Sorted by date Results 935 - 959 of 1297
A pair of friends decided to undertake a unique adventure, traveling the 1,200 miles from Washington to Alaska by kayak. Luca Lezzi and Xander Fehsenfeld departed from their hometown of Bainbridge Island, Wash., in May. En route to their final destination in Skagway, they arrived in Wrangell on July 16, after journeying for 65 days. Lezzi, a junior at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, said he has harbored a fascination with kayaking the Inside Passage since high school. "I feel like I need... Full story
The trial for Greg Salard began in Juneau on Monday. The former Wrangell physician faces three felony charges related to the possession and distribution of child pornography, following a five-month investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The U.S. District Court clerk’s office in Juneau anticipated the trial will last through the week, with Judge Timothy Burgess presiding. Salard was arrested at his home on October 15, 2014, with charges filed the following day. Citing this development and other financial obligations, S... Full story
Borough Clerk Kim Lane recently received her master municipal clerk (MMC) designation from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), a professional nonprofit which promotes continued education among clerks and similar administrators worldwide. "It's huge because that's the highest you can go as a clerk," explained Christie Jameson, Lane's predecessor in the post. Before retiring in 2012, Jameson had earned her own MMC in 2008, which she has continued to renew. The MMC program is...
This year's 7th Annual Wrangell Horse Show went off without a hitch, as more than 50 young riders trotted out their skills at the city track. The nine different events were divided among various skill levels, from beginner to advanced riders. In the egg-and-spoon race, riders had to keep their "eggs" balanced while driving a pony cart. McKinley Gillen finished the competition with the best time among pony riders, and Elizabeth Armstrong took first in the beginner-level race. Beginners also...
Wrangell’s Planning and Zoning Commission will begin the process of zoning entitlement lands and other undeveloped, remote areas owned by the Borough. The 9,006 acres of land being considered include lands transferred to Wrangell by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, which approved the conveyance in April. Meeting June 9, commissioners were advised to begin discussing how to zone the properties, which are considered unrestricted lands in Wrangell Municipal Code because they are beyond Service Area 1. In presenting the topic to P... Full story
The United States Forest Service (USFS) announced the next step has been taken in a land deal with Alaska Mental Health Trust (AMHT), after signing an Agreement to Initiate on June 30. The agreement as currently envisioned could see the transfer of nearly 40,000 acres of state and federal lands between the two agencies. For AMHT, the deal will allow it to develop the lands’ timber and mineral resources. Founded by Congress in 1956, AMHT is a state corporation set up to assist the state in funding its mental health program. The trust manages l... Full story
This month the Alaska Court System (ACS) announced that a variety of court and other legal fees will be changing, in light of cuts to the state budget. The Alaska Supreme Court decided in June to approve the increases, which take effect August 1. Filing notice of appeal or cross-appeal, petition or cross-petition for review, original proceedings, and petition for hearing now cost $200, up from $150. Filing an appeal or petition for review, as well as filing any civil case, also costs $200 under the new schedule. Filing fees for district court... Full story
Wrangell's Sixth Annual Bearfest kicks off next week, running from July 22 to 26. Celebrating Alaska's bears, the festival features a variety of family-fun events, including workshops, food, music, a marathon, and lectures. Started in 2010 by Alaska Vistas operator Sylvia Ettefagh, the festival highlights Wrangell as a prime destination for bear enthusiasts. Wrangell is the nearest community to Tongass National Forest's Anan Wildlife Observatory, located on the mainland about 30 miles to its... Full story
Members of and visitors to the community are invited to join the Wrangell Cooperative Association (WCA) at the dedication ceremony for its new cultural center on July 25 at 5 p.m. Also known as the carving facility, the building will host a variety of cultural activities, including classes, and provide a workspace for artists and crafters and a gift shop for them to sell their creations. “More than just carving’s going to go on,” explained Aaron Angerman, WCA tribal administrator. The facility is envisioned as a center for Native arts, with mul...
Early birds and night owls may have noticed a lack of power during the early morning hours Monday, after service for Wrangell, Petersburg and Ketchikan went down for several hours. The grid went down at 2:48 a.m. after a mature bald eagle ran afoul of a section of line near Ketchikan’s Herring Cove. “We’re very apologetic, especially when we cause problems in our neighboring communities,” said Andy Donato, manager of Ketchikan Public Utilities’ electric division. He explained the power supply had been interrupted after the eagle struck th...
An investigation conducted by a British Columbia commission found that the provincial government had not violated public disclosure laws by withholding information on Mount Polley mine prior to its tailings impoundment dam breach last summer. The report was put together by Information and Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Denham and addresses complaints that the province had violated Canada’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. On Aug. 4, 2014, the mine’s tailings pond wall ruptured and released 13.8 million cubic yards of met... Full story
Appearing in people’s post boxes, the results of a 2014 Water Quality Report have been released by the City and Borough of Wrangell. The annual report is conducted in compliance with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and provides residents details about how their water quality matches up to regulatory standards. The town’s water originates from a pair of surface reservoirs on Mount Wrangell. The reservoirs are connected by a spillway, and raw water moves from the lower reservoir to the treatment plant. Water entering the plant is treated wit... Full story
The Wrangell and Petersburg museums are teaming up in an attempt to identify several hundred individuals in a collection of photographs that dates back more than seven decades. The Clausen Museum in Petersburg is hoping to put names to the faces of 1,474 individuals from the early 1940s as part of its ongoing World War Two project. The museum possesses a collection of photographic negatives, originally used for wartime identification. Following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941, the United States entered the war already e... Full story
Board members and staff with Wrangell Medical Center (WMC) met last week to begin the search for a new hospital head. Interim CEO Marla Sanger last month announced her intention to step down on October 30, and contractor PeaceHealth has indicated it will not continue its management contract with WMC. “This was new to us, and we wanted to explore the options that we have,” explained Barb Conine, the board’s treasurer. The executive meeting was called specially, as the board’s regularly-scheduled meeting on June 17 was cancelled. Meeting at the...
