Articles from the December 17, 2020 edition


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  • Borough Assembly reviews revenues in workshop

    Caleb Vierkant|Dec 17, 2020

    Wrangell Borough Assembly held a workshop last Tuesday, Dec. 8 to review the city's current financial status. That evening's presentation, according to Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen, was primarily focused on Wrangell's major revenues through November, year-to-date. They will be covering expenses in a future workshop. "This is a snapshot, it's certainly not everything, but as it says here it's some of the major ones." she said. The presentation started with looking at revenues under the city's...

  • Tree chopping

    Dec 17, 2020

    Sage Smiley (left) and Esther Reese (right) out in the woods getting their Christmas trees for the holiday season the morning of Dec. 14. According to the Forest Service, people do not need a permit to cut down a Christmas tree for personal use, one per household. While there are no regulations on what tree species or size to cut, according to a Nov. 20 Forest Service press release, there are other regulations to be aware of when taking a Christmas tree from the Tongass National Forest. More...

  • Budgets covered in school board meeting last Monday

    Caleb Vierkant|Dec 17, 2020

    The Wrangell School Board met Monday night, Dec. 14. Two main topics of discussion in the meeting were revisions to the current budget, and a look at the upcoming budget season for next year. The revisions to the current budget, FY 2021, were largely cuts in expenses. Staff travel was reduced from a $3,000 allocation to $65, according to the meeting's agenda packet. Student travel was cut in half from $5,000 to $2,500. Funding for supplies, materials, and media was also reduced from $125,000 to...

  • The Way We Were

    Dec 17, 2020

    December 16, 1920 Mrs. Towers is drilling the children on Christmas carols for a musical program to be given in the assembly Christmas week. At four o’clock on Christmas eve the carol singers will march in a body down Front street as far as the Episcopal Church and return by Church street. If it is convenient it is requested that a candle be placed in the windows of business houses and residences passed by the children. December 14, 1945 First new car since the war to be delivered to a Wrangell dealer arrived on the North Sea last Saturday f...

  • P&Z commission approves permit request, plat review

    Dec 17, 2020

    The Wrangell Planning and Zoning Commission met Thursday evening, Dec. 10. During this meeting, they approved of a variance permit request and a preliminary plat review. The variance request was put forward by Wesley and Wanda Ingram. This was an after-the-fact application, according to the meeting's agenda packet. The request was for a 3-foot variance to their side yard setback. "While reviewing the preliminary plat, it was discovered that the existing residence on Lot 10 is 12 feet from the...

  • Police report

    Dec 17, 2020

    Monday, December 7 Dog compliant. Emotionally disturbed person. Tuesday, December 8 Courtesy transport. Suspicious activity. Wednesday, December 9 Traffic stop: Alyssa Dame, 26, citation issued for speeding in a school zone. Traffic stop: Dwight Yancy, 33, citation issued for speeding in a school zone. Lost property. Thursday, December 10 Random breath test. Random breath test. Parking complaint. Motor vehicle accident /driving under influence. Friday, December 11 Summons service. Trespass. Welfare check. Saturday, December 12 Welfare check....

  • Santa for seniors

    Dec 17, 2020

    Tongass Federal Credit Union, on behalf of the American Legion Auxiliary, is hosting a Santa for Seniors tree this holiday season. People can come by the credit union and take a tag off the tree and purchase Christmas gifts for an anonymous senior citizen. They can also pick up a list of suggested gift ideas. Kemberly Green, with TFCU, said about nine senior citizens have been shopped for so far, as of Dec. 14. Gifts will be collected through Dec. 19, according to the tags on the...

  • Dan's Dispatch

    Dan Ortiz|Dec 17, 2020

    Last Friday, Governor Dunleavy released his proposed budget for the 2022 Fiscal Year (FY22). The budget, which includes all departments and services but not the PFD, totals $3.81 billion in Unrestricted General Funds. It is slightly less than this past budget (FY21), which was approximately $3.83 billion. The primary difference is that FY21 included one-time COVID-19 funding in the Department of Health and Social Services that is not included in this upcoming year's budget. FY22 also has a smaller Education budget by $26.8 million because...

