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The high school's wrestling team was off to a good start to the season this week, with several of its athletes taking top spots for their weight classes at Petersburg's Invitational. "The kids did awesome for the first tournament," said Wolves assistant coach Jack Carney. Three Wrangell wrestlers finished in first place for their brackets. Junior Ian Jenson topped the 138 bracket with three wins on Friday, two by decision and one by fall. In the round-robin next day, he added two more victories...
Ahead of next month's general election, candidates for Wrangell's State House district have been stopping in to meet with constituents and secure their votes on November 8. Running for District 36 as a Republican, Ketchikan Councilman Bob Sivertsen spoke about his candidacy. He had previously visited the community on the campaign trail over July 4 and in September. "I think the campaign's been going great," Sivertsen said. "I spent a fair amount of time in Wrangell, visiting with residents. And...
Meeting last week for the first time since June, Wrangell’s Port Commission set some priorities for its coming sessions. “We have a number of items we’re going to have on our plate,” explained commission president Clay Hammer. Of these, the three largest issues will be organizing a steering committee for construction of a new mariners memorial, reassessing the duration of lot leases at the Marine Service Center, and managing public access to the boatyard. The longest in the works, construction of the memorial weighed highly among commiss...
The City and Borough Assembly has begun the search process for a new city manager. At the Assembly’s previous meeting on September 27, current manager Jeff Jabusch announced his intention to retire, effective March 31, 2017. Working for the city since 1977, he has served in his present position since 2013. Assembly members formally accepted his resignation during their Tuesday evening meeting. A hiring committee is to be formed and will undertake the task of advertising for the position and vetting candidates. “We’ve done this two diffe...
Wrangell's 2016 Municipal Election concluded last week, with results certified by a special meeting of the Borough Assembly on Monday. The Canvass Board met October 6 to sort through and count additional ballots. Assembly members Dave Powell, Mark Mitchell and Becky Rooney comprised the board, which was supervised by Borough Clerk Kim Lane and election chair Sarah Whittlesey-Merritt. Seventy-two ballots in addition to those cast on October 4 were considered, which included absentee or mailed-in...
Rep. Dan Ortiz is running for reelection on November 8, to represent District 36 in the Alaska State House. Going door to door through Wrangell on the campaign trail late last month, he stopped in the Sentinel office to talk about his record, his candidacy, and the direction he believes the state should head in the coming session. Unaffiliated with any political party, after being elected to office in 2014, Ortiz served both legislative sessions caucusing with the Democratic-led House Minority....
A new business will be setting up shop at Wrangell’s boatyard. At its meeting last week, the Port Commission recommended transfer of Lot 6 at the Marine Service Center, belonging to Josh Young of J&R Fiberglass, to Steve Christensen of CTT Marine. If approved by the Borough Assembly Tuesday, the deal between the two business owners can be concluded this weekend. It would also be the first lease lot transferred since the yard was built. “We’ll try to build on the reputation Josh has already built with that,” Christensen said. He and his wife, L...
The state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities announced Tuesday a proposed ferry schedule for the coming summer. The schedule patterns being proposed for the Alaska Marine Highway System would cover sailings from May through September. The schedule is based on expected funding levels for the 2018 fiscal year. It would feature an overall 10-week service reduction to operations, down to around 325 operating weeks. “It’s pretty consistent,” explained Jeremy Woodrow, public information officer for ADOTP&F. Service to Wrangell would...
The City and Borough Assembly has begun the search process for a new city manager. At the Assembly’s previous meeting on September 27, current manager Jeff Jabusch announced his intention to retire, effective March 31, 2017. Working for the city since 1977, he has served in his present position since 2013. Assembly members formally accepted his resignation during their Tuesday evening meeting. A hiring committee is to be formed and will undertake the task of advertising for the position and vetting candidates. “We’ve done this two diffe...
A judge ruled last week that the city will not have to enter arbitration with its public workers union during an ongoing labor grievance, pending further decision. After hearing oral arguments on Sept. 21, Superior Court Judge Trevor Stephens approved the City and Borough of Wrangell's request for a stay of interest arbitration between it and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1547 on Sept. 28. The union had filed a motion to compel arbitration the preceding week, as part of an ongoing dispute over a new collective...
Wrangell High School's representative to the state-level cross-country meet in Anchorage came away with silver. Running on Saturday, senior Reyn Hutten had finished the challenging Bartlett High School course in second place for the 2A division, and finished in eighth overall for the 1-3A runners. The two-lap course is a notoriously difficult one, explained Wrangell coach Jenn Davies. Steep, rolling hills force runners to change pace, pushing their abilities to suit the terrain. As a result,...
Preliminary results are in for the 2016 Wrangell municipal election. Those who hadn't already voted early took to the polls in person Tuesday, with 384 ballots cast at the Nolan Center. Running for mayor, David Jack won reelection with 321 votes. Candidate Kipha Valvoda garnered 49 votes, and seven additional write-in votes did not qualify. Two candidates ran unopposed for two three-year terms on the City and Borough Assembly. Incumbent Julie Decker received 345 votes, and write-in candidate Patty Gilbert received 157. Two candidates also ran...
