Sorted by date Results 776 - 800 of 1088
The Wrangell Convention and Visitors Bureau met last Monday afternoon, May 20, to discuss a potential deal for search engine optimization. The CVB had been discussing a contract with Truly360, which is a contractor with Google. According to Economic Development Director Carol Rushmore, Truly360 was offering a two-year contract, for a total of $36,336, to help Wrangell and its local businesses use Google to its best advantage. This would include things like getting Wrangell higher up in search...
Wrangell's little league major league teams met again last Wednesday, May 15. The Wolverines and the Cubs, the league's two major league teams, have been equally matched all season. Two weeks ago, the Cubs were able to pull ahead of the Wolverines with a win, making them 3-2 for the season against the Wolverine's 2-3. However, the Wolverines were able to claim a strong win last week, and re-tie the two teams' records. The game opened very strongly for the Wolverines, which made three runs in...
After two more wins, the Bears continued their winning streak last week. The Bears claimed wins against the Wrangell Little League's other two minor league teams last week. They are now 5-0 for the season. The first game, on May 14, pitted the Bears against the Sharks. It was a strong opening for the Bears, which made five runs in the first inning against the Sharks' one. The Sharks fought hard for a comeback, though. They made two runs in the second inning, and another two runs in the fifth....
Friends, family, and school staff all crowded into the gym at Wrangell High School last Monday afternoon for an awards ceremony. With graduation just around the corner, the senior class of 2019 was the primary star of the show, with 25 different scholarship programs present to recognize the graduating students. WHS counselor Aimee Romeijn said that she was not sure how much money was given out, in total, but about 45 scholarships were awarded to the seniors. Jean-Luc Lewis received the most out...
Members of the Wrangell School District and the borough assembly came together for a joint workshop on the school district’s recently adopted budget. As Superintendent Debbe Lancaster said in the past, and repeated in Monday evening’s meeting, this was a “no fat” budget that was operating very close to the district’s bare minimum. The FY 2020 budget is assuming $6.34 million in revenue, and almost the same in expenses. In comparison, this is a decrease from the FY 2019 budget which had expenses set at roughly $6.61 million, but still higher th...
With the recent resignation of Principal Virginia Tulley, Evergreen Elementary School has found itself in need of new leadership. However, the school district itself is also facing tight finances, with the recent passage of a "no fat" budget. This budget does not allow for the hiring of a new principal, according to Superintendent Debbe Lancaster. In response, the school board determined that a new leadership position was required. The board met in a special meeting last Friday, May 10, to...
Path to Prosperity is a program organized by Spruce Root, a nonprofit that was organized with seed money from Sealaska Corporation through Haa Aaní Economic Development. It is an annual competition open to everyone across Southeast Alaska who wishes to create or expand their small business. According to Spruce Root's website, the Path to Prosperity competition judges business models not only on their feasibility, but on their contributions to the local economy, community, and environment....
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board met to review some proposed fee changes last Wednesday, May 8. The fee changes discussed in the meeting were mainly for streamlining and reformatting, according to Parks and Recreation Director Kate Thomas. She said that most of the altered fees were either moved into a different category of the department's spreadsheet, or eliminated altogether. For example, the $5 fee for use of the showers at the community pool was removed, as Thomas said those fees...
The Irene Ingle Public Library is gearing up for their annual summer reading program once again. The program has been running for over 20 years, according to Library Director Margaret Villarma. She said it is designed to hone kids' reading comprehension even when they are not in school. "It's important for them to do the reading program because if they don't read over the summer they lose some of what they learned the previous school year," she said. "They call that 'summer backslide,' I think...
Laura Davies’ fifth grade classroom has spent the past year learning about how to create and give a persuasive argument. To showcase their newfound talents in persuasive debates, several volunteers in her class will be presenting their speeches to the public at the Nolan Center next Tuesday, at 7 p.m. Writing and giving persuasive speeches has been a traditional part of Davies’ classroom for several years, she said, but she only opened it up to the public last year. From simple arguments to large, formal debates, the ability to create and def...
It was a rough week for the Sharks, one of the three minor league teams in Wrangell's little league program this year. After two hard losses to both the Bears and the Rays, the team is currently 0-4. While they are still working for their first win of the season, the other two teams in the minor league division were able to add another victory to their records. The first game of the week was against the Bears, who have so far gone undefeated all season. The Bears continued this record with a...
It was a real nail-biting game last Monday evening, according to Cubs Coach Briana Schilling. The Cubs and the Wolverines are the two major league teams in Wrangell Little League this year, and they have both been fighting hard all season for every win. Up until recently, the two teams were tied at 2-2 for the season, the teams seeming to be fairly equally matched. However, with there only being one game due to the school's annual spring concert last week, the Cubs have been able to edge ahead...
