Articles from the October 21, 2021 edition


Sorted by date  Results 1 - 25 of 32

  • The Way We Were

    Oct 21, 2021

    Oct. 20, 1921 A new record in riverboat building is being established in Wrangell this week. The builder is Charles Binkley and the boat, which was begun Monday morning, will leave on high tide tomorrow afternoon for Telegraph Creek, B.C., with several passengers. Charles Vance and family, who have been here for several weeks, were anxious to return to their home in Telegraph as soon as possible, and both Barrington boats had been put into winter quarters. Mr. Vance failed to make satisfactory arrangements for the trip and Mr. Binkley decided...

  • State spending almost $900,000 a year to keep Malaspina tied to the dock

    Jacob Resneck, CoastAlaska Radio|Oct 21, 2021

    The cost of keeping the idled state ferry Malaspina at the dock in Ketchikan is nearly twice as much as reported to the public and state lawmakers. That's according to internal emails obtained by CoastAlaska under state public records law. The nearly 60-year-old Malaspina, one of the marine highway's original three sister ships, hasn't carried passengers in almost two years. It's costing the state almost $900,000 a year to insure and maintain the unused ship. Gov. Mike Dunleavy's administration...

  • Tlingit culture, language lives on through heritage learners

    Sarah Aslam|Oct 21, 2021

    It gets so heavy, sometimes you just want to put it down is how Virginia Oliver describes preserving the Tlingit language. "You want to cry," she said, "because it feels like your brain is going to explode. But then, your Elders just tell you, 'It's too heavy right now, just put it down for a little while and pick it back up.'" The international Endangered Languages Project and a U.N. agency estimate there are 200 fluent Tlingit speakers left, but the majority of the sources for that data are a...

  • Supply chain disruptions trickle down to Wrangell stores

    Marc Lutz|Oct 21, 2021

    It's like nothing they've ever had to deal with in business. Supply chain disruptions stemming from the pandemic have made it harder and more expensive to get groceries, building supplies, appliances and even flowers, causing Wrangell businesses to wait sometimes more than a year for deliveries. COVID-19 has had crippling effects on the U.S. economy, decreasing the amount of workers and increasing the amount of time it can take to receive goods and services. In a report issued by the White...

  • Barges will use old sawmill dock while ramp under repair

    Sarah Aslam|Oct 21, 2021

    A lifeline for food and supplies needs fixing - one of the flotation tanks beneath Wrangell's barge ramp has a hole. Port Director Steve Miller said harbor staff at the end of August noticed the ramp wasn't raising high enough. There are two buoyancy tanks below the ramp. By adding or removing air, the ramp, originally constructed in 1977, can be raised or lowered to meet the deck of the barge to match the tides. A second flotation tank was added in the 1980s to handle the additional weight when...

  • Police report

    Oct 21, 2021

    Monday, Oct. 11 Nothing to report. Tuesday, Oct. 12 Domestic violence order served. Extra patrols. Wednesday, Oct. 13 Dog complaint. Citizen assist. Reckless driving. State Office of Children’s Services: Referral. Theft. Civil standby. Traffic stops (two). Thursday, Oct. 14 Criminal mischief. Dog complaint. Request for transport: Agency assist. Subpoena service. Friday, Oct. 15 Domestic dispute. Theft of service. Parking complaint. Traffic stops (two). Citizen assist. Domestic dispute. Subpoena service. Noise complaint. Saturday, Oct. 16 C...

  • Classified ads

    Oct 21, 2021

    HELP WANTED Art studio production assistant. Part time, year-round, flexible hours. Pay depending on experience. Call 907-874-3508 or email brenda@marineartist.com to apply. WANTED Girl Scout Troop 26 is seeking donations or building materials to build new aluminum can recycling bins at Wrangell IGA and City Market to earn their community service badge. 907-204-0737 or zippylizzie86@hotmail.com. FOR SALE Remote property, Thoms Place subdivision, South Wrangell Island. 1.88 acres, waterfront. Call 907-321-3240. FREE Recycled newspapers. Stop by...

  • Five apply for job as interim borough manager

    Sarah Aslam|Oct 21, 2021

    The borough received five applications for the interim borough manager position: Jeff Good, of Wrangell; Gene Green, of Silverton, Oregon; Mark Lynch, of Stanford, Illinois; Darrell Maple, of Jacksonville, Oregon; and David Palmer, of Anacortes, Washington. Manager Lisa Von Bargen’s last day will be Oct. 29. The interim borough manager will fulfill the duties of manager until a new manager can be hired. The position will be a short-time hire, with an expected commitment of between one to three months, according to the borough's job notice. P...

