Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 422
The borough assembly and other city officials met Saturday morning, Jan. 11, to workshop future priorities for the city and to look at the upcoming budget process. A long list of state and federal legislative priorities was laid out for attendees to review and talk about. For state priorities for Wrangell, the first and foremost was the reinstatement of several state positions to the city. Over the past decade, according to the priority list, Wrangell has seen several state jobs taken away that...
Below is the second half of The Wrangell Sentinel's review of 2019, covering the months of July to December: July July 4 - Wrangell Police Chief Doug McCloskey was recognized for his service to the community at last week's borough assembly meeting. With his retirement at the end of June, McCloskey has closed out 38 years of police work. July 11 - The Fourth of July was a hot and sunny day in Wrangell, but that did not stop many people from getting out and having a good time. Like all previous...
December 18, 1919 Delegate George Grigsby has introduced in Congress a bill to empower the Town of Wrangell with authority to issue bonds in any sum not exceeding $80,000; provided, that not to exceed $15,000 of the proceeds of the sale of said bonds shall be expended for the construction, enlargement and equipment of schools: not to exceed $25,000 thereof shall be expended for the acquisition and construction of a water-supply system; not to exceed $15,000 thereof shall be expended for the construction of a sewer system; not to exceed $20,000...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – More than half of Alaska’s ferries will be out of service amid a lack of funds to repair the vessels, transportation officials said. The state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities announced this week that the Aurora and the LeConte will be pulled from service after inspections revealed required steel replacement, the Juneau Empire reported Friday. About 24 employees of the Aurora were already notified they would be relieved of duties effective Jan. 14, officials said. The Aurora is set for long-term layup mea...
Mayor Steve Prysunka travelled to Washington D.C. last week to speak before the Senate Committee on Energy and National Resources. He was invited to speak on behalf of the National Association of Counties, an organization that works to advocate county priorities in federal policymaking. Prysunka spoke last Thursday, Nov. 21, on the importance of the Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Program and Secure Rural Schools (SRS) funds. "We're somewhat unique because we're actually the third largest city...
As the House Representative for District 36, I’m writing to update you on some of the issues currently before the Alaska State Legislature. The 2019 legislative sessions were challenging – we continued to grapple with creating the budget, implementing a long term sustainable fiscal plan, and address declining revenue. While we were able to hold fast on funding for departments like Fish & Game and Education, the Marine Highway System faced unprecedented cuts. During the interim, I have been focused on re-establishing the AMHS link to Prince Rup...
As many of you know, the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) service to the port of Prince Rupert, British Columbia (B.C.) ended on October 1st. Although that ferry route is no longer running, there are ongoing developments in hopes of restoring service. When the Alaska Department of Transportation (AK DoT) announced early last month that it would end service to Prince Rupert, their reasoning was that AMHS was unable to enlist the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to provide armed protection for the U.S. Customs & Border Protection agents...
Southeast Conference, a regional organization consisting of 185 member organizations and people, was founded in 1958 to help promote the creation of the Alaska Marine Highway. On top of promoting the state ferry system, according to their website, Southeast Conference also advocates for economic development, local business, and healthy communities, among other things. The Southeast Conference held its annual meeting Sept. 18-20 in Sitka. For Assembly Member Mya DeLong, who attended the...
Representative Ortiz visited Prince Rupert, British Columbia (B.C.) this week to meet with Canadian officials. He met with Royal Canadian Mounted Police Inspector Blake Ward Chief Financial Officer for Prince Rupert Corinne Bomben, Member of Legislative Assembly Jennifer Rice, City Councilors, and Mayor Lee Brain. The intent of these meetings was to find a solution to the current AMHS Prince Rupert port of entry requirements. It recently became a requirement to provide armed law enforcement coverage for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met Tuesday, Sept. 10, to discuss, among several topics, the recent announcement that the Alaska Marine Highway System would stop traveling to and from Prince Rupert on Oct. 1. Mayor Steve Prysunka, who called into the meeting via teleconference, said that he has been in contact with the offices of Senator Lisa Murkowski and State Representative Dan Ortiz and has tried his best to stay on top of the situation. The reason for the closure, he explained, is that...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska’s governor has vetoed additional funding for the state’s ferry service that was placed in the budget by the Legislature, a report said. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed $5 million Monday that was added to the Alaska Marine Highway System budget by the Legislature, CoastAlaska reported Monday. The Legislature previously cut $43 million from the ferry system’s budget. A fiscal note attached by the governor’s office called the budget item “premature’’ ahead of a $250,000 study commissioned to reshape the fer...
As the District 36 Representative, my primary assignment now in the Legislature is to serve as the Vice-Chair on the House Finance Committee. In that duty, I traveled to Juneau, Anchorage, Wasilla, and Fairbanks between July 15-18 in order to hear Public Testimony on HB 2001, the special session budget bill. During those three days of testimony, we heard over 600 people testify in person. During the month of July, we had over 2,300 Alaskans provide testimony to the House Finance Committee. Over 85% of the testifiers were in support of...
