Sorted by date Results 326 - 345 of 345
As of last week, Wrangell was hoping for 48 cruise ship stops from May 28 to Sept. 20, about half the number expected last year before the pandemic shut down all cruise ships from coming to Alaska. The 48 port calls on the draft calendar "is still incomplete as we wait to hear from some of the smaller vessels that stop in Wrangell," according to the chamber of commerce website. While the few larger vessels on the draft calendar will operate only if Canada opens its borders to cruise ship...
The main contractors on the new Wrangell Medical Center have presented a shaman's apprentice mask to display in the facility. "Crafted with red cedar, abalone, operculum shells and horsehair, the mask depicts a profound moment during the practice of a young shaman," the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium said in a prepared statement March 21. "Shamans (Sgáagaa) were known to possess healing powers and bridge the gap between spiritual and natural worlds." The mask, created by Haida...
Though Eagle River Republican Sen. Lora Reinbold made peace with legislative leadership and wore a face mask for the Senate floor session on Monday, Wasilla Republican Rep. Christopher Kurka removed his mask during the House floor session and was asked to leave the room. "Let's end this charade," Kurka said. "COVID-19 is here to stay. No measures we take are going to stop it, no matter how repressive a course, or unconstitutional." The freshman legislator expressed doubt that the federal Centers...
Here's your chance to get rid of the old computers, monitors and printers stacked in the corner. The Wrangell Cooperative Association's Indian General Assistance Program will host a free e-waste drop-off 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the carving shed on Front Street. All electronic devices with "a brain and a cord," according to a flyer for the event, can be brought in for proper disposal. There are some items the program will not accept, according to Kim Wickman, with the WCA. This includes...
A new case of COVID-19 was announced in Wrangell on Wednesday night , but the residency of the new case was not reported. According to the city, the patient has been notified and is in isolation. The initial interview of the patient had not been conducted as of 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. This case is one of two currently active in the community, and the only one whose residency is currently unknown. Of the 35 cases Wrangell has seen since the start of the pandemic, 24 have been locals, eight non-locals, and two residents who were not in town at the...
The city announced a new COVID-19 case Monday afternoon. “This individual is a local resident, is asymptomatic, and is now in isolation. There is no other information available at this time,” the city announcement said. Of the 36 cases Wrangell has seen since the start of the pandemic, 25 have been locals, eight non-locals, two residents who were not in town at the time and one residency unknown. The city continues to advise that people “keep close interactions to a very small group of people, ideally just within your household,” and staying si...
A new case of COVID-19 was reported by the city Wednesday afternoon, making three active cases in the community. According to the city, this case is travel related. The patient is asymptomatic, and is currently in isolation. There is no additional information at this time, the press release says. This makes 37 total cases in Wrangell since the start of the pandemic. Of these, 25 were locals, eight non-locals, two locals who were out of town at the time, and two whose residency is currently unknown. All cases except the currently active ones...
Wrangell's 34th case of COVID-19 was reported Tuesday afternoon. The city reported this latest case is a Wrangell local, who had not recently traveled. The person is not exhibiting any symptoms, the city said, and is in isolation. The city also reported that Public Health has completed its initial contact tracing interview with the individual. The case is the only one active of the 34 infections reported since the pandemic started. Of those, 24 cases were identified as Wrangell residents and...
The deadline is 11:59 p.m. Friday to apply for assistance with rent and/or utilities under a federally funded pandemic aid program in Alaska. As of last Friday, 65 Wrangell residents submitted applications for assistance under the state-operated program for Alaskans who have lost jobs or income due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. An additional 16 completed their online eligibility check but had not yet submitted an application, said Stacy Barnes, director of governmental relations and public a...
More than 600 people in Wrangell have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium. SEARHC's COVID-19 website reported Tuesday morning that 886 Wrangell residents had received their first vaccination shot. Of these, 612 had received both doses, almost one-quarter of the community's population. Aaron Angerman, with SEARHC, said they have started to share data online about how many vaccines have been administered in their communities....
