Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 342
Members of the Wrangell Fish and Game Advisory Committee are concerned about the future of commercial salmon fishing as Alaska’s tourism industry continues to expand, bringing in more non-resident fishers on charter trips. The advisory committee supports amending state regulation to prevent the Southeast sport fishery from exceeding its 20% share of the Pacific Salmon Commission’s annual harvest ceiling for king salmon. The committee voted Nov. 7 to support a proposal calling for tighter state regulation of the charter catch and questioned whe...
In a livestreamed lecture sponsored by Sealaska Heritage Institute, ethnohistorian Zachary Jones presented on the U.S. military's 19th century attacks on the Tlingit villages of Kaachxhaan.áak'w, Kéex' Kwáan and Xutsnoowú Kwáan - present-day Wrangell, Kake and Angoon. Though the attacks occurred over 150 years ago, their effects are still felt by Tlingit communities today, Jones said, and community leaders are still seeking restitution. In 1867, the U.S. government paid Russia $7.2 million - le...
The Wrangell School District has a packed schedule of events as it heads into the holiday season. On Friday, Nov. 17, Evergreen Elementary School will hold its annual “Friendsgiving” lunch, where students can invite an adult friend to share a meal with. Food is prepared and served by members of the Parent Teacher Community Club. Schools will be closed on Nov. 23 and 24 so that teachers and students can enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday. On Nov. 29, the elementary school will be transformed into an art gallery for the biannual “Art Walk,” where f...
For some, the holiday spirit doesn’t kick in until the evening of Dec. 24, when the stockings are already on the mantle. For others, Christmastime is a monthslong extravaganza that starts when the last trick-or-treaters say goodnight and ends sometime in late January, when the Christmas tree is a pile of needles on the floor. The right time of year to put up a tree is a deeply personal decision, but regardless of your holiday decoration timeline, the annual Spotify spike of “All I Want for Christmas is You” streams has already begun, and the f...
The borough was awarded a $421,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on Friday, Nov. 3, which will go toward planning and engineering work for a deepwater port at the former sawmill site at 6-Mile. The grant covers an environmental risk assessment, permitting, assessment of the property’s bulkhead and utility extension requirements and a feasibility study update, according to an Oct. 31 press release from U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan. The money won’t go toward actually constructing anything at the site, Har...
Trident Seafoods’ skilled-trades program was founded to address “the graying of the trades” — the shoreside counterpart to “the graying of the fleet.” The four-year course helps young people start careers in welding, electrical work, carpentry and more, while addressing the company’s need for new workers. Students spend two years in training alongside a cohort of 10 students, followed by a two-year commitment to employment at Trident. Wrangell High School alumnus Jacen Hay learned about the program during a presentation to his class. He had...
The Port Commission recommended a substantial boost in the borough’s cruise ship lightering rates at its Nov 2 meeting and the assembly will likely consider the rate increase on Dec. 12. If approved, the change will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024. The recommendation is to raise the rate by half, charging lightering ships 60% of the fee for a dock tie-up instead of the current 40%. The community’s port rates are among the lowest in the region, which has helped attract businesses and stimulate economic growth, according to a report by Har...
Between the dark days, frigid breezes and slippery sidewalks, Southeast winters can be brutal. Sometimes, it feels easier to stay home alone than brave the elements. But thanks to Parks and Recreation's new "community connections" program, Wrangellites have a warm, casual space to socialize, complete with games and hot beverages. Throughout the winter months, the Parks Department is opening the multi-purpose room in the community center from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays to create a...
Ten Alaska Native youth from the Wrangell School District learned about their heritage and made connections with the statewide Native community at the Elders & Youth Conference in Anchorage last month. The event, which featured cultural and educational workshops, speeches, healing circles, a talent show and more, is a chance for Native youth to learn about democratic processes and leadership skills. This year, its theme was Woosht Guganéixh, which translates from Tlingit to “let it be that we heal each other.” Tlingit teacher Virginia Oliv...
While serving as interim borough manager, Finance Director Mason Villarma will make $10,000 per month in addition to his regular monthly base salary of just under $10,000 per month. As interim deputy borough manager, Clerk Kim Lane will receive an additional $2,700 per month. Lane already serves as “acting” borough manager if the borough manager is unavailable, and her amended contract adds the same amount to her monthly paycheck that she would make as acting manager. Both contracts take effect Nov. 1 and expire June 30, 2024, or as soon as...
After considering 11 projects submitted by community members and borough staff for Wrangell’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application, the assembly selected the Stikine Middle School roof replacement as its top priority at the Oct. 24 meeting. Most of the middle school roof hasn’t been replaced since 1995, and the roof’s substrate has begun to warp after 28 years of water absorption. The estimated cost is $1.475 million. The CDBG is a federal program that provides financial assistance for low- to moderate-income communities seeki...
Now that the tourist season has come to a close, the Nolan Center looks back on a successful year as it prepares for a winter of community events and holiday festivities. In 2023, the Nolan Center had a record year for tour visitors and museum pass sales. Museum passes brought in around $13,000 more than what Nolan Center Director Cyni Crary had anticipated, for a total of around $50,000. The center is also on track to meet or exceed its projected $15,000 in event revenues. "We're booked," said...
The Lady Wolves are refining their technique and getting their new players up to speed as they ramp up training before volleyball regionals in mid-November. The team won two home matches against Petersburg's junior varsity team on Friday, Oct. 27. Each match was best of five, and the Wrangell girls won both in three straight sets. "Everybody played really well," said co-coach Brian Herman, who is leading the team alongside Shelley Powers. "No real hiccups at all." After three back-to-back...
