Sorted by date Results 1 - 24 of 24
Governor Mike Dunleavy's planned visits to two Southeast Alaska communities, Petersburg and Wrangell, have been cancelled due to bad weather. Cold temperatures plus snow and rain have made travel around the region difficult. The planned meetings, for Feb. 3 and 4 in Petersburg and Wrangell respectively, were to be part of a town hall series where the governor could receive input on the PFD, services valued, and other topics. "I want to hear your thoughts, understand your concerns, and see your...
The Wrangell Chamber of Commerce and other city officials hosted a public meeting to discuss the upcoming 2020 Fourth of July celebration. Wrangell is well known for going all out with its week-long schedule of events for the Fourth, and a preliminary draft schedule shows that this will be the same this year. While there was low turnout for the meeting, there was a lot of information regarding some of the celebration's bigger events. For one thing, the annual boat races will feature a brand new...
School officials held a community meeting Monday to learn more about what the public feels is important for the Wrangell School District. The district is currently undergoing its budgeting process for the new school year. The first draft of the FY 2021 budget has revenues set at about $5.5 million and expenditures of slightly under $6.3 million. About 75 percent of the budget comes from the state of Alaska, according to Superintendent Debbe Lancaster. In a school board meeting on Jan. 20, it...
February 5, 1920 A.L. Brown, a prominent West Coast merchant, is in Wrangell this week on a business trip. Mr. Brown says the people of the West Coast are looking forward to the fishing season of 1920 being even more successful than that of the past year. He says Craig is growing rapidly and that in order to keep in the band wagon he will soon begin the building of an addition to his store. February 2, 1945 At the risk of revealing important military information, it must be stated that according to the old legend Wrangell is due for six more...
During their last meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28, the Wrangell Borough Assembly got to take a look at their financial situation from the past six months. The current budget, for FY 2020, was adopted last June. As of Dec. 31, 2019, total revenue for Wrangell's general fund has been about $3.5 million, and about $2.7 million in expenditures. The general fund is currently sitting at a profit of $869,251. However, for the entire financial year the general fund is expected to bring in a little less...
Jan. 27 Citizen Assist. Paper Service: Domestic Violence Order. Jan. 28 Vacation check. Traffic: Disabled Vehicle. Fire Alarm Testing. Agency Assist: Department of Transportation. Citizen Assist. Illegal Dumping. 86’d Letter. Injured Bird. Agency Assist: Line Crew. Agency Assist: Court. Dog Complaint. Jan. 29 Agency Assist: High School. Found Property. Extra Patrols. Agency Assist. Warrant Arrest: Invalid. Traffic Stop. Jan. 30 Security Check: Emotionally Disturbed Person. Agency Assist: Injured Eagle. Driving Complaint. Abandoned Vehicles. C...
Last year, I cosponsored and voted for House Bill 96, which reverses massive rate increases at the Pioneer Homes. This bipartisan legislation passed the House 35-4 and now is being considered by the Senate. If the Senate passes HB 96, we can reverse the devastating rate increases and provide critical financial stability both for residents and our Pioneer Home system. Lowering and stabilizing Pioneer Home rates is a win-win for residents and for the system’s fiscal stability. We heard t...
Harriet Ann Bangs died on January 18, 2020 after a short illness. Her Celebration of Life service will be held in Wrangell, Alaska this coming spring. Details will be announced at a later date....
Most obituaries began with death but this talks about how Robert R. Armstrong lived: A man known for his quick wit, steadfast sayings and dedication to work. Whether building a rock wall with the excavator or solving complex heating, plumbing or electrical issues there wasn't anything Rob couldn't fix. He could tell you stories of building hydroelectric projects in Southeast Alaska, he worked on nearly all of them. A skilled carpenter and master cement mason, his trowel finished dams at Swan...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly held a work session before their regular meeting, on Jan. 28, to review the preliminary results of a compensation study by JB Reward Systems. Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen explained that the study compared the salaries of public employees in Wrangell to those of similar municipalities, to see how they stacked up and whether or not Wrangell is a competitive location for potential hires. "Basically, our three fundamental goals would be to have a structure that was...
