Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 29
After much public scrutiny, the school board voted against accepting an Environmental Protection Agency grant that would fund the purchase on an electric school bus. The board voted 3-2 against the purchase at a special meeting Sept. 9. The district had selected Georgia-based manufacturer Blue Bird for the electric vehicle, which would have arrived in town next year. The bus’s $423,000 price tag exceeded the $378,000 in federal grant money, meaning the school district would have had to dip into its reserve fund to cover the remaining $...
State health officials have recorded 234 cases this year of whooping cough — also known as pertussis — through Sept. 9, more than were reported over the past seven years combined. About three-quarters of this year’s cases came in the past three months. Of the statewide total, SEARHC reports 11 in Southeast from June through early September, Lyndsey Y. Schaefer, communications director for the health care provider, said in an emailed statement Sept. 12. Privacy rules prevent SEARHC from disclosing the communities with whooping cough cases...
A contractor using a remote-operated underwater camera was able to locate and video the community’s damaged wastewater outfall line on Sept. 11, with the borough hoping to put together a game plan this week to repair the damaged pipe. The six- or seven-foot section of damaged 12-inch-diameter plastic pipe is in 77 feet of water, about 1,500 feet from shore, said Tom Wetor, the borough’s Public Works director. Before a boat hooked the pipe when it was pulling up its anchor on Aug. 30, the outfall pipe carried flow from the wastewater tre...
After staging several musicals since the Nolan Center resurrected Wrangell’s community theater in 2022, this fall’s production is a romantic comedy about a man from a rich family who gets engaged to a woman from a very different family. “It’s high-energy hilarious,” co-director Kristen DeBord said of “You Can’t Take It With You.” Rehearsals are underway three days a week, with the cast and other volunteers working toward performances at the Nolan Center on Nov. 1 and 2, and maybe Nov. 3 if advance ticket sales are strong enough, said co...
Sept. 18, 1924 The old system of giving exams and grading papers under which it was possible to earn a grade on mere popularity, or where the mood that a teacher happened to be in had more to do with the grade than the actual work accomplished, has been discarded in Wrangell schools. The new system, which was put into operation with the beginning of the school year, makes it possible to have uniform grading throughout the entire system regardless of whether some teachers may give hard exams and others easy exams. The new system provides that...
STATE PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE will be in Wrangell on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 18-19, and will see clients in the clinic and conduct hearing and vision screenings at Head Start and the elementary school. Immunizations, birth control and STD screening, well-child exams for kids up to age 7, TB screening and medication, Narcan kits and medication disposal bags will be offered. The Public Health Center is in the Kadin Building, 215 Front St. Call 907-723-4611 to make an appointment. RECYCLE SALE FUNDRAISER for St. Frances Animal Rescue and BRAVE a...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $15 million grant to the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska to expand composting operations in five Southeast Alaska communities — and Wrangell could be one of them. The intent of the grant is to reduce organic waste in landfills, reduce greenhouse gas methane emissions generated from decaying garbage and promote local food production, said Brandi Tolsma, an environmental specialist with Tlingit & Haida in Juneau. The tribal council plans to expand its c...
Three young humpback whales were found dead off the west coast of Prince of Wales Island in just two weeks at the end of August. One subadult female was found on Aug. 22 in waters south of El Capitan, while a subadult female and a young male were found in waters near Craig on Aug. 30 and Sept. 2, respectively. On Aug. 30, longtime Craig resident whale-watcher Kathy Peavey heard about one of the whales, the subadult female that was found dead in Squam Bay north of Craig, from Michelle Dutro, an Alaska State Sea Grant fellow who helps monitor...
The school board made the right decision last week to pull the plug on accepting a federal grant to purchase an electric school bus. Just because the EPA grant would have covered 90% of the purchase price doesn’t mean it was a good fit for Wrangell at this time. In this case, board members discussed it at a public meeting and voted down the idea. But it was a close vote, with two of the five board members wanting to go ahead with the purchase. It was a close vote because there are good reasons to run an electric bus rather than continue b...
Gov. Mike Dunleavy made the pledge and he’s stickin’ to it. Too bad he is putting national anti-tax politics above tax fairness in Alaska. Specifically, he vetoed legislation this month that would have taxed car rentals through online platforms the same as car rentals from brick-and-mortar agencies with local offices. And he vetoed legislation two years ago that would have taxed vape and e-cigarette products the same as traditional tobacco products. The car rental fairness legislation passed with 51 out of 60 state senators and rep...
In early August an ad hoc meeting was held in Ketchikan by a group consisting of knowledgeable residents who had followed the Alaska Marine Highway Service since its inception in the early 1960s. The purpose of was to discuss how to revise the system. We addressed AMHS maintenance. We discussed using money made available to AMHS through the federal infrastructure legislation to restructure the system. Finally, we discussed the need to reestablish the run to Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Operationally, we currently have only one vessel, the...
