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Girl Scouts from Wrangell's Troop 4156 recently returned from a four-day field exercise upriver, observing amphibians for this year's "Camp'Phibian." What has become an annual field trip is in its second year and partners the troop with researchers from the Alaska Herpetological Society (AHS) and United States Forest Service. It is part of a broader research project the society has developed called the Stikine Long-Term Amphibian Monitoring Program. AHS president Josh Ream said the project...
The school year came to an end for Wrangell students on May 21, and while they’ve said “so long” for the summer to teachers and homework, they are still invited to pick up a book or two in the interim through the annual summer reading program. The program—hosted by the Irene Ingle Public Library—is already under way, encouraging kids to continue reading while on break with a variety of prizes and cash drawings for participants. Its purpose is to help curb summer reading loss, where students lose some of their newly learned or developin...
Twenty-two seniors graduated from Wrangell High School last Friday. This year's graduating class donned their gowns and mortarboards and walked the aisle in front of friends and loved ones in a confetti-strewn ceremony at the school gym that afternoon. "All of our seniors are headed out in different directions, but all of them have worked very hard to get to this point," said Lisa Nikodym who helped the students prepare for post-graduation. "Wrangell High School staff and myself are very proud...
Wrangell School Board held a special session and workshop Tuesday evening to discuss the future of its school lunch program. At its May 19 regular meeting, the board voted in favor of canceling the school district's contract with NANA Management Services, which this year provided food and preparatory staff. “We are exploring different options,” said board president Susan Eagle. The workshop was not a formal one, with people allowed to offer ideas freely. Additionally, feedback had been submitted to the superintendent's office and was inc...
A local man was arrested by Wrangell Police Department earlier this month, after allegedly attempting to pick up and then threatening a child. The complaint was filed against Randolph Kalkins, 46, on May 8 for Assault in the 4th Degree, a Class A misdemeanor. The charge refers to using words or displaying conduct to cause fear of imminent physical injury. The complaint document explains the arrest followed a report by a local minor, age eight, who told police Kalkins offered her a ride in his...
The Stikine Sportsmen Association raised $48,000 at this year’s annual fundraiser dinner, about $7,000 more than the previous year. Its 35th Annual Game Dinner was held in Wrangell’s American Legion Hall on Feb. 28, and the money was raised through a combination of raffles, auctions, admission and donations. “We give all of it away,” explained Mike Otteson, on the group’s board. Stikine Sportsmen Association is a private organization that directs its funding toward a wide variety of programs and causes. “All our money is spent in town,” said...
Wrangell's roller derby season came to a positive close last Saturday, with the Garnet Grit Betties taking fifth place at the third annual United We Roll: Alaska Statewide Tournament in Palmer, May 15–17. "It was a great way to end our season," remarked the team's coach, Shawna Buness. Though the Betties played in two bouts the previous season, this year was the team's first full schedule, and it finished with five wins and three losses. Ten teams of rollergirls from around the state came togeth...
Public and private groups are looking at new ways to enhance the value of Alaska's seafood industry. The multibillion-dollar sector is of significant importance to the state's economy, and Southeast is among its largest harvesters of fish and shellfish. In 2013, Southeast fishermen brought in a record catch of 479 million pounds, worth $375 million. This was a 79-percent increase over the previous year, according to the 2014 By the Numbers report produced by Rain Coast Data for the Southeast Conference. Fishing and seafood processing provide...
Before the summer weather heats up and the air conditioners kick on, residents are being asked to conserve energy starting May 26. Wrangell Municipal Light and Power (WMLP) announced it will begin its annual diesel run that day, with the scheduled run anticipated to end June 3. Southeast Alaska Power Agency technicians need to power down the transmission lines connecting the hydroelectric facility at Tyee Lake for maintenance, including checking the lines' anchors and insulators, replacing...
A draft budget was passed by the Wrangell School Board at its Monday evening meeting, but contract renewal for four non-tenured faculty members has been put on hold as administrators await news of a final budget from the State Legislature. Speaking up at the meeting in favor of prompt action was Jack Carney, a non-tenured teacher at Wrangell High School until the year's end and the school's activities director. He was critical of the school district's timing in renewing contracts so late in the year. “The job fairs are over. It's now the m...
At its regular meeting Tuesday evening, Wrangell's City and Borough Assembly began the process to exempt itself and other public representatives from the state's Public Official Financial Disclosure Law. Currently new members of city committees, boards and other positions are required to fill out forms disclosing a variety of assets to the public. Assembly member Stephen Prysunka was supportive of the proposal, opining that the removal of what he agreed was a burdensome document would promote greater civic involvement on boards and committees....
Wrangell’s Parks and Recreation Board approved a new fee schedule for the upcoming fiscal year at its May 6 meeting. A workshop was held the previous week to revise a schedule draft that was rejected by the Assembly in January. “This is what we discussed and agreed on at the workshop,” Parks and Recreation Department Director Kate Thomas explained. “I thought our workshop last week was really productive,” said board member Holly Owens. One of the main changes to the new schedule is a different structure for the gym and pool family rate. Under t...
