Sorted by date Results 301 - 325 of 613
Employees on shift and patrons who were shopping at Sentry Hardware on Thursday, Oct. 18 can thank their lucky stars that they weren’t in the wrong place at the wrong time – when a 30-06 round flew through the building’s upper level. According to Wrangell Police Department Lieutenant Merlin Ehlers, officers responded to the store at approximately 1:30 p.m. after a single round was discharged from a vehicle parked in front of the business. Ehlers said a child who had been left unattended fired...
For some Wrangell residents, the holiday season can be a time of hunger when families find it hard to put food on the table. For the ninth year in a row, the Wrangell Ministerial Association is looking to help feed families in need as they prepare for their annual Thanksgiving food basket drive. Don and Bonnie Roher are once again leading the way to help Wrangellites who are less fortunate during the holidays by holding their food basket handout on Friday, Nov. 16 from 2-6 p.m. at the upper level of the Harbor Light Assembly of God church....
It was a great weekend for the Wrangell High School Lady Wolves volleyball teams as the junior varsity team beat Hoonah Varsity and Klawock JV, losing only to the Petersburg JV in two close games. The JV team had a strong showing against the Vikings, winning one game but losing the match (25-14, 26-24). The varsity squad was able to pull out wins against Metlakatla (25-11, 25-17, 25-16) and Hoonah, while splitting with Craig. “We had a pretty good JV run last weekend because we had some u...
The Wrangell Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has a new alignment of members after their Oct. 15 round of voting to fill four vacant seats. Wrangellites Christie Jamieson, Kris Reed, Janell Privett, and Borough Manager Tim Rooney won their seats after all the votes were counted. In addition to the four winners, Solvay Bakke, LJ Messenger, Doug Robbins, and Mike Symons all put their names forward for the openings. Privett, who is past-president of the chamber, said she is ready to roll up...
An internal email from Thomas Bay Power Authority is revealing a power struggle between an employee and administrator Paul Southland over staffing and hiring practices at the agency. The email, which was sent from operations foreman Mick Nicholls to Southland and members of the board, directly challenged a decision to hire Wrangell resident Brian Ashton as a maintenance and operator at the Tyee facility – and called into question the decision to hire Ashton, who also sits as a member of the b...
Dr. Robert Urata will give a special presentation called "What is Hospice?" on Saturday, Oct. 27, at 1 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church. As a guest of the Hospice of Wrangell, Urata will discuss the history of the hospice movement, and why hospice care at the end-of-life is an important aspect to healthcare for the elderly. Urata is board certified in Hospice and Palliative Care, and currently serves as Medical Director for Hospice and Home Care of Juneau in addition to his clinical practice. During his visit, he will also meet with hospice...
Wrangell Medical Center recently received the Quality Achievement Award from Mountain Pacific Quality Health, the quality improvement organization that monitors a number of hospitals in the Pacific Northwest. The award was given after WMC earned a composite score of 95 percent for the two most recent quarters of data in four areas of hospital performance. From left: Olinda White, Alice Rooney, Sue Nelson, Diane Nore, Cathy Gross, Janet Buness, Dr. Lynn Prysunka, Donna Spencer and Michelle...
Ms. Miller’s 3rd grade class made an Alaska Day presentation at the Island of Faith Lutheran Church on Thursday, Oct. 18. The class sang “The Alaska Flag” and “The Wrangell Song” for an audience of nearly 50 at the church....
Wrangell Wolves wrestlers Tanner Thomassen and Kurt Dingwall are on a roll – courtesy of their latest 1st place wins at the Mt. Edgecumbe Invitational Tournament held Oct. 19-20 in Sitka. Thomassen, a senior for the Wolves, was placed in the number one position of the varsity bracket as the tournament began - and he took on all comers – eventually defeating Sitka’s John Davis on a 3-1 decision call. “Tanner continues to wrestle strong and brought home another first place finish for the Wolves,...
A slander and web-based defamation case brought by Dr. Greg Salard against a Wrangell resident will go forward, with a trial date set for early next year – but an offer to settle is on the table. First District Court Judge Kevin Miller ruled on Monday, Oct. 15 that Salard’s case against Lisa Gillen would be heard on April 22, 2013 in Wrangell’s First District Court. The case, which was initially filed on July 13, alleges that Gillen made statements in an online Facebook chat session about the physician, his family, and his ability to pract...
Wrangell, are you ready for some roller derby action? If not, hold on to your kneepads because the borough’s “Garnet Grit Betties” roller derby team is about to swing into action. The team, which currently comprises 20 participants and two referees, is the brainchild of Wrangellites Shawna Buness, Mikki Kauppila and Jennifer Wiederspohn. The three have spent the past few months recruiting the women to take part in setting up the team – which could end up competing across Southeast. Buness...
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and Wrangell Medical Center is encouraging women to focus on this important healthcare issue by offering reduced rate mammograms. Local women can save more than 45 percent off the regular price of a mammogram at WMC during the month of October. Ann Kramer, who heads the Imaging Department at WMC, describes the mammography process, “Women age 40 and older may self-request a screening mammogram by calling the WMC Imaging department to set up an appointment. Then, at the given time, check in with the r...
