Getting ready for Halloween

Ryan (left) and Erika Jabusch on Oct. 22 helped fill the candy bins and bowls for next week in the heavily decorated garage of their grandparents, Jeff and Kay Jabusch, in advance preparation for Halloween. Jeff and Kay are well known for their extravagant Halloween displays each year, and this year promises to be no different. They welcome all who want to come enjoy their haunted garage on Ocean View Drive — and some treats too.

Today

Cindy Sweat will sign off from KSTK for retirement Dec. 31

Cindy Sweat will retire at the end of December after 24 years with KSTK, with more than half that time as station manager.

On most weekday mornings, Wrangell wakes up to Cindy Sweat’s voice on KSTK radio at 6:45 a.m., announcing the day’s community calendar. One upcoming announcement is her retirement as station …

Wednesday, October 21

Freshmen’s local documentaries selected to play at two film festivals

Short documentary films by two freshmen have been selected for showings at two different film festivals. Filmmakers Quinton Davies (left) with middle school digital storytelling teacher Laura Davies (center) and Erika Jabusch (right) spent hours editing and preparing their films.

Equipped with nothing more sophisticated than standard iPads and basic iMovie software, two Wrangell freshmen spent their summer turning personal curiosities into cinema. Now, their work is headed …

Wednesday, October 21

More local news

Alaska Airlines plane grounded in Wrangell after engine failure

An Alaska Airlines aircraft was expected to depart Wrangell on Wednesday after spending six days in town for replacement of a failed engine. The right-hand engine — the starboard side, for …

Today

Grant EchoHawk is running against Rep, Jeremy Bynum for the House District 1 seat.

EchoHawk says his biggest issue is to stop short-funding of schools

Former Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly Member Grant EchoHawk is running for the second time to serve in the Alaska Legislature as the House District 1 representative. The district includes …

Today

State Rep. Jeremy Bynum is running for reelection.

Bynum wants to address housing and education in second term

State Rep. Jeremy Bynum is seeking reelection to the House District 1 seat on Nov. 3. The Ketchikan Republican is running against former Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly Member Grant EchoHawk …

Today

Trump’s Department of Justice wants to block certification if Sen. Sullivan loses election

President Donald Trump said he told his administration to file its lawsuit to block certification of the U.S. Senate race in Alaska if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, kicking off what many fear …

Yesterday at 7:00 PM

Assembly moves toward waiving sales tax on heating fuel for 4 months

The impacts of rising diesel costs are becoming harder to ignore. As a result of the Iran war, the average cost of a gallon of diesel in the U.S. has risen about 72%, from $3.66 to $6.32 as of …

Wednesday, October 21

Nolan Center sees big increase in museum revenue this cruise ship season

Community markets, educational presentations and monthly movies are only a few of the events that the Nolan Center hosts on a regular basis, but its main source of revenue comes from visitors to the …

Wednesday, October 21

High school may consider student-built artificial intelligence project

High school students could have the opportunity to build their own artificial intelligence systems from scratch under a proposal presented to the school board. Tony Anzalone, the district’s …

Wednesday, October 21

Chili, pumpkins and fundraising all part of upcoming St. Frances event

The St. Frances chili and macaroni feed will fill the tables at the annual fundraising Harvest Fest from noon until they sell out Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Nolan Center. The event gives …

Wednesday, October 21

A pair of community nonprofits hold fundraising auctions this week

It’s a busy week for community fundraisers in town. It will start with a silent auction to raise money for Wrangell Burial Assistance, which has provided financial aid since 2019 for families …

Wednesday, October 21

Seafood industry works to encourage Alaska fishermen to vote

A coalition of Alaska commercial seafood industry organizations is giving fishermen and processors tools to boost voter turnout in the governor’s race. The nonpartisan Dock the Vote task force …

Wednesday, October 21

Construction is well underway on eight units of employee rental housing that SEARHC is developing on a 3.3-acre parcel it owns on Zimovia Highway, about 1,000 feet past TK’s Mini Mart. Dawson Construction is building the units, which are scheduled for completion by spring of 2027, a SEARHC spokesperson said last week. In the spring, SEARHC projected it would cost about $3 million to build the two single-family homes and three duplexes, with additional housing units possible on the lot in the future. SEARHC is the largest employer in Wrangell. In a written statement last week, SEARHC said it “recognizes that housing availability is an important factor in building and sustaining a reliable workforce in Southeast Alaska communities.”

SEARHC employee rental housing under construction

Tuesday, October 20

Early in-person voting open for Nov. 3 state election

Registered voters can cast their ballots in the Nov. 3 statewide election starting this week at City Hall. The Wrangell early voting station is one of more than 100 available across Alaska the …

Tuesday, October 20

More news

Alaska news

California approves plan to build largest kelp farm in the country

California has long been farm country, and its oceans soon could be, too. State coastal officials voted in September to allow a plan to build the United States’ largest kelp farm 6 miles off …

Today

During the four days The Associated Press was on the fishing vessel Progress in the Bering Sea in July, the vessel caught some 210 chum salmon. The captain, who has spent 13 years in the pollock industry, said avoiding salmon is a central part of his job.

