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The Southeast Alaska summer commercial troll season for coho and chum salmon will open on July 1, but no chinook retention will be allowed, the state Department of Fish and Game announced May 30. The prohibition on troll-caught kings is due to the ongoing lawsuit by the nonprofit Wild Fish Conservancy against the National Marine Fisheries Service. Still, Alaska trollers are holding out hope that king salmon fishing will open as usual on July 1 if the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals grants a stay of last month’s U.S. District Court order t...
A fishing adventure turned tragic for a family when disaster struck one of the two Sitka boats they chartered over the Memorial Day weekend, leaving three people dead and two missing despite a search over hundreds of square miles of ocean. The tragedy tore the Tyau family apart: Two sisters and one of their husbands are dead, while the other’s partner and the boat captain remain missing a week after the 30-foot aluminum boat was found partially submerged off an island near Sitka. Authorities on May 29 suspended their search after more than 2...
A few months ago, passengers on an Alaska Airlines flight trying to get to Wrangell were stranded in Petersburg due to a mechanical problem. Thanks to a local tour operator, the castaways were picked up and brought back to Wrangell in less than an hour. For many years, Wrangell skippers have been offering shuttle services as a quick and affordable means of traveling between the two communities. Last Saturday, Zach Taylor, owner of Muddy Water Adventures, teamed up with Summit Charters and took...
Due to funding cuts and a staffing shortage, the Senior Center has suspended its hot lunch service and limited the number of bus rides it can offer to elders. The changes will remain in effect until the center can hire two new employees — a cook and a bus driver. “Because we are short-staffed, we have to make some changes to our schedule to keep the center going,” said Senior Center manager Solvay Gillen. Hours have been cut to Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with shelf-stable lunches available for pickup from noon to 1 p.m. Dine-...
May 31, 1923 The first aerial mail ever received through the Wrangell post office came from Lake Bay Wednesday morning, having been brought by the seaplane Northbird piloted by Roy Jones with Glen Day as engineer. Mr. Jones stated that the flight from Ketchikan to Lake Bay was made in 55 minutes. Arriving here, it soon became known that the Northbird had brought mail and there were many visits to the post office with the result that about a dozen persons received letters within 45 minutes from the time they had left Lake Bay. While the...
On a recent Saturday, Devyn Johnson brought her children and their friend to the Rainbow Falls trailhead at 5 Mile. They met with a curious hiker and prepared to trek up the path to the top, about six-tenths of a mile away. Before starting on the journey, Johnson found a large slab of rock weighing between 20 and 30 pounds and put it into her backpack. That’s the difference between hiking and adding a rucking element to it. Every weekend, rain or shine, the Wrangell Parks and Recreation department hosts a rucking hike in various places around t...
The Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau is converting the town to digital. On May 24, the WCVB board unanimously approved spending up to $12,000 with a mobile mapping app provider to aid and encourage travelers and increase data analytics for marketing. At the monthly board meeting, Economic Development Director Kate Thomas and Matt Henson, the borough’s marketing and community development director, presented board members with results of their research into smartphone mapping software. “This is meant to be a software platform that serves bu...
The biggest headline in the borough’s draft budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 is the proposed 24% reduction in the property tax rate, though a substantial drop had been expected. This year’s comprehensive assessment review of every piece of property in Wrangell resulted in a significant boost in taxable value for most homes and businesses. Borough officials had said the intent was fairness — assessing all property by the same standards — not raising revenue. The proposed cut to the tax rate follows through on that pledge. Aside f...
People are growing increasingly cynical about government: How money is spent, how hiring decisions are made, and how it seems there are few consequences for actions that hurt the public. Yet too many elected leaders continue making bad decisions that add to the cynicism. Such as Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointing to the University of Alaska Board of Regents his former chief of staff whose poor judgment — and illegal actions, according to a judge — cost the state at least half-a-million dollars. Tuckerman Babcock, a longtime political adviser to the...
On a recent Sunday, as I was heading to the store, my phone rang. I don’t get many calls these days unless it’s somebody trying to sell me something. To my surprise, the caller ID showed the name of someone I hadn’t seen in years. Was it coincidence and this was just a spam call? I took a risk and answered, and I’m glad I did. “Hey, is this Marc? It’s Darryl.” At first, I was worried something happened to his older brother or younger sister, who I call my adopted older brother and younger sister. But, as it turns out, Darryl was calling to ca...
Ander Edens celebrates the kickoff of his Fourth of July royalty campaign last Wednesday at the downtown pavilion. The teen has a full menu planned for the month of June, and raffle ticket sales began on June 1....
Do you know any magic tricks? Can you juggle five bowling pins or burp the alphabet? Can you do a great Matthew McConaughey impression? Or even better, a terrible Matthew McConaughey impression? If so, you would be a perfect fit for Wrangell’s Fourth of July talent show and wearable art competition, both of which are coming up next month. The talent show offers community members a chance to display their skills, and the wearable art event provides them an opportunity to design, create and model handmade clothes featuring unorthodox m...
Every dog may be a good boy, but which member of Wrangell's canine community is the best boy? Scratch that, it's an unanswerable question. And one that the Fourth of July dog show will not seek to address. Instead, the event will offer dogs and their owners the chance to display their unique personal style and stellar obedience skills - or lack thereof - in the company of fellow dogs and dog lovers. Prizes will be awarded, but for Joan Sargent of St. Frances Animal Rescue, "every dog is a...
