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Wrangell will go without any southbound ferry service in alternating weeks from Oct. 1 to mid-November under the Alaska Marine Highway System’s draft fall/winter schedule. The town is on the schedule for its usual weekly northbound stop during that period. The rest of the winter schedule shows once-a-week service to town in each direction, with the bonus of two stops in each direction the second week of each month from mid-November through February when the Kennicott will shorten its Southeast route and not go to Bellingham, Washington. The f...
At its upcoming July 25 meeting, the borough assembly will decide whether to spend $25,000 per year to help keep a state Office of Children’s Services (OCS) caseworker in town or cut funding for the position. About a year ago, the borough established a cost-sharing deal with the state to bring a caseworker to Wrangell. The deal stipulated that the borough would pay $53,000, half of the position’s annual cost, and provide an office in the Public Safety Building. Community advocates for the deal hoped that having a caseworker on the island wou...
As tribal members lined the shore on the backside of Shakes Island, dressed in regalia from their respective clans, one of their voices rang out. "Where do these boats come from?" "We are the children of Hawaii. We come from Hawaii," came the response from a canoe in Reliance Harbor. "Aahá. It is good to see you again. Aahá. Come on our land. You are welcome." From the moment the sailing vessel Hōkūleʻa appeared on the horizon June 27 to greet the Tlingit tribe near Petroglyph Beach for an esco...
As three days of cultural exchanges wrapped up in Wrangell with the departure of the visiting crew from the Polynesian Voyaging Society, another piece of Wrangell history came to light depicting Tlingit life almost 140 years ago. In the late 1800s, artist Theodore J. Richardson painted a watercolor of a village that appears to be in the general vicinity of Reliance Harbor. A photo shows him possibly working on that watercolor while in a boat in Zimovia Strait, with Woronkofski Island in the...
July 5, 1923 The boxing contest between Ralph Prescott and Kid Stokes at the rink on July 4 was the biggest sports attraction of the day. Six rounds were fought and the fight resulted in a draw. Stokes is a Juneau man. Prescott is a home boy. Stokes is 25 years of age and weighs 135 pounds. Prescott is 18 years old and weighs 140. Prescott had not been in the ring but once before. In the first round Stokes was more aggressive, but after that it was about a standoff. All rounds were lively and the last one without doubt the fastest ever seen in...
The Irene Ingle Public Library has been guided by a distinguished line of library directors, from Helen Hofstad, who ran the library when it opened in 1921, to Irene Ingle, Kay Jabusch and Margaret Villarma. Now that Villarma has retired, former Assistant Librarian Sarah Scambler is stepping into the role of library director to continue the facility's over 100-year legacy. Her official first day was June 26; Villarma's last day in the office was June 27. Wrangell's library has been a part of...
Every local knows that Wrangell has a fascinating, complex history, but people outside the island may not be aware of the community's many stories. Now that a Wrangell history podcast has received national recognition, tales of the island's past are becoming accessible to a broader audience. In mid-June, the American Association for State and Local History gave Ronan Rooney's "Wrangell History Unlocked" podcast an award of excellence for its five-part "Rise and Fall of the Star of Bengal"...
As Americans celebrate the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this week, it’s good to remember that taxes helped drive the push to break away from the king’s control and the laws of Parliament. However, it wasn’t so much taxes themselves that rankled the colonists enough to start a war with England, though even then no one particularly liked paying taxes. The battle cry was over how they were imposed on people and businesses. “No taxation without representation” was the equivalent of a viral Twitter feed in 1765, more than a decade...
There are many joys of aging, such as discounts at stores and services, using it as a convenient excuse for being forgetful, and smiling that few thieves would know how to drive my stick shift VW Beetle. I can also stop obsessing about everything I wanted to do before I was 60 (or 70), because, well, it’s too late now. It’s a blessing in a disguise of gray hair. But there are downsides, too. Like dealing with Medicare, assuming I can find doctors that will accept Medicare. Or figuring out why the keyboard on my laptop (yes, it’s old, too)...
Gov. Mike Dunleavy last month announced his vetoes for the budget passed by the Legislature. After lawmakers had reached a bipartisan compromise, I was ultimately pleased with the final budget numbers that we passed. Therefore, I and a significant majority in the Legislature were disappointed in what the governor chose to veto. His largest veto was education funding. The legislature passed a $175 million increase in the base student allocation for K-12 public school funding, equivalent to an extra $680 per student. Nearly all of Alaska’s 54 s...
The borough’s general fund operating budget for the fiscal year that started July 1 totals about $7.25 million, with the biggest pieces going to police services, the Public Works Department, and to pay expenses at the Nolan Center and Parks and Recreation Department. The budget, approved by the assembly June 27, includes just over $1 million to help fund operations at the Nolan Center ($360,000) and Parks and Recreation programs ($685,000) which are not fully covered by user fees and other income. The spending plans for the center and Parks a...
The borough’s Economic Development Board needs a new member to fill an open seat, and Kate Thomas, economic development director, hopes for “a creative, innovative type.” The board’s job is to come up with and review ideas to improve the town’s economy, forwarding its recommendations to the assembly. Thomas describes it as “mining the ideas and opportunities we don’t already know.” Letters of interest to fill the open seat on the five-member board will be accepted until filled. The mayor appoints the members. The board generally meets monthly....