The evening of Saturday, Jan. 18, a pipe in the public safety building's sprinkler system broke and caused some flooding. Amber Al-Haddad, capital facilities director, explained that the building, which houses Wrangell's court, police department, fire department, and other entities, has two sprinkler systems: A wet system and a dry system. Somehow, she said that water got into the dry sprinkler system and froze during the cold weather Wrangell experienced this past month. This broke one of the...
Southeast Alaska Power Agency conducted a survey on a damaged cable running between Woronkofski and Vank islands and the board will make a final decision on whether to repair the cable or replace it by March's board meeting. "We could have up to 20 more years," said Bob Lynn, Petersburg's voting member on the SEAPA board. "We don't know, but the risk is very high on that old cable." Lynn gave the Petersburg Borough Assembly an update on the project at an assembly meeting Monday, but data from th...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Substance misuse in Alaska has cost the state about $3.5 billion in 2018 in resulting health care, productivity loss, criminal justice, traffic accidents and other services, a yearlong study said. The McDowell Group, contracted by the state Mental Health Trust Authority, found that $2.4 billion was related to alcohol abuse and $1.1 billion was related to drug abuse, Juneau Empire reported Friday. Health officials define substance misuse as the use of illegal drugs or inappropriate use of alcohol or prescription drugs. “We...
The Wrangell Lady Wolves and Craig Lady Panthers faced off this past weekend in a set of home games at Wrangell High School. The games were intense, with both teams clearly giving it their best efforts. Fortunately for Wrangell, the Lady Wolves managed to continue their recent winning streak. The first game on Friday began with Wrangell taking a lead of 16-10. The Lady Panthers rallied in the second quarter, pulling ahead by a single point, 26-27. Coach Laurie Brown said that Craig was finding w...
The Wrangell Wolves continue to go undefeated against the Craig Panthers this year, after their most recent games this past week. It has been a difficult season for the Wolves, who have faced tough opponents and several hard-fought losses. Their only previous win, this season, was also against Craig High School during the Clarke Cochrane Tournament back in December. During their first game on Friday, Jan. 31, the Wolves managed to stay ahead of the Panthers by a few baskets. The final score was 57-46 in favor of Wrangell. Saturday night’s game,...
The Sitka black-tailed deer hunting season is closed in Alaska. All hunters who obtained deer harvest tickets, even those who did not hunt or harvest a deer, must return completed hunt reports to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. If you haven’t submitted your hunt report, do so immediately. Hunt reports may be submitted by mail, in person at a Fish and Game office, or online at http://hunt.alaska.gov....
Alaska gets a good return on investment from its commercial fisheries. And surprise! Commercial fisheries expertise also sustains Alaska’s subsistence and most of the personal use fisheries. “This is probably not well-known,” said Sam Rabung, director of the commercial fisheries division for the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, at a presentation last week to the House Fisheries Committee. “Data collected by our division is shared across all divisions within the department as much as possible,” he explained to lawmakers. “We also share the cost of...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Two environmental groups gave formal notice Friday that they will sue to protect endangered Alaska beluga whales from problems caused by oil and gas operations. The announcement came three days after a federal agency said the population of white whales is declining faster than previously thought. The Center for Biological Diversity and Cook Inletkeeper said they will sue the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for violating the Endangered Species Act by n...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska has encouraged residents with immigration problems to contact Gov. Mike Dunleavy after he asked the president to aid his attorney general's family with their immigration documents. Dunleavy sent an official letter to President Donald Trump in December requesting aid for Attorney General Kevin Clarkson, who is seeking documents so his Colombian wife and stepson can live in the United States, Anchorage Daily News reported F...
Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks have identified a new species of thalattosaur, a marine reptile that lived more than 200 million years ago. The new species, Gunakadeit joseeae, is the most complete thalattosaur ever found in North America and has given paleontologists new insights about the thalattosaurs' family tree, according to a paper published recently in the journal Scientific Reports. Scientists found the fossil near Keku Island near the village of Kake in 2011....
(JUNEAU, Alaska) – The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) is cancelling sailings on the M/V Matanuska through Sunday, March 1. New issues with the reduction gear system have been identified and the manufacturer and contractor need the vessel to travel to the Ketchikan shipyard where it can be inspected in dry dock to determine if further repairs are necessary. The Matanuska returned to service in November 2019 after a complete re-power, and the repairs are covered under warranty. AMHS is a...