Wrangell's Parks and Recreation Department will be getting a new look, after deciding on a winner of its logo contest last month. The department's advisory board chose a design submitted by local artist Charity Hommel, who submitted 16 variations for the contest, which drew entries from a dozen other artists "I'm honored my design was chosen," Hommel said. A longtime artist with experience in brand design, she explained the simple black-and-white layout gave it versatility as a logo. It has a...
It was a sold-out show at the Nolan Center last Friday, as over 200 Wrangellites packed themselves in to watch the New Old Time Chautauqua, a vaudevillian group of performers based out of Washington. The traveling troupe is passing through Southeast Alaska on a summer tour – the "AKqua Chautauqua" – its first visit to the state since 1992. Nolan staff had only planned for a crowd of 160, but word-of-mouth and a pair of parades through town on Thursday and Friday had sparked considerable int... Full story
Five of Alaska Marine Highway System’s 11 ferries will be laid up at some point next year under a draft vessel deployment plan released on June 24. The Taku will be held in layup status the whole year, while the Kennicott will be from October until entering overhaul in early January. The Fairweather and Chenega will enter federal projects in October and mid-September, respectively, and will both be laid up starting in May 2016. The Malaspina is also scheduled to enter layup status in late May of next year. Under the draft schedule, from O... Full story
Ahead of next month's start to the football season, Alaska's largest tribal group has made clear it will not be rooting for one of the National Football League's 32 franchises by boycotting its primary sponsor. Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska gave notice last week to all tribal employees to discontinue use of FedEx services due to its sponsorship of the Washington Redskins. The announcement follows the council’s adoption of a resolution formally opposing the N... Full story
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced late last week its revised 2015 sport fishing regulations for king salmon in Southeast and Yakutat. Starting yesterday and in effect through May 2, 2016, Alaskan resident permit-holders’ bag and possession limit is two king salmon 28 inches or greater in length. From October 1 through March 31, resident sport anglers may use two rods while fishing for king salmon. Nonresidential permit holders’ bag and possession limit is still one king salmon 28 inches or greater in length, with an annual limit...
Wrangell's City and Borough Assembly elected to update its capital projects list for the 2017 Fiscal Year at its regular meeting Tuesday. The selected projects will be submitted to the state Department of Environmental Conservation for competitive review. Water main distribution system replacement will top the revised list, with Shoemaker Bay Harbor float replacement moving up to the number-two slot. This year's list was topped by improvements to the community pool and boatyard. Projects from around the state are weighed on a point-award... Full story
Health care staff and intrigued residents alike were invited to meet one of the state's few certified brain injury specialists last Friday. A presentation was delivered at the Alaska Island Community Services clinic by Dr. Amy Murphy, who is also medical director for Providence Medical Group Brain Injury Services in Anchorage. Brain injury is a medical subspeciality, with only 312 certified specialists in the U.S. As such, it was a unique opportunity for her visit, which was sponsored through a Rural Veterans Health Access Project by the... Full story
The Red Chris mine in neighboring British Columbia passed its final bureaucratic hurdle, after the province’s Ministry of Energy and Mines issued a Mines Act permit amendment last Friday. The mine’s owning company, Imperial Metals, had earlier been granted its Environmental Management Act Permit on June 15, allowing Red Chris to begin discharging tailings into its tailings storage facility. From there, water can be discharged subject to provincial water quality guidelines. The Red Chris property is located in the province’s northwest, approxima... Full story
Wrangell Medical Center interim CEO Marla Sanger last week announced her intention to conclude her contract on October 30. In a letter addressed to friends and colleagues, she explained the decision was a difficult one, but Sanger will be returning to Vancouver, Wash., to be with family. Sanger had initially been brought aboard in November 2012 as part of PeaceHealth’s leadership contract with Wrangell’s hospital. Initially the contract was to have lasted only a year, but Sanger stayed on as the hospital transitioned past a troubled att...
The United States Forest Service this month released a new fact sheet regarding wild salmon populations in the Tongass National Forest, available online and at the agency’s various offices. “It’s to demonstrate to the public just how important salmon are,” explained Martin Hutten, a supervisory biologist with the Wrangell Ranger District. The facts speak pretty clearly for themselves. The waters of the Tongass National Forest produce more wild salmon than all other national forests combined. Supporting these populations, TNF biologists have re...
This year the Rasmuson Foundation has presented a Wrangellite with an $18,000 fellowship for literary arts. Vivian Prescott, currently of Sitka, received the award in order to conduct research and complete a poetry manuscript. “It’s about migration and living among Alaska Native peoples,” she explained. Born and raised in Wrangell, her family can be traced back on the island for five generations. Prescott’s upcoming work relates the worldviews of her Saami and Finnish heritage to the landscape of Southeastern Alaska, and explores how those worl...
