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Wrangell-Petersburg lowest vacancy rate, lowest rents in the state

For the second year in a row, the Wrangell-Petersburg area has the lowest rental housing vacancy rate among 11 areas covered in the state’s annual survey. The combined vacancy rate for …
Yesterday at 4:00 AM

Assembly will consider updating Wrangell building code

As Wrangell is working to enter a new age of economic development, long-held concerns over the town’s building policies are resurfacing. During discussions about the Alder Top …
Yesterday at 4:00 AM

Vaccinations encouraged as flu, COVID numbers on the rise locally

State and regional health officials are urging residents to protect themselves this fall as influenza and COVID-19 cases begin to climb across the region. “We have been seeing an increase in …
Yesterday at 4:00 AM

Borough looks to update code to protect employees from threats or harassment

Borough employees act as a direct link between the public and their local government. At best, this can make them a sounding board for grievances and ideas. At worst, this can lead them to bear the …
Yesterday at 4:00 AM
Jayme Howell

School board candidate: Howell bring her parental involvement to board

Jayme Howell is running for a seat on the school board in the Oct. 6 municipal election, hoping to turn years of hands-on parent involvement into direct leadership and stronger public engagement. …
Yesterday at 4:00 AM
Alaska news
Tlingit and Haida delegates reelect Peterson to 7th term as president
Chalyee Éesh Richard Peterson was resoundingly elected to a seventh two-year term as the president of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska on Sept. 24, getting 68.1% …
3 days ago
Ketchikan assembly asks official who questioned tribal role in community to resign
The Ketchikan Gateway Borough assembly unanimously voted on Sept. 21 to condemn “discriminatory comments” made against the Ketchikan Indian Community by Darlene Dollimont-Svenson, a member of the …
3 days ago
State reports flu-related illnesses killed 36 Alaskans in 2025-2026 season
Influenza-related illnesses killed 36 Alaskans during the 2025-2026 flu season, the Alaska Section of Epidemiology said Sept. 18 in a regular annual report summarizing the prior flu season. The …
3 days ago
COVID deaths in decline, but still totaled 22 Alaskans in past 12 months
The respiratory virus that sparked a disruptive worldwide pandemic six years ago continues to circulate in Alaska, but its effects are much diminished from past years, according to state health …
3 days ago
Kodiak woman turns herself in after AI provided illegal hunt information
Incorrect information provided by a Google AI overview caused a Kodiak woman to hunt snipe illegally on Sept. 5, according to a citation filed last week at the Kodiak district court. Writing in …
3 days ago
Coast Guard icebreaker out for repairs, will miss Arctic assignment
The Coast Guard icebreaker Healy will not sail to the Arctic Ocean this year. The Healy is one of only two active Arctic icebreakers in the Coast Guard’s fleet and had been scheduled to return …
3 days ago
Wrangell

Borough’s new naming policy puts the ball back in the school board’s court

In August, the school board passed to the borough the decision on renaming the high school basketball court after a former coach. Now, the assembly has alley-ooped the decision back over to the board …

Yesterday at 4:00 AM

Davies adds school newsletter to digital communications class

It started as an idea to encourage students to gain more experience with writing and it became a project that could be reviewed and graded. Now it has become a newsletter and digital storytelling …
Yesterday at 4:00 AM

Rising fuel prices push AML to increase surcharge to 22.5%

Alaska Marine Lines increased its fuel surcharge for Southeast Alaska freight shipments to 22.5% effective Sept. 27, up from the most recent rate of 16% and up from a 9.5% surcharge in June 2025. …
3 days ago
Newspaper Archives

View Sentinel archives back to 1898 -- a joint project between the Sentinel and the Irene Ingle Public Library.

Thursday, August 14, 2025

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Police report

Police report for Sept. 30, 2026

Monday, Sept. 21 Bar checks (2).  Assists (2). Traffic stops (2). Extra patrol.  Tuesday, Sept. 22 Papers served. Suspicious activity. Traffic …

Yesterday at 4:00 AM
About Town
Photos of the week

Family fun at school

It was a busy Grandparents Day at Evergreen Elementary School on Sept. 11. Third graders walked to the Nolan Center and toured the museum with family members; second graders spent time in the school garden with family members to harvest for salad fixings; and kindergarteners and first graders set up in classrooms and the multipurpose room to play games, build and create with their families. That included (from left) Emilee Stewart (in the foreground), Leanna Nash, Maria Mora and Tye Mora-Miera.

Yesterday at 4:00 AM
Photo gallery

Shining a light on reading

Wesley Scheib and his mother Bailey Scheib found a cozy corner to read a spooky story by flashlight during the Flashlight Friday program at the Irene Ingle Public Library on Sept. 4. Half the library’s lights were turned off and children and parents were able to find dark areas to sit and read by flashlight from 5 to 6 p.m.

