Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Sorted by date Results 918 - 942 of 1529
From February to April, the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Department responded to 14 wildland fires. To deal with the dry conditions, Fire Chief Joe Granvold recently announced all burning within the Whitehall Fire Department is closed. Granvold said during those 14 calls they have had to call out the Twin Bridges Department seven times. He added on April 26 they were at a wildland fire on Franich Lane for around nine hours. "We were really lucky it didn't get any structures," he said. "It's getting...
The beef supply chain in the United States typically starts on a ranch like Marty Malone's, in Paradise Valley, with the birth of calves. After a summer of grazing, a cow reaches about 500 to 700 pounds. Then the cow is sold to a feedlot in the Midwest or Great Plains, where it eats feed like corn and barley to fatten up. At about 1,200 pounds and 18 months of age, it's slaughtered at a nearby packing plant. Then it's shipped to a wholesaler, who sells the meat to a restaurant or grocery store,...
The Whitehall School Board voted Friday afternoon to not reconvene onsite instruction for the last 20 days for the 2019- 2020 school year from May 7 to June 4. Prior to the vote, Superintendent Hannah Nieskens shared the results of a survey sent to parents asking for their input on if school should continue. Nieskens reported they had 211 responses with 64.5 percent saying they would not send their child back to school and 35.5 in favor of returning to school. In a release from the district,...
HELENA - Gov. Steve Bullock unveiled the state's official plan April 22 for gradually shifting Montana out of anti-coronavirus emergency mode, specifying dates for scaling back his stay-at-home directive and reopening some non-essential businesses that have been shuttered in an effort to slow the outbreak. In making the announcement, Bullock touted the state's anti-coronavirus efforts, saying aggressive government action, dogged public health work and individual Montanans' commitment to social...
A major event scheduled for June in Whitehall will not take place until next year. Tara Price of the Montana Longears Association announced last week the 36th annual Montana Mule Days event scheduled for June 12 to 14 would be postponed until June of 2021. The event has taken place the past three years in Whitehall with spectator numbers over a thousand as well as over 100 classes. "We have continued to monitor the COVID-19 situation, and it is out of great concern to the health of our Montana...
HELENA - Jim Murphy, Montana's chief epidemiologist, has heard the same stories most everyone in the state has heard about residents who've made unsuccessful attempts to get themselves tested for COVID-19. But even as national headlines worry over testing backlogs in some parts of the country, he says testing constraints haven't hampered Montana's coronavirus response. "I'm not aware of what I would consider valid access issues," Murphy said in an April 7 interview. "I think the providers in...
BOZEMAN – On April 1, many low- and mid-elevation mountain snowpack monitoring locations are typically approaching their seasonal peak snowpack for the year, giving hydrologists good insight into what snowpack will yield with regards to water supply during spring and summer. "The news is as good as we get closer to runoff season this year, aside from one small lower elevation range west of Flathead Lake, most mountain ranges in Montana have a snowpack that is near to above normal for this d...
Local residents will find out April 21 if Directives issued by Governor Steve Bullock will be extended past April 24. Bullock announced last week the directives issued to protect Montanans from COVID-19 by the slowing of the spread of the virus would be extended. The Directives were set to expire on April 10. As of Wednesday afternoon, there were a total of 399 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Montana, with 139 of those in Gallatin County. There have been two confirmed cases in Jefferson County...
Governor Steve Bullock yesterday extended through April 24 Directives he issued to protect Montanans from COVID-19 by slowing the spread of the virus in Montana. The Directives were set to expire on April 10. "We know that staying home will help to flatten the curve. For every person we take out of the chain of transmission of this virus, the more likely our health care facilities can handle the capacity to respond, and the more likely we can beat back this virus sooner rather than later,"...
Editor's Note: This story was originally published by Montana Free Press. For more information, please visit www.montanafreepress.org HELENA - Four days after President Donald Trump signed the largest emergency spending measure in U.S. history, the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, Montana-based stimulus watchers are waiting with bated breath for details about how the act will bring aid to bear on the state economy. While the CARES Act responds to the COVID-19...
The number of COVID-19 cases in Montana is now over 300. As of Wednesday at 8 a.m., the number of reported cases in the state is 319, with two Jefferson County and eight in Madison County. The total number of tests completed in the state is 6,985 with 27 hospitalizations, and six COVID-19 related deaths. The Jefferson and Madison County Commissioners and the Election Administrator, with input from the Jefferson and Madison County Director of Public Health have taken the option to run the...
Two candidates filed prior to the deadline for a seat on the Whitehall School Board. According to District Clerk Patti Drake, Chad Hoover was the lone candidate to file for the high school seat currently held by Paul Shaw, and Laura McDonald is the lone candidate in the elementary/high school seat held by Jeff Briggs. Because there are no additional candidates, the May 5 election will be canceled, and the two candidates will be elected by acclamation....
As of Wednesday morning, there were a total of 208 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Montana, with two of the positive tests in Jefferson County. Gallatin County currently has 76 positive tests and there are six in Madison County. There have currently been 4,918 tests completed statewide, 17 hospitalizations, and five deaths related to COVID-19. Jefferson County Public Health Supervisor Karen Wandel announced the second confirmed case in Jefferson County on March 27. "The person has been notified...
