Sorted by date Results 1 - 19 of 19
On Saturday, Jan. 11, the U.S. Army will issue a formal apology to the community for its December 1869 bombardment of Wrangell's Tlingit village, Ḵaachx̱aana.áakʼw. This is the third recent military apology to Southeast communities after the Navy apologized last fall for its attacks on Kake (1869) and Angoon (1882). Given the rarity of these admissions of guilt, there is little precedent for the structure of the event, meaning the planning - at least for the Wrangell apology - was left up to loc...
The Washington state developer who wants to turn the former 6-Mile mill property into a waste-burning operation to heat large-scale greenhouses said his next steps include lining up financing and making an offer to buy the land from the borough. Dale Borgford said he was heartened by the warm reception he received from the borough assembly, mayor and borough staff when he and his crew met with officials and toured the site last month. The Colville, Washington businessman has estimated the cost for developing the Wrangell project could total...
Next time your friend asks for a ride to the airport, say yes. You might be their only hope. After two years in service, Tiny's Taxi turned off the ignition for the last time on Dec. 31. Tiny's has been the island's sole taxi service since Johnny Cab ceased operations last summer. "It's been an incredible journey," Tiny's founder Mike Lewis said. "I've met some amazing people and made some amazing friends. (I've) played catchup with a lot of the old-school locals after 30 years of being gone."...
In the 2022-2023 school year, over 70% of Wrangell students were chronically absent. That's nearly double the state average and nearly three times the national average. The Alaska Department of Education, which posts school district absenteeism numbers every year, defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10% of the school year. In Alaska, that amounts to 18 days of missed classes. "If a student misses those 18 days every year from kindergarten to 12th grade, that will add up to them being absent...
Jan. 8, 1925 At the regular meeting of the Civic Club last Saturday afternoon, members discussed their concerns about the curve in the road leading to the Standard Oil Station, near the Worden home. A committee was appointed at the November meeting to ascertain if steps could be taken to safeguard auto traffic on the road. Several narrow escapes from serious accidents have been reported and it was felt that something should be done in order to avert real trouble. The road lies close to the cliff on one side and there is an abrupt drop to the...
STATE PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE will be in town on Thursday, Jan. 9, and will see clients in the clinic. Immunizations, birth control and STD screening, well-child exams for kids up to age 7, TB screening and medication, Narcan kits and medication disposal bags will be offered. The Public Health Center is in the Kadin Building, 215 Front St. Call 907-723-4611 to make an appointment so the nurse knows which immunizations to bring. TRAINING SESSION FOR YOUNG TRAPPERS, Wrangell’s dog-owner community will hold a training session for young trappers on w...
Wrangell students’ filmmaking efforts are going global — at least to Vancouver, British Columbia. This February, Wrangell high schoolers Jackson Pearson and Silje Morse will travel to the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival alongside teacher Laura Davies. The trio was invited to attend the festival by See Stories — an Alaska nonprofit dedicated to building “inclusive communities with film and story.” See Stories and Wrangell’s high school documentary film club, Stikine Stories (whose program is modeled after See Stories), have collab...
“Grease cake” is not a recipe for success in Public Works Director Tom Wetor’s kitchen. And there’s nothing completely handy and harmless about wiping up a mess and flushing it down the toilet. It all clogs up the pumps, screens and equipment at Wrangell’s sewage treatment plant. “It’s definitely a constant problem,” Wetor said, so much so that the borough sends out a reminder every year to residents about what not to dump into their sinks, tubs and toilets. “You’d be amazed at how those wipes clump together,” twisting into a rope around th...
Borough staff is working with an engineering team to finish up the design and specifications to put in streets and utilities for the second phase of the Alder Top Village (Keishangita.’aan) residential subdivision near Shoemaker Harbor. If the borough goes ahead with the project, the street and utility work could be put out to bid for 2025 construction. Phase II of the subdivision of borough-owned land would make available for sale 20 residential lots, adding to the 20 lots already planned for sale by online bidding and a lottery this coming s...
Anne Morrison, who is moving to Montana to be closer to family, has resigned her seat on the borough assembly. Applications to fill the vacancy will be accepted until Feb. 11, when the assembly is expected to appoint a successor to serve until the next municipal election in October. Anyone interested in serving on the assembly needs to submit a letter of interest to the borough clerk’s office by 3 p.m. Feb. 11. The assembly will consider the applicants and make an appointment at its regularly scheduled meeting that evening. A majority vote o...