  • Tree lighting ceremony

    Dec 17, 2020

  • Tentative basketball schedule released

    Dec 17, 2020

    Wrangell High School has provided a schedule for the upcoming basketball season to the Wrangell Sentinel. Trisa Rooney, activities director, said that the schedule is only tentative, as they do not have a full idea of what some other schools are planning. The schedule is subject to change. "We don't know what Haines or Metlakatla are doing at this time, so we'll let you know when it gets closer and they know what they're doing," she wrote in a Dec. 10 email. According to the tentative schedule,...

  • Rep. Ortiz gives legislative update

    Dec 17, 2020

    State Representative Dan Ortiz called into Wrangell's assembly meeting last week, Dec. 8. Recently re-elected to office, Ortiz called in to provide the assembly with a brief look at what the upcoming legislative session will bring, and some of his plans for it. Normally he tries to visit in-person for these updates, he said, but due to the pandemic he was providing his update virtually. "Normally before the start of the session I try to make it to every community that I represent, and to make it...

  • Saltwater charter operators and guides in Southeast Alaska required to use electronic logbook in 2021

    Dec 17, 2020

    Sport fishing guide businesses operating in Southeast Alaska salt waters will be required to use eLogBook to report their sport fish guiding activity starting in 2021. Under the new 2019–2028 Pacific Salmon Treaty and corresponding Southeast Alaska King Salmon Management Plan (5 AAC 47.055), the Southeast Alaska sport fishery is to be managed inseason to meet its’ allocation, increasing the need for timelier fishery data. The goal of the eLogBook program is to decrease processing time and improve accuracy of logbook data. After an initial tra...

  • Alaska Fish Factor: Homer based  Wild Alaskan Company takes seafood e-commerce to a whole new level

    Laine Welch|Dec 17, 2020

    The Wild Alaskan Company based in Homer has taken “mission based” seafood e-commerce to a whole new level. While many Alaska fishermen and groups sell boxes of seafood directly to customers and can claim several hundred monthly customers, Wild Alaskan has notched more than 140,000 seafood regulars since 2018 and since Covid hit, the company is adding 100 to 200 customers every day. The average order for their subscription service is $160 per month. Founder Arron Kallenberg calls it a “three generation overnight success,” referring back to 1926...

  • Petersburg bow hunter sets world record

    Brian Varela|Dec 17, 2020

    PETERSBURG – After an anxious three months, the rocky mountain goat Kaleb Baird shot with a bow and arrow on the Cleveland Peninsula has been certified by Pope and Young, a conservation club, as the largest billy ever taken down with a bow in the world. "It was a killer animal and a great goat," said Baird of Petersburg. "It's neat that he gets to be recognized as number one." The mountain goat had a final score of 53 1/2 inches, according to Pope and Young. Baird said an official scorer took t...

  • Christmas lights

    Kyle Clayton, Chilkat Valley News|Dec 17, 2020

    Local business 56 North decorated with Christmas lights and other decorations. As the holiday season nears, many businesses and homes have decorated to bring some cheer to the season....

  • Alaska governor proposes cash payouts, infrastructure plan

    Dec 17, 2020

    JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Gov. Mike Dunleavy proposed an “extraordinary response’’ to revive Alaska’s pandemic-stunted economy Friday, including about $5,000 in direct payments to residents from the state’s oil-wealth fund and an infrastructure plan he said is intended to create jobs. “Alaskans are suffering now. Businesses are suffering now. This is the time for us to act. This is the time for us to act quickly,’’ he said in rolling out his budget plan for next year. The state’s economy has been battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, with tour...

  • City announces 27th COVID case

    Caleb Vierkant|Dec 17, 2020

    The City and Borough of Wrangell announced a new confirmed case of COVID-19 this afternoon, Dec. 17. This is the 27th case in total for Wrangell, and currently the only active one. According to the press release, the case is found in a Wrangell resident. This makes 17 cases in Wrangell locals, two in Wrangell locals who were not in town, and eight cases in non-locals....

  • COVID-19 daily update:

    Caleb Vierkant|Dec 17, 2020

    December 17 Jamie Roberts, with the Wrangell EOC, reported that there are currently no active cases of COVID-19 in the community. Statewide, Alaska’s case count is 41,859 as of yesterday. This is an increase of 3,151 from last week. Wrangell received its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 16. According to SEARHC, following guidance from the Alaska Vaccine Advisory Council, vaccinations will be given to frontline health workers first, along with first responders, and l...