Fire, smoke, and sirens could all be seen and heard at the Wrangell airport last Tuesday afternoon. While there was no real emergency, the situation was meant to simulate one. A disaster drill was held on the airport's runway. According to Airport Manager Willie Bloom, the drill is a triennial event in Wrangell and is required by the FAA. He said the drill is meant to be an opportunity for the Department of Transportation, the Wrangell Fire Department, and the city's medical services be better...
From building flower pots to repairing walls, a group of AmeriCorps volunteers will be spending six weeks volunteering in Wrangell. "Green 3," as the team is called, came to Wrangell at the request of the U.S. Forest Service to help with a wide variety of community service projects in the area. They arrived on April 24, according to a press release from the National Civilian Community Corps, and will be working in the area until June 3. "The team overall is excited to be in Wrangell for the firs...
Lean times are ahead for the Wrangell School District, according to the budget that was adopted on April 30. Funding for the district has been a topic of much concern ever since Governor Mike Dunleavy released his proposals for the state budget. One of his proposals was a major cut to the Base Student Allocation, a program that gives schools money for every student in their district. It has been very challenging to prepare a budget for the new school year without knowing for sure what was going...
Five Wrangell High School students recently returned from a trip to Washington D.C. and New York City, as a part of the Close Up program. Close Up is a nonprofit student government nonprofit organization, according to Sarah Whittlesey-Merritt with the Wrangell Legislative Information Office. The program brings high school students from schools across the country to visit the two cities, learn about government, and foster an interest in politics. Merritt has been involved in the Close Up program...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly held an emergency meeting last Thursday night to adopt a "surplus property agreement" with the Nome Joint Utility System. The surplus property in question is a pair of diesel generators currently sitting in storage in Nome. Power has been a topic of concern around Wrangell, and amongst the assembly, thanks in part to the recent hydropower shortages at Tyee and Swan Lake. Wrangell currently has four diesel generators which it can use for power in the event of an...
The Cubs and the Wolverines, the two major league teams in the Wrangell Little League, met for their third game of the season on Wednesday, May 1. Both teams had beaten the other before, in the opening week of the season. Last week's game was very competitive. The Wolverines were able to claim their second win of the season after a close finish to the game, however. The game started in the Wolverines' favor, after they made four runs in the first inning to the Cubs' two. In the second inning,...
The Rays and the Sharks, both a part of the Wrangell Little League's minor league division, had their first game of the season on April 30. The game went heavily in the Rays' favor and they won the game with a score of 8-1. Tawney Crowley, coach for the Rays, said it was a good game for her team for a number of reasons. One of their players, Kiara Lyons, got to play in the catcher position for the first time, and she did a great job. The Rays also made four home runs that game, the first of...
Virginia Tulley moved to Wrangell in late July of 2018, ready to take on her new position as principal of Evergreen Elementary School. Coming from Arizona, Tulley has worked in a variety of teaching positions before the move to Alaska. Coming here was a bit of an adventure for her. “I always wanted to live in Alaska,” Tulley said to the Sentinel, back in July. “I don’t know my specific reason other than I wanted to explore.” After one school year as principal, however, Tulley decided to put in...
The Alaska Raptor Center is a Sitka-based rehabilitation center that cares for sick or injured birds. The Center cares for raptors, primarily, such as eagles, hawks, and owls. However, according to their website, they will care for "any bird in need." As a part of the Stikine River Birding Festival, two human and two avian representatives of the organization came to Wrangell to teach people about Alaska's raptors. Raptors have several distinct characteristics from other types of birds. These...
Starting April 1, according to a document from the City and Borough of Wrangell, the cap on sales taxes for single purchases has been increased from $1,500 to $3,000 or above. According to Finance Director Lee Burgess, this means that the sales tax for single purchases of $3,000 or more are capped at seven percent of $3,000, or $210. Any large purchases made after the beginning of April will have the new cap, while purchases before that date still have the old cap applied to them. Burgess...
The Tlingit and Haida Regional Housing Authority held a two-hour training session at the Nolan Center last Wednesday evening, April 24. The THRHA works across Southeast Alaska to create affordable housing, offers opportunities for home repairs, and even helps people learn about money management. Representatives from the organization came to Wrangell last week to offer training on financial planning and preventative home maintenance. The budgeting portion of the training session was handled by...
The days are growing longer, the temperature is increasing, and the flowers are in bloom. Spring is here, and so is baseball season. The Wrangell Little League held its opening ceremony to this year's baseball season at Volunteer Park last Saturday morning. Over 100 kids are participating in little league this year, amongst all the divisions. There are two teams in the major league division, for kids from the ages of 9 to 12: The Cubs and the Wolverines. The minor league division, for kids...
From superheroes to science fiction, from cartoon characters to thought-provoking stories, for any fan of any genre there is likely a comic book. The characters and stories that have become such an integral part of modern entertainment often got their beginnings in comic books. Batman, arguably one of the world's best-known superheroes, first appeared in 1939 in the pages of a comic book. For those in Wrangell who like comic books, the Little Free Library on Case Avenue will have free comics to...
