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Wrangell’s Planning and Zoning Commission will begin the process of zoning entitlement lands and other undeveloped, remote areas owned by the Borough. The 9,006 acres of land being considered include lands transferred to Wrangell by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, which approved the conveyance in April. Meeting June 9, commissioners were advised to begin discussing how to zone the properties, which are considered unrestricted lands in Wrangell Municipal Code because they are beyond Service Area 1. In presenting the topic to P...
The United States Forest Service (USFS) announced the next step has been taken in a land deal with Alaska Mental Health Trust (AMHT), after signing an Agreement to Initiate on June 30. The agreement as currently envisioned could see the transfer of nearly 40,000 acres of state and federal lands between the two agencies. For AMHT, the deal will allow it to develop the lands’ timber and mineral resources. Founded by Congress in 1956, AMHT is a state corporation set up to assist the state in funding its mental health program. The trust manages l...
This month the Alaska Court System (ACS) announced that a variety of court and other legal fees will be changing, in light of cuts to the state budget. The Alaska Supreme Court decided in June to approve the increases, which take effect August 1. Filing notice of appeal or cross-appeal, petition or cross-petition for review, original proceedings, and petition for hearing now cost $200, up from $150. Filing an appeal or petition for review, as well as filing any civil case, also costs $200 under the new schedule. Filing fees for district court...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. July 8, 1915: To say that Wrangell had a glorious Fourth is putting it mildly, for last Sunday and Monday she surpassed any previous celebration that has ever been attempted in the city. The celebration started off with the double-header baseball game on Sunday. The first game being with Lake Bay which resulted in a score of 6 to 3 in favor of Wrangell. The feature of the game being the home run of Dawne and Lewis. Mr. Bidwell of San Diego, California, did the catching for the home boys and L. Rineh...
Monday, July 6 A trespass warning was given to an individual for being in the shooting range area after dusk. Report of Motor Vehicle Accident. Motor scooter complaint. Tuesday, July 7 Traffic Stop—Verbal warning given for driving habits. Found Bike. Found Turtle—Turtle returned to owners. Police cited Leif Bosdell, 18, for possession of tobacco. Wednesday, July 8 Courtesy Transport. Verbal warning given for driving habits. An officer responded to a report of an intoxicated person and gave courtesy transport to their residence. Traffic Sto...
Tuesday, July 7 Laven T. Ritchie, 18, appeared before First District Court Magistrate Judge Christine Ellis on charges of Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence of Alcohol/Drug and Alcohol and Minor in Possession/Consumption-Habitual, Class A and B misdemeanors, respectively. The defendant pleaded guilty, and as part of his agreement was sentenced to serve 90 days in jail with 87 days suspended. Ritchie was also ordered to pay $2,000 in fines with $500 suspended, $275 in surcharges with $100 suspended, and to complete 96 hours of community...
Wrangell's Sixth Annual Bearfest kicks off next week, running from July 22 to 26. Celebrating Alaska's bears, the festival features a variety of family-fun events, including workshops, food, music, a marathon, and lectures. Started in 2010 by Alaska Vistas operator Sylvia Ettefagh, the festival highlights Wrangell as a prime destination for bear enthusiasts. Wrangell is the nearest community to Tongass National Forest's Anan Wildlife Observatory, located on the mainland about 30 miles to its...
Victoria Ingram of Wrangell was recently initiated into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Ingram was initiated at Eastern Oregon University....
To the Editor: On the KSTK radio program on July 6 was an article about Southeast businesses requesting more Tongass recreation funding. Wrangell’s ranger said that he could only afford one seasonal worker this summer. Now that is a safety issue. I also think it is important to keep maintenance up on facilities. I have found that the better care the forest service took of its facilities was reflected in better treatment by the people. There was less damage to fix, less trash to pick up, and more enjoyment by all. There seems to be money for n...
Members of and visitors to the community are invited to join the Wrangell Cooperative Association (WCA) at the dedication ceremony for its new cultural center on July 25 at 5 p.m. Also known as the carving facility, the building will host a variety of cultural activities, including classes, and provide a workspace for artists and crafters and a gift shop for them to sell their creations. “More than just carving’s going to go on,” explained Aaron Angerman, WCA tribal administrator. The facility is envisioned as a center for Native arts, with mul...
