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On Dec. 20, NOAA issued a press release stating they had given a Notice of Violation Assessment to Wrangell resident Sylvia Ettefagh. She was given a fine for failing to offload and report the entirety of a halibut catch. "Officers from the Alaska Division of NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement in Petersburg conducted an investigation," the press release reads. "It revealed that Ettefagh and crew retained 600 pounds of Pacific halibut that was not deducted from their IFQ permit or documented on...
Back at the end of August of this year, Alaska Natives Without Land visited Wrangell to hold a presentation on their organization and mission. The group represents five Alaska Native communities in Wrangell, Petersburg, Haines, Ketchikan, and Tenakee Springs. According to their website, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was passed in 1971. This returned 44 million acres of land and $963 million to 13 newly organized native corporations. However, for no discernible reason according to a...
Of the 11 members of the Wrangell Wolves wrestling team who travelled to Anchorage for the state championships last weekend, six walked away with placement. As teams, Bethel High School took first place in the boys' championships, while the North Pole Patriots took first place in the girls' championships. Wrangell took eleventh place in state overall in both brackets. "Many goals were accomplished this season with a Region Team Title, 4 Region Champs, and so many State placers," Assistant Coach...
The Wrangell Wolves had a rough beginning to their basketball season after two losses to the Petersburg Vikings this weekend. In two games on Friday, Dec. 20 and Saturday, Dec. 21, Wrangell put up a tough fight in two high-scoring games but were unable to keep up with Petersburg. In the first game, Dec. 20, the Wolves managed to take the lead at the end of the first quarter with 17 points to the Vikings' 16. By the end of the first half, however, the Vikings pulled ahead at 35 to 21. They held...
The Lady Wolves, Wrangell’s high school girls’ basketball team, held their annual alumni dinner and game last Tuesday, Dec. 17. The game is a tradition where past and present basketball players come together to celebrate the opening of a new season. The team served dinner to attendees, raising money for the Lady Wolves’ trip to Rally of the Regions in Anchorage in January. There was also an auction of several gifts and treats for people to bid on. According to Coach Laurie Brown, they serve...
Governor Mike Dunleavy's administration released a proposed budget for FY 2021 on Dec. 11. Total revenues for the state of Alaska would be about $8.77 million, and expenditures at $10.18 million. A press release from the governor's office highlights a few items of interest with the budget, such as fully funding K-12 education and the court system, as well as providing for a full PFD payment. This new budget would also fund 15 new State Trooper positions, and increases general fund spending on...
Members of the Wrangell Fish and Game Advisory Committee and other local organizations met at the Salvation Army building on Dec. 11 to discuss how best to distribute this year's collection of moose meat. As hunters in the area may know, moose are legal to hunt with proper permits, but only certain types of moose are legal to kill. If an "illegal" moose is killed, the meat is confiscated and the hunter is fined. An email from Chris Guggenbickler, with the advisory committee, reported that they h...
The Wrangell Planning and Zoning commission held their monthly meeting last Thursday, Dec. 12. It was the first meeting for Commissioner Jillian Privett, who was just appointed by the borough assembly on Dec. 10. There were only three items on the agenda for the commission's meeting. The first item was a conditional use application by the Miller family, for a vacation rental. The Millers are purchasing a lot near the intersection of Reid Street and St. Michael's Street, according to the agenda...
The Wrangell School Board met last Monday evening, Dec. 16, for several important topics. Two of the topics covered in the meeting were a look at the district's 2021 budget assumptions, and a formative evaluation of Superintendent Debbe Lancaster. The FY 2021 budget will be based on 316 students, according to information attached to the meeting's agenda. For the next budget the district is expecting flat funding from the state, as well as the same local contribution from the city as FY 2020....
The Wrangell Wolves wrestling team claimed first place among 2A schools in regionals this past weekend, at Craig. According to Assistant Coach Jack Carney, on the Wolves' Facebook page, this is the fifth time in team history that they have taken the title. The team also received a sportsmanship award thanks to their performance, he said. Not only that, but four team members claimed personal championships in their brackets. Ryan Rooney took first place in the 125 bracket. He received a bye in...
There are many different ways to celebrate the coming new year. People go to parties, make toasts, agree to new resolutions. In Wrangell, a new tradition that will be kicking off this New Year's Eve will be a murder most foul. Not an actual murder, of course, but a murder mystery masquerade ball at the Nolan Center. For those who are unfamiliar with how a murder mystery works, Nolan Center Director Cyni Crary described it like a live version of the board game "Clue." It is similar to a play,...
The City and Borough of Wrangell released a statement last Friday, Dec. 6, in response to several complaints about residents' electric bills suddenly increasing. A Facebook post by Edward Rilatos on the Wrangell Community Board, asking if anyone else had received a big increase on their electric bill, received over 200 responses. Many of them were responses that their bills had, indeed, gone up. "33% increase over last month with the same usage [sic]," reads a comment by Kimberly Szczatko....
The Borough assembly had a busy night during their meeting on Dec. 10. The meeting opened with a report from State Representative Dan Ortiz. Ortiz said he is going around to the communities he represents, ahead of the next legislative session, to give an update on things in Juneau and to listen to the priorities of his constituents. The next legislative session will be opening on Jan. 21, 2020. Ortiz said that the financial situation for Alaska is largely unchanged from the previous legislative...
