Sorted by date Results 1 - 24 of 24
The Wrangell Borough Assembly voted Tuesday 4-2 against asking the Southeast Alaska Power Authority for $55,000 in “net non-billable” expenses. The resolution as voted on had instructed borough Administrator Jeff Jabusch to withhold that amount from power payments made to SEAPA in the event that they declined. However, Mayor David Jack directed Jabusch to seek legal advice as to whether such a claim had any legal standing, and to consult with an attorney to that end. The vote and subsequent direction to the administrator seemed to strike a bal... Full story
After 60 years of greeting tourists visiting Wrangell, Lurine McGee officially called it quits earlier this year. “Well, I’m 91 (years old),” she said. “Don’t you think it’s time?” The retired nurse and grandmother of four has been a fixture to decades of cruise ship passengers looking to take in Wrangell, often walking down to the terminal in driving wind and heavy rain. She officially greeted her last cruise ship Aug. 7. “It’s getting harder for me to get down there, particularly if the weathe... Full story
October 16, 1913: The last week has witnessed a big change in one of Wrangell's landmarks, the Pioneer Hotel which was built to accommodate the traveling public after the big fire which wiped out the Wrangell Hotel and until another could be built. At the time it was built the streets were not surveyed and when they were, it left the Pioneer some ten feet from the sidewalk which has now been built out and a good imposing front spot which makes an added improvement in the looks of the building and very much needed improvement in the looks of Fro...
Vandals burned two shelters in the Wrangell unit of the Tongass National Forest, Forest Service officials said. The damage to both the North Wrangell High Country Shelter and the Kunk Lake Shelter occurred some time between Sept. 2 and Sept 11, according to Wrangell unit Ranger Bob Dalrymple. Officials didn’t yet have a dollar value for the damage, and were waiting for clear weather to assess the damage, Dalrymple said. In either case, a fire started on the floor of the shelters burned through the wood floor, he added. “I don’t think the inten... Full story
Monday, September 16 Citation issued to Jazmyn Waddington-Wright, 21, for Dog At Large. Agency Assist/FD: 911 report of oven fire. Tuesday, September 17 Nothing to Report. Wednesday, September 18 Officer gave individual a ride. Caller reported their dog missing. Report of person’s dog tangled up. Officer responded and untangled the dog. Person reported their dog missing again. Caller report that someone pulled out in front of them and they had to slam on their brakes to keep from hitting them. Officer notified. Thursday, September 19 Person r...
On September 11, Wrangell Deputy Magistrate Leanna Splinter adjudicated the following case: Jack L. Fain, 56, was found guilty of Driving without Valid Operator License. He was sentenced to one year probation and ordered to pay $200 in fines and surcharges....
To the Editor: Let’s pull at the heart strings here and I speak of our seniors, children and animals and lowering the sales tax. Again there is no reason to cut one thing. Boy they must want your over charged taxes bad by hitting below the belt. One our children’s education: Explained to me how our borough government can approve $100,000.00 reimbursement for moving expenses with no receipts, not budgeted for and when it was presented didn’t even know which fund of our governments monies this would come from? In the same breath our government th...
Kjell Nore, Sr., 84, died on June 29, 2013 in Wrangell, Alaska. He was born to Marie and Per Nore on April 3, 1929 in Wrangell and was a lifelong resident with the exception of his Army tour in Fairbanks. He and Betty Desmond were married on Jan. 9, 1952 and were the proud parents of four children: Betsy, Ruth, Kjell Jr., and Sheryl. His working career included the Army and the Alaska Territorial Guard but mostly in and around the fishing industry. He fished with Al Binkley and his own... Full story
Christian P. Kirschenmann, 62, died in Harborview Hospital in Seattle, Wash. on August 26, 2013. He was born in Snoqualmie Falls, Wash. on May 14, 1952. There he grew up with his father Edgar Kirschenmann, mother Evelyn Johnson along with two sisters and a brother. Christian spent much time in Snoqualmie working in the Weyhers mill until 1978. At that time he decided to move to Alaska where he did some logging, working in the Wrangell mill. Christian made Wrangell his home until 1987 when he... Full story
Name: Billie Younce As of press time no candidate questionnaire had been turned in....
Name: John Yeager Age: 45 Occupation: Fishing Guide and co-owner of Alaska Charters & Adventures. What is your previous experience on boards or other relevant experience related to the position you are seeking? I have been on the Port Commission for a few years now and have had the privilege of serving with some positive, community driven individuals. I like the diversity and combined years of experience our current Commission has. I feel that a Commission with members that represent all aspects...
