Sorted by date Results 567 - 591 of 1297
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...
As this week's Sentinel hits the streets, Southeast Conference's 2016 Convention and Membership Meeting will be wrapping up in Petersburg. Designated by the state and federal governments as Southeast Alaska's organization for regional economic development, SEC includes 180 member organizations, representing 1,200 people from 32 regional communities. One of the highlights of its annual fall meeting in recent years has been its By the Numbers Report, which looks at economic and demographic trends...
A former Wrangell resident joined an Alaska canoe group in supporting a North Dakota tribe protesting construction of an oil pipeline across sacred lands. Earlier this month Ken Hoyt met up with members of the Juneau-based One People Canoe Society for a three-day spiritual journey on the Missouri River. For a week they joined a growing group of people protesting construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline near tribal land. The pipeline is planned to be an 1,172-mile connection between the...
Costs for the transition of operations at the Tyee Lake hydroelectric facility may be higher than first expected. Board members for Southeast Alaska Power Agency learned at their September 8 meeting that the unfunded pensions liability for Wrangell employees at the plant were more than double what was estimated when it assumed operations. SEAPA CEO Trey Acteson explained consultants had put the city's liabilities to the state Public Employees' Retirement System at $648,206, which included...
Emergency assistance was dispatched from Wrangell early Sunday evening, after a private boat struck a log near Farm Island. Fire Department Chief Tim Buness said emergency dispatch received a 911 call from one of the boat’s passengers at 5:23 p.m. Responders were notified and an initial unit was ready to depart within minutes. “We sent a float plane up with three medics on board,” Buness said. He estimated it took about twenty minutes to arrive at the scene. “We also sent one of the bigger boats with Alaska Vistas with more EMTs (Emerge...
A state outreach program sought to shake some sense into Wrangell residents, with a mobile earthquake simulator set up for the public earlier this week. Each year the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) sends out a mobile trailer unit to different communities in an effort to raise awareness of earthquake risks. The unit arrived in Wrangell on Tuesday, as part of its ongoing tour through Southeast. Alaska is the most seismically active state in the country, with about 11,000 of various magnitude earthquakes...
At its Tuesday night meeting, the Borough Assembly continued to keep up on its various utility priorities. In his regular update, city manager Jeff Jabusch reported most paving projects around town have been completed, including the barge ramp lot. Surfacing work at Wood Street is still on schedule, with new curbing being set in place. Work on that project is expected to wrap up in mid-October. For the water treatment plant, Public Works Department staff are working on a plan to clean out the sand in its filtration units. An emergency shortage...
Last month Wrangell's Senior Apartments formally went smoke-free, asking its residents to instead head outdoors if they feel the need to have a cigarette. "It was mostly for the health and well-being of our tenants," explained Gail Rilatos, manager of the facility for the past four years. The decision was made by the apartment complex's five-member governing board, which sought input on a new policy from Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium. SEARHC facilitates an Alaska Tobacco...
Wrangell High School's cross-country teams put their best feet forward over the weekend, with the girls together taking second place among 1-3A teams. "It went great," commented the team's coach, Jenn Davies. Runner Reyn Hutten ended up finishing in first place among her division's girls during Saturday's meet in Petersburg. She seems set this year to continue her pace of last year, when she placed first during the Region V run in Ketchikan. Teammate Jing O'Brien finished in 14th place, which...
The month long moose hunting season is ready to begin next week, opening on September 15 and lasting until October 15. For the Wrangell, Petersburg and Kake game unit, last year’s moose season turned out being the third best on record according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game harvest data. Area hunters had a 13-percent success rate, with 103 males harvested by 772 participating hunters. A total of 1,061 permits had been issued. After a reasonably mild winter, the moose population appears to be doing well. An aerial survey of the S...
The ballot for next month’s municipal election is still two names short, with vacancies on the Borough Assembly and Port Commission left without candidates. A few other positions will go uncontested, with Assembly member Julie Decker running for reelection to a three-year term unopposed, as is Port Commission incumbent John Yeager. Two unexpired two-year terms on the Wrangell Medical Center Board are uncontested as well, with incumbent Olinda White and newcomer Patrick Mayer applying for the seats. One full four-year term on the hospital board...
A pilot study currently underway seems to be bearing good news for Wrangells water worries. In mid-July the city declared a state of emergency as its water treatment plant struggled to meet local demand. An appeal to residents and local seafood processors to limit water usage followed, allowing Public Works time to replenish its reserve tanks. By August 18 City Hall declared the crisis over, but still encouraged people to conserve water. The problem was primarily with the plants water...
Local air travelers were invited to the airport for a question-and-answer session August 25. A delegation of managers with Alaska Airlines fired up a grill out front, fielding questions people may have about the phasing out of the services “combi” fleet next year. Since its introduction in 2007, the 737-400 combi has been a unique facet of travel within the state, combining cargo conveyance with passenger service in the main cabin. Until it phases them out, Alaska Airlines is the only major domestic carrier to still use the combination jet...
The City of Wrangell is applying to the United States Forest Service to give a historic boat a new home. The M/V Chugach was one of 11 ranger boats operating in the state during the first half of the 20th century. Built at the Lake Union Dry Dock and Machine Works in Seattle in 1925, the vessel was assigned to Cordova for work in the Tongass and Chugach national forests. It remains the last of its kind in the USFS fleet, continuing service until last year. The boat was restationed in Petersburg in 1953, it served from there more than 60 years....
