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As voices became hushed and the crowd waited for the ceremony to begin, a toddler mumbled an inaudible question to their mother. Amid a sea of people packed into the Nolan Center, the woman's response was clear and without question. "The Army killed our people here," she said, "and now they're going to say sorry." The U.S. Army apologized for the 1869 bombardment of the Tlingit village called Ḵaachx̱aana.áakʼw at a ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 11, in Wrangell. Of the seven Tlingit clans that rece...
The failure of the U.S. House to reauthorize federal funding to assist rural communities with a lot of non-taxable federal land — such as the Tongass National Forest — presents a $550,000 challenge for the Wrangell School District and borough. If the new Congress doesn’t fix the problem, the district could have to further draw on its reserves, or the borough could have to take from its reserves to plug the gap, or a combination of the two. Or cut spending at the schools — the federal money represents about 10% of this year’s school district...
NOLAN CENTER THEATER “A Complete Unknown,” rated R, 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, and 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19. The biographical music drama movie about Bob Dylan’s life from 1961-1965 runs 2 hours and 21 minutes; tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for children under age 12. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. LANDSLIDE PRESENTATION, by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and other researchers, 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Nolan Center. Free. SCHOOL BOARD meeting 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, in Evergreen Eleme...
In the 2022-2023 school year, over 70% of Wrangell students were chronically absent. That's nearly double the state average and nearly three times the national average. The Alaska Department of Education, which posts school district absenteeism numbers every year, defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10% of the school year. In Alaska, that amounts to 18 days of missed classes. "If a student misses those 18 days every year from kindergarten to 12th grade, that will add up to them being absent...
STATE PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE will be in town on Thursday, Jan. 9, and will see clients in the clinic. Immunizations, birth control and STD screening, well-child exams for kids up to age 7, TB screening and medication, Narcan kits and medication disposal bags will be offered. The Public Health Center is in the Kadin Building, 215 Front St. Call 907-723-4611 to make an appointment so the nurse knows which immunizations to bring. TRAINING SESSION FOR YOUNG TRAPPERS, Wrangell’s dog-owner community will hold a training session for young trappers on w...
Wrangell students’ filmmaking efforts are going global — at least to Vancouver, British Columbia. This February, Wrangell high schoolers Jackson Pearson and Silje Morse will travel to the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival alongside teacher Laura Davies. The trio was invited to attend the festival by See Stories — an Alaska nonprofit dedicated to building “inclusive communities with film and story.” See Stories and Wrangell’s high school documentary film club, Stikine Stories (whose program is modeled after See Stories), have collab...
The mayor convened the public workshop, inviting Washington state-based entrepreneur Dale Borgford to lay out for borough officials his plans to build biomass boilers that would burn trash from around Southeast to heat large commercial greenhouses at the site of the former 6-Mile mill. He also wants to build a plant capable of filling large plastic bottles with 40,000 gallons a day of clean water from a creek at the north end of the property, or from rainwater if the creek flow is insufficient. And his list includes a plant to turn fish waste...
STATE PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE will be in town on Thursday, Jan. 9, and will see clients in the clinic. Immunizations, birth control and STD screening, well-child exams for kids up to age 7, TB screening and medication, Narcan kits and medication disposal bags will be offered. The Public Health Center is in the Kadin Building, 215 Front St. Call 907-723-4611 to make an appointment so the nurse knows which immunizations to bring. TRAINING SESSION FOR YOUNG TRAPPERS, Wrangell’s dog-owner community will hold a training session for young trappers on w...
The Wrangell Athletic Club succeeded in raising enough money in its first full year to repay the school district for the cost of sending students to state competition in the 2023-2024 school year. The all-volunteer nonprofit organization was created in late 2023 after the school district determined it could not afford to pay the expenses of students traveling to state competition and needed community fundraising to cover the bills. The costs totaled $25,042 for the 2023-2024 school year, which...
STATE PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE will be in town on Thursday, Dec. 12, and will see clients in the clinic. Immunizations, birth control and STD screening, well-child exams for kids up to age 7, TB screening and medication, Narcan kits and medication disposal bags will be offered. The Public Health Center is in the Kadin Building, 215 Front St. Call 907-723-4611 to make an appointment so the nurse knows which immunizations to bring. CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY, 10 a.m. for last names starting with A-K; 1 p.m. for last names L-Z; Saturday, Dec. 14, at th...
CHRISTMAS TREE LANE decorated trees are up for bid starting Thursday, Dec. 5, through 1 p.m. Dec 19 at the Nolan Center lobby. Half the proceeds go to the treemaker and the other half to Hospice of Wrangell. For more information, email rooney@aptalaska.net. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WINTER CONCERT 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, in the elementary school gym. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. Stream online: https://bit.ly/3G2ulZ8. SANTA CLAUS 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, at the Nolan Center during Midnight Madness, with a break during the tree lighting ceremony. Kids...
The Wrangell school district will not purchase an electric school bus this year. Business Manager Kristy Andrew informed the Environmental Protection Agency that the district would return the $370,000 federal grant it received in 2023. After the school board voted down the purchase on Sept. 9, the district had until Nov. 22 to inform the EPA of its decision, which it did ahead of the extended deadline. This concludes a four-month long saga in which the school board initially expressed optimism about the bus purchase before flipping on the...
TURKEY TROT on Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 28, at the covered basketball court, hosted by Parks and Recreation. Sign-up is at 8:45 a.m. and the fun run starts at 9 a.m. Costumes encouraged. All donations will go to the Stikine Middle School cross-country team travel fund. ELKS HOOP SHOOT free-throw contest for ages 8 to 13 will be Saturday, Nov. 30, at the community center gym: 10 a.m. for ages 8 to 9; 11 a.m. for ages 10 to 11; noon for ages 12 to 13. For more information, call Jeff Jabusch 907-305-0086. A hamburger lunch for all participants...
