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Julia Ostrander was voted in to fill a short-term vacancy on the school board on Monday. The vacancy was created when Laura Ballou resigned from the board in early November. The board received two applications to fill the position — from Ostrander and Alexandra Angerman, both of whom ran for seats on the board in the October municipal election but lost. At Monday’s meeting, board president Don Wilson announced that Angerman had withdrawn her submission, citing other responsibilities. Ostrander, a parent and small business owner, was asked to...
The annual Elks Hoop Shoot is back on schedule this year. The event is set for Saturday morning at the community gym, with staggered times for different age groups. Last winter’s shoot was postponed to January, to stay away from holiday events amid concerns over COVID-19’s impact on the community. Each participant Saturday will receive a free basketball to use in the Hoop Shoot — and will get to keep the ball. A hamburger lunch at the Elks Club for all participants will follow the competition. Boys and girls ages 8 and 9 will shoot at 9 a.m.,...
The Wrangell Senior Center is in need of food donations, especially subsistence foods. In particular, the center is seeking turkeys and hams, plus fish, deer meat, moose meat and liver. Moose or deer is preferred, but cow liver is fine too, because one of the center’s menu items is liver and onions. Donations will be collected through Jan. 31. Site Manager Solvay Gillen said all the donations benefit the seniors, and people in town also can donate other food items, such as produce and seafood, if they’d like. Donations can be dropped off at...
Nov. 24, 1921 Mayor Grant this week circulated a petition to the governor setting forth that on account of the great destruction of deer by wolves in Southeast Alaska, more drastic methods of wolf extermination should be employed at once. The petition was eagerly signed by local citizens, and will be forwarded to the governor on the next northbound steamer. An offer was made by the U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey for the free use of the gas boat Regal and services of two trained men to work for wolf extermination, giving two months service for...
The Wrangell High School volleyball team will head to the state competition in Anchorage after placing second at regionals last weekend in Haines. Coach Alyssa Allen said the Lady Wolves beat Haines once and Craig twice, and lost to Klawock twice, placing second out of seven teams. "Overall, the kids played really well," Allen said. "They played hard after a short week of practice due to COVID protocols." Emma Martinsen ran an excellent offense for the team, the coach said, while Kiara Harrison,...
Hospice of Wrangell is doing its usual double duty this holiday season, with its annual Dove Tree ceremony to remember lost friends and family members and the Christmas Tree Lane fundraiser. Both events are at the Nolan Center. The Dove Tree ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday and will include readings, a homily by the Rev. Suellen Bahleda of Island of Faith Lutheran Church, and music by Cindy Martin, Sarah Scambler, Bonnie Demerjian and Alice Rooney. The tree, with paper doves in memory of people who have died, “has a place of honor” amo...
Unlike Fairbanks and the Kenai Peninsula which struggled to complete their traditional holiday food box menus — partially due to nationwide supply chain shortcomings — Wrangell’s organizers report 50 Thanksgiving boxes went out fully stuffed. The Salvation Army, which coordinates the holiday campaign for the Wrangell Ministerial Association, placed its Thanksgiving order in October with City Market and IGA to ensure everything would arrive on time. They turned in their Christmas food order on Nov. 1, and are still taking inventory of what...
The borough reported two new COVID-19 cases in Wrangell on Wednesday, adding to the four on Tuesday and pushing the November total to 60 -- by far the highest monthly count of the almost two-year-long pandemic. All but one of the 60 cases are Wrangell residents and most were close contacts of recent positive cases, including the two infections reported Wednesday. The previous record was 48 cases in August. Of the recent cases in town, the borough reported 15 were still active as of late Wednesday afternoon, down from last week as individuals... Full story
Nov. 17, 1921 According to the Alaska Directory published in the General Federation News, the official organ of the club women of the country, Mrs. I.C. Bjorge, of Wrangell, has been appointed chair of the Alaska Federation. Other chair are: Art and Music, Mrs. Frank LeNoir, Douglas; Civics, Mrs. Russel Herman, Chickaloon; Legislation, Mrs. Vara E. Kaser, Juneau; Library Extension, Mrs. F. Rader, Matanuska; Home Economics, Sanitation and Health, Mrs. G. Borgen, Seward: History (appointment to be made later). Nov. 15, 1946 Stream surveys of...
The borough assembly last Friday approved submitting an application for $1.8 million in pandemic relief aid to replace lost sales tax, port and harbors and other revenues in 2020. The funds, if granted, would come from the state’s share of the American Rescue Plan Act, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief fund Congress approved in March. Cities and boroughs received a direct federal allocation under the act — Wrangell’s share was $485,000 — while the state is going to share some of its money with municipalities that got hurt above and beyond...
The Wrangell High School wrestling and volleyball teams stayed in town last weekend instead of traveling for matches, due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns. A wrestler tested positive for COVID-19 last week after returning from a match in Anchorage with eight other athletes from the squad. The team was scheduled to compete in Ketchikan last weekend but ended up canceling due to the close-contact exposure. The tournament in Ketchikan was still held. The volleyball team was scheduled to compete in Petersburg for a second weekend in a row, and for a se...
An all-day boating safety class, Alaska Water Wise, will be offered Saturday at the Nolan Center, presented by the state Office of Boating Safety and volunteers who are working to organize a Wrangell detachment of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. The free class will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a lunch break, and will cover boat operations, emergencies, cold water survival, navigation rules and boating laws. “It’s a lot of different safety topics,” said Liz Buness, one of the organizers. “Hopefully, we’ll have more programs like this in t...
