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Members of the Wrangell and Petersburg police departments collaborated on some active shooter training on July 19 and 20. About four members of the Petersburg police department joined five members of the Wrangell police for the training which was lead by Jeff Hall. Hall has about 35 years of martial arts and law enforcement experience, also having previously worked with the Alaska State Troopers. Most of the training on July 19 was on the theory of stopping a shooting. Hall said that the goal is...
Evergreen Elementary School will be under new leadership come August. Virginia Tulley, the school's new principal, is looking forward to making a difference in Wrangell. "I went into teaching because I lived on a Navajo reservation, and I would be working with my own people and the children of my own people. I just really wanted to make a difference," Tulley said. She said she got a late start in her teaching career, not going back to school until her youngest child was in elementary school. In...
August 1, 1918 Surgeon General G. Sterling Ryerson, founder and past president of the Canadian Red Cross, will leave Seattle August 2, on the Spokane, and upon arrival in Wrangell, will be at the disposal of the local Red Cross Chapter while the vessel is in port. An effort will be made for him to speak to the people of Wrangell. Surgeon General Ryerson who is retired from the Canadian army, has served in five military expeditions, including South Africa and the Great War. He is Inspector General of Red Cross work in France. His eldest son was...
The Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors met July 18, at city hall for their regularly scheduled meeting. While not initially on the agenda, the board appointed a new president and vice president during this meeting. The issue was raised by board member Don McConachie, who pointed out that having a president was a part of the board's charter. He also said that since the board was trying to find a new member to fill a vacant seat, appointing a new president could help encourage people who...
PETERSBURG – William Christopher Allen’s attorney and the State Prosecutor have reached a negotiated agreement where the defendant will face a sentence of 16-years in jail with nine suspended, leaving seven years to serve. Allen was facing multiple felony counts following a vehicle crash on July 4, 2016 that killed Molly Parks and Marie Giesbrcht while Allen was driving the Parks and Rec. van and is believed to have suffered a seizure that caused the accident. Other terms of the change of plea agreement and final sentencing have to be approved...
July 16 Arrested: David Sweat, 58. On charges of MVA/DUI. Bear sighting: Report of bear in yard. Citations issued: Celsee Churchill for objectionable animal and dog license. Citizen assist: Officer open vehicle for owner. July 17 Title 47. Driving complaint. Report of theft. Driving complaint. 86’d letter: Received from business and served on individual. Civil issue: Report of someone cutting a tree on private property. Abandoned vehicle. Citation issued: Andrew Twyford, 19. For failure to provide proof of insurance and verbal warning for h...
To the Editor: I’m a bit late but would like to thank the organizers of the 4th of July boat races for all their sincere efforts and success. I would also like to especially thank the young men participating in the event that helped me in many ways to make it legal for me to race with helmet, fire extinguisher, tie down, etc. The last time I participated in a boat race was the year Susie Haye graduated from high school. I think it was 1961 and we raced from Petersburg to Wrangell. The wind was blowing out of the river and my 16’ plywood boa...
The first of August I board the ferry to return to Washington State. I have spent two years in Wrangell, serving as the pastor of Island of Faith Lutheran Church. Before I leave, I appreciate the opportunity to share in print some of the memories I will take with me of my time here. Wrangell makes a lasting impression. This community abounds with hospitality. Newcomers are welcomed with smiles and offers of help, ranging from housing to employment to basic needs of food and clothing. The message is clear: welcome to Wrangell, we’re glad y...
Lucy Robinson started her running group, Southeast Beasts, in 2012. The group is meant to offer both new and experienced runners an informal, fun place for people to exercise and enjoy the Alaskan outdoors. Robinson is now helping spread her love of running to the next generation. Once a week, volunteering with the Wrangell Parks and Recreation Department, she leads a group of kids on a fun run through Volunteer Park, next to Evergreen Elementary school. "We do this every Monday that we can,...
