Sorted by date Results 1 - 21 of 21
The commissioner for the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development announced the state will be replacing its Alaska Measures of Progress (AMP) assessment. The exam was first administered during the 2014-15 school year, after being selected by the Legislature in 2012 to replace Alaska’s previous Standards Based Assessments test. Implementation of the test encountered some problems, however, and the exam proved unpopular with school districts across the state. “The commissioner felt that there was no sense struggling with this any...
Since Tuesday the Senate State Affairs Committee has been reviewing Senate Bill 128, and will formally be collecting testimony and public comment later today. The bill was submitted to the Senate by Gov. Bill Walker last month under the authority granted him by the Alaska Constitution. Addressing the state’s $3.5 billion budget deficit, it proposes a new financial model that the governor’s office says would stabilize funding for state services while also protecting the permanent fund. To that end, additional resource revenues would be dir...
At its end-of-month meeting Jan. 26, The Wrangell City and Borough Assembly approved a list of capital budget requests for the 2017 fiscal year, which begins July 1. More than 50 projects costing over $140 million are listed and prioritized, with the city looking to the state and federal government to cover part or all of their costs. Economic development director Carol Rushmore and Public Works head Amber Al-Haddad started on the list, taking last year’s and updating its projects. Most of t...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. February 2, 1916: The Wrangell Fire Department met in regular session at the city hall last Monday evening. A good bunch of the boys were present, and the most interesting feature was the reading of a letter received from Wm. Schnable describing the fire department and conference to which he was a visitor. As February 22nd is the date for the annual fireman’s ball a committee was appointed to take charge of the matter. The committee is Fire Chief Carlson, Ole Johnson and Leo McCormack. January 31, 1...
Monday, January 25 Agency Assist – Alarm. Report of Lost Medication – Medicine Found. Traffic Complaint. Tuesday, January 26 Agency Assist – Alarm. Citizen Assist/Opened Door. Arrested Daniel Watts, 29, on charges of Parole Violation. Domestic – Officer responded. Traffic Stop – Verbal warning for faulty equipment. Citation issued to Barbara Renee Coleman, 35, for Failure to Provide Proof of Insurance. Wednesday, January 27 Traffic Stop – Verbal warning for driving habits. Report of Suspicious Activities. Thursday, January 28 Parking Com...
Monday, January 25 Jesse A. Oglend, 25, appeared at First District Court in Wrangell before Judge Kevin Miller on an assortment of charges. The defendant pleaded guilty to Assault in the 4th Degree and Criminal Mischief – Property Damage, with one charge of Criminal Trespassing 1 dismissed. He was ordered to serve 365 days with 305 suspended, concurrent to serving 90 days with 80 suspended. Oglend was ordered to complete substance abuse evaluation and treatment, make restitution for damages, pay $200 in surcharges with $100 suspended, and w...
A vehicle lost control near Shoemaker Bay Monday morning and took out about 260 feet of chain-link fencing around a playground. In a pickup truck on Zimovia Highway northward toward town, a driver reportedly lost control after hitting a patch of ice and slid off the road. "Basically it was black ice," explained Chief Doug McCloskey of the Wrangell Police Department. A witness reported the accident at around 9 a.m. and the driver remained at the scene until police responded. He was cooperative,...
Our Alaska State Constitution requires the Alaska State Legislature to ensure our natural resources are managed for the maximum benefit of Alaskans. In the interest of managing our seafood resources, our state fishing institutions should reflect our values and promote policies that ensure Alaskans benefit from our rich ocean resources. In 1968, the Alaska State Legislature made Alaskan residency a requirement for commercial fishing licenses. Shortly after, that legislation was deemed unconstitutional. Over the last 20 years, a significant numbe...
Since the Department of Transportation continues to push ahead on the Kake-Petersburg Road, it’s appropriate that the Borough Assembly takes action to divert funds from the project. Nothing kills a road project quicker than taking the money off the table. Repeatedly, citizens from Kupreanof, Kake and Petersburg have told Transportation officials the road is a bad idea. It’s not needed, it’s not cost effective and it needs to go away. Kake needs lower cost electricity and a road is not needed to address their power needs. Since as early as Ja...