Wednesday, September 9
History column

The Way We Were for Sept. 30, 2026

Sept. 30, 1926 The principal speaker at the Commercial Club luncheon was Mr. F. Reed. He is one of the originators of a movement that is being started in an effort to stop the use of herring for …

Yesterday at 4:00 AM
Opinion
Editorials

Vaccination decision should be about community health

It’s fall, which means winter is coming next. But before then, people have to get through a couple of autumn decisions. One is to cast their votes in the Oct. 6 municipal election and the Nov. …

Yesterday at 4:00 AM

There’s more to City Hall than just elected positions

Though the Oct. 6 municipal election for mayor, borough assembly, school board and port commission is the attention-getting news of the month, there are other volunteer jobs important to the town, …

Wednesday, September 23

We’re in the money, but let’s spend it wisely

The state treasury is flush with oil revenue. Not because of investment in new production in Alaska — though that certainly is underway — but because the U.S. war with Iran is driving up oil …

Wednesday, September 16
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Reporter's column

The best camera makes you want to work

There is an old, reliable maxim in photography that often gets lost beneath marketing copy: The best camera isn’t the one with the highest price tag or the most advanced technology — it’s the …

Yesterday at 4:00 AM
Publisher's column

It’s rank to mislead voters this way about ranked choice

It’s rank to mislead voters this way about ranked choice By Larry Persily Advocates of the ballot measure to repeal Alaska’s open-primaries voting system and replace it with closed …

Yesterday at 4:00 AM
Letters to the editor
As voters weigh their choices this election season, I’d urge them to place character above all else when evaluating a candidate. Policy positions matter, but they shift with circumstance, …
Wednesday, September 23
I, like many of my fellow humans, get the majority of my news from the digital screen; in my instance a small black phone suffices. After pressing buttons and arrows approximately seven times, the …
Wednesday, August 26
Obituaries
Jerimiah ‘Jerry’ Lee Meyers
Surrounded by family and music, Jerimiah ‘Jerry’ Lee Myers passes at age 77
Jerimiah “Jerry” Lee Myers passed away on Aug. 25, 2026, in Absarokee, Montana, at the age of 77. Jerry was born Sept. 26, 1948, in Medford, Oregon.  He was raised all along Southeast …
Wednesday, September 23
Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ Brown (Gross)
Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ Brown (Gross) dies at 79
Jacqueline “Jackie” Brown (Gross) passed away on Aug. 14, 2026, in Glendale, Arizona, at the age of 79. Jackie was born on May 17, 1947, in Wrangell and carried with her throughout her life …
Wednesday, August 26
Patricia Eileen (Lewis) Mork
Lifetime resident Patricia Eileen (Lewis) Mork dies at 92
Patricia Eileen (Lewis) Mork, loving wife, mom, grandmother, great- and great-great-grandmother and friend to many, passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 26, 2026. Patricia “Pat” was born …
Wednesday, August 19
Aurore Marie (Grant) Fickeisen and her husband, Larry, loved driving around the Pacific Northwest in their antique cars. This photo is from 1984.
Aurore Marie (Grant) Fickeisen dies at 83
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Aurore Marie Fickeisen, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and friend, who died on June 25, 2026, at her home …
Wednesday, August 12
Sandra ‘Sandy’ Jeanne Stuart
Longtime resident Sandra ‘Sandy’ Jeanne Stuart dies at 75
Sandra ‘Sandy’ Jeanne Stuart, passed away peacefully on July 17, 2026, in Wrangell at the age of 75. She was born on May 25, 1951, in Seattle, Washington, to Leslie Stuart and Gayle Larson. …
Tuesday, July 21
Sports

Meissner wins again as cross-country team sharpens form in Petersburg

Wrangell cross-country runners (from left) Lucas Stearns, Carter Howell and Jackson Carney on the course in Petersburg on Saturday, Sept. 19.
The Wrangell cross-country team used its final regular-season test last weekend to sharpen tactics and build momentum, capturing an individual title and multiple top-10 finishes against Southeast …
Tuesday, September 22
Wrangell High School’s Lynea Harrison competes in the women’s 200-yard freestyle during the five-school swim meet at Ketchikan’s Gateway Aquatic Center on Friday, Sept. 18.

Swim team achieves multiple personal-best times at Ketchikan meet

Wrangell sent six swimmers to the five-school swim meet at Ketchikan last weekend, with all of the Wolves achieving at least one personal-best time in the pool. Team Captain Andrei …

Tuesday, September 22

Lady Wolves balance varsity experience with fresh talent for volleyball season

As the Lady Wolves volleyball team opens regular season practices, head coach Shelly Powers is balancing the addition of five freshmen with the loss of three graduated seniors — including filling a …
Wednesday, September 16
Community Calendar
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