Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 209
The annual Stikine River Birding Festival starts Friday and includes movies, a morning walk to identify birds, video presentations, virtual storytelling from the library, a session on how to build a bird feeder, a community cleanup and a nature trail scavenger hunt. Activities run through May 8. Organizers are spreading out the events this year, rather than squeezing everything into four days as was the schedule in 2019. The pandemic forced cancellation of last year's activities. "We have been m...
Radio station KSTK, instead of its traditional cooking competition, will hold a chili feed at 11 a.m. Saturday at the downtown pavilion. Winners of KSTK's past cook-offs will serve bowls of their winning chili for the fundraising event. The chili cook-off is a longstanding tradition in Wrangell, said Lucy Moline-Robinson, with the radio station. It started back in 2000, she said, when the station invited several residents to prepare a pot of chili and compete to see who could make the best....
Stikine Middle School students explained to a statewide audience how they are using technology to cope with the pandemic-induced changes in their education. Members of the sixth grade class spoke at the Alaska Society of Technology in Education virtual conference Feb. 16, talking about ways technology has helped them learn throughout the year. The organization promotes access to technology information resources for Alaska students. Laura Davies, teacher for the sixth grade class, said she and...
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... Full story
Wrangell's Dove Tree was set up in the downtown pavilion last week. The tree, an annual tradition by the Hospice of Wrangell, serves as a holiday memorial for loved ones who passed away that year. Community members are invited to visit the tree, write the names of loved ones on dove ornaments, and hang them on the tree. As of Dec. 7, over 50 doves are hanging on this year's tree. There was no in-person ceremony for the Dove Tree this year, due to COVID-19, but an on air ceremony was held last...
While this holiday season may look different with the COVID-19 pandemic, several Wrangell traditions are still going strong. The public will still be able to participate in the annual Christmas Tree Lane, though there will be some changes. The Dove Tree ceremony is still moving forward, as well. Christmas Tree Lane is a yearly fundraiser for the Hospice of Wrangell. People and organizations across the city donate uniquely decorated Christmas Trees, and then others can place bids on them to take...
The Prysunka family, Dr. Lynn and Mayor Steve, met with KSTK and Wrangell Sentinel reporters on the afternoon of Oct. 20 to talk about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Wrangell has seen a total of 20 cases of the virus since the pandemic began. The most recent case was announced on Sept. 14. All of these cases have recovered, though, and Wrangell has not seen an active case in about a month. However, across the state and the country, cases continue to rise. The Alaska Department of Health and...
The Wrangell School Board met Monday, Sept. 21. Two major topics of discussion during this meeting were the high school swim team, and whether or not students could travel for activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several people spoke at the meeting, calling for the school district to fully fund the swim team, to add the coach's position to the schedule of extracurricular activities, as well as to remove the schedule of extracurricular activities from the negotiated agreement process. Jamie...
After June Leffler left KSTK to move back down south last month, the local radio station has operated without a reporter. Leffler's replacement, Sage Smiley, arrived in town last Sunday. "I'm really excited to be here," she said. "I think that Southeast is a beautiful place, and that Wrangell seems like a really wonderful and close knit community. I'm excited to be a part of it and get to report, do what I love here." Smiley got her start in radio in Utah. She said she has worked in a variety of...
June Leffler has been a common sight at many meetings and events around Wrangell for almost three years. As a reporter for radio station KSTK, she played a role in keeping the public informed of everything going on around town. Her time in Wrangell has come to an end, however, as she left for the Lower 48 last Monday. "I just kind of gave myself until this summer, regardless of any jobs that came up, so I'm going," Leffler said. Leffler came to Wrangell to continue pursuing her career in public...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly held one of their last budget work sessions last Wednesday evening, June 17, to finalize next year's budget for the city. For FY 2021, Wrangell is looking at revenues of $4.48 million in the general fund, but expenses of $4.78 million. Much of the discussion in this workshop revolved around the general fund, and how to handle its deficit. The workshop lasted for about three and a half hours. In the end, the assembly directed city administration to move forward with...
After last week's announcement of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Wrangell, two other cases were confirmed shortly after. Wrangell now has three total cases of the virus. One case has been declared recovered. However, there is some question about the source of the third case. Public Health officials state that Wrangell's third case was a contact with the first case, but the first case said she does not know how that could be. The first case was announced on Sunday evening, June 7. A join...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly hosted a public hearing on next year's budget Tuesday night, June 16. This was an opportunity for members of the public to voice their opinions and concerns regarding FY 2021, and how Wrangell's money is going to be allocated. Thanks in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, like many other communities, Wrangell is facing a lean financial year. There were several people who called in to the meeting, or wrote emails to the city, who wanted to state their support for...
