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Members of the Wrangell Cooperative Association, along with visitors from other communities in Southeast Alaska, joined together on Tuesday, May 22 to bless planks of cedar to be used in the renovation of the Chief Shakes tribal house. The wood, which is a portion of 12 logs donated to the project by Sealaska Corporation, was taken from native lands near the Cleveland Peninsula on Prince of Wales Island. WCA office manager Carol Snoddy said the ceremony was special because the current delivery...
A Juneau resident living in Wrangell was acquitted of gun charges last week after a jury found him not guilty of being a felon in possession of a handgun. Troy Crandall, Sr., 54, of Juneau, was absolved of charges on May 23 that he possessed a Glock semi-automatic pistol in 2011 and left the weapon with a Wrangell resident – a charge that could have landed him in jail or state prison. Crandall was alleged to have given a Glock Model 22 handgun to Wrangellite Jodie Perez in 2011. Perez testified that she hid the weapon for Crandall and s...
It’s official: texting while driving will get you pulled over in Wrangell and elsewhere across the State of Alaska. Thanks to a bill by Representatives Les Gara and Bill Thomas, along with the co-sponsorship of Rep. Peggy Wilson, Alaska’s anti-texting law – one of the strongest in the country – is now back on the books. In 2011, the question of whether current anti-cell phone use laws covered texting became a focal point for a number of judges and magistrates across the state. With the new law...
A pair of graves for unknown soldiers was marked with American flags at the Wrangell cemetery on Memorial Day....
Wrangell is one step closer to a budget as the Borough Assembly passed their 2012 draft budget with little fanfare last week during their regular session meeting at City Hall. Comment came, however, during the public hearing held before the regular meeting – and saw one local businessman asking for a reduction in the current 7 percent sales tax levied on goods and services sold in Wrangell. Ernie Christian, manager of Otteson’s True Value, asked the board whether a reduction to 5 percent might be feasible for the community. “Thinking back...
When Christie Jamieson began her career with the City of Wrangell in 1980, the island was abuzz with activity. A mill operation was the lifeblood of the local economy, and city hall could be a very busy place. Jamieson will retire from her position as Borough Clerk on June 29, completing a tenure that lasted 32 years and saw her rise from an entry level receptionist position to her current slot at the top of the borough’s organizational chart. As a clerk for the city beginning in 1997, and l...
Wrangell resident Alicia Stearns buys some fresh plant seedlings and rhubarb from Katherine Ivy at Wrangell’s first Farmer’s Market last week. The event, which will be on the third Saturday of each month, is held at the covered area near Evergreen Elementary School....
The Wrangell Chamber of Commerce held their annual dinner Friday, May 11 at the Nolan Center in an event which featured awards for Educator and Citizen of the Year, a keynote speech by Trident Seafoods’ Dave Hambleton, and a grand prize drawing for derby tickets and a fishing trip. Chamber office manager Cyni Waddington said attendance at the evening event was a resounding success – and was especially bittersweet thanks to the Educator of the Year Awards. “We’re so thankful to the community of W...
A Juneau man is facing a number of felony and misdemeanor counts in Wrangell’s First District Court after allegedly stealing a vehicle and driving it into a ditch while allegedly drunk. 36-year old Nathan J. Giske was arrested May 14 after a Wrangell police officer observed him walking away from the vicinity of a white van that had been left in the ditch near the north entrance to the airport. According to the complaint filed in court, the officer attempted to locate Giske after discovering the wreckage but was unable to locate him until 30 m...
A member of the Alaska Legislature who is vying for the Democratic nomination to face off against Republican incumbent Representative Don Young in November was in Wrangell last week to meet citizens and discuss topics important to residents in Southeast Alaska. Representative Sharon Cissna, who represents District 22 in the University Heights area of Anchorage, is seeking to unseat Young, a member of the House of Representatives since 1973. Cissna’s district, which encompasses the neighborhoods...
It was an evening of joy and celebration as 26 young men and women from Wrangell High School graduated last Friday night – and took their first step toward making a transition into the world beyond their youth. Three graduates: Salutatorian Nichole Kagee, and Valedictorians Kent Johnson and Clayton Stokes, were singled out with high recognition for their accomplishments in the classroom and the community over the past four years. In her remarks to parents, family and friends, Kagee spoke of the inspiration her mother, Lavonne Klinke, has g...
A total of $845,162 in scholarships and financial aid was handed out to the graduating seniors of Wrangell High School during their awards assembly May 16. The amount distributed in 2012 was up over last year’s total of $829,423. The 2012 WHS scholarship and financial aid winners were: UAA scholars, $19,000 each (full tuition and housing), Kent Johnson, Clayton Stokes, Nichole Kagee; President’s Volunteer Service Award, Nichole Kagee; Prudential Spirit of Community Nominee, Nichole Kagee; Elk...