The Alaska Department of Transportation (ADOT) has cancelled the scheduled summer sailings of the M/V LeConte that would have utilized the South Mitkof ferry terminal near Petersburg due to maintenance-related delays of the Alaska Marine Highway System’s (AMHS) vessels. Once a month sailings from May to September between Juneau, South Mitkof and Coffman Cove were planned to show the terminal was being used for its intended purpose and to avoid possible penalties or having to pay back federal funds used to construct the terminal. “We built tho...
Early birds and night owls may have noticed a lack of power during the early morning hours Monday, after service for Wrangell, Petersburg and Ketchikan went down for several hours. The grid went down at 2:48 a.m. after a mature bald eagle ran afoul of a section of line near Ketchikan’s Herring Cove. “We’re very apologetic, especially when we cause problems in our neighboring communities,” said Andy Donato, manager of Ketchikan Public Utilities’ electric division. He explained the power supply had been interrupted after the eagle struck th...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The University of Alaska plans to eliminate or suspend a number of majors this year to deal with an ongoing budgetary squeeze on the state’s public universities. The university system has slated 31 academic programs for removal, including 21 at the University of Alaska Anchorage, the Juneau Empire reported. “Sometimes having three of something isn’t as good as having one strong something,’’ UA president candidate Jim Johnsen told the Juneau Empire. The university system has $15 million less to work with this fiscal year...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – More dead whales have been found in the Gulf of Alaska following the sightings of nine fin whale carcasses in late May and early June. Fishermen, pilots and survey crews have reported five additional dead whales over the past several weeks, including four humpbacks and one fin whale, the Alaska Dispatch News reported. One theory is that the whales died from a toxin related to warmth-induced algae blooms in the Gulf of Alaska waters, according to University of Alaska Fairbanks marine mammal specialist Kate Wynne. But s...
Kodiak volunteers were scrambling with front end loaders and dump trucks to ready 200,000 pounds of super sacks for the first pick up of a massive marine debris removal project that begins in Alaska this week. The month long cleanup, which is backed by a who’s who of state and federal agencies, non-profits and private businesses, will deploy a 300 foot barge and helicopters to remove thousands of tons of marine debris from some of the world’s harshest and most remote coastlines. “This is a really big deal for Alaska. We have one of the world...
A limited number of Anan Wildlife Observatory permits will be made available at the Wrangell District Office. Visitors are required to obtain a permit to visit the observatory from July 5 through August 25. Earlier this spring the United States Forest Service began using the National Reservation System for those wishing to visit Anan, 30 miles to Wrangell's southeast. To facilitate the transition to this new system, up to four permits per day will still be offered through the Wrangell District Office using a weekly lottery. To apply for one of...
KENAI, Alaska (AP) – Several hundred people made their way to Kenai for the opening weekend of the most widely used personal dipnetting beach in the state. More than 300 people gathered on the Kenai River Saturday to use their hand nets to search for salmon, the Peninsula Clarion reported. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has predicted that 3.7 million sockeye will be harvested during the 2015 fishing season, but many people reported smaller-than-average catches and slow fishing this weekend. “Very few people (are catching),’’ said Ma...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Gov. Bill Walker has signed into law legislation requiring school districts to develop programs aimed at raising awareness of and preventing sexual assault and dating violence. The bill also calls for suicide awareness and prevention training for teachers, counselors and administrators. Walker signed the measure Thursday. A rewrite of the bill by the Senate Education Committee included elements from other education bills and would have made prevention programs voluntary. But it was overhauled before being passed by l...
July 11 and 12, 2015 NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 58 July 11: 1st place: Dick Angerman, Barb Angerman, Eric Kading, Kim Covalt. Net score 37, team handicap 17. 2nd place: Grover Mathis, Wayne Harding, Kathleen Harding, Tammy Davidson. Net score 41, team handicap 19. 3rd place: Scott Hubberstard, Tim Thomson, George Woodbury, Brett Woodbury. Net score 37, team handicap 13. Straightest Drive: Brett Woodbury 19” Closest to Pin: Grover Mathis 17 1/2” July 12: 1st place: Wayne Harding, Kathleen Harding, Grover Mathis, Tammy Davidson. Net score 34, tea...