The volleyball season is off to a good start, with the Lady Wolves competing in a busy round-robin at Petersburg over the weekend. The girls went through 13 games in only a day and a half, against an assortment of teams from around the region. "They played a lot," said volleyball coach Jessica Whitaker. On Sept. 30, the Lady Wolves varsity team started the morning off against Craig. The Lady Panthers pulled ahead in both match-ups, with Wrangell losing 19 to 25 in the first and 24 to 26 in the...
Following up on a warning issued this summer, the risk of poisoning from area shellfish has been revised. Shellfish specimens found around Shoemaker Bay in August had tested positive for saxitoxin, which causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). Severe cases of PSP can cause nausea, vomiting, neurological effects, respiratory failure and ultimately death. First signs tend to be a numbness of the mouth after eating tainted shellfish. The Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research website at www.seator.org/data maintains a page laying out updated...
One Wrangell restaurant has been making an effort to help feed hungry children in addition to its diners. Zak's Cafe owners Katherine George-Byrd and James George set aside half of their restaurant's profits last week for non-profit group Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign. The nationwide initiative seeks to connect underfed children with nutritious meals. The group works in a number of cities with partner organizations, including private citizens, businesses, schools and government...
The local Elks Lodge bowling season is about to start, with mixed league play beginning Sunday. Bowling has been a longtime tradition at the club, with its two lanes predating the big Main Street fire of 1952. The lane continued to update with the times, getting its first mechanical pinsetter during the 1960s. “Prior to that, they had kids back there setting pins,” League secretary Bob Robbins pointed out. The current setting equipment was installed about three decades ago, and takes a bit of work to keep running smoothly. Robbins said its las...
The Borough Assembly’s Tuesday evening meeting was one for surprises. For one, the half-dozen residents in attendance – a good turnout by the measure of most meetings – were surprised to find the first read through of proposed zoning ordinance revisions allowing for the conditional permitting of cannabis retail and cultivation had passed unanimously and with little comment from members on the Assembly. Second reading and a public hearing has been set for October 10. But the larger surprise came as an announcement by Borough Manager Jeff Jabus...
Opening up on September 15, the local moose season is off to a positive start. As of last Friday, hunters in the Wrangell, Petersburg and Kake area had so far logged in 32 legal moose, 31 of which were taken within the first week, ending September 21. At first looking a little slim, the total had bumped up in the succeeding days as hunters continued to log moose they had harvested over the period. Under regulations, they have five days after the kill to check in a harvested moose. "Actually, it...
The municipal election is set for next week, with polls open Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. inside the Nolan Center. Though a number of candidates for local positions are currently running unopposed, all vacancies are at least set to be filled, thanks to the addition of two write-in candidates earlier this month. For mayor, current incumbent David Jack will be running for reelection against candidate Kipha Valvoda. Four candidates will be running for two three-year terms on the Wrangell Public School Board, including incumbent Rinda Howell, form...
As volleyball gets ready to serve up its first game this weekend, the cross-country season is just about past the finish line for Wrangell High School. The team headed to Sitka last weekend for the Region V meet, on a course which ran through the city's Totem Park. "There's really no hills," explained Wrangell coach Jenn Davies. "There's just a little bit of pavement at the start and finish." Despite some heavy cloud cover, for the most part the races avoided the weekend's rainfall. Travel was...
The Wrangell Chamber of Commerce recently issued a letter to the Borough Assembly in support of a statewide internet sales tax. Addressed to Mayor David Jack, the letter suggests a sales tax on online sales would benefit local commerce by removing a “competitive advantage” sellers on the internet have by not having to pay out-of-state sales taxes. In other states, these earnings may still be gleaned through personal or business income taxes for retailers with a physical presence there. In the case of major online retailers like Amazon, thi...
At its Sept. 8 meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved a new draft of the local code pertaining to zoning categories. Specifically, changes were made which would update Title 20 to include reference to the legalization of cannabis, as well as when and where state permitted activities would and would not be allowed in the borough. An ordinance containing the updates will be headed to the Wrangell Borough Assembly for first reading at its next meeting. The commission's proposal would...
With the addition of two write-in candidates to next month’s municipal election ballot, all the expected vacancies will at least have people to fill them. Of the open spots on the Oct. 4 ballot, six are still currently uncontested. Of those being contested, current Mayor David Jack will be running for reelection against candidate Kipha Valvoda. Four candidates will be running for two three-year terms on the School Board, including former member Georgianna Buhler, Scott Seddon, Robert Rang and incumbent Rinda Howell. The two candidates with t...
Volleyball season is under way, with the Lady Wolves resuming practices last week in preparation for the season. Their first home game is set for September 30, with a weekend tournament trading venues between Wrangell and Petersburg. Coach Jessica Whitaker explained there will be two sets of home games against the Lady Vikings this season, and in both instances games will be played at both schools. It is a convenient trip for players, and also allows parents to see how their students are improving. Just because the team was on its summer...
Wrangell High School’s cross-country team finished another lap for the season, competing in Juneau over the weekend. “It went really, really, really well,” said the team’s coach, Jenn Davies. Reyn Hutten continued setting the pace, once again finishing first for the 1-3A division and placing fourth overall from among 107 girls. Among 151 boys, Riley Blatchley and Jacob Hammer came in 17th and 20th for their division, respectively, on what Davies explained was a challenging course. “There’s some strategy involved,” she said, with the course spor...