Wrangell, like much of Alaska and the country, relies on fundraising for all sorts of good causes. Many of those causes look pretty similar to public services that are covered by taxes. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is something that elected officials and the public should keep in mind as they increasingly talk about cutting government spending and relying on donors to pick up the tab. In Wrangell’s case, the borough assembly decision last year to reduce financial support for the Senior Center, school district and public radio sta...
There’s no reason to hide my praise for the Freedom Caucus, that rabble-rousing merry band of far-right conservatives who make trouble for congressional Republican leaders — and for the country. The hard-liners are willing to shut down government services to make a point, even when the point is dull and the public harm is sharp. They promote chaos to churn up their fundraising efforts. And they flock to social media like waterfowl flock to wetlands to feed — both leave the same kind of mess behind. But when the Freedom Caucus is right, they...
It’s been almost four months since an anchor line pulled up and bent the deepwater discharge pipe from Wrangell’s wastewater treatment plant, cutting off the outflow, but the repair work is going out for bid and the borough hopes to have everything back to normal by April. Borough crews will restore the normal flow through the buried discharge pipe near City Park just as soon as the contractor completes the underwater repairs, said Public Works Director Tom Wetor. Crews had dug up the pipe on the beach and cut into the line so that the tre...
The high school boys basketball team lost both games at Metlakatla on Jan. 3 and 4. The pair of away matchups was the second half of a four-game series against Metlakatla, dating back to Dec. 20-21 when the Chiefs came to town for Wrangell’s home opener. Despite a valiant third-quarter surge, Wrangell’s efforts were not enough to surpass Metlakatla’s early lead in the Friday game. After the Chiefs closed out the game with a strong fourth, Wrangell started off the weekend with a 41-55 loss. The Saturday matchup was more of the same. Wrang...
Wrangell’s high school girls basketball team has started the year at 0-4 after back-to-back losses at Metlakatla on Jan. 3-4. This is the second weekend in which the Wolves have dropped both games to their southern rivals, though this second round of games provided much more optimism for the young team. In what will probably be the toughest stretch of the season, the girls basketball team not only faced up against the Southeast stalwarts of Metlakatla, but did so without Alana Harrison, who will likely be one of the team’s most critical players...
Monday, Dec. 30 Paper service. Traffic stop. Tuesday, Dec. 31 Agency assist: Line Crew. Citizen assist: Fire Department. Bar check. Bar check. Domestic violence: Arrest and driving under the influence. Wednesday, Jan. 1 Noise complaint. Trespass. Thursday, Jan. 2 Agency assist: Ambulance requested. Welfare check: All was good. Citizen assist. Traffic stop: Verbal warning for faulty equipment. Traffic stop: Verbal warning for faulty equipment. Agency assist: Museum. Friday, Jan. 3 Ride-along. Welfare check. Agency assist: U.S. Forest Service....
"After a brief illness, on Dec. 20, 2024, 'Gentle Giant Genius from Alaska," an appellation his co-workers and friends used for him, Jordan Jones abandoned his physical garment and his soul winged its way to the celestial abode," his family wrote. Jordan was born on Feb. 21, 1982, in Wrangell. He was the youngest son of Tod and Betsy Jones. He attended Wrangell elementary and middle schools, then moved with his parents to Haifa, Israel, where they were volunteers at the Baha'i World Center. He a...
HELP WANTED Johnson’s Building Supply is accepting applications for the following position: Customer Service. Duties include counter sales, freight handling, customer deliveries, stocking and inventory. Full-time position; will require working Saturdays. Valid Alaska driver’s license, must be able to lift 50 lbs., forklift experience a plus, starting pay is DOE. Stop by Johnson’s for an application....
President-elect Donald Trump has said he will "bring back the name of Mount McKinley" to the Alaska mountain known as Denali, the tallest in the United States. The mountain, referred to as Denali by Alaska Natives for centuries, was officially named Mount McKinley from 1917 until 2015, after former President William McKinley who was assassinated in 1901. The name was changed to Denali in 2015 during President Barack Obama's second term, with Trump vowing during his 2016 presidential campaign to...
