Sorted by date Results 1767 - 1791 of 2359
If water temperatures typically in the low to mid 40's won't deter you, what's a little rain or a high tide? About 50 enthusiastic swimmers waded into the sea near Shoemaker Park to celebrate New Year's Day and participate in the annual Polar Bear Swim. For some, the annual ritual is simply something to do on a day when many Wrangell businesses are traditionally closed. For others, the swim marks the start of something wonderful together. Erica and Adam Tlachac took their first swim together... Full story
The School board voted 5-0 Monday to hire an interim principal for Evergreen Elementary School for the rest of the year. The board also voted 5-0 to separate the positions of elementary school principal and superintendent, held by Rich Rhodes since the beginning of this school year, and to retain the services of the Association of Alaska School Boards to aid the search for a replacement superintendent. The board voted down 4-1, with Krissy Smith the lone dissenter, a motion that would have hired a lead teacher at Evergreen to provide... Full story
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. January 8, 1914: Today at two o'clock the case of the United States vs. Chief Shakes in a complaint being made by A. Lemieux against Chief Shakes for criminal trespass on property supposed to be owned by Lemieux but claimed by Shakes was up for trial in the Commissioner's Court. Chas Ingersoll represented Chief Shakes and Richard Bushell the prosecution, upon motion from the attorney for the defendant the case was dismissed. According to the ruling made, no person can hold the title to Indian land...
Representatives from the WCA’s membership community are hoping for a big turnout this weekend. A membership rally scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday could provide a needed boost to local tribal enrollment. The Wrangell tribe is moving toward photo identifications for its members, which will assist local members in applying for their exemption to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known colloquially as Obamacare, said Apryl Hutchinson, the membership committee chair. A representative from AICS may be on hand to answer questions about t...
The State Department of Fish and Game has set the regulations for non-pelagic rockfish for Southeast waters. The regulations remained unchanged from last year’s season, which pertains only to non-pelagic, or deepwater rockfish, said Petersburg-Wrangell Area Management Biologist Doug Fleming. “It appears to be for all purposes pretty much the same as last year,” he said. The regulations for all Southeast waters are as follows: All non-pelagic rockfish caught must be retained until the bag limit is reached. Persons sport fishing from a chart...
A Sitka-based contractor working with the Alaska Community Development Corporation will conduct hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of winter preparations on local homes. A six-man crew from Alaska SafeTech industries will work in, outside, and on top of local houses to prepare them for the winter. Between 30 and 35 local residents have already elected to have their houses weatherized and have registered ahead of time, according to SafeTech president Ron Waldron. The crew arrived and began...
Lawrence Bahovec spent a significant portion of his birthday watching football in his bathrobe and waiting for his granddaughters to call. The occasion was subdued for a 97-year-old fisherman who spent decades wresting his living from local waters. Bahovec was born in 1917 in Chicago, near the end of World War I. His father was a fisherman and carried the family name from Yugoslavia. After fishing in Western Washington for a few years, the family relocated to Wrangell. While his father was out...
The Wrangell Ports & Harbors commission voted 4-0 three times Tuesday night. Commissioners unanimously approved a no-bid professional services contract with Juneau’s Corvus Design. The vote means, pending approval by the borough assembly, port officials would repurpose approximately $11,372 of state money for the construction of floats and upland improvements for Heritage Harbor. About $24,000 would remain from those funds, any unused portion of which will be lost by June 30, if the assembly approved the contract, commissioners said. The c...
The Chief Shakes House rededication was easily the biggest event of 2013 in Wrangell. However, the year was filled with events and news stories big and small. On the first edition of 2014, the Sentinel pauses to recollect the stories throughout the year. January An electrical fire damaged the fish tank at the Nolan Center, causing it to be removed. A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off of Craig Jan. 4, rattling windows and nerves in town. The quake caused no major damage in town, but... Full story
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. January 1, 1914: Talk about your masquerades, you should have been at the Red Men's masquerade last night, everyone in town was there but you, and costumes, never such a variety before, it was the biggest masquerade ever held in Wrangell, and the music, say, it was great, not the cost of it, just the music. Everybody and his brother turned out, it was a variety show as well as a dance. The rink was crammed and everyone was just bubbling over with mirth. That 15 lb. ham was a great magnet, worst look...
Mobile phone service for Wrangell AT&T customers was sporadically available and then unavailable starting Christmas night. The outage lasted until Friday afternoon. Customers in and around town, many of whom use smart phones, said voice and data were limited to the range of the device’s Wifi adapters. A statement issued by AT&T acknowledged the outage and blamed inclement weather. “Some AT&T Alascom customers in the towns of Ketchikan, Lena Point, Juneau, and surrounding areas may have experienced a disruption in service recently as dense fog... Full story
For the second straight year, the Salvation Army’s local kettle campaign beat expectations. The news this year might be whose expectations they beat. Local Captains Ronnie and Debbie Davis said contributions – most of which were deposited through the metal slot in the top of this perennial red kettle – totaled $3,611. That topped the local goal of $2,500 by more than a grand, but Wrangell also defied state and national trends, Ronnie Davis said. “In the division, which is the state of Alaska, we’re down by nine percent, but our kettles w...
