Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 262
The time is coming once again for residents to help clean up the town, with Wrangell’s annual community cleanup scheduled for Saturday, April 20. The spring cleanup includes volunteers picking up as much trash around town as possible. The event will start at the Evergreen Elementary gym at 8 a.m. and continue until noon, when there will be a free lunch. Free trash bags and disposable gloves will be provided and there will be drawings and cash prizes for volunteers. After the bags and gloves are handed out, volunteers can head out and clean u...
March 27, 1924 Nicholas Fliness, who has the contract for building the Wrangell breakwater for the government, arrived here on the Northwestern Monday night. Mr. Fliness brought 14 men with him who will comprise his crew at the start. A camp is being established near the head of the bay. The cottage which the city recently bought from James Shaffner has been rented by Mr. Fliness and will be used as a mess hall. The Viginia IV arrived from Seattle Thursday afternoon bringing powder and other material and equipment which will be used on the...
Despite a rocky start at the regional tournament, the Wrangell boys varsity basketball team defeated Metlakatla in their final game Saturday to take second place in Southeast, earning a spot at the Division II state tournament. Head coach Cody Angerman felt that one goal for the team all season was to work toward being at their best at regionals. "I think that as the season went on, we got better," he said. Entering the tournament in Sitka as the No. 3 seed, the Wolves lost their first game on...
No question last year was pretty miserable for Alaska’s commercial fishing industry — the people who catch and clean salmon; the processors that buy, prep and ship the fish; the communities that depend on the summer jobs and tax revenues. And no question that this year is looking about as dark, or darker. The head of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute recently described last year as “rock bottom” for prices paid to fishers and weak markets for processors, later amending that statement to say that this year is scrapping another layer deeper...
Participants in last year’s Toughman Triathlon in Wrangell will have to step up their game if they want to join the challenge of running a 100-mile ultramarathon at the end of June. Former resident Nicholas Howell posted on the Wrangell Community Group’s Facebook page last month that they “will be changing it up this year” for the annual Tongass Toughman by presenting a new challenge: a 100-mile run around Wrangell Island. According to his Facebook post, he announced the news “so individuals have something to train for.” Howell also stated in h...
A Georgia-based developer who has taken a liking to Wrangell has offered the borough $200,000 for the former hospital property, with plans to tear down the building and construct as many as 48 new housing units. Wayne Johnson’s offer on the 2-acre property is contingent on striking a deal to purchase six smaller borough-owned lots behind the hospital building, adding an additional 1.3 acres to the development site. The purchase price for the hospital property, which has been vacant since SEARHC moved into its new Wrangell Medical Center t...
Sandra "Sandy" Churchill didn't expect to get her first paid position in 1998 at the Head Start program as a teacher's aide/cook. "There's hardly ever any openings here," she said. "I was so surprised when I got in." She also didn't expect to still be working at Head Start over 26 years later as lead teacher. "My goal was for 25," she said, laughing. Churchill will retire at the end of the school year. "It's a whole new chapter for me," she said. "I wonder what's it's going to be like,...
After Lillian "Lily" Younce had knee surgery in September due to past injuries from wrestling, she couldn't resume her sports activities. "I missed out on wrestling this year, which was kind of a bummer," she said. "With me just sitting around and trying to recover from my knee, I ended up gaining weight." Inspired by her planned course of study of exercise science in college, Younce decided to put together a healthy weight-loss program for her senior year project, in partnership with her father...
The girls varsity basketball team suffered two blowout defeats at home to Metlakatla last weekend. "I thought our girls really put in a lot of effort, defensively," said head coach Christina Good. "We're a young team; we're still learning. ... I'm really proud of our girls for keeping their heads up and putting in the effort. I feel like both nights they did that." The Lady Wolves knew that the MissChiefs would be tough opponents. Before the Feb. 9-10 games in Wrangell, the Metlakatla girls had...
HELP WANTED Wrangell Public Schools is accepting applications for the following positions: - Secondary School Principal for the 2024-2025 school year: The principal will provide leadership to ensure high standards are met and oversee compliance with district policies, success of instructional programs, and operation of all campus activities. Minimum Qualifications include: Alaska Type B Administrative Certification with appropriate endorsements; knowledge of thorough understanding of school operations; working knowledge of curriculum and...
HELP WANTED Wrangell Public Schools is accepting applications for the following positions: - Facilities and Maintenance Director. The primary function of the Facilities and Maintenance Director is to plan, organize, direct, and participate in the maintenance and operations of school district facilities and grounds. This position is also responsible for short- and long-range facilities planning to include major maintenance needs, capital construction, budgeting, and forecasting. The Maintenance Director approves all purchases at the division...
The Wolves had a rough start to the boys basketball season as they faced the Petersburg Vikings in the high school gym on homecoming weekend. While the junior varsity team split two close games, the varsity squad was soundly defeated both nights. Both teams lost on the season-opening night Friday, Jan. 5, starting with the JV Wolves who played a tight contest only to fall short by two points against Petersburg, 32-30. The varsity players had a tougher time, as the Vikings won 41-32. Head coach...