With approximately 400 members of the Inlandboatmen's Union going on strike last Wednesday, July 24, the Alaska Marine Highway System came to a halt. Without ferry services, many people across the state, especially in Southeast Alaska, found themselves stranded. In the communities of Wrangell and Petersburg, many people are facing disruptions to their schedules, families, and work. WRANGELL: Several of Wrangell's children and adults attending a church camp in Juneau were stranded when the ferry...
Elected union leaders representing 400 public ferry workers who operate Alaska’s Marine Highway System are describing their meeting over the weekend with federal mediator Beth Schindler as “very positive and constructive.” “There were positive steps in our meeting that should allow both sides to reach a solution,” said Trina Arnold, Director of the Alaska Region Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific, an affiliate of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. “The process was productive and positive,” she said. “We want the ferries to ge...
Four hundred public ferry workers who operate Alaska’s Marine Highway System are providing a “behind-the-scenes” look at the events which led up to a strike that began Wednesday afternoon, July 24. The strike is ongoing, although union officials have made it clear they are ready to talk when a settlement is within reach. “We didn’t want to take this action and urge the Governor’s negotiators to work with us on a contract,” said Trina Arnold, Director of the Alaska Region Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific, an affiliate of the International L...
JUNEAU – Hundreds of public ferry workers who operate Alaska's vital Marine Highway conducted a vote this week – and decided by a margin of 86% to reject the package of harsh measures proposed by Governor Dunleavy's administration, that included the following: 1. Cancelling 28 negotiated settlements reached during almost three years of contract bargaining. 2. No wage increases in over 5 years. 3. A one year contract instead of the normal and more efficient three year contracts. 4. The use of...
Juneau, Alaska (AP) - A spokesman for a union representing workers for the Alaska ferry system says the union has gone on strike. Hundreds of ferry workers went on strike Wednesday after failing to reach agreement on a contract with state negotiators. Robb Arnold, a spokesman for Alaska's Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific, said the strike began Wednesday afternoon after a meeting with state officials did not yield an agreement. He said the union remains open to a deal. "Unfortunately, we had...
It is no secret that Southeast Alaska is a hot tourist destination. Every year, the region is flooded with nature enthusiasts, retirees, and other tourists. According to a calendar from the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska, Petersburg will receive a total of 62 cruise ship stops in the 2019 season. Ketchikan, one of the larger cruise ship destinations in Southeast Alaska, is expecting 576 cruise ship stops this year, bringing in a total estimated 1.15 million passengers. The tourist industry is...
To the Editor: Demand destruction is a phenomenon that is often referred to when oil prices rise high enough to harm the economy and reduce its ability to purchase fuel. I have another example of demand destruction; getting rid of ferry service to Alaskan communities because the State budget has been mismanaged, which will result in a self inflicted wound to the economy. These small towns have ferry docks, how much was spent to build these docking facilities? Should that investment be, in...
Laura Davies’ fifth grade classroom has spent the past year learning about how to create and give a persuasive argument. To showcase their newfound talents in persuasive debates, several volunteers in her class will be presenting their speeches to the public at the Nolan Center next Tuesday, at 7 p.m. Writing and giving persuasive speeches has been a traditional part of Davies’ classroom for several years, she said, but she only opened it up to the public last year. From simple arguments to large, formal debates, the ability to create and def...
To the Editor: I wonder what has happened to fiscal responsibility in state government? We no longer have statesmen representing Alaska, but more outsiders that don't understand our way of life. And, this mismanagement of the Alaska Marine Highway System is holding Alaskans hostage. Whose idea was it to compete with the cruise industry? Now the M/V Columbia broke down. When you talk to the terminal agents, wipers, engineers, pursers, stewards, and ABs, it has been mismanagement, no funds for...
To the Editor: Demand destruction is a phenomenon that is often referred to when oil prices rise high enough to harm the economy and reduce its ability to purchase fuel. I have another example of demand destruction; getting rid of ferry service to Alaskan communities because the State budget has been mismanaged, which will result in a self inflicted wound to the economy. These small towns have ferry docks, how much was spent to build these docking facilities? Should that investment be, in hindsight, a waste of resources? People bought land...
Last week, the Alaska House of Representatives passed a budget for the State of Alaska. As a member of the Finance Committee and the Chair of the Education & Early Development, Fish & Game, and Environmental Conservation Department Finance Subcommittees, I am a part of the budget process from the beginning until the end. For the past month, we have dug into each department budget, asking critical questions, and analyzing impacts of potential cuts. The budget was an intense collaborative effort;...
To the Editor: We need resolutions from the cities of Wrangell, Ketchikan, Juneau, Hoonah, Unalaska, etc. that request that the Alaska Senate and Legislature keep the Alaska Marine Highway in service. Without this service any of our rural areas will be unable to transport a loved one suffering from a severe medical condition comfortably in their car to Seattle or Juneau, transport teams for sporting events, or visit family and friends. If we listen to the people who work the ferry, they will...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Gov. Mike Dunleavy's administration is upping the budget and extending the time for a review of potential options for the future of Alaska's ferry system. A spokeswoman for the system, Aurah Landau, said the administration so far has not changed its position on funding to continue operating the ferries while future options are explored. No boats currently are scheduled to sail past Oct. 1, though Senate Finance Committee Co-chair Bert Stedman has said he's working with the administration on alternatives that would allow f...