Ever dreamed of being a hardened-but-hopeful gold prospector, heading up the Stikine in a steamship to strike it rich in the Klondike gold fields? Thanks to Wrangell's new escape room, you can experience the excitement and adventure of the prospecting days without blowing your life savings on a dubious venture. Lisa and Luke Messmer's new business, "You Escape Me," offers customers the chance to test their mettle as they race against time to identify clues, solve riddles, complete puzzles and...
Sharpen your pencils, dip your paintbrushes and don your smocks, because Parks and Recreation is offering art classes to youth this summer. There will be two art camps, one in June and one in July. Each will be held on Fridays from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in the community center multi-purpose room. There will be space for 15 K-5 students in each class. The camp costs $25 per student and participants should wear clothes they won’t regret splattering paint on. Tawney Crowley, the art teacher at Evergreen Elementary School, will lead the classes. This i...
The annual Wrangell King Salmon Fishing Derby has been set for two weekends in June. Rather than have the competition run over a full two weeks from mid-June to the beginning of July, it is scheduled for June 16, 17 and 18 — Father’s Day weekend — and the following weekend June 23, 24 and 25. Fishing derby committee members met May 30 to discuss details and even whether or not to hold the event. “People are going to be really disappointed if we cancel ours,” said Luana Wellons, assistant executive director of the chamber of commerce, which org...
Since its creation in 2011, Hannah's Place has provided resources for pregnant women and families, from clothing and newborn supplies to educational materials. Now, after 12 years of serving Wrangell, the nonprofit has closed its doors due to a lack of need. Monday was the last day the organization operated at 206 Church St. in the building provided by the Presbyterian church next door. It started as a ministry by Maryann Landers to help young women in need. "(She) had a heart for young women wh...
Alaska has the nation’s highest rate of drowning deaths, and the rate was consistently high over the past six years, according to a new state report. A Division of Public Health epidemiology bulletin released on May 31 examines drowning deaths from 2016 to 2021 and found some patterns and common factors. The vast majority were unrelated to work, even though drowning is a well-recognized commercial fishing hazard. Other common factors were failure to use personal flotation devices, called PFDs, and rural locations. Alaska has some inherent c...
Monday, May 29 Agency assist: Ambulance. Agency assist: Ambulance. Agency assist: Municipal line crew. Violations of conditions of release. Arrest for assault and domestic violence. Tuesday, May 30 Motor vehicle accident. Agency assist: Hoonah Police Department. Scam reported. Motor vehicle accident. Runaway juvenille: Returned home. Wednesday, May 31 Domestic. Agency assist: Hoonah Police Derpartment. Agency assist: Ambulance. Summons service: Civil. Traffic stop. Thursday, June 1 Theft. Agency assist: Paper service. Summons service. Friday,...
HELP WANTED Wrangell Public Schools is accepting applications for the following positions: - Custodian: This is a full-time, year-round classified position with benefits, 7.5 hours per day. Salary placement is on Column B of the Classified Salary Schedule. Job duties include but are not limited to keeping our school complex clean and assisting with setting up rooms for classes, large presentations and business meetings as needed; and assisting with minor repairs. A High School Diploma or equivalent is desired. Start date: as soon as possible....
Three people died within a three-day period aboard a vessel anchored offshore at Sandy Beach in Douglas, across Gastineau Channel from Juneau, with drug use a possible contributing factor to their deaths, the Juneau Police Department reported June 3. The Dusky Rock, a 35-foot commercial sailing vessel built in 1984, was anchored offshore in Douglas for about a week, said Juneau Harbormaster Matthew Creswell, although it frequently anchored near a downtown Juneau harbor at night, according to boat owners at both harbor locations. The first...
Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s adviser on “pro-family” policies resigned May 30 after revelations that he made incendiary and offensive statements on a podcast. A review of more than 100 hours of recordings found that Jeremy Cubas defended some of Adolf Hitler’s views, boasted that he uses a vile racial slur “on a daily basis” and said people should “get violent” in response to aggressive transgender activists. He also said it’s not possible for a man to rape his wife. “When you signed the contract, you have already consented,” Cubas s...
Federal authorities say seven Steller sea lions were found shot to death in the surf near Cordova after the Copper River salmon fishing season got underway in mid-May. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on June 2 announced a reward up to $5,000 for anyone who provides information that leads to a civil penalty or criminal conviction. The agency includes the National Marine Fisheries Service, which oversees protection of marine mammals like sea lions. Cordova, located on the eastern edge of Prince William Sound, is home to the...
Myra Arlene Sarber passed with her family by her side April 14 in Sunnyside, Oregon. Myra was born the sixth child of seven in Spokane, Washington, to Thelma Irene and Faber Sebastian Wondzell. In 1951, her family moved by steamship to Wrangell in the territory of Alaska. 1955 brought a consistent and loving stepfather, Albert Ronning. She married her lifelong love, Homer Sarber, in Petersburg in 1962, and they settled down in Ketchikan to raise their family. Myra and Homer lived in Ketchikan...