4/1/20 COVID-19 Update Mayor Steve Prysunka and Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen hosted a brief teleconference, on Wed., April 1, to share pertinent information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic with the public. There are still no confirmed cases of the virus in Wrangell as of this date, Prysunka said. However, this is not cause for relaxation. Von Bargen said she was recently part of a teleconference with other city managers across Alaska, along with representatives from FEMA and the Department... Full story
The Wrangell Cooperative Association held an award ceremony at Wrangell High School Monday evening, Sept. 30. Tribal Administrator Esther Ashton, along with several members of the WCA board, organized the ceremony to officially give several local organizations a check from the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium's "Healthy Is Here" grant. In total, $10,600 was given to 17 organizations. "The reason we're here today is that we received from SEARHC a Healthy Is Here grant," Ashton said....
Radio station KSTK held their second annual "Touch-A-Truck" event at Volunteer Park two weeks ago. Families with little kids could see many different kinds of work vehicles, including fire trucks, police cars, bulldozers, dump trucks, and more. Pictured here is Nolan Johnson (wearing the fireman's helmet) and Tom Kowalske checking out an ambulance....
Golf Roundup Radio Station KSTK sponsored a nine-hole best ball tournament at Muskeg Meadows last Saturday, June 15. There were 18 participants in the tournament. First place went to a team consisting of Spenser Stavee, Ed Rilatos, Ron Soale, and Drew Eyon, with a net score of 20 and team handicap of 17. Second place went to Eric Kading, Tyler Eagle, Toot Harding, and Wayne Harding with a net score of 21 and team handicap of 17. Third place went to Dough Nelson, Jerry Bakeburg, and Frank Roppel...
City Market and Sentry Hardware co-sponsored a gold tournament at Muskeg Meadows last weekend. There were 15 participants on Saturday, May 8. First place went to Jerry Bakeburg, with a score of 29 and handicap of 12. Second place went to Eric Kading with a score of 30 and a handicap of 13. Frank Roppel had the straightest drive of the day at 5 feet, 10 inches. Sunday’s game saw 20 participants. First place went to Keene Kohrt, Faye Kohrt, Wayne Ellis, and Eric Kading with a score of 19 and team handicap of 15. Second place went to a team c...
To the Editor: It was 84 degrees near the Arctic Ocean. Severe weather threatens eighteen states. Antarctic is losing its ice fields and Nome is ice free. Deadly California fires. Ninety-four degrees in Omaha, Nebraska. Earthquakes in Oklahoma, Alaska and Texas due to fracking and our politicians who were put in office by the oil companies deny…deny and tell us that there is no climate change? Really? The sea is rising due to the North and South Poles melting. Just look at the Mendenhall and LeConte Glaciers which are slowly retreating as t...
Radio station KSTK, hosted a chili cookoff last Saturday. The cookoff is an annual fundraiser for the radio station, according to June Leffler. It was hosted in the Wrangell High School Commons this year. Almost a dozen different chilis were entered into the contest, each with a different flavor and level of spiciness. The top three winners were selected, with the first place winner getting their name put on a crockpot trophy. This year's winner was Jeanie Arnold, who also won the cookoff in...
Safety in the Wrangell School District has been a hot topic around town these past few days. On Saturday, March 2, school officials were made aware of a high school student making threatening comments on Snapchat. The student, who is underage and will not be named, sent a photograph to friends saying, “Don’t go to school Monday, guys,” while making a finger gun. School officials were made aware of this photograph, according to an email by Secondary School Principal David Macri, and they contacted the police department. The department then inter...
Last week, Governor Dunleavy unveiled his amended budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2020. As expected, there were substantial cuts to government agencies, all of which will affect Southern Southeast. Some of the cuts that will be most noticeable here in District 36 are the Marine Highway, services to our seniors, education, Fish & Game, public safety, and access to information. Governor Dunleavy proposed 68.3% cut to our ferry system, including an 80% decrease in funding for fuel. The intent of such a steep cut is to eliminate the ferry system...
The past year has been a busy one for the community of Wrangell, and also one full of changes. Elections have come and gone, the school district saw a new superintendent and two new principals, a high school swimming and diving team was organized, and a new reporter came to town. A new organization was formed, BRAVE, to help bring people together to enhance life in the community for Wrangell’s younger population. Other organizations like the Senior Center and Nolan Center saw new faces, as well. There were lots of physical changes to W...
Two dogs were found dead near Spur Road on Dec. 11. Wrangell resident Melvin Gadd found the dogs. He was driving down the trail off of the spur road, and stopped to clear some brush away from the road, when he found them. He said that the bodies were fairly decomposed. He guessed that both animals were less than a year old. Gadd notified the police about the dead dogs, and they are investigating the situation. The news of the dead dogs spread through town quickly, by word of mouth and via social media. Rumors spread on Facebook said that the...
Halloween is a time of cheesy horror movies, trick-or-treating, costumes, and Halloween parties. KSTK, Wrangell's local radio station, is gearing up for a party of its own. The radio station is holding its second annual Halloween party on Oct. 20 at the Nolan Center. "It's definitely open of our larger fundraisers for the year," said Keeleigh Solverson with KSTK. "It's an all-adult party, so a bit different than some of the things we usually do. But as our second annual we're trying to...