Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Sorted by date Results 143 - 167 of 1911
GEORGIA, I have a question, Last week I was on a solo trip, staying at an all-inclusive resort, so I didn’t have to worry about finding places to eat by myself. The hotel used club-style seating, which meant tables were set for eight and guests were seated together to encourage conversation and a sense of community. On the third night, I was seated first and poured myself a glass of wine. A family of five joined me at the table - two parents and three kids (two were teenagers). The mother immediately told me that they did not want their c...
I’m a “Jack-of-all-trades guy,” or at least attempt to fix or take on projects often, sometimes out of the wish to save money, or even to assist other people. One of my favorite resources is YouTube, where you can find a “how-to” tutorial on almost anything. Sometimes these videos are beneficial, and other times I learn little; it just depends on the presenter. At other times, I rely on instructions, but I’ll admit that there are days when I skip over reading them, dive into the task, fail to understand how something works, and then return...
ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Fill your mind with positive and motivational thoughts, and you’ll be much happier in the long run, Aries. It’s easy to focus on negatives, but a change of perspective is liberating. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 A lack of energy may be affecting your ability to do the things that you normally enjoy, Taurus. Figure out ways to get more rest so you will not lack energy. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 It seems your social skills have been less consistent than in the past, Gemini. Do you have a reason why you have been pulling away from oth...
Dear Editor, I was at first glad to see the apology from Ruth Lott in the June 25, 2025, Whitehall Ledger edition. That gladness soon turned to disappointment. First, Ms. Lott blames the mistake on "reliable sources" being "duped." While I'm not sure to which sources she refers (the meme or quote itself, whomever posted the meme/quote, etc.) she does not make it clear that she, herself, was "duped" into both believing and passing along this false quote. Second, Ms. Lott, by using the word "duped...
Dear Editor, Social Security can benefit future generations – if Congress acts. Every year, the chief actuary of the Social Security Administration (SSA) reports to Congress on how many years the program has left in the Social Security Trust Fund to fully meet the obligations of current and future beneficiaries. Last year, that number increased by a year as the economy and jobs grew under the leadership of President Joe Biden. This year, the system lost ground - going from 2036 to 2033. The anti...
If dogs sweated like human beings, they probably would not be popular pets. There are no nights in outer space. If puberty is confusing for humans, metamorphosis must be even more confusing for caterpillars. During your life, you will walk by, drive by, sit near, and occupy the same rooms with hundreds of thousands of people that you will never meet. My watch history has shifted from shows where kids act like adults to ones where adults act like kids. Teenagers and adults finding each other gross is a feature, not a bug. Sperm donation is human...
Over 80% of Montana schools are "Title I" schools. That means students in the school qualify for free or reduced lunch. Montana receives more than $2,000 in Title I funding per child, compared to the national average of $1,489 (2017 figures). Here's what a search for data from the current administration turned up (a subject for another post): To feed hungry kids, the Montana Food Bank Network partnered with 148 schools (as of 2022) and provided weekend nutrition to 3,600 children. In Kalispell,...
GEORGIA, I have a question. My wife and I recently (silently) changed our son’s name after my brother and sister-in-law (SIL) gave their son (our nephew) the name, too. They are now mad at us - but is it any of their business? My wife and I had our son four months ago. We had a name chosen early in her pregnancy. We kept that name to ourselves, but my SIL found it out when she was still pregnant with my nephew (almost 7 months old). She never said how; she just told us she loved the name, congratulated us, and said they couldn’t wait to meet hi...
We’ve grown accustomed to a litany of cries for injustice, some for honorable causes and others not so honorable. How can a person delineate a true cry for injustice? Does it come down to the colors of the political parties, red or blue? Honestly, I don’t think that’s the proper litmus test. In recent weeks, some so-called “peaceful” protests turned quickly into destruction, anarchy, and chaos. Fortunately, here in Montana, movements were much tamer, but this question of injustice is certainly on people’s minds. Interestingly, the timing of a...
ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Career developments may be a bit unclear this week, Aries. Your motivation may need a little extra boost. You may need to consider whether a career change is in order. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 A lack of information is proving confusing, Taurus. If you suspect there are more details to uncover, choose a course of action and do your best to get as clear a picture of the situation as possible. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Keep your money in your wallet this week, Gemini. You might want to spend it or give it away impulsively, which...
Front lawns are mostly just for show. If you drop soap on the floor, is the floor clean, or is the soap dirty? Before getting a license, everyone should have to experience a simulation of a crash on the highway. If two vegans are arguing, is it still considered beef? When you’re born deaf, what language do you think in? How does your towel get dirty if you get out of the shower clean? Statistically speaking, the most common final words men across history have heard before dying are probably “I love you” or “Fire.” If your life flashed b...
If a public information request becomes too costly for an individual or organization to pursue, constitutional access to public documents is denied. On May 8, Gov. Greg Gianforte signed into law House Bill 100, which was requested by the Department of Administration and sponsored by Rep. Bill Mercer of Billings. The bill amends Montana’s public record laws by defining fees a public agency may charge when responding to a request, setting an hourly fee limit, establishing response deadlines for certain agencies, and creating a private cause of a...
