Sorted by date Results 9376 - 9400 of 10641
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - The U.S. Forest Service plans to take a portion of the timber payments it has promised or paid out to 22 states, citing federal budget cuts. Collection letters from Forest Service Chief Thomas Tidwell went out to governors around the country Monday, saying money would be taken from funds used for habitat improvement and other national forest-related projects that put people to work under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. Oregon stands to lose the most in the move, with nearly $4 million in...
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) - A Kodiak woman is leading a study to find out why Alaskans love salmon. The Salmon Project, still in an exploratory phase, aims to find out about the deep connections Alaskans have with wild salmon. “We wanted to understand how it relates to people’s lives and what values were associated with salmon fishing, salmon viewing or salmon eating,’’ project organizer Erin Harrington said. Harrington is leading the investigation to figure out whether Alaskans are interested in being united in talking about salmon and whether...
KAKE, Alaska (AP) _ The southeast Alaska community of Kake is trying to save its historic Keku Cannery. The cannery was named one of the nation’s most endangered historic places earlier this year by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Gary Williams, the executive director of the Organized Village of Kake, fears the run-down building will collapse. He said if it comes down, it would be a disaster, with asbestos getting into clam beds and affecting subsistence fishing. Williams recently guided some visitors including a representative f...
PETERSBURG – The Petersbug Borough Assembly approved a sales tax-free day scheduled for Saturday, October 5. Assembly member Susan Flint said sales tax revenues are ahead of budget this year and the time period would be good for residents. “October is a month where it’s pretty much residents living in Petersburg, or shopping in Petersburg,” Flint said. “I think it would be a better time to have it than when it was in May when we’re full of visitors.” The Chamber of Commerce Retail Committee proposed a sales tax-free day last May but the assembl...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Like so many visitors to Alaska, Phyllis McNamara was eager for a seven-day cruise along a majestic stretch of coast that is teeming with whales, bears and glaciers. But the Indianapolis woman and her friends were among hundreds of tourists who had their vacation plans scuttled when a mechanical problem aboard the 965-foot Millennium forced the cruise operator to cancel six Alaska sailings. “This is becoming just a nightmare,” said McNamara, 68, who went ahead with a planned land excursion in place of the cruise. Cyn...
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski intervened on behalf a Wrangell daycare operator after a US Forest Service officer issued her a citation in July for picnicking with her daycare children at Middle Ridge in the Tongass National Forest. US Forest Service Law enforcement officer Doug Ault fined Marilyn Mork $375 for operating a business on federal land without a permit. Mork said former U.S. Senator Frank Murkowski caught wind of the situation, made a copy of the citation and sent it to his daughter, Senator Murkowski. Murkowski happened to be meeting...
It was during a typical cold Southeast Alaskan November day in 1968 when Felix Villarma tied his 20-foot wooden scow onto a Kadin Island beach. He was in a draw and nearing the top of a mountain, sneaking through the foliage and the rain, when he saw a doe about 100 yards away. “I watched her watch me, then all of the sudden this big buck walked right next to her and looked down the mountain at me,” Villarma said. “I put my 270 to my shoulder and had it in my crosshairs, aimed for the neck...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. September 11, 1913: Long before the first day of September, all the veteran duck hunters and the cheechakos had carefully inspected their old breech loaders, pump or automatic putting everything in readiness for the day that they could land both feet on the famous hunting ground. The first party to depart were Rollo Shangle, Geo. Sylvester, T. Case and Clarence Lewis. Being the first hunters of the season they kind of took the ducks by surprise and brought back the limit. On Sunday, Harry Gartley,...
On August 13, Wrangell Magistrate Chris Ellis adjudicated the following cases: Katie Barger, 15, was found guilty of Minor Consuming Alcohol. She was sentenced to probation for one year and to contact Wrangell Youth Court by August 19, 2013, complete process and follow orders. Laven Ritchie, 16, was found guilty of Repeat Minor Consuming Alcohol. He was sentenced to probation for one year, ordered to pay $510 in fines and surcharges, perform 48 hours of Community Work Service and to have his driving privileges revoked for 180 days. Kyler Nore,...
Genevieve Murphy, Wrangell local Steve Murphy’s niece, shared her experiences last Tuesday about working in Mali in West Africa while volunteering for the Peace Corps from 2011 to 2012. The main language spoken in Mali is French but many dialects are also spoken in different regions throughout Mali like Bambara or Dogon. Mali is also the country where Blues music originated. Murphy spent her time with a host family in Sikasso while working at a micro finance bank. While there Murphy joined a large celebration for the 50th anniversary of the P...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - State labor officials say Alaska’s unemployment rate for July was 6.3 percent. The department said in a release that the rate is up three-tenths of a percentage point from the revised rate in June. The national unemployment rate for July was 7.4 percent. Summer jobs helped keep unemployment rate low throughout Alaska. The lowest rates were in Bristol Bay and Skagway, at 1.1 percent and 2.3 percent, respectively. Officials say both areas have small year-round populations, and each depends heavily on summer jobs. In B...
