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After being kept away for most of the year while a petition for residency was processed, the Balansag family returned to Wrangell earlier this month. The Balansags – Vincent, wife Lynn, and children Jade, Lee and Chrysalis – have been calling Wrangell home since January 2011. They first moved here from the Philippines – an island nation off the coast of East Asia – after Vincent found employment at the local hospital, where he still works as a medical technician. His three-year work visa ha...
Sales tax data made available this month suggest a slight dip in local consumer spending. The news comes at a time when the region's economy appears to be fragile. Earlier this fall, Southeast Conference released its annual By the Numbers economic report, which found 2016 to have been the first time since 2007 that jobs and earnings were both down from the previous year. The labor force had declined by 434 net jobs, bringing the total number of positions to 45,260 regionally. The dip...
December 6, 1917: Bishop R.J Crimont who last July was consecrated the first Bishop of Alaska for the Catholic Church is a genuine Sourdough. Recently he paid his first visit to Wrangell since his consecration. From Wrangell he went to Ketchikan where he found the hotels filled with people attending court and no rooms to be had. So he made his way up to the rectory, which of course was locked Father Kern being in Seattle. He then tried the church and finding it open spent the night there sleeping on one of the hard benches. The next day when so...
The learning experience for Wrangell students continues to get more technological, with new devices and programs hitting local schools this year. Technology director Matt Gore gave the Sentinel a run-through of some of these developments Tuesday. It started with “tech time in the morning,” an informal zero-hour period where students are encouraged to undertake various technological projects. For instance, that morning found senior JD Barratt soldering together components for a lighting setup, while Kellan Eagle put together the frame for a hom...
November 20 Alaska Wildlife Troopers contacted Timothy Hunt, 34, from Wrangell. Investigation had determined Hunt purchased a 2017 Resident Commercial Crewmember License and a Resident Sport Fishing/Hunting License when he did not meet the residency requirements. Hunt was issued summons to appear in the District Court of Wrangell for False Statement on a License Application and False Statement on a Commercial Crewmember License....
Monday, Nov. 20 Agency Assist: FD notified person’s fire alarm is beeping. Harassment: Officer spoke with individual. Scam: Report of receiving phone calls. Criminal Trespass: Officer gave warning. DVO: Papers received and served. Citizen Assist: Officer unlocked. Citizen Assist: Vehicle unlocked. Tuesday, Nov. 21 Welfare Check: Officer responded. Hazardous Play: Kids messing around by roadway. Citizen Assist: Request to unlock vehicle: Owner found spare keys. Vacation check: Request filled. Citizen Assist: Unlocked vehicle. Wednesday, Nov. 22...
Hundreds of students, faculty members and special guests dined together at Evergreen Elementary School last week ahead of the holiday. Held November 22, this year's Primary Thanksgiving Feast was the fourth annual. The celebration includes a real meal of turkey, potatoes, dressing and all the fixings. Dishes were prepared by parents and served up by volunteers. Aimed at kindergarteners through second graders, the festive gathering is preceded by lessons on the Thanksgiving holiday, traditionally...
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) – An Alaska couple is looking to change a law that requires people to pay taxes on damaged property. Ron and Jane Hunt lost a house in a fire Jan. 8. Ron Hunt says he went to the Fairbanks North Star Borough to report the fire. “I was expecting to get a property tax adjustment,” he said. Ron Hunt learned he would be required to pay his full tax bill $6,977.92 on the North Pole property, even though the house, a rental, and an attached shop were reduced to rubble. The Hunts live next door to the rental property but conti...
Legislators wrapped up their fourth special session called for the year last week, passing a crime reform bill but failing to take up any new revenue measures. Passing both chambers, Senate Bill 54 revises the criminal justice reform package passed under SB 91 in 2016. The latest bill is based on recommendations by the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission, including tightening up penalties for Class C felonies and repeat thefts, violations of release and sex trafficking offenses. “There was definitely a need to work the Senate Bill 91, which I di...
Recurring news headlines that have widely circulated about alarming declines of Pacific salmon have spawned a savvy new marketing strategy that tells consumers they can help save wild fish by eating farmed. Earlier this year actor Leonardo DiCaprio invested in a company called LoveTheWild (“a champion of sustainable, delicious fish”) which is promoting its oven-ready farmed fish dishes to U.S. supermarkets. “With LoveTheWild, we sought to create healthy and easy-to-prepare meals that people can feel good about – both in terms of how the fis...
One of Southeast’s primary ferries will be out of service longer than expected as it undergoes annual maintenance, affecting the winter schedule. The Alaska Marine Highway System announced last week the M/V Malaspina will be out of commission several months longer than expected. The vessel went in for its annual overhaul and certification on October 1, with the intention of returning it to service on December 22. During the overhaul engineers determined an extensive replacement of the craft’s steel was needed, and that both its propeller hubs r...
A Wrangell freshman was invited to join the state-level treble choir this year, at the All-State Music Festival in Anchorage. Held between November 16 and 18 at the Bartlett and West Anchorage high school campuses, the Alaska School Activities Association event drew around 175 students from around the state to participate in its two choirs. Robyn Booker has been singing for "as long as I could talk," she reckoned. Participating in the annual Christmas concert through her school years, as a new...
Sports fans and other television viewers subscribing to General Communication Inc. have likely noticed that its FOX programming has been absent for most of the month. Since November 8 the telecommunications provider has been unable to show FOX in Southeast Alaska due to a contract row with television station KJUD. Based in Juneau, the television station is an ABC affiliate owned by Vision Alaska LLC, and in addition to FOX, carries programming for the CW network. In a media release GCI...