The fish behind America’s fish sticks is fueling a fight over trawling in Alaska

The net rose from the heaving Bering Sea swells, packed so tightly with Alaska pollock that their heads squeezed through the webbing. As the catch spilled onto the deck, other dead marine life …

Today

Murkowski says high fuel prices ‘a threat to everyone … from Wasilla to Wrangell’

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski received a warm welcome from the crowd at the 60th Alaska Federation of Natives convention in Anchorage’s Dena’ina Center on Oct. 22. “It’s always, always, …

Today

Ketchikan borough assembly removes official after racial remark

The Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly has voted unanimously to immediately remove Darlene Dollimont-Svenson from the borough planning commission. The motion was put on the Oct. 20 agenda by …

Today

Nyché Andrew places her hand on the soil after bringing flowers to the grave of her relative, Tummassak, at the Lutheran cemetery in Shishmaref on Oct. 5. Tummassak, who died more than 100 years ago while attending the federal Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, was reburied on a grassy knoll. She was among three Alaska Native students whose remains were returned to Alaska this year from Carlisle.

Ketchikan family’s wait continues for remains of Native boarding school student

Healing, joy and new connections filled a Ketchikan family’s journey in September to the Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where the family’s ancestor, Mabel Stack, died …

Today

Incumbent congressional candidates skip Alaska Native convention forum

Mary Peltola, a Democrat in a tight race that might determine control of the U.S. Senate, stood on stage at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention in Anchorage and threw some barbs at the …

Today

At least 18 early and absentee voting sites in rural Alaska fail to open

At least 18 remote villages where Alaska Natives are a majority of the population failed to open early and in-person absentee voting sites during the first week of early balloting, according to …

Today

Alaska ballot measure supporters want to restate that only citizens can vote

Alaskans will decide on Nov. 3 whether to change state voter qualification language related to the citizenship requirement to vote. Only U.S. citizens are eligible to vote in national and …

Today

Ketchikan needs to raise at least $250,000 to cover travel for student activities

Earlier this year, Ketchikan High School athletics and activities programs were told they would receive no school district funding for travel during the 2026-2027 school year. The drop in funding …

Tuesday, October 20

Oct. 21, 2026

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Wrangell

School district will require two more course credits for graduation

High school students will need to earn 26 credits to graduate instead of 24, following final school board approval on Sept. 21. The policy change raises overall graduation requirements without …

Wednesday, October 21

Police report for Oct. 21, 2026

Monday, Oct. 12 Lost property. Assist: Petersburg Police Department. Traffic stop. Tuesday, Oct. 13 Assist: Alaska Wildlife Trooper. Citizen assist. Bar check. …

Wednesday, October 21

Read previous police reports

About Town

Photos of the week

Putting the site to better use

Wednesday, October 14

More photos

Photo gallery

Tugboat fire contained

Tuesday, October 13

More photo galleries

History column

The Way We Were for Oct. 21, 2026

Oct. 21, 1926 A piano has been rented for the high school to be used in assembly singing and chorus work. The piano also will be used by the orchestra. In other school news, enrollment numbers …

Wednesday, October 21

Wrangell wrestlers take Division II title at Southeast Showdown

Senior Jackson Carney, bottom, controls Anchorage’s Dimond High School senior Keller Jackson during their 152-pound championship match under the spotlight at the Southeast Showdown in Juneau’s George Houston Gymnasium on Saturday. Carney won a 15-4 major decision for the title and was selected Boys Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. He is undefeated this season.

The Wrangell High School wrestling team captured the Division II team title at the Southeast Showdown in Juneau on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23-24, behind three individual champions and a dominant …

Lady Wolves go 3-1 in volleyball matches against Petersburg and Haines

The Lady Wolves had a successful weekend against Haines and Petersburg last Friday and Saturday, winning three out of four matches, with extra practice and some “tinkering” making the difference …

Today

Naming the port a fitting honor for former governor Murkowski

Frank H. Murkowski, who turned 93 in March, was governor of Alaska from 2002 to 2006; a U.S. senator for the 49th state from 1981 to 2002; named commissioner of the Alaska Department of Commerce and …

Wednesday, October 21

Thank you to DeRuyter and Mach, and welcome Howell and Privett

With the conclusion of the municipal election, it’s a good time to thank those who have served in elected office in Wrangell — and provide some advice for the newcomers taking their seats. …

Wednesday, October 14

Wrangell excels at community fundraising

Wrangell bickers a fair amount, as does any small town. It’s not especially mean-spirited or nasty and is sometimes amusing, but often it’s unproductive. It’s recreational bickering, …

Wednesday, October 7

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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 …

Wednesday, September 30

Childhood food memories triumph over politics

The political flyers overflowing my mailbox, the pop-up videos overwhelming my mood every time I check sports scores on a website, the campaign ads overpowering my senses when I listen to my favorite …

Wednesday, October 21