Sentinel writer The hospital board voted 6-0 to renew the contract of CEO Marla Sanger. Sanger has been the Medical Center CEO since Nov. 5, 2012, after the departure of former CEO Noel Rea and a recall election led to a period fraught with political instability for the Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors. On her first day, Sanger was the Center’s fourth CEO in less than a year. The WMC board terminated Noel Rea in June 2012 after being recalled in a contentious election. Interim CEO Kendall Sawa departed for another job in Washington s... Full story
Despite uncertainty over the continued existence of the Thomas Bay Power Authority, commissioners voted 5-1 Dec. 19 to renew the commission’s travel and liability insurance for another year. The uncertainty stems from the possibility the TBPA in its present form may be placed on idle status as a result of negotiations between the Southeast Alaska Power Agency, and representatives for the Petersburg and Wrangell borough assemblies, set to begin after both assemblies authorized negotiation. Commissioners initially asked whether a six-month r... Full story
Tots flocked into the American Legion Hall to see the Big Man Saturday. For the third year in a row, the post hosted a holiday get-together and gift giveaway at the hall, though several changes this year were designed to make things easier for organizers and especially parents. The Big Man, in this case, is Santa Claus. The party comes with its annual set of challenges and rewards, said Marilyn Mork, who helped organize the annual holiday hootenanny. That includes a scramble to make sure every... Full story
Sentinel writer Wrangell Public Schools Superintendent Rich Rhodes will resign effective June 30. The board voted 4-0 to accept a letter of resignation dated Dec. 16. Rhodes said the primary reason he's resigning is to return to northern California, where he lived before taking on the position of superintendent – and later the position of Evergreen Elementary School principal as part of budget constraints – in 2010. Rhodes opted for a resignation and not a retirement because he's relatively you... Full story
Two concerts and an art auction showcased the talents of local youth this week. Student musicians from Stikine Middle School and Wrangell High School participated in the joint high school and middle school concert Dec. 11 in the high school commons. Elementary school students sang and performed at the elementary school concert Dec. 12 in the elementary school gym. The older students' concert also included – for the first time ever – an auction of dozens of objets d'art produced by students and... Full story
Gov. Sean Parnell’s proposed 2015 budget does not include any capital money for Wrangell projects. The budget, released last Thursday, allots $2,360,655 for capital projects in the other constituent municipalities of what will become state House District 36 after a court-approved redistricting takes effect before mid-term elections this year, according to figures released on the Alaska Office of Management and Budget website. The Alaska legislature could revise the budget before it is enacted, though State Sen. Bert Stedman (R-Sitka) said t... Full story
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. December 25, 1913: In coming from Hollis yesterday in a 32-foot gas boat, Harry Webber and Angus MacKinzie met with one of those little incidents that remind me of the fact that he is ever a victim at the mercy of fate. In the Tongass Narrows, about eight miles from Ketchikan their propeller shaft broke, and they coaxed that 30 foot boat to town with a piece of shiplab and a barrel stave… Frank Morikawa of the Panama Café is building a great big three story wedding cake for one of the Wrangell bo...
The Alaskan Native Sisterhood and Brotherhood hosted their annual Christmas party at the Stikine Native Organization building last Saturday afternoon. Children watched movies, sang Tlingit versions of famous Christmas carols, decorated cookies and counted the sugar-filled hours until Santa comes (though he was unable to make a scheduled appearance Saturday). Each child got a bag of popcorn and a stocking filled with goodies. Mark Gunderson provided oranges. This year marked the first party held...
Southeast Alaska Power Agency board members recessed into executive session at the end of the monthly board meeting Tuesday to discuss future operations at the Tyee plant. The item was mentioned briefly during the CEO report section of the eight-hour meeting before noon, and was on the agenda as an executive session that evening. The Wrangell borough assembly approved a resolution to direct borough manager Jeff Jabusch to enter into negotiations over the future of operations at Tyee and the Thomas Bay Power Authority. The issue has been under...
The Elks held their annual hoop shoot in the old gym Saturday. In the eight- and nine-year-old girls grouping, Emma Martinsen shot 13 out of 25 for first, Kendra Meissner shot 2 out of 25 for second, and Alisha Armstrong came in third with 0 out of 25. On the boys side, Ethan Blatchley shot eight out of 25 for first place, and Dylan Paul and Jack Roberts sank a bucket apiece to tie for second. In the 10 and 11-year-old grouping, Kaylyn Easterly shot 15 of 25 for first, Jade Balansag shot 13 of...