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  • Hawaii welcomes back tourists as COVID cases decline

    The Associated Press|Nov 4, 2021

    HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations have declined to the point where the islands are welcoming travelers once again. Gov. David Ige said vacationers and business travelers were welcome to return to the islands starting Monday. His Oct. 19 announcement came nearly two months after he asked travelers on Aug. 23 to avoid Hawaii because case counts were surging with the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant and hospitals were becoming overwhelmed. The state didn’t impose any new travel quarantine restr...

  • Federal COVID rules will be voluntary for cruise lines next year

    The Associated Press|Nov 4, 2021

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials have extended for nearly three more months its rules that cruise ships must follow to sail during the pandemic, adding that the government will move to a voluntary program next year. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the extension makes only “minor modifications” to rules already in effect. The agency said that after Jan. 15 it plans to move to a voluntary program for cruise companies to detect and control the spread of COVID-19 on their ships. The current regulations, calle...

  • Alaska Railroad rescinds vaccination requirement

    The Associated Press|Nov 4, 2021

    ANCHORAGE (AP) — The board of the Alaska Railroad has voted unanimously to rescind a requirement for all of its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Initially, railroad employees were supposed to be vaccinated by Dec. 8 to comply with vaccine requirements ordered by President Joe Biden that, in part, required vaccination for employees of contractors doing business with the federal government. The railroad is a federal contractor. An email sent to railroad employees on Oct. 22 said the railroad must meet the standard. But the board decis...

  • Both sides pause lawsuit to negotiate settlement over Columbia River salmon

    The Associated Press|Nov 4, 2021

    SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday granted a stay in litigation seeking to save endangered salmon runs on the Columbia and Snake rivers. U.S. District Judge Michael Simon in Portland granted a request by both sides in the lawsuit seeking the stay until July 31, 2022, so they can try to negotiate a settlement in the lawsuit. Fishing and conservation groups joined with the state of Oregon, the Nez Perce Tribe and the Biden administration to seek the pause in litigation challenging the latest federal plan for hydropower operations o...

  • 'Garbage problem' leads to a dozen bears killed in Sitka

    The Associated Press|Nov 4, 2021

    SITKA (AP) — A dozen bears have been killed in Sitka this year, including four last week, that were deemed dangers to life and property, the Daily Sitka Sentinel reported. The city “has a garbage problem,” Stephen Bethune, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Fish and Game, told the borough assembly recently. “Neither I or any of my agency colleagues like killing bears or the labor that ensues but will continue to do so as necessary,” he said. “However, removing bears from the population only serves to treat the symptom and fails t...

  • State troopers solve identity of 1980s' murder victim

    The Associated Press|Nov 4, 2021

    ANCHORAGE (AP) — A woman known for 37 years only as Horseshoe Harriet, one of dozen or so victims of a notorious Alaska serial killer, has been identified through genetic genealogy and a DNA match, authorities said Oct. 22. The victim was identified as Robin Pelkey, who was 19 and living on the streets of Anchorage when she was killed by Robert Hansen in the early 1980s, the Alaska Bureau of Investigation’s Cold Case Investigation Unit said. Hansen, who owned a bakery, gained the nickname “Butcher Baker” for abducting and hunting down women ...

  • Air Force selects Fairbanks base for nuclear microreactor

    The Associated Press|Nov 4, 2021

    FAIRBANKS (AP) — The U.S. Air Force has selected a Fairbanks base to receive the nation’s first nuclear microreactor at an Air Force installation. Eielson Air Force Base, about 20 miles southeast of downtown Fairbanks, was selected in a project that began in 2019, when federal legislation required the military to identify potential sites for development and operation of a microreactor by 2027. “This technology has the potential to provide true energy assurance, and the existing energy infrastructure and compatible climate at Eielson make for t...

  • Lawsuit targets dams in Maine to protect salmon

    The Associated Press|Nov 4, 2021

    AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A group of environmental organizations filed court papers Oct. 21 to try to halt operations at Maine dams to protect salmon. Atlantic salmon are listed as endangered by the federal government. They used to swim upstream and spawn in almost every river north of the Hudson River, but now only return to Maine. The conservation groups want a judge to stop or curtail the operations at four dams on the lower Kennebec River to help the fish. Brookfield Renewable owns the dams. The company is a subsidiary of a larger Canadian c...

