last week at the State Capital in Helena. Hunter Flynn spent the week as a page for Montana State Representative Ray Shaw (R-Sheridan). Flynn said he had an interest in serving as a page, and called Rep. Shaw who set up everything up for him. "This was a great experience to see the Montana government in action. I was a part of history and got to meet some great people such as Governor Bullock and Secretary of...