Wrangell High School's boys basketball team chalked up a pair of wins at home over the weekend. The Wolves captured the momentum early on in Friday's game, leading throughout the high-scoring matchup and finishing 92-62. Tyler Gillen led the team for points, scoring 26. He led for free-throws as well, sinking six of 11 attempts, and picked up three assists and three steals. Trent Stokes, Tyman Teat and Blake Stokes each scored 11 in the game, Dawson Miller had 10, Bryce Gerald eight, Sam...
The Lady Wolves took their first win of the season last weekend at Craig High School, scoring the winning points in the last few seconds of the game. Friday’s basketball game saw a lot of back-and-forth but low scoring, with the Lady Panthers ahead 18-15 at the half. Craig kept a slight lead going into the fourth quarter and looked set to beat Wrangell by one point as the game clock went into its last minute. A foul in the final ten seconds gave Amy Jensen the opportunity to make two free throws. Pressure on, she sank both and turned the score...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – A newly released report from the University of Alaska projects a significant drop in state spending this year on the construction industry. The annual report from the university’s Institute of Social and Economic Research presented to the Associated General Contractors of Alaska and the Construction Industry Progress Fund says construction spending in 2016 is expected to drop 18 percent from last year to $7.3 billion, The Alaska Dispatch News reported. The report also shows that oil and gas construction spending, whi...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – A magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Alaska’s most populous region has renewed focus on the state’s readiness to deal with a natural disaster. And it’s not just earthquakes that pose a danger across the vast state but also wildfires, floods, landslides and even volcanos. Robert Forgit, Alaska area manager for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said he thinks Alaskans are resilient and perhaps more used to quakes and flooding. The state also does a good job of working with communities on emergency plans, he said. Jeremy...
Alaska’s halibut stocks are showing signs of an uptick and fishermen’s catches will not be slashed for the first time in 15 years. Fishery managers on Friday set the coast wide Pacific halibut harvest for 2016 at 29.89 million pounds, a 2.3 percent increase from last year. “This was probably the most positive, upbeat meeting in the past decade,” said Doug Bowen of Alaska Boats and Permits in Homer. “The feeling is the stocks are up and the resource is stabilizing and recovering, and it’s the first meeting in a long time that there weren’t any...
The Sitka black-tailed deer hunting season is now closed in Southeast Alaska. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reminds all hunters who have obtained deer harvest tickets to return completed hunt reports to their nearest office. Even those who did not hunt or harvest a deer must submit a report. Hunt reports may be submitted by mail or in person at an ADFG office, or online at hunt.alaska.gov. The information collected from the hunt reports helps biologists estimate changes in area-specific deer harvest and hunting effort, monitor...
One of Alaska’s two primary insurers offering individual health plans has been restricted from continuing business in the state. On Jan. 28 the Alaska Division of Insurance announced it was limiting the business practices of Moda Health Plan, issuing a termination of impairment against the company. The division took this action to protect consumers after learning Moda has been experiencing “significant financial difficulties.” These include large operating losses, and inadequate capital and surplus compared to the company’s liabili...
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) – Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott has turned down a proposed change to marijuana regulations that would have made it easier for southeast and rural Alaska communities to comply with testing requirements. Mallott signed testing regulations drafted by the Alaska Marijuana Control Board on Friday. The rules were approved without a provision that would have allowed alternative testing requirements for communities off the road system, The Ketchikan Daily News reported. The Nov. 20 amendment stated that “when geographic location and...
Wrapping up the last of this year’s game proposals, Wrangell’s Advisory Committee (AC) for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s regulatory boards held its last meeting of the year on Jan. 28. Comments gathered by the committee – made up of area sportsmen, fishermen, and subsistence users – go to the boards of Fish and Game when they meet later this month and in March. Digital copies of the regulations proposal books are available for review online at the Board page on www.adfg.alaska.gov. Flipping through the booklet, Wrangell...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – A state House committee plans to hear legislation spelling out protections for animals caught in messy split-ups between couples. The bill has broad bipartisan support in the House. It would amend state laws to require owners to pay for the cost of care for animals seized in neglect cases, allow courts to include animals in domestic violence protection orders and lay out custody agreements for pets during divorce cases. Anchorage Democratic Rep. Max Gruenberg, a family practice lawyer, sponsored the bill. He says he has h...