Sorted by date Results 1 - 23 of 23
Child care has been a pressing need in the community for some time, and the Wrangell Cooperative Association is hoping to address the issue at least in some part. Starting last week, the WCA distributed surveys on bulletin boards around town, on its website and on Facebook. The survey will help the organization assess how great the need is. “We’re looking to assess the need in our community as a whole,” said Esther Reese, tribal administrator for WCA. The organization is asking how many families need child care, what days of the week are neede...
In a relatively short season, the Wrangell High School boys cross country team went from training to champions. The team won the Division III state title last Saturday at the ASAA/First National Bank Alaska Cross Country Running Championships in Anchorage, making it the first in the program's history. Assistant coach Mason Villarma predicted the runners had the potential to make history for the school after only a couple of meets earlier in the season. That prediction came true with the team...
The U.S. Forest Service spent last week showing that the wildlife at Anan Creek aren't your average bears. From the chilliest to the chunkiest, the inaugural Anan Bear Awards were posted via Facebook from Oct. 3 to Oct. 7, honoring nine bears for their unique personalities. Paul Robbins, public affairs officer for the Tongass National Forest, said the awards are modeled after the Katmai National Park and Preserve's Fat Bear Week held at the same time. In that event, National Park Service...
Several thousand people needed help after communities in Western Alaska were ravaged by the tail end of a typhoon in mid-September. Though the affected region is more than 1,200 miles away from Wrangell, residents here wanted to help however they could. With icier months fast approaching places like Hooper Bay and Nome, cold-weather gear will be necessary. "People called me and asked if we were going to do anything," said Jana Wright, Wrangell Cooperative Association staff member. Wright said...
Oct. 5, 1922 The following letter received by Mrs. Josephine Mason refers to work allotted to the local Red Cross women last spring for convalescent hospitals. Twenty-two suits of pajamas and 12 convalescent robes were made. For a few weeks a few women remained faithful to the work, sacrificing home and social duty that the work might be finished in the allotted time. “The report of production on your letter notifying us of your shipment, safely at hand. We want to tell you how very grateful we were for this wonderful work for our disabled m...
When the days get chilly and the nights get longer, nothing says fall like curling up with a good book. Last Friday, for the first time in three years, Wrangell children were able to enjoy story time together at the Irene Ingle Public Library, instead of at home through Zoom rectangles. Sarah Merritt, library services support and designated storybook reader, shared four autumn tales filled with pictures of colorful leaves and plentiful harvests as kids and their parents listened. Near the end...
Wrangell’s Native community is critical of last month’s chamber-sponsored economic forum for its lack of tribal presentations on the agenda and the offensive comment of a speaker. The chamber of commerce organized the five-hour session to spark a discussion about Wrangell’s economic future and create a space for business leaders to share their perspectives. However, key players in Wrangell’s economic landscape — particularly representatives of the tribal government — were not offered the opportunity to present. Esther Aaltséen Reese, triba...
Wrangell voters last week defeated a proposed $8.5 million bond issue that would have paid for needed repairs at the almost 40-year-old Public Safety Building, which suffers from water damage, rot and other problems. Despite general grumpiness around town over property taxes, borough spending, the economy and inflation, the defeat was not overwhelming. The proposition lost by just 65 votes out of 583 ballots cast, 44.4% to 55.6%. That is not an insurmountable margin to overcome — and it is margin that the borough assembly needs to confront. R...
It’s not a headline I take lightly, but it’s scary that almost 300 Republican candidates for U.S. Senate, House and key statewide offices around the country have denied or questioned the outcome of the last presidential election. Not on the basis of proven facts but based on contrived conspiracy theories and marching orders from the candidate who lost the election because 7 million more voters cast their ballots for the other guy. Almost 300 election deniers running for important offices is not an inconsequential or harmless number and many of...
Patty Gilbert was sworn in as mayor last Thursday, and in her first days in office plans to “(continue) the heavy work.” She hopes to revitalize the borough’s economic development committee, support local businesses and promote new ones. “It’ll be a full agenda,” she said. The borough assembly certified the election results last Thursday. The ballot proposition to issue $8.5 million in bonds for Public Safety Building repairs failed 259 to 324 in the Oct. 4 election. Since the building is still in need of costly repairs, the assembly wi...
From the slate-gray shores of petroglyph beach to the splash of the community pool's chlorine-filled waters, the sights and sounds of Wrangell star in Maryann Landers' most recent novel, "Alaskan Escape." Landers' readers and friends gathered at the Stikine Inn last Friday for a book signing. "Alaskan Escape" is the fourth novel in Landers' Alaska Women of Caliber series, which follows Christian women's experiences with faith and family in Alaska. Landers based each of her "women of caliber" on...
Joint locks and compression locks might sound like the perils of getting old, but they are among hundreds of moves that are incorporated into Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighting. Though the sport can seem intimidating to first-time students, a group in Wrangell is working to welcome newcomers and highlight the many benefits. Jiu-jitsu was created over 100 years ago, originating from judo. Brazilian jiu-jitsu was created in the 1920s and has become one of, if not the fastest-growing martial arts in the...