Dear Editor, In response to a letter from Ruth Lott published on June 18th, 2025 in the Whitehall Ledger, it should be pointed out that Karoline Leavitt did not say "America cannot function if President Trump has to deal with co-equal branches of government having the ability to check his power," or anything close to that. Snopes and Politifact both agree on this, as was determined with a quick and easy search. Respectfully, TIMOTHY S. BENNETT Whitehall, Montana...
Dear Editor, I owe an apology to your readers. It has been brought to my attention that Karoline Leavitt's quote in my letter to the editor last week appears to have been manufactured. It would appear that even reliable sources can be duped. The deliberate misrepresentation of Fox News skewing the intention of the NO KINGS rally into disrespect for our military remains a fact. Respectfully submitted, RUTH LOTT Cardwell, Montana...
Dear Editor, While Gaza smolders under relentless bombardment and Palestinian families bury their women and children, Senator Steve Daines offers his usual response: absolute silence. Perhaps he's too busy polishing Trump's golf shoes to notice the genocide happening on his watch - and with our tax dollars ($17.8+ billion). Recently, the Mountain Sky Conference of the United Methodist Church - representing faithful from Montana and neighboring states - passed a resolution condemning Israel's...
In 1863, one year before Montana became a territory, John Bozeman built a trail across Indian country to reach newly discovered gold fields. When Montana became a territory in 1864 through the Organic Act, one of the first acts of the territorial government was to pass a resolution to appropriate land that Native American tribes had called home for thousands of years. The Indian Wars between 1865-1890 are a profound part of our story. Michael Punke's book Ridgeline tells the story of the battle...
GEORGIA, I have a question, I (27F) got pregnant unexpectedly after a short relationship. The father isn’t involved, but I decided to keep the baby. My family has been supportive - except for my older sister (34F), who has been struggling with infertility for years. From the moment she found out I was pregnant, she kept making comments like, “It’s not fair that you get to be a mom when you’re not even married.” She even suggested multiple times that I let her and her husband adopt my baby since they’re “better equipped” to raise a child....
The effects of anger are overwhelmingly negative, creating physical, emotional, and spiritual issues. I’ve appreciated sitting with other Christians for several weeks to discuss the myth of righteous anger. We’ve mistakenly bought into this idea that somehow anger is good. Ultimately, discovering that God or Jesus is the only one who can have righteous anger. Too many people go through life holding onto anger and, in return, suffer, often having a domino effect on their personal lives and the relationships surrounding them. What happens whe...
ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Nothing is too much for you to handle right now, Aries. But don’t take on even more as a way to prove something to someone. That could be a recipe for trouble. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Your physical energy is strong right now, Taurus. This may work to your advantage regarding your relationship. Your desire for love and passion is intense right now, so explore it. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Matters of the heart may need a little work right now, Gemini. If things haven’t been going too smoothly, you might have to examine the dyn...
Dear Editor, I must clarify my Letter to the Editor to the Whitehall Ledger, which I submitted on June 6, 2025, about the lady being fired from the Whitehall Senior Center. It was my mistake that some misunderstood that the Whitehall Senior Center fired her. The Senior Center is operated by Rocky Mountain Development Council in Helena; this entity does the hiring and firing. It has been brought to my attention that some folks are going in to the Whitehall Senior Center upset over the firing; I...
Dear Editor, When I returned from the "NO KINGS" protest in Butte on Saturday afternoon, I turned on Fox News. The Fox News spin on the hundreds of NO KINGS rallies which took place across the country Saturday was to portray them as disrespectful to the men and women who serve in the various branches of the military, which marked June 14th as its 250th Anniversary. Not true. The thousands of people protesting all over Montana and the millions of people protesting across the rest of the country...
Dear Montana Congressional delegates Daines, Sheehy, Zinke, and Downing, Every member of Congress takes an oath, “to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Donald Trump has broken the oath he took to defend the Constitution many times and is on his way to becoming a tyrant. We respectfully ask this question: Where is your line regarding the balance of power and preserving the Constitution? How far can Trump go to dismantle our democracy and disregard the rule of law, before you wil...
Millennials learned to Google, Gen Z learned to prompt, and Gen Alpha will wonder why we ever had to ‘ask’ machines anything. If you didn’t watch it when it aired, you’d never be able to catch up with The Truman Show. I don’t like to go to sleep because finding a comfortable position is difficult. I also don’t want to get up in the morning because this means I have to abandon the perfect sleeping position I’ve spent so much time searching for. IKEA has likely provided more hex keys to consumers than any other supplier. The change in your pocke...
Each of us Americans conducts our daily life in bubbles, all shockingly siloed from each other. These days, we don’t share much common ground between our circumscribed worlds based on culture, zip code, religion, and political beliefs. We feel empathy toward others inside our comfortable corrals. But too often, mutual support doesn’t reach outward. Mistrust replaces compassion. I spent late April in my conservationist bubble. Since the first Earth Day in 1970, I’ve tried to take stock of how we treat our home planet. For this year’s “Earth...
GEORGIA, I have a question, My father-in-law has breakfast every Saturday morning at the same restaurant. He arrives at 6 AM when they open and usually stays until 8:30. His kids and grandchildren drop in and out; most do not stay the whole time, and they either pay their checks on the way out or leave him cash to cover their bill, which he pays before he leaves. Last Saturday, my family and I went late, barely catching him. They headed home while I went ot the counter to pay the check. It was $171! I immediately asked for an itemized receipt,...
