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The girls varsity basketball team suffered two blowout defeats at home to Metlakatla last weekend. "I thought our girls really put in a lot of effort, defensively," said head coach Christina Good. "We're a young team; we're still learning. ... I'm really proud of our girls for keeping their heads up and putting in the effort. I feel like both nights they did that." The Lady Wolves knew that the MissChiefs would be tough opponents. Before the Feb. 9-10 games in Wrangell, the Metlakatla girls had...
TK's Mini Mart, located near the Wrangell Medical Center, now has two 15-foot U-Haul trucks for rent. Owner Alesa McHolland said she had been approached by a U-Haul sales representative who wanted to rent space at her store's location to park the trucks; the arrangement to offer rentals evolved from there. On Jan. 31, McHolland walked across the parking lot to show where the U-Hauls are stationed next to the freight vans that the Mini Mart uses for storage. "I actually rented (one truck) out for...
In 2017, two high school seniors worked together to help create outdoor artwork meant to educate and forge a lasting bond with participating younger students. Now, almost seven years later, another high school senior will strip it away. Nate Rooney chose for his senior project to remove the weathered mural at the Parks and Recreation community center outer stairwell opposite the swimming pool. The wall art features hand-crafted cutouts of salmon fastened to a painted wall resembling the ocean....
The girls varsity basketball team lost twice at home to Haines on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 1-2. The Lady Bears beat the Lady Wolves in a tight game on Thursday, 46-39, and then Haines came back even harder the second night, soundly defeating Wrangell 61-43. Lady Wolves head coach Christina Good felt her team had their best game of the season on Thursday. "I felt like they really played well as a team," she said. "They really had that chemistry as a team and worked really hard at both ends for...
The Wolves' varsity boys basketball team won two games at home against the Haines Glacier Bears despite losing their star player to injury halfway through the first game. Starting a day earlier than originally scheduled, Wrangell hosted Haines on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 1-2. In the first game, the Wolves defeated the Glacier Bears 68-50. Then on the second night, the Wolves scored another decisive win, 57-36. The junior varsity team got a split, winning their first game 33-30 but losing the...
Described on their website as "a small, woman-owned gift shop and handmade bath and body store," ownership of River's Mouth Trading Co. recently changed hands. One of its employees, Elizabeth Johnson, who has been with the store for about six months, has taken over the business. Since opening in the fall of 2022 in the Churchill Building on Front Street, the shop has become a popular destination for residents. "We have lots of locals that come in regularly for the products that we make," said...
Raised in Wrangell then later moving to Illinois, where she now lives with her husband and two sons, Jennifer Weekley recalled it was her friend and Wrangell resident Walt Maenhout who encouraged her to write a book. "I thought about it," she said. "And I've always heard if somebody's going to write, you should write what you know about, and I thought I knew about deep, meaningful friendships. Having grown up in Wrangell the way we did, we have these bonds that people in the Lower 48 oftentimes...
For high school seniors Kayla and Mindy Meissner, basketball has been part of their lives since they were very young, starting when they both participated in the annual Elks Hoop Shoot in first grade, later taking part in youth basketball programs and middle school basketball teams. Now, both are experienced players on the Lady Wolves varsity girls basketball team. Since they both share a passion for the sport and work well together, they decided to approach it from a different perspective than...
After losing two games to Petersburg in Wrangell's homecoming weekend earlier this month, the Wolves' varsity boys basketball team was ready for a rematch during the Vikings' homecoming celebration. The result was a split, with Petersburg winning the first game, 40-32, on Friday, Jan. 26, while the Wolves came back on Saturday, Jan. 27, soundly defeating their opponents 50-39. Wrangell's junior varsity team also took home a split, winning Friday 45-35 but losing Saturday 40-31. "For me, it...
After almost six years, Josh Blatchley is resigning as facilities and maintenance director for the Wrangell School District. He submitted his resignation the first week of January, effective at the end of April. The job opening is being advertised. Blatchley said he felt the time was right. “My kids have all graduated, and I think that another job will give me a little more free time, so I’ll be able to come and go as I choose.” “I’ve enjoyed my time here, and the people I worked with. I’m just looking for a change.” Blatchley said Jan. 24...
The Lady Wolves' varsity girls basketball team visited Petersburg during their homecoming weekend, hoping to duplicate the two wins they scored against the team earlier this month in Wrangell. But it ended in two heartbreaking losses, as the Vikings defeated the Lady Wolves on Friday, Jan. 26, 31-28, then squeaked out another win on Saturday 35-34. "The girls played great defense, and our press went well, but sometimes it just doesn't work out," said Lady Wolves head coach Christina Good....
The Wrangell school district will have to do without federal pandemic-era grants for the next school year, creating a sizable gap in revenues and requiring spending cuts and/or pulling money out of savings to balance the budget. At a work session Jan. 15, the school board reviewed with district business manager Kristy Andrew a draft budget for the 2024-2025 school year. The district has been using the federal aid to cover the salaries of its two school principals, but this is the last year that money is available. “With the exhaustion of our CO...
After two and a half years in Wrangell, Alaska Wildlife Trooper Chadd Yoder is preparing to transfer to Ketchikan. But before leaving, he received an unforgettable send-off from his fellow troopers. Wildlife troopers from the division's Southern Detachment gathered Thursday, Jan. 18, at the Sourdough Lodge to honor their brethren with pins for years of service as well as awards in various categories. Anticipating that he would receive some sort of pin and a visit to his post from command staff...
