Articles from the July 24, 2014 edition


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  • Assembly unanimously approves SEAPA agreement

    Dan Rudy|Jul 24, 2014

    After much discussion, the Wrangell Borough Assembly voted 4-0 Tuesday evening to approve a formal transition agreement that will allow Southeast Alaska Power Agency (SEAPA) to take over the operation and maintenance of the Tyee Hydro Facility from the Thomas Bay Power Authority. "It's been a long time coming," said assembly member Julie Decker as she moved to approve the measure. The current agreement is the product of months of negotiations between representatives of Wrangell, Petersburg and SEAPA. "Concessions were made by everybody a...

  • Deer in the Meadows

    Jul 24, 2014

  • Wrangell celebrates its bears with fifth annual festival

    Dan Rudy|Jul 24, 2014

    If you haven't joined in the fun already, there's still time as the fifth annual Alaska Bearfest continues around Wrangell through Sunday afternoon. A blend of fun, food and education, the festival celebrates the area's bear population. Bearfest was started in 2010 by Sylvia Ettefagh, operator of Alaska Vistas. In addition to the educational and recreational opportunities it presents, Ettefagh's aim for the festival is to make Wrangell a top destination for ursine enthusiasts everywhere. "Our...

  • The Way We Were

    Jul 24, 2014

    August 10, 1914: The Winifred left early yesterday for Telegraph. She has a good load of freight but no passengers. On the last trip down, the crew reported seeing two moose, both of them swimming in the river. The first was seen just above the canyon and the other at Clearwater. The moose are getting further down every year and before long they will be all over the islands in this section of the country, and for this reason the new law was passed last spring prohibiting the killing of them. Although the law was made fun of by several papers...

  • Howe sentenced to eight months

    Dan Rudy and Brian OConnor|Jul 24, 2014

    State of Alaska Superior Court Judge Kevin Miller sentenced James Howe, 42, to serve eight months in jail at his July 14 hearing. Howe was convicted by a Wrangell jury last month on two counts relating to a domestic disturbance. According to a complaint filed in Wrangell’s First District Superior Court, on March 5 officers responded to a report of fighting at the Alaska State Housing Authority. Dana Cawthorne had told police Howe assaulted her and prevented her from calling for help. Howe further admitted to authorities that he had taken her ph...

  • Police reports

    Jul 24, 2014

    Monday, July 14 Citizen Assist. Cell phone returned to owner. Report of a water leak at the ball field. Public Works notified. Tuesday, July 15 Possible road blockage. Agency Assist—alarm. Wednesday, July 16 Ex parte order. Suspicious Incident. Found Property— license plate. Thursday, July 17 Traffic Hazard. Citizen Assist—vehicle unlocked. Agency Assist—trespass issued. Disorderly Conduct— warning given for loud music. Agency Assist—Title 47. Harassment. Friday, July 18 Warning given for loud music. Ex parte order served. 911 Disturbance...

  • School News

    Jul 24, 2014

    Leanna Rice, of Wrangell, was named to the Dean’s List of Distinction in recognition of her outstanding scholarship for the 2013-14 academic year at the University of Northern Colorado....

  • Stork report

    Jul 24, 2014

  • First Bank 13th Annual Customer Appreciation golf tournament results

    Jul 24, 2014

    First Bank's 13th annual Customer Appreciation Golf Tournament was held July 19 and 20 at Muskeg Meadows. More than 40 golfers teed up for the nine-hole course over the weekend. Teammates Eric Kading, Faye Kohrt and Chris Ellis took first place on Saturday with a net score of 17 and a team handicap of 16. Ed Rilatos, Brian Ingraham and Randy Romenensko's team took second place with a net score of 22 and a team handicap of 15. Wayne Harding won the straightest drive contest with a 26.5-inch...

  • Canadian fisheries staff move fish across blockage in Stikine tributary

    Kyle Clayton|Jul 24, 2014

    Canadian officials are airlifting Chinook and sockeye salmon over a landslide that caused a barrier to salmon passage in the Tahltan River, a tributary of the Stikine. Steve Gotch, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) director for the Yukon and Northwestern British Columbia, said the landslide occurred about a half mile up the Tahltan on May 20. The river is roughly 120 miles upstream of the Stikine, but the salmon that swim up it provide harvests for Southeast Alaskan and Canadian commercial and...

