Sorted by date Results 1 - 20 of 20
The Wrangell Borough Assembly considered adopting a new emergency ordinance last week, mandating that out of state visitors to Wrangell take a COVID-19 test or quarantine themselves. However, this ordinance proved to be controversial with the public and, with recent updates to state health mandates, unnecessary. The item was dropped by the assembly, after two meetings and lots of public input. Ordinance No. 978 was put together in the first place because the state government was preparing to rev...
On Sunday evening, June 7, the first positive case of COVID-19 was announced in the community of Wrangell. A joint press release from the city and SEARHC reports that the patient is an unnamed female. She is a resident of Wrangell, according to the press release, and is asymptomatic. Contact tracing, trying to determine who might have come into contact with the patient and may potentially be at risk, is currently ongoing. "SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) representatives are...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met last Wednesday evening, June 3, for a special meeting. City administration was wanting to enter a Memorandum of Understanding with SEARHC to provide COVID-19 testing for Sea Level Seafood employees. The total cost for the proposed memorandum, according to the meeting's agenda packet, comes out to $60,000. This amount provides some padding in case of emergency, the actual cost of the memorandum is anticipated to be $52,500. "In order to ensure an appropriate...
The Wrangell Borough assembly held another budget workshop last week, Wednesday, June 3. In this meeting the assembly briefly reviewed a looming budget deficit in the borough's general fund. They also looked at a variety of department budgets that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are anticipating reduced revenues. Among these are the Transient Tax and CPV budget, the Nolan Center, and Parks and Recreation. As reported in previous articles regarding these budget workshops, the City and Borough of...
The Wrangell-Petersburg-Kake Resource Advisory Committee met last Tuesday evening, June 2, to consider multiple projects to recommend funding for. Among these was a plan for a culture camp, presented by Wrangellite Virginia Oliver on behalf of the Wrangell Cooperative Association. The "Kaatslitaan Culture Camp," as the project was named, is designed to be an adult camp for people to learn about traditional native values and the subsistence lifestyle from cultural bearers of the native...
Construction of the new Wrangell Medical Center is continuing on schedule and on budget, according to an update provided by Sondra Forrester. According to the update, construction is ramping up as the crew size has increased to 45. A fire suppression and an additional drywall crew has joined the team. Several important parts of the construction process have been recently achieved. Interior metal framing is complete in two of the four areas of the construction site, and most of the framing in...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met Tuesday evening to hear from some Alaskan health experts regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. As Wrangell received its first case of the virus over the weekend, assembly members and other city officials wanted an opportunity to learn more about how the pandemic is being handled, and to ask questions about how testing works and the process behind pandemic response. Public Health Nurse Erin Michael was given the opportunity to explain the process of what happens when...
The Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau met last Tuesday afternoon, June 9, to workshop various marketing plans. The CVB was looking to put together a list of various ways they could promote Wrangell and its local businesses, to draw in tourists to present to the borough assembly in the near future. Economic Development Director Carol Rushmore said that, as many communities were struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they could potentially use CARES Act funding to cover the costs of som...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Forty-one crew members and passengers of an Alaska state ferry will undergo testing for COVID-19 before disembarking the Tustumena in Homer later Monday after another crew member tested positive over the weekend. The crew member on the 198-foot ferry began exhibiting symptom and tested positive Saturday in Dutch Harbor. The ferry set sail for Homer that night after 21 passengers who boarded in Dutch Harbor were put back ashore. No other tests on crew members or passengers were conducted on Saturday. In all, 35 crew m...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – An Alaska Department of Administration audit has found that the state’s National Guard units improved the handling of sexual assault and sexual harassment since 2014, but some problems remain. The administration department’s oversight unit said the National Guard increased sexual assault and prevention training, set up new procedures for addressing complaints and created a new military judicial system under laws passed by the Alaska Legislature, The Anchorage Daily News reported Sunday. Citing the results of anony...
