Sorted by date Results 451 - 475 of 498
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...
In addition to approving a bevy of capital projects that will likely come to fruition in 2013, the Borough Assembly added two new members to the Southeast Alaska Power Agency Board of Directors this week during their last regular session meeting of 2012 on Tuesday, Dec. 11. Before beginning the meeting in earnest, however, Desiré Shepler of Alaska Island Community Services made a community presentation to the Assembly on her speaking tour of Wrangell and Petersburg regarding the State of...
A group of 15 participants gathered last weekend at Wrangell High School’s wood shop to cut and form traditional wooden paddles for use in the rededication of Chief Shakes Island in May of next year. The workshop, which will produce 30 paddles to be used by Wrangell’s delegation to the event, was the brainchild of Shane Gillen and SEARHC natural foods specialist Ken Hoyt. “We had a pretty good turnout,” Hoyt said. “We had both Brian and Doug Chilton who are master carvers from Juneau and Angoo...
The City and Borough of Wrangell are talking about capital projects for 2013 – with a large emphasis resting upon utilities and other new projects in downtown as city officials and the public look ahead to a new year and new development. To that end, a workshop on proposed capital improvements for the borough was held Tuesday, Dec. 4 at City Hall, with Borough Manager Tim Rooney, and members of the Borough Assembly present. During the workshop session 12 priority projects were discussed as k...
A skull found near the mouth of the Stikine River in October may require radiocarbon date testing to determine if it came from a Native Alaskan. The skull, which was discovered by Wrangellite Vena Stough while hunting near Government Slough on Oct. 5, was first turned over to the Wrangell Police Department, who then handed it over to the Tongass National Forest supervisor’s office in Petersburg. According to Forest Service anthropologist Jane L. Smith, the office of the Alaska State Medical Exam...
The Wrangell Cooperative Association, with a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, has acquired funds to develop environmental programs for Wrangell. And now they want to know what community members think is important to the pristine environment of our region. According to WCA’s Renee Claggett, the Native association has set areas of focus based on information gathered from an initial environmental survey and a questionnaire is being distributed with the intent of discovering what Wrangellites do and know when it comes to saving t...
A debate over whether to cut down one of the oldest trees on Chief Shakes Island was temporarily resolved last week after the Wrangell Cooperative Association Board of Directors voted recently to remove it – and the issue was brought up for discussion during the WCA general membership meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 14. The tree, a cottonwood that is estimated by local botanist Glen Decker to be approximately 100 years old, sits on the northwestern corner of the island, adjacent to the location of t...
A late stretch of warm, fall weather saw the new Chief Shakes Tribal House roof up in a matter of days – and it wasn’t long before the weather switched, with cool, clear days giving way eventually to rain and some heavy winds. “We’re still standing,” said Project Manager Todd White. “Take a look at the new foundation, massive logs and water tight roof, and you wonder what it’d actually take to make even a scratch in the awesome building. The interior remains bone-dry, thanks to a beefed up roof system.” In addition to the classic cedar p...
Brett Abrahamson (Captain America), along with Elissa DeBoer (Vampiress) and Gavin DeBoer (Scream Killer) attack the candy basket at the Wrangell Cooperative Association during Wrangell’s “Early Trick or Treat” event on Wednesday, Oct. 31....
The Wrangell Cooperative Association has released the tentative schedule of events for the Rededication of Shakes Island set for May 3-4, 2013. Beginning on Friday, May 3 a noontime parade through downtown, as well a children’s regalia contest and canoe races will take place. A bingo tournament and Native dancing is set for that evening beginning at 7 p.m. with a location as yet to be determined. On Saturday the events will begin in earnest with the “One People Canoe Society” making a landi...
The Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium Board of Directors elected new officers during its quarterly board meeting last week Oct. 11-12 in Juneau. Lovey Brock of the Wrangell Cooperative Association was reelected secretary, while Frederick Olsen, Jr., of Kasaan was reelected to a second one-year term as board chair. Jan Hill of the Chilkoot Indian Association in Haines was selected as vice-chair, and Harriet Silva of the Angoon Community Association was reelected treasurer. SEARHC is a consortium of 18 tribal communities in Southeast...
With the removal of the temporary adzing shed set up at the intersection of Campbell Drive and Brueger Street, the lot where a brand-new facility for totem pole carving will soon receive a makeover in preparation for construction. Wrangell Cooperative Association project manager Todd White said preparations for the site where the new shed will be located are underway and includes getting ready to pour the foundation of what will be a 4,000-square foot facility. “We’re getting ready to start the...
If estimates of expected attendance hold true, the population of Wrangell could increase by 25 percent or more in May 2013 – during the rededication of Chief Shakes Tribal House. The numbers of expected visitors, which has been calculated by Tis Peterman of the Wrangell Cooperative Association, could equal between 700-1,000 participants from across Alaska and the lower-48. Because of this projection, the hunt for housing so many visitors to the borough is on with a vengeance. “So far we...
