Articles from the June 28, 2018 edition


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  • Assembly gives blessing to Shoemaker bid

    Dan Rudy|Jun 28, 2018

    In its first relatively short meeting since concluding its budget process earlier this month, the Borough Assembly nonetheless found time to wade into some sizable items Tuesday. Members approved moving ahead with a contract offer to Tamico RnR JV for float replacement and general renovation at Shoemaker Bay Harbor, in the amount of $8,355,240. (see related story) Additionally, a professional services agreement with PND Engineers to the tune of $731,328 for administration and inspection of the project was approved. A project contingency...

  • A fascinating visitor

    Jun 28, 2018

    The research vessel Maritime Maid makes a stop into Heritage Harbor on Sunday. Topped with a chopper, the 86-foot ship has been operating in Alaskan waters since 1987, chartered mainly for scientific, seismic and volcanic projects....

  • Five-day festival planned for this year's Fourth

    Dan Rudy|Jun 28, 2018

    This year’s Independence Day festivities are set to start Saturday morning, kicking off five whole days of activities. Organized by the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce, the celebration is a high mark on the community’s annual calendar, typically drawing in hundreds of visitors. Every year’s observance has a theme, and 2018 will call attention to our shared resources and the opportunities they provide: “Thankful for our Great Land.” “Which could mean our local land, or our country,” said Cyni Crary, executive director at the Chamber. A logo captur...

  • The Way We Were

    Jun 28, 2018

    June 20, 1918 Ladies of the Red Cross are requested to meet Friday afternoon at the town hall at 2 o’clock for special sewing. The Northwest division insists that every sock shall have a Kitchener toe. Socks should be eleven inches from the edge to beginning of heel. Fancy striping O.K. but do not use bright colors. Fancy striping in cuffs of socks should be, if used at all, of regular sock yarn such as white and various shades of gray. The soldier is often wet to the knee for many hours and the water soaked skin is likely to absorb any free d...

  • Police Report

    Jun 28, 2018

    June 18, 2018 Agency assist: Harbor department. Agency assist: Line crew. Assault: Amber N. Tubin, 18, on charges of assault IV/DV. June 19, 2018 Suspicious person. Two summons services. Citations issued: Breanna Miethe, 26, for parking within 15’ of fire hydrant and parking in a no trespass area. Traffic stop: Verbal warning for driving habits. Suspicious person. June 20, 2018 Report of theft. Driving complaint. Arrested: Linda Churchill, 53, on charges of driving under the influence. Citation issued for failure to provide proof of insurance....

  • Trooper Report

    Jun 28, 2018

    June 16 Alaska Wildlife Troopers in Wrangell contacted Randy Churchill, Jr., 34, of Wrangell, after investigation determined he was using a vessel which was not used for commercial fishing to transport commercially caught fish. Churchill was unable to produce any government-issued identification. Additionally, one of his crewmembers did not have his commercial crewmember license in possession. Churchill was issued a summons for not registering a vessel for commercial fishing and a $310 citation for no ID while commercial fishing with a CFEC...

  • Obituary: Sydney Leon Martin, 71

    Jun 28, 2018

    Sydney Leon Martin, 71, of Anchorage, Alaska passed away June 7, 2018. Born in Wrangell, Alaska on April Fool's Day, to Anna and Syd Martin, Syd was the middle child of eleven. As the smallest member of this lively household, he learned to be both charming and feisty. He loved home, family and community. He graduated from Wrangell High School and served in the Alaska Army National Guard. Arriving at boot camp, he learned the Army didn't have combat boots small enough for him. Delighted, he...

  • Wilcox and Florschutz to wed

    Jun 28, 2018

    Brittany Lynn Wilcox and Benjamin Hindeley Florschutz will be married Friday, August 10 at the LDS Temple in Payson, Utah. The bride-elect, the daughter of Brett and Kris Wilcox of Sitka graduated from BYU Hawaii and is currently working in Yamaguchi, Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher. The bridegroom currently attends Utah State University and is the son of Otto and Christina Florschutz, of Wrangell. The couple met and became friends through church and high school activities. They plan to...

  • Water seems to be fine at start of summer

    Dan Rudy|Jun 28, 2018

    The glass appears to be on the half-full side for Wrangell's water situation, as the season for peak usage of the resource starts up. "Our outlook is very good right now," reported Amber Al-Haddad, director for Public Works. While reservoir levels have dropped slightly since the spring due to drier than usual weather conditions, raw water reserves are still looking healthy. The city's treated water supply comes from a pair of open reservoirs, with the treatment plant drawing from the lower of...

