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Southeast Conference held its annual Mid-Session Summit in Juneau last week, turning the region’s attention to the state of its economy as legislators reach the mid-point of their 2018 regular session. For much of it, the outlook is pretty grim. Indicators since 2014 put the region’s population and jobs on a worrisome decline, along with earned income. “We’re just taking a hit in almost every way you can imagine,” explained Meilani Schijvens, a consultant to SEC and a former executive director. Faced with continued multibill...
Wrangell Public Schools will begin searching for a new superintendent. Meeting Monday, the Public School Board approved moving forward with a search for candidates. Superintendent Patrick Mayer had since last month's meeting submitted his letter of resignation. Mayer has been in the post since 2014, and will finish out the 2018 school year. When asked about his decision or future plans after Wrangell, he declined to respond. However, a notice put out by Valdez City Schools last month listed Maye...
February 28, 1918: From one of the Dailies of Alaska: “It is pretty generally believed that a bunch of women can’t get along together for any length of time without a lot of friction,” says Miss Anna Durkee, head of the Alaska Garnet Mining and Manufacturing Company, a $1,000,000 concern, “but I want to say most emphatically that it isn’t so. Fifteen of us have been closely associated for eight years now, and never once have we had any ructions in a board meeting-we’ve gone through some pretty strenuous times, too.” It was eight years ago tha...
City staff from several departments were surprised to learn of one late resident's generosity. At its meeting in early December, the Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau discussed news that Marian Glenz had bequeathed a considerable donation to it. Details at the time had yet to be worked out, but at the Borough Assembly's February 6 meeting, City Manager Lisa Von Bargen had confirmed the contribution totaled $50,000. Born in Wisconsin in 1936, Glenz spent her youth in Port Protection, Ketchik...
February 3 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Wrangell Post, concluded a residency investigation involving Stephen Nesbitt, age 49 from Washington. Investigation determined Nesbitt was claiming Alaska residency on his fishing licenses while receiving benefits from Washington. Additionally Nesbitt obtained two subsistence salmon permits by claiming residency. Nesbitt was issued a summons on five counts of False Statement on a License with a mandatory court appearance in the District Court at Wrangell on Feb. 21....
Monday, February 12 Illegal parking: Citation issued to Kevin Bylow, 47, for Parked Blocking Roadway. Citizen assist: Unlock vehicle. Theft: Vehicle. Tuesday, February 13 Agency assist: MVA. MVA reported. Illegal Parking: Verbal warning to move vehicle. Found Property: Owner notified and will pick up items at PD. Citizen Report: DUI. Wednesday, February 14 MVA. Vehicle damage. Found Property: Dropped off at station. Thursday, February 15 Traffic Complaint. Agency Assist: Dead Eagle. Alarm: Fire: FD dispatched. Citizen Assist: Vehicle unlocked....
To the Editor: Again, another slaughter of defenseless kids and teachers. Again, the same dialog, “outlaw assault rifles”——-“do better background checks”—-“stricter gun laws—-.“ It’s always the same outcry without a word about doing something practical and workable to defend kids and teachers who are like sheep in a pen, weaponless and helpless. How many more times are we going to let murderers roam through schools, freely killing anyone in sight, for minutes or hours without the slightest concern someone might shoot back?? What if they h...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Doctors confirmed the presence of mumps in Juneau for the first time in more than two decades. There has been one confirmed case of the disease in Juneau as of Thursday, and three other possible cases, Juneau Public Health Center nurse manager Alison Gaines said. The first case was diagnosed in January, with the most recent suspected case appearing this past week, Gaines said. This is the first confirmed case of mumps in Juneau since 1997, Alaska Division of Public Health Epidemiologist Amanda Tiffany said. Mumps is a cont...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska environmental conservation officials warned lawmakers that budget cuts are increasing the dangers to residents. The state Department of Environmental Conservation gave the warning as lawmakers work this week to finalize the budgets of various state agencies, the Juneau Empire reported Wednesday. The department has seen its operating budget reduced from $87.9 million in 2014 to a proposal of $80.2 million for fiscal year 2019. The department is tasked with enforcing drinking water safety, sanitation standards, food s...
