Sorted by date Results 1 - 19 of 19
At the beginning of April the Wrangell Sentinel reported on Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium's organization-wide COVID-19 testing numbers, across all of their medical centers and clinics in Southeast Alaska. At the time, SEARHC representatives said that they could not provide community-specific numbers to the public. The test numbers in each individual community were so small, the reasoning went, that releasing those numbers could potentially identify who was being tested and violate...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly held a special meeting Thursday, April 16, to consider their local contribution to the Wrangell School District's budget. According to the meeting's agenda packet, the city can provide the district anywhere between $583,830 and about $1.6 million. The district's current budget for FY 2021, which was adopted on March 19, has revenues set at about $5.68 million and expenditures at about $6.08 million. The school district was requesting the same contribution as the...
The Wrangell Sentinel has again been named among the best weekly newspapers in Alaska according to the Alaska Press Club, which announced winners of its annual contest for 2019 over the weekend. The Cordova Times placed first in the category, Petersburg Pilot, second and Wrangell Sentinel, third. Tawney Crowley placed second in the best illustration or graphic. Her entry was titled, "The greatest bite of all time." Judges commented: "Nice work. I can see the illustrator had fun with this...
The Wrangell School Board met last Monday evening, April 20, via web conference. The first item on the agenda was a temporary suspension of the policy requiring that the school board hold in-person meetings. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is safer to hold all meetings via phone or web conference. With this out of the way, the board got down to the business of accepting a contract for school psychology services. The contract is with SERRC, the Southeast Regional Resource Center. This contract...
While the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, across the country government authorities and businesses are discussing the idea of slowly reopening and getting things back to normal. In Wrangell, one of the many industries impacted by the virus is the tourist industry. Now that spring has begun, the time for cruise season is drawing ever closer. However, recent information provided by Economic Development Director Carol Rushmore shows that the cruise season, if there even is one this year, will have a...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met remotely last Tuesday, April 14, to hold one of their regularly scheduled meetings. It was a light agenda, as far as items requiring an assembly vote, but there was much discussion. After opening the meeting, the assembly heard from two Wrangell residents who wanted to see the local economy start to reopen. Wrangell residents Dale Parkinson and Mike Lockabey both thanked the city staff and the wider public for doing their parts to keep the community safe during...
The Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau met last Friday afternoon, April 17. Among the items on the meeting's agenda was the cancellation of this year's Birdfest, and what could be done in its place. The Stikine River Birding Festival, more shortly known as Birdfest, is a Wrangell tradition that dates back over 20 years. Usually occurring in April, around the time migratory birds return to Wrangell and the Stikine River area, the festival brings all kinds of people, from locals to tourists,...
With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, many events and traditions in the Wrangell community have been cancelled. The Wrangell School District has closed its doors for the remainder of the academic year, hosting classes virtually. While this rather unique school year is drawing to a close, school staff are working to make sure the graduating class has a memorable end to their high school careers. Jack Carney, interim principal for Wrangell's secondary schools, said that plans are in the works for a...
On Wednesday, April 15, representatives from the City and Borough of Wrangell (CBW), Wrangell Medical Center (WMC), the Alaska Division of Public Health, the Alaska Island Community Services (AICS) Clinic, and Wrangell's emergency operations center participated in their weekly teleconference to advance community planning for COVID-19 response. The teleconference was preceded by a Tuesday, April 14, COVID-19 report by WMC Medical Director Dr. Lynn Prysunka to the CBW Assembly as part of their...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today that Dungeness crab permit holders throughout Registration Area A (Southeast) will be required to call ahead and make an appointment with department staff prior to registering for the 2020/2021 Dungeness crab season. Due to safety measures put in place by State of Alaska Health Mandates, the department recommends permit holders bring a check or exact cash for payment of buoy tags, a pen to sign the vessel registration form, and to wear a fac...
April 10: A bail hearing was held for Joel Franks, charged with violating a protective order and sexual assault. Bail remained as set. A calendar call is scheduled for June 16, with a jury trial on June 23. April 14: Theodosia James was arraigned on charges of violating conditions of release. The hearing was rescheduled to April 21. James Howe was arraigned on charges of unlawful contact and violating conditions of release. He was released on a $5,000 cash performance bond. Other conditions of release include PED monitoring, not consuming...
April 13 Agency Assist: Airport. Parking Compliant. Agency Assist: Public Works. Jame Howe, 48, charged with violating conditions of release, unlawful contact. Citizen Assist. Agency Assist: Airport. Citizen Assist. April 14 Agency Assist: Airport. Summons Service. Agency Assist: Harbor Master. Dog Complaint. Trespass. Intoxicated Person. April 15 Agency Assist: Airport. April 16 Agency Assist: Hoonah PD. Agency Assist: Airport. April 17 Agency Assist: Ambulance. Agency Assist: Airport. Disturbance. Trespassing. Summons Service. Agency Assist....
Wow the folks are getting it done! I have been so impressed with the Coronavirus response here in Southern Southeast Alaska. At every level - from each individual to businesses to local governments - we have worked together diligently to flatten the curve, and it is working. I want to give a huge thank you first and foremost to our medical staff and essential services providers. You are keeping our world turning (even if it is turning a little slower these days). I can’t fully understand the sacrifices you have made for our communities, but I...
A photo of Koknuk flats, looking east towards Wrangell, taken by Ola Richards during a kayak trip from Petersburg over the weekend....
Late last week, the Wrangell Medical Center received an Abbott rapid test machine. This piece of equipment will allow for same-day, in-house testing for COVID-19, according to an April 8 press release from SEARHC. Wrangell is one of seven Southeast Alaskan communities to receive rapid testing equipment. According to the press release, each testing machine is accompanied by roughly 45 test kits. "SEARHC leadership is excited to add rapid response testing to our available resources during the...
April 22, 1920 Postmaster Stedman has received a considerable quantity of garden and flower seeds from Delegate George B. Grigsby for distribution. These are the seeds furnished by the Department of Agriculture and are of good quality. Anyone desiring some of these seeds may obtain them by calling at the post office. April 27, 1945 Touring Southeastern Alaska, a Ketchikan Chamber of Commerce goodwill party arrived here last Saturday morning for a brief stay before flying on to Petersberg, Sitka and Juneau. While here, they met with members of...
A porcupine walking along the nature trail at Volunteer Park. Porcupines are a common sight in Wrangell, as well as the wider state of Alaska....
Alaska’s total salmon catch for 2020 is projected to be down 36 percent from last year’s haul of 207 million fish, the eighth largest on record that was valued at nearly $658 million at the docks. In the Run Forecasts and Harvest Projections and Review of the 2019 Season just released by the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, managers are calling for a harvest of just under 133 million salmon across Alaska. The decline is driven by a much lower forecast for those hard to predict pink salmon of just over 60 million fish, down nearly 53 percent. Her...
A vehicle caught fire at Heritage Harbor last Monday morning, April 20. Dorianne Sprehe, with the Wrangell Fire Department, said they received a call about the fire at 10:26 a.m., and were on-scene by 10:30 a.m. A Ford F-250 had caught fire, Sprehe said. Members of the Wrangell Harbor Department had made it onto the scene before the fire department, she said, and had tried to put out the fire with a dry chemical extinguisher. The fire department managed to put out the fire completely and were...