  • Area moose hunt tops 100 for eighth year in a row

    Marc Lutz|Oct 21, 2021

    Moose hunting season came to an end on Oct. 15, and the trend to top 100 kills in the region continued for the eighth year in a row. According to Frank Robbins, Alaska Department Fish and Game wildlife biologist, 85 moose were killed in Unit 3, which includes Wrangell, Mitkof, Kupreanof, Woewodski and Zarembo islands. Of those 76, five were on Wrangell. Unit 1B, which encompasses Farragut Bay, the Stikine River, Thomas Bay and other mainland areas, had 34 legal kills. The Stikine had the...

  • Students think about life and helping others

    Wrangell Sentinel|Oct 21, 2021

    Rather than grumbling about face masks or grousing about politics, many of Wrangell’s students are working to improve the school, the community and the world. They are thinking about their life in the future and the life of others today. Good for them, and good for everyone. The high school students in BASE — Building a Supportive Environment — are working to help feed other students, recognize staff for their good work, support students who are having trouble, and even contribute to a microloan program that helps people in need around the w...

  • A 100-foot track to nowhere is no railroad

    Larry Persily|Oct 21, 2021

    Businesses have learned over the years how to steer around government rules, avoiding many of the requirements that will cost them money. Nothing necessarily illegal about that unless the company goes so far over the line that even the federal bureaucracy can’t help but notice. It’s similar to baseball, when a runner is trying to avoid the tag. Umpires allow a little latitude when the runner steps outside the basepath, but if the player go so far outside the line that they could shake hands with fans in the stands, the ump has no choice but...

  • Letters to the editor

    Oct 21, 2021

    Mayor should conduct himself in a more professional manner I would like to personally thank Bob Lippert (letter to the editor, Oct. 7 Sentinel) for standing up for his belief, and the belief of others within this community and elsewhere. Thank you for your forthrightness and courage to speak up. There are people (like myself) who aren’t overly adept at social media platforms. Without the letter you put in the newspaper, I would not have known the mayor’s apparent disdain for myself and others he purports to serve. It is human nature to dis...

  • Forest Service money should go to ferry system

    Frank Murkowski|Oct 21, 2021

    Former and current secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack, who was instrumental in reimposing the 2001 roadless rule on the Tongass National Forest in 2011 and is planning to reimpose it again before Nov. 1, has announced a new Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy “to help support a diverse economy, enhance community resilience, and conserve natural resources.” This is to be “a collaborative process to invest approximately $25 million in financial and technical resources in sustainable opportunities for econo...

  • Skagway will search grounds of former mission school

    Mike Swasey, KHNS Radio Haines and Skagway|Oct 21, 2021

    Skagway’s borough assembly has voted unanimously to work with the Skagway Traditional Council to authorize ground-penetrating radar — and some shovel work — at the former Pious X Mission School site, which operated from 1932 to 1959 and served about 60 Indigenous children. The property is now owned by the municipality, which uses it as a seasonal RV park. The borough in recent years has considered redeveloping the property as a housing subdivision or making utility improvements and continuing RV services for independent travelers. The Skagw...

  • Wrangell working to coordinate Institute property search

    Larry Persily|Oct 21, 2021

    The borough will be asking for “archaeological proposals” for a ground survey of the former Wrangell Institute property, consulting with state and federal agencies and the Wrangell Cooperative Association on the process before any work begins. The borough had been waiting on guidance from the U.S. Department of the Interior, which has pledged that surveys will be conducted of former Alaska Native and American Indian boarding school sites nationwide. But the department “really doesn’t have any guidance on this,” said Carol Rushmore, Wrangell...

  • No northbound ferries until Dec. 10

    Sentinel staff|Oct 21, 2021

    Monday’s state ferry to Petersburg and Juneau was the last northbound sailing scheduled for Wrangell until Dec. 10. With the Matanuska pulled out of service for winter maintenance, the Alaska Marine Highway System will operate at a reduced schedule until the ship returns in December. That means a loss of weekly northbound and southbound stops in Wrangell. The Kennicott is covering Southeast in place of the Matanuska, but the Kennicott also will serve Cordova and Whittier in Prince William Sound, resulting in less time — and fewer port cal...

  • Four swimmers qualify for championship after Juneau meet

    Marc Lutz|Oct 21, 2021

    Fourteen personal bests, five first-place finishes and four qualifying performances highlighted last weekend's swim meet for Wrangell High School swimmers in Juneau. Senior Renée Roberts upped her game by finishing first in every one of her competitions, and Roberts, along with junior Nikolai Siekawitch, sophomore Jack Roberts and senior Jimmy Baggen, qualified for the Alaska Senior Championship in Sitka in January. According to head coach Jamie Roberts, freshman Max Lloyd swam a personal best in all four of his events, Tyson Messmer swam perso...

