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Have you ever had a story you were just aching to tell, but weren't sure how to best get started? Or is there a manuscript in the bureau you'd like to have published, but don't know how to get it into print? Local author Michael Bania sought to answer some of these queries in an open workshop last week for prospective writers and illustrators. Held at the Irene Ingle Public Library, about two dozen inquisitive residents brought their notepads, portfolios and laptops to the March 14...
Following the February 16 article on its new Knowledge Imaging Center, the Irene Ingle Public Library wanted to acknowledge Wrangell Cooperative Association as the lead organization for the IMLS Grant that provided funds for its purchase. The library apologizes that this information was inadvertently omitted from last week’s article....
A new archiving station has been acquired by the local library, allowing the public access to digital scanning services free of charge. Irene Ingle Public Library was able to purchase its Knowledge Imaging Center largely through use of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Librarian Margaret Villarma explained the versatile system makes digital archiving very simple, and is easy on original materials. Documents are placed open, facing upward, and a digital scanner overhead...
The local Elks Lodge has received a $2,500 grant from its national organization, which will in turn be distributed to local causes. Lodge #1595 met its per-member fundraising goals through member contributions and gaming earnings last year, which entitled it to a Gratitude Grant through the Elks National Foundation. Grants vary from $2,000 to $2,500, and are meant to support local charitable activities. Lodge secretary Shirley Clark explained Wrangells grant will be split between four causes, with $625 going to each. Benefitting from the...
Events for the 7th Annual Bearfest are already underway, with the first two workshops and symposium presented yesterday at the Nolan Center. The annual activity was started in 2010 by Sylvia Ettefagh, an outfitter with Alaska Vistas and commercial fisherman. Drawing a number of notable speakers and participants each year, Bearfest serves to highlight the local bear population, particularly that found at nearby Anan Wildlife Observatory. About 30 miles southeast of Wrangell, the observatory...
School may be out for the season, but kids can still keep up on their reading skills while picking up some fun gear with the library's summer reading program. Starting up on June 1, Irene Ingle Public Library's annual program encourages students to read books in exchange for tickets, which can be entered into drawings for a variety of prizes and cash drawings. The vast majority of the library's books for children about 80 to 90 percent of them have corresponding tests on the Renaissance...
In an unexpected move, the Wrangell City and Borough Assembly sent back a request to renew a lot lease to the committee which approved it. After extensive discussion, its members agreed to send a facility lease agreement between the city and and Chuck Jenkins back to the Port Commission. Approved unanimously by commissioners last month, the agreement would extend the lease on Jenkins' lot in the boatyard for another five years at the rate he had been paying. The action was recommended by Assembly member Dave Powell after he learned two more lea...
Irene Ingle Public Library has added a new digital tool for its users, enrolling itself in a one-year trial with educational website Lynda.com. Library card holders can access the site from any computer or device connected to the internet and are able to earn certifications in more than 4,000 areas of study. “You can do all sorts of things,” said head librarian Margaret Villarma. She explained that the program was recommended by the Friends of the Library, which paid $2,500 for the year’s subscription. Lynda.com is an online learning compa...
Residents interested in mapping out their family histories were able to meet at the Irene Ingle Public Library Saturday morning and afternoon for a pair of introductory genealogy sessions. Semi-retired schoolteacher Teresa Campbell of Juneau was invited by the library to lead the sessions, meant to point a person in the right direction to find useful data. In the morning presentation, nine participants got an overview of different research sources and records commonly available. These can include the various milestone documentation people tend...
Wrangell's former head librarian recently received an appointment by Gov. Bill Walker to sit on his Advisory Council on Libraries. Kay Jabusch will serve on the 12-person council through the end of 2016. She will help coordinate the state's five-year plan to implement the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) slated to take effect after the current one expires in 2017. The LSTA provides over $150 million to state systems across the nation, with Alaska State Libraries receiving $2.4 million...
The school year came to an end for Wrangell students on May 21, and while they’ve said “so long” for the summer to teachers and homework, they are still invited to pick up a book or two in the interim through the annual summer reading program. The program—hosted by the Irene Ingle Public Library—is already under way, encouraging kids to continue reading while on break with a variety of prizes and cash drawings for participants. Its purpose is to help curb summer reading loss, where students lose some of their newly learned or developin...
The Stikine Sportsmen Association raised $48,000 at this year’s annual fundraiser dinner, about $7,000 more than the previous year. Its 35th Annual Game Dinner was held in Wrangell’s American Legion Hall on Feb. 28, and the money was raised through a combination of raffles, auctions, admission and donations. “We give all of it away,” explained Mike Otteson, on the group’s board. Stikine Sportsmen Association is a private organization that directs its funding toward a wide variety of programs and causes. “All our money is spent in town,” said...
