Sorted by date Results 1 - 15 of 15
With the advent of December, Wrangell's streets and storefronts have begun taking on a more festive appearance ahead of the Christmas season. The tree which serves as the centerpiece of the community's Midnight Madness celebration tomorrow evening was cut down, moved and re-raised at the Elks Club by Wrangell Municipal Light and Power on Monday. Despite gusts of up to 31 miles per hour, the work crew managed to trim and place the 54-foot Sitka spruce, which was harvested from federal forest at t... Full story
Firefighters responded to an early fire on Thanksgiving Day. 20 Wrangell volunteers roused from their beds early that morning to answer an emergency call. A structure fire at a 6-Mile Zimovia Highway residence was reported to emergency services at 2:17 a.m., setting off emergency radios around town and sounding the fire station alarm siren. The first truck arrived from the substation at 5-Mile within five minutes to put out the blaze, which had started inside the residence's shop area.... Full story
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. November 25, 1915: The first shipment of shrimp to be made from Wrangell was made on the Dolphin last Saturday. The shipment contained about two hundred pounds of fine large shrimp. Wrangellites were given a chance to try them as about a hundred pounds were placed on the market and sold here. The shrimp were caught at the entrance of the Wrangell Narrows by Victor Noberg, Chas. Chase and Arthur Thebo. Mr. R.L. Petty of Ketchikan was a visitor in Wrangell for a few days this past week. In speaking...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The newly elected mayor of Alaska’s capital city was found dead at his Juneau home, and police are investigating a range of possible causes. The Juneau Police Department released few details on the death of Stephen “Greg” Fisk, 70, but called rumors of an assault “speculation.” Fisk’s adult son found his body Monday and alerted authorities, police said in a statement. An attack is “one of the possibilities out there, but there’s others that could have happened,” Police Chief Bryce Johnson told the Juneau Empire newsp...
The public cabin at Middle Ridge has been closed down for the week, following reports of vandalism over the Thanksgiving weekend. An Alaska Wildlife Trooper who discovered the scene on Sunday called the United States Forest Service’s Wrangell office, which maintains the site. “We got a report things had been broken,” said Randy Griffith, a supervisor for Wrangell Ranger District. Wall surfaces were effaced and some broken furniture was counted among the damage. Public use of the popular cabin has been suspended until repairs can be made. The d... Full story
Monday, Nov. 16 Kyler Shannen Nore, 20, appeared before First District Judge Kevin Miller for probation revocation. The judge ordered the defendant serve up to six months in a community residential center at the first available opportunity, and at the discretion of his probation officer. Nore was ordered to pay a suspended $100 jail surcharge, but will retain the previously suspended imposition of sentence if he successfully completes his residential treatment program....
Monday, November 23 Hit and Run. Tuesday, November 24 Traffic Complaint: Verbal warning given to driver. Wednesday, November 25 Citizen Assist. Traffic Stop: Verbal warning for no headlights. Thursday, November 26 Structure Fire. Friday, November 27 Traffic Complaint. Traffic Stop: Verbal warning for driving habits. Obstructing Sidewalk. Citizen Assist. Agency Assist/Fire Alarm. Traffic Complaint. Arrested Laven Tyler Ritchie, 18, on charges of Driving with License Revoked, Driving Under the Influence, Resisting or Interfering with Arrest,...
Catholic parishioners of Wrangell and Petersburg were disheartened to learn the priest serving both communities has been hospitalized while visiting family in California. Fr. Thomas Weise, 46, was taken ill late Nov. 25 after experiencing cardiac arrest. As of Dec. 1 he remains in intensive care, and is in a critical but stable condition. Weise is the pastor at St. Rose of Lima parish in Wrangell and St. Catherine of Siena parish in Petersburg, splitting his time between both communities. He... Full story
An interpreter with the United States Forest Service has received an award recognizing her work in the Wrangell Ranger District. Corree Delabrue was last month presented the Hakala Award, an agency award which recognizes sustained excellence in interpretive and conservation education for Alaska. She is the 24th winner of the prize, named after Bob Hakala, the first regional interpreter of the USFS Alaska Region. USFS Tongass interpretation program manager Faith Duncan explained award winners...
Two weeks into its Tot Gym program, Wrangell's Parks and Recreation Department expects some new equipment and other changes will have a positive effect. At the Parks Board monthly meeting in November, department director Kate Thomas brainstormed with board members and concerned parents about how to give the tri-weekly gym program a boost. The number of participants dropped from 1,058 for the 2013-14 season to a mere 164 for 2014-15. Thomas has said several changes that year probably contributed to the drop, including implementation of age...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Gov. Bill Walker and British Columbia Premier Christy Clark signed a cooperative agreement Wednesday committing to work together on issues of shared interest, including addressing concerns about the effect of Canadian mining on waters flowing into Alaska. The memorandum of understanding calls for a working group comprised of state and provincial officials that would, among other things, work to develop and implement a joint water-quality monitoring program and set up a means of sharing information. Bill Bennett, the p...
The call is out for products to compete in Alaska’s most celebrated seafood bash, and another new category has been added to the mix. For the 23rd year, the Symphony of Seafood in 2016 will showcase innovative new products that are entered both by major Alaska seafood companies and small ‘mom and pops’- such as last year’s top winner: Pickled Willy’s of Kodiak for their smoked black cod tips. All entries are judged privately by a panel of experts in several categories, based on the product’s packaging and presentation, overall eating expe...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Alaska seafood has not been tainted by the Fukushima nuclear disaster four years ago, according to test results announced Monday by a state agency. Alaska health authorities working with the federal Food and Drug Administration pronounced Alaska salmon, cod, halibut and other species free from radioactive contamination connected to the power plant damaged in Japan more than four years ago. A 9.0 earthquake on March 11, 2011, generated a 130-foot wave that devastated 217 square miles in Japan. About 16,000 people were c...
(Updated November 28, 2015 @ 2:35 p.m.) PETERSBURG – Amongst the rumors and speculation pulsing through Petersburg’s streets and social media news feeds last weekend, a Johnson Space Center NASA scientist points to data that suggests a falling meteor shook Mitkof Island last Saturday morning, which could mean many Petersburg residents woke up to the flash of a fireball and the blast of a sonic boom. John Havrilek witnessed what he described as a blinding streak of light and the sound of an explosion. “It was amazing,” Havrilek said. “I was...
PETERSBURG – Earlier this month a team of Oregon State University researchers visited Southeast to tag humpback whales and track their winter migration. The four person team is part of a Marine Mammal Institute (MMI) study that began tagging the endangered species last November. The goal of the two year study is to answer questions like how wide their travel range really is, where they congregate, how long they stay in specific places, and when they depart after staying in a specific place or area. These may seem like basic questions, but a l...