To the Editor: As I am about to launch my boat I want to thank the fine folks of Wrangell and to compliment you on your City Ship Yard. I came to Wrangell two months ago and had no clue as to how I was going to fix my boat or what it might involve. With the assistance of Alan and Leslie Cummings of The Grand View B&B I was off to a good start. I contacted a first class glass man at Keller Marine. Steve did a great job and I was able to have my boat in town in the yard. Once we started digging in to the bad decks I found that my fuel tanks neede...
PETERSBURG – Petersburg Mayor Mark Jensen wrote a letter to Senator Mark Begich on behalf of the borough reinforcing the need for the U.S. Coast Guard ANACAPA’s continued operation. This after the USCGC announced its plan for phasing out 110-foot vessels like the ANACAPA in favor of new 154-foot fast response cutters, or FRC. Plans call for the purchase of 58 FRCs during the next several years. Jensen’s letter asked questions regarding how much longer the ANACAPA would remain in Peter...
Three crewmembers of the 75-foot tender Pacific Queen are safe after they abandoned ship when the vessel began experiencing uncontrollable flooding early Wednesday morning near Lung Island. John Klingenberg, U.S. Coast Guard Public Affairs Specialist, said the crew issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast, or UMIB, which is a location signal that makes mariners in the area aware of the situation. The crew then loaded aboard a life raft. Another vessel eventually arrived at the scene. Klingenberg said the Windham Bay rescued the Pacific...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - In Juneau, fishing is a hobby for some and a lifestyle for others. For 17 Alaska Native youngsters, fishing provided a way to get in touch with their centuries’ old roots and get to know other middle-schoolers before classes start. Goldbelt Heritage Foundation, a locally based non-profit focused on preserving and teaching Tlingit and Haida culture, put on its first ever middle school fishing camp last week, teaching kids 11- to 14-years-old traditional methods like gillnetting, trolling and setting crab pots. John S...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - New dormitories are going up at the University of Alaska Southeast campus in Juneau, and officials hope it will help retain more college students in the capital city. Concrete should begin pouring this week for the 31,000-square-foot freshman dormitory project. The $14 million project, which the Legislature provided $8 million, will feature two, four-story towers with a commons area. University officials said proceeds from the sale of the Bill Ray Center also will be put toward the freshman residence hall project. It will...
PETERSBURG – The Petersburg Police Department and other law enforcement officials took down a commercial marijuana grow operation last month. An official from PPD said investigators had been receiving complaints regarding drug activity around the 100 and 200 block of South Nordic Dr. After an investigation of an unspecified amount of time, police entered the structure the night of July 26 where they found growing materials, live plants and more than five pounds of marijuana worth a street value of $35,000-$40,000. Charges are still pending a...
By Kyle Clayton Sentinel writer Petersburg and Wrangell residents covered by Apollo Medi Trans medevac insurance might be able to renew their coverage if the Alaska Division of Insurance receives requested documentation regarding a licensing issue. Marty Hester, Alaska Division of Insurance Deputy Director, said AMT failed to renew their license last February. “Their license did not renew,” Hester said. “I don’t know why they did not renew it.” Chief Financial Officer for AMT Robert Bonestroosaid said carriers who had active policies at the ti...
The Banana Point floating dock project has been canceled after conflicting interpretations within the U.S. Forest Service concerning the use of grant funds. The Wrangell, Petersburg and Kake Resource Advisory Committee, or RAC organized the project that was two years in the making. RACs fall under the authority of The Secure Rural Schools Act, which is meant to provide collaboration between local communities and federal land managers to create projects on federal land. Each U.S. Forest Service region in the country has a RAC. The local RAC...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. September 4, 1913: The cannery tender Irene Barnes of the Lake Bay cannery caught fire early yesterday morning, Wednesday and exploded splitting the boat wide open and seriously burning Captain M.L. Burke and slightly injuring E. Chryton, who worked as a deckhand on the boat. The explosion occurred as Mr. Burke was lighting a gasoline stove to prepare his breakfast early in the morning. It seems that the gasoline tank was leaking and had filled the bilge with gasoline and as soon as a match was...
Secretaries and Administrators returned to work August 5. Teachers will return for in-service training on August 19 -20. August 21 will be a teacher work day and students will return to school on Thursday, August 22nd. The State has tasked the school district with adopting and implementing the New Alaska State Standards. It’s a pretty rigorous adoption. An example is kindergarten students were required to count to 20. Starting this year, by the end of the year, kindergarten students will be required to count to 200. Not only that, but they w...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - The Alaska attorney general’s office has approved Lynden Inc.’s buyout of a competing cargo carrier in southeast Alaska, with conditions. Lynden, which operates Alaska Marine Lines, and Northland Marine Services are the only marine companies delivering cargo in the region. Assistant Attorney General Ed Sniffen tells the Juneau Empire the planned buyout was investigated over concerns it would violate state anti-trust laws and create a monopoly. One of the conditions proposed by the state would allow Sitka-based Samson Tug...
(Sitka) – The mountain goat registration hunt (RG150) on Baranof Island opened August 1. Hunters should be aware of the closures to all goat hunting in the Blue Lake-Medvejie watersheds and the south fork of the Katlian watershed. All hunters registering for the hunt are required to certify they have read the ADF&G Mountain Goat Identification Quiz. The quiz is available online the ADF&G website and at the local ADF&G office. All successful hunters must submit a hunt report and goat horns for age and sex identification within five days of t...