Wrangell’s first clinic for children ages 5 through 11 to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is set for Thursday at the Wrangell Medical Center. Additional clinics will be scheduled. Parents and guardians can register online at searhc.org, or call the medical center at 907-874-7000 for more information. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week approved the Pfizer vaccine for young children. “Vaccines will be available by appointment, and a parent or caregiver must accompany the youth,...
The state has submitted for review its plan to spend $50 million in federal funds to help homeowners financially strained during the pandemic by loss of income to pay their mortgages. The U.S. Treasury Department is reviewing Alaska’s plan, along with those from other states. “Our mortgage plan is with Treasury for review and approval,” Stacy Barnes, governmental affairs director at the Alaska Housing Finance Corp., said last week. The $50 million is Alaska’s allocation of the $9.96 billion Congress appropriated for mortgage relief in the Ame...
Monday’s state ferry to Petersburg and Juneau was the last northbound sailing scheduled for Wrangell until Dec. 10. With the Matanuska pulled out of service for winter maintenance, the Alaska Marine Highway System will operate at a reduced schedule until the ship returns in December. That means a loss of weekly northbound and southbound stops in Wrangell. The Kennicott is covering Southeast in place of the Matanuska, but the Kennicott also will serve Cordova and Whittier in Prince William Sound, resulting in less time — and fewer port cal...
Wrangell’s public library is turning 100 years old. It was established in November 1921. The library is celebrating with an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28. Coffee, punch and birthday cake will be served. Irene Ingle Public Library director Margaret Villarma, who was hired by Kay Jabusch in 1989 and took over from her as director in 2015, said the story of the library’s progression over the past 100 years will be on display at the open house. The library is an important resource for everyone in the community, Villarma said, “fr...
Sealaska Corp. is still accepting applications from shareholders for a one-time $500 relief payment, funded with federal pandemic aid. As of last week, payments had gone out to 70 shareholders in Wrangell, said Matt Carle, spokesman for the Southeast regional Native corporation. “That number will likely grow as we’re starting to contact shareholders with incomplete applications,” Carle said. “The program is still open and we are encouraging people to apply.” The application period started Oct. 4 and will remain open until the $6 million i...
The borough has reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 since Saturday -- the majority of which are community spread. Wrangell had just two COVID cases in the first 22 days of October, The first announcement came Saturday with three cases, all Wrangell residents. The borough reported six more cases on Sunday and one more on Monday, "a close contact of a previously identified case." Then one more on Tuesday, also a close contact of a previous case. All of the individuals went into isolation after their positive test results, the borough reported.... Full story
None of the four contested races in last week’s municipal election were close, though the number of voters who cast ballots compared to last year was about as close as it can get. Last year’s municipal election tallied 485 voters. This year’s total was 486. “Yes, you are reading that correctly, we had one more voter this year than we had last year,” Borough Clerk Kim Lane reported to the assembly this week. The assembly certified the results Oct. 7, after the canvass board had counted early and absentee votes and resolved several questione...
Wrangell’s Tent City Days start Friday and run through Sunday, with 20 events scheduled for the fall festivities that come a day before Alaska Day on Monday, which celebrates the U.S. purchase of the territory from Russia in 1867. In keeping with the historical theme, there are some gold rush-named activities among the varied three-day schedule. And in keeping with COVID-19 safety, organizers advise on the event’s Facebook page: “Please mask up. Follow state/local health mandates. Don’t feel well? Stay home and call your medical provide...
Dialing a number within the 907 area code will soon require all 10 digits of a phone number — that’s the number along with the area code. Starting on Oct. 24, under a new federal requirement, it will be mandatory to dial all 10 numbers for calls within the same area code in more than six dozen area codes around the country. Although people can already dial all 10 digits to complete a call, the requirement won’t be hard-coded until the mandatory date. After Oct. 24, callers may not be able to complete a call by dialing only seven digits and c...
The Island of Faith Lutheran Church was unable to conduct its traditional Alaska Day event last year and didn’t want to miss it a second year in a row. But COVID-19 is still a concern. So instead of inviting senior citizens to lunch at the church, volunteers will deliver halibut to the senior center, which will prepare the meals and deliver them to seniors. “We didn’t want to lose the tradition,” said Pastor Sue Bahleda. Before COVID-19, “we would host a soup luncheon here at the church,” she said. Elementary school students would sing the “A...
There are no changes to moving first-class mail in and out of Wrangell — that will continue by air, according to a U.S. Postal Service official. But service out of state could be slower, depending on how far the mail is coming or going. And it will cost more to mail packages now through Christmas as the Postal Service tries to improve its finances. Through Dec. 25, customers will pay an additional 25 cents to $5 to ship a parcel through the Postal Service, depending on the level of delivery service they select and the distance the package w...
The borough is continuing its voluntary requirement that unvaccinated individuals arriving from out of state whether by plane or boat must have proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of their departure for Wrangell or take a test on their arrival in town. The requirement does not apply to Alaska residents. The rules match the state of Alaska's travel requirements. The borough assembly approved an extension of the travel requirements at a special meeting last Friday, the day afte...
Tracking software that was going to be used this year for the school bus has been nixed. Zach Taylor, of Taylor Transportation, said the app, which would allow parents to track the school bus location in real-time, didn’t live up to the company’s expectations. The school bus operator reported in August that it would install the software, allowing parents to track the bus’s whereabouts, particularly in snowy conditions. “We are currently abandoning the system,” Taylor said of the School Bus Hub software. “It just isn’t what we thought it wa...