Sorted by date Results 201 - 225 of 225
Power went down across three Southeast communities Tuesday morning, after a downed tree cut lines in Ketchikan. “Evidently there was some wind or storm action,” said Clay Hammer, superintendent of Wrangell Municipal Light and Power. Three sections of transmission line were taken down in the Ward Cove area just before 7 a.m., and with them the entire connection between the three primary communities serviced by the Southeast Alaska Power Agency. The two Swan Lake units went down as a result of the disruption, as did the feed from Tyee Lake, which...
Wrangell’s Planning and Zoning Commission took a first look at what it would take for a licensed marijuana operator to set up shop on the island. As summarized by Alaska’s Alcohol & Marijuana Control Office director Cynthia Franklin during a presentation made in Wrangell on March 1, where retail, growing, production and testing facilities are allowable within the state depends in part on a community’s zoning regulations. Unlike liquor licensing, marijuana licenses will not be limited in number. It will be up to community governments to decid...
Assembly members were given an update by the Alaska Court System on Tuesday about its upcoming lease renewal for courtroom facilities. Court administrator for Southeast Neil Nesheim explained he was there to let Assembly members and the wider community know what the stance of ACS was in negotiating its lease, so to prevent any confusion. Nesheim put it to them that ACS would like to pay less on its annual lease for the space provided. This was due to a combination of declining state revenues and diminished court activity in Wrangell since the...
At its end-of-month meeting Jan. 26, The Wrangell City and Borough Assembly approved a list of capital budget requests for the 2017 fiscal year, which begins July 1. More than 50 projects costing over $140 million are listed and prioritized, with the city looking to the state and federal government to cover part or all of their costs. Economic development director Carol Rushmore and Public Works head Amber Al-Haddad started on the list, taking last year’s and updating its projects. Most of t...
The year 2015 was largely a good one for Wrangell, with the appearance of several new businesses, large infrastructural developments undertaken by businesses, the formal opening of the Tribe's cultural center, and a balanced financial outlook for the city despite tumultuous budget negotiations in Juneau. The state deficit will remain the largest issue moving ahead into 2016, as will continued mining developments in Canada along shared waters. January On Jan. 12 and 14 the first of three sets of...
In the Sentinel 75, 50 and 25 years ago. December 27, 1940: About 35 shooters and a few spectators turned out Sunday for the first annual turkey shoot of the Stikine Sportsmen’s Association of Wrangell, keen rivalry making it a highly successful affair. Seven turkeys were knocked off by the sharp-eyed crackshots, the birds going to Lloyd Benjamin, Chet Steear, Chad Wyatt, Howard Messinger, Cliff Kilkenny, Lloyd Ripley and Elvin Lindsley. Some very good scores were shot. The leather medal for missing the target entirely went to President Fred H...
A special stakeholders meeting coordinated by Wrangell Cooperative Association and Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority determined jobs and affordable housing for seniors should be top local priorities. This conclusion was reached using the help of participants of last week's meetings and results collected through WCA's 2015 Community Needs Survey. Survey results found a lack of economic opportunities was the most important local issue. While the 60-plus respondents felt Wrangell's friendly...
A project to renovate the facilities at Wrangell's Shoemaker Harbor seems well-placed to receive state assistance, the Port Commission learned this month. Harbormaster Greg Meissner told commissioners at their Nov. 4 meeting the Tier I capital project being proposed to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT) was ranked second for consideration, after a proposal by Kodiak. The DOT 50/50 matching grant program was first approved by the Alaska Legislature in 2006, and...
Kodiak volunteers were scrambling with front end loaders and dump trucks to ready 200,000 pounds of super sacks for the first pick up of a massive marine debris removal project that begins in Alaska this week. The month long cleanup, which is backed by a who’s who of state and federal agencies, non-profits and private businesses, will deploy a 300 foot barge and helicopters to remove thousands of tons of marine debris from some of the world’s harshest and most remote coastlines. “This is a really big deal for Alaska. We have one of the world...
As of Tuesday, the Alaska Legislature meeting in a special session in Anchorage had still not passed a budget for the new fiscal year, which begins July 1. On Sunday, the Senate Finance Committee rejected a compromise budget passed by the House the previous day, which included some small concessions to the minority such as reversing cuts to the ferry system and per-student funding. A conference committee between the two chambers was being organized to negotiate an amended budget as legislators posture around various funding priorities....
Next weekend, Lt. Governor Byron Mallott and I will kick off a series of conversations about the future of our state. The essence of these conversations is: What do we want our state to look like? What services do we want our government to provide? How will we pay for those services? As most of you know, the price of oil fell precipitously over the past year, and with it, Alaska's biggest source of revenue. Alaska's budget for the coming year proposes to spend $5 billion in state general funds....