Surveys of Alaska's fish, crab and halibut stocks in the Bering Sea have been called off or reduced due to constraints and dangers posed by the coronavirus. In what they called an "unprecedented" move, NOAA Fisheries announced in late May that five Alaska surveys will be cancelled this summer "due to the uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the unique challenges those are creating for the agency." NOAA said in a statement that they found "no way to move forward with a survey plan...
Prior to state mandate 10.1 taking effect, members of SEARHC set up their tent outside of the Wrangell airport to prepare for incoming travelers on June 5. Under new state guidelines, out of state travelers to Alaska are mandated to either take a COVID-19 test shortly before arriving in Alaska, or submit to one upon landing. Otherwise, the travelers are required to quarantine themselves for two weeks. Summer Burk, with SEARHC, explained that when a plane lands in Wrangell, travelers will be gree...
June 10, 1920 Harry Gartley does not propose to stand still while his neighbors are busy improving the appearance of their homes. He has had the roof of his house painted a brilliant red which will make it possible for incoming passengers to identify his house as soon as the steamer comes around the Elephant’s nose. June 8, 1945 Climaxing a brief stay in Wrangell this week, members of two ATS power barges, in port a short time, held a dance at ANB hall Monday night and invited young and old of the town to be their guests. An orchestra was h...
Wrangell dog Thorton is home safe and sound after a multi-week disappearance upriver. Thorton, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and his owner Brandon Kenfield were up the Stikine River about three weeks ago. Their boat scraped against some rocks, Kenfield said, and both he and the dog jumped out to get the boat loose. By the time he had the boat cleared, Kenfield said Thorton had disappeared into the woods. Kenfield said he and others made regular trips back up the river to look for Thorton over two...
June 1 Sex offender registration Civil issue Four subpoenas served Agency assist: Harbor Summons service Traffic complaint June 2 Noise complaint Cat euthanized Agency assist: Vet Subpoena service Agency assist: Parole Search Agency assist: Hoonah Police Department Agency assist: DOT Property check June 3 Traffic stop Abandoned vehicle Agency assist: WMC Violate Conditions of Release June 4 Agency assist: Hoonah P.D. Traffic Traffic stop Harassment Summons service Criminal mischief June 5 Subpoena service Summons service Arrested Taler Byrd:...
To the Editor: As someone who has spent a lot of time working away from home I believe that most of the migrant cannery workers will spend their last night home socializing and will show no symptoms for days after arriving here. Jon Campbell... Full story
Muskeg Meadows hosted two tournaments this weekend; the annual Stikine Sportsman Association tournament and the Greg Scheff Memorial Tournament. The Stikine Sportsmen Association tournament took place on Friday. According to an email from Muskeg Meadows, $730 was donated to the course by participants and winning teams. The Greg Scheff Memorial Tournament took place on Saturday and Sunday. The event was sponsored by R&M Ketchikan. The golf course raised a total of $3,110 for the Greg Scheff...
What is the greatest line you’ve ever heard in the movies? For me, it comes from the 1992 movie with Al Pacino and Chris O’Donnell in The Scent of a Woman. In this movie Al Pacino is in a public hearing in the Baird School for Boys, defending Chris O’Donnell for some perceived wrong. In a rather stirring speech he says, “Now I have come to the crossroads in my life. I always knew what the right path was. Without exception I knew – but I never took it. You know why? Because it was too d—n hard!” In today’s society a great majority of my...
Now in its 118th year of continuous publication, the Wrangell Sentinel is unlike any other newspaper in the world. That's because there is no other place in the world like Wrangell. The newspaper reflects the lifestyle and inner workings of the community. In good times and bad, the Sentinel has continued publishing, earning it the slogan of being, "the oldest continuously published newspaper in Alaska." The Kodiak Daily Mirror holds the title of being the oldest newspaper, but during World War...
An Audubon's Yellow-Rumped Warbler, seen near Shoemaker. Photo taken by Wrangell resident Rich Einert....