Wrangell's senior class showcased its various projects May 6 inside the high school commons. Parents, faculty, students and community members mingled between booths and displays as the seniors explained what tasks they had taken on for their requisite service project. "There's just so much diversity in what they do," said secondary schools principal Colter Barnes. "I love the diversity; I like the service behind it. And it's a nice time for the seniors to showcase their talents." Students set...
The trial for former Wrangell physician Greg Salard has been moved to July 20 to allow his defense to prepare for a third child pornography charge being brought against him. Salard was initially arrested at his Wrangell home last October following a five-month online investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Prosecutors allegedly found 104 files containing child pornography on a computer in the home at the time of his arrest. On April 21, federal prosecutors filed an additional charge for receipt of the material that could add five...
Port Commission member David Silva reported at the board’s May 7 meeting that no garbage disposal is currently available at Wrangell’s boatyard. “There’s no place to put your garbage,” he said. “We used to have a couple four-yard dumpsters there,” harbormaster Greg Meissner explained. However, he added, users abused that system by improperly dumping a wide collection of items, so the receptacles were eventually taken away. The Harbor Department’s current policy requires contractors and customers to dispose of their garbage at the city landfi...
The Wrangell Museum at the Nolan Center is open once again, after shutting down for two months for cataloging. Museum Director Terri Henson explained that all the items in the collection have been photographed and logged in Microsoft Excel. "There were a hundred (items) in there alone," she said of the museum's main gallery. Eventually the full collection will be inventoried and available for review online using the PastPerfect system. The cataloging software is currently used in 9,500 museums...
Wrangell shoppers saddled themselves down with appliances, wares and other sundries during the borough’s Tax-free Day on May 2. Twice a year, sales taxes are waived for local businesses in an effort to boost retail purchases. During the autumn tax holiday, grocers Bob’s IGA and City Market tend to hold their big case lot sales, and Front Street shops often feature special offers and discounts on Tax-free Days. “Every time we have one it gets bigger,” said Bob Robbins, owner of Bob’s IGA. He said the last three such days have each beaten ou...
The weekend's 18th annual Stikine River Birding Festival had plenty of sunshine, baseball and a Tax Free Day to compete with but nevertheless drew good crowds for a variety of activities. The festival highlights birding opportunities that the region affords. Southeast Alaska is a major destination for long-distance migrations, as its diverse landscape is a hot spot for species declining elsewhere. The Stikine River area sees over 120 species of birds during migratory periods, and shorebirds...
At last weekend's Stikine River Birding Festival, residents and visitors flocked to the Nolan Center to learn more about their feathery, flighty neighbors. While there were birding tips, arts shows and craft displays to enjoy, the festival also took on a more serious note regarding threats to the future of species' populations. Of particular concern for marine species are the short term and cumulative effects of discarded plastics. On Friday evening, University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA)...
The community of Wrangell will be one step closer to having an Alaska Wildlife Trooper (AWT) again, following news that the Department of Public Safety (DPS) has reversed its January decision to cut the position. Citing budgetary constraints, the position was to be cut along with around 60 others across the state. “My understanding is the position itself is not going to be removed, but it’s going to be a vacant position,” explained Tim Despain, public information supervisor for DPS. “It could be some time before the actual position is filled....
This year's Head Start class graduated another set of students on Tuesday, the latest batch since Wrangell's program began in 1985. The program finished with 19 students this year. Five days a week, they spent mornings preparing for grade school from September until May. "We have 11 graduating, and the rest are coming back to Head Start," explained Sandy Churchill, Wrangell's program director. Federally funded through Central Council Tlingit Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (CCTHITA), the program...
As budget deadlines draw ever closer, a pair of meetings will be held at City Hall next week. The Board of Equalization meets Monday at 6:30 p.m., and the Wrangell Assembly will hold a public hearing on the Fiscal Year 2016 budget at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. Comprised of members of the Assembly, the Board of Equalization meets every year in early May. Forty-eight appeals have been filed this year, after assessors found improvement values had risen by five percent. While property values remained largely unchanged, this increase still affects overall...
As the rest of the Alaska Legislature takes a two-week recess before returning for special session next Tuesday, the Senate and House finance committees have been left behind to continue working toward adoption of a budget. After extending beyond the statutory 90-day session without a fully funded budget, the Legislature was called into special session by Gov. Bill Walker. On April 30 both chambers agreed to gavel out until May 12 while the finance committees continue to meet. “Right now we’re recessing,” Rep. Dan Ortiz (I, Ketchikan) said...
Extra chairs were needed at Monday's Wrangell School Board meeting as parents and staff settled in to what would be a lengthy proceeding. On the minds of many was the proposed cut of $113,000 from the school lunch budget, effectively ending the program. The cut represented the largest of several cuts to school expenditures planned for the coming year, totaling $209,167 or a 3.5 percent reduction. The cuts were in response to the loss of one-time funding from the state and reductions to per-pupil funding proposed by the House and Senate...
As the Legislature was being summoned for special session, Wrangell's Borough Assembly continued to look at its own budget for the coming fiscal year at its Tuesday evening meeting. The regular meeting was preceded by a workshop on the FY16 budget. The budget Borough Manager Jeff Jabusch presented was balanced using the existing mil tax rate, with services maintained at much the same levels as at present. Some cuts include smaller items like travel expenses, supplies and subscriptions, and a reduction in contributions to radio station KSTK and...
