Sorted by date Results 1 - 23 of 23
With approximately 400 members of the Inlandboatmen's Union going on strike last Wednesday, July 24, the Alaska Marine Highway System came to a halt. Without ferry services, many people across the state, especially in Southeast Alaska, found themselves stranded. In the communities of Wrangell and Petersburg, many people are facing disruptions to their schedules, families, and work. WRANGELL: Several of Wrangell's children and adults attending a church camp in Juneau were stranded when the ferry...
SEARHC hosted an Alaska Native culture camp during Wrangell's annual Bearfest this past week. Running from July 24 to 28, the camp invited anybody interested to come together to make paddles and headbands, and to learn more about Wrangell's native culture. "The high school shop was where we were doing the paddle making, then we had the sewing in the middle school commons with our elder, Donna Kuntz," Tammi Meissner said. The wood for the paddles was donated by the Sealaska Corporation, Meissner...
One of the central parts of the annual Bearfest celebration are the symposiums. Experts on bears and bear-related subjects are invited to come speak in Wrangell each year. This year saw several such speakers, including Lance Craighead who spoke on federal and state regulations on bear conservation, Harry Reynolds on the endangered subspecies of Gobi Desert brown bears, and John Nary on bear observation challenges at the Mendenhall Glacier. A roundtable discussion was held on Thursday, July 25,...
The Wrangell Cooperative Association, once again, is helping out with the Tlingit and Haida Central Council's back to school backpack event. Tribal Administrator Esther Ashton said that the WCA partners with the central council every year for this event, which aims to provide backpacks and school supplies to native children across Southeast Alaska. Applications to receive a backpack will close on Aug. 2. "Basically, it's for Alaska Native or American Indian," she said. "You have to reside in...
Author and photographer Amy Gulick visited Wrangell this past week for Bearfest. Gulick last visited Wrangell about four years ago, she said, while doing research for her latest book. Now that said book is on the market, she returned to promote her work and to talk about some of what she learned. "The Salmon Way: An Alaska State of Mind" gathers together stories and photographs across Alaska, showing a unique way of life where peoples' lifestyles are still closely connected to the natural...
A bear safety workshop was held at the gun range on Spur Road last Wednesday, July 24, as one of the first events scheduled for Wrangell's annual Bearfest. Wrangell resident Robert Johnson led the workshop. He has had a lot of experiences with bears over the years, he said, and told everyone early in the workshop that having respect for bears was an important part of staying safe around them. "You just have to be in awe of these animals and show them the utmost respect," he said. "As long as...
Celebration is a large, biennial cultural event for all Southeast Alaskan tribes across the region. For four days in June, according to the Sealaska Heritage Institute's website, tribal citizens from all over Southeast Alaska and beyond come together in Juneau for traditional songs, dances, and crafts. It is one of the largest gatherings of Southeast Alaskan tribes in the state. Next year's Celebration will be extra special, as members of Wrangell's native community have been named 2020's lead d...
The Alaska House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 2002 on Monday, July 29. S.B. 2002 funds the capital budget, which allows Alaska’s private sector to access $1 billion in federal funds for highway and construction projects. The legislation also contains important “reverse sweep” language, which reverses the governor’s unprecedented action to zero out university scholarships for 12,000 students, increase rural energy rates by eliminating Power Cost Equalization, and take away grants from organizations that serve domestic violence victims...
Elected union leaders representing 400 public ferry workers who operate Alaska’s Marine Highway System are describing their meeting over the weekend with federal mediator Beth Schindler as “very positive and constructive.” “There were positive steps in our meeting that should allow both sides to reach a solution,” said Trina Arnold, Director of the Alaska Region Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific, an affiliate of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. “The process was productive and positive,” she said. “We want the ferries to ge...
Four hundred public ferry workers who operate Alaska’s Marine Highway System are providing a “behind-the-scenes” look at the events which led up to a strike that began Wednesday afternoon, July 24. The strike is ongoing, although union officials have made it clear they are ready to talk when a settlement is within reach. “We didn’t want to take this action and urge the Governor’s negotiators to work with us on a contract,” said Trina Arnold, Director of the Alaska Region Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific, an affiliate of the International L...
