Sorted by date Results 1 - 23 of 23
Despite hectic midsummer schedules, the Wrangell Medical Center Board of Trustees was able to find quorum for its meeting on July 15. During his monthly report, finance director Doran Hammett informed the board that a consultant with company TruBridge was on site at the hospital, preparing for the transition of WMC’s billing services. The board and the Wrangell Borough Assembly last month approved a contract with the firm, offering it 2.2 percent of the transactions it processes. Though the two-year contract may cost $400,000, the transition i...
A pair of friends decided to undertake a unique adventure, traveling the 1,200 miles from Washington to Alaska by kayak. Luca Lezzi and Xander Fehsenfeld departed from their hometown of Bainbridge Island, Wash., in May. En route to their final destination in Skagway, they arrived in Wrangell on July 16, after journeying for 65 days. Lezzi, a junior at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, said he has harbored a fascination with kayaking the Inside Passage since high school. "I feel like I need...
The trial for Greg Salard began in Juneau on Monday. The former Wrangell physician faces three felony charges related to the possession and distribution of child pornography, following a five-month investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The U.S. District Court clerk’s office in Juneau anticipated the trial will last through the week, with Judge Timothy Burgess presiding. Salard was arrested at his home on October 15, 2014, with charges filed the following day. Citing this development and other financial obligations, S...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. July 22, 1915: Geo B. Hull, engineer of the Federal Government of British Columbia, with headquarters at Prince Rupert, will make a trip up the Stikine River about August 2nd. The object of Mr. Hull’s visit is to look into conditions and determine what is necessary to be done to improve the stream that navigation may be less hazardous. The Canadian government is taking great interest just now in the large amount of development work now being prosecuted in the Stikine River country, and are p...
Monday, July 13 Agency Assist: Fire Alarm going off. Agency Assist: Electric Department notified of power outage. Citation issued to Christian Ryan Kirschenmann, 26, for dog at large. Tuesday, July 14 Probation Violation. Wednesday, July 15 Traffic Stop: Verbal warning for driving habits. John Richard Staples, 49, was arrested on three charges of Violating Conditions of Release. Thursday, July 16 Report of Theft. Friday, July 17 Dog at Large citation issued to Kim Aaron Peterson, 56. Reckless driving warning given. Found property released to...
July 17 John R. Staples, 49, appeared before First District Court Magistrate Judge Chris Ellis for two counts of Violating Conditions of Release (Class B misdemeanor) and one count of Violating Conditions of Release (Class A misdemeanor). The defendant pleaded no contest to the charges and was ordered to serve 45 days in jail, with two additional orders to serve 20 days in jail, which can be concurrently. Staples was also ordered to pay $200 in surcharges. July 20 Sitka prosecutor Jean Seaton dropped a charge of Assault IV—Cause Fear of I...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – A hiker visiting Juneau from San Diego has been airlifted to Bartlett Regional Hospital after he fell and fractured his leg while climbing the Mendenhall Glacier. The Juneau Empire reports that Capital City Fire/Rescue Assistant Chief Ed Quinto says the man slipped on a trail close to the glacier’s face and was unable to walk. A Temsco helicopter retrieved him from his location about 500 feet up on a rocky hillside. The man, whose name was not released, was visiting Juneau with his wife and two children to take an REI Adv...
A dynamic event is underway in Arctic Alaska today: one that, if successful, could have a profound effect on our state’s economy. Shell Alaska is preparing to drill for oil this summer in Alaska’s offshore continental shelf. To date, Shell has expended over $7 billion in gearing up for their effort. They anticipate substantially advancing their delineation effort by the end of this year’s drilling season. A sobering statistic highlights the significance of Shell’s effort: Of the total estimated oil in Alaska—43.8 billion barrels—8...
To the Editor: The Public Library provides such a welcoming and warm environment for our community and especially for the Summer Reading Program. Anyone would want and would enjoy hanging out there. There is always a smiling and friendly staff to greet us as we enter and to help us with our needs. The children’s corner is bright and colorful, with puzzles, computers and books. I know this corner has the staff working double time at this time of the year keeping things orderly and up to date. You make it all such fun. Thank you for all you d...
Frederick Clarence Angerman Sr., passed away on June 27, 2015, after a long struggle with cancer at the age of 82. Born September 3, 1932, Fred was the second of four children to Austrian immigrant parents Fritz and Helen Angerman, which they raised on "Angerman's Corner." Fred acquired his parent's tireless work ethic, as his family claimed he "hadn't taken a day off since 3rd grade." After Fritz suffered a stroke in 1949, Fred took over the family business, Royal Blue Cab, at the age of 17 to...
