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A pair of major state-managed construction projects are either under way or about to move forward for 2018. Years in the making, after wrapping up some outstanding right-of-way issues this winter, the rehabilitation of Wrangell’s Evergreen Avenue finally began last Thursday. The Department of Transportation and contractor SECON got to work, starting on the airport side of the 0.91 mile long project and working their way westward. Crews will begin with drainage work on both sides of the road, especially at driveway crossings along the route. B...
After 30 years on the bench, Wrangell's district magistrate will conclude her legal career today. Chris Ellis has served as a magistrate judge for First District Court in Wrangell for 14 of those years, with most of her preceding tenure spent in Craig. When she graduated with her bachelor's degree in 1973, law hadn't been on her mind, but Alaska was. "Basically I studied anthropology with a specialty in archaeology, and my goal was to come to Alaska," she said. Ellis found herself drawn to the V...
The local tourism sector has seen some logistical gains this season, as a trio of new boats are added to Wrangell's outfitter fleet. Mark Galla, of Alaska Peak and Seas, launched a newly upgraded craft from the city dock just last week. Galla has been taking visitors up the Stikine River and to Anan Creek since 1987, going into the business full-time from 1990 on. "It's a 30-foot Bentz jet boat, 18-passenger, two crew," he said of the craft, named Bear Necessity. The aluminum boat was...
For the first time since 1995, Wrangell will be hosting the annual shareholders’ meeting for Sealaska Corporation this weekend. Formed in 1972 after the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act had been adopted the previous year, Sealaska has become the largest of 13 regional corporations subsequently created in the state. The corporation represents 22,000 Native shareholders from among the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian peoples, of which 254 live in Wrangell. Headquartered in Juneau, Sealaska manages 650,000 acres of tribal lands and makes i...
The City and Borough Assembly took its next serious step in redirecting Wrangell Medical Center’s future on Tuesday, authorizing a resolution to pursue a strategic affiliation with Southeast Alaska Rural Health Consortium. Earlier this year the city and regional healthcare provider began to cooperatively explore a new approach to managing WMC, a municipally-run critical access hospital. The hospital has been experiencing a revenue crisis for several years, and even with additional funds from city reserves has remained low on operating cash. H...
A group of visiting AmeriCorps volunteers have been leaving their mark around Wrangell the past month, with the community being their last stop in a 10-month tour of service. Ten volunteers coming from all corners of the country have already been doing an assortment of projects for the community. They are part of a wider program which operates one of its five campuses out of Sacramento, California. "The program that we are in is the National Civilian Community Corps," explained Kara Riley, the...
A bridgeside traffic accident was discovered Monday evening, one which resulted in two fatalities and left two more passengers critically injured. Rainie Doak was traveling with her three children northbound on Zimovia Highway late Sunday or early Monday morning. Doak is believed to have been at the wheel when the Ford Expedition lost control approaching the Pats Creek Bridge, about 12 miles south of Wrangell. The road approaches the bridge at an angle and conditions that evening had been wet....
The three-way royalty competition leading up to this year's July 4 celebrations has had a change of cast, Wrangell Chamber of Commerce announced last week. A regular feature of the local festivities, royalty candidates sell food and tickets to raise funds, which get divided between the Chamber's Independence Day fund and the contestants. Generally, contestants are high schoolers or young adults pledging their share toward a particular goal, such as continued education costs. Each year, the...
Following an estimated 14 hours of discussion over three separate workshops, members of the Wrangell City and Borough Assembly approved a budget for the 2019 fiscal year, which begins July 1. Getting there has not been an easy process, mulling over among other things a restructuring of how public facilities maintenance and the Public Works Department are arranged, proposed by the city manager as a cost saving measure. Under this proposal, Lisa Von Bargen envisioned a separate division within public works tasked with public maintenance and equip...
Taking advantage of the fair weather, dozens of golfers hit the links at Muskeg Meadows over the weekend for a pair of tournaments. On June 8 the Stikine Sportsmen Association's annual tournament drew 35 participants for a best ball nine-hole. A team of three took first place with a net score of 19, starting from a handicap of 14, featuring Trevor Sande, John Smith and Dave Hansen. Also with 19 and a handicap of 14, runners up were Mike Ottesen, Tyler Gunn, Chuck Hay and Aaron Powell. In third...
With the legislative season at an end and no special sessions left in sight, candidates for Alaska’s primaries and general elections have already put themselves forward for voters’ consideration. By the end of the June 1 filing deadline, House District 36 – an area of representation encompassing Ketchikan, Wrangell, Metlakatla, Saxman and other outlying communities – had three candidates for voters to choose between in the coming election. Two of them will be running unopposed in their prospective primaries against the incumbent, the politic...
A pair of Australian kayakers navigated their way to Wrangell over the weekend, part of a three-month excursion down the Pacific Ocean's northeastern coastline. Starting in Glacier Bay National Park a couple of weeks ago and terminating in southern British Columbia, their trip is one with two purposes: to raise funds for marine conservation and to raise awareness about the impact of plastics on the world's oceans. Lucy Graham and Mathilde Gordon come from Cairns, a seaside city in Australia's...