The Lady Wolves enjoyed a double victory by slim margins at the high school gym against the Petersburg Vikings on homecoming weekend, winning 29-27 on Friday, Jan. 5, then earning another win on Saturday, Jan. 6, 40-37. Head coach Christina Good felt it served as a great start to the season. "To get two wins, I think it means a lot," she said. "It was good to see how they played and handled the pressure." Friday night proved to be more challenging as they struggled to find their footing in their...
It’s been eight years since the state last increased its per-student funding formula for public schools — a 0.5% nudge that year — and years of stagnant funding have caught up with districts statewide, including Wrangell. “We have to count on funding this year,” Schools Superintendent Bill Burr said. An increase in the state formula “is essential to us.” The state’s K-12 foundation funding covers almost 60% of the Wrangell district’s $5.3 million operating budget for the 2023-2024 school year, with borough funds filling about 30% and mostly fe...
Head librarian Sarah Scambler (right) helped Amy Smith and her daughter Maria make Swedish start ornaments from recycled book pages at the Irene Ingle Public Library on Saturday morning, Dec. 16....
As two students on the far left of the stage narrated, fourth grade students silently enacted the scenes in front of a bright light and behind a white screen, allowing their shadows to tell the story of a young hero who takes his revenge on a fearsome cannibal for the murder of his older brothers. After the cannibal is killed and his body is burned, his scattered ashes become mosquitoes, inflicting painful bites in revenge. The fourth graders, with help from students in the high school Tlingit...
Jeanie Arnold, who started work as the new director at the Nolan Center on Nov. 27, said she wants to "provide an overall sense of joy to the community of Wrangell through artistic exposure and historical storytelling." She replaces Cyni Crary, who is moving out of state. Crary had been in the job since July 2018. Arnold said some of her goals include broadening the scope of the center with new exhibits and events targeted at a wide variety of interests. She also hopes to collaborate with the...
HELP WANTED Wrangell Public Schools is accepting applications for the following positions: - Paraprofessional: This is a part-time, 9-month classified position, working 5.75 hours per day. Salary placement is in Column A of the Classified Salary Schedule. Job duties include but are not limited to working with students individually and in small group settings in Special Education. A High School Diploma or equivalent and an associate degree or the ability to pass the ParaPro Assessment is required. Start date: ASAP. - Middle School Volleyball...
The title translates to "orphan" in English, but people celebrating the release of the Lingít-language children's book "Kuhaantí" emphasized the project is very much a multigenerational family effort by the Southeast Alaska Native community. "Kuhaantí" is intended to be the first of nine books and animated videos produced during the next two years sharing tribal stories in their Native language, the first publications of their kind in decades, according to officials involved with the pr...
Ten Alaska Native youth from the Wrangell School District learned about their heritage and made connections with the statewide Native community at the Elders & Youth Conference in Anchorage last month. The event, which featured cultural and educational workshops, speeches, healing circles, a talent show and more, is a chance for Native youth to learn about democratic processes and leadership skills. This year, its theme was Woosht Guganéixh, which translates from Tlingit to “let it be that we heal each other.” Tlingit teacher Virginia Oliv...
Wrangell may soon be home to its own unique variety of beer. James Leslie of Alaska Waters has plans to open the town’s first brewery in a century, and though he still has plenty of permitting hurdles left to clear, the borough assembly had no objection to his state brewery license at its Sept. 26 meeting. He hopes to start brewing in winter of next year at the very earliest. Opening a brewery “has always been bouncing around in my head,” said Leslie. “I’ve messed around with brewing a little bit. It would be cool if there was a brewery h...
HELP WANTED Wrangell Public Schools is accepting applications for the following positions for the 2023-2024 school year: - Paraprofessional: This is a part-time, 9-month classified position, working 5.75 hours per day. Salary placement is in Column A of the Classified Salary Schedule. Job duties include but are not limited to working with students individually and in small group settings in Special Education. A High School Diploma or equivalent and an associate degree or the ability to pass the ParaPro Assessment is required. Start date: ASAP....
The Head Start program operated in 10 Southeast communities by the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska wants to reduce its authorized enrollment by 80 children as the nonprofit adjusts to a tightening budget situation and staffing shortages. The program serves Wrangell, though the tribal nonprofit said there would be no reduction in classroom slots in the community. Tlingit & Haida is approved to serve 262 children across Southeast but has asked federal officials for permission to reduce the number to 182, according to...
Only a third of Alaska children meet the state’s goals to be ready for kindergarten. But the state’s share of funding for Head Start, a mostly federally funded child care and health program that promotes school readiness specifically for low-income families, is less than it was a decade ago. This year, the Legislature appropriated a $5 million increase so that Head Start programs could match federal contributions, but Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed most of it, slashing the increase to $1.5 million. “Gov. Dunleavy’s veto of much of the Legisla...
It was a month of learning, exploring, brainstorming and playing in the wilds of Alaska that left one Wrangell youth with a lot to think about. Andrei Bardin-Siekawitch was the only teen from Southeast to join other students from across the state on the latest Upward Bound and Teaching Through Technology Alliance (T3) trip, giving him an opportunity to make new friends and start plotting a course for his future endeavors. From May 31 through June 30, Bardin-Siekawitch, 13, traveled to the...