During the next few weeks, the Irene Ingle Public Library will be offering a new service – e-books. Library patrons will now be able to browse a website, check out an electronic book with a valid library card, and download its contents to a PC and many other types of mobile devices. According to library director Kay Jabusch, patrons will need to load software on their devices such as an iPod, Sony Reader, Nook, Kindle or computer. Titles will automatically expire at the end of the lending period and there will be no late fees. The first year o...
The family of Kaawishté, also known as Chief Shakes V, visited Wrangell last week and was treated to a trip to Shakes Island and the Tribal House and the hospitality of the Wrangell Cooperative Association. Jessica Clark, one of descendents of the Kaawishté who lives in Cypress, Calif., said it was an important experience for her to stand on Shakes Island and learn about her family history. “It’s really enlightening to see where our family came from,” she said. “Both my dad and my uncles ha...
With the flurry of activity on Shakes Island, including the redesign and construction of a new Chief Shakes Tribal House, the cleaning and renovation of the totem poles, and planning for a rededication ceremony in May 2013, the Wrangell Cooperative Association is busy focusing on the future of tribal assets in the community. But a portion of Wrangell’s Tlingit history is also spread to the wind as a part of two separate exhibits at museums in Washington and Colorado. The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of W...
The Chief Shakes Tribal House restoration project is more than halfway to completion, thanks in part to good weather and the hard work of the adzing team involved in the renovation. “If I had to put a number on the total project, I’d say we’re about 65 percent done,” said Project Manager Todd White. “We expected to salvage about 30 percent of the existing Tribal House, but that number turned out to be closer to 7 percent, creating additional work. But even with the additions, we’re still on-time for the 2013 re-dedication.” The Shakes Island tr...
A Homer-based group is seeking help from Wrangellites in their effort to bring natural blueberry products to the local, regional and international markets. Trail Mountain Harvesters is a company that organizes harvests of wild berries and herbs for Denali BioTechnologies, Inc., a manufacturer of premium dietary supplement ingredients owned by Dr. Maureen McKenzie, also of Homer. According to TMH field purchasing supervisor Bob Fenex, his company is interested in recruiting Wrangellites and...
With coats of stain covering the walls, and the majority of framing complete, the Chief Shakes Tribal House is more than halfway toward completion. According to project superintendent Todd White, the work continues and brings the finished house closer to reality every day. “The walls have been up for some time, but now the roof is halfway done and the adzers are doing everything they can to keep the cedar flowing to the island,” White said. “If I had to put a number on the total project, I’d s...
The Wrangell Resource Council has received a grant for their “Wrangell Forest Stewardship Contracting and Resource Mapping Project,” which was submitted for funding by the council in June. The $24,000 grant, which was awarded by the National Forest Foundation, will allow the council to fulfill what they call, “strengthening” the Forest Service’s capacity for collaboration with local stakeholders, including small businesses, the Wrangell Cooperative Association, the borough, conservation groups, and small mills. The NFF was founded in 1991 by a...
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...
Brad Williams - 2014 What is your previous experience on boards or other relevant experience that would qualify you as a member of the Wrangell Medical Board of Directors? I was Chairman of the Board for the Mountain Book School District for 3 years. I was Chairman of the Board for the Montana Advisory Counsel for 1.5 years. I also have 35+ years dealing with various boards on a wide range of issues. I have very strong moral values to include a sense of right and wrong. I believe in and try to...
A largely forgotten piece of Wrangell history may soon come to light, with the awarding of a Sealaska Heritage Institute grant to research the 1869 Bombardment of Wrangell. SHI received a one-year National Park Service Battlefield Preservation grant to document the 1869 bombardment through oral history work with elders. The work will be done in partnership with the Wrangell Cooperative Association. “This is the first ever Battlefield Preservation Grant awarded to an organization in Alaska to s...
With the rising costs of heating homes and businesses in Southeast Alaska, an earth-friendly product may be the answer to lower costs – and possibly creating jobs in Wrangell. The Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, in collaboration with the Wrangell Cooperative Association, has been working in past weeks to bring a feasibility consultant to the borough in an effort to determine the economic and strategic possibilities of producing a biofuel – or “biobrick” – product locally. Biobricks...
The Wrangell Cooperative Association welcomed one of the earliest and largest contributors to the Chief Shakes restoration project to Wrangell last week, as members of the Rasmuson Foundation paid the Tribal House and Carving Shed a visit on June 25. “The Chief Shakes Island Tribal House restoration is exactly the type of project the Rasmuson Foundation likes to get behind,” said CEO Ed Rasmuson, who before becoming President and Chairman of the Board for National Bank of Alaska spent two years running the Wrangell branch after the tenure of...
