Sorted by date Results 176 - 199 of 199
A specially outfitted ship with facilities to repair underwater fiber optic lines made its way up Zimovia Strait on Thursday, Jan. 10 to assist GCI in repairs to cables damaged during a 7.5 magnitude earthquake on Friday, Jan 4. The vessel, C/L Wave Venture, began its repair operations approximately 8 miles south of downtown with work on the line leading from Ketchikan to Wrangell, which was the first of two cables affected during the quake. The ship later moved north to a point just off Heritag...
A world traveling, multi-lingual expert in comparative religion and intra-professional relationships in the medical field is now calling Wrangell home as the news reporter for KSTK FM. Shady Grove Oliver, a graduate of Columbia University in New York City with a Master’s Degree in Narrative Medicine and undergraduate studies in foreign languages and comparative religion, began work at the community supported Alaska Public Radio Network station on Monday, Jan. 7. Oliver, who has spent a number o...
To the Editor: Being relatively new to Wrangell, it has been my pleasure to begin to know and understand this portion of Alaska. However reflecting upon this great and new to me area I must ask, why is there a web site called Work Place Alaska, when no employer seems to use it? Several jobs that I have applied to stated this lack of usage to the point of ignoring it altogether. We finally have a school that is warming up food in it's own kitchen to serve our students, hurrah for them, is it more then just defrosting and opening cans? I ask...
A new mayor, renovations to the Shakes Island Tribal House and Marine Service Center, and the ongoing Wrangell Medical Center debate – all of these stories were newsmakers in 2012. Let’s take a look back at some of the biggest stories in Wrangell over the past year. JANUARY A late night blaze destroyed a trailer and sent a woman to Wrangell Medical Center with severe burns on Dec. 22. The fire, which began at 10:30 p.m. in a small pull-behind trailer near the top of the park, severely inj...
Dawn Hutchinson – Stevens, 66, passed away on December 5, 2012 with family by her side. Dawn was born April 11, 1946 in Wrangell to Fanny Stepetin (Nauska) and Henry Bradley. Dawn picked up the nickname of Butchie as a young child and some still called her that. She was also proud of her Tlingit name - Glaintz. She graduated from Wrangell High School in 1964 and obtained a BA in Fine Arts from Washington State University in 1982, with a minor in Native American Studies. Dawn returned to W...
The fall pledge drive for KSTK FM, Wrangell’s non-profit community radio station, met its earning goal of $17,000 during the week of Sept. 22-27. The amount raised during the week-long drive was significantly greater than what the station brought in during the 2011 fall drive, which was close to $16,000. Station general manager Mike Symons said the drive, which is held every spring and fall, is necessary to augment the funding the station already receives via grant money and other funding sources. “We reached our goal by Saturday at 3 p.m.,” Sy...
KSTK FM has donated hundreds of audio recordings dating from the 1960s to the 1990s to Sealaska Heritage Institute. The collection donated by the station documents the history and events of the community of Wrangell through interviews and talk shows over the years, said SHI archivist and collections manager Zachary Jones. According to Jones, the recordings deal with topics of interest to both the Native community and Wrangell as a whole. “It’s especially great for Sealaska Heritage Institute because it documents a portion of the Native com...
Wrangell’s radio station, KSTK FM, brought their newest reporter on board this week with the addition of veteran journalist Ariel Van Cleve to the station’s staff. Van Cleve, who most recently worked as a reporter at KDLG FM in Dillingham, comes to the station with a background in broadcast journalism and holds a Masters in Public Affairs Broadcasting from the University of Illinois at Springfield. Prior to her time in Alaska, she worked as an intern at WCBU in Peoria, Ill. from 2004-07, as an...
It was a busy night at City Hall on Tuesday, Aug. 28 as the Borough Assembly met in three sessions to hold a public hearing, certify the Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors special election results, and to meet in regular session on a number of items. The public hearing, which began the evening, was to hold a second reading of a proposed ordinance that would clarify oversight of the WMC board and their powers in operating the hospital. One proposed change would restrict the board to a...
KSTK General Manager Mike Symons, along with engineer John Matthews, stand with a brand new satellite dish to be installed for upgrading the station’s NPR feed....
A proposed resolution to support the development of new hatcheries in Wrangell and Petersburg – and the resignation of a member of the assembly were the main topics of discussion at the July 24 regular meeting of the Borough Assembly. Mike Symons, who has held Seat F on the assembly since 2010, formally tendered his resignation from the assembly after being tapped as the new General Manager and News Director at KSTK FM. Symons said his resignation was spurred on by the nature of his position as the head of the news department at the station. “I...
As current law stands, Wrangell has the highest municipal sales tax in the nation. An application by two Wrangellites to place a proposed taxation ordinance before the Borough Assembly could change that, however, by seeking to reduce Wrangell’s sales tax to 5.5 percent from its current 7 percent rate. The initial application for a suggested change to 5 percent, filed by Wrangell residents Ernie Christian and Rhonda Dawson, failed last week in part due to requirements covering initiative petitions under the Wrangell’s Municipal Code. Chr...
