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Most Wrangell students are insufficient in English language arts, math and science, according to the state standardized test scores that the Alaska Department of Education released over the summer. The results are an amalgamation of two tests: the Alaska Science Assessment, which assesses fifth, eighth and 10th graders science skills; and the AK STAR, which assesses third through ninth grade students in their English and math proficiency. The Wrangell school district’s proficiency levels are 10 percentage points above state average in both m...
NOLAN CENTER THEATER “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” rated PG-13, at 6 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4-6. The dark comedy fantasy horror film runs 1 hour and 45 minutes; tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for children under age 12. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. COMMUNITY MARKET from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Nolan Center. Check out the locally grown and handcrafted item. FALL STORYTIME for children 10 to 11 a.m. Fridays at the Irene Ingle Public Library. Stories, crafts and snacks. This wee...
In House District 1, which includes Ketchikan and Wrangell, there is a three-way race to replace Rep. Dan Ortiz who served as the district's House member for a decade. The race is between Republican Jeremy Bynum and independents Grant EchoHawk and Agnes Moran. All three candidates are Ketchikan residents, as is Ortiz. A Wrangell resident has not held the House seat since Peggy Wilson a decade ago. Ortiz is not seeking reelection, citing health reasons. The former educator caucused with the...
Voters by almost a 3-to-1 margin Tuesday approved a $3 million bond issue for repairs to the water-damaged Public Safety Building. Residents re-elected Patty Gilbert as mayor over challenger David Powell; re-elected incumbent school board member Angela Allen and elected newcomer Dan Powers over incumbent board member Brittani Robbins; and re-elected Chris Buness to the port commission along with newcomer Eric Yancey over challengers Antonio Silva and Tony Guggenbickler. Voters rejected a ballot proposition to amend the municipal charter, which...
Registered voters in Wrangell have several decisions to make in this year’s municipal election — not just deciding their choices for seven elected offices and two ballot propositions, but when they want to vote. The polls will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the Nolan Center. But for people who like the convenience of voting early, or will be out of town Oct. 1, they can choose to stop by City Hall weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. though Monday, Sept. 30, to cast an early ballot. All of the ballots will be tabulated at the sam...
NOLAN CENTER THEATER - no movies until October. RUMMAGE SALE 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Lutheran Church. COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD CELEBRATION to honor Kay Larson, founder of BRAVE, one of five Alaskans to receive this year’s Alaska Children’s Trust Champion of Kids award. At 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Nolan Center. Light refreshments provided; potluck dishes appreciated but not expected. PET BLESSING 11 a.m. to noon Sunday, Sept. 29, at St. Philip’s Church. Open to all critters and their people. FALL STORYTIME for children 10...
STATE PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE will be in Wrangell on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 18-19, and will see clients in the clinic and conduct hearing and vision screenings at Head Start and the elementary school. 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. RECYCLE SALE FUNDRAISER for St. Frances Animal Rescue and BRAVE a...
The school board made the right decision last week to pull the plug on accepting a federal grant to purchase an electric school bus. Just because the EPA grant would have covered 90% of the purchase price doesn’t mean it was a good fit for Wrangell at this time. In this case, board members discussed it at a public meeting and voted down the idea. But it was a close vote, with two of the five board members wanting to go ahead with the purchase. It was a close vote because there are good reasons to run an electric bus rather than continue b...
Mayor Patty Gilbert ran for the office in 2022 with two goals in mind: economic development and improvements to the community's infrastructure. As she looks to win reelection this year, her goals haven't changed. Before becoming mayor, she served on the city council and borough assembly for 14 years. She also served on the school board between 2020 and 2022. A lifelong teacher with a classroom career spanning across six decades, Gilbert is confident she can continue to move Wrangell forward in...
Bob Dalrymple likes what the borough has managed to get done the past few years, particularly its focus on maintenance of public facilities and developing new capital projects, such as winning a federal grant to rebuild the downtown harbor floats. "I'd like to keep up with that momentum," said Dalrymple, who is running unopposed for a second three-year term on the assembly. "There are some real challenges coming up." He lists among the challenges finding a way to dispose of the former hospital...
If she wins a second term as school board member, Angela Allen said she wants to go after specific grants, encourage homeschooling parents to enroll their children in the public school system, and open the doors for communication between parents and the school board. She is up against fellow incumbent Brittani Robbins and newcomer Dan Powers. The seats will go to the two candidates with the most votes in the Oct. 1 municipal election. Terms will run through 2027. Allen moved to Wrangell for her...
Brittani Robbins is running for a three-year term on the school board in a contested election against fellow incumbent Angela Allen and newcomer Dan Powers. The top vote-getters will win the two seats. In addition to serving on the school board since 2021, Robbins also serves on the borough assembly, a seat she won in 2022. She has worked as executive director for Wrangell's chamber of commerce and served as chair of the school district's budget and finance committee. A graduate of the Wrangell...
Dan Powers does a little bit of everything. In the mornings he drives the school bus. During the day he owns and operates a local tour service called Experience Wrangell. Some days he is managing his rental properties and other days he is playing gigs alongside his wife and longtime musical partner Shelley Powers. And in the evenings, well, Powers has seven kids (and one on the way), so things can get unpredictable. But now, he just wants to make the peace. "I'm a peacemaker," he said before...
