Articles from the January 4, 2018 edition


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  • 2017 – a year in review

    Dan Rudy|Jan 4, 2018

    Another year begins this week, and 2018 both holds promise and poses challenges to Wrangell residents. Economic trials will perhaps be of the greatest concern as state coffers seem set to dry up and fishing forecasts continue to disappoint. Limits to funding sources will be of particular bother as the borough continues to address an aging infrastructure, though securing state funding for the Shoemaker Bay Harbor refurbishment and an expected start to the belated Evergreen Road repaving should...

  • Assembly and Ortiz to meet on legislative priorities

    Dan Rudy|Jan 4, 2018

    The Wrangell Assembly will be holding a workshop with its state representative Tuesday, ahead of its regularly scheduled meeting. Set for 6 p.m., Rep. Dan Ortiz (Unaffiliated – District 36) plans to present thoughts on the budget and fiscal plan put forward by Gov. Bill Walker last month, which will be making the Legislature's agenda when it convenes for its next session on January 16. "I just want to give the opportunity for the Assembly to give me some input with regards to what they would l...

  • Wrangell basketball teams take eighth in preseason tourney

    Dan Rudy|Jan 4, 2018

    The girls and boys basketball teams brought back no awards but learned some lessons in a preseason tournament in Ketchikan last week. The Clarke Cochrane Christmas Classic is a longstanding Ketchikan tournament, typically held between the holidays. As with previous years, Alaska teams paired off with schools from as far afield as New Mexico ahead of their regular season openers. The Wrangell High School boys opened the tournament on December 28, matched up with Washington’s Anacortes High School. A well-regarded team in its own division at h...

  • An icy start to 2018

    Jan 4, 2018

  • The Way We Were

    Jan 4, 2018

    January 10, 1918: All pupils above the second grade were given a test in spelling on Monday, the list of 100 words having been sent to all schools in Alaska by the Commissioner of Education. The best spellers in the school and the number of words they misspelled are as follows: High School: Hattie Anderson, 0; Helen Hofstad, 1. Eighth grade: Ruth Lindman, 0; Lester Campen, 2. Seventh Grade: Henry Ronning, 2; Marjory Shaffner, 7; Andrew Engstrom, 7. Sixth Grade: Ruth Sylvester, 7; Donald Sinclair, 8. Fifth Grade: Harry Ronning, 1; Coralie...

  • Police report

    Jan 4, 2018

    Monday, December 25 DV: Officers responded. Traffic stop: Vehicle stopped in middle of road. MVA: Vehicle in the ditch. Traffic Stop: Verbal warning faulty equipment. Tuesday, December 26 Controlled burn. Agency Assist: Alarm: FD dispatched. Theft: Person reported items taken from shop. Wednesday, December 27 Noise complaint: Disorderly conduct warning given. Burglary: Approximate value: $50. Disturbance: Disorderly conduct warning given. Arrested on charges of Assault IV/DV: Linda A. Churchill, age 52. Thursday, December 28­­ Arrested on c...

  • Obituary: Carol Lynn Snoddy, 67

    Jan 4, 2018

    Carol Lynn Snoddy, 67, (Aa k'wát'i of the Kaach.ádi clan) passed away after a long illness on Dec. 18, 2017. She was born at Wrangell General Hospital on Nov. 17, 1950 and was the fourth of eight children of Marcus and Mae Dailey. Carol met and married the love of her life, Harold Snoddy, on July 29, 1969. She was the great-granddaughter of the last Chief Shakes, Charles Jones and his wife Susie. One of the many great accomplishments of her life was working with her sister Tis and Todd White o...

  • Letter to the Editor

    Jan 4, 2018

    To the Editor: Recently you published an editorial in which you expressed your opinion about the proposed sale of KSTK to Coast Alaska. The members of the KSTK board, the Coast Alaska board, and yes, even the KFSK board, have spent a lot of time examining the options available, and after much thought and discussion, came to the proposed transfer. The membership of KSTK, (that is, all donors of $20 or more in the past year) were advised of the particulars and invited to vote at a special meeting held for this issue, and approved it unanimously....