Muskeg Meadows Golf Course hosted the annual Bearfest golf tournament last Saturday, July 27 with 22 participants. First place went to a team consisting of Kitty Evers, Tammy Davison, Jacci Spry, and Terrie Cerny, with a net score of 16 and a team handicap of 22. Second place went to Rocky Littleton, Marva Reid, Loren Enright, and There Klein with a net score of 19 and a team handicap of 18. Third place went to a team consisting of Frank Roppel, Jerry Bakeburg, Rosie Roppel, and Cindy Beird with a net score of 20 and team handicap of 17....
July 31, 1919 Those who have had large caches of liquor which they are selling at enormous profits have no just claim for mercy. They are not in the same position as those saloon men who had on hand, when they were out of business, wet goods the possession of which was originally lawful. The latter bought their goods to sell according to the law and they would have gladly sold it before the clock marked the ending of legal liquor traffic in Alaska. There is a spirit of fair play that tells us that these men should have had an opportunity to...
July 22, 2019 Motor vehicle accident. Citizen assist: 1000 gallon water tanks in roadway. Owner cleared them out of roadway. Agency assist: Fire department. July 23, 2019 Disorderly conduct. Summons service. Hit and run. Suspicious phone calls. Agency assist: Fire department. Minor trying to buy alcohol. Noise complaint. July 24, 2019 Agency assist: Alaska state trooper. Trespassing complaint. Intoxicated person. Probation violation: Richard Anderson, 55. July 25, 2019 Assault/Domestic violence. Animal complaint: Deer. Violate condition of...
July 2: Dustin Lee Haviland was found guilty of reckless driving. Judge Kevin Miller sentenced him to 30 days imprisonment, with 30 suspended, and he was fined a total of $1,150, and must complete 24 hours of community service. July 9: James Linden McCormack was found guilty of driving under the influence. Judge Kevin Miller sentenced him to 18 days imprisonment, with 15 suspended. He has also been fined a total of $1,766. He must also undergo a substance abuse treatment assessment, had his license revoked for 90 days, and will be on probation...
Recently I took a small survey "What do you like best about Wrangell?" The universal response was "the people." Because I personally felt something of the spirit among us weakened, I questioned some steady returnees on the 4th of July. They too, had experienced a change of feeling about town. A new coldness. Yes, lots of new folks have come. Their jobs are of a totally different type than our original loggers and fisherfolk. These jobs are mostly inside type; not challenging one's strength, or s...
The strike called for by the Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific (IBU) this week defies all logic. Talk about giving the governor exactly what he wants at a most expeditious time - the script couldn't be more perfect. Instead of shutting down the ferries in October, the IBU now insures the ferries shut down in mid-summer. And in summer, visitors are impacted rather than state residents who are busy working seasonal jobs like construction and fishing. Of course, this will not endear members of...
Michael Patrick Nash, 68, of Wrangell, Alaska passed away on July 11, 2019 in a plane crash on Judy Hill near Ketchikan, Alaska. Michael was born to Albert and Priscilla Nash and grew up in Friday Harbor, Washington along with his six siblings. It was there he fell in love with airplanes and flying, a love that never wavered throughout his lifetime. At age 16 he baled hay for the summer in order to earn enough money to buy his first airplane. As a young man he struggled between wanting to serve...
Smokey Bear made a special appearance at the Irene Ingle Library last Saturday morning for story time. Pictured here is Smokey (left) and Forest Service Intern Kelsie Alling (right) answering questions from Keian Young....
The Wrangell Community Orchestra gave a performance for Bearfest on Sunday, July 28. Pictured here is Michael Bania on the cello....
As Alaska lawmakers continue their struggle to keep the state afloat, commercial fisheries dodged a bullet that would have removed millions of dollars from its budget. An obscure procedural action within the capital budget called a ‘reverse sweep’ prevents dozens of program-specific pots of money from being automatically drained into the budget reserve, as Governor Dunleavy aimed to do. “The sweep is money that is not spent in a single year. In this case, it comes from certain sources, such as test fish receipts, commercial crew licenses and s...
The Chameleon Brotherhood was in Wrangell last week. Pictured here is the band performing at the Stikine Inn during the Bearfest dinner and fundraiser auction....
The State and the Inland Boatmens Union have reached a tentative agreement. AMHS is resuming service, to see the new schedule click link below: https://www.dot.state.ak.us/oars/reservations/CalendarFM.amhsf?selectMonth=August+2019&selectPort=Wrangell&selectVessel=All+Vessels&action=Get+Schedule Call 1-800-642-0066 with questions. Due to the high volume of calls, it may take time to connect with a customer service representative. AMHS staff will never request credit card information from...