After a prospective buyer bailed out on purchasing the former hospital in June, the property remains a burden for the borough. Currently, the building sits empty. It had been eating up nearly $100,000 a year to cover heat, insurance and maintenance. On Sept. 2, the borough’s Economic Development Board brainstormed some potential options for the building’s future. After a long discussion, the board established two priorities for the property: job creation and economic development. Board Chair Bob Dalrymple acknowledged that spinning the ailing p...
Sept. 11, 1924 In spite of the distraction at the opening of school while alterations in the buildings are still going on, pupils and teachers have settled down to a business in a way that indicates a year of real program ahead. The staff of the Stikine Messenger, the high school publication, was elected by the student body Monday. George Case was elected editor-in-chief. It has been decided to change the publication from an open news sheet to a monthly publication of the magazine type. It will be attractively bound in such a way as to compare...
NOLAN CENTER THEATER “It Ends With Us” rated PG-13, at 6 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13-15. The drama romance runs 2 hours and 10 minutes; tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for children under age 12. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. COMMUNITY MARKET from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Nolan Center. Check out the locally grown and handcrafted item BABY RAVEN READS 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 at the Nolan Center classroom. Theme is Devil’s Club. Alaska Native families with child...
Assembly Member David Powell has filed to run for mayor, taking on incumbent Patty Gilbert in the Oct. 1 municipal election. Gilbert is running for a second two-year term as mayor. Powell is in his ninth year on the assembly. In another contested race on the ballot, Chris Buness is seeking a second three-year term on the port commission, with Tony Guggenbickler, Eric Yancey and Antonio Silva also on the ballot. The top two vote-getters will each win a three-year term. Guggenbickler has never held elected office in Wrangell, though he served...
Ann Hegney will be the school district's new counselor this year, but not until she can catch a state ferry to town. The school board approved her hire on Aug. 19, but due to a lack of car deck space on the weekly ferry from Bellingham, Washington, she will not arrive in Wrangell until Sept. 15. From there, she will have a quick turnaround: Her first day of work is the very next morning. She is driving cross country from upstate New York and plans to stop in Wyoming and Montana for some...
BASKETBALL SKILLS CLINIC 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept 6; 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7; 9 a.m. to noon Sunday, Sept. 8. Coach Mark Cascio will teach shooting with confidence, effectiveness on ball defense, quick and clever transition, essential actions to score. At the high school gym. For eighth through 12th graders. Walk-in registration, $50. Scholarships available. Call Coach Good 707-779-9505 or Coach Allen 907-305-0910 with any questions. Sponsored by the AAU Sports team. MUSKEG MEADOWS championship 18-hole, individual...
In less than four weeks, Wrangell voters will cast their ballots in the Oct. 1 municipal election. Voting is easy — cast an early ballot at City Hall any weekday starting Sept. 16, or vote at the Nolan Center on election day. The harder part is deciding how to vote. The decisions include contested races for mayor, the school board and port commission, and two ballot propositions: One question asks voters whether the borough should borrow $3 million to start repairs to the 40-year-old Public Safety Building, and the other asks if voters want t...
Staff at three borough offices saw a need and got together to do something about it. Their answer is to provide after-school activities three days a week over the next three months. “There’s always been the need for after-school care in the community … to fill that gap for parents and children,” said Sarah Scambler, director of the Irene Ingle Public Library. The activities will be free; no advance registration required. The program is open to children 7 through 13 years old, though younger children are welcome, but they must be accompa...
SKATER TOTS 1 to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the TouchPoint Ministries rink on Bennett Street. For ages 0-10 years old. Scooters, flat boards, skates for novice beginning skaters. Separate play area, toys and tumbling mats for infants. Parents/guardians must stay to supervise. Free. RUMMAGE SALE 10 a.m. to 5 p.m Friday, Aug. 30, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Presbyterian Church. NOLAN CENTER THEATER “Deadpool and Wolverine” rated R, at 6 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 30 - Sept. 1. The dark com...
Cell phones won’t be the only things that need charging before a school day. Wrangell could need to plug in its bus too. The school board moved closer on Aug. 20 with plans to purchase an electric school bus. Most of the $423,000 cost would come from a $378,000 federal Environmental Protection Agency grant the school district received in 2023. The rest of the funding would likely come from the district’s reserve fund. Superintendent Bill Burr estimates the bus could arrive sometime in 2025. The board is scheduled to consider the purchase con...
With a little over a week left before the filing deadline, six of seven incumbents on the assembly, school board and port commission have submitted paperwork or announced plans to seek another term in the Oct. 1 municipal election. Candidates have until 4 p.m. Aug. 30 to complete and turn in the declaration form, which is available at the borough clerk’s office in City Hall. Mayor Patty Gilbert was the first incumbent to file for reelection. She will seek a second two-year term. Assembly Members Jim DeBord and Bob Dalrymple both have filed f...
BACK-TO-SCHOOL REGISTRATION for grades K-12. Online registration is open. Check the school district website at www.wpsd.us. Classes begin Aug. 22. NOLAN CENTER THEATER “Twisters” rated PG-13, at 6 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16-18. The disaster action adventure thriller runs 2 hours and 2 minutes; tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for children under age 12. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. MUSKEG MEADOWS Valley Electric nine-hole, best-ball golf tournament, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 17-18. Tournament pla...