Throughout her high school years, senior Mia Wiederspohn has been very invested in "everything Tlingit," learning Indigenous studies and its history in Wrangell. She worked with mentor and teacher Xwaanlein Virginia Oliver to learn the language, then assisted Oliver to create the radio show "The Application of Learning Tlingit Language," 41 three- to five-minute episodes teaching words and phrases. She also created and hosted her own five-episode radio program called "Mia's Gift," sharing her...
Wrangell’s public library has two birthdays: It celebrated its 100th birthday with an open house in 2021, and this year the current building will turn 50 years old. Originally opened in October 1921 by the Wrangell Civic Improvement Club in their club room, then moving a decade later to share space in the old City Hall, the city sold $157,000 in bonds to help construct a building specifically designed as a library in 1974. The construction had its beginnings in 1959 when a building fund was created — the occasion was marked by showing of the...
The Wrangell boys and girls varsity basketball teams had a tough weekend Jan. 19-20 at Metlakatla, both enduring two losses. The Wolves were soundly defeated by the Chiefs on Friday, 83-53, while Metlakatla won Saturday's rematch 56-50. The Lady Wolves were dealt a blowout from the MissChiefs on Friday, 80-20, then lost by a smaller margin on Saturday, 54-34. The junior varsity boys fared better on Friday, defeating Metlakatla 47-23, but the junior varsity girls lost 42-22. Head boys coach Cody...
Since Artha DeRuyter arrived in town three years ago with her husband, clinical psychologist and current school board member John DeRuyter, she has provided flowers and floral arrangements for residents from their floating home in the harbor, in addition to selling her wares at other venues like the monthly community market at the Nolan Center, prompting her to name her blooming business OnTheWater Floral. Originally hailing from Fairbanks, DeRuyter has been involved with flowers, whether as a...
A year and a half ago, Colette Czarnecki, the new news director at public radio KSTK, had been a trainee in NPR's Next Gen Radio, a five-day, audio-focused journalism project which finds, coaches and trains journalists for public media. Her mentor on the project advised her to try looking for jobs in Alaska. As Czarnecki checked out public radio jobs in places like Petersburg, Ketchikan and finally Wrangell, she said, "The people that interviewed me, they kept on contacting me and constantly tol...
When Lillian "Jing" O'Brien graduated from Wrangell High School in 2020, COVID-19 had taken over the nation and she had enrolled in Loyola University in Chicago with tentative plans to study pre-law and perhaps later corporate law. "I was fully planning to go, but then last minute around July, they sent out a message saying, unfortunately, due to the COVID restrictions, they were going to close down campus and move classes online." That unexpected complication pushed O'Brien to explore...
Installation of security cameras at eight port and harbor sites has started. “Chatham just showed up today,” Harbormaster Steve Miller said on Jan. 2, referring to Juneau-based Chatham Electric, which has a $495,000 borough contract for the work. “We did all the site inspections for the camera locations. … We’ll be working on it, and we should be done by the end of March,” Miller said. Originally intended to be installed in late summer through fall of 2023, Miller said he was unsure of the reason for the postponement, although he believes it...
The Wolves had a rough start to the boys basketball season as they faced the Petersburg Vikings in the high school gym on homecoming weekend. While the junior varsity team split two close games, the varsity squad was soundly defeated both nights. Both teams lost on the season-opening night Friday, Jan. 5, starting with the JV Wolves who played a tight contest only to fall short by two points against Petersburg, 32-30. The varsity players had a tougher time, as the Vikings won 41-32. Head coach...
The Lady Wolves enjoyed a double victory by slim margins at the high school gym against the Petersburg Vikings on homecoming weekend, winning 29-27 on Friday, Jan. 5, then earning another win on Saturday, Jan. 6, 40-37. Head coach Christina Good felt it served as a great start to the season. "To get two wins, I think it means a lot," she said. "It was good to see how they played and handled the pressure." Friday night proved to be more challenging as they struggled to find their footing in their...
After this year's Fourth of July celebration, resident and military veteran Liz Roundtree was troubled by the state of U.S. flags that had been turned in for disposal at the American Legion where she's a member. "After the Fourth of July, finding flags - even just turned in to us that need to be disposed – they're not folded in any way. They're just like, crumpled up and thrown into a bag of some sort," she said. Roundtree was also concerned about the state of how some flags were kept in s...
Alaska's senior senator, Lisa Murkowski, told community leaders she will push for federal funding to bolster monitoring efforts of hillsides out the road. "What we need to have is greater monitoring and greater data that will help inform. That is something that I'm committed to working on," she said at a meeting with borough officials on Dec. 20 in Wrangell. "How do you give people that certainty that your home sitting on the beach where you thought you were always safe, and now you're looking...
When 9-year-old Syler Webster isn't busy with his fourth grade class, extracurricular activities or chores at home, he and his mom are keeping track of his growing Pokémon collection. For Syler's mother, Nicole Webster, it's the continuation of a pastime she enjoyed herself when she was her son's age. "I'm excited because I grew up playing and collecting Pokémon cards," she said, "but I never wanted to force it on him, so I was waiting until it was like an organic thing, so now it's fun that we...