Sorted by date Results 1 - 17 of 17
Prior to last week's assembly meeting on Aug. 11, the Wrangell Borough Assembly held a work session to consider future renovations to the old Institute Property. The Institute Property, located near Shoemaker Harbor, has been zoned "holding" since 2011 while the borough came to a decision on how to renovate it. A master plan was developed in 2017, according to the meeting's agenda packet, but not much progress has been made since then. The work session that night was to consider how the...
The City and Borough of Wrangell announced that a new case of COVID-19 was confirmed this evening, Aug. 21. The announcement came in a press release from the city at 5:10 p.m. The new case, No. 16 in the community’s total case count, was reportedly discovered in a routine employee testing program. The patient is asymptomatic, the press release reads, and they are in isolation. Of Wrangell’s total cases, 10 have been locals and the other 6 have been non-locals. The press release also reminds readers that free asymptomatic testing is ava...
St. Frances Animal Rescue is beginning plans to relocate. The shelter was first established in 2009 by Rick and Dolores Klinke according to a PSA from the organization. Joan Sargent, lead shelter volunteer and adoption/foster coordinator, said in the PSA that the animal rescue was created in response to a feral cat problem in Wrangell. For years since the rescue shelter was first established, the Klinke family and other volunteers have worked to care for and find homes for cats, dogs, and...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met last Friday, Aug. 14, to consider amendments to the job description of the Facilities Maintenance Specialist. This item was originally considered in their meeting on Aug. 11, but was postponed due to an error in the previous agenda packet making the proposed changes not visible. The changes were also reviewed by the IBEW, the electrical workers' union, and according to the packet no concerns were raised regarding them. The assembly also approved of the...
The Wrangell Planning and Zoning Commission met last Thursday evening, Aug. 13, to cover several items on their agenda. The first item they covered was a preliminary plat review of the D&P Ellis Subdivision. Nobody was present to speak during the public hearing portion of this item. The commission approved the plat review under two conditions: The covered walkway between proposed lots 16A and 17A must be removed, and the applicant should work with the harbor department to resolve the issue of...
Monday morning, at about 10 a.m., a large rock fell from the bluff and landed on Zimovia Highway, around 8-mile. Lt. Bruce Smith, with the Wrangell Police Department, said that it was only one rock initially, but when it landed it broke up into lots of pieces. Nobody was hurt in the rockslide, he added. The debris blocked both lanes of traffic for some time. Smith said that he and others who got to the scene early were able to clear the road enough for people to drive on through. The Department...
For several years, the Wrangell School District has had its transportation needs met by the Etolin Bus Company. However, earlier this year company owner Greg McCormack announced his plans to retire. He sold his bus company to John Taylor, who took over the bus company and plans to keep it running. Now under the name Taylor Transportation, the company is preparing to serve the school district in its upcoming school year. "We bought it the day before COVID," John said, further clarifying that the...
The Wrangell School Board met Monday evening, Aug. 17. During the meeting, the board adopted a mandate requiring face masks be worn on district property. According to the mandate, masks must be worn while indoors, before entering buildings, before entering or leaving enclosed personal work areas, when walking to or from one's vehicle, or in other cases when social distancing of 6 feet cannot be maintained. There are some exceptions to the mandate. Masks will not be necessary, when social...
In March, when the COVID-19 pandemic first began to impact Alaska, many local businesses and organizations in Wrangell shut down. While many groups saw the time as an opportunity to wait and see how the pandemic would change things in the community, the Wrangell Salvation Army took the opportunity to renovate and upgrade. Now that they and other local groups are as close to business-as-usual as they can be in this time, the Salvation Army wanted to remind people struggling through the pandemic...
August 10 Traffic Stop Dog Attack: Citation issued to Derick Meissner, 37, for objectionable animal Agency Assist: OCS August 11 Citizen Assist: Vehicle Unlock August 12 Agency Assist: Public Works Animal Compliant Animal Complaint: Dog Attack ATV Complaint August 13 Suspicious Vehicle Civil Issue Welfare Check MVA Agency Assist: Ambulance Requested Unsecured Premise Noise Disturbance August 14 Burglar Alarm Agency Assist: Dead Deer Abandoned Vehicle Suspicious Person Disturbance August 15 Nothing to report During this reporting period there...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska police are investigating racist graffiti in the woods near a Juneau middle school as a hate crime. The graffiti near Floyd Dryden Middle School is described by police as including “hateful and vulgar messages.” The markings were reported to the department on Wednesday, KTOO-FM reported. Retired teacher Janna Lelchuk and her husband were walking their dogs at Adair-Kennedy Park last weekend when they stumbled upon the racist and obscene graffiti in white spray paint on a bridge and trees. “There were horrible things...
It was inaction on health care that ultimately made Dr. Al Gross of Juneau decide to challenge Republican Dan Sullivan, who is running for a second, six-year term to represent Alaska in the U.S. Senate. Gross, who has opted for the Independent ticket, has fished his whole life, his four kids have fished to pay for college, and he left a 20 year career as an orthopedic surgeon to get a degree to go to work in public health. His campaign claims Dr. Gross has the "Prescription for Change." "As a...
August 19, 1920 Ted Sterling, the popular purser on the Hazel B, says that in all the time he has been on the Stikine River, he has never seen game so plentiful as at the present time. It is customary to see three or four bears on each trip up and down the river, but on the trip down last Tuesday 14 bears were sighted along the river bank within a few hours travel. August 17, 1945 As soon as peace was announced on Tuesday thanksgiving services were held at the local Catholic church, the Rev. M. Hoch, officiating. The Rosary and other devotions...
A calm evening, during a break in the rain, at City Dock on Aug. 5....
To the Editor: I feel compelled to share information so we can all realize what our town will be faced with this year in economic loss. This information should have been put out long ago so our citizens and businesses could better prepare for what we are now faced with. I have projected how much our community's economy will be down this season. In plain words "What's not coming down Main St. Wrangell" this season. What's not coming to our town this year is about $40,000,000 in revenue, or...
A raven rests on an old boat outside of the Nolan Center....
Tuesday was primary election day in Wrangell and across the state. Alaskans had the opportunity to come out and select which candidates they want to see in the upcoming general election, on state and federal levels. Pictured here is Aleisha Mollen, helping out at Wrangell's polling location in the Nolan Center....
