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Four elected positions will be on the municipal ballot on Oct. 3, and as of Monday it was uncertain if all of the incumbents will seek re-election. Two seats on the borough assembly, one on the school board and one on the port commission will be on the ballot. All four are three-year terms. Esther Aaltséen Reese, the only incumbent on the five-member school board whose term expires this year, said last week she is undecided as to whether to run for the position again or not. Anne Morrison, who holds one of the assembly seats that will be on...
Last Friday and Saturday, WCA, Tlingit & Haida and the American Legion distributed backpacks and other school supplies to help prepare the community's youth for the academic year. A long line of students and families snaked out of the WCA Cultural Center on Friday morning, Aug. 18, as parents and children geared up for the task of backpack selection. "This is an important program to make sure that we're supporting our children and also our tribal families with school essentials," said Tribal...
Age is a major issue behind the Alaska Marine Highway System’s pending master plan, which will go to state legislators this month. The state ferry Columbia, which turns 50 next year, had been sidelined at the Ketchikan ferry dock for about three years until February. Management’s decision to park the vessel was based on the large expense of operating the ship, the costliest of any ferry in the fleet. Things changed when it was discovered that the 60-year-old Matanuska, which had suffered a series of maintenance setbacks, had more serious iss...
Anyone who’s spent the summer in Wrangell knows that tourists often say — and do — the darndest things, whether it’s standing in the middle of the road or inquiring about the town’s elevation as they look out across the water, only yards below them. With just over a month left in the tourism season, the community’s guides, tour operators and service workers reflect on their most amusing tourist tales from this summer and beyond. Several summers ago, Zach Taylor of Muddy Water Adventures was guiding a tour up the Stikine River. As the group r...
Aug. 23, 1923 Mrs. Stephen Grant has resumed her duties as community nurse following a vacation which she took for the purpose of entering a summer class in community nursing given in Portland under the auspices of the Red Cross. Mrs. Grant finished the six-week course in five weeks by diligent work, and has been given a university credit for her efforts. Her work with the Junior Red Cross will begin with the opening of school activities and promises much for the good of Wrangell. Aug. 20, 1948 B. Frank Heintzelman, regional forester for...
Santiago Bautista, the borough's construction manager on the job, right, talks about what clearing work has been completed so far at the Alder Top subdivision project, while Amber Al-Haddad, director of the Capital Facilities Department, looks on. Clearing and preliminary road work for the lower and entrance streets are included in the $1 million contract with Ketchikan Ready-Mix & Quarry. The completion date is Oct. 30. After further work, including installing utilities, the borough plans to...
Though not all children had enrolled before the scheduled start of school on Thursday, Aug. 24, due to migrant status or other reasons, district staff reported an increase of two students over their enrollment estimates from last November, which will help with a very small increase in state funding. A couple more students could add maybe $20,000 or so in state money to the overall $5 million school district operating budget. The budget for the 2023-2024 school year is based on 263 students, however, after the updated enrollment estimate, that n...
Ever wanted to learn how to hem a pair of jeans? Fix a bike? Patch a tire? Drain the fluids from an old car so that it’s ready for disposal? The Wrangell Cooperative Association’s upcoming fix-it clinic will help the community learn to maintain and repair household items, promoting sustainability and reducing waste. The event will be held at the covered basketball court on Monday, Aug. 28, from noon to 4 p.m. Marilyn Mork will be available to share her sewing and mending expertise, particularly hemming and attaching loose buttons. She pla...
The Alaska Marine Highway System last week announced its fall and winter schedule, showing Wrangell without any ferry service between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15. That’s a change from the draft schedule released in early July which proposed regular weekly northbound service but no southbound ferry stops in alternate weeks from Oct. 1 to mid-November. Ferry schedules in recent years have been constricted by a dwindling fleet of operable vessels and crew shortages. Despite a concerted push to hire more crew, the limitations continue. Though the ferry s...
Attracting people to run for public office in Wrangell can be as difficult as finding a snow shovel to borrow in a winter storm — they are all busy. Nonetheless, they are essential. Quality candidates for borough assembly, school board and port commission are invaluable for the community. The elected bodies control spending in excess of $20 million a year in taxpayer, state and federal money. The members make decisions that affect the life of more than 2,000 residents and the life span of public buildings. It’s a lot of work and a lot of res...
The state needs a new mainline ferry more than ever. The Alaska Marine Highway System is running out of operable ships, further driving away travelers. The scarcity of service makes it hard on locals and even harder on summer visitors, who find the skimpy schedule and undependable service a reason not to bring their RV or camper to Southeast. The 50-year-old Columbia and 60-year-old Matanuska are about as shipshape as could be expected for their age, which is to say both are in regular need of medical attention and at constant risk of...
The job of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. trustees is to focus on pursuing, maintaining and growing our fund. Instead, they are being sidetracked by their plan to open a satellite office in Anchorage by the end of the year. This is the first step in what will end up being a multi-year, disruptive, unnecessary and expensive move to Anchorage. The plan to set up an office in Anchorage is analyzed in a May 10 memo to Board Chair Ethan Schutt, from Mike Barnhill, the Permanent Fund’s chief operations officer. It lays out options and costs (...
Maybe we’ve developed immunity to misleading claims. Just like any other widely prevalent virus, we build up antibodies to fight off new infections. The claims cause nothing more than a mild headache, if that. Like contagious viruses, misleading and dishonest political and advertising claims are all around us, spread by word of mouth and even infectious online touches. There are state candidate claims about a fantasy plan to solve all of Alaska’s budget problems, without taxes and while paying out fat Permanent Fund dividends. Or pre...