The United States Forest Service (USFS) has released its Environmental Assessment, draft Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact for the floating dock at Anan Wildlife Observatory and trail safety improvements for Wrangell Ranger District. Copies of these documents are available upon request from the Wrangell USFS office, or can be viewed online at www. fs.usda.gov/goto/R10/Tongass/AnanFloatingDock. The project is currently subject to the objection process of its predecisional administrative review. Objections to the proposed...
The sound of a .45-caliber handgun going off indoors lands like a blow on the ears. It can be felt through the diaphragm and rib cage, through protective glass. The sound echoed off the walls of the James Barker Memorial shooting range Thursday, the first night of the regularly scheduled season at the range in the basement of the public safety building. The range opens Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. through January and February. Tuesdays are for pellet guns, .22-caliber handguns and rifles....
To the Editor: I am writing in regards to the story that appeared on the cover of the November 21, 2013 edition of the Wrangell Sentinel. I must admit to having several emotions while reading the article regarding the school district’s disregard for child safety as it relates to food allergies. Those emotions ranged from sadness, to disgust and anger. It seems that one sided rumors and accusations not supported by any facts are becoming normal for our newspaper. I, of all people, know how difficult it can be to write for the Wrangell S...
Stikine Middle School seventh graders buzzed around Shoemaker Shelter lighting fires one afternoon last week. Instead of committing a spree of wanton teenage vandalism, students were learning skills essential to life in Southeast. One by one, they took turns starting a fire using a nine-volt battery and steel wool as well as flint and steel to light cotton balls smeared with Vaseline – all under careful supervision and in designated fire areas. They also practiced building shelters from n...
Apart from a few minor road sign adjustments, the Zimovia Highway renovation is completed, according to state transportation officials. Officials from the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities drove the 13.4-mile stretch of highway Friday as part of the final inspection, during which the contractor presents the nearly completed results to the state. The $9.9-million project primarily entailed resurfacing Zimovia Highway from near the Wrangell Public Safety building to the very...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. July 24, 1913: Two of the biggest jobs surveying ever attempted are the marking of the boundary between Alaska and Canada which has just been completed and the marking of the southern boundary of Canada which is now in progress. Both surveys are of a difficult nature, and the Alaska boundary particularly so, because of the mountains and in parts inaccessible character of the regions traversed. The discovery of gold in the Klondike, followed by a rush of gold seekers from both nations made the Alaska...
Now that you have been appointed to the Wrangell Borough Assembly, what are the top three goals you would like to see accomplished during you tenure? I will move forward on securing ownership of the Tyee Hydroelectric project for the energy security for Wrangell and Petersburg. I have been and will continue to be an advocate for the building of the AK/BC Intertie. By providing a connection to the North American grid, the AK/BC Intertie would provide energy security to the communities currently...
After having one of the most successful seasons in the history of Little League in Wrangell, league president Brennon Eagle says he’s looking ahead to a greater season in 2013. Eagle, who is sitting as the president of Wrangell’s organization, said he is looking for parents and others who are interested in being a part of the season. “Our last season was so successful and we’re looking to build on that,” Eagle said. “We’re looking at games starting tentatively by the end of April. We had 115 kids in Little League last year, which is the most w...
With the 2012 school shootings in Connecticut and California still fresh in our collective memory, a proposal from an Anchorage lawmaker would allow for teachers or other permanent school employees to carry concealed weapons on campus “for defensive use” in the State of Alaska. House Bill 55, from Republican Rep. Bob Lynn, would allow public districts and private schools to adopt written policies spelling out the circumstances under which firearms could be possessed and used. The proposal, which...
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...
Nov. 14, 1912: Considerable uneasiness is felt here for the safety of “Capt. Kidd” a well known Wrangell character, who with his daughter, went up the Stikine to the Hot Springs some six weeks ago and who have not been heard from since. From all information gathered they must have been out of provisions for a week. Deputy Marshal, Schnabel made an attempt to get up the river Saturday on the Black Fox but the slush ice was running too strong and the party was obliged to turn back. Efforts are being made to have Chief Shakes and some of his brave...
Janell Privett - 2015 What is your previous experience on boards or other relevant experience that would qualify you as a member of the Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors? I spent most of my adult life volunteering in our community and all of my experiences are from the various boards and commissions I have served on. I served three terms on the Wrangell School Board for a total of nine years, seven of those as the chair. I was given the opportunity to attend yearly training in Roberts...
May 23, 1912: The Mirene, the new tender for the Lake Bay cannery, is an almost entirely new departure from the speedy and rakish craft brought up for service in Alaska waters. The Mirene, built by Cruise and Banks at Coos Bay, Ore., is a staunch 64-ft boat with 20 ft. beam built to withstand the hardest service. She is powered by an 80 hp Standard motor that drives her 8 knots per hour with a consumption of 8 gallons of oil. Her equipment of modern conveniences includes anchor and cargo handling donkey, Dayton lighting outfit and wireless...
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...