The Whitehall Ledger - Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana

Since the middle of March, there have been numerous activities cancelled or postponed due to Covid-19. The start of the high school sports season has also seen very restricted attendance guidelines in Jefferson County. While it is very unfortunate...

I often find myself writing about technology and how I am kind of in this never-ending loop of it driving me crazy while at the same time being an absolute necessity in my life. A perfect example of this would be last Tuesday evening when I had to...

Over the past few weeks, I've heard numerous reports of campaign signs and flags being vandalized and unfortunately, this is something that seems to happen all the time. In the paper a few weeks ago, there was a story about a local resident who...

It's cool this morning. There is a different feel to the air. The days are slowly getting shorter, my bird dogs are getting restless and I am listening for that first bugle of a bull elk down in the river bottom. It's that time when I, and all...

I'm writing this on a Wednesday and just moments ago I spent a few minutes glancing at the Internet and found out it was National Hot Dog day. I know in this day and age there seems to be a "national" day for just about anything, but in my mind, the...

A few weeks ago, a letter to the editor in the Whitehall Ledger written by Chris Wagner discussed frustration with the condition of the Cardwell Sanitation Site. Wagner discussed his frustrations with the appearance of the site for both residents...

As we celebrated our 244th Independence Day on July 4th, 2020 it is has become apparent for us to reflect on our nation builders who brought us to this amazing republic in 1776. A great part of our success in establishing this republic can be... Full story

By Sheila M. Stearns Presiding Officer, Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission As the country celebrates its birth as a nation, one of the most patriotic things Montanans can do is stand up and be counted--in the 2020 Census. Or, more accur...

At last week's Town Council meeting, the governing body voted to open the Whitehall Community Pool early next month. The decision came after it was decided in May the pool would not open because of issues related to COVID-19. The decision was very...

Hi Folks, The COVID 19 crisis can make everything else, including the Census, seem less important. But completing your Census form only takes 10 minutes and will benefit and influence our community for the next ten years. Census counts are used to...

There was some great economic news last week with the Golden Sunlight Mine announcing they have secured a customer for their Tailings Reprocessing Project. Mine officials have been working meticulously with the project and this is a very positive sig...

For about five straight days I don’t think I slept more than a few minutes. Just about every type of trouble I could get myself into I did, and it felt so good doing it 2,000 miles away from home. There were rules, but I was like a 1970’s punk...

I have witnessed a lot of aggressive debate over the past several weeks about how the government has been handling the COVID-19 pandemic. Some feel they are doing the right thing by keeping people at a distance and slowing it down, while others feel... Full story

With the cancellation of sporting events across the county, ESPN has really had to get creative to fill content not only on their network but as well as on their web site. One thing the network has always done well at not many people know about is... Full story

I was sitting at the drive-in window at the A&W/KFC in Whitehall last when a memory I had blocked out for good reason resurfaced and I really wish it wouldn't have. As I sat waiting for my Papa Burger, I was reminded of my first job interview and it...

My older sister lives in Los Angeles and probably has some of the best dining options in the country. She can experience the cuisine of so many different cultures, plenty of fresh seafood, lots of healthy options and of course can anytime go to In... Full story

I am a true-crime junkie. It does matter if it is a book, television series, podcast, website, or documentary, I will check it out. To some, it certainly may sound like a macabre past time learning about serial killers or the mob, but I just cannot...

This week, I had a conversation with U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to discuss national responses to the COVID-19 outbreak and how the U.S. Department of Education can assist Montana schools. I encouraged flexibility for Montana schools. We...

I spend a lot of time cooking and take pride in the dishes I create. I would like to think they are generally pretty satisfactory but every once in a great while, it can be a real disaster. Unfortunately, this has been the case a few times too many...

A little over five years ago Melissa and I went to go watch a UFC fight card in Las Vegas that featured Conor McGregor as well as many other well-known MMA fighters. It was a glorious time and I still think fondly on it often. Although most of the...

I have so many fond memories of my childhood spent with my Grandpa and Grandma Smith. The two were a huge part of my life and we spent many days attending the University of Wyoming football and basketball games and many fun-filled vacations to...

Say the magic words "pizza party" at a school and chaos will ensue. There will be yelling, screaming, and the happiest group of kids you could possibly find outside of a birthday or Christmas morning. Kids love pizza and they like it even more when...

Over the past several years I've covered a lot of high school basketball games in gyms across the western United States. Easily one of my favorite parts about this has been covering the annual 5B District Tournament in Belgrade and last week was no...