  • Small COVID outbreak in Wrangell; large numbers persist statewide

    Larry Persily|Oct 28, 2021

    While Wrangell experienced a small outbreak of community-spread cases over the weekend, Alaska continues to lead the nation in new COVID-19 cases per capita. The state health department reported more than 2,400 new cases Friday through Monday, continuing Alaska’s ranking at the top of cases per resident nationwide. In Wrangell, the borough reported 11 new cases Saturday through Tuesday, a majority of which were community spread and mostly linked to attendees at a memorial service Oct. 19. The 11 cases came after a lull during the first 22 d...

  • Teacher makes no bones about showing science to fourth graders

    Marc Lutz|Oct 28, 2021

    Readin', writin' and skinnin'? What might raise eyebrows and turn stomachs in more metropolitan locations is just another day of teaching for Brian Merritt at Evergreen Elementary. For 30 of his 33 years of teaching at the school, Merritt has given lessons in biology and anatomy by skinning deer and cleaning fish. It's a method that illustrates exactly what he's trying to relay to his fourth grade class. "I started as a biology major and wanted to teach high school science. I didn't care for it...

  • Halloween decorations truly frightening experience in Wrangell

    Marc Lutz|Oct 28, 2021

    A shark thrashes its victim; legs poke out the end of rolled-up carpet; a skeleton rides a giant spider; a haunted house catches fire. Decorations are up around Wrangell to welcome the spookiest time of year, and for one couple their longtime decorating endeavors saw a truly frightening outcome. Jeff and Kay Jabusch have dressed up their front yard on Oceanview Drive for nearly four decades. "We started in the garage, went back about six feet, put bars there, and I dressed up as something,...

  • Next summer's cruise ships could be closer to pre-pandemic numbers

    Sarah Aslam|Oct 28, 2021

    After no cruise ship visitors in 2020 and this year's pandemic-anemic numbers in the hundreds, Wrangell next year could see ships with berths for close to 20,000 passengers pull into town. In 2019, 21,540 passengers visited Wrangell, according to data compiled by Rain Coast Data for the Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau. Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska has released its 2022 calendar for the vessels it represents, mostly larger vessels sailing under a foreign flag. The passenger capacity of...

  • Von Bargen proudest of hospital effort as manager

    Sarah Aslam|Oct 28, 2021

    Lisa Von Bargen is leaving after a little more than four years as borough manager, but that will not stop her from thinking about Wrangell. For now, she needs to help take care of her mother in Valdez, easing the burden on her sister, she said. “I don’t really want to leave Wrangell. I love it here,” Von Bargen said. “If I have an opportunity to do something here in town or Southeast, I would. I’m not giving up my condo right now unless it becomes absolutely necessary. So hopefully I’ll have...

  • Assembly approves resolution calling for protection of transboundary rivers

    Sarah Aslam|Oct 28, 2021

    The borough assembly acknowledged the life-giving watershed that feeds the Stikine River, which crosses the U.S.-Canada border, in approving a resolution to support efforts to protect Southeast Alaska’s three transboundary waters from mining pollution. The resolution references the ecosystem, Indigenous people, communities, residents and economies that depend on the health of the Stikine River. The assembly on Tuesday approved a “Wrangellized” version of a resolution that was originally scheduled for consideration Sept. 28. “The assembly furthe...

  • SEARHC reports 100% compliance with vaccination policy

    Larry Persily|Oct 28, 2021

    The SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium reports 100% compliance with its policy requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for all employees and contractors. “Very few have left employment due to the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine,” Maegan Bosak, a senior SEARHC official in Sitka, said last week. The health care provider operates in 19 Southeast communities. It has more than 1,500 employees, contractors and travelers, Bosak said, including more than 200 in Wrangell, where it operates the hospital, dental clinic, pharmacy and other services. “SE...

  • Mariners' Memorial holds fundraiser to complete work

    Sarah Aslam|Oct 28, 2021

    A memorial dedicated to those who made their lives on the sea or perished at sea is in its final stages. The Wrangell Mariners' Memorial at Heritage Harbor is in a last push for funds, said board member Jeff Jabusch, and is taking applications for commemorative plaques that will be installed at the site. People who died at sea will have an anchor insignia on their marker, and people who made their lives on the sea but died on land will not, Jabusch said. The memorial board is holding a...

  • Assembly takes no action on school request to waive COVID isolation of traveling students

    Marc Lutz|Oct 28, 2021

    The borough assembly on Tuesday discussed — but took no action — on Wrangell’s COVID-19 testing and isolation policy as it affects unvaccinated students who travel out of town for sports and activities. The school district had requested a waiver of the policy. The district currently allows unvaccinated students who travel for games or other activities to return to school and practice without isolating until their test results come back, so long as the students follow the school district’s weekly testing protocols and mitigation plan. The sch...

