Articles written by Shelly Pope


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  • Three new events added to Fourth of July schedule

    Shelly Pope|Jun 27, 2013

    The festivities scheduled during the 2013 Fourth of July celebration will feature three new events – with all of them being food-related. First up, on Sunday, June 30, a pie-eating contest will be one of the attractions of the Welcome Home Picnic, which will be held from 5-9 p.m. at Shoemaker Park and is being sponsored by Wells Fargo, the Wrangell Cooperative Association, Bobs’ IGA and City Market. Two more events, one new and one returning for the first time since the 1960s, will be featured on July 4 at the sidewalk near the Totem Bar and...

  • Is 'tax-free' going the way of the dinosaur in Southeast?

    Greg Knight and Shelly Pope|Jun 20, 2013

    With Petersburg foregoing a tax-free day this spring, is Wrangell next on the list of Southeast cities that will abandon their customer-friendly days of no sales tax in the Borough? This past weekend’s tax-free day was the latest sales holiday where money the Borough would usually take in did not make it into city coffers. With the distinct possibility of a 5.5 percent sales tax rate reduction looming on the October ballot, the City and Borough of Wrangell could see an end to the tax-free holidays local citizens have enjoyed since its i...

  • Investigation into Pacific Wings crash continues

    Shelly Pope|Jun 13, 2013

    The crash of a Pacific Wings deHavilland Beaver last week, left one passenger, Thomas L. Rising, of Santa Fe, New Mexico dead and five other passengers, as well as the pilot, with injuries. “The cause of the crash is still under investigation,” Alaska State Trooper Public Information Officer Megan Peters said. “The remains of Mr. Rising were recovered Wednesday afternoon.” The United States Coast Guard reported that the wreckage was located at the 1,000 foot level near Thunder Mountain, approxi...

  • Acupuncture treatment to be offered at PMC beginning June 6

    Shelly Pope|Jun 13, 2013

    PETERSBURG — The Petersburg Medical Clinic, under the direction of PMC physician, Jennifer Hyer, will be offering acupuncture treatments beginning June 6. “Our goal is to have more integrative medicine. We want to integrate eastern and western medicine, the best of both worlds, in order to treat the whole person,” Hyer stated. “I am beginning with acupuncture as the first modality to add to the clinic.” Hyer spent six months training in order to offer this service to the residents of Petersbur...

  • SEAPA CEO provided an overview and update on the organization

    Shelly Pope|May 30, 2013

    PETERSBURG — Southeast Alaska Power Agency CEO, Trey Acteson, provided a presentation during the Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting on Monday night outlining the services and mission of the SEAPA organization. Acteson stated that SEAPA’s mission is to provide the lowest wholesale power rate consistent with sound utility planning and business practices. SEAPA exists for the long-term benefit of the member utilities and the rate payers, providing unified regional leadership for project development and prudent management of the int...

  • TBPA Commissioners discuss conflicts of interest within commission

    Shelly Pope and Greg Knight|May 23, 2013

    Members of the Thomas Bay Power Authority Commission met for their regular meeting on Wednesday, May 15 to discuss possible conflicts of interest within the organization. TBPA Commissioner and Petersburg Municipal Power and Light Superintendent Joe Nelson brought commission policies to light in regard to these conflicts. “Our commission policy states that no one on the commission can hold a direct interest in a contract of a business providing service for us,” Nelson read. “In the past when we had Pac Wing and Sunrise flying for us, the commi...

  • Southland fired, Nicholls hired by TBPA

    Greg Knight and Shelly Pope|May 2, 2013

    The Thomas Bay Power Authority Commission met in a special meeting last Friday to discuss another counter offer by Mick Nicholls to the commission for the position of TBPA General Manager. Nicholls, who is still acting as foreman until today, said he is looking forward to taking the reins at the TBPA office. “My plan is to make sure that Tyee continues to run in a very efficient manner,” Nicholls said. “I believe that the GM’s job should be centered toward the plant and not toward the public....

  • Nicholls offered Tyee GM position, retires as foreman

    Greg Knight and Shelly Pope|Apr 25, 2013

    Michael J. Nicholls, who oversees the operation and maintenance of the Tyee Hydroelectric Project as the site’s foreman was offered the position of Thomas Bay Power Authority General Manager on Monday, April 15 – an offer Nicholls initially declined, then sending a counteroffer of his own. “The TBPA board finally made me an offer on Monday, April 15 which was so ludicrous it insulted me,” Nicholls wrote in an email to the Sentinel. “The offer would require me to take a 15-percent cut in pay, l...