The Wrangell school district is running out of money — literally. If state and borough funding continue at the current levels, the schools will empty their reserves within two years. To help counteract the funding woes, the school board and superintendent met with the borough manager, mayor and borough assembly to workshop potential solutions on Nov. 19. The conversation lasted nearly two hours and began with slide deck presentations from Borough Manager Mason Villarma and school district Business Manager Kristy Andrew. Villarma was blunt. “We...
No question about it, the state is delinquent in funding public schools in Alaska. It has failed to do its homework, turn in assignments, come to class prepared and whatever other analogy you want to use. The mathematical fact is that the state’s per-pupil funding formula hasn’t had a permanent raise of any significance since the Chicago Cubs broke a 108-year drought and won the baseball World Series in 2016. And while 2016 was a good year for Cubs’ fans, that shouldn’t also be remembered as the last year the Alaska Legislature and governor agr...
LANDSLIDE REMEMBRANCE at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, at the Nolan Center. Community potluck. Hosted by WCA to remember the deadly landslide that hit Wrangell a year ago. STATE PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE will be in Wrangell on Thursday, Nov. 21, and will see clients in the clinic. Immunizations, birth control and STD screening, well-child exams for kids up to age 7, TB screening and medication, Narcan kits and medication disposal bags will be offered. The Public Health Center is in the Kadin Building, 215 Front St. Call 907-723-4611 to make an...
FALL STORYTIME for children 10 to 11 a.m. Fridays at the Irene Ingle Public Library. Stories, crafts and snacks. COMMUNITY POTLUCK 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, at the Nolan Center. Native American and Alaska Native heritage potluck to honor the Native community. Bring your favorite dish and your regalia. Hosted by the Nolan Center, Wrangell Cooperative Association and Wrangell JOM. SCHOOL BOARD will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18, in Evergreen Elementary School Room 101. A work session will precede the meeting at 6 p.m. for budget training. Communit...
Nov. 13, 1924 A special meeting of the PTA was called last Thursday evening at the grade school building for the purpose of considering the various phases of building a school gym, and also for the ratification or rejection by the association on measures already proposed by the executive board. The meeting was very well attended and a thorough discussion of the gym plan and the financial side of the plan was entered into. Very little opposition developed and the enthusiasm on the part of the supporters of the gym was unbounded. The president...
Alaska has joined a growing number of states that are considering cellphone restrictions in schools. The Alaska Board of Education has directed the state’s education department to create a policy to limit the use of cellphones in schools during class hours. Currently, there is no statewide cellphone policy in Alaska, and any restrictions must be set at the district or school level. Several already do that, including Wrangell middle and high schools. “The Stikine Middle School is cellphone, earbud free,” said Greg Clark, who serves as princ...
Jamie Roberts is leaving Wrangell better than she found it. After 26 years on the island, Jamie is saying goodbye to a town that not only formed her, but that she helped form for the better. The Roberts family moved out of their 11.25-Mile home after the Nov. 20, 2023, landslide. Since then, they have been unable to find a tenable housing solution. Later this month, Jamie will join her husband, Greg, at their new home in Veneta, Oregon. The Wrangell chapter in the book of Jamie Roberts begins...
SIGN-UP FOR CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY, children 12 and younger are welcome to the annual American Legion Auxiliary community children’s Christmas party. Name, age, gender, parents’ names and gift ideas can be texted to Marilyn Mork at 907-470-0085. Sign-up deadline is Wednesday, Nov. 13. The Christmas party (split into two sessions) will be Saturday, Dec. 14. FALL STORYTIME for children 10 to 11 a.m. Fridays at the Irene Ingle Public Library. Stories, crafts and snacks. SALVATION ARMY Thanksgiving sign-up is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesd...
FALL STORYTIME for children 10 to 11 a.m. Fridays at the Irene Ingle Public Library. Stories, crafts and snacks. This week’s theme is learning differently. NOLAN CENTER THEATER presents the comedy play “You Can’t Take It With You” at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 1 and 2. Doors open 30 minutes before the show. Tickets are $20 and available online at bit.ly/4f56UOv or in person at the Nolan Center. ALASKA DAY FUN RUN starts at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, at Muskeg Meadows, hosted by Parks and Recreation. $10 fee; pay at the event. All ages we...
Though the Wrangell School District has had its challenges filling various positions throughout the years, one position ⎯ the activities director ⎯ has seen yearly turnover with four people in the position in the past three years. Lifelong resident X'atshaawditee Tammi Meissner is the latest hire for the part-time contract, and she is committed to staying in the job "for the foreseeable future." Meissner, who also works as the community navigator for the Central Council of the Tlingit & Hai...
In the Wrangell High School swim team’s fourth meet of the year, the water-bound Wolves keep getting quicker. The Sitka Invitational took place on Oct. 25-26 and served as a final regular season opportunity for swimmers to compete against Southeast rivals before this weekend’s regional championships in Petersburg. Of the 24 individual events Wrangell swimmers competed in, they walked away with nine personal-best times. Even better, the Wolves’ relay team finished with season-best times in all four events they competed in. Andrei Bardi...
Jeremy Bynum, Grant EchoHawk and Agnes Moran are running to fill the state House seat vacated by 10-year incumbent Dan Ortiz, who decided not to seek a sixth term. The election is Tuesday, Nov. 5. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the votes in the first count, the third-place finisher will be eliminated and voters who picked that candidate as their top choice will have their votes recounted using their second choice. Whoever has the most votes in that second count will win the seat...