It's a royal rumble this month, with the competition to see who gets crowned this year's king or queen of Wrangell's Independence Day celebrations starting off on May 31. Arranged by the Chamber of Commerce, the competition is meant to raise funds both for the summer festivities and for the candidates themselves. Typically individuals have used what they raise to support higher education or some other project. This year's group is no exception. Recent graduate McKinley Bosdell intends to head...
After a series of meetings and public presentations last week, a proposed acquisition of Wrangell Medical Center by a regional health group looks more probable. Southeast Alaska Rural Health Consortium has expressed interest in administering the municipal hospital, which has been in a prolonged state of financial difficulty. At the Wrangell Assembly's most recent meeting last Tuesday, WMC chief executive officer Robert Rang reported having only 13 days' cash on hand with which to cover...
There was a spate of mischief afoot this month with a pair of break-ins and some possible mischief being considered related events. Pastor Nettie Covalt at First Presbyterian Church reported an intrusion at the house of worship on May 22. Home to a summertime hostel for travelers, the church is generally left accessible, she explained. So she was surprised to find the premises in a state of disarray. Door jambs to the church office had been broken through, while a television and other items were staged near the doorway as though the intruding...
With the addition of funds by the Alaska Legislature into next year’s budget, treated soil at the former Byford junkyard site will be shifted to a staging area for transport off-island. For decades used as a private scrapyard, the four-acre site was significantly contaminated with lead, petroleum and other toxins by the time it became the subject of an extensive cleanup led by the Department of Environmental Conservation in 2016. While 62 containers of the most heavily contaminated materials and debris were shipped southward for disposal, t...
Wrangell is still preparing to deal with nuisance abatement, though it will be approaching with an amiable cautiousness. City manager Lisa Von Bargen updated the City and Borough Assembly last week on progress so far made in reducing the various collections of junk and scrap to be seen around town. City code proscribes such gatherings, both on public and private property. The Port Commission has long had in its sights the removal of abandoned vehicles from its harbor facility parking lots, and since last fall the city assembly has taken a...
A group of Tlingit residents had a unique opportunity for an historical site visit with state archaeologists last week at Anan Creek, revisiting a traditional fishing ground. Now known best for its bear observatory, what draws those bears is the creek's yearly run of salmon. This salmon run at Anan has long been a source of food for the nearby population as well, as attested to by the remnants of a tidal fish trap still near the creek on Sealaska Corporation lands. The United States Forest...
This year's candidates for Wrangell's Fourth of July Royalty competition were announced at the Stikine Inn during a meet and greet Monday. Three young people will be running during next month's competition, which raises money both for themselves and for the annual Independence Day festivities. The competition stands out from others in recent years with the inclusion of two candidates for king, and for including already-graduated students. For example, Robbie Marshall graduated from Wrangell...
PETERSBURG – Gov. Bill Walker stopped in Petersburg for a brief visit Friday, making the rounds for meetings and taking some time to participate in its Little Norway festivities. "It's perfect. I can't complain about a day like today," Walker commented, noting the afternoon's cloudless sunshine. He had attended Petersburg's distinctive festival before, but this year's trip was his first since being elected as governor four years ago. "I came down obviously to meet with various folks, but I wa...
The 30th Legislature drew its latest session to a close earlier last week, pushing forward a budget deal that would tap into earnings from Alaska’s Permanent Fund to draw down its spending deficit from the billions to around $700 million next year. Back home in Ketchikan, independent Rep. Dan Ortiz of District 36 thought the package left something to be desired, which under the circumstances was a good thing. “I feel it’s a good example of a good compromise budget,” he reflected. “Nobody really got everything that they wanted, but it reflects...
As Wrangell's high school of seniors prepares to receive their diplomas on Friday, last week 17 students took time to showcase their capstone projects at the gym. Required for graduation, the self-driven projects encourage students to give back to the community as best they can. Projects last at least 25 hours each, which can be difficult to arrange when fitting them in with other priorities. Many of the projects students picked reflected their interests. "I did fire safety training with the...
Money appears to be available for Wrangell’s Byford yard cleanup that would allow remaining contaminated soil to be shipped off-island rather than disposed of in a local monofill. At the behest of Gov. Bill Walker, the Alaska Legislature approved $5 million of additional funding to be allotted to the project in its FY19 capital budget. A capital and operating budget had both been passed by the Alaska House and Senate on Sunday, bringing to an end their extended session. Sen. Bert Stedman (R-Sitka) noted it was the first year in a while the r...
A series of meetings between Southeast Alaska Rural Health Consortium and the City and Borough of Wrangell are planned for early next week. The regional health group is entertaining making an offer to assume control of Wrangell Medical Center, a municipally-run critical access hospital which has in recent years fallen into financial difficulties. Starting Sunday afternoon and lasting through Tuesday, SEARHC will hold a series of meetings with city staff, hospital transition steering committee members and the wider community, in order to go...
Designating this May as Older Americans Month in Alaska, Gov. Bill Walker recognized Wrangell's oldest resident along with other centenarians across the state. In a special luncheon at the Wrangell Senior Center, Lawrence Bahovec was presented with a personalized commendation as a distinguished citizen. At 101 years old, Bahovec is one of 83 Alaskans who have reached the milestone, and was among the 21 other residents of the state so honored with this month's commendations. Celebration...