School officials recently announced that Evergreen Elementary is one of two Alaskan schools to receive national recognition from the ESEA Distinguished Schools Recognition Program. Evergreen is being recognized for "Excellence in serving special populations of students." The other school receiving recognition is Tustumena Elementary, in the Kenai Peninsula Borough, for "exceptional student performance for two or more consecutive years." "It is an honor to recognize these two outstanding schools...
The Wrangell Port Commission met last Thursday, Dec. 5, for a relatively brief meeting. A workshop was held beforehand to continue ongoing discussions on the cruise industry in Wrangell, and potential changes to vessel classifications in the harbors. As this was a work session, no action will be taken yet on these items. The main piece of business during the meeting was a plan to change future meeting times. Port commission meetings have usually had a start time of 7 p.m. However, as the...
The Wrangell Elks Lodge hosted its annual Hoop Shoot free throw contest last Saturday, Dec. 7. The contest is held by Elks lodges across the country, open to children from 8 to 13-years-old. Jeff Jabusch, director of the contest for Wrangell, says that participants get 25 shots at making a basket, plus a maximum of five practice throws. According to a final report written by Jabusch, this year's contest saw a record number of participants. "The annual Hoop Shoot was a great success!" He wrote....
The Wrangell Wolves wrestling team made a short trip north to Petersburg for the Viking Mix and Match this past weekend. They went up against wrestlers from Petersburg, Craig, Thorne Bay and Thunder Mountain. In the Varsity 103 bracket, Devlyn Campbell and Jaceb Hay both took third place, losing by fall to Merrick Nilsen of Petersburg. In the Varsity 140 bracket, Ethan Blatchley took fourth place. In the Varsity 160 bracket, James Shilts and Hunter Wiederspohn both took fourth place. Shilts...
Mayor Steve Prysunka travelled to Washington D.C. last week to speak before the Senate Committee on Energy and National Resources. He was invited to speak on behalf of the National Association of Counties, an organization that works to advocate county priorities in federal policymaking. Prysunka spoke last Thursday, Nov. 21, on the importance of the Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Program and Secure Rural Schools (SRS) funds. "We're somewhat unique because we're actually the third largest city...
Earlier this month, on Nov. 5, several Wrangell High School cheerleaders helped SEARHC employee Tammi Meissner pick up cigarette butts on Front Street. In an email to the Sentinel, Meissner said that they managed to clean up 13.4 pounds of cigarette butts from the street and sidewalks. This was done ahead of the Great American Smokeout, which is celebrated annually on the third Thursday of November. The GASO is hosted by the American Cancer Society to promote the risks of smoking and ways to...
Plans are in motion to subdivide the old mill property around 6.5 mile Zimovia Highway, according to Terri Wenger with Anchor Properties. The property, currently owned by Betty Buhler, has been on the market for quite some time. On the Anchor Properties website the almost 39-acre lot is listed at $2.7 million. Wenger said that the plan is to subdivide the land into 11 lots, ranging in size from one to three acres. "I could be wrong, but I think that it could be possibly the biggest private land...
Some Wrangell residents may remember Tod Jones. He was a Wrangell resident for about 20 years, from the '70s to the '90s. He first moved to the area to help start a fish hatchery in the Burnett Inlet with the Alaska Aquaculture Company. Wrangell resident Brian Ashton was his former operations manager, Jones mentioned. When the hatchery closed down around 1995, Jones moved away. After leaving Wrangell, Jones said he spent four years in Israel, then came back to the United States and settled down...
Construction of the new Wrangell Medical Center remains on schedule and on budget, according to SEARHC Vice President and Hospital Administrator Leatha Merculieff. The future hospital will be about 44,500 square feet, attached to the AICS Clinic off of Wood Street, and cost about $30 million. Construction began in the spring of this year. Merculieff said that there have been some minor delays with getting trusses shipped to Wrangell, but now all major structural materials are on the island....
Past microfilms of the Stikine River Journal, the Fort Wrangell News and the Wrangell Sentinel will be digitally archived using a $8,250 grant that Wrangell Cooperative Association applied for and received from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. About 18,500 images are set to be digitized by APEX Covantage and will meet the same standards as the Alaska State Library's historical newspaper documentation program, according to Tribal Administrator Esther Ashton. Issues from the Stikine...
The Wrangell Wolves wrestling team travelled to Sitka this past weekend for a tournament at Mt. Edgecumbe High School. With 150 accumulated points, the team walked away with a third place win, behind Ketchikan in first and Mt. Edgecumbe in second. In the varsity 103 bracket, Devlyn Campbell took fifth place and Jacen Hay took third. In the varsity 130 bracket Ryan Rooney took first place. In the varsity 135 bracket Ethan Blatchley took third place. In the varsity 152 bracket Hunter Wiederspohn took first place. In the varsity 171 bracket Rowen...
Basketball season opens Dec. 4 for Wrangell's boys and girls basketball teams. While the teams are yet to meet for practice, both head coaches are optimistic about the coming season. A common theme between the coaches is the emphasis on promoting teamwork amongst their players. The Lady Wolves had an exceptional season last year. After going 11-3 in their regular season, they took their first regional championship in 25 years. They then went to State, where their season came to an end after two...