  • Medical loan closet moves around, but is always there

    Sarah Aslam|Oct 28, 2021

    A medical equipment loan closet in Wrangell offers items free of charge for anyone who needs assistance on a short-term basis. Alice Rooney, a retired social worker, volunteers with Hospice of Wrangell, also known as Harriet's Helpers. She has been helping run the closet which stocks wheelchairs, walkers, braces, bedpans, hospital beds, grabbers, commodes and other items. The loan closet is located in a corner of the former Wrangell Medical Center next to Evergreen Elementary School on Bennett...

  • Communities vary their spending of $10 million cruise line gift

    Larry Persily|Oct 28, 2021

    The six Alaska communities that shared in a $10 million pandemic-relief gift from Norwegian Cruise Line have found various ways to spend the money — or save it for later. Seward committed much of its share to help provide child care services. Skagway set aside nearly half-a-million dollars to pay out as cash to residents this winter. The cruise line in May announced it would donate $10 million to communities that had been on the company’s itineraries and suffered economically with the loss of cruise ship travelers last year and again this sum...

  • Wrangell submits wish list for Forest Service funding

    Sarah Aslam|Oct 28, 2021

    A federal effort to help Southeast diversify its economy includes $25 million to be shared across the entire region — and Wrangell has weighed in with its requests. The U.S. Forest Service launched the Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy over the summer to help promote “a diverse economy, enhanced community resilience, and conserved natural resources.” From Sept. 15 to Oct. 18, the agency sought input from communities and tribes for projects that could fulfill that strategy. Participants submitted 240 project proposals to spend the $25 m...

  • Wrangell sends two musicians to Honors Fest

    Marc Lutz|Oct 28, 2021

    Imagine performing in a band or choir but not being able to practice with the other performers on the stage. That's how students from Southeast high schools have to approach Honors Fest. Each year, high schoolers from across the region audition for the event, and this year two students from Wrangell were scheduled to perform on Tuesday with 73 other musicians in Ketchikan. The event was supposed to be held at Wrangell High School last year. Normally, about 120 students perform during Honors...

  • Former Don Young campaign chair files against incumbent

    The Associated Press|Oct 28, 2021

    ANCHORAGE (AP) — Seeking a 26th term in the U.S. House, Alaska Rep. Don Young will face a Republican challenger in 2022 with strong name recognition in the state. Nicholas Begich III has filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to challenge Young’s hold on the state’s sole seat in the U.S. House. Young is only the fourth person to hold the seat since statehood and won it in a special election a year after Begich’s grandfather, Rep. Nick Begich, was declared dead after his plane went missing while flying to Juneau in 1972. But unl...

  • Judge denies release for Capitol rioter arrested in Alaska

    The Associated Press|Oct 28, 2021

    ANCHORAGE (AP) — An Alabama man living in Alaska whom a judge alleged was “leading the charge” during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was denied release Oct. 21 in an Alaska courtroom while his case proceeds. Christian Matthew Manley waived his right to preliminary hearing and asked that he be immediately transferred to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the jurisdiction prosecuting those charged in the riot. Manley faces several charges, including assaulting or resisting officers using a dangerous weapon; civil...

  • Legislature nears end of inactive special session

    Becky Bohrer, The Associated Press|Oct 28, 2021

    The Alaska Legislature is in special session but it’s quiet at the Capitol, where many legislative offices have been dark, floor sessions in some cases have lasted seconds and little progress has been made toward resolving the state’s fiscal issues. Since the session started Oct. 4 in Juneau, House committees have had five meetings on fiscal-related topics, all in Anchorage; the Senate has had no such hearings. “I don’t think it’s making a lot of sense to be here doing what we’re doing right now. If we’re not going to do anything, gav...

  • State spending almost $900,000 a year to keep Malaspina tied to the dock

    Jacob Resneck, CoastAlaska Radio|Oct 21, 2021

    The cost of keeping the idled state ferry Malaspina at the dock in Ketchikan is nearly twice as much as reported to the public and state lawmakers. That's according to internal emails obtained by CoastAlaska under state public records law. The nearly 60-year-old Malaspina, one of the marine highway's original three sister ships, hasn't carried passengers in almost two years. It's costing the state almost $900,000 a year to insure and maintain the unused ship. Gov. Mike Dunleavy's administration...

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