Articles from the April 18, 2019 edition


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  • Borough assembly holds workshop with Rep. Don Young

    Caleb Vierkant|Apr 18, 2019

    Don Young, currently serving his 23rd term as Alaska's sole congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives, stopped in Wrangell for a workshop with the borough assembly the morning on Monday, April 15. Assembly members and city employees met with Young to discuss some of the city's priorities and ways Young could offer assistance at the federal level. Among the many topics covered in the workshop were water infrastructure and school funding. As evidenced by both ongoing power issues as well...

  • Work begins for the new hospital

    Apr 18, 2019

    Work began to clear land for Wrangell's new hospital last week. Kendall Nielsen, with Dawson Construction, said that they began cutting down trees on April 4, and will continue to clear and level land next to the AICS Clinic through the rest of the month. The land will be ready to pour the foundation by the second week of May, he added. The new hospital has been an ongoing project in Wrangell for several years. Construction of a new hospital was part of the deal made by the Southeast Alaska...

  • "Healthy Homes" coming to town this summer

    Caleb Vierkant|Apr 18, 2019

    Members of the Wrangell Cooperative Association and the Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority held a short presentation last Wednesday evening on some upcoming home renovations the organizations plan to complete. The THRHA was in Wrangell in January to talk about renovations to about 20 low-income homes in Wrangell they were completing under the Indian Community Development Block Grant. Recently, however, both the WCA and the THRHA were awarded the Healthy Homes Production Grant. This money...

  • The Way We Were

    Apr 18, 2019

    April 17, 1919 A branch of the Alaska Labor Union was organized in Wrangell Tuesday night with 72 members. H.V. Henrickson, secretary of Alaska Labor Union No. 5 at Ketchikan, arrived in Wrangell Tuesday. A large audience turned out in response to the call. Mr. Henrikson delivered a forceful address setting forth the need for united and intelligent action on the part of the workingmen. Mr. Henrikson said in part: “There are three things necessary in order for the workingmen to better their condition: First, organization; second, education; thir...

  • P&Z Commission accept variance request, vacation home rental request

    Caleb Vierkant|Apr 18, 2019

    The Wrangell Planning and Zoning Commission had a short meeting last Thursday and one of the main things they discussed in the meeting was a variance request for a front yard setback reduction, by Greg and Anne Duncan. According to the agenda packet for the meeting, the Duncans own a 1.06 acre parcel of land on Shoemaker Bay Loop road. They are wanting to build a 2,400 square foot house and a 1,440 square foot shop/garage which will sit approximately three feet from the front yard property...

  • Wrangell community-clean up

    Apr 18, 2019

    Many people came out the morning of Saturday, April 13, to participate in the Wrangell Community Clean-Up. Both individuals and local organizations participated in picking up trash wherever it could be found. The Wrangell Rod and Gun Club, for instance, drove out to the gun range on Spur Road to clean up trash and bullet shells. One family found a pile of old tires left in a ditch near Volunteer Park, while another group came by with a rusted, old sled. Wrangell Resident Paula Rak and the...

  • Murkowski Announces $10.9 Million in Secure Rural Schools Payments to Alaska

    Apr 18, 2019

    U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, announced on Tuesday that communities across Alaska will soon receive a total of $10,990,708 to fund schools and local budget priorities. The payments are being provided through the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program, which Murkowski successfully reauthorized and funded through Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 in the FY2018 omnibus appropriations bill. "Local communities in Alaska and across the country rely on the Secure Rural Schools program to pay for essential...

  • Police report

    Apr 18, 2019

    April 8, 2019 Civil issue. Agency assist. Found property. Welfare check. April 9, 2019 Suspicious circumstance. Security check. April 10, 2019 Three subpoena services. Reckless driving. April 11, 2019 Citizen report of DUI. Unsecured premises. Traffic stop: Verbal warning for faulty brake light. Three subpoena services. Driving complaint. Traffic stop: Verbal warning for driving habits. Agency assist: Fire alarm. April 12, 2019 Security check. Fire alarm. Lost dog. Several subpoenas served. Found property: Cell phone. Citizen assist: Vehicle...

  • School board reviews report card to the public, discusses new key code system

    Caleb Vierkant|Apr 18, 2019

    The Wrangell School Board reviewed the school district's "report card to the public" in their recent meeting on Monday, April 15. The report card, released by the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, collected and presented data on the performance of school districts across the state for the 2017-2018 school year. The report card examined items such as attendance and graduation rates, academic progress, teacher quality, and many other factors. According to the report card. Everg...