As Alaskans from different organizations convened at the University of Alaska Anchorage to brainstorm ways to reverse the state’s continuing population outmigration, a leading state economist delivered some bad news. Dan Robinson, research chief at the Alaska Department of Labor, revealed that the latest data shows that Alaska has now had 12 consecutive years with more residents leaving than arriving. That is unprecedented, he said. “This is not normal for us. It hasn’t happened before,” Robinson said on Sept. 5 at the start of the two-day... Full story
Wrangell’s moose season opened last week. The one-month window runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. Those hunting on Wrangell, neighboring islands and the mainland are permitted to harvest one bull this fall. There are no regulation changes from last hunting season, and Frank Robbins, Petersburg-Wrangell area biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said he has not seen any notable changes to the health of the central Southeast herd. Last year’s Petersburg-Wrangell area harvest was a record 141 moose, exceeding the previous hig...
In their third race of the season, the Wrangell cross-country team boasted several personal-best times at the Sitka Invitational on Sept. 14. Standout junior Boomchain Loucks was the boys highest finisher, crossing the line in second place with a personal best of 16:42.46. Loucks, who won the season’s previous two races, has improved on his time every race so far this year. The boys team finished third behind the much larger schools from Ketchikan and Sitka — which won their home race. The boys bronze medal finish was spurred on by Ian Nel...
After 58 years in Wrangell, nine years on the assembly and two separate stints as vice mayor, David Powell decided now is the time to run for Wrangell's highest elected position. And while he is up against incumbent Patty Gilbert, Powell wants it known that he is not running against Gilbert in a typical fashion. When asked why voters should check the box next to his name on Oct. 1, he hesitated to give a response - not because he wasn't sure why people should vote for him - but because he...
Mayor Patty Gilbert ran for the office in 2022 with two goals in mind: economic development and improvements to the community's infrastructure. As she looks to win reelection this year, her goals haven't changed. Before becoming mayor, she served on the city council and borough assembly for 14 years. She also served on the school board between 2020 and 2022. A lifelong teacher with a classroom career spanning across six decades, Gilbert is confident she can continue to move Wrangell forward in...
Bob Dalrymple likes what the borough has managed to get done the past few years, particularly its focus on maintenance of public facilities and developing new capital projects, such as winning a federal grant to rebuild the downtown harbor floats. "I'd like to keep up with that momentum," said Dalrymple, who is running unopposed for a second three-year term on the assembly. "There are some real challenges coming up." He lists among the challenges finding a way to dispose of the former hospital...
Jim DeBord is running unopposed for election to a second consecutive three-year term on the borough assembly. He declined a Sentinel request for an interview. In addition to winning election to the assembly in 2021, DeBord served a one-year term 2018-2019....
If she wins a second term as school board member, Angela Allen said she wants to go after specific grants, encourage homeschooling parents to enroll their children in the public school system, and open the doors for communication between parents and the school board. She is up against fellow incumbent Brittani Robbins and newcomer Dan Powers. The seats will go to the two candidates with the most votes in the Oct. 1 municipal election. Terms will run through 2027. Allen moved to Wrangell for her...
Brittani Robbins is running for a three-year term on the school board in a contested election against fellow incumbent Angela Allen and newcomer Dan Powers. The top vote-getters will win the two seats. In addition to serving on the school board since 2021, Robbins also serves on the borough assembly, a seat she won in 2022. She has worked as executive director for Wrangell's chamber of commerce and served as chair of the school district's budget and finance committee. A graduate of the Wrangell...
Dan Powers does a little bit of everything. In the mornings he drives the school bus. During the day he owns and operates a local tour service called Experience Wrangell. Some days he is managing his rental properties and other days he is playing gigs alongside his wife and longtime musical partner Shelley Powers. And in the evenings, well, Powers has seven kids (and one on the way), so things can get unpredictable. But now, he just wants to make the peace. "I'm a peacemaker," he said before...
Lillian Patricia Lackey, 76, of Soldotna, died peacefully in her sleep on Sept. 10, 2024. Lillian, or Lilli Pat as she was known to some, was born March 24, 1948, to Kenneth Lincoln "Link" and Elizabeth "Tiny" Lewis in Wrangell. She graduated from Wrangell High School in 1966, and attended secondary school in Cleveland, Ohio, before returning to Alaska to live in Anchorage. In 1968, Lillian married Thomas C. Lackey, and together they moved to Tom's hometown in Georgia, where they lived until ret... Full story
Monday, Sept. 9 Failure to stop for a school bus. Dog at large. Tuesday, Sept. 10 Vacation check. Traffic stop. Wednesday, Sept. 11 Letter served for removal from a licensed premise. Letter served for removal from a licensed premise. Animal complaint about a cat. Thursday, Sept. 12 Agency assist: Ambulance. Friday, Sept. 13 Civil matter. Agency assist: Hoonah Police Department. Saturday, Sept. 14 Agency assist: Ambulance. Citation for failure to provide proof of insurance. Agency assist: Hoonah Police Department. Traffic stop. Agency assist:...
