Sorted by date Results 276 - 300 of 342
From stained glass designers to wood carvers, Wrangell is home to a thriving creative community. But one of the most popular artists in town, whose work appears all over Front Street, is also one of the most anonymous. If you've ever gone on a Stikine Inn coffee run, eaten pizza at Nic's Place or looked up the weekend movie selection on the Nolan Center website, you've seen the artwork of printmaker and graphic designer Grace Wintermyer. When she isn't working at outdoor retailer 56° North or...
The design for Wrangell’s new water treatment plant, which will improve water quality and accommodate potential population growth, is over halfway complete. During an Oct. 25 borough assembly work session, DOWL engineers reported that the project is on track to accept construction bids by February 2023 and that the bidding window will likely last for six weeks. “If we have a longer bid window, we’re more likely to get more than one contractor interested,” said engineer Chase Nelson. “We get bids in, we evaluate them and we have to make the...
Whether it’s a pesky case of the winter blues or a more serious health condition, Brooke Reynolds of the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium has words of encouragement for community members who are starting to feel the effects of the changing seasons. The lengthening hours of darkness “affect us all, some of us more than others,” said Reynolds, who is the clinical supervisor at Wrangell Behavioral Health. Even otherwise-healthy people can have “down days,” especially during the winter months. She recommends that her clients stay phys...
Each year, the borough compiles a list of big-ticket infrastructure improvement projects, ranked by priority, that it uses to apply for grant funding. This year, the borough is involving the public in its ranking process for the first time. On Nov. 1, Capital Facilities Director Amber Al-Haddad led a public forum to educate the community about the borough’s ongoing capital investment projects and learn which ones are most important to residents. An updated list that reflects the desires of the community is an important step in accessing g...
In today’s interconnected world, internet access allows people to connect with loved ones, stay updated on current events, access essential government services and more. But in Alaska, not all communities have access to reliable, affordable internet. Late last month, Alaska Municipal League representative Alicia Hughes-Skandijs met with seven representatives from the library, borough, Wrangell Cooperative Association and others to discuss challenges with the Wrangell community’s internet access. The meeting was an early step in the fiv...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that its updated permit for the Wrangell wastewater treatment plant will contain stricter limits on the amounts of bacteria the facility can discharge into Zimovia Strait. Wrangell will need to update its treatment operation to include disinfection of discharged wastewater, which will decrease fecal coliform and enterococcus bacteria counts. The borough will have five years to comply with new requirements. Disinfection will be “a major project for us,” said Borough Manager Jeff Good. He est...
The Salvation Army and its companions in the Wrangell Ministerial Association are preparing to roll out their annual holiday programs, providing meals, clothes and gifts to members of the community. For Jon Tollerud, a Salvation Army Corps officer, the church’s holiday programs are a way to care for the community during a season that can be as financially burdensome as it is festive. “We’ve been helped in that same way,” Tollerud said of his family, and he hopes that the community will take advantage of what the Salvation Army has to offer....
After two months of book work, lectures and practice with plastic replicas, Winston Davies' sixth grade Alaska Skills class headed to the shooting range last week to continue their training in hunter safety. "This is a state curriculum," explained Davies, who has been drilling safety rules with his students "almost every day" to prepare them to shoot live firearms at the range. "The kids walk around the shop (with dummy firearms) and they practice carrying them, working the actions on them."...
When Matthew Gore arrived in Wrangell on the evening of Oct. 21, he took his dogs for a walk in the park before getting on his boat, the Andromeda, which he had been storing at the Reliance Float since late June 2021. Immediately, something “felt off.” As he walked down the stairs, he tripped over objects that he didn’t remember placing there. After inspecting the entire vessel, he discovered that it had been stripped. The generator, charger, batteries, fans, power cable, laminate flooring and more had all been removed and the anchor had been...
Since 2018, an ongoing insect outbreak has been killing the foliage of hemlock and Stika spruce in the Tongass. The Wrangell area is among the most affected. Though residents have expressed concern at the island's gray and red-spotted hillsides, state entomologist Elizabeth Graham shared reassuring news with the Wrangell and Petersburg communities at an online forum last Wednesday. The hemlock sawfly and western blackheaded budworm populations have likely reached their peak, and though the...
Nick Begich, who is running against fellow Republican Sarah Palin and Democratic incumbent Mary Peltola for Alaska’s single U.S. House seat, will be in Wrangell on Friday. He is the only one of the three leading candidates to schedule a visit to the community. His conservative platform includes deregulating Alaska minerals development and bolstering the state’s role in supplying resources to the nation. Peltola won the House seat in August to fill out the unexpired term of the late Rep. Don Young until January. The Nov. 8 general election wil...
As the state ferry system ages, the Alaska Department of Transportation is turning to new technologies to update its fleet. The department is implementing diesel-electric hybrid power on its upcoming Tustumena replacement vessel, which is slated to set sail in 2027. By then, the Tustumena will be 62 years old. In addition to its diesel engines, the new ferry will feature a “room for housing batteries” that could cut fuel consumption by 1%, according to a Juneau KTOO radio report. At an Oct. 14 meeting, Brian Jennings, a projects staffer wit...
Not every year can be a record-breaker, and after an exceptional 2021 yield, the 2022 Wrangell moose harvest has returned to average levels. Hunters took 116 moose in the region, according to Frank Robbins, a wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Petersburg. This year's harvest is "down a bit from last year," Robbins said, but it is still "within what we'd expect for the average on this hunt." "Keep in mind, last year was a record harvest," he added. The five-year...