A bit short-handed at its regular Tuesday-night meeting, Wrangell City and Borough Assembly nonetheless reviewed the first readings of several ordinance revisions. Members Becky Rooney, David Mitchell, Daniel Blake and Mayor David Jack discussed a proposed ordinance No. 893, relating to weapons and discharge of firearms within the Borough limits as well as adding a section regarding abuse of the 911 emergency system. The proposal would strike much of the rules previously on the books relating to concealed weapons and carrying loaded firearms,...
Kicking things off with a new borough manager in Jeff Jabusch, 2014 for Wrangell was not only a period of changes, but also one of building and continued development. Pavement was poured at the Marine Service Center, a number of roads were resurfaced or due to eventually see improvement, and the city was able to showcase itself to other regional communities by hosting several prolific functions. January Wrangell Cooperative Association collected 210 registrations for Tlingit-Haida members at...
More children than ever before were able to enjoy this year's annual Christmas celebration at the Irene Ingle Public Library. "It's something we've done for years," explained head librarian Kay Jabusch. For 20 years, Wrangell's library has hosted its pajama story time every first week of December, with treats to enjoy and a visit from Santa Claus. Due to rising participation, library staff decided to approach the tradition in a new way this time around. "We broke it up this year," Jabusch said,...
At its Nov. 12 meeting, the Wrangell City and Borough Assembly approved its list of capital project requests for the 2015-16 fiscal year. Assembled by city staff and Assembly members, the annual list prioritizes projects in order of importance and gets circulated in Juneau and Washington D.C. by the borough's lobbyists, also serving as a target for finding funding opportunities. Topping the list are pool facility improvements, which could be as high as $1.5 million. Borough Manager Jeff Jabusch...
Work on Cassiar Street is at a temporary standstill as contractors and Wrangell Public Works wait for a spot of clear weather to finish pouring concrete. As of Tuesday, the block behind Irene Ingle Public Library was finished and crews were working their way down from the street's north end. Estimating the paving to be about a third done, Borough Manager Jeff Jabusch expected workers need a three-day window of clear weather to finish pouring concrete. They are hoping such an opportunity comes...
Scores of families came to the gym at Evergreen Elementary School Saturday morning for this year's Wrangell Early Childhood Coalition – Best Beginnings Children's Fair. "It's going very well," said Krissy Smith, the coalition's executive director. Manning the door, by midday she figured it was rivaling last year's turnout. "It's been too busy to count them at the door," she said. Later in the day, she was able to calculate that 364 participants of all ages had attended. In addition to handing o...
After nearly 34 years of service, Irene Ingle Public Library will be getting a new head librarian after Kay Jabusch retires at the end of this year. She began there in June 1980, working closely with Irene Ingle – the previous head librarian for whom the library was renamed – before taking over her position after Ingle's retirement on Jan. 1, 1981. When Jabusch retires from the position on Jan. 1, 2015, assistant librarian Margaret Villarma will likewise assume the post. "I think the tra...
Hospice of Wrangell reports it is kicking off a campaign this week to collect advance directives, educating local residents about them and assisting in their completion. Advance directives are legal documents that include both a living will and a durable power of attorney for health care. A living will conveys a person’s wishes about end-of-life care decisions to their family and medical providers. A durable power of attorney allows a designated person to receive medical information and make health care decisions either now or at a time of f...
August 10, 1914: The Winifred left early yesterday for Telegraph. She has a good load of freight but no passengers. On the last trip down, the crew reported seeing two moose, both of them swimming in the river. The first was seen just above the canyon and the other at Clearwater. The moose are getting further down every year and before long they will be all over the islands in this section of the country, and for this reason the new law was passed last spring prohibiting the killing of them. Although the law was made fun of by several papers...
It began, in part, with a dance. In 2004, Alaska's first lady and many residents of the town attended the ribbon cutting for the newly constructed James and Elsie Nolan Center. Amid the festivities and speeches of thanks, then-city manager Bob Prunella called Dorothy Ottesen in front of nearly 450 attendees, according to the July 8, 2004 edition of the Wrangell Sentinel. Ottesen had often vowed to dance in the museum, were it ever constructed. "The two danced a two-step in front of a clapping...
If past years are any indication, more than 100 students will complete the public library’s summer reading program this year. For the first time this year officials at the Irene Ingle Memorial library have opened the reading program to include high school students, according to Librarian Kay Jabusch. “There seems to be a lot of interest there,” she said. “These kids have grown up with the program. We’re actually expecting a lot more participation this year.” Registration for the program started last week, and continues until June 30, Jabusch...
Library staff at the Irene Ingle Memorial Library will begin participating in a series of webinars intended to evaluate ways to improve service for local patrons. The online meetings, known as the Edge Initiative, are part of a push to promoting best technology practices among the staffs and facilities at 20 libraries across Alaska, said library director Kay Jabusch. “Some of the things you do well, you want to do more of that,” she said. The Initiative involves a questionnaire about how technology is used at the library, Jabusch said. A slew o...