  • After 35 years, high school elevator will be replaced

    Marc Lutz|Oct 21, 2021

    The borough is moving forward with a much-needed elevator project at the high school. After researching options, it was determined that the entire elevator needs to be replaced rather than repaired. School district staff hopes that, if all goes smoothly, the project will be finished by the start of the 2022/2023 school year. Josh Blatchley, head of the school district maintenance department, said an oil leak was discovered at the bottom of the elevator's hydraulic ram in March of 2020. Any resea...

  • Wrangell doing better at limiting COVID

    Larry Persily|Oct 21, 2021

    Wrangell’s vaccination rate continues to improve, while just two new COVID-19 cases were reported in the first 19 days of the month and people continue asking the borough for free face masks. The community’s low numbers are much improved over August and September, which together accounted for almost half of Wrangell’s COVID-19 cases since March 2020. As of Tuesday, 68% of Wrangell residents eligible for a vaccination had received at least their first dose, up from 61% three months ago, according to state health department statistics. Thoug...

  • Don Young urges Alaskans to get vaccinated

    The Associated Press|Oct 21, 2021

    JUNEAU (AP) — The longest-serving Republican in the U.S. House is appearing in a new round of ads urging Alaskans to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Ads featuring Rep. Don Young are being paid for by the Conquer COVID Coalition, Young spokesperson Zack Brown said by email Monday. The coalition, which includes businesses and health care and Alaska Native organizations, seeks to educate people on steps to guard against COVID-19. Young, 88, “believes the vaccines are safe, effective and can help save lives,” Brown said in response to quest...

  • Fisherman want no salmon bycatch allowance for trawlers

    Elizabeth Earl, Alaska Journal of Commerce|Oct 21, 2021

    Fishermen are calling for state and federal fisheries managers to make changes to salmon bycatch limits for trawlers as chinook salmon numbers plummet across Alaska. Chinook returns were dismal virtually everywhere in Alaska this year, from Southeast to the Bering Sea, with few exceptions. That follows a trend, as abundance has declined over roughly the past decade. Commercial fishermen have lost most of their opportunity to harvest kings, and sport fisheries have been restricted. Now subsistence fisheries are being reined in to help preserve...

  • U.S. will open border to Canadians in early November

    The Associated Press|Oct 21, 2021

    The U.S. will reopen its land borders to nonessential travel next month — including entry into Alaska from Canada — ending a 20-month freeze due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new rules will apply to all border crossing points, including the highways leading to Haines and Skagway in Southeast Alaska. “Everybody’s chomping at the bit to get to Alaska,” Yukon Territory Premier Sandy Silver told the Yukon News. “We expect there to be a large convoy of visitors coming from the Yukon the minute that border opens,” said Skagway Mayor Andrew Cremata. ...

  • Community invited for library's 100th birthday

    Sentinel staff|Oct 21, 2021

    Wrangell’s public library is turning 100 years old. It was established in November 1921. The library is celebrating with an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28. Coffee, punch and birthday cake will be served. Irene Ingle Public Library director Margaret Villarma, who was hired by Kay Jabusch in 1989 and took over from her as director in 2015, said the story of the library’s progression over the past 100 years will be on display at the open house. The library is an important resource for everyone in the community, Villarma said, “fr...

  • Annual AFN convention moves online again

    The Associated Press|Oct 21, 2021

    ANCHORAGE (AP) — The Alaska Federation of Natives annual convention, the largest gathering of Indigenous people in the state, will be all virtual again this year, organizers announced last Friday. The decision was made after federation leaders consulted with state federal and tribal health officials and reviewed current COVID-19 data trends, according to a statement. The federation decided to go all virtual out of concern for the safety of the thousands of people from across the state who normally attend in person, the statement said. The conve...

  • Sealaska still accepting relief payment applications

    Sentinel staff|Oct 21, 2021

    Sealaska Corp. is still accepting applications from shareholders for a one-time $500 relief payment, funded with federal pandemic aid. As of last week, payments had gone out to 70 shareholders in Wrangell, said Matt Carle, spokesman for the Southeast regional Native corporation. “That number will likely grow as we’re starting to contact shareholders with incomplete applications,” Carle said. “The program is still open and we are encouraging people to apply.” The application period started Oct. 4 and will remain open until the $6 million i...

Page Down