Sorted by date Results 3808 - 3832 of 8169
An agreement between an Alaska Native village corporation and conservationists would restrict development on lands in the Bristol Bay region where the Pebble Mine developer has proposed a road, a move that could create another obstacle for the project. The Conservation Fund said June 8 it has launched a fundraising campaign to buy the land easements on more than 44,000 acres from the Pedro Bay Corp. for $18.3 million. Terms call for the money to be raised by the end of 2022, said Ann Simonelli, a spokesperson for the Virginia-based...
JUNEAU (AP) - A proposed 500-mile hiking trail from Southcentral Alaska to Fairbanks aimed at drawing more adventurers to the state has garnered support from the governor, tourism officials and others, and it could get a funding boost to help begin stitching it together. The state budget, under debate this month in a special legislative session, includes $13.2 million toward beginning to build the Alaska Long Trail, similar in concept to grand treks such as the Pacific Crest Trail or Appalachian Trail, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Funds...
ANCHORAGE (AP) - Officials in Anchorage have reported that the city’s sewer system is clogging up because people are flushing wipes and other items — a problem worsened by the pandemic as people continue to spend more time at home. Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility spokesperson Sandy Baker said up to 6,000 pounds of wipes entered the sewer system daily since the coronavirus pandemic started. “We saw a small uptick in wipes when the pandemic started,” Baker said last month. “But this is a year-round problem for us.” The wipes combine wit...
Officials reported two new COVID-19 cases in Wrangell late Thursday afternoon, the sixth and seventh this month. "These individuals are Wrangell residents, and are both close contacts of a recent COVID positive case in Wrangell," the borough reported in a prepared statement. "The individuals are symptomatic and are isolating." The other cases this month were reported June 2 (two people), June 9 (also two cases) and June 15 (one case). All are Wrangell residents. This month's COVID cases were the first reported in town since May 6. Wrangell has...
Much like the rest of the country, several businesses in Wrangell said hiring has become a greater struggle than in the past. “I haven’t had a full staff in a year and a half,” said Josh Young, with J&W’s. “I hired my first new employee in over a year four days ago.” J&W’s is looking for at least two more people to staff its kitchen, Young said, but he would prefer more. Normally there’s an influx of applications around May, kids looking for summer jobs. That hasn’t happened this year. The odd thing, he said, is while the restaurant is only ope...
Despite the pandemic and its hit to the economy, Wrangell’s sales tax collections were higher than expected last year and, though lower this year, still coming in several hundred thousand dollars better than anticipated for the fiscal year that ends June 30. Some of the better numbers likely are due to the federal pandemic relief aid that went to individuals, who spent much of the money in town, and also to the federal assistance that enabled some businesses to catch up on their bills, including sales taxes, Borough Manager Lisa Van Bargen s...
A little over a year after being put back in the water, the Rainforest Islander is for sale again. Owner Eric Yancey has been operating the Islander under Breakaway Ferry and Freight. He has also operated the tour charter company Breakaway Adventures since the late '80s. Now, however, the 61 year old is looking toward retirement. "Boat's been running great for this past 14 months that I've had it, or whatever it's at now," Yancey said. "The fact that the Rainforest Islander's for sale, I've had...
The borough assembly on Tuesday evening approved a policy for use of body cameras by the Wrangell Police Department. Under the policy, “All sworn Wrangell law enforcement employees will be issued a BWC (body worn camera) and trained in the basic operation of the camera and upload procedures. The BWC is to be worn in plain view while performing uniformed law enforcement duties.” The policy describes situations when officers should or should not have their cameras turned on. For example, cameras must be on during arrests, traffic stops, in-...
Community members, local organizations and mariners gathered together at the Wrangell Mariners' Memorial last Sunday afternoon for a blessing of the fleet. The blessing is a tradition in seaside towns around the world, praying for safety and bountiful harvests as fishing fleets begin heading out for the season. The blessing is a longstanding tradition for Wrangell, said Jenn Miller-Yancey, with the mariners' memorial board, but recent events have become more collaborative. "I don't know how...
The borough assembly on Tuesday night rescinded $70,000 in funding to cover COVID-19 tests for employees of Sea Level Seafoods, after rejecting an amendment to expand the funding to all seafood processors in Wrangell. The assembly originally approved a motion on May 25 to use $70,000 in federal funding to cover the costs of COVID-19 tests for Sea Level employees, which passed on a 4-3 vote. The borough used federal funds to pay for the tests last year. The item resurfaced Tuesday when Assemblymember Patty Gilbert offered an amendment to the...
Friends started a GoFundMe campaign Tuesday evening for the Halee Mathis and Darryl Bartlett family after an afternoon fire damaged their trailer home on Shoemaker Loop Road. No one was home at the time of the fire, Bartlett said, except for the family’s pet turtle, Raph, which the fire department saved. This was the second house fire to hit his family in four years, Bartlett said. Fire Chief Tim Buness said the cause of the fire was uncertain, but they believe it had something to do with the kitchen stove. Several of the trailer’s roof sup...
Advocates who wanted to limit cruise ship visits to Juneau failed to gather enough signatures to place three initiatives on the October municipal election ballot. The group, Juneau Cruise Control, needed about 3,000 signatures to put the questions on the ballot, but failed to collect the required amount. Instead, they presented letters June 2 addressed to borough assembly members, asking that they impose limits on cruise ships coming to town, and for the cruise ship companies and tour operators to voluntarily limit their impacts on the communit...