  • Ernestine Hayes meets the locals

    Apr 18, 2019

    Ernestine Hayes, author of "The Tao of Raven," "Blonde Indian," and "Juneau (Images of America)" was in Wrangell last weekend to host a writer's workshop. She also visited with Wrangell residents at the Irene Ingle Public Library at a meet-and-greet on Friday....

  • Letter to the Editor

    Apr 18, 2019

    To the Editor: We need resolutions from the cities of Wrangell, Ketchikan, Juneau, Hoonah, Unalaska, etc. that request that the Alaska Senate and Legislature keep the Alaska Marine Highway in service. Without this service any of our rural areas will be unable to transport a loved one suffering from a severe medical condition comfortably in their car to Seattle or Juneau, transport teams for sporting events, or visit family and friends. If we listen to the people who work the ferry, they will...

  • Local reporter wins photography awards

    Apr 18, 2019

    Local reporter Caleb Vierkant recently won two awards in the 2019 North and East Texas Press Association Newspaper Contest. Before moving to Wrangell last July, Vierkant was a reporter for the Jacksonville Progress, a semi-weekly newspaper located in Cherokee County, Texas. He took fourth place in two categories, "news photos" and "feature photos" for semi-weekly papers. Pictured here is one of the photos, of a grass fire in northern Cherokee County, in January of 2018. The Jacksonville...

  • Community Market back for its seventh season

    Caleb Vierkant|Apr 18, 2019

    The Nolan Center held its first community market of the season last Saturday, after a six-month hiatus over the winter. The Wrangell Community Market typically runs from April through September, and brings out many town residents eager to visit and sell homemade goods. Everything from homemade salsa, to local artwork, to freshly baked pastries and snacks could be found at the market. This is the seventh season for the community market, according to Nolan Center Director Cyni Crary, and the...

  • Swim Club competes in Southeast Regional Championship

    Caleb Vierkant|Apr 18, 2019

    Last week, 16 swimmers from the Wrangell Swim Club participated in the Southeast Regional Championship. The championship, held from April 5 to 7, was open to swimmers from the ages of 7 to 16-years-old. According to Jamie Roberts, coach of the swim club, Wrangell's kids competed in 123 different swims. Of these, 86 of them were personal bests for the swimmers. Roberts also added, in an email, that the Wrangell Swim Club was the second largest of the seven competing teams. "I was proud of their...

  • Fish Factor: Southeast have partnered with Net Your Problem to recycle old or derelict seine and gillnets

    Laine Welch|Apr 18, 2019

    The Panhandle plans to be the next Alaska region to give new life to old fishing gear by sending it to plastic recycling centers. The tons of nets and lines piled up in local lots and landfills will become the raw material for soda bottles, cell phone cases, sunglasses, skateboards, swimsuits and more. Juneau, Haines, Petersburg and possibly Sitka have partnered with Net Your Problem to launch an effort this year to send old or derelict seine and gillnets to a recycler in Richmond, British Columbia. “We’re going to be working in a new loc...

  • McKinley Angerman Kellogg received bachelor's degree, accepts position with Chinook Shores Lodge

    Caleb Vierkant|Apr 18, 2019

    McKinley Angerman Kellogg, granddaughter of Wrangell residents Dick and Barbara Angerman, has recently earned her bachelor's degree and has also accepted a management position with Chinook Shores Lodge in Ketchikan. Kellogg received her degree on March 23, in environmental science, from Western Washington University. "I chose this degree because I was really interested to learn more about the natural environment," she said in an email. "Working at the lodge provided amazing opportunities for me...

  • Wrangell log painted at City Park

    Caleb Vierkant|Apr 18, 2019

    City park is a popular spot for locals and tourists to enjoy the outdoors. The park is also the site of some artwork that is equally popular amongst locals and tourists. A large log, with the town's name carved into its side, sits on the park's beach. According to Wrangell resident and photographer Charity Hommel, a group of carvers and chainsaw artists decided to etch "Wrangell" into the log. They did not ask for anybody's permission to do so, she said, but the log has become a staple of sites...

  • Blanket shoot

    Apr 18, 2019

    The Wrangell Rod and Gun Club held a "blanket shoot" at the outdoor range last Thursday afternoon. The shoot was very successful, according to a post on the club's Facebook page. Participants were asked to bring prizes, valued at $10 or more, to lay on large blankets for people to win. Whoever got the high score in the contest was allowed to pick their prize first. In the youth category, Miranda Ridgeway (left) and Jayden Daughtery (right) tied for first place. After two shoot-offs, it was...