  • NASA project to check out summer sea ice

    Jul 24, 2014

    FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) – ­ NASA is using a high-altitude, converted U2 spy plane to test technology over Arctic sea ice for future applications. The long-winged ER-2 jet is based in Fairbanks for three weeks for testing and developing technology for satellite applications, KUAC reported. The three-week project using airborne laser technology will allow scientists to get a preview of a satellite mission NASA plans to launch in 2017. It's also a follow-up to a 2012 scan in Iceland using the laser technology, known as Lidar. The flights are be...

  • Fish Factor

    Laine Welch|Jul 24, 2014

    It came as no surprise when the first price postings last week tanked for Bristol Bay sockeye salmon to $1.20 a pound, with an extra 15 cents for chilled fish. That compares to a base price of $1.50 a pound last year. The Bristol Bay catch topped 28 million reds by Friday, 11 million more than projected, and the fish were still coming. (Alaska’s total sockeye salmon catch as of July 18 was over 37 million and counting.) Demand for the fish is strong by both foreign and U.S. buyers, but the downward press on prices stems from lots of c...

  • No criminal charges yet filed against man injured by explosives

    Kyle Clayton|Jul 24, 2014

    PETERSBURG – A 59-year-old Petersburg man was injured Sunday afternoon in the borough rock quarry after handling what explosive experts have identified as Tovex — a commercial grade explosive typically used for blasting in quarries, mines and road construction. An individual called 911 around 1 p.m. reporting the injured man lying outside of the Petersburg Medical Center Emergency Room and informed dispatchers he could have been injured by dynamite, a Petersburg Police press release states. “The injured person was able to speak to staff at th...

  • Logging show winners

    Jul 24, 2014

  • Companies file export application for gas project

    Jul 24, 2014

    JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) _ The companies pursuing a major liquefied natural gas project in Alaska have applied for an export license with the U.S. Department of Energy. Securing the authorization is seen as critical for the viability of the mega-project, which the companies say would be the largest of its kind ever designed and built. The filing was made Friday, but it was announced by the companies on Monday. Participants in the project include BP, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil Corp., TransCanada Corp. and the Alaska Gasline Development Corp. The...

  • New Sentinel and Pilot reporter

    Jul 24, 2014

    The Wrangell Sentinel welcomes its newest staff writer, Dan Rudy. Rudy recently arrived in Wrangell from Minot, N.D., where he worked as staff writer and evening editor for The Minot Daily News. He also has prior experience as a news cameraman for KXMC-CBS, as well as writing for his university and high school newspapers. His first experience in Southeast Alaska was as an Alaska Service Corps crew member with the SAGA-AmeriCorps program in 2010. As a corps member, he conducted trail work and...

  • Petersburg Assembly approves Thomas Bay Power Authority transfer

    Kyle Clayton|Jul 24, 2014

    PETERSBURG — The Petersburg Borough Assembly authorized Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht to sign off on the agreement between the Petersburg Borough, the City and Borough of Wrangell and the Thomas Bay Power Authority (TBPA) that transitions operation and maintenance of the Tyee Hydro Lake facility to Southeast Alaska Power Agency (SEAPA). The four bodies have been negotiating the agreement since last year when the Petersburg assembly voted not to fund its share of a portion of the TBPA budget labeled non-net billable—a bill Petersburg and Wra...

  • Roof of melting Alaska ice cave collapses

    Jul 24, 2014

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – U.S. Forest Service officials say a melting ice cave at a southeast Alaska glacier has collapsed. Mendenhall Glacier naturalist Laurie Craig says there are no reported injuries from the collapse Thursday near the cave's entry. Officials are cautioning people to stay away. Craig says the cave is not easily accessible. Getting to it requires a rugged hike and a rock climb. By water, the cave is accessible by kayak, but visitors still must hike to it. Earlier, officials said an aerial view of the popular cave showed s...