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Alaska law enforcement officials say statewide drug enforcement actions focused on the U.S. Mail resulted in the seizure of more than four times as much alcohol in 2024 than in 2023. Officials seized more than 8,500 liters of distilled spirits, malted beverages and wine, according to new data by the Alaska Department of Public Safety released in an annual report for the state’s drug enforcement unit. State authorities identified and intercepted large and small alcohol imports headed for communities that have opted to prohibit alcohol, known a...
In the fall of 2018, officials with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and their partners celebrated what they thought was a milestone: an end to the infestation of invasive northern pike in the Kenai Peninsula. Their laborious program - they thought - had ridden the peninsula of the salmon-gobbling species that has wreaked havoc on the natural runs that are important to commercial and sport fishers, as well as to the overall ecological system. "We were all excited, you know. We spent,...
During a break in the U.S. Army apology ceremony, Sik'nax̲.ádi clan leader John Martin walked over to a table in the audience, turned and handed U.S. Army Chaplain Phillip Rittermeyer a book. It was "The Sea Runners," by Ivan Doig, a novel about four indentured servants and their quest for freedom in a stolen canoe. Rittermeyer turned to those seated at his table and explained what happened. "We met last night, and he wanted me to have this," the chaplain said, tapping the book to the table. I...
The Wrangell School District could run short of operating funds by 2026 or 2027 if it doesn't receive new revenues or make large cuts to its programs. The school board discussed the first draft of its 2025-2026 budget on Jan. 20. Barring any notable changes between now and when the budget is sent to City Hall for approval by May 1, the district anticipates a deficit of $767,016, requiring a dip deep into the school district's dwindling reserves. This would leave the reserves at an estimated $51,...
A team from Oregon State University’s Sustainable Tourism Lab will conduct a survey in Wrangell next month to help the borough learn more of what residents think of tourism, the positives and any negatives of having visitors in town, and how to manage for the best outcome for the community. The online survey will start early February, with a student researcher in town later in the month for in-person interviews. “The purpose is to figure out where community sentiment lies” on the effects of a growing tourism industry, explained Kate Thoma...
A member of the Alaska House majority on Jan. 24 introduced legislation that would increase the state’s public school funding by more than 35%, marking the beginning of what will likely be a lengthy debate over lawmakers’ top priority for the session. The bill would add roughly $464 million to the state’s annual education spending, which currently hovers around $1.2 billion per year to Alaska’s schools. The measure was introduced by Rep. Rebecca Himschoot, a Sitka independent who co-chairs the House Education Committee, and who worked as a publ...
The Wrangell advisory committee doesn’t want to see Southeast residents lose any more of their limited share of king salmon catches to nonresident charter fishing customers, but it isn’t ready to support proposals that would substantially rewrite the commercial/sport allocations set by the Alaska Board of Fisheries. “It’s complicated,” said Chris Guggenbickler, chair of the local advisory committee which met three times in November and December to consider close to 160 proposals that will go before the state board at its meeting Jan. 28 throug...
Among the 159 proposals to go before the state Board of Fisheries at its meeting in Ketchikan starting this week is one to reduce Southeast Alaska hatcheries’ chum and pink egg take by 25%. Supporters say it would help wild salmon stocks by reducing their competition with hatchery fish for food. The Wrangell advisory committee to the Board of Fisheries “adamantly opposes” the proposal, said Chris Guggenbickler, committee chair. “The hatcheries around here are pretty beneficial to everyone,” he said. “If we didn’t have them,” a lot of people i...
This Valentine’s Day, you won’t have to worry about where to eat. The Wrangell Elks Lodge will transform its Nolan Room into a “five-star romantic restaurant” on the evening of Feb. 14. According to the Elks, romance will be the night’s theme. There will be “soft music, candlelight, five-star service,” and of course, the four-course meal. The event will take place from 6 to 9 p.m., with seating times at 6, 6:30 and 7 p.m. To book a reservation, call Dawn Angerman at 907-305-0552. Seats are limited and organizers encourage anyone interested to...
Gov. Mike Dunleavy is proposing legislation that would shorten the window for early voting in statewide elections and make other changes to the way elections are conducted. The bill would require all mail ballots to be received by the Division of Elections by Election Day, changing statutes that have existed for decades. Currently, ballots must be postmarked by Election Day but can be received up to 10 days later for most voters, and 15 days after Election Day for overseas voters. The bill faced immediate criticism from an advocate for voting...
The two U.S. Border Patrol officers newly stationed in Juneau will work with law enforcement throughout Southeast on high-priority illegal activities — largely involving drugs — not conducting workplace raids and setting up deportation camps, said Ross Wilkin, patrol agent in charge of the Border Patrol’s sector office, which is responsible for operations in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. “We don’t want people to be concerned that there’s a restaurant that’s going to get raided or something like that,” he said. “This is not the goal of this...
For their senior project, Addy Andrews and Aubrey Wynne are helping to coach the middle school girls volleyball team. During their four-year careers playing high school volleyball, they three-peated as Southeast champions, with just as many showings at the state tournament. Now, with their varsity volleyball careers behind them, Andrews and Wynne hope they can help the next generation find the same passion for the sport they love. "We try and make sure that they enjoy it," Wynne said. "We both...
