Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Sorted by date Results 1495 - 1519 of 1522
On Monday night the Whitehall Town Council continued to delve into the 2016-2017 town budget, which is nearing completion for the upcoming fiscal year. Fellows reminded those in attendance at the meeting the budget will be available for anyone interested. Fellows also stated there is no money coming out of the general fund or the Ambulance, as it is its own separate account. One of the area’s the council was looking to cut was money spent on professional services. Public Works Employee Kory Klapan said he believes the town could save about $30,...
Earlier this month, officials from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality Water Pollution Control State Revolving Fund (WPSCRF) made the trip to Whitehall for an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) site visit and Wastewater Facility Overview. Following the visit, Terry Campbell with the DEQ Engineering Bureau reported back to Mayor Dale Davis with a report summarizing their findings. Campbell thanked Davis and Public Works employee Kory Klapan for taking time to meet and go over operations and facility issues. “I believe the biggest issue...
Next Wednesday August 31, the Montana Shakespeare in the Park program will return to Whitehall. A performance of "Richard III" will take place at 6 p.m. at 206 Yellowstone Road. The Whitehall performance is one of 61 scheduled this summer in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, North Dakota and Washington. The company features 10 professional actors selected from national auditions who tour without technical assistance to bring live theater to mostly rural communities. This summer, 66 percent of the communi...
After several budget meetings, the Town of Whitehall is getting very close to having a final budget for the 2016-2017 fiscal year. Mayor Dale Davis stated at a budget meeting Monday, “the goal is to get the budget closer to what is being spent.” Davis suggested each of the Council members be assigned a page of the budget and come back to the next scheduled budget meeting, August 29, with more budget cuts. A budget item that is not getting cut is employee wages for the six town employees. Alderman Tom Jenkin said, “You get what you pay for, if y...
The Jefferson County Fair and Rodeo, "A Fair of the Heart," kicks off this Thursday, August 25, in Boulder. The fair and rodeo runs Thursday through Sunday, August 28, at the Jefferson County Recreation Park one-half mile south of Boulder. Mike Korn presents "Keeping the West Wild: 149 years of conservation in Montana" at 6:30 pm, Thursday, August 25. His talk spans the time when fish were dynamited and deer and elk were sparse, to current times with damage hunts necessary to manage elk in the B...
It is still unknown if a recall election will take place this year in Whitehall. A hearing originally scheduled for August 12 to determine if the recall election for Mayor Dale Davis and four Council Members would move forward, was postponed. The scheduled hearing time August 12 in front of Seventh Judicial District Court Judge Katherine M. Bidegaray was instead used to move the hearing to October 20 at 9 a.m. The hearing was addressing the challenging of a recall petition for Davis and Council... Full story
July was another positive month for production at the Barrick Golden Sunlight Mine. At the Community Transition Advisory Committee meeting last Thursday, Environmental Engineer Jerry Muething said the production at the mine was 3,711 ounces. He said this was eight ounces over their target for July. Meuthing added they would have the target of 4,000 ounces a month by the end of the year. Meuthing reported there are currently 42 Barrick employees at the site, along with 98 contract employees....
The Whitehall Town Council hopes to finalize their budget for the next fiscal year at a meeting next week. The Council conducted a special meeting Monday to finalize the budget for the 2016-17 fiscal year, but they did not vote on the issue. The meeting next week is scheduled for Monday, August 22 at 6 p.m. Town/Clerk Treasurer Summer Fellows told Council Members that with the rising cost of the town's water issues, the preliminary budget has more going out than the town expects to bring in, . A...
On Monday night at the Town Council meeting, Mayor Dale Davis reported on the latest update on Whitehall’s water situation and the DEQ. According to Davis, the DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) came in last week to look at the town’s water issues at the lagoon, and help Whitehall Public Works employee Kory Klapan with paperwork. Davis said the meeting was very informative on the operation of the lagoon, and the DEQ is pleased with the proactive stance taken by the town. Davis said the problem with the lagoon is there isn’t any water...
It’s inching closer to the first day of school in Whitehall. According to Whitehall Superintendent John Sullivan, teachers will report for their first day on August 29, and students will begin school August 31. In an interview Tuesday, Sullivan discussed the progress of two major summer projects at the Whitehall Schools. Sullivan said he was pleased with the work done on the school parking lots and said they lots will be painted next week. He said the new rooftop heaters have been placed on the roof of Whitehall High School. He added that e... Full story
On the last weekend in July, large crowds make their way to downtown Whitehall for the annual Frontier Days Celebration. While the annual event features many vendors and food and drink options, it can also have a positive impact on many local businesses. Pepper Tree Deli and Catering owner Steve Jenkins said the restaurant was really busy, and that they also did concessions at the rodeo event. He said on Friday, July 29 his business was up 24 percent from the same day a year prior, and that...
Montana members of the Patriot Guard Riders did their part last week to get a Civil War Veteran to his home state of Maine. Lewis Wendt and other members of the guard stopped in Whitehall to get gas early Wednesday morning. They were on their way to Billings with the remains of Jewett Williams, who passed away July 17, 1922 in Oregon. Patriot Guard Riders throughout the nation are joining to help get Williams to his home state of Maine, where he will be buried September 17 at the Togus National Cemetery with full Military Honors. Wendt said...