The Wrangell Wolves wrestling team came away from last weekend’s trip to Petersburg with a pair of champions, three 2nd place wrestlers, and a pair of Wolves nailing down 3rd place spots. Seniors Kurt Dingwall and Tanner Thomassen each walked away from the Vikings’ tournament Oct. 12-13 with top honors in the 138-pound and 145-pound classes respectively. According to Wrangell head coach Jeff Rooney, both of his top wrestlers kept up their pressure and skill level after being named as reg...
According to Noel Rea and his attorney, an iPad at the center of a lawsuit filed against him and former Wrangell Medical Center board members is his to keep. The borough, which is suing Rea and six recalled members of the board over actions taken at their final meeting, is seeking the return of the iPad and Blackberry, which they claim contains evidence relevant to their case. Rea is saying the items are his and therefore protected from review by the city or its attorneys – and that he claims to own the iPad, having arranged to purchase it f...
With the removal of the temporary adzing shed set up at the intersection of Campbell Drive and Brueger Street, the lot where a brand-new facility for totem pole carving will soon receive a makeover in preparation for construction. Wrangell Cooperative Association project manager Todd White said preparations for the site where the new shed will be located are underway and includes getting ready to pour the foundation of what will be a 4,000-square foot facility. “We’re getting ready to start the...
If estimates of expected attendance hold true, the population of Wrangell could increase by 25 percent or more in May 2013 – during the rededication of Chief Shakes Tribal House. The numbers of expected visitors, which has been calculated by Tis Peterman of the Wrangell Cooperative Association, could equal between 700-1,000 participants from across Alaska and the lower-48. Because of this projection, the hunt for housing so many visitors to the borough is on with a vengeance. “So far we...
During the next few weeks, the Irene Ingle Public Library will be offering a new service – e-books. Library patrons will now be able to browse a website, check out an electronic book with a valid library card, and download its contents to a PC and many other types of mobile devices. According to library director Kay Jabusch, patrons will need to load software on their devices such as an iPod, Sony Reader, Nook, Kindle or computer. Titles will automatically expire at the end of the lending period and there will be no late fees. The first year o...
For a group of three Midwesterners, the wilds of Alaska are about to become home again for 41 days as part of the Alaska Island Community Services’ Alaska Crossings program. Rachel Feerick of Wisconsin, Jesse Mogler of Iowa, and Ellen Barr of Minnesota, have signed on for the next-to-last outing of 2012 as field guides for the organization and will be working with a group of nine adolescent participants from across Alaska. All three have previously worked in the field for the wilderness-based b...
A business plan for The Wrangell Community Market, written by a University of Alaska Center for Economic Development graduate student, Jamie Arnett, was submitted to the Farmers Market Promotional Program, through the Wrangell Medical Center, at the end of last month. According to Borough Manager Tim Rooney, city staff through planning and implementation of the pilot farmers market, which took place in Wrangell this year, provided assistance in the development of the business plan. “The main goal of a farmers market in Wrangell is to make f...
For more than 20 years, Roland Larsen has been collecting weather data for Wrangell at the Wrangell Weather Office, both at its former U.S. Post Office building location, and its current residency at the airport. In the two decades Larsen has been at the helm of the office, he has reported temperature and precipitation for the Wrangell Sentinel, but recently, collecting the data related to precipitation in the borough has fallen to the city Public Works Department. The National Oceanographic...
The Borough Assembly met in open session on Tuesday, Oct. 9 – and featured the return of Don McConachie as Mayor of the city – a position he held when Wrangell was incorporated as a borough in 2008. Assembly member Bill Privett was appointed as Vice Mayor, with Mayor McConachie appointing a number of Wrangell residents to various board and commission positions currently vacant. McConachie also directed Borough Clerk Kim Flores to seek out letters of intent from individuals seeking to be appointed to the assembly seat left vacant by his ele...
A skull, possibly belonging to a Native, was found last week in a slough just off Government Slough, near the mouth of the Stikine River. Vena Stough, a Wrangellite who was hunting and fishing in the area with her boyfriend, found the skull while pulling a canoe up the waterway. “I found it at about 1 o’clock on Friday off the slough in the Stikine River,” she said. “I saw it and realized it was a human skull, a male, and most likely Native. It had a very prominent brow ridge.” Stough said she...
A Wrangell resident and front-line fighter in the War on Terror will soon be returning from Afghanistan for a quick visit to his hometown before serving out his remaining three years in the U.S. Army. Patrick Howell, a 2011 graduate of Wrangell High School – and Airborne Infantryman currently holding the rank of Specialist – will make that trip sometime in November, dependent on the deployment needs of his unit. Howell will continue to serve his country here in Alaska, and said he is exc...
Assembly member Don McConachie was elected Mayor in Tuesday’s election by the thinnest of margins, with only two votes separating him and now former Assembly member David Jack. After the votes were tallied – and with eight fax votes making the difference in the election – McConachie wasted no time in announcing his intentions on moving the city and borough forward. “This is an exciting day,” McConachie said. “But, now we have to put Wrangell back into good stead with the state, and we need to ad...
The Tongass National Forest has completed the first phase of a large-scale watershed restoration project begun this summer with the National Forest Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and communities on Prince of Wales Island. The Twelvemile Creek watershed encompasses 28 miles of salmon and other fish-bearing streams as well as 59 miles of additional streams covering an area just under 20 square miles in central Prince of Wales Island. In 2012, 1.5 stream miles were restored in a project that included placing more than 200 logs in the river....