The holidays are a time for tasty food, corny films and family fun. But, as every Wrangellite knows, shipping delays and unexpected freight fees have a way of impeding the festive spirit of the season, leaving gift givers scrambling to stuff stockings and wrap postponed packages. C&D Deliveries and Alaska Marine Lines are sharing their tips and tricks to help the community streamline its holiday shopping. Chris Booker of C&D Deliveries can distill his shopping advice down to a two-word maxim: “Order early.” Mid to late October is the “pe...
Tourists often have fraught relationships with the communities they visit. In Costa Rica, tourists may swell the country’s gross domestic product, but when beaches are covered in suntanned travelers, sea turtles can’t access their nesting grounds. In Hawaii, tourists may fund fancy new resort developments, but their insatiable hunger for entertainment and tchotchkes has decimated the island environments. However, a new movement called “regenerative tourism” — which is taking root in Alaska — seeks to change the industry for good. Regenerative t...
The entire Wrangell family — consisting of parents, kids, siblings, elders, community members and more — is invited to the Family Resilience Fair at the Nolan Center next month. BRAVE, a domestic violence prevention organization whose name stands for Building Respect And Valuing Everyone, is hosting the fifth-annual fair on Nov. 19 from 2 to 4 p.m. The event will feature prizes, family-centric games and informative booths from social service organizations in the area. The upcoming fair is “a way for … agencies to connect with the communi...
Recreational clam harvesters should take extra caution while preparing and cooking shellfish collected from Shoemaker Bay due to high fecal bacteria levels in those waters, according to Carol Brady of the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Brian Herman, co-owner of Canoe Lagoon Oysters, began testing the water in the Shoemaker Bay area for fecal bacteria — called fecal coliforms — because he hopes to establish an underwater storage facility to hold oysters that are awaiting meat test results. The Canoe Lagoon oyster farm is located...
A century ago on Nov. 7, 1922, Tlingit translator and civil rights advocate Tillie Paul Tamaree helped Charlie Jones, the seventh Chief Shakes, vote in a Wrangell municipal election. Her actions led to a court case that would secure the right to vote for Alaska Natives two years before the federal Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 extended citizenship to Native people across the United States. When she was 12 years old, Tamaree entered the Amanda McFarland Home for Girls in Wrangell to avoid an...
Calling all candy lovers - a year after a blaze destroyed the Jabusch garage, the family's renowned Halloween decorations are back from the dead, with enough inflatable monsters and spooky skeletons to terrorize an entire army of trick-or-treaters. Kay and Jeff Jabusch aren't certain what caused last year's fire, though they suspect an old light bulb may have overheated and ignited nearby drapery. Instead of their usual festive fare - lights, grinning skulls and ominous signage directing trick-o...
Outdoor enthusiasts can look forward to a new and improved trail system next summer, with increased accessibility, slip-resistant tread and locally sourced materials on the upcoming Mt. Dewey trail extension. Last Thursday, borough Capital Facilities Director Amber Al-Haddad held a public walk-through of the new trail route, followed by a design review with landscape architect Chris Mertl and engineer Brandon Ivanowicz, contractors on the design work. The three-quarter-mile extension will wrap around the back of Mt. Dewey before connecting to...
The borough assembly unanimously approved a resolution to amend Trident Seafoods’ lease of the borough-owned cold storage facility. The new five-year lease establishes building maintenance guidelines and raises the rental rate from $1,370 to $2,990 per month, with 2% yearly increases to account for inflation. The changes are part of the borough’s ongoing effort to update its leases, explained Borough Manager Jeff Good. Though the company’s new agreement lasts longer than its previous one-year lease extensions, Trident is still deter...
The borough assembly unanimously approved a $574,000 contract with Sitka Electric to install new fire alarm systems at the middle and high schools. The majority of the project will be funded through state Community Development Block Grants, though the borough may contribute up to $180,750 in local funds. Though the fire alarm system meets the code that was in place when it was installed in the 1980s, it needs to be updated to meet current standards, explained borough Capital Facilities Director Amber Al-Haddad. The system has become difficult...
When the days get chilly and the nights get longer, nothing says fall like curling up with a good book. Last Friday, for the first time in three years, Wrangell children were able to enjoy story time together at the Irene Ingle Public Library, instead of at home through Zoom rectangles. Sarah Merritt, library services support and designated storybook reader, shared four autumn tales filled with pictures of colorful leaves and plentiful harvests as kids and their parents listened. Near the end...
Wrangell’s Native community is critical of last month’s chamber-sponsored economic forum for its lack of tribal presentations on the agenda and the offensive comment of a speaker. The chamber of commerce organized the five-hour session to spark a discussion about Wrangell’s economic future and create a space for business leaders to share their perspectives. However, key players in Wrangell’s economic landscape — particularly representatives of the tribal government — were not offered the opportunity to present. Esther Aaltséen Reese, triba...
From the slate-gray shores of petroglyph beach to the splash of the community pool's chlorine-filled waters, the sights and sounds of Wrangell star in Maryann Landers' most recent novel, "Alaskan Escape." Landers' readers and friends gathered at the Stikine Inn last Friday for a book signing. "Alaskan Escape" is the fourth novel in Landers' Alaska Women of Caliber series, which follows Christian women's experiences with faith and family in Alaska. Landers based each of her "women of caliber" on...