Whitehall residents will have to wait a few more weeks to see if a recall election for Mayor Dale Davis and Town Council members Tom Jenkin, Gary Housman, Joe Adams and Vincent G. Keogh will move forward. A hearing Monday in the Jefferson County District Courtroom to determine if the recall election would proceed -- was called to an end after nearly 90 minutes of testimony. Seventh Judicial District Court Judge Katherine M. Bidegaray had only scheduled from 10 a.m. to 11:30 for the hearing. The remainder of the hearing will take place in the... Full story
Several Red Flag Warnings were issued last week in Jefferson County and other areas in Southwest Montana. The warnings were issued last Friday by the United States National Weather Service in Great Falls. The were in effect in for all of Jefferson County. The Friday warning stated the gusty west-southwest winds combined with low relative humidity would create critical fire weather conditions. During the Red Flag Warnings, residents are asked to use caution with any open flames outdoors and to obey all county burn bans. Jefferson County...
Next Monday could shed light if there will be an upcoming recall election in Jefferson County. According to Whitehall Town Attorney Matthew Haus, a hearing is set for August 1 to determine whether a Temporary Restraining Order preventing Jefferson County Officials from moving forward or making any preparations for the recall election will remain in effect. Earlier this summer, Whitehall resident Lynn Niemeth received enough signatures on a recall petition to force an election for Mayor Dale Davis and four Town Council members. Haus said the...
The month of June yielded the highest production at the Barrick Golden Sunlight Mine since the reduction in force last November. In his monthly report at the Community Transition Advisory Committee meeting last week, Mine General Manager Dan Banghart said in June they had a production of 3,315 ounces, 100 over their target for the month. Banghart said there are currently 41 Barrick employees at the mine, and 96 full or part time contract employees. Banghart said a fire earlier this month did not have an affect on production, even though they...
While the start of the 2016-17 school year is over a month away, there will be plenty of upcoming activity at the Whitehall Schools with two major projects scheduled in the next two weeks. According to Whitehall Superintendent John Sullivan, construction is expected to begin next week on the two school parking lots. Sullivan said they would be chip sealing the lots. He said work would also be done to improve a drainage problem in the parking lot closest to the elementary school. Sullivan said... Full story
In his 18 years of practice, local attorney Edward J. Guza has always been interested in employment law. Last week, Guza was able to share his expertise on the subject at a "Wrongful Termination and Employee Manuals Seminar" at the Borden's Building in Downtown Whitehall. Guza spent a great deal of the presentation focusing on the Montana Wrongful Discharge Act. Guza said the MWDA was enacted in 1987 and a lot of employers do not know the act exists, and there are ways to utilize it to protect...
(Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of articles focusing on current and future projects on the upper Jefferson River.) By JACK H. SMITH Ledger Publisher Five years ago, the lower 4.6 miles of the Jefferson Slough was reported as the uppermost point of Eurasian Watermilfoil in the Missouri River Watershed. Since that time, the Jefferson River Watershed Council (JRWC), local landowners, Jefferson County, government agencies and others have been working towards the goal of 95 percent... Full story
The town of Whitehall has a new council member. At their regular meeting Monday night, the governing body voted 4-1 to fill their vacant Ward 3 Council position with Mac Smith. The lone dissenting vote was Francine Giono-Janik. A long time former member of the Council, Smith was first elected in 2003 and served in the position through last year. He will take over the position of Elizabeth Howser, who defeated him in the General Election late last year. The Council removed Howser from the...
Water was a major topic at the regularly scheduled Whitehall Town Council meeting Monday night. According to the Town Council, the DEQ recently sent a letter regarding the plans for the town’s uranium issue. Council members voted to extend the response to the letter, which is initially due on July 16, 2016. Town Attorney Ed Guza will be negotiating the extension for the town’s response this week. Council members agreed that they want to gather more information to fix the problem, rather than just treat the problem with a water treatment pla...
An ambulance district proposed by members of the Jefferson Valley EMS and Rescue is now officially on the November 8 ballot. The Jefferson County Commissioners voted 3-0 Tuesday afternoon to approve a resolution to place the question of forming a district on the ballot. The proposed district’s coverage area would include the Whitehall school district, excluding the Whitehall town limits and Madison and Silver Bow Counties. Prior to the vote, Commission Chair Bob Mullen asked for public comment on the issue, but know one in attendance chose t... Full story
Forty-five minutes prior to show time there was already a long line beginning to form outside of the Star Theater in Downtown Whitehall. While Friday night during the summer has always been a popular night to get out and see a blockbuster movie, this evening was a little bit different. The crowd of 142 had not only gathered July 1 to see the theater's first showing of "Independence Day: Resurgence", the nights festivities also included a question and answer session with one of the films star's... Full story
The Whitehall Town Council held a special meeting on Thursday, June 30, in order to discuss filling a vacant seat and paying the bills for this fiscal year. The council seat that was discussed at the meeting belonged to Ward 3 member Elizabeth Howser. Town Attorney Matt Haus was asked to address the issue and explain the state statute. Montana Code Annotated § 7-4-4111 states “In determination of vacancy in a municipal office, an office becomes vacant on the happening of any of the following events before the expiration of the term of the incum... Full story
Next week local business owners and managers will get the chance to learn more about wrongful termination and employee manuals at a luncheon hosted by the Whitehall Chamber of Commerce. The business luncheon will take place Wednesday, July 13 at the Borden’s Building, with check in starting at 11:30 a.m. Chamber Vice President and lawyer Ed Guza will go over the Montana Wrongful Termination Act, which he said is very specific to the state. The luncheon will go over topics such as exemptions from the Wrongful Discharge Act, definitions and c... Full story