Money's going to be tight, but a permanent education funding increase rather than another one-time boost is among the essential tasks facing lawmakers this session, state Senate leaders said as the Alaska Legislature gaveled to work on Jan. 21. Energy and development issues also dominated conversations with lawmakers during the first day of the session, which came the day after President Donald Trump issued an executive order seeking to vastly expand oil and other natural resources production...
North America's tallest peak is a focal point of Jeff King's life. The four-time winner of the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race operates his kennel and mushing tourism business just 8 miles from Denali National Park and Preserve's entrance, and the 20,310-foot mountain looms large as he trains his dogs on nearby trails. King and many others who live in the mountain's shadow say most Alaskans will never stop calling the peak Denali, its Alaska Native name, despite President Donald Trump's...
The loss of an estimated 4 million common murres during the marine heatwave known as the “Blob” was the biggest bird die-off in recorded history, and seven or eight years later the Alaska population has not recovered, biologists report. The findings, in a study led by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Heather Renner, show that the toll on common murres killed 4 million, about half the Alaska population. It was not only the largest bird die-off in the modern era but also appears to be the largest wildlife die-off, said the study, whi...
Unique bedrock formations, a thick layer of loose sediment, and a concentrated water drainage system flowing down from the ridgetop were three of the main ingredients that led to the Nov. 20, 2023, landslide that killed six people at 11.2-Mile. These three causes, all benign on their own, became disastrous when heavy rains down poured on Wrangell Island. Though the airport weather station reported rainfall conducive to a "large but not especially large" storm, members of the public who live...
The borough owns about 12,000 acres on Wrangell Island and wants to work with two different state agencies that hold several thousand acres more to see if they can coordinate small-scale timber sales on the island. “By pooling our resources … we put ourselves in a better position,” Borough Manager Mason Villarma said. The borough assembly last month approved a memorandum of understanding to work with the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, which owns a little over 4,000 acres across the island. The agreement calls for working together towar...
There's a New Mexican spot in town. Nope, not a new Mexican spot, a New Mexican spot. The Wolf Shack, formerly J&W's, officially opened its doors on Jan. 2, ushering in a new era bolstered by the culinary talents of Alisha Mora and Chris Miera. The couple will keep the classic J&W's staples on the menu (Carol Churchill has agreed to keep making her tartar sauce while menu items like "Baby Randy" and "Randy" will maintain their names), but Chris and Alisha are excited to add some New Mexican...
If you need to throw away an old printer, maybe hang on to it just a little longer. On March 8, WCA Tl'átḵ | Earth Branch will host an electronic waste collection event. Time and location are yet to be determined, but the event will allow people to dispose of their old electronics in a sustainable and safe manner. Potential items to discard include computers, laptops, printers, scanners, TVs, monitors, cell phones and tablets. Earth Branch’s Kim Wickman said it’s best to fully wipe the memory from electronics like computers and phones before...
Wrangell lost 147 working-age residents — defined as between the ages of 20 and 64 — from 2020 to 2024, according to the state’s latest numbers. Meanwhile, the community’s senior citizen population — 65 and older — grew by 91 during the same period. The loss of working-age residents likely is a big reason for the chronic labor shortage in town, particularly among Front Street businesses. The town is getting older, with the median age increasing from 48 years old in 2020 to 49.1 years old in 2024, according to data released by the Alaska Depa...
The chamber of commerce has five annual awards to hand out in March — now it just needs some nominations. The chamber is soliciting nominations through Jan. 31 for business of the year, citizen of the year, volunteer of the year, educator of the year and young leader of the year. The awards have been around a long time, “I don’t know how many years,” said Tracey Martin, the chamber’s executive director. Anyone can nominate anyone in town, and there is no form to fill out. All it takes is a letter to the chamber, describing why the person or...
Nominations are open for four seats on the eight-member Wrangell Cooperative Association tribal council. Nominations will close at 4 p.m. Feb. 12. Voting will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at the WCA Cultural Center. The terms of council members Jason Clark, Tom Gillen Sr., Luella Knapp and Sandy Churchill will expire this year. All are eligible to run for election to another term, said Esther Aaltséen Reese, tribal administrator. Candidates for the council must be a member of WCA and on the tribe’s official voter list. The minimum ag...
Due to a staffing shortage, the Senior Center has temporarily suspended in-person lunches, switching to delivered meals for homebound seniors and porch pickups at the building for everyone else. The center also needs to temporarily cut back on its ride service while it looks to hire someone to fill the driver/assistant cook position. Rides will be available for health clinic appointments only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Seniors can get rides to medical appointments, grocery stores, the library, post office or most anywhere else Wednesdays and...
The Sentinel is inviting the public — newspaper readers and particularly non-readers — to a community meeting to share ideas and talk about challenges for the Sentinel in the years ahead. The open house is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Stikine Inn. The event is free, as will be the coffee and cookies. Sentinel staff will talk about the paper — how it operates, how it makes decisions and its financial challenges — and then listen to the public and answer questions about the newspaper. “The intent is to hear from people...
Alaska education advocates are gearing up for another attempt to substantially increase state funding for public schools, but they say it’s unclear how a looming legislative stalemate will be broken. Last year, the Legislature and Gov. Mike Dunleavy failed to approve an expansive education package after protracted negotiations. Legislators fell one vote short of overriding Dunleavy’s veto of a historic school funding increase. The Legislature later approved a major $176 million one-year funding boost for schools as a compromise. School adm...