The Wrangell School Board met in open session on Monday, May 21 to work on a number of action items and to accept a change in coaching personnel for a Wolves athletic team. Before action was taken on any items, however, Wrangell resident Steven Cole spoke to the board about his desire to see credits required for graduation lowered from 26, as Wrangell requires, to 21 as the State of Alaska requires. “You guys, by adopting the higher graduation credits, instead of letting the State of Alaska dictate them, you own the outcomes, good and b...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met in open session last week to take up a number of new agenda items and included discussion on the formation of a hiring committee to help in choosing a successor to current Borough Clerk Christie Jamieson. Jamieson, who has spent the past three decades in service to the borough, plans on retiring from her position in the beginning of July. The committee, which consists of Jamieson, Borough Manager Tim Rooney, Mayor Jeremy Maxand, and Assembly members Pam...
A special recall election set for June 19 is asking voters to determine the fates of eight members of the Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors. The election, which is seeking the ouster of all board members except Dorothy Hunt-Sweat, may have a larger effect, however, than changing the composition of the hospital’s leadership team – it may signal a change in the support of the USDA and their backing of a $24.7 million loan to finance the construction project. According to Jim Nor...
The Borough Assembly set a deadline for assembly members to turn in documentation of concerns or recommendations for issues surrounding the budgetary spending methods of departments within the city. The issue arose after assembly member David Jack brought up his concerns over spending of capital reserves at Wrangell Medical Center in relation to the WMC Renovation project. Before the meeting, Jack went into detail about his concerns. “Several assembly members have expressed concern over the s...
Wrangell High School junior Jaynee Fritzinger puts her talents to the canvas as she works on her large-form oil painting of the diva, Marilyn Monroe. Fritzinger is working on her masterpiece in Mr. Kirk Garbisch’s WHS art class....
By GREG KNIGHT Sentinel writer Wrangellites with questions regarding how to care for fruit trees and orchards will be able to take part in a discussion next Thursday at the Nolan Center as part of the Wrangell Chautauqua, Celebrating our Heritage series of lectures. Rico Montenegro, Chief Arborist for the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation will speak at the Nolan Center on Jan. 19 starting at 7 p.m. Montenegro is also the arborist who will be assisting in planting the fruit tree orchard won last...
Representatives from Sealaska were in Wrangell last week to hold a community-wide meeting on the topic of partnering with Haa Aani to discuss economic development and to hammer out the final form of an initiative to repatriate Native lands to shareholders in Southeast Alaska. The bill, the Southeast Alaska Native Land Entitlement Finalization and Jobs Protection Act, would amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 and would cede hundreds of thousands of acres to Sealaska. If passed,...
Alaska State Senator Bert Stedman was in Wrangell last week to take a tour of the borough and meet with city government and business leaders. With the 2012 session of the Alaska Legislature looming, Senator Stedman discussed some issues important to him – and to Wrangellites. Talk about your visit to Wrangell. What have the last couple of days been like? STEDMAN: We got here yesterday and have been going around town, from one end to the other, checking out the harbors and the boat haulout and w...
The Lady Wolves varsity team went down to the wire against the Metlakatla Lady Chiefs last Wednesday night as they fell 35-34 in a game Wrangell owned for more than 25 minutes on the boards. The Jan. 4 matchup, which was led by Wrangell for the first three periods, ended in a fourth period showdown where Metlakatla outscored, out-rebounded and out-played the Lady Wolves in a show of aggression rarely seen on the court. Wrangell head coach Dave Silva said it came down to his team failing to play...
January The Wrangell School Board found $128,451 in additional, unspent funding from a federal program. In passing their 2011 budget, the board also accepted an $8,300 grant for the Upward Bound program. Master carvers Steve Brown and Wayne Price visited Shakes Island to begin discussions on the renovation of the Tribal House and to propose a traditional tools class. The US Forest Service began a scoping project for an Environmental Impact Study regarding timber sales and road construction for...
The Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors held their regular meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 22 at the WMC meeting room to hear the monthly report from CEO Noel Selle-Rea, receive a letter in support of Dr. Greg Salard and address action items on the agenda. At the beginning of the meeting, a letter from WMC nurse Beth Kuehn, read to the board by Laura Salard during public comment, came out in favor of Dr. Salard and implored the board to keep him on staff at WMC. “It is my hope that after r...
A late night blaze destroyed a trailer and sent a woman to Wrangell Medical Center with severe burns on Thursday, Dec. 22. The fire, which began at 10:30 p.m. in a small pull-behind trailer near the top of the park, severely injured 48-year-old Kathryn Bartels. Thirty firefighters from the Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department, with three fire engines, two ambulances, and three rescue rigs took part in the effort to battle the blaze. According to Fire Marshal Bob Plumb of the Alaska Division of...
