Sorted by date Results 770 - 794 of 1297
In an unexpected move, the Wrangell City and Borough Assembly sent back a request to renew a lot lease to the committee which approved it. After extensive discussion, its members agreed to send a facility lease agreement between the city and and Chuck Jenkins back to the Port Commission. Approved unanimously by commissioners last month, the agreement would extend the lease on Jenkins' lot in the boatyard for another five years at the rate he had been paying. The action was recommended by Assembly member Dave Powell after he learned two more lea... Full story
Members of the Wrangell Port Commission were frustrated to find no progress was being made in extending water to one of the boatyard's major contractors. Speaking at the commission's meeting Jan. 7, Don Sorric informed it the taps at Superior Marine Services were still dry after 13 months of waiting. After previously being cited by Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors in 2014, Sorric came to the Port Commission that November to request that utilities be extended to his lease... Full story
Wrangell’s Parks and Recreation Board held its first meeting of the new year on Jan. 6, reviewing a new draft of the department’s liability waiver. Parks and Rec director Kate Thomas explained a review of the policy came about after two patrons expressed dissatisfaction with the waiver’s language. At the time, Thomas found herself unable to clearly explain or justify several of the lines. In particular was line six, releasing the City of Wrangell and recreation department of legal liability “even if they, or any of them, negligently cause m...
The Wrangell Wolves regular high school basketball season started up in Petersburg last weekend during the Vikings homecoming games. During the weekend's opening game on Friday, the Vikings built on an early lead through the second and third quarters. In the fourth, the Wolves scored 17 points to their opponent's six, but were unable to catch up. Petersburg won with a final score of 44 to 29. During the game, Bryce Gerald led Wrangell's team for points with eight scored. Garrett Miller followed...
Petersburg's varsity team picked up a pair of wins while hosting Wrangell for homecoming Jan. 8 and 9. During Friday's game, the Lady Vikings built up a formidable lead through the first half. While the Lady Wolves led for free throws with 7 of 10 landed, they finished up the game 29 to 56. Amy Jensen led the team for scores with 12 points, including a free throw and a three-pointer in the final quarter. Teresa Flores and Anna Allen each scored seven points, Abby Gerald scored two and Abby...
The Wrangell Port Commission will move ahead with plans to reexamine rates, it decided at its regular meeting on Jan. 7. The meeting was prefaced by a rate change workshop, where commissioners pored over sheets comparing local lift, storage, work and moorage fees with other communities. The sheets were put together by harbormaster Greg Meissner, who made the case for an increase. The commission had previously considered a 50-percent raise in work area rates to 75 cents per square foot, but decided last March to wait amid concerns from contracto...
Ahead of statewide regulatory meetings scheduled for February and March, the local Advisory Committee (AC) for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s regulatory boards met at the Fire Hall on Monday to start putting together its recommendations. High on the list of its hunting priorities for this session was Prop. 6, put forward by Wrangell’s AC. This would modify the definition of a moose antler, specifically having “spike-fork antlers” to mean antlers of a bull moose with only one or two tines on at least one antler, antler project... Full story
The former Wrangell doctor convicted of child pornography charges last summer has had his motion for a new trial rejected. Greg Salard is still awaiting sentencing, which has been moved to Feb. 8 due to his counsel’s unavailability in January. Previously sentencing had been scheduled for Jan. 4, and defense attorney Steven Wells would be busy with another trial on that date. Salard took on Wells’ services following his conviction by a Juneau jury on July 28. On Nov. 13 he filed a motion for a new trial, stating he had been poorly rep... Full story
Ringing in the new year, Wrangell's American Legion Post 6 decided to take an opportunity to thank several of its longest-serving members over coffee at the Stikine Inn on Saturday. Certificates were presented to four veterans who have been with the organization for more than half a century: Gilbert Gunderson, Harry Churchill, Willy Eyon and Cappy Bakke. Post commander Chuck Petticrew Sr. explained the award ceremony was a first for him since taking the position last March. "We admire you boys t... Full story
J&W's sold to new ownership last month. Josh and Clarissa Young bought the building from Carol and Randy Churchill, who had run the restaurant for 33 years. "It's time for me to get some young blood in there, let someone else take care of it," Carol Churchill explained. She was happy when a local family offered to buy the business, and that the name would continue on. A first job for several generations of Wrangellites, J&W's has become a sort of local institution. Though he's worked...
The region experienced some weather oddities in 2015, with the tail end of Hurricane Ignacio arriving in September. Across the state, communities logged record warmth on Dec. 30 and 31, capping off what has on average been the warmest year in a decade. In addition to being the driest on record for Wrangell, last May had also been the warmest with an average temperature of 53.8 degrees. Overall, temperatures remained warmer than usual throughout the year. The highest temperature was 80 degrees on July 6, with a low of 14 recorded on Feb. 7. On...