The public can now provide comments on more than 50 cabin projects proposed by the U.S. Forest Service in the Tongass and Chugach National Forests. The comment period is open until Oct. 31. A page on the Forest Service website found at bit.ly/3Cc8PPr allows visitors to review options where new cabins could be built, existing cabins fixed up and sites where existing cabins could be moved. “We want to hear from the public about what they want to see,” said James King, Alaska Region director of recreation, lands and minerals, in a statement. “Kn...
Doctors may get all the attention, hefty salaries and steamy medical TV shows, but they are not the only health care professionals who play essential roles in the real-life drama of a hospital. Laboratory teams work with pipettes and samples behind the scenes, performing the tests that doctors use to diagnose illness. Patients at the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium's Wrangell Medical Center can rest assured that their test results are being processed with precision. The center's...
In what is apparently a first for Alaska, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly passed an ordinance last week that will prohibit the use of voting tabulation machines for borough elections, starting next year. The new Mat-Su ordinance, approved Oct. 4, caps off a months-long effort from a group of residents determined to ban the use of voting machines spurred on by false claims of election fraud. Last month, the assembly unanimously voted to use a hand-count to verify the results of the Nov. 8 borough election, but voting machines will still...
U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola’s “pro-fish” message was met with scrutiny at an Oct. 4 candidate forum in Kodiak that focused on the commercial fishing industry. Peltola was sworn in to the U.S. House last month after winning a special election to serve out the fourth-month remainder of the late Rep. Don Young’s term. Peltola, a Democrat, now faces another election against Republicans Nick Begich III and former Gov. Sarah Palin, along with Libertarian Chris Bye, to determine who will hold Alaska’s lone U.S. House seat for the two-year term that begi...
An out-of-place Steller sea lion stopped traffic in the Prince William Sound community of Valdez last Friday morning, making for a memorable shift for patrol Sgt. Chad Clements with the Valdez Police Department. Clements said officers began getting calls about a sea lion loose on land near the harbor at around 6:30 a.m. Soon, they received a call that the sea lion had moved to the parking lot of an RV park near the local Captain Joe’s Gas Station — even farther from the water than where it was initially spotted. “It was like, ‘All right,...
Two Russians who said they fled their country to avoid military service have requested asylum in the U.S. after beaching their boat on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea, Alaska U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office said last Thursday. Karina Borger, a Murkowski spokesperson, by email said the office has been in communication with the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection and that “the Russian nationals reported that they fled one of the coastal communities on the east coast of Russia to avoid compulsory military service.” Spoke...
JUNEAU (AP) — Acting state Revenue Commissioner Deven Mitchell has been chosen as the new chief executive of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. The announcement was made Oct. 3. The corporation said in a statement that the selection “is contingent on the successful negotiation of a salary and benefits package” and that a start date has not yet been set. Mitchell has called Alaska’s nest-egg oil wealth fund the state’s “trump card” as a renewable source of revenue, the Anchorage Daily News reported. His message to the board was that he would not...
Monday, Oct. 3 Parking complaint. Agency assist: Alaska State Troopers. Found property. Traffic stop. Curfew. Tuesday, Oct. 4 Criminal mischief. Harassment. Summons service. Vehicle unlock. Domestic violence: Paper service. Dangerous play: Unfounded. Wednesday, Oct. 5 Agency assist: Pre-trial. Citizen assist. Agency assist: Harbor Department. Trespassing. Agency assist: Ambulance. Disturbance. Thursday, Oct. 6 Welfare check. Dog complaint. Dog complaint. Noise complaint. Illegal parking. Friday, Oct. 7 Agency assist. Harassment. Noise...
Prison reform advocates are calling on Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration to order an independent review of the state Department of Corrections. The department recently reported its 15th death this year of a person in custody death. William Hensley III, 34, died Oct. 2at Goose Creek Correctional Center in Wasilla after a month in custody. With this death, Corrections matches the highest number of in-custody deaths the department has seen in the past decade. In 2015, 15 people died in Corrections custody. “These are people and they’re dying...
SHOES FOR SALE New, never worn slip-on women’s shoes. Both a brown and black pair available, both size 7.5, and comes with spray, $40 obo. Lifts won’t work on these shoes. Call Marline at 907-874-4414. FREE ADS Do you have something to sell? Having a garage sale? Looking to buy something? Classified ads for individuals and community groups are free in the Sentinel. Contact Amber at 907-874-2301 or email wrgsent@gmail.com....
Alaska has special opportunities for developing a thriving aquaculture industry, but also special challenges that stand in the way of such ambitions, according to a new strategic science plan issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The plan is intended to guide aquaculture-related research conducted over the next five years by NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center. The report focuses on “the development of shellfish and algae aquaculture, also known as mariculture.” It adds, “This plan specifically includes shellfi...