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Members of the Policy Committee for the Wrangell School District met last Thursday afternoon to discuss various policies for school board consideration. Among several items on the agenda were two policies covering the topics of professional boundaries between staff and students, and freedom of speech amongst the student body. Board Policy 5141.42, Professional Boundaries of Staff with Students, as it reads, is meant to protect children from inappropriate conduct by staff, volunteers, and other...
The Wrangell Parks and Recreation Advisory Board met Monday, June 29. During the meeting, the board reviewed the department's new budget for FY 2021, and also took a look at some tentative plans for summer programming. The borough assembly adopted the FY 2021 budget for Wrangell in their assembly meeting on Tuesday, June 23. The entire budget is aiming to break even, according to Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen, with expenses and revenues set at approximately $16 million. The Parks and Rec...
The Wrangell Public School District will be hosting an online town hall meeting to discuss the reopening plan for fall 2020, tonight at 6 p.m.. Superintendent Debbe Lancaster said that a meeting was tentatively set for July 16 during a policy committee meeting on July 9. The date was confirmed in an email from Kim Powell, with the school district, on July 13. The school district hosted a series of meetings between school staff, administration, and community members on the SMART Start reopening....
The Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes is once again distributing back-to-school backpacks across multiple Southeast Alaskan communities this year. Applications for the backpacks are due this Friday, July 17. The backpack distribution is a common occurrence in Wrangell, and in other Southeast communities. However, students can also expect to find new laptops in their bags this year, instead of school supplies. Julie Chapman, program coordinator with the Central Council, said...
The Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau met last Thursday, to workshop their goals for a rebranding project. As part of a large to-do list recently approved by the borough assembly, the CVB is seeking to use CARES Act funding to improve Wrangell's brand and draw in more tourists. As this was just a workshop, no official action was taken. However, the bureau generally agreed that Wrangell's brand should be focused on Wrangell as a community. "I think our brand should be community-focused,"...
It was a short meeting for the Wrangell Port Commission last Tuesday evening, July 7. There was only one item of new business on their agenda, a request by Josh Blatchley to subdivide and purchase a portion of tidelands. The land in question comes from parcel #02-024-600, according to the agenda packet. Blatchley owns property just upland of the tidelands he is interested in, the packet reads, and the property owners on either side of him own the tidelands in front of their property. This...
Two items were approved by the Wrangell Planning and Zoning Commission last Thursday. The first item was a request to purchase city-owned tidelands, by Josh Blatchley. According to the request, the tidelands are adjacent to Blatchley's property. The request also notes that tidelands adjacent to the area of interest have already been sold or leased. This request met approval by the Port Commission in their July 7 meeting, as well. This request was accepted by the commission. The commission also...
The guideline harvest levels (GHLs) for the second fishing period (July 1–August 30) are 308,000 lb in District 6 and 250,000 lb in District 8, in accordance with the preseason GHL news release. Estimated harvest for the first fishing period (May 1–June 30) in District 6 was 282,000 lb. This harvest was 18,000 lb below the 300,000 lb GHL, thus 18,000 lb will be rolled over in addition to the 290,000 lb GHL announced preseason. Totals for coonstripe shrimp bycatch harvest to date in District 6 are confidential. Estimated harvest for the fir...
The City and Borough of Wrangell (City) will begin rolling out a series of programs of economic relief for businesses, non-profits and residents in Wrangell who have been impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic. The City has designated up to $915,000 of the CARES Act funds received from the State to these assistance programs which are intended to provide economic relief in the areas of most need. Each program will require a separate application be completed by each business, non-profit or resident....
Wrangell EMS's new ambulance arrived on the barge last week, June 29. The vehicle was purchased with CARES Act money in response to the COVID-19 virus. When the purchase of the new ambulance was first being discussed, Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen said that EMS response could be a potential weak link in the city's response to the pandemic. With only two ambulances, it could be challenging for EMS to respond to emergencies. This new ambulance, it is hoped, will shore up that area of response....
July 15, 1920 What might have been a most serious calamity occurred last week at the local wharf when the cargo of a steamer was being unloaded. Fifteen sacks of spuds were in the sling when one corner of the net broke loose and the entire fifteen sacks were dumped into the bay. Had this accident occurred in years gone by the steamship company would no doubt have stood the loss without making any effort to recover the spuds. Accordingly the salvage machinery was quickly put into operation and in less than an hour the entire fifteen sacks had...
Jade Balansag and Terra Hoyt were some of the 2020 graduates of the Rural Alaska Honors Institute through the University of Alaska Fairbanks. During the six week session which included 36 high school juniors and seniors from 23 communities participated in a fully online curriculum, due to COVID-19 restrictions. During the six-week session, students earned as many as 10 UAF credits in subjects like Alaska Native language, biomedical research, business, chemistry, education, library science, process technology, study skills and...
July 6: Animal Complaint. Agency Assist: US Forest Service. Scam/Possible Mail Fraud. Agency Assist: Line Crew. 86’d Letter served. July 7: Agency Assist: Dead Deer. Disorderly Conduct. Citizen Assist: Vehicle Unlock. Warrant Check. Motor Vehicle Accident: Private Property. Two Fireworks Complaints. July 8: Agency Assist: Wrangell Medical Center. Courtesy Transport. Two Agency Assists: Hoonah P.D. July 9: Driving Under Influence: Unfounded. Citizen Assist. Agency Assist: Office of Child Services. July 10: Illegal Parking Complaint. Child E...
Barbara Cecilia Crabtree, 82, passed away May 3 in Wrangell, Alaska, after a short but recurring bout with cancer. She was born on August 13, 1937 in Ketchikan, Alaska. She lived most of her life in Southeastern Alaska. She lived most of the 1970s in Petersburg and has lived in Wrangell since 1984. Barb was mainly employed waitressing and as a cannery worker. Barb enjoyed cooking, especially baking, gardening and crocheting. She enjoyed playing cards and was especially competitive when playing...
Throughout my life, my grandma, Mary Jane Fate, imparted the importance of education on my brothers and me. We understood early on that education is the means through which we can make a difference in the world. She led by example, and I've carried this message with me each and every day. Education looks very different today than it did 50 years ago. We can no longer rely solely on pen and paper to learn. The way we learn is influenced by technology, which is evolving at an unprecedented rate,...
Governor Dunleavy’s controversial selections to the state Board of Fisheries (BOF) will get a legislative hearing in early fall and the call is out for public comments. The board oversees management of the state’s subsistence, commercial, sport and personal use fisheries. Appointments were made on April 1 and would normally go through a vigorous vetting process by the Alaska legislature with public input. But COVID-19 sent lawmakers home early from the last session, leaving the confirmation process in limbo. Now, Representative Louise Stutes (R...
The Southeast Alaska Health Consortium began their new asymptomatic testing program in Wrangell, and other communities, this past weekend. Members of the public were invited to stop by the testing site by the AICS Clinic for a free COVID-19 test. Unlike previous tests, this program opens the test to anybody, even if they show no symptoms of COVID-19. Pictured here is Carly Allen (bottom right), Julia Ostrander (bottom left), Mel Hansen (top left), and Kayla Hay (top right)....