Wrangell High School and Stikine Middle School are going through an alarming upgrade, quite literally. Both buildings, including the high school gym and the Parks and Recreation's pool facility, are getting a new fire alarm system that will help pinpoint any smoke or fires, helping emergency responders act quicker. Current fire codes dictated replacement of the old system, especially since the schools sometimes house visiting sports teams or other students and teaching staff, according to Josh B...
Nearly a decade after construction started and a month after it was put into service, the 280-foot-long Hubbard was officially christened as the newest ferry in the Alaska Marine Highway System’s fleet on June 26 in Juneau. The Hubbard — first envisioned in 2006 as part of a project to shuttle passengers between Juneau, Haines and Skagway — has experienced plenty of rough waters before a couple dozen attendees boarded it for its christening during a stormy day at Juneau’s Auke Bay ferry terminal. Initial construction was completed in 2018, b...
The Department of Fish and Game has announced that 74,800 “treaty” king salmon (non-hatchery fish) will be available for taking in the summer commercial troll season’s first opening, which started Saturday. The department released summer king salmon harvest numbers on June 22. In total, 106,800 kings remain on the table following the spring fishery harvest, the agency said, and the troll fleet will be able to target 70% of those in the summer’s first opener. The fleet hooked 24,700 fish in the winter opener and an additional 14,100 kings i...
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The U.S. Department of Justice on June 28 announced it will be funneling more resources toward addressing the alarming rate of disappearances and killings among Native Americans. As part of a new outreach program, the agency will dispatch five attorneys and five coordinators to several regions around the country to help with investigations of unsolved cases and related crimes. Their reach will span from New Mexico and Arizona to Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Michigan and Minnesota. Attorney General M...
A newly filed ballot measure would set term limits for lawmakers serving in the Alaska Legislature. State legislators would be restricted to serving a maximum of 12 years consecutively in the state House or Senate, and they then would be required to take a six-year break before serving again. They would also be limited to serving for a lifetime maximum of 20 years as members of the Legislature. Sixteen other states have term limits for state legislators, including California, Florida and Ohio. Alaska governors are already limited by the state...
The nation’s surgeon general heard from Alaska mental health care advocates on June 26 about the need for more resources to address what they say is a crisis that is leading to more suicides, eating disorders and depression among young Alaskans. Dr. Vivek Murthy said he was in the state at the invitation of Sen. Dan Sullivan to learn how Alaska is dealing with the rising rates of isolation and depression that are affecting young people nationwide. He said that nationally, one in three adolescent girls in 2021 seriously considered suicide. M...
Recent efforts are pushing the boundaries of ocean mapping in Alaska’s waters with the help of automated vessels and collaborative mapping efforts. Experts say these unmanned vessels and ambitious mapping missions can help create safer and more economic expeditions while shedding light on unexplored areas of the oceans. Meredith Westington, a chief geographer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said the efforts are critical to understanding the way oceans work and gaining more knowledge about the world. “It is kind of the...
Alaskans are having a harder time accessing child care now than they were five years ago, an expert told a new task force charged by Gov. Mike Dunleavy with developing a plan to make child care in the state more available and affordable. The task force, which Dunleavy formed in April, had its first public meeting on June 28 via Zoom with about 60 people, including the dozen task force members, in attendance. The group has until the end of December to deliver an initial plan to address the state’s child care challenges. At stake is the welfare o...
Monday, June 26 Parking complaint. Lost property. Fraud. Parking complaint: Boat trailer. Agency assist: Hospital. Disturbance. Found bike. Noise complaint. Tuesday, June 27 Dog at large. Agency assist: Fire Department. Traffic stop: Citation issued for failure to provide proof of insurance. Verbal warning for no headlights and failure to carry and show drivers license. Noise complaint. Wednesday, June 28 Traffic stop: Citation issued for speeding. Parking complaint. Agency assist: SEARHC. Thursday, June 29 Traffic stop: Citation issued for...
In the new online video series "Harvest" that recently won national television awards, residents of Prince of Wales Island show the entire process for harvesting and preparing beach greens, gumboots, seaweed, seal, herring eggs, fireweed honey, Indian cheese, dry fish, newspaper fish and stink heads. The series' 10 videos range from four to 15 minutes long and include gathering partners sitting in a patch of sea asparagus, floating over kelp forests. Another shows expert hands cutting seal and...
HELP WANTED Johnson’s Building Supply is hiring for a yardman/customer service position. Responsibilities include retail sales, computer knowledge, receiving freight, stocking inventory, truck loading/unloading, deliveries and friendly customer service. Work schedule is Tuesday-Saturday. Must have a valid Alaska driver’s license, forklift experience is beneficial (will train), some heavy lifting, prior construction knowledge is favorable, pay DOE. Pick up an application at Johnson’s Building Supply. HELP WANTED Wrangell Senior Center, South...
More than 2,000 ticks collected over a decade in Alaska revealed a pattern: New tick species are being introduced to the state, often through dogs traveling from the south. They're joining the handful of tick species endemic to the state, which are usually found on small mammals like rabbits. The results are detailed in a new bulletin released by the Alaska Division of Public Health's Epidemiology Section. While several non-native tick species that can spread disease have been imported to...
Jonah Hurst rejoices after defeating six competitors in the youth division of the pie eating contest on Saturday, July 1. The "pies" were composed of whipped cream and pudding, donated by City Market and Wrangell IGA. Jagger Campbell displays the flounder he caught during the Scrap Fish Derby on Sunday, July 2. Hundreds of children and parents showed up at City Dock to snag perch, crabs, bullheads and more. Prizes were awarded for the largest and smallest catch of each species. Peyton Young...