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Even before getting into its own upcoming budget, Wrangell’s Assembly had plenty of numbers to crunch at its regular meeting Tuesday evening, with an hour-long joint session held beforehand with the local school board regarding its upcoming budget and a presentation by Wrangell Medical Center’s executive on the state of the hospital’s finances. (see adjoining stories) Borough Manager Jeff Jabusch reported next year’s budget is coming along on task, with a draft likely to be ready for review by mid-April. “We’ll bring you a balanced budget one w...
School Board members met with the Wrangell City and Borough Assembly, city staff and school district officials at a joint work session late Tuesday afternoon. Of particular importance, they discussed a draft budget for the 2016 fiscal year. Ahead of anticipated declines in Foundation Support by $162,188, Wrangell School District staff is looking at making more than $156,144 in cuts to the operating costs. This decline in revenue includes one-time and special education funding provided by the state. One-time funding was promised by the state...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. April 1, 1915: James Wickersham, our Honorable Delegate, the man that is making good in Washington, was in our city for a short minute last Tuesday. Mr. Wickersham did not get to see all those he wished to as Capt. Nord was in a hurry. Mr. Wickersham was very enthusiastic over the survey of Dry Straits and stated that the bill had passed before he left Washington and that a government engineer would be along in the early summer to start the survey as the work will be done under the supervision of th...
Wrangell Medical Center CEO Marla Sanger updated the Wrangell Borough Assembly on the hospital’s financial situation at its Tuesday evening meeting. “We are solvent. We’re just being very cautious,” she said. In December, Sanger and acting CFO Olinda White approached the Assembly to reveal the hospital was experiencing financial difficulties. An annual audit had, among other concerns, reported finding a $3.5 million loss in written-off costs related to the hospital’s previous bid to build a new facility. “I don’t think our financial sit...
Monday, March 16 Jesse A. Oglend, 26, appeared before First District Superior Court Judge Kevin Miller on charges of Burglary II, a Class C felony. Oglend pled guilty to the charge. As part of a plea agreement, the court dismissed two other charges of Burglary II, two charges of Theft II-Firearm/Explosive, Theft II-Value $500-$24,999 and Burglary I-In a Dwelling. Oglend was sentenced to serve 24 months in jail with 20 months suspended and to pay surcharges and restitution. He was also sentenced to two years of probation. For a separate...
Monday, March 16 Report of Possible Theft. Found Property. Tuesday, March 17 Nothing to Report. Wednesday, March 18 Animal Complaint. Traffic Stop—Verbal warning for no headlights. Thursday, March 19 Agency Assist—Alarm. Found Property. Abandoned Vehicle. Driving Complaint—4-wheelers at the running track. Friday, March 20 Citizen Assist. Assault—Domestic Violence. Citations issued to Renee Claggett, 57, for Dogs at Large, Second Offense. Agency Assist. Found Property. Disturbance—Verbal. DVO Service. Citizen Report of Possible DUI. Child in...
Samuel Raymond Privett (Sam) died on February 13, 2015. He was born December 17, 1922, in Ava, Missouri. He spent his youth helping his father, Everett, and mother, Elsie, work their farm. After graduation, he worked with his brother, Marvin. They traveled the states working on combines, cutting wheat and corn. Sam joined the Army after Pearl Harbor and was deployed to help re-take the Philippines after it was invaded. He received two bronze stars and a purple heart for being wounded. Sam's...
Raymond Arnold Pederson, 71, left us suddenly on March 11, 2015. He was born on January 11, 1944 in Petersburg, Alaska to Palmer and June (Nygaard) Pederson. In 1959, Ray and his sister Joanne, moved with their mother and stepdad, George Pete Peterson, to Sierrra Vista, Ariz. They lived on base at Fort Huachuca. Ray finished the 11th grade and then enlisted in the Navy in 1961. He served for three years in the Naval Service on the USS Hancock and the USS Midway. He was honorably discharged in...
To the Editor: Thank you for including an article about our arrival as resident pastors at Island of Faith Lutheran Church on Page 9 of the March 12 issue of the Sentinel. We do need to correct one item in the welcome article. It indicated that we were candidates for a more permanent resident pastoral position at Island of Faith. We are actually resident pastors for this three month period of time and will be followed by different pastors at the end of that time who will serve as resident pastors into the summer and fall seasons. We are...
The signs of spring are unmistakable. Migratory birds have begun their return to Wrangell's trees and shrubs, the days have grown longer and somewhat sunnier, and the smell of hooligan smoking and frying waft from residents' homes. Continuing a local tradition, some families have been distributing the oily fish to friends, neighbors and most anybody who wants them. It's a tradition Janice Churchill and her family have been keeping for a long time. "I have fished fifty-some years with my...
Wrangell’s Thunderbirds basketball team had a rough week at the 69th annual Juneau Lions Club Gold Medal Basketball Tournament. The yearly tournament is an invitational event, largely using High School Federation Basketball rules. Second-place winners last year, Wrangell’s team received its invitation in January. Wrangell won its first game March 15, beating Angoon in a close match 69 to 68. The game was a rematch of last year’s B Bracket championship game, only this time Wrangell came out on top. “It was kind of a little payback,” said Cody...
Wrangell's High School boys basketball team members were welcomed as hometown heroes last Thursday, after taking fourth at the State Tournament in Anchorage last week for the 2A division. It was the team's first trip to State in more than a decade, and though it did not bring back a title Wrangell's players brought home several awards. "I was really proud of the boys," said the Wolves' coach, Ray Stokes. "They all did great." The team won two of its three games, and beat region rival Metlakatla...
Legal challenges to the Big Thorne timber sale were dismissed in their entirety by a federal judge last Friday. Ten environmental groups filed three separate legal actions against the United States Forest Service (USFS) last year, challenging its planned sale on Prince of Wales Island. United States District Judge Ralph Beistline denied the plaintiffs’ motions for summary judgement, granting in favor of USFS. The Big Thorne sale would allow timber to be harvested from approximately 6,200 of the area’s 232,000 acres of forested land over sev...
Seven times is the charm for building some momentum on a measure that aims to give personal use (PU) fisheries a priority over commercial and sport users. As it stands now, the three fisheries all are on equal footing in the eyes and actions of state managers. The priority shift has been introduced during each of the last seven legislative sessions by (now) Senator Bill Stoltze (R-Chugiak), but has never made it past a first hearing – until now. “It only took Sen. Stoltze, the bill sponsor, chairing the hearing committee himself,” quipp...
Wrangell Public School District will be partnering more closely with the University of Alaska Southeast’s Tech Prep Program in coming months, setting up an office for the program’s coordinator, Kimberly Szczatko. A memorandum of understanding was approved by the Wrangell School Board earlier this month and a formal agreement is in the process of being signed, but tentatively, Szczatko expects to be relocated from the Juneau office by May. Once here, Szczatko will be better able to assist high school students to enroll in tech prep pro...
The Coast Guard Commercial Fishing Vessel Examiner will be conducting dockside examinations for commercial fishing vessels in Wrangell from April 1-3. Checkout our new vessel specific checklist generator located at www.fishsafe.info. This tool will allow you to print out a list of all safety requirements for your vessel prior to your exam. Mandatory exams are not required now but must be completed prior to Oct 15, 2015, for all commercial fishing vessels that operate beyond three miles off shore. Although you are not required to get an exam...
