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Wrangell High School was packed with students, family, and friends of the class of 2019 last Friday night. Another school year had come to a close, and so had the high school careers of 16 seniors. The school's commons was filled with poster boards covered in pictures of the graduating students, and the gym was decorated in school colors and filled with extra seating. The commencement began rather traditionally, as most high school graduations do. The students walked out onto the stage to "Pomp...
The Wrangell Mariners' Memorial Board and the Wrangell Ministerial Association came together last Sunday to jointly host the annual blessing of the fleet. The event is a tradition honoring Wrangell's fishing fleet and maritime history, according to board president Jen Miller, and to send them out safely as the fishing season draws closer. She added that this was the first year the memorial board has been involved in the fleet blessing. The ministerial association has held blessings at various...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly sat down for a continuation of their ongoing series of budget workshops on Tuesday, May 14. The assembly has been putting together their FY 2019-2020 budget for the past month, and are getting closer to final approval of it. Each workshop has covered a different portion of Wrangell's facilities and their financial needs. Last week's meeting took a look at capital facilities maintenance and improvements. The capital facilities department is looking at a budget of...
The Fourth of July royalty contest is a longstanding tradition in Wrangell. Each summer, candidates looking to be named "king" and/or "queen" compete in a fundraising competition to support the city's fireworks show. Last year's competition saw three competitors. This year, however, there is only one person running for queen: Abigail Gerald. Gerald is a recent graduate of Wrangell High School. She said that she decided to run because it would be a fun way to support her community, as well as to...
Four members of the Wrangell Swim Club went to Anchorage last month, in late April, to compete in the Alaska Junior Olympics. Over the course of the four day meet, from April 25 to 28, 24 different teams from across the state competed. The Wrangell team collectively made 18 personal best times. Christina Johnson competed in the 10-years-old and younger category and made six personal bests. She took third place in the 50-yard breaststroke, fourth in the 100-yard butterfly, fourth in the 500-yard...
The Wrangell School Board met last Monday night, May 20, for one of their regularly scheduled meetings. One of the first items they covered was the final report of the school year from the student government. They heard updates about student activities, and what the kids have been up to their final few weeks of school before summer, or graduation, came around. The student government elected new leadership in their final meeting, held on May 7. Jing O'Brien was named president for the 2019-2020...
The Wrangell High School class of 2019 set up shop in the gym the afternoon of Tuesday, May 7, to give presentations on their community service projects. The projects are a requirement for graduation, according to Principal David Macri, worth about half a credit. The senior students, individually or in small groups, are supposed to spend at least 20 hours on a project or series of projects that help the wider community. Afterwards, they then put together a poster board reporting on what they...
Muskeg Meadows Golf Course held a nine-hole best ball tournament last weekend. There were 11 participants in total on Saturday, May 18. First place went to a team composed of Matt Hauser, Doug Nelson, and Jim Brooks. They had a net score of 22 with a team handicap of 15. Faye Kohrt had the straightest drive of the day at 178 inches. Sunday’s game, on May 19, had eight participants. First place went to a team composed of Brian Smith, Jason Garringer, Keene Kohrt, and Faye Kohrt. They had a net score of 20 and a team handicap of 16. Kaye Kohrt ha...
The NRA Foundation recently gave a $14,500 grant to some local organizations for the purpose of gun range improvements. Kimberly Powell, the membership co-chair of the Wrangell Rod and Gun Club, said her group partnered with the Stikine Sportsmen's Association to write a grant seeking funds to improve the city's gun range. Powell wrote the grant on behalf of the association, she said. The money came from the Friends of the NRA Banquet that was held in Wrangell last November. Powell said that...
Renovations to Shoemaker Bay Harbor missed the substantial completion deadline last Friday, on May 17. Capital Facilities Director Amber Al-Haddad said that contractors were expected to have the renovations far enough along that boats could be docked in the harbor once again, while the rest of the project was completed. This did not happen, she said, and the whole project has been thrown off schedule "Their whole schedule has been pushed back," Al-Hadd said. "Everyone's really anxious to get...
The Wrangell Convention and Visitors Bureau met last Monday afternoon, May 20, to discuss a potential deal for search engine optimization. The CVB had been discussing a contract with Truly360, which is a contractor with Google. According to Economic Development Director Carol Rushmore, Truly360 was offering a two-year contract, for a total of $36,336, to help Wrangell and its local businesses use Google to its best advantage. This would include things like getting Wrangell higher up in search...
