Articles from the August 27, 2020 edition


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  • Schools to open with in-person classes

    Caleb Vierkant|Aug 27, 2020

    After deliberation by school administration, the Wrangell School District will be opening the new year with in-person classes. In an announcement by Superintendent Debbe Lancaster, on Aug. 24, all three schools will be operating at the "medium risk" level of their SMART Start plan. The decision comes after consulting with local and state officials on this decision, she said. "Please keep in mind that we will strictly adhere to our mitigation plan, our district has mandated masks on all district...

  • New COVID case, 17 total

    Caleb Vierkant|Aug 27, 2020

    The City and Borough of Wrangell announced another confirmed case of COVID-19 this afternoon, Aug. 28. Like the previous case, the newest case is asymptomatic and was identified through an employee testing program. The patient is in isolation. This brings the total number of cases in Wrangell to 17, according to the press release. Of these, only two are considered active. Six of the cases have been found in non-locals, while the other 11 were Wrangell residents. The city’s press release also reports that, according to state documents, a...

  • Another COVID case identified in employee testing program

    Caleb Vierkant|Aug 27, 2020

    The City and Borough of Wrangell announced a new case of COVID-19 was identified today, Aug. 31. This case, like the previous case identified on Aug. 28, was found via an employee testing program. The patient is asymptomatic and is in isolation. This is the 18th case Wrangell has seen, in total. Of these, 11 cases were Wrangell locals and the other seven were non-locals. Only three cases are considered active at this time....

  • Assembly reviews 2019 audit, rescinds CARES Act funding for school district, declares economic disaster

    Caleb Vierkant|Aug 27, 2020

    The Wrangell Borough Assembly met Tuesday evening, Aug. 25. During this meeting, they reviewed an FY 2019 audit of the borough. This item was postponed from their meeting on Aug. 11, to wait for a representative from the auditing firm to be available to answer questions. According to the agenda packet, the fund balance for the city's governmental funds sits at $53.65 million, and approximately $54.31 million in the enterprise funds. Of these, unrestricted funds sit at about $9.16 million and $5....

  • Confusion on hiring of new pastor

    Caleb Vierkant|Aug 27, 2020

    In the Aug. 13 edition of the Wrangell Sentinel, the newspaper reported on a story involving Hope Community Church of God, and the potential hiring of William Vorrasi as a new pastor. The church announced that it would not be hiring Vorrasi in an Aug. 2 Facebook post, after community backlash when people learned Vorrasi was on the sex offender registry. However, according to two church board members, this announcement was premature. Jacquie Dozier and Bonnie Stutz said that they are board...

  • School board discusses Juneau shopping trip in special meeting

    Caleb Vierkant|Aug 27, 2020

    The Wrangell School Board held a special meeting Monday, Aug. 24, to discuss recent travel and purchases made by the superintendent and school staff. Last week, Superintendent Debbe Lancaster and three other members of the school district traveled to Juneau for a shopping trip. This was to acquire some key items related to reopening the schools and COVID-19 mitigation, she said. There were several reasons this was a topic of discussion for the board, among them being a lack of communication...

  • Alaskans for Better Elections campaigning for new election rules

    Caleb Vierkant|Aug 27, 2020

    Shea Siegert, campaign manager for Alaskans for Better Elections, recently spoke to the Wrangell Sentinel about their organization. With limited opportunities for in-person events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, they are trying to get the word out about their campaign in any way they can. Their campaign, he said, is to make some big changes to the way elections are run in the state of Alaska. "These are really important for Alaskans because we are facing some big problems with our...

  • Coho derby kicks off tomorrow, halibut derby on Labor Day weekend

    Caleb Vierkant|Aug 27, 2020

    Wrangell's annual coho and halibut derbies are just around the corner. The coho salmon derby begins tomorrow, Aug. 28, and will run until Sept. 7. The halibut derby, meanwhile, will take place from Sept. 4 to Sept. 7. Last year, in the 2019 fishing derbies, over 220 tickets were sold to participants. For those participating in the derbies, weigh-in stations will be located at the Chamber of Commerce office from Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., or the harbor master's office at Reliance...

  • New crispy snack uses Bristol Bay sockeye salmon skins

    Laine Welch|Aug 27, 2020

    Snacks that are good for people and the planet now come in the form of crispy chips that are made from Bristol Bay sockeye salmon skins. The new, flash fried snack was spawned by a Los Angeles-based company called Goodfish, which aims to “propel sustainable seafood into our mass-market consumer culture.” It is the second venture for partners Justin Guilbert and Douglas Riboud, a well-financed duo who are committed to trailblazing brands that have “higher standards of sourcing, manufacturing, and social ethos.” A decade ago they co-foun...

  • Welcome back at EES

    Aug 27, 2020

    Staff at Evergreen Elementary School held a "welcome back" event to greet students for the upcoming school year. Maintaining social distance, due to COVID-19, families were invited to drive by the school, say hello to the teachers, and pick up a back-to-school packet and some popsicles. Pictured is teacher Mikki Angerman greeting Fiona and Duncan Scambler, kindergarten and second grade respectively....

  • The Way We Were

    Aug 27, 2020

    August 26, 1920 Last week the Sentinel sold over 100 extra copies to local people who sent them away to their friends in the States. The landing of the airplanes in Alaska was a history making event, and we commend our friends for being eager to advertise the fact. August 31, 1945 Mrs. L.M. Campbell was hostess Wednesday afternoon for a delightful informal tea held at her home. The house was beautifully arrayed with flowers and decorations for the tea, which was held in honor of women newly arrived in Wrangell. Attending the affair, for which...

  • Police report

    Aug 27, 2020

    August 17 Agency Assist: Department of Transportation. Agency Assist: Fire Department. Disturbance. August 18 Agency Assist: US Forest Service. Agency Assist: Office of Child Services. Suspicious Circumstance. Welfare Check. August 19 Burglar Alarm. Agency Assist: Petersburg Police Department. August 20 Fraud. Summons Service. Subpoena Service. August 21 Sexual Assault: Victor Stead, 35, charged with Sexual Assault I, Assault II with Deadly Weapon, Burglary II Domestic Violence. Agency Assist: Public Works. August 22 Drug Paraphernalia....

  • Letter to the Editor

    Aug 27, 2020

    To the Editor: As the marine highway workgroup strides into August, I want to provide an update on what we have been doing, and where we are heading. Our meetings have been streamed live on Facebook, and recordings are available online at http://dot.alaska.gov/comm/amh-reshaping-workgroup/ if you wish to hear our specific discussions. In line with Governor Dunleavy's Administrative Order No 313, we have reviewed the Northern Economic draft report of January 2020 as well as reports prepared for...

  • Rainbow over Wrangell

    Aug 27, 2020

    After quite a bit of rainy weather, a large rainbow could be seen over Wrangell on the morning of Aug. 20. Pictured is the rainbow arching over Reid Street....

  • Wrangell says so long to Geralds

    Aug 27, 2020

    Community members gathered together last Saturday afternoon at Shoemaker Park, Aug. 24, for a send off party for the Gerald family. The Geralds have been regular sights in town and at Harbor Light Assembly of God for about 13 years. This Sunday, they will be moving north. Jen Gerald said they are pursuing new opportunities with True North, church in Fairbanks. Pictured is the Gerald family (left to right): Matt, Abby, and Jen....