  • Rates remain the same in new SEAPA budget

    Dan Rudy|Jun 28, 2018

    Meeting in Wrangell this week, board members with Southeast Alaska Power Agency approved a municipal rebate and power rates for the coming year. Headquartered in Ketchikan, the organization generates and distributes power for the Gateway Borough, Wrangell and Petersburg. Board membership is split between the three member communities, meeting at regular intervals throughout the year to set rates and direct projects. Pending a successfully completed audit, member communities would split between...

  • Weekend golf results

    Jun 28, 2018

    The annual Alaska Airlines tournament at Muskeg Meadows Golf Course drew a couple dozen players this weekend. A total of 27 holes were played over Saturday and Sunday, with golfers teaming up for the best-ball competition. Coming out on top Saturday were Wayne and Kathleen Harding, Grover Mathis and LaDohna Botsford. The team had a combined score of 34 over 18 holes of play, with a group handicap of 36. Behind them in second with a score of 38 was the similarly handicapped team of Keen and Faye Kohrt, Chris Ellis and Frank Roppel. In third...

  • Search underway for multiple vacancies at city

    Dan Rudy|Jun 28, 2018

    The hunt is on for a whole crop of high-level management positions in different city departments. The City and Borough of Wrangell is in the early stages of finding replacements for the heads of the Nolan Center, Wrangell Municipal Light and Power and Public Works, plus the city’s top accountant and a newly-created maintenance lead position. The tidal wave of turnover started on April 16, when WMLP superintendent Clay Hammer stepped down in order to head projects for Southeast Alaska Power Agency. City manager Lisa Von Bargen reported the s...

  • Evergreen work begins, Shoemaker contract pending

    Dan Rudy|Jun 28, 2018

    A pair of major state-managed construction projects are either under way or about to move forward for 2018. Years in the making, after wrapping up some outstanding right-of-way issues this winter, the rehabilitation of Wrangell’s Evergreen Avenue finally began last Thursday. The Department of Transportation and contractor SECON got to work, starting on the airport side of the 0.91 mile long project and working their way westward. Crews will begin with drainage work on both sides of the road, especially at driveway crossings along the route. B...

  • Whale strikes Alaska ferry, may have suffered mortal injury

    Jun 28, 2018

    JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Authorities in Alaska say a whale struck the side of a state ferry traveling a scheduled route between Homer and Kodiak, possibly sustaining mortal injuries. The ferry itself sustained damage to its starboard fin stabilizer, an element that helps make for a more comfortable ride in rougher waters, said Aurah Landau, a spokeswoman for the state transportation department. But she said the vessel Tustumena was cleared to operate safely by the U.S. Coast Guard. The stabilizer isn’t a safety feature but a comfort feature, she...

  • Iced out

    Jun 28, 2018

    The entrance to Shakes Glacier was blocked off by calving ice on Saturday. Like other glaciers that make up the Stikine Icefield, Shakes has been gradually losing ice. Since the 1980s, it has receded by approximately 1.4 miles....

  • Magistrate judge retires after 30 years on bench

    Dan Rudy|Jun 28, 2018

    After 30 years on the bench, Wrangell's district magistrate will conclude her legal career today. Chris Ellis has served as a magistrate judge for First District Court in Wrangell for 14 of those years, with most of her preceding tenure spent in Craig. When she graduated with her bachelor's degree in 1973, law hadn't been on her mind, but Alaska was. "Basically I studied anthropology with a specialty in archaeology, and my goal was to come to Alaska," she said. Ellis found herself drawn to the V...

  • Flying above "Shtax'héen"

    Jun 28, 2018

    Seen from a small aircraft, the delta of the Stikine River's northern arm shimmers in the sun as the tide rises on June 20. Nearby Mallard Slough is a popular destination for campers and hunters, while LeConte Bay just to the north is notable for its view of the namesake glacier....

  • Alaska to receive $56M in relief funds for pink salmon crash

    Jun 28, 2018

    JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska is expected to receive more than $56 million in disaster relief for groups impacted by the drop in pink salmon numbers in the Gulf of Alaska. The Juneau Empire reports the money is part of the $200 million that the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross is sending to struggling fisheries across the nation. In 2016, pink salmon runs around Alaska dipped dramatically. In southeast Alaska, revenue from pink salmon dropped 51 percent below a five-year average. Gov. Bill Walker said in a statement issued Thursday that t...