Not surprisingly in a state that hasn’t raised its motor fuel tax rate in 50 years, the Alaska Legislature this session failed to approve a measure to raise the rate, nor did it pass legislation to tax e-cigarettes the same as tobacco products or reinstate the so-called education “head tax” that lawmakers abolished more than 40 years ago. Bills to adopt a state income tax and raise oil taxes made little progress this year, despite the fact that Alaska has drained its savings over the years to cover spending. Legislation that failed to win House...
Wrangell’s first king salmon derby since 2017 is just days away from dropping hooks in the water. The derby opens Tuesday and will run through June 30, ending in time for the start of the long Fourth of July holiday weekend. The community’s 66th king derby had been on hold the past few years, due to weak salmon runs. Derby tickets, at $25 each, and the derby booklet with rules and fishing area map will be available this week at Angerman’s, the Totem Bar, Sentry Hardware and the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce office in the Stikine Inn, said Steph...
Plans are underway for a four-day Fourth of July celebration in Wrangell, with just a few gaps still to fill. Chairpersons were needed as of Monday for the July 3 Big Wheels races and July 4 parade, said Stephanie Cook, of the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce, which runs the annual festivities. Food and game vendors still were needed for the ballpark area during the fireworks the evening of July 3, she said. The fireworks will go off about 11 p.m. July 3, with a couple of warning shots shortly before the first one goes up. This year’s parade g...
In the first reported cases since May 6, borough officials announced two new COVID-19 infections June 2. Both were Wrangell residents, both initially showed no symptoms when they were tested, and one had recently traveled outside of Alaska. Both were isolating after their test results came back positive, the borough reported. The two cases bring to 62 the number reported in town since the pandemic started more than a year ago. In Ketchikan, the COVID case count has decreased in recent weeks from a high of more than 100 active cases in mid-May t...
Todd Torvend and Stacie Bacon will be married at 6 p.m. July 3 on the City Dock. A reception will follow at the Elks Lodge. “Everyone is invited who wants to share our day....
"I always enjoyed reading, I plundered the local library when I was a kid," said Max Florschutz. Florschutz, 35, lives in Utah but grew up in Wrangell. He moved away to attend college at Bringham Young University in Provo, Utah, in 2004, and later decided to stay in Utah, he said, but continues to make regular trips back to Wrangell to visit friends, family and the library. "I do come back and visit Wrangell, I was actually there a few weeks ago," he said. "I was absolutely thrilled during my...
Silversea Cruises, operator of the 600-passenger Silver Muse, last week confirmed its resumption of cruises to Alaska, with its website listing three sailings that include stops in Wrangell. The Silver Muse, with capacity for 400 crew members, will be the largest cruise ship to visit Wrangell this summer. The company on June 1 announced its return to Alaska. It said last month’s congressional action that waived a stop in Canada will allow the cruises to resume. The ship is scheduled to leave Seattle on its first 10-day cruise on July 29, a...
The Petersburg borough is offering $10,000 in prizes during June to encourage residents who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 to get the shot. The Sleeves Up Petersburg drawing is sponsored by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, with money distributed through the Alaska Chamber of Commerce. It’s part of a campaign to increase the state’s vaccination rate by 25%. “That’s the drive from the start, to increase our vaccination rate and get out of this pandemic,” said Petersburg Incident Commander Karl Hagerman. “Let’s ge...
MIAMI (AP) - Royal Caribbean International said it will require vaccinations for passengers 16 and older on cruises to Alaska, and that crew members on all of its ships will be vaccinated against COVID-19 before it restarts cruise operations __next month to Alaska and from ports in Texas and Florida. The vaccination requirement will be expanded to cover Alaska-bound passengers 12 and over starting Aug. 1. Royal Caribbean is the latest of most other major cruise operators to Alaska - in...
JUNEAU (AP) – The state of Alaska has begun offering free COVID-19 vaccines at airports, a move that was planned a month ago for the start of the summer travel season as an additional enticement for visitors to come to Alaska. The state health department said vaccine eligibility was expanded June 1 to include anyone in Alaska who is at least 12 years old, including visitors from other states or countries. In addition to airport vaccination sites in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau, the state has opened up all its other sites around the state for...
WASILLA (AP) - An Alaska bride-to-be mailed out her wedding invitations last month and eagerly waited for friends and family to respond. And kept waiting. ``We were kind of wondering why we weren’t receiving any RSVPs, but we really didn’t think much of it,’’ Crystle Lewis, of Wasilla, told news station Anchorage KTUU-TV. It turns out, they had incorrect postage on their invitations. Their style of invitation, with a wax seal on the back of the envelope, required extra postage. A notice had been sent to the post office box on the return...
Upright pianos in Skagway bars dating from the Gold Rush. Grand pianos worth tens of thousands of dollars in Anchorage and Sitka. Bob Hope's piano while he was on a USO tour in Alaska. Plus private, church and school pianos in Wrangell. Virgel Hale has tuned them all in his 51-year career traveling around Alaska. But now, at age 81, he's retiring, and will be staying home with his wife, Patsy, who has health problems, in Mountain Grove, Missouri, closer to kids and grandkids. "I hate to call it...
The Petersburg borough is offering $10,000 in prizes during June to encourage residents who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 to get the shot. The Sleeves Up Petersburg drawing is sponsored by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, with money distributed through the Alaska Chamber of Commerce. It’s part of a campaign to increase the state's vaccination rate by 25%. "That's the drive from the start, to increase our vaccination rate and get out of this pandemic," said Petersburg Incident Commander Karl Hagerman. "Let's get back t...