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The Wrangell Borough Assembly passed on first reading several ordinances related to marijuana, including an additional excise on that cultivated on the island. Under one proposed code change, a new section would affix a $10 tax per ounce on "the sale or transfer of all marijuana from a marijuana cultivation facility ... to a retail marijuana store or a marijuana product manufacturing facility." "The cultivator pays the tax," explained city clerk, Kim Lane. It and the other ordinances were put...
Wrangell's youth Amateur Athletics Union basketball team took first in Juneau's Mike Jackson Memorial Tournament over the weekend. The program is a gap-bridge for middle school students, giving them opportunity to play competitively and hone skills before high school. Wrangell's recent victory follows on the heels of last year's similarly successful AAU season, and bodes well for future classes of players. But it was a long weekend for the eight girls. They had to arrive ahead of the games'...
Wrangell students got hands-on with robotics and circuitry for most of last week, taking part in a technological workshop put on by the AKTeach program. The program – an acronym for Alaskans Transforming Educational Access in Communities and Homes – is part of the Kodiak Island Borough School District, and facilitates education services for school systems across the state. Instructors from the program were brought to Wrangell for three days to focus on science, technology, engineering, arts and...
April 5, 1917: Wellcome, head of one of the largest wholesale drug concerns in England and the United Kingdom, accompanied by his valet, was in Wrangell from Monday morning till Wednesday afternoon, when he sailed for Seattle on the Spokane. He stopped off in Wrangell for the purpose of adding to his collection of photographic views of the Northland. Mr. Wellcome is one of the men who originally backed Father Duncan in his effort to civilize the natives of Old Metlakahtla when the tribe moved to the American side and settled at their present...
One of Wrangell's canine residents finally received its search and rescue certification, after four long years of training. "Katilli," a golden retriever handled by owner Steve Prysunka, took her final exam in Texas last week. Through an ongoing training and certification process, the dog has been deployed for search and rescue efforts on behalf of Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department. "This is what we've been working for for the last three and a half years," said Prysunka. "This was her test for...
Monday, March 20 Report of Criminal Mischief. Tuesday, March 21 ATV complaint. Citizen Assist: Caller requested to get their vehicle unlocked. Agency Assist: Several 911 fire calls, Fire Department dispatched. Wednesday, March 22 Catering permit. Alarms. Thursday, March 23 Scam Letter. Possible DV Assault. Friday, March 24 Agency Assist: Alarms. Saturday, March 26 Agency Assist. Agency Assist: Alarm. Person contacted. Disabled Vehicle: Report of disabled vehicle leaking gas. Officer responded, transmission is leaking. Sunday. March 27 Agency...
In the last few weeks, folks have called and emailed to ask about our budget and what’s happening in the Capitol. There’s a lot of misinformation out there, and in this climate, where every Alaskan is worried about the future, it’s important to keep things in focus. With budget numbers flying and hundreds of amendments under consideration, I’m going to pick out the most significant changes – those that will affect you and your family – to highlight. Keep in mind that this is the budget as of March 16th, 2018, 3:30 PM. With hours of debate and...
Lois Bakke Hope, 84, passed away peacefully on February 23, 2017 while living in the memory care unit at Patriots Glen in Bellevue, Washington. Lois was born November 29, 1932 to Tink and Maggie Bakke in Wrangell, Alaska. She later joined the US Army with her sister Seena. After the Army, she lived and worked in Seattle where she met the love of her life, William (Bill) Hope. After they were married in 1967, she moved to Unalaska, where Bill fished king crab with his boat the Shellfish. While... Full story
Wrangell’s district representative for the State Legislature teleconferenced in late last week to update constituents on what’s going on in Juneau. Rep. Dan Ortiz (I-District 36) called in to Legislative Information Office locations in Ketchikan and Wrangell to explain ongoing bills and field questions on March 23. Likely the biggest issue on Alaska’s collective mind is its budget deficit, which by various measures is set to drain billions from the state’s savings this year. With spending left as is, the Legislative Finance Division project...
Biologists with the state’s Department of Fish and Game will be making their way to Wrangell this weekend to explain how the ongoing survey of Southeast Alaska’s bat population is going. Staff wildlife biologists Tory Rhoads and Steve Lewis will be visiting local schools through Friday, teaching about the different species prevalent to the area and explaining how monitoring actually works. A presentation open to the public that evening at 6:30 p.m. has also been scheduled, to be held inside the Forest Service Ranger’s office. Of parti...
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) – Construction is expected to start later this year on a nearly $6 million overhaul of University of Alaska Southeast Ketchikan’s Regional Maritime and Career Center. Wendy Miles Horn, the university’s assistant director of business operations and special projects, said the work is needed because the two buildings that make up the facility are inadequate, cramped and don’t measure up to U.S. Coast Guard and maritime-industry training standards. The renovations call for creating adequate space to house the industrial labs...
This year's annual Tent City Days celebration will start tomorrow, opening up with the dog show at 5 p.m. Celebrating the town of Wrangell's rustic beginnings, the annual late-winter festivity was held a bit later than usual this year due to scheduling conflicts. "I ain't competing with the Super Bowl," event organizer Kelly Gunderson joked. Involved with the festival in past years, she took organization of the celebration off the hands of Penny Allen, who in recent years has been working to...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaskan Brewing Company’s plans to expand its Juneau-based facility could help spur the consolidation of the city’s waste services. The brewery is looking to purchase four lots owned by the City and Borough of Juneau for additional retail, storage or office space. The transfer would displace the city’s water utility and public drop-off area for household hazardous waste, The Juneau Empire reported. “We’re interested, so it could happen fairly quickly on our schedule,’’ said Alaskan Brewing Company spokesman Andy...
The required permits are not yet in hand, but the U.S. Navy is moving full steam ahead on its plans to conduct war training exercises in the Gulf of Alaska for two weeks in early May. Meanwhile, nine coastal communities have so far signed resolutions asking the Navy to instead conduct its training between September and mid-March, times that are less sensitive to migrating salmon, birds and marine mammals. Several more communities have indicated they will do the same by month's end. "It's not tha...
A public meet and greet has been scheduled for next week to allow residents the opportunity to see the front-running candidates for city manager. Candidates Gene Green and Lisa Von Bargen will be coming here for in-person interviews with the Borough Assembly on April 5, an executive session which will be closed to the public. Following that, at 6 p.m. at the Stikine Inn an open event is planned to include interested residents, complete with light refreshments. The candidates were selected during a second round of searching, in the effort to...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced Tuesday its schedule of public meetings for the commercial troll fishery around Southeast Alaska and Yakutat. Wrangell’s will be held on Wednesday, April 12, inside the Nolan Center classroom at 6 p.m. Other town dates and times will be: Sitka – Monday, April 10, NSRAA conference room at 2:00 p.m. Ketchikan – Tuesday, April 11, Fish and Game conference room at 5:30 p.m. Petersburg – Wednesday, April 12, Assembly chambers at 12:30 p.m. Juneau – Thursday, April 13, ADFG Headquarters Caribou C...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Everyone has enemies. Cats have dogs. Mice have cats. Dust mites have vacuum cleaners. Seth Irwin has Scotch Tape. For the past few weeks and for a few more Irwin is preserving and protecting some of Alaska’s most precious documents. “Tape is my nemesis,’’ he said. “I spend a lot of time taking tape off of things. Painting conservators work with Monets; paper conservators deal with tape, and staples and rust . all the things office workers might put on documents.’’ Irwin might not be dealing with precious paintings, but...