Governor Steve Bullock issued a Directive last Thursday requiring Montanans to stay home and temporarily closes all nonessential businesses and operations to curtail the spread of COVID-19. The order, will buy time for health care workers on the frontlines and seeks to limit long term impacts to the state's economy. "In consultation with public health experts, health care providers, and emergency management professionals, I have determined that to protect public health and human safety, it is...
There were 12 new cases of COVID-19 reported Monday, five Tuesday, and three Wednesday in Montana bringing the statewide total to 53. The first reported case in Jefferson County was announced Tuesday afternoon. There are two reported cases in Madison County and 19 in Gallatin County. Governor Steve Bullock announced Tuesday that school closures, as well as dine-in and bar restrictions would remain in effect till April 10. Local businesses and organizations are continuing to be impacted by the...
On Thursday of last week, Governor Steve Bullock declared a state of emergency to exist within the state of Montana related to the communicable disease COVID-19 novel coronavirus. In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, later Bullock announced Sunday a two-week closure of public schools in the state from March 16 to March 27. The directives announced by Bullock also included limited visitation at nursing homes, and public guidance regarding social distancing. Jefferson County Public Health...
A high-level Barrick Gold official is optimistic about the planned TSF 1 Tailings Reprocessing project at the Golden Sunlight Mine near Whitehall. Patrick Malone, Vice President of Closure and Governance for Barrick North America, told Community Transition Advisory Committee members last week the company is very excited about the project. He added the TSF 1 project would keep the site open for another ten years with the potential for much longer with the proposed TSF 2 project. "I'm extremely...
Following on the heels of January's abundant snowfall, February also delivered above normal to record-setting snowfall in mountain ranges supplying water to regional rivers and streams. New records were set for February snowfall at seven mountain SNOTEL (SNOwpack TELemetry) sites in southern and central Montana that were favored by the unstable north-northwest flow coming from Canada during the first three weeks of the month. The recovery in snowpack was well timed. "January and February snowfal...
A gray wolf was shot March 1 on private property north of Boulder. According to Montana FWP Game Warden Bill Dawson, the wolf was shot by an employee of the landowner/ranch. Dawson conducted a field investigation and determined the take was lawful. "Landowners (or a 'landowner's agent') may take a wolf on their private property if it poses a potential threat to livestock, human safety, or dogs, and it must be reported to FWP within 24 hours. In this case, it was in a calving pasture next to...
As part of the Western Montana Zone, Jefferson County is, as of March 1st, transitioning from the winter burning season into the open burn period that runs annually from March through the end of November. While the air quality restrictions are relaxed during this open burn period, burn permits are still required for fires over 48" in size. Those who need a permit can log onto the system at https://app.mt.gov/burnpermit/ to purchase and activate their permits. Remember that your permit must be...
The deadline to file declarations for Jefferson County offices in the upcoming election is March 9 at 5 p.m. The county offices open for the June 2 primary are County Commissioner (District 2), the Clerk of Court, Justice of the Peace, Superintendent of Schools and the Jefferson Valley Conservation Supervisor. The filing fee for the six-year commission seat that includes the communities of Boulder, Basin, Elk Park, Bernice, Jefferson City, and Clancy is $319.67. The seat is currently held by...
The 2020 Whitehall Area Phone books have been printed and are now available at various local businesses. The popular annual book can currently be found at the Corner Store, Jefferson Fresh Foods, A&W/KFC, Whitehall Chamber, Cardwell Store, Whitehall Community Library, Pepper Tree and Ledger Office. Ledger Publisher Jack Smith said the books are a great way to not only find the phone number you are looking for but to see the many local business options. "There are a lot of great businesses...
There was some recent positive news for the feasibility study for a possible meat co-op processing facility in the Whitehall area. JLDC Manager Alison Richardson said in-conjunction with the Headwaters RC&D, they have received a $30,000 Big Sky Trust Fund grant for the study. At a meet in late December, Tom Harrington with the Jefferson Local Development Corporation and MSU Extension detailed how the co-op could be a benefit for local producers, tying the project in with a pet food processor,...
Join Johnny Appleseed and his pioneer friends as they plant apple orchards across the West this Saturday, February 22 when the Missoula Children's Theatre and more than 40 Whitehall students present an original musical adaptation of the classic tale, “Johnny Appleseed”. The performance is scheduled for Saturday, February 22 at 2 p.m. at the Tia Kober Gym. Tickets are free but they will be accepting donations. Playing the title character of Johnny are local students Cooper Montgomery and Alannah Leonti. Other featured performers include Mik...
Abundant moisture spilled into the Treasure State from the Pacific during January, boosting snowpack in all river basins to near or above normal for February 1. In some locations, the amount of water added to the snowpack was record setting. Between December 30 and February 1, SNOTEL (SNOwpack TELemetry) sites west of the Continental Divide received up to 18 inches of snow water equivalent, roughly proportionate to 100 to 150+ inches of snowfall. Five SNOTEL sites would go on to set new records...
