New Owner, Changes in Store for Local Newspaper

With the Whitehall Ledger under new ownership, you'll be seeing a lot of changes, big and small, over the course of the next few weeks. From the owner to the office, the front page of the paper to the services offered, the Ledger is getting a bit of a facelift.

The first, most obvious change you have probably already noticed - the top banner of the Ledger has changed.

"I liked the look and feel of the purple and gold Ledger header, but I wanted to move the header towards something less logo based," Elizabeth Pullman, new owner of the Whitehall Ledger, said. "Before I took over the paper I had reached out to the community via Facebook and asked what one image immediately brought Whitehall to mind. The answers were across the board - the fish pond eagle, the water tower, the old tractor on the hill outside town. There was no one image that defined Whitehall."

The new simple header, Pullman said, will allow the front cover images to be the focal point of each issue.

"The one thing EVERYONE agreed on, however, was that Whitehall was about the people, and that's what I intend to focus on."

Several new columns have been included in this issue. The new "Name to a Face" column will feature a new introduction to a Whitehall resident who you may know by sight, but not by name. You may even know their name, but not their story.

The Ledger has enlisted a talented young local writer to introduce us to these individuals, find out why they live in Whitehall and give a little background to their lives. The hope is you put a name to a face and also feel more inclined to introduce yourself to them when out in public!

"Go Ask Jo" is also written by a local who would love to impart some etiquette into your life, as well as a bit of humor. Based off the "Dear Abby" and other advice/etiquette columns we all grew up reading, "Jo" will give her advice on your craziest of questions. Please send questions you'd like answered to whledger@gmail.com ATTN: Jo. We're really looking forward to a good chuckle and some logical advice from Jo.

Another change you haven't encountered yet is the new office. It's amazing what a fresh coat of paint does! The Ledger office has been completely revamped and is open to all visitors - the coffee is always on and interaction with the community is high on the priority list. Please feel free to swing by for a chat, socially distanced of course, and let the Ledger know what you'd like to see in future issues.

On the services aspect, the Ledger is now offers an assortment of business services to the community. Pullman is a notary and will be available during office hours. Shipping via UPS and LTL freight can now be completed at the Ledger, hopefully eliminating an unneeded trip outside town for shipping needs. The Ledger is also offering website design at affordable prices and and design. The Ledger will help you develop your branding, create the perfect business card, design a brochure and more. In the future, the Ledger will also offer in-house professional printing for photos and small print jobs needed quickly.

The office will be open at 8am Monday - Friday, except for Wednesdays when the Ledger is being picked up from the printer. Closing times will vary depending on daily events happening around town, but generally the office will be open until 5 p.m. The location of the office has not changed, 15 West Legion Avenue is still our home away from home.

The Ledger phone number will remain 406-287-5301; please call 406-498-3807 with any late breaking or urgent news. Please use whledger@gmail.com in place of the former emails previously available - the Ledger is trying to funnel all emails into one location and using the Gmail address will assist greatly.

The Ledger looks forward to introducing the community to all it has to offer and is open to entertaining further ideas to improve services.