By Sentinel staff As proposed in the draft schedule a month ago Wrangell will see two ferries a week, one southbound and one northbound, under the Alaska Marine Highway System summer schedule, which opened for reservations Feb. 24. The summer schedule runs May 1 to Sept. 30. The Matanuska is scheduled to stop in Wrangell southbound early Monday mornings and northbound on Friday afternoons on its weekly run between Bellingham, Washington, and Southeast Alaska. That's a shift from the schedule for...
Wrangell’s 34th case of COVID-19 was reported Tuesday afternoon. The City and Borough of Wrangell reported this latest case is a Wrangell local, who has not recently traveled. The person is not exhibiting any symptoms, the city said, and is in isolation. The city also reported that Public Health has completed its initial contact tracing interview with this individual. The case is the only one active of the 34 infections reported since the pandemic started. Of those, 24 cases were identified as Wrangell residents and eight as non-residents. T...
Due to high winds last weekend, neither of Wrangell High School's basketball teams traveled to Metlakatla for their first away games of the season. However, the high school said the games are tentatively rescheduled for this weekend - boating weather dependent. The school said the Wrangell Wolves and the Wrangell Lady Wolves will travel to Metlakatla for games Friday and Saturday. Friday's games will start with the boys junior varsity game at 4:35 p.m., followed by the girls varsity game and...
Wrangell Finance Director Joyce Mason will leave the job near the end of the month, according to the city. Mason has served as finance director since August 2019. Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen said in an email that Mason wants to spend more time with her family in Craig. Mason will work through Feb. 25, Von Bargen said, though she may "assist with some limited duties remotely following that." The city is searching for a new finance director. The position will "appeal to a candidate who...
Wrangell's high school basketball season will open this weekend with the boys team playing host to the Petersburg Vikings at 6 p.m. Friday and again at 10 a.m. Saturday. Wrangell's homecoming court will be introduced at halftime Saturday, said High School Activities Director Trisa Rooney. Safety precautions will be in place for those attending the game. Rooney said only two people per player's household will be allowed into the gym. Face masks are also part of the school district's COVID-19...
The social-distancing protocols of the pandemic severely cut into their petition signature gathering efforts last year, but now the Recall Dunleavy group wants to reengage Alaskans and win a spot on the ballot. The group, which started its effort in July 2019, held a virtual press conference Jan. 19 to start a renewed push to reach the 71,252 signatures of registered voters to force a statewide special election to recall Gov. Mike Dunleavy. The group already has close to 50,000 signatures, and...
Wrangell schools were continuing to experience internet connection problems as of Tuesday afternoon, after first alerting the public to the trouble in a Facebook post last Friday. Internet and phone systems were affected, according to the post, as was Monday's school board meeting, which endured connection issues at several points through the meeting between board members. According to information on the district's website, a router died. "The primary router for Wrangell Public Schools died...
The event is a month later than most years and COVID-19 safety rules will make it different too, but the goal is the same: Wrangell youth trying to score in the annual Elks Hoop Shoot on Saturday. The competition is set to start at the community center gym at 10 a.m. for 9-year-old boys and girls, 11:30 a.m. for 10 and 11-year-olds, and 1 p.m. for 12 and 13-year-olds. Event organizers are asking kids to arrive 15 minutes early to register. Every participant will be given his or her own...
The first ship built for what would become Alaska's state ferry system sank Jan. 13 in a windstorm and dock collapse in Anacortes, Washington, where the decommissioned Chilkat had been moored to a concrete floating pier. The ship sank about 85 miles north of Tacoma, where it was built in 1957 at a cost of about $300,000 to provide daily service between Juneau, Haines and Skagway. When Alaska entered the union on Jan. 3, 1959, the Chilkat became the first Alaska state ferry, later joined by four...
The Women in Safe Homes (WISH) domestic violence shelter in Ketchikan serves Wrangell families too, and its board seat designated for a Wrangell member will be up at the nonprofit organization's annual meeting in February. Kay Larson has served two terms representing Wrangell on the WISH board, and she is asking if anyone else in the community would want to serve in the seat. WISH has operated a 24-hour shelter for domestic violence victims and their families since 1980, said WISH Executive Dire...
