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Wrangell's Assembly reviewed a first draft of its Fiscal Year 2018 budget Tuesday evening, during a workshop and public hearing session. Finance director Lee Burgess presented the 43-page document, prefacing it with an overview of the city's financial situation and upcoming budgetary needs. Burgess notes that this year's draft budget is not a balanced one, in terms of revenues versus expenditures. Some critical capital projects are anticipated, the largest being Shoemaker Bay Harbor's facilities replacement. More than $6 million that will have...
The competition has really been stepped up in this year's King Salmon Derby. A 64.1 pound fish was brought to the scales on May 24 by Gary Smart of Sequim, Washington. He and his wife were here visiting family friends for a few weeks, and he was on board the Rowland family's boat when the catch occurred. James Rowland explained his party of four had been fishing south of Wrangell that morning, near Found Island. The trip was one of a series since the arrival of Smart and Rowland's uncle on May...
A new borough manager for Wrangell will be arriving in the middle of July. Lisa Von Bargen was selected from a pool of candidates by the City and Borough Assembly earlier in April, finally hired following several weeks of negotiations over terms. She has been the director for community and economic development in Valdez since 2001, and has worked for the city’s Chamber of Commerce and its Convention and Visitors Bureau prior to that. “I was born in Anchorage. My father was transferred to Valdez when I was eight,” Von Bargen explained. Graduatin...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – A divided federal appeals court panel has ruled that the U.S. Forest Service “chose jobs over wolves” in approving a logging project in southeast Alaska but was within its authority to do so. The decision is in response to lawsuits by conservation groups that challenged the Big Thorne project on Prince of Wales Island and cited concerns about the impact on the Alexander Archipelago wolf. It upholds a lower court ruling. The majority opinion from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel states that the Forest Servi...
June 14, 1917: The School Board has elected Miss Edith Carhart principal of the Wrangell public school for the coming term. Miss Carhart is not a stranger in Wrangell, having been principal of the school here during the term of 1909-10. She was re-elected but preferred to return to the States. She has had 17 years experience, and always been reelected wherever she has taught. Miss Tressa Curtin has been elected teacher of the primary department. Miss Curtin has had 11 years as a teacher, seven of which were spent in the Fobes School at...
Two young men were charged in connection with an early hour break-in at Alpine Mini Mart last week, which had resulted in the theft of some cigarettes. Police had responded to an alarm call at the Zimovia Highway gas station on May 23, at about 3:30 a.m. Surveillance footage showed two persons in hats and hooded sweatshirts approaching the store’s back entrance, opening an unlocked window and slipping inside. Using backpacks, the pair then absconded with what was reported to be 19 packs of Marlboro cigarettes. No other items had been r...
Monday, May 22 Caller reported a reckless driver. Concerned citizen: Caller spoke with officer. Tuesday, May 23 Report of burglary. Report of theft. Civil issue. Wednesday, May 24 MVA: Deer: Report that deer hit side of vehicle. Parking in excess of posted limit. Thursday, May 25 OTC: Received papers for several people that did not fill out paperwork for jury duty. OTC: Paper service: Papers served. Friday, May 26 Citation issued to Gerrit Jon Southland, age 34, for speeding. Saturday, May 27 Disabled vehicle: Vehicle has been moved. Hit and...
Southeast Alaska’s beautiful scenery, abundant recreation facilities and pristine wilderness make us proud to call this land our home. We know our lands need regular beach clean-ups, invasive species must be pulled, and trails should be maintained for maximum safety and enjoyment. We also know our vast public lands are a prime resource for wilderness skills training, seasonal employment, and youth education. The Alaska Forest Fund is a potential opportunity for providing jobs, skills training, and improved maintenance of our public lands. I...
Edward George Kuntz passed away on Sunday, May 28, 2017. Services will be held at Harbor Light, Friday, June 2, at 3 p.m. Full obituary to follow....
In My Opinion I am the art teacher for Wrangell Middle and High School, and I’m very proud of that position. As an art teacher I try to get my students to see things differently; I encourage them to see outside the box. I want them to see themselves as artists and to learn to be creative. Not everyone can see their own potential. They have to learn how. I think we used to teach that here in Wrangell. I think our school district is changing and not for the benefit of the students. I see a pattern in this district of people leaving Wrangell (Elem...
A patrol officer will be hanging up his hat and badge this week, after two decades of public service. Officer Terrell Courson officially finished with Wrangell Police Department yesterday. "I wanted to be a cop when I was a kid," he explained. His father had been a firefighter, but had dissuaded his son from pursuing a career in either that field or police work. "Eventually I went into the military." Courson served in the Navy for six years, primarily working as an aircraft technician aboard...
A pair of French travelers made their way down the Stikine River to Wrangell from Telegraph Creek using a homemade dugout. Both in their early twenties, friends Theophile Bouton and Karl Panchout have spent the past year exploring the Northwest, and their 11-day trip down the transboundary river was just one of a series of adventures. This part of the story begins in the Yukon, which Panchout hitch-hiked across Canada to reach from Quebec about 11 months ago. "I met a friend of my uncle there,"...
The 2018 budget unveiled on May 23 by the Trump Administration is bad news for anything that swims in or near U.S. waters. At a glance: the Trump budget will cut $1.5 billion from the U.S. Commerce Department, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) taking the hardest hit. The NOAA budget for its National Marine Fisheries Service operations, research and facilities would be slashed by about $43 million. It would eliminate NOAA’s coastal research programs and the Sea Grant program. The Trump dump also includes pulling t...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced that the 2017/2018 commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Southeastern Alaska will be opening as scheduled at 8 a.m. on June 15. Dungeness crab fishermen must register their vessels and applicable gear with the department. The holder of a valid 2017 Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission permit for Southeastern Alaska Dungeness crab must be onboard the vessel during fishing operations and the permit holder’s name must be listed on the vessel registration. Buoy tags must be purchased prior to f...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish announced the bag and possession limit of king salmon in the Wrangell Narrows-Blind Slough terminal harvest area, effective June 1 through July 31. Under the regulations, king salmon bag and possession limits for residents and nonresidents will be two fish for those 28 inches or greater, and two fish less than 28 inches in length. Additionally, king salmon caught by nonresident anglers in the terminal harvest area do not count toward...