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With polls closing at 8 p.m. Tuesday night, preliminary results for Wrangell’s city election have come in. The election saw seats open for the positions of mayor, the borough assembly, school board, port commission, and hospital board. Also on the ballot was Proposition 1, which would allow for the lease of the Wrangell Medical Center and construction of a new hospital. There were 649 ballots cast on election day, with an additional 117 absentee ballots. The preliminary results of the election are as follows: There were two candidates for m...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met Tuesday night to discuss Ballot Measure 1, better known as the “Stand With Salmon” measure. This state measure is on the ballot in Alaska this year, and could have a large effect on Wrangell, as well as many other communities across the state. In short, the measure proposes new requirements and a new permit process for any projects affecting bodies of water related to salmon or other anadromous fish. The aim of this measure is to better protect salmon and their environment. However, there were concerns amo...
The Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors met Wednesday night, Sept. 19, for their annual review of the medical center. The review covered a wide variety of topics, such as the medical center’s 2018 strategic goals. The three main goals were divided into the categories of cash flow, recruitment and retention, and the new facility. CEO Robert Rang said that the medical center has had cash flow issues since before he came onboard. However, he said thanks to work with the billing department that the time between “patient interaction” and when...
Beginning this fall, according to a press release from the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, specialty services in Southeast Alaska will be expanded thanks to collaboration between SEARHC and Swedish Medical Center. The press release stated that a letter of intent was signed on Sept. 10 to expand both specialty services and clinics across the region. The services listed in the press release include neurology, urology, cardiology, rheumatology, and dermatology. Dan Neumeister, senior executive vice president with SEARHC, said that...
According to documents provided by Erin Michael, the public health nurse for Petersburg and Wrangell, opioids were involved in 42,000 deaths in the United States in 2016. In Alaska, in 2017, there were 108 opioid-related deaths. The National Institute of Drug Abuse said that opioids are highly addictive and can be found in illegal substances like heroin. It is also found in prescription pain medications such as OxyContin and Vicodin. To combat the increasing abuse of opioids in the area, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services has...
The Nolan Center was packed Monday night as Wold Architects held a meeting to update the community on plans for the new hospital. Members of the city government, SEARHC, the Wrangell Medical Center, and many residents came to hear the update. According to WMC CEO Robert Rang, there were about 60 people in attendance. Josh Ripplinger, with Wold Architects, gave the update. Ripplinger started the meeting by reviewing a timeline of how the hospital would eventually be constructed. He said that they were currently in the “schematic design p...
The city and borough of Wrangell will be holding an election on Oct 2. There are several positions needing to be filled, and there are many people seeking to fill them with 13 people running for office. The Wrangell Sentinel has created a roundup of candidates to help better inform local voters. Mayor There are two candidates seeking the position of mayor. Carl Carlisle has been in Wrangell for about three years, he said, but has lived all around Alaska before then. Coming from a military background, he said that his main concerns for Wrangell...
At approximately 10 a.m., Aug. 24, a fire alarm was tripped at the Wrangell Medical Center. The fire department responded quickly, with 14 members of the department showing up. The forest service also arrived on-scene to offer assistance. The hospital was searched, but no fire could be found. At about 10:37 a.m., it was determined that it was a false alarm and the medical center nor anybody inside were in danger. Business returned to normal shortly afterward. "They didn't find anything," said...
About a week ago, according to Director of Public Works and Capital Facilities Amber Al-Haddad, water seepage was found in the upper reservoir dam at Wrangell’s water treatment facility. She came before the Wrangell Borough Assembly Tuesday evening to bring them up to speed on the situation. The seepage was located in the east end of the dam, and while Al-Haddad said the dam always maintained a wet consistency, the amount of water was higher than usual in this area. Al-Haddad said that once it was discovered, a series of weirs were built at t...
"I've always liked parades because you can dress up as crazy as you want," said Anny Newport, organizer of the upcoming Wonderfulness Parade. Newport has brought her love of costumes and parades everywhere she's lived. Over the years she has collected a wide variety of costumes, and said she loves to be a part of parades. When not in a parade or in costume, she also goes around town as the self-described "Free Toy Fairy," leaving free toys around town for kids to find. The Wonderfulness Parade...
Last weekend was the annual Rally For Cancer Care golf tournament, organized by the Wrangell Medical Center Foundation. The tournament on Saturday was less of a serious competition and more for fun and socializing. Several holes on the 9-hole course had a different, fun challenge to compete in. Hole No. 2, for example, required golfers to play the entire hole with just their driver. Hole No. 5 required players to tee off with their foot in a bucket. Along with these challenges were...