Name: Cynthia Waddington Age: 39 Occupation: Wrangell Chamber of Commerce Office Manager What background or experience do you have that qualifies you to be on the Wrangell School Board? I believe that education is the key to success. I am a college graduate and fully support the goal of ensuring that our students excel to their potential. I am currently the Executive Director of the Chamber Board of Directors, and understand the importance of conducting productive meetings. My business...
Name: Rinda Howell As of press time no candidate questionnaire had been turned in....
By Brian O’Connor Sentinel writer The Thomas Bay Power Commission heard acrimonious discussion Tuesday about the power authority at the center of a political tussle between the Petersburg and Wrangell borough assemblies. Discussion centered around two central questions: the short-term future of the Authority and the longer-term future of electricity generation and sales in Southeast Alaska. Commissioner Warren Edgley moved for discussion on the possibility of eliminating the Thomas Bay Power A... Full story
The Wrangell hospital board voted 4-0 Sept. 18 to pursue a Level IV trauma certification for the Wrangell Medical Center. The certification would establish the medical center as a primary care giver for traumatic injuries, meaning life-saving care could be available to trauma victims immediately, according to the American College of Surgeons and hospital officials. For victims themselves, it could mean the difference between flying to Wrangell and having to make the sometimes-perilous trip to Ketchikan instead. That issue was on the mind of...
Apart from a few minor road sign adjustments, the Zimovia Highway renovation is completed, according to state transportation officials. Officials from the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities drove the 13.4-mile stretch of highway Friday as part of the final inspection, during which the contractor presents the nearly completed results to the state. The $9.9-million project primarily entailed resurfacing Zimovia Highway from near the Wrangell Public Safety building to the very...
PETERSBURG, Alaska (AP) — Federal marine mammal officials say it’s too soon to determine the cause of death for a female humpback whale found near Kake earlier this month. The whale was first reported around Sept. 1 in Keku Strait near Kake, KFSK reported. Kate Savage, a marine mammal specialist with the NOAA Fisheries protected resources division in Juneau, said the dead whale was later floated to an island outside Kake for a necropsy. The cause of death was immediately evident, but injuries appear similar to those of humpbacks that have col...
Shoppers and vendors milled around the last farmer’s market of the year in the Nolan Center Saturday with commerce on their mind. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to ask them about the annual boost to the economy known as the Permanent Fund Divident, said to be $900 by state officials Sept. 19. That amount is between nine and four times what the average vendor will make at the market in a weekend, planners and vendors said. It was not enough, apparently, for most people at the market, t...
Runners recorded nine personal bests at the Juneau Cross-country meet Saturday. “It was a really great meet for us,” said coach Monty Buness. “I think in 20 plus years of coaching I’ve never seen that (many personal bests).” Bryce Gerald again led the pack across the line and dropped his time to 17:45, down 27 seconds from the previous meet in Wrangell Sept. 15. That was good enough for second place among the small schools, and twelfth overall. Robbie Marshall finished 18:16, four seconds o...
At some point in the future, faces appearing on the big and small screen could have a Wrangell connection. Adrian Prescott, 17, and Jerryn Gray, 9, are the children of Wrangellite and current Wasilla resident Kelli Gray, and recently participated in a talent search session in Anchorage on a whim over the summer at the behest of Adrien’s friend, Kelli said. “The funny thing is, she asked us if she could get a ride in,” she said. “We decided to enter almost on a lark.” Instead, Adrian and Jerry...
News that mining giant Anglo-American plans to withdraw from the Pebble Mine project was greeted with joy by opponents who hailed it as a victory for the people of Bristol Bay and for the region’s resources. Pebble would be the largest gold and copper mine in North America, and its location looms over the world’s biggest sockeye salmon fishery at Bristol Bay. But even though London-based Anglo has pulled out of the Pebble Partnership, Northern Dynasty Minerals of Canada still remains. And they insist the project is still very much alive. “Th...
Anyone walking or driving through the Seattle metropolitan area this past weekend might have spied some colorful birds from Wrangell. The “Blue-Footed Boobies” Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure team recently returned to Wrangell after completing a sixty-mile three-day walk through Seattle and environs. The four members of the team, which picked up a spare member from Juneau, raised more than $15,000 in sponsorships for the event, which raises funds for the Susan G. Komen breast cancer research fu...
Teachers and students at Stikine Middle School accomplished a feat unequaled among similar schools this year. The school received a five-star Alaska School Performance Index score from the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development. It was the only such rating granted among schools composed exclusively of students in grades six through eight, and places the school in the top 11 percent of all Alaska Schools, according to education department statistics released Aug. 16. The score could mean a money reward – termed a “financial inc...