PETERSBURG – A feasibility study is currently underway to determine if the United States Army Corps of Engineers will dredge South Harbor and allow smoother access. Some vessels are scraping and hitting the bottom of the harbor, especially during low tides, when they enter South Harbor, said harbormaster Glorianne Wollen; as a result, vessels are having trouble entering the harbor. The USACE was contacted and agreed to conduct a feasibility study, which will determine the problem in the harbor and possible solutions to it, as well as total c...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska ballot initiative that aims to strengthen state law protecting salmon habitat could be costly and delay infrastructure projects, state officials said. The officials noted the possible negative effects during the Senate State Affairs Committee meeting last week in Anchorage. The initiative would increase the number of streams that officials must assume have salmon, likely resulting in more state checks on the streams, said Ben White, the environmental program manager for the state Department of T...
PETERSBURG – Petersburg Municipal Power & Light shut down power on June 19 in order to replace a Southeast Alaska Power Agency transmission pole in Falls Creek. The power was shut off from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. between Twin Creek road and Crystal Lake Hatchery, said Scott Newman, general foreman with Petersburg Municipal Power & Light. Since the transmission pole was owned by SEAPA and not the city, SEAPA sent out their own contractors to conduct the work, said Newman. Petersburg Municipal Power & Light assisted SEAPA with some of the work and w...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Recent figures indicate Alaska’s unemployment rate improved slightly last month. The Juneau Empire reports numbers from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development say the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 7.2 percent to 7.1 percent in June. The slight improvement comes as Alaska reports the fewest number of June jobs since 2010. The department’s figures say the state had 347,400 nonfarm jobs in June. That’s down 1,700 from June 2017 and down 11,400 from June 2015, the start of a statewi...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Water levels have receded on Mendenhall Lake in Alaska’s capital city following a glacial dam outburst. National Weather Service Meteorologist Jessica Voveris in Juneau says water levels crested at 10.92 feet late Thursday afternoon. As of 5:15 a.m. Friday, they had dropped to about 7.5 feet. The release of water from a glacially dammed lake this week created flooding concerns for some residents along the Mendenhall River. The lake feeds into the river. Forecasters had thought the crest could end up just below 12 feet but...
Alaska’s salmon fisheries continue to lag alarmingly in several regions, with overall catches down by a third from the same time last year. The single exception is at the unconquerable Bristol Bay, where a 37 million sockeye catch so far has single-handedly pushed Alaska’s total salmon harvest towards a lackluster 60 million fish. It’s too soon to press the panic button and there is lots of fishing left to go, but fears are growing that Alaska’s 2018 salmon season will be a bust for most fishermen. Worse, it comes on the heels of a cod crash an...
SITKA — Sitka’s senior citizen sales tax exemption ends at midnight Saturday, June 30, replaced by a needs-based rebate. In a cost-savings move, the Assembly at its April 24 meeting narrowly approved eliminating the long-standing exemption from sales tax for residents age 65 and up, deciding instead to offer a needs-based rebate to qualifying Sitka seniors at the end of each fiscal year. The rebate amount is $350 per senior per year, or $450 per household with two or more qualifying seniors. The figure is a broad estimate of the sales tax sen...
There were over 20 participants in July 21 and 22’s golf tournaments sponsored by First Bank. First place in Saturday’s best ball tournament went to a team composed of Wayne Harding, Kathleen Harding and Grover Mathis. This team had a net score of 18 from a handicap of 16. Second place went to the team of Matt Hagen, Christa Hagen, Brian Slick and Kathy Slick, with a score of 18 and handicap of 20. Third place, with both a score and handicap of 19, went to Ed Rilatos, Aleisha Mollen, Rebecca Smith and Clint Lewis. Chris Ellis had the str...
"For us, this journey is called 'In the footsteps of Ferdinand von Wrangel,' and you are a big footstep," said Carola von Wrangel to the gathered crowd at the Nolan Center. Ferdinand von Wrangel was governor of the Russian Empire's holdings in Alaska in the early 1800s, as well as an avid explorer and scientist. The city of Wrangell is named after Baron von Wrangel. He also oversaw the construction of the first fortification on Wrangell Island in 1834. He would go on to be a part of the Russian...
Michael Boseman is wanted by the Petersburg Police Department for a felony assault warrant and several misdemeanor warrants, according to authorities. Boseman is also a suspect in the theft of an 18' Crestliner open skiff. It was reported stolen on Tuesday, according to authorities. The skiff has two red fuel tanks in the front. There is a front bench, split middle seats and back seats. It is powered by a Yamaha 40 HP main with a Yamaha 4 HP kicker. The stolen skiff number is #AK 9266 AG....