KSTK FM has a new General Manager – and it is someone very familiar with local radio in Wrangell. Mike Symons, a long-time Wrangell resident, Borough Assemblyman, and co-host of his own blues-oriented “Skydog” show on the station has been tapped as the new GM and News Director for the station. His first day at work was July 9. Anyone who knows Symons in the community will know that his affectionate term of endearment for friends is “dogger,” while talking to you. Now, Symons gets to be the “t...
The annual KSTK/Alaska Power and Telephone golf tournament was held last weekend on June 16 – and though heavy rains fell, the spirit and competitiveness of the participants was apparent as the team of Wayne and Kathleen Harding took home a No. 1 spot with their net 26 (20 handicap) score. The tournament, which was a 9-hole “2-person best-ball” format, was a fundraising event for KSTK, which relies on community support to keep the lights on and transmitter broadcasting around the borough and o...
The 2012 Wrangell birthday calendar is completed. It has been mailed. Printing takes approximately 30 days. They should be available for distribution the end of April or the beginning of May 2012. Because of the setback, the calendar year will begin May 1st, 2012 and run thru May 31st, 2013. I apologize for impeding the completion and I take full responsibility. No excuses, I will just say that I had a lot going on and was unable to complete everything on schedule. Please accept my sincere heartfelt apology. I would like to “explain” what I k...
KSTK board member Christie Jamieson helps serve up chili Saturday afternoon at the local radio station’s annual “Chili Cook Off” fundraiser. KSTK was able to raise approximately $4,100 at the fundraiser with the help of chili sales and a live auction. Cindy Sweat took first place in the chili contest, for her “Bean me up” chili. Bonnie Ritchie took second place for her “Ry Bells” chili, and John and Brenda Yeager won third place for their “Moose on Tap” chili....
Progress on the road and utility improvement project on Wrangell’s main street is moving along, with construction crews working through the snow as of Tuesday morning. Construction work is concentrated near the intersection of Front and Lynch Streets, as of earlier this week, with crews and equipment occupying the road from approximately Wells Fargo Bank to the Kadin building. Car traffic has been blocked on the city’s main street from the bank to near Campbell Drive. However, after weeks of...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. Feb. 12, 1912: New buildings throughout the town is the inevitable program for Wrangell this summer. During 1911, the demand for houses was greater than the supply. Considering the progressive strides of Wrangell industries, many houses will be needed this season. For example: J.E. Worden commenced the foundation for a two-story building on his lot across the alley from the Cash Store. When finished, Worden will move the Post Office from its present quarters to a part of the new building. Ole...
Construction on the road and utility improvement project continues to travel down Front Street and project leads hope to reach Lynch Street by the end of next week. At the last construction update meeting Feb. 16, crews were near the intersection of Front and McKinnon streets. At that meeting, Superintendent of McGraw Custom Construction Mike Ashton said it was his goal to have had crews moved down Front Street to the next intersection, but progress would be dependent on the amount of rock beneath the road. “It will all depend on more r...
Wrangell High School senior Anne Prysunka traveled to Anchorage earlier this month to present her senior project on bears at the Alaska Forum on the Environment. Since early January, Prysunka, 17, has been working on her senior project that has included teaching Wrangell elementary students about bears in Alaska and the animal’s significance within the community. “I wanted to connect the youth of Wrangell to the rich culture that surrounds the community,” she said. “To do that, I wanted to use the symbol of the bear, because the bear represe...
The workshop was being put on by MIA reps and was scheduled for the afternoon of Jan. 25 at the Nolan Center. However, due to what MIA reps said was a lack of advertising of the event, few attended. The workshop was posted on Wrangell’s website, www.Wrangell.com, and advertised shortly before the 1:30 p.m. start time on Wrangell’s radio station, 101.7 KSTK. Wrangell Economic Development Planner Carol Rushmore said, unfortunately, her office knew nothing about the MIA group coming to Wrangell until she saw a post on Facebook about the eve...
January The Wrangell School Board found $128,451 in additional, unspent funding from a federal program. In passing their 2011 budget, the board also accepted an $8,300 grant for the Upward Bound program. Master carvers Steve Brown and Wayne Price visited Shakes Island to begin discussions on the renovation of the Tribal House and to propose a traditional tools class. The US Forest Service began a scoping project for an Environmental Impact Study regarding timber sales and road construction for...
KSTK station manager Peter Helgeson works the controls as the Wrangell Headstart class sang Christmas carols live on the air on Thursday, Dec 8....
By GREG KNIGHT Sentinel writer With the coming of colder weather each year, one thing is as regular as the rain in Wrangell – the KSTK Fall Pledge Drive. The drive, which began Oct. 21 and runs through this weekend is seeking to raise $16,500 to continue station operations in the borough and pay for expenses related to programming and delivery of on-air content. Peter Helgeson, the station’s General Manager, believes Wrangellites support KSTK because of the service it provides to the com...