  • Weather not so hot in 2017

    Dan Rudy|Jan 4, 2018

    10 was a cooler, wetter year than usual for Southeast Alaska, according to National Weather Service data. Looking back on the weather for 2017, Juneau meteorologist Rick Fritsch summed things up on Tuesday with his annual climatological report. The year began on a blustery note, with high wind warnings issued five times during the month of January. Though the month had started at or below average temperatures, by its end a warm spell presaged a return of rainfall to the region. This carried into February and the climatological end of winter,...

  • Nine firefighters to take part in 2018 stair climb

    Dan Rudy|Jan 4, 2018

    A group of Wrangell firefighters raising money for cancer research will have grown this year, with nine to take part in the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb in Seattle March 11. Drawing 2,000 firefighters this year from around the world, the climb benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Washington and Alaska. Founded in 1949, it is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to researching and treating various blood cancers. Last year's climb raised a record $2.4 million for the...

  • Alaska Fish Factor: Annual Fishing Picks and Pan: The best and worst fish stories of 2017

    Laine Welsch|Jan 4, 2018

    For 27 years this weekly column has featured news for and about Alaska’s commercial fishing industry. It began in 1991 in the Anchorage Daily News and now appears in more than 20 news outlets across Alaska, nationally and in the UK. Today, Alaska fishermen and processors provide 65 percent of our nation’s wild-caught seafood, and 95 percent of the wild salmon. The industry puts more people to work than oil/gas, mining, timber and tourism combined. Alaska’s diverse fishing fleet of nearly 10,000 vessels is made up mostly of boats under 50 feet....

  • State changes bail system, with more releases expected

    Jan 4, 2018

    JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska is starting the new year with a change in the way the state handles criminal bail. People charged with a crime will no longer have to pay money to get out of jail before their trial, the Juneau Empire reported. Starting Monday, the state will evaluate each individual under a point system that considers how likely they are to show up to court appearances or commit a new crime. The change means more people will be out of jail with supervision, said Nancy Meade, general counsel of the Alaska Court System to the a...

  • State to collect pipeline back-taxes after settlement

    Jan 4, 2018

    JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The state expects to collect about $165 million its owed in back taxes from companies that paid to ship oil down the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, but the payments are not expected to be in cash. Alaska’s Energy Desk reports the oil companies are expected to pay their tax bills by buying tax credits the state owes to other companies. The state owes nearly $1 billion to small oil and gas companies under the cash-for-credits program the Legislature ended last year. A settlement was reached earlier this month on the pipeline shi...

  • Parks & Rec extends winter challenge for better health

    Jan 4, 2018

    Now that the holidays are over, those looking to put the feasting and festivities behind them can challenge themselves with a workout regimen. Wrangell Parks and Recreation launched its third annual Winter Workout Challenge on Monday, welcoming the new year with some healthy competition. “It’s an eight-week, progressively building workout challenge,” explained Kate Thomas, the department director. The department overhauled some of its activities for this year’s competition, and while tailored mainly to entry-level activity, beginne...

  • Regulators consider reducing halibut quota

    Jan 4, 2018

    KENAI, Alaska (AP) – Regulators are considering reducing the amount of halibut that fishermen are allowed to catch along the Pacific coast this year. The International Pacific Halibut Commission is expected to consider this month adopting a 24 percent reduction to the annual Pacific halibut quota for fisheries from Alaska to California, the Peninsula Clarion reported. The reduction was recommended due to low recruitment rates among young halibut populations over the last decade and increasing pressure on the fish stocks from commercial, subsist...

  • Feds to look into transboundary mining dispute

    Jan 4, 2018

    JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The federal government says it will look into a transboundary mining issue affecting Alaska and Canada. CoastAlaska News reports the U.S. State Department says in a letter to Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott that it acknowledges Alaska residents’ concerns over pollution coming from British Columbia mines. The department says in a letter released Dec. 28 that it will work with Canadian officials to protect the salmon-rich, cross-boundary watersheds. Before this, the department had said it would not get involved with the issue. Sen...