Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 268
On June 1, at Sandy Churchill's retirement party from Head Start, attendees learned that fellow staff member Dawn Welch would take over as lead teacher for the preschool program. "I actually found out the day before," Welch said. Two months later, on Aug. 2, she was in the midst of giving a makeover to the Head Start building with the help of friends and family like her little cousin, Ava. "She likes to organize things," Welch said. "I'm like, 'I got a job for you.'" School starts Aug. 27. One...
Gov. Mike Dunleavy has long prided himself on being a fiscal conservative. He has consistently adhered to that mantra, with the exception of his long-standing advocacy for a state checkbook-draining supersize Permanent Fund dividend. As a fiscal conservative, the governor has always talked of keeping a short leash on spending, a tight rein on appropriations, a firm grip on the budget. Too bad that stinginess extends to explaining his budget vetoes. Critics of Dunleavy’s vetoes of legislative appropriations for the state fiscal year that s...
Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed more than $230 million in spending from the state budget but left intact $6.5 million for repairs to Wrangell school buildings, along with $5 million for stabilization work at the community’s water reservoir earthen dams and $200,000 for the borough to start planning an emergency access route from the southern end of Zimovia Highway. In addition to covering state-provided public services, construction projects and community grants, the budget bills signed by Dunleavy on June 27 also will provide an estimated $1,650 t...
A retirement potluck party for Sandy Churchill will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 1, at the Nolan Center. All residents are welcome to attend and bring prepared food or dessert. "Bring a dish to share and a story to tell," Head Start coworker Dawn Welch said. "This party is to celebrate the years and years of Sandy's commitment and dedication to our Head Start program," Welch said earlier this month in a Facebook post about the party. Churchill will step down at the end of the school year...
Plans to build a 12-acre tribal education campus and a 457-acre cultural immersion park in Juneau were unveiled at the 89th annual tribal assembly of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. The projects combine efforts to reclaim tribal land, expand traditional cultural and educational activities and provide support to students in a state education system that "is failing our students," said Tlingit and Haida President Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson in his speech to...
Amid the rigors of state testing and preparations for prom, members of the Wrangell Wolves girls softball team turned out for informal practice after school with head coach Marsha Ballou at the baseball field near Volunteer Park on Thursday, April 18. While softball season officially started for Southeast high schools on March 4, the Wolves won't start their season until May 9-13 when they travel to Juneau for games. They will return to Juneau near the end of May to play regionals. There are no...
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...