Kathaleen Jane Maixner, 65, of Sitka, Alaska, passed away February 15, 2018, from an acute illness at Providence Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska. She was born in Bandon, Oregon, on August 4, 1953, to William and Donna Grover. She spent 32 years in Wrangell. Kathaleen belonged to several organizations including the ELKS BPOE 1662, The American Legion Auxiliary and was a member and coworker for the Women of the Moose in Sitka. Kathaleen loved cooking, camping, baseball, poetry, reading,...
Totem Bar & Liquor Store sponsored two 9-hole, best ball tournaments on August 4 and 5. The August 4 tournament saw 14 participants. First place went to a team consisting of Ed Rilatos, Nate Johnson, Grover Mathis, and Wayne Harding. They won with a net score of 19 and handicap of 16. Second place went to Fay Kohrt, Chris Ellis, and Erik Kading with a net score of 20 and a handicap of 17. Jerry Bakeburg made the straightest drive of the tournament at 35 inches. The August 5 tournament saw 19 participants. First place went to Rocky Littleton,...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met Tuesday night to hold a meeting that was rescheduled from July 24. Before getting into new business, the assembly heard a request from Lavern Lawrence, who lives at 4.2 mile. Lawrence said that she and her husband live right next door to the dump, and have had several health issues arise because of it. She came before the assembly because she said her doctors have requested they get a toxicology report to rule out what could be causing some of these health...
The hospital's charitable foundation is planning a big weekend August 11 and 12 for its annual golf tournament, hoping to boost its cancer care travel fund. The Wrangell Medical Center Foundation was established in 2007 with three goals in mind, among them supporting equipment needs at the hospital and providing health career scholarships to prospective students. It also has over the past decade distributed $97,000 in grants to individuals undergoing treatment for various iterations of cancer,...
Jimmie Wayne Thompson, 80, passed away peacefully on July 5, 2018 at the Wrangell Medical Center. At his request, no services will be held. A Celebration of Life will take place at a later date, along with his obituary....
The Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors met July 18, at city hall for their regularly scheduled meeting. While not initially on the agenda, the board appointed a new president and vice president during this meeting. The issue was raised by board member Don McConachie, who pointed out that having a president was a part of the board's charter. He also said that since the board was trying to find a new member to fill a vacant seat, appointing a new president could help encourage people who...
"For us, this journey is called 'In the footsteps of Ferdinand von Wrangel,' and you are a big footstep," said Carola von Wrangel to the gathered crowd at the Nolan Center. Ferdinand von Wrangel was governor of the Russian Empire's holdings in Alaska in the early 1800s, as well as an avid explorer and scientist. The city of Wrangell is named after Baron von Wrangel. He also oversaw the construction of the first fortification on Wrangell Island in 1834. He would go on to be a part of the Russian...
In its first relatively short meeting since concluding its budget process earlier this month, the Borough Assembly nonetheless found time to wade into some sizable items Tuesday. Members approved moving ahead with a contract offer to Tamico RnR JV for float replacement and general renovation at Shoemaker Bay Harbor, in the amount of $8,355,240. (see related story) Additionally, a professional services agreement with PND Engineers to the tune of $731,328 for administration and inspection of the project was approved. A project contingency...
In a press release last Friday, Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium announced it will officially move forward with formalizing an affiliation with the City and Borough of Wrangell regarding the future of its municipal hospital. The decision follows one reached unanimously by the Wrangell Assembly on June 12, and sets into motion a transfer of operations of Wrangell Medical Center to SEARHC. Initially, the regional provider will acquire the local hospital and assume its operational,...
The City and Borough Assembly took its next serious step in redirecting Wrangell Medical Center’s future on Tuesday, authorizing a resolution to pursue a strategic affiliation with Southeast Alaska Rural Health Consortium. Earlier this year the city and regional healthcare provider began to cooperatively explore a new approach to managing WMC, a municipally-run critical access hospital. The hospital has been experiencing a revenue crisis for several years, and even with additional funds from city reserves has remained low on operating cash. H...
After a series of meetings and public presentations last week, a proposed acquisition of Wrangell Medical Center by a regional health group looks more probable. Southeast Alaska Rural Health Consortium has expressed interest in administering the municipal hospital, which has been in a prolonged state of financial difficulty. At the Wrangell Assembly's most recent meeting last Tuesday, WMC chief executive officer Robert Rang reported having only 13 days' cash on hand with which to cover...
A series of meetings between Southeast Alaska Rural Health Consortium and the City and Borough of Wrangell are planned for early next week. The regional health group is entertaining making an offer to assume control of Wrangell Medical Center, a municipally-run critical access hospital which has in recent years fallen into financial difficulties. Starting Sunday afternoon and lasting through Tuesday, SEARHC will hold a series of meetings with city staff, hospital transition steering committee members and the wider community, in order to go...