  • Juvenile taken into custody for Kake homicide

    Shelly Pope|Feb 21, 2013

    A 14 year old male was taken into custody Saturday evening in connection with the death of Mackenzie Howard. The body of 13 year old Howard was found in the entrance of the Kake Presbyterian Memorial Church Feb. 5 by a community member and has been declared a homicide by Alaska State Troopers. Investigation of evidence and interviews led troopers to arrest the Kake teen. He has been transported to a Department of Juvenile Justice holding facility in Ketchikan and due to the age of the suspect his name and charges that are pending against him...

  • Utility and community leaders talk energy

    Shelly Pope|Feb 21, 2013

    Community and utility leaders from Petersburg, Wrangell, Juneau, Angoon and Ketchikan gathered last week to discuss energy resources in a round table forum. The common denominator for most of these leaders was a way to reduce the need for diesel power or get off of this expensive power altogether. Southeast Conference Energy Coordinator Robert Venables facilitated this event and laid out several key findings from the Southeast Alaska Integrated Resource Plan that he thought necessary for consideration. “The current situation facing the Southeas...

  • The death of a Kake teen is considered a homicide

    Shelly Pope|Feb 14, 2013

    The body of 13 year old Mackenzie H. Howard was discovered late Tuesday evening, Feb. 5 in the entrance of the Memorial Presbyterian Church by community members. “We are investigating this as a homicide,” Alaska Department of Public Safety Public Information Officer Megan Peters said. “There are a lot of rumors and speculation going around and we have to weed through all of them to get to the truth.” Howard's body was sent to Anchorage for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death. “The autopsy was completed Friday and we have rece...

  • SEAPA board to discuss group retreat

    Greg Knight and Shelly Pope|Feb 7, 2013

    The Southeast Alaska Power Agency Board of Directors will meet in special session this week to discuss a possible junket for the five voting members to hash out organizational policy and the administrative oversight of staff members. The board will meet tomorrow in Ketchikan to mull over a possible board retreat where Wrangell board member Brian Ashton said they would decide whether to pursue such a trip. “Over the past year, some board members have voiced a desire to have a retreat, in order to address some foundational issues pertaining to SE...

  • TBPA elects officers for coming year

    Shelly Pope|Feb 7, 2013

    The Thomas Bay Power Authority Commission met last week to receive updates on the Southeast Alaska Power Agency, Tyee Hydroelectric Project, and to elect officers for the New Year. Sitting Member at Large Brian Ashton resubmitted his letter of interest for the position, along with fellow Wrangell resident Mike Nash. Ashton was appointed to the position once again and a nomination was placed for the current officers to remain at their posts for another year. The TBPA President for 2013 is John Jensen; Vice President is Robert Larson and...

  • SEAPA O&M on hold until 2013

    Greg Knight and Shelly Pope|Dec 13, 2012

    The Southeast Alaska Power Agency Board of Directors voted on Tuesday, Dec. 11 to hold off on accepting an operations and management proposal from D. Hittle and Associates which recommends the streamlining of operations and management at the Tyee and Swan hydroelectric projects under a single operator. SEAPA commissioned the report, which was released in September, as an alternative to current staffing and risk management solutions at both locations. According to the agency’s chief executive officer, Trey Acteson, the change in operating s...

  • SEAPA may streamline hydro project operations

    Greg Knight and Shelly Pope|Sep 27, 2012

    The meeting of the Southeast Alaska Power Agency Board of Directors on Sept. 19-20 in Petersburg discussed an agenda item that may signal the end of the Thomas Bay Power Authority, as we know it. A decision by the board to consolidate TBPA and Ketchikan Public Utilities in SEAPA, based on the finding of an internal agency report, will have to wait, however, for input from the Borough Assembly, Petersburg’s City Council and the Ketchikan Borough Assembly. John Heberling of the consulting firm D. Hittle and Associates performed the study of t...

  • Rifle shots cause power outage

    Shelly Pope and Greg Knight|Aug 30, 2012

    The hour-long, borough-wide power outage experienced Sunday, Aug. 19 in both Wrangell and Petersburg was due to rifle shots into an insulator on one of the main power delivery towers on Wrangell’s backchannel. According to Thomas Bay Power Authority General Manager Paul Southland, the rifle shots into the insulator core were no accident. “The SEAPA helicopter crew found the fault early Monday morning,” Southland said. “The insulator on the tower had been shot multiple times, so it wasn’t...