After a yearlong public process, the U.S. Forest Service has announced eight potential cabin sites in the Petersburg and Wrangell Ranger Districts. After considering the environmental impacts and accessibility of hundreds of sites suggested by members of the public or identified by staff, the district picked the ones that are most likely to see substantial traffic and compete for federal funding, and announced them in a draft decision published Thursday, Oct. 19. There are three sites in the...
The Wrangell Cooperative Association’s Tl’átk - Earth Branch is looking for a place to build a greenhouse after tribal citizens objected to putting one near the community garden, due to the area’s proximity to Indigenous gravesites. The borough assembly was slated to consider Tl’átk – Earth Branch’s request for a parcel of land next to the garden at its Sept. 26 meeting. The parcel is near Indigenous gravesites and Tl’átk was considering maintenance and signs on the gravesites as part of its plan for the greenhouse. However, after some triba...
Alaska is seeking to turn mariculture — a form of marine farming that includes oysters and kelp — into a $100 million industry in the next 20 years. With two kelp farm permit holders and an operating oyster farm near town, Wrangell is home to a nascent mariculture industry of its own. Robert Lemke of Salt Garden Farm has permits for two kelp farms, each three acres, on the Back Channel near Madan Bay and Earl West Cove. Though he’s held the permits since 2020, he hasn’t started a kelp crop yet and is planning to do so this season for the fir...
Economic Development Department staff met Oct. 18 with the Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau to review the borough’s travel marketing strategy and prepare it for final bureau approval in November. The group discussed industry trends, the borough’s strengths as a destination and the methods it should use to expand tourism in town. Potential visitors might ask, “why come (to Wrangell) when other communities north and south of us are easier to get to and have more perceived amenities,” said Economic Development Director Kate Thomas. She belie...
The Lady Wolves volleyball team started their season with three big wins and three tough losses in the Klawock seeding tournament Oct. 19-21. After winning their first match against Skagway 3-0, the team played “a really tough match” against Craig that also resulted in a 3-0 win for Wrangell. “The girls did really, really well” in the Craig match, said co-coach Brian Herman, who is leading the team with Shelley Powers this season. They “came back from a late-game deficit, they came back and won.” Then, to round out their winning streak, the...
The high school swim team continued refining its skills and building its endurance at the invitational in Petersburg Oct. 13 and 14. The team competed in 20 individual and four relay events and the six athletes earned a combined 10 personal bests. Maddy Davies had a standout weekend, competing in four individual events and two relays. Typically, high school swimmers log a maximum of 400 to 500 yards of racing at any given meet, explained coach Jamie Roberts. In Petersburg, however, Davies swam nearly 1,500 yards. “She’s really gravitated to...
After seven years of planning, the borough has accumulated the funds it needs to upgrade its water treatment plant and is preparing to move forward with the work. At its Oct. 10 meeting, the assembly approved a $1.961 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, fully funding the project. Then, it approved a $19.605 million contract with Sitka-based McG Constructors to perform the upgrades. The project, which will run over $23 million after factoring in design, inspection and administrative costs, is intended to improve the plant’s wat...
A seal-processing workshop hosted by the Wrangell Cooperative Association brought knowledge about traditional subsistence practices to the community. During a series of classes on Oct. 6, 7 and 8, students helped harvest the meat, fat, skin, oil and intestines from two seals and learned how each byproduct could be prepared or stored. Instructor Paul Marks II learned how to harvest and process seals from his family in Kake, particularly his grandmother. "I would bring in fish, crab, halibut, what...
The borough assembly approved a $880,294 contract with Juneau-based Global Diving and Salvage to install corrosion-inhibiting anodes at Heritage Harbor and in two locations at the Marine Service Center. The project is funded through Port and Harbors reserves. Last March, the Port and Harbors Department discovered that anodes were never attached to the steel pilings at Heritage Harbor when it was completed in 2009. Anodes are pieces of oxidizing metal that prevent underwater corrosion — including them is the industry standard at harbors. The d...
After Jeff Good’s resignation, Finance Director Mason Villarma was named interim borough manager and Borough Clerk Kim Lane was named deputy interim borough manager while the assembly seeks a permanent replacement for the role. Mayor Patty Gilbert and Vice Mayor David Powell will negotiate new contracts for Villarma and Lane that the assembly will consider at its Oct. 24 meeting. Good’s resignation is effective on Jan. 1, 2024, but he will be taking stretches of time off in the intervening months. On Oct. 10, the assembly held a clo...
The borough is about to purchase a new vacuum truck — a piece of equipment with a tank and suction pump that can clear sewer lines and assist with work on underground utilities. The truck is essential to the operation of Wrangell’s water and sewer systems and the borough’s current model has exceeded its recommended useful lifespan by four years. The new vehicle will likely take between six months and a year to arrive. On Oct. 10, the assembly unanimously approved a $294,449 transfer to the Public Works Department to purchase the truck and o...
The Wrangell Wolves cross-country team braved near-freezing temperatures and stiff competition to take home their second state championship title in a row in Palmer on Saturday, Oct. 7. The boys team won the Division III title, and though the girls did not have enough runners to score for Wrangell, the two girls team members finished the season strong. Sophomore Boomchain Loucks took first place out of the 80 runners in the boys race, with a time of 17:28.0. He maintained a substantial lead...
