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For most Southeast residents the 1964 Good Friday earthquake is a relic of grainy newsreels and yellowed newspaper clippings. But some residents of Wrangell who lived through the disaster remember a hurried rush to higher ground to get away from a threatened tsunami they would not have been able to see in the dark. The wave never materialized, and no damage was reported. "The first thing that we knew that there was something wrong was the fire department was going around telling people to...
The school board voted 5-0 Saturday to select Jay Thomas of Unalakleet as the next superintendent of Wrangell Schools. Both of the two finalists for the position – Thomas and Delta-Greeley High School principal Patrick Mayer - were equally qualified, said school board President Susan Eagle. "I don't think there was anything in particular" that led the board to choose Thomas and not Mayer, she said. "I felt that the candidates were very well qualified, and we just made the decision to go with M...
The borough assembly held an almost hour-long closed-door executive session Tuesday to discuss litigation stemming from a suit involving borough police department personnel. Alesa and Jerry McHolland filed the suit in Wrangle Superior Court in November 2013. It alleges wrongful termination, “deliberate and incessant discrimination,” and “intentional infliction of emotional distress.” It accuses former borough Manager Tim Rooney, Police Chief Doug McCloskey, and Lt. Merlin Ehlers of harassing and terminating Alesa McHolland in 2011, when sh...
A ten-man Wrangell basketball team grabbed second place at a competitive regional basketball tournament held every spring in Juneau. The Wrangell Thunderbirds fought their way to Saturday's B-Bracket (for ages 32 and under) Championship game at the Lions Club Gold Medal Basketball tournament undefeated, but succumbed to returning champions Angoon despite beating them in the semifinals, said Cody Angerman, a member of the team. The championship was close, Angerman said. "We went back and forth...
Tuesday, March 18 Dustin Phillips, 32, appeared before Wrangell Deputy Magistrate Leanna Splinter on charges of Alcohol Restricted – In Licensed Areas. The defendant was found guilty. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail with 40 suspended, ordered to contact Alaska Island Community Services to schedule an alcohol evaluation, comply with recommendations, ordered to pay $200 in fines and surcharges with $100 suspended and placed on probation for 2 years. Joshua Gustafson, 22, appeared before Wrangell Deputy Magistrate Leanna Splinter on charges o...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. March 26, 1914: J.H. Hyland and Ias. Troxel arrived down the river from Telegraph last Thursday and took the Princess south to Victoria Friday night. Mr. Hyland is a well-known booster of Telegraph and is making the trip outside to get a new pack train to use in that country as soon as work starts in the Dease lake country. The prospects in that country are brighter than ever, according to Mr. Hyland. March 31, 1939: A special meeting of the City Council held Friday night was called by Mayor Van H....
Hello and welcome to week nine of Peggy’s Corner of the House. Although the deadline has passed for all personal legislation to be introduced, committees still have the ability to introduce legislation that is specific to a committee. This has happened in my Transportation Committee. The Department of Administration, that oversees the Department of Motor Vehicles, (DMV) has asked that we carry HB 378 which relates to keeping Alaska compliant with federal regulations pertaining to our commercial driver license (CDL) program. This bill is i...
Sunday, March 16 Agency Assist. Monday, March 17 Disturbance. Alarm. Unfounded. Tuesday, March 18 DV – Arguing – Officers responded. Alarm. Affidavit – For person who did not show up or call to serve time. Agency Assist – Fire Department. Agency Assist – Public Works. Wednesday, March 19 Alarm. MVA – Caller reported an accident by Taylor Music. Suspicious circumstance. Parking complaint. Owner notified – Vehicle has been moved. Agency Assist – Petersburg PD. Report of Possible Gunshot. Thursday, March 20 Unlock Vehicle. Citation issued...
A local carving facility and cultural center is a big step closer to completion. The MJ Murdoch Charitable Trust awarded a $250,000 grant to the Wrangell Cooperative Association this week. That leaves about$100,000, or 35 percent of total cost of the building, remaining before the shed's cost is totally funded, said Tis Peterman, a grant writer and administrator with the WCA. "We're really excited about it," she said. The carving facility - known informally around town as the "carving shed," a...
Local healthcare consumers face an imminent deadline. After twice extending the deadline to sign up for a healthcare plan under the Patient Affordable Care Act – known colloquially as Obamacare – the date finally stuck at March 31, with little indication that officials will change it, according to various national news outlets. Uninsured patients will thus face a penalty on their next tax return. Consumers who fail to enroll will face a penalty of $95 or one percent of their income, whichever is greater. Families must pay $47.50 per uni...
Hotel reservations and empty tables at local eateries may be a little hard to come by this fall. About 250 officials and leaders from all over Southeast will descend on Wrangell Sept. 16 to 18 as the annual membership meeting of the Southeast Conference comes to town. The Conference’s mid-session meeting was held March 12, 13, and 14 in Juneau. Wrangell’s role as host borough comes after a report issued by the 2013 session, which highlighted Wrangell’s success with the so-called blue economy, a combination of fisheries and marine servi...
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is seeking public input on the winter and spring 2014/2015 Alaska Marine Highway System ferry schedule. A view of the schedule can be found at dot.alaska.gov/amhs/share/schedule/consideration.pdf. Written comments will be accepted prior to April 5 via email at dot.amhs.comments@alaska.gov and by fax at 907-586-8365. A teleconference to hear comments and consider adjustments is scheduled Tuesday, April 8, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. for Southeast schedules. The meeting will be held in...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game will hold commercial troll public meetings in Wrangell on Wednesday, April 2 in the Nolan Center Classroom at 6:30 p.m. Meeting topics will include, but are not limited to, plans for the 2014 spring and summer troll fisheries, the 2014 Pacific Salmon Treaty Chinook salmon abundance index and quota, and a review of the 2013 troll season. All members of the public are welcome to attend....
PETERSBURG – Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Production Manager Bill Glass said plans are moving forward to continue production at Crystal Lake Hatchery even if it can’t immediately reconstruct the incubation facility destroyed by fire earlier this month. “We don’t anticipate any delays or reductions in future productions beyond what we lost in the fire,” Glass said. “Plans are that the entire hatchery will continue on as is without any decreases in programs.” The hatchery lost 550,000 Chinook eggs that were bound for Neets Bay, 200,000...
(Sitka) – The brown bear hunting season opens March 15 in Game Management Unit 4 (GMU4) with two registration hunts; RB088 and RB089. Both hunts open March 15th but have different closing dates. Inside drainages (RB089) close May 20th, and outside drainages (RB088) close May 31st. For boundary clarifications, refer to the 2013-14 Alaska Hunting Regulations and online maps. Hunters are reminded of the requirement to watch the brown bear identification video called “Take a Closer Look” prior to registering. This can be viewed online ADF&G...
Alaska’s salmon catch of 273 million salmon set a record last year– and so did the number of salmon returning home to state hatcheries. The 2013 Fisheries Enhancement Report by the AK Dept. of Fish and Game shows that a return of 112 million hatchery reared salmon contributed 36 percent to the state’s total salmon harvest. The breakdown by species was 63% for chum salmon, 38% for pinks, 23% for Chinook salmon, 22% for cohos and 5% of Alaska’s sockeye salmon catch can be credited to hatchery returns. Unlike farmed fish, which are crammed into ne...