The public library would like to thank all the individuals, businesses and organizations that donated prizes for the summer reading program. We appreciate your continued support in assisting us by encouraging children to read during the summer and improve their reading skills. We would especially like to thank: First Bank, for the funds to purchase Skull Candy earbuds for all those who completed the program; Alaska Airlines, for the funds to purchase prizes; the City and Borough of Wrangell; Jeff Angerman, for his ongoing support; Friends of...
Do you love playing sports, spending time outdoors or working with kids? Do you take advantage of Wrangell’s many recreational opportunities and feel a desire to give back? If so, you are likely the type of person the Parks and Recreation Department is looking for. The department put out a call to the community on Aug. 14, seeking residents to volunteer for its many activities, programs and events. The majority of Parks and Recreation programs, from water aerobics to wrestling camp, are run by volunteers, explained Recreation Coordinator D...
When U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg's flight from Juneau to Haines was rained out on Aug. 16, he changed plans and did what Alaskans have done for decades: He boarded a ferry. Sen. Lisa Murkowski traveled with Buttigieg and said the last-minute switch in travel plans "was a typical Alaska jump ball." It was an appropriate capstone to Buttigieg's three-day Alaska visit: a trip intended to emphasize the benefits of the Biden administration's infrastructure law, passed by Congress... Full story
The whistle trills. "50 freestyle! Take your mark!" The athlete gets into position on the platform. The horn sounds. "Go! Let's go!" SPLASH! With the reopening of the community swimming pool, the high school swim team was able to jump into practice and get their feet - and the rest of their bodies - wet for the upcoming competition. As the swimmers finished up their practice sprints on Aug. 17, with coach Jamie Roberts monitoring their form, they began to cool down. "It's especially important th...
James "Jim" Wellington Abbott passed away at age 83 on Aug. 15 in Wrangell. A celebration of life will be held at the Harbor Light Assembly of God Church at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, with a reception to follow from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Elks Lodge. He was born in Des Moines, Iowa, to Arnoldine E. and Emmett W. Abbott. He and his parents resided in Greenfield, Iowa, where Jim attended elementary school and graduated from high school. After graduation, Jim attended the University of Oklahoma... Full story
Doyle Guy Sarff left his earthly home on Aug. 7. He was born in Browerville, Minnesota, on Oct. 20, 1931, to Marvin and Rosamond Aldrich Sarff, and was the youngest of nine siblings. Pre-World War II, the family would eventually make their way west, first to Idaho and then to Oregon. As a young man, Doyle found himself in northern Idaho and eastern Washington and met Delores Dougherty. They married on Dec. 20, 1952, "creating a loving and lasting marriage," the family wrote. The couple had one... Full story
Gary Albert Stevens, 53, passed away in June in his Las Vegas home of natural causes. His memorial service will be at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31, at Chief Shakes House on Shakes Island in Wrangell, followed by a reception and potluck at the American Legion Hall. He was born to Gary James and Susan Georgina Stevens on March 28, 1970, in Wrangell. He was Tlingit and Haida of the Naanyaa.iee clan. His Tlingit names were Gush Tlein, Ts'eil and "Eagle Looking Out on the Ocean." He was the first gran... Full story
Charles William Kangas passed away on May 30, in Anchorage after a short illness. He was born in Wrangell to Charles Edward and Sanra K. Kangas on Oct. 25, 1963. He graduated from Wrangell High School in 1981. Charles worked in various commercial fishing jobs with his father and at the Wrangell sawmill. Later, he worked at Ketchikan Pulp Mill. In Anchorage he worked as a sales representative for Spenard Builders Supply for more than 20 years. "Ever since he was a young man, he enjoyed... Full story
When Leigh Horner slipped out of her house on the outskirts of Fort Seward in Haines last week for a Mai Tai at the distillery, she didn’t realize someone was watching her, waiting for a chance to steal some of her things. But the someone wasn’t a person — it was a grizzly bear, who Horner believes waited in the trees for her to leave and sauntered over to her glistening carrot patch. “They only got the orange carrots, and he very carefully pulled them out of the ground,” said Horner. “The bear was very neat and tidy. I was impressed....
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy is naming a ship after decorated Alaska Native veteran Solomon “Sol” Atkinson, of Metlakatla. Atkinson, who died in 2019, was one of the first Navy SEALs. He was deployed to Korea and completed three tours in Vietnam, for which he was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Among his many acts of service, Atkinson also trained astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in underwater weightless simulations. The Navy announced plans Aug. 7 to name a future Navajo-class oceangoing tug and rescue ship — which are traditi...
More than 150 Alaska Airlines flight attendants demonstrated outside the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport on Aug. 15, part of a broader protest nationally as the airline’s attendants demand what they’re calling their first meaningful pay raise in nearly a decade. “Record profits, corporate greed, Alaska pay us what we need,” they shouted. They hoisted yellow signs with messages such as “pay us or chaos.” First-year flight attendants at the airline make an average base pay of less than $24,000 annually, said LeiLauni Scheideman,...
Monday, Aug. 14 Agency assist: Search and Rescue. Tuesday, Aug. 15 Violation of condition of release. Agency assist: Hoonah Police Department. Citizen assist: Trailer inspection. Vacation check. Agency assist: Fairbanks Police Department. Wednesday, Aug. 16 Warrant arrest: Arrested for violation of condition of release. Traffic stop: Citation issued for speeding. Thursday, Aug. 17 Trespass. Agency assist: Medical alert. Traffic complaint: Verbal warning given to driver. Agency assist: Ambulance. Motor vehicle accident. Friday, Aug. 18 Agency...