The Wrangell Wolves chalked up a pair of losses last weekend hosting the Metlakatla Chiefs, though it easily could have been a split between the two teams. Friday's evening game was a blowout for the Chiefs, which controlled the court for much of the game. Though the final score ended up in a 52-42 win for them, Wrangell coach Cody Angerman acknowledged some last-minute catching up had helped close a larger gap between the two teams. By now in the second half of the season, the teams' meeting...
KENAI, Alaska (AP) – Sport-fishing license sales dropped in Alaska last year, despite the state Department of Fish and Game recording an increase in revenue from license sales. Division of Sportfish Director Tom Brookover said Tuesday that the department was expecting the decline in sales because fees rose. Brookover said resident license sales fell by a much higher percentage than nonresident license sales. Resident anglers bought 162,500 licenses in 2017, about 20 percent fewer than about 203,000 licenses in 2016, Brookover said. The Legislat...
Playing at home over the weekend, the Lady Wolves had a pair of close games against Metlakatla High School. “They were really good games for the girls,” said Wrangell basketball coach Laurie BrownThe Miss Chiefs held a double-digit lead through most of the first half, ahead 37-20 by the break. Metlakatla player Marissa Yliniemi posed a particular obstacle to Wrangell, netting six of 10 attempted three-pointers during the game. Wrangell pressed back, however, focusing on their defense and putting the visiting team on its guard. “They press...
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) – Kodiak researchers will study why Pacific cod stocks have been shrinking over the past few years. The Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center researchers will collect information about the habitat use, diet and energetics of juvenile cod, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported Tuesday. The hypothesis is that warmer temperatures increase the metabolic rates of young cod and, subsequently, their food sources don’t supply enough energy. The hypothesis stems from research that suggests the stocks’ decline was caused by a mass of wa...
Wrangell's Amateur Athletics Union basketball program will be hosting its 2018 invitational this weekend. A gap bridging program for middle school girls interested in the sport, this is the Wrangell program's fifth year in operation, and the regional tournament will be the fourth it has hosted so far. Students from Petersburg, Sitka and Juneau will be making the trip, with play for seeding starting this evening at 4 p.m. Juneau and Sitka will be fielding three teams each, while Wrangell and...
The Trump Administration’s $4.4 trillion federal budget for next year takes some mean whacks to programs that affect fisheries. Off the top, the spending plan unveiled on February 12 cuts the budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) by 20 percent to $4.6 billion. Among other things, NOAA manages the nation’s fisheries in waters from three to 200 miles offshore, which produce the bulk of Alaska’s seafood landings. It’s the cuts within the cuts that reveal the most. NOAA Fisheries is facing a $110.4 million drop to $8...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) _ A study of bears and berries has determined that the big animals are the main dispersers of fruit seeds in southeast Alaska. The study by Oregon State University researchers says it’s the first instance of a temperate plant being primarily dispersed by mammals through their excrement rather than by birds. Researcher Taal Levi says seed dispersal is a key component in the understanding of any ecosystem. He says brown and black bears thrive on Alaska’s Panhandle because of abundant salmon but both feed on berries whi...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott criticized Juneau’s bid for annexation, saying the state’s capital city is not being a good neighbor. Speaking at a conference Wednesday, Mallott lambasted officials for trying to annex parts of nearby Admiralty Island, CoastAlaska News reported . His comments were made at the Southeast Conference Mid-Session Summit. The Assembly voted in January to add four parcels to its borough, including parts of northern Admiralty Island. It later dropped one parcel after hearing objections from Juneau cabin...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska Senate is considering a bill that would exempt utility companies from liability related to a pesticide used on most wooden power poles in the state. The bill comes after federal wildlife officials alerted state authorities to “concerning levels’’ of the pesticide in areas on the Kenai Peninsula, KTOO Public Media in Juneau reported Thursday. Most power poles are treated with the pesticide Pentachlorophenol. In 2015, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists found elevated levels of the pesticide in soils a...