The year 2015 was largely a good one for Wrangell, with the appearance of several new businesses, large infrastructural developments undertaken by businesses, the formal opening of the Tribe's cultural center, and a balanced financial outlook for the city despite tumultuous budget negotiations in Juneau. The state deficit will remain the largest issue moving ahead into 2016, as will continued mining developments in Canada along shared waters. January On Jan. 12 and 14 the first of three sets of... Full story
Wrangell Medical Center is alerting residents to a recent phone scam seeking credit account information. Hospital development coordinator Kris Reed conveyed reports that a caller “with a strong foreign accent” has been claiming to be a representative of “a local medical center” or a member of its billing service, asking for payment on a medical bill. The caller has been vague on details and has been unable to give any particulars on a potential patient’s care. The hospital would like to remind residents its staff does not demand payment over th... Full story
Alaska State Troopers and the local fire department have suspended their search for a Wrangell man missing since Dec. 17. A welfare check was requested of Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department for Brandon Peterson, age 38, the second within the week. Peterson had last been seen in the early hours of Dec. 13 in the vicinity of Thoms Place, where he has a cabin. Peterson had been given a ride to the end of the road the previous day. Fire service volunteers were contacted to check on him that evening and found Peterson on foot at the roadside. In... Full story
Heralding the onset of winter, power went out across swaths of Wrangell the afternoon of Dec. 17 after a distribution feeder failed. At around 3:15 p.m. Feeder 1 near the Public Works yard went down, affecting distribution to much of Church and Cassiar streets, Evergreen Avenue and Spur Road. Power to Wrangell Airport’s runway lights was also cut out, though fortunately after a plane had already landed. “There were certainly some concerns to be had there,” commented Municipal Light and Power superintendent Clay Hammer. Residents elsewhere in to...
In a brief meeting Dec. 23, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved findings of fact for a special contract zone requested by Wrangell Cooperation Association’s road office. The findings are based on discussions held by the commission at its Nov. 12 meeting, when it recommended allowing the WCA to build a permanent office, storage and maintenance facility for its Transportation Office at a property currently zoned residential. City staff had initially recommended denying the request, which would see the addition of a light industrial proper...
While Wrangell's high school basketballers have been on the court for nearly a month, the teams' season officially begins Jan. 8 at their homecoming tournament. Both the boys and girls squads have already been participating in some preseason tournaments, the latest being the girls' alumni matchup on Dec. 23. The Lady Wolves starting lineup faced off against the "Old Timers" – a collection of former players and coaches in town for the holidays. "These are considered fundraisers actually, for t...
At its last meeting of the year on Dec. 17, the Wrangell Public School Board decided its members could continue with their coffee talks after all. After conferring with the school district’s attorney, board president Susan Eagle determined its informal coffee sessions were permissible under current policies. Board members were informed they were allowed to hold public discussions held outside of regularly-scheduled meetings. At previous meetings this year, various members of staff and the general public have expressed their impatience with t... Full story
Shortly before children and parents began lining up to see Saturday’s matinee showing of “The Peanuts Movie,” Wrangell’s theater program passed its ten-year milestone. The Castle Mountain Theater is a city department that runs current films at the Nolan Center. “It was also part of the reason the Nolan Center was built,” explained Kris Reed, who has managed the theater since its inception. Up to that point, Wrangell had lacked a movie theater since the last had closed down during the mid-1970s. “‘Jaws was the last movie shown, if I remember c... Full story
During a special meeting on Dec. 17, city staff and members of the City and Borough Assembly met with Wrangell Municipal Light and Power superintendent Clay Hammer to discuss looming problems with the island's power infrastructure. In a workshop, Hammer boiled down the findings of a system study concluded this summer which found four primary areas of concern with Wrangell's power system. The meeting was prefaced by intermittent power outages downtown throughout the day after Feeder 1 failed.... Full story
Last weekend Wrangell’s high school wrestlers took 10th overall at the Alaska School Activities Association 123A State Championships. The two-day tournament was hosted by the Bartlett and Chugiak high schools in the Anchorage area, and featured wrestlers from around the state who had finished in the top four spots of their regional brackets. The Wolves’ nine wrestlers together earned 64.5 points, putting the team 10th out of 65 schools competing. From among Region V schools, Sitka came in seventh place with 80.5 points, and Craig High School wa...
Around 20 local bird enthusiasts participated in this year's Audubon Christmas Bird Count, the 75th in Alaska and 116th held nationwide since 1900. Communities select a day between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5 to conduct a count, taking 24 hours to record as many birds as possible within a 15-mile diameter circle. The data collected then can be compared between years and across borders. Christmas counts occur in all 50 states, all Canadian provinces, several Latin American countries and several islands...
The year’s end has been slow for Wrangell Medical Center, with patient volumes declining through October and November. In his report to the hospital board on Dec. 16, chief financial officer Doran Hammett guessed this was likely seasonal as fish processing came to an end and people began heading south for the winter. Figures were still up from last year, but revenue has nonetheless been impacted. “That slow-down is affecting cash flow,” he explained. Reserves have subsequently dropped from just over $800,000 to around $600,000 by last week...
Christmas was always one of the best times of the year for our family. Growing up on an Army base in Germany, the odds of having at least a few inches of snow in December were pretty good. School would be on hiatus for a few weeks, so my brother and I and our friends would make the most of the shortened days on the sledding hill behind our apartment block, a doubly sloping expanse with an enormous pear tree sticking out of it. The lot of us would trudge up and propel ourselves down again and...
With mining concerns looming upstream, a program through the Central Council Tlingit Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska is anxious to define what's normal for Southeast Alaska's major transboundary rivers. The second round of water quality testing was conducted on the Stikine River by Central Council's Native Lands and Resources Department (NLRD) Dec. 9. "The reason we started this project was prompted by what's going on upriver in British Columbia," explained Jennifer Hanlon, an environmental... Full story