Borough Clerk Kim Lane recently received her master municipal clerk (MMC) designation from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), a professional nonprofit which promotes continued education among clerks and similar administrators worldwide. "It's huge because that's the highest you can go as a clerk," explained Christie Jameson, Lane's predecessor in the post. Before retiring in 2012, Jameson had earned her own MMC in 2008, which she has continued to renew. The MMC program is...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Ten environmental groups say a missing icebreaker should be a deal-breaker for Arctic offshore drilling by Royal Dutch Shell PLC off Alaska’s northwest coast. The groups in a letter Tuesday called on Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to reject permits sought by Shell to drill in the Chukchi Sea because of the absence of the 380-foot icebreaker Fennica while it undergoes repairs. The icebreaker is a key part of Shell’s exploration plan and spill response plan, said attorney Mike LeVine of Oceana. “The Fennica plays a...
At the polls on Oct. 6, Wrangell voters will be determining whether or not local public officials should be exempt from state financial disclosure requirements. Now Petersburg is considering a similar exemption, with an ordinance to put the exemption on the ballot being passed on its first of three readings at the Assembly meeting on Monday. Prior to the Petersburg Borough incorporation, public officials were exempt from the financial disclosure requirements. However, after incorporation, in the 2014 municipal election, the exemption was put...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The pilot of a Cessna 207 was killed when the plane crashed into rugged terrain west of Juneau on Friday afternoon, according to Alaska State Troopers. The four passengers in the plane survived. Troopers identified the pilot as 45-year-old Fariah Peterson of Birmingham, Ala. She was flying Wings of Alaska Flight 202 from Juneau to Hoonah, Alaska Dispatch News reported. Wings of Alaska flies scheduled passenger service to small communities in Southeast. Its services also include sightseeing trips and charters. Company e...
The Alaska Board of Game (BoG) announced it will be holding a non-regulatory teleconference at 2 p.m., Aug. 7. The board will consider agenda change requests for the 2016 Statewide Regulations meeting and address other business. Though the board will not be taking public testimony during the teleconference, it will be accepting written public comment if received no later than 5 p.m. on July 30. Commenters are asked to limit their submissions to reasons why agenda change requests should or should not be scheduled for next year’s regulations m...
First Bank Golf Tournament Results July 18 and 19, 2015 NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 57 July 18: 1st place: Mike White, Mike Ottesen, Tyler Gunn. 2nd place: Jim Farvela, Chris Spivey, Pam McCloskey. 3rd place: George Woodbury, Brett Woodbury, Martin Pihl. Straightest Drive: Jeff Good 6’2”. Closest to Pin: Frank Roppel. July 19: 1st place: Wayne Harding, Kathleen Harding, Grover Mathis, Greg Scheff. Net score 18, team handicap 16. 2nd place: Matt Hogen, Chris Hogen, Brian Slick, Kathy Slick. Net score 18, team handicap 20. 3rd place: George Woo...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska Department of Labor says Alaska’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June was 6.8 percent. The department revised the May rate down .1 percent to 6.7 percent. The national unemployment rate was 5.3 percent in June. The department says Alaska’s unemployment rate since 2013 has remained fairly stable and close to its 10-year average. Unadjusted June rates increased in 13 boroughs and census areas, stayed flat in one, and fell in 15. Areas with falling June unemployment rates tend to be less popul...
The world’s biggest sockeye salmon run at Bristol Bay went from “bust” to “unbelievable” in one week. Landings last week broke records every day for five days for that time frame, bringing the total sockeye catch to nearly 28 million fish on an unusually long-tailed run - and the reds were still coming on strong. That had overloaded processors scurrying to replace workers they’d sent home the previous week when the big forecasted run was deemed a no show. The late surge of sockeyes also left many fishermen frustrated with limits to their catch...
Repairs caused delays for those expecting to ride the Alaska Marine Highway System last week, after M/V Columbia was held up in Juneau. On its way south through Wrangell to Ketchikan and eventually Bellingham, Wash., the Columbia was not able to leave Juneau as scheduled on July 14. It eventually departed three days later. “It took a few days while it was in Juneau to discover the problem,” explained Jeremy Woodrow, public relations officer for the Alaska Department of Transportation. “It had an issue with the starboard engines—one of its gover...
This year's 7th Annual Wrangell Horse Show went off without a hitch, as more than 50 young riders trotted out their skills at the city track. The nine different events were divided among various skill levels, from beginner to advanced riders. In the egg-and-spoon race, riders had to keep their "eggs" balanced while driving a pony cart. McKinley Gillen finished the competition with the best time among pony riders, and Elizabeth Armstrong took first in the beginner-level race. Beginners also...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska’s highest court ruled Friday that an initiative seeking to restrict large-scale mining in the Bristol Bay region seriously impedes a regulatory process set out in state law and is unenforceable. The Alaska Supreme Court affirmed a lower-court ruling in litigation over the initiative passed by Lake and Peninsula Borough voters in 2011. The initiative was aimed at the Pebble mine project and the potential development of the massive gold and copper prospect near the headwaters of a world-class salmon fishery. It wou...