On Thursday, May 30, SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Wrangell Medical Center (WMC) from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. at 232 Wood Street in Wrangell. Located adjacent to the Alaska Island Community Services (AICS) Medical Clinic, the new WMC will include a critical access hospital and long-term care facility. The decision to build a new medical center is in concert with SEARHC's intent to enhance and expand healthcare services in...
KETCHIKAN - According to a press release from the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, a floatplane crashed in Metlakatla harbor Monday afternoon, killing both the pilot and another passenger on board. Taquan Air Flight 20 crashed while landing in the harbor around 4 p.m. Monday, May 20. According to the press release, witness statements say the plane flipped on impact. A seine boat was the first one on the scene, according to a police report from the Metlakatla Police Department, good Samaritans aboard the F/V Lady Liv attempted to rescue the two...
May 22, 1919 “The union fishermen of the Wrangell district have declared a boycott on all local fish buyers. Buyers from Seattle and Ketchikan are already on the grounds, and we will ship fish from here to Prince Rupert direct, if necessary,” said E. R. Sawyer, secretary of the Wrangell, Alaska Labor Union. “Prince Rupert buyers are paying 4c above price paid here for round fish. Fishermen have land donated to them at Ward’s Cove where they will build a cooperative cold storage and mild curing plant, and will have their market in the Middle...
May 13 - Dylan Franks was arraigned before Deputy Magistrate Leanna Nash on charges of unlawful contact and violating conditions of release. He entered a not guilty plea and was released on a $1,000 performance bond. A calendar call was scheduled for July 9. May 14 - Jazmyn Waddington-Wright was arraigned before Deputy Magistrate Leanna Nash on charges of driving under the influence. She was released on a $250 performance bond. A calendar call was scheduled for June 18. Lisa Nicole Nelson was found guilty of charges of driving under the...
May 13, 2019 Citation issued: Derek Meissner, 36. Blocking roadway. Lost property. Suspicious incident. MVA damage. Traffic complaint. Citation issued: John Verhey, 59. Failure to provide proof of insurance and verbal warning for driving habits. Traffic complaint. May 14, 2019 Traffic stop. MVA damage. Two conditions of release. Two traffic stops. Citizen assist. Lost ATM card. Two traffic complaints. Agency assist: Fire department. Missing dog. May 15, 2019 Harassment. Citation issued: Christian Larsen. Time limit parking. Citation issued:...
Wrangell's JOM dancers held a car wash, last Saturday, to raise money for the upcoming Celebration 2020. Pictured here (left to right) Brody Knecht, Solva Gillen, and Delilah Ramirez....
Lurine M. McGee, 96, passed away April 30, 2019 at Wrangell Medical Long Term Care. An obituary will follow....
To the Editor: It was 84 degrees near the Arctic Ocean. Severe weather threatens eighteen states. Antarctic is losing its ice fields and Nome is ice free. Deadly California fires. Ninety-four degrees in Omaha, Nebraska. Earthquakes in Oklahoma, Alaska and Texas due to fracking and our politicians who were put in office by the oil companies deny…deny and tell us that there is no climate change? Really? The sea is rising due to the North and South Poles melting. Just look at the Mendenhall and LeConte Glaciers which are slowly retreating as t...
Wrangell's little league major league teams met again last Wednesday, May 15. The Wolverines and the Cubs, the league's two major league teams, have been equally matched all season. Two weeks ago, the Cubs were able to pull ahead of the Wolverines with a win, making them 3-2 for the season against the Wolverine's 2-3. However, the Wolverines were able to claim a strong win last week, and re-tie the two teams' records. The game opened very strongly for the Wolverines, which made three runs in...
After two more wins, the Bears continued their winning streak last week. The Bears claimed wins against the Wrangell Little League's other two minor league teams last week. They are now 5-0 for the season. The first game, on May 14, pitted the Bears against the Sharks. It was a strong opening for the Bears, which made five runs in the first inning against the Sharks' one. The Sharks fought hard for a comeback, though. They made two runs in the second inning, and another two runs in the fifth....
In his 46 years as Alaska’s lone representative in Congress, Don Young helped toss out foreign fishing fleets from Alaska’s waters with the onset of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) in 1976, and today he is intent on doing the same with offshore fish farms. The MSA established an ‘exclusive economic zone’ (EEZ) for U.S. fleets fishing from three to 200 miles from shore. Now, a bill introduced by Young aims to stop the Trump Administration’s push to use those waters for industrialized fish farming operation...