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The Wrangell Borough Assembly held a special meeting Monday evening, May 4, to discuss three agenda items related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Mike Dunleavy and the Department of Health and Social Services recently announced four metrics by which they would determine if restrictions need to be eased or rolled back, to protect public health. According to the meeting's agenda packet, the four metrics are: Epidemiology, tracking disease trends and forecasts; Testing, tracking overall...
May signals the end of the school year for the Wrangell School District. For 25 students, this May signals the end of their high school careers. The COVID-19 pandemic has created several challenges and changes this year. Three students of the class of 2020 shared their opinions on this closing chapter of their lives. In general, all three students agree that the pandemic is a disappointing way to end high school, but they are understanding of the situation and grateful to the community for...
Last week's borough assembly meeting, on April 28, only had a few items on the agenda. The majority of the meeting was spent receiving comments on the COVID-19 situation from the public and some assembly members. Joan Sargent, of Island of Faith Lutheran Church, led the invocation for the meeting. Afterwards, she also shared her comments on the pandemic and the community's response to it. She wanted to share with the public that the Irene Ingle Public Library, which has been serving as a hub to...
The Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau met last Friday, May 1, for a work session on social media and marketing opportunities it could provide. The bureau wanted to talk about how they could promote local businesses, and Wrangell itself, via social media. As this was just a work session, no formal action was taken in the meeting. "Webinars that I've been on, ATIA's advice, it seems like most everybody is headed that direction and trying to beef up social media now, while we're all sort of...
The Reopen Wrangell Task Force, a committee of multiple community representatives working to support local businesses in reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic, met last Monday afternoon. It was a fairly long discussion, according to Economic Development Director Carol Rushmore, and the topics were pretty varied. Surveys were one topic of discussion in the meeting. The task force recently sent out a survey to businesses around town to see what their situation was during the pandemic, and what...
PETERSBURG – Southeast Alaska Power Agency is still in the process of trying to replace a damaged submarine cable that provides Petersburg with power, as complications increase due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bob Lynn, chairman of the SEAPA board, told the Petersburg Borough Assembly at their meeting on Monday that there are concerns over whether the project can be completed this year. The damaged cable is one of four submarine cables that connects the terminals between Woronofski and Vank islands...
The value of Alaska salmon permits is another casualty of the coronavirus with prices dropping for all fisheries across the state. There are a lot of permits for sale - and the most offers ever to lease permits, especially at Bristol Bay. The virus has changed everything, said Doug Bowen of Alaska Boats and Permits in Homer. “There’s so much uncertainty about if there will even be a salmon season here and there, and if so, what kind of a price can be expected and so on. I can’t think of one salmon permit that is going up in value. And if there...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (department) announced the following information concerning the 2019/2020 Southeast Alaska commercial pot shrimp summer fishery. The following areas will reopen by emergency order at 8:00 a.m., Friday, May 15, 2020: District 4: will be open. The total Guideline Harvest Level (GHL) is 20,000 pounds, current harvest information is confidential. District 5: will be open. The total GHL is 12,000 pounds, current harvest information is confidential. District 15: (Remainder): will be open in Chilkat Inlet, and in...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska’s largest newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize in public service Monday for its work examining law enforcement in rural communities, a feat coming less than three years after the outlet was rescued from the brink of financial collapse. This is the third such award won by the Anchorage Daily News. The award announced Monday was won in collaboration with ProPublica for “a riveting series that revealed a third of Alaska’s villages had no police protection, took authorities to task for decades of neglect, and spurred an infl...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Organizers of the Southeast Alaska State Fair said Friday that the summer event in Haines has been canceled this year due to COVID-19. In a statement, fair officials said it was a difficult decision but the right one to make. “For us and many across Southeast Alaska and the Yukon, the Fair is something to look forward to at the end of the summer, a moment of congregation and fun separate from the rest of the year,’’ the statement reads. “2020 has instead united us with the common goal of preserving the health and safet...
April 21: Gary Hamley was arraigned on charges of violating conditions of release. The arraignment was scheduled to continue on April 28. Theodosia James was arraigned on charges of violating conditions of release. The arraignment was scheduled to continue on April 28. Daniel Meissner was arraigned on charges of criminal trespass and violating conditions of release. He was released under his own recognizance, and is not to have contact with the alleged victim or return to their property. A calendar call was scheduled for June 16. A disposition...
April 27 Agency Assist. Extra Patrols. Search and Rescue. April 28 False Alarm. April 29 Traffic Stop: Verbal Warning. Assault. April 30 Domestic Violence Order. Courtesy Transport. Agency Assist: Public Works. May 1 Agency Assist: Harbor Dept. Agency Assist: Harbor Dept. Agency Assist: Fire Alarm. Extra Patrol. May 2 Traffic Complaint. Paper Service. May 03 Civil Matter. Civil Issue. During this reporting period there were also three animal complaints, 11 subpoenas served and 12 Agency Assist calls to the airport....
Happy Public Service Appreciation Week! Every year, PSA Week falls on the first full week of May, and its timing is uncanny this year. The past eight weeks have been a whirlwind for our public servants, and I cannot thank them enough. Information and mandates are rapidly changing, but our public servants have worked hard to keep our communities healthy. As Alaska reopens, we will do so as safely as possible, keeping the health and wellbeing of our neighbors, families, and friends as our highest priorities. Last week, Dr. Zink gave an update on...
Evergreen Elementary School hosted a plant sale last Friday morning, May 1. Along with the plants, to help raise money for the EATS garden, the school also hosted a book giveaway and opened up their lost and found for families to come pick up missing items. Pictured here is Kristina Buness with some of the plants for sale....
May 6, 1920 Announcements of the high school commencement are being sent out this week to all the patrons of the school and others. If anyone interested has been overlooked, announcements may be obtained from Miss Crosno, the principal of the school. Everyone is invited to attend the various exercises incidental to the first high school graduation whether an announcement has been received or not. May 4, 1945 Construction on a hangar for the Wrangell Terminal of the Wrangell-Petersburg Air service has been started in Petersburg, according to the...
Local coffee shop Java Junkie celebrated their reopening for the season last Friday, May 1. The coffee shop is located on the cul de sac by City Dock, across from the Stikine Inn. Pictured here is Ceona Koch, taking orders from the shop's window....
As part of their efforts to help local businesses safely reopen and get back to a sense of normality, the Reopen Wrangell Taskforce printed out "Pawse" posters for shops to hang in their windows. The posters lay out guidelines the public should follow when out shopping: Wear a face mask, socially distance, and make use of hand washing or sanitizer stations. Pictured here is Chris Buness dropping off a poster at the Wrangell Sentinel....
Last Tuesday, May 5, was Cinco De Mayo. To celebrate, the Wrangell Elks Lodge hosted a socially-distanced dinner. Wrangell residents could call ahead to the lodge to order a Mexican dinner of enchiladas, chimichangas, and churros. The dinners would then be packaged up and run out to the people waiting in their vehicles. Pictured here (left to right) are Kayla Gillen, Teresa Allen, Jill Privett, Solvay Gillen, and Dawn Angerman....
