Sorted by date Results 4104 - 4128 of 7954
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – A state court judge on Monday ruled enforcement of witness requirements for absentee ballots in Alaska during a pandemic “impermissibly burdens the right to vote” but did not immediately put into effect an order eliminating the requirement for the general election. Superior Court Judge Dani Crosby gave the parties until late Tuesday to propose how the Division of Elections should communicate the message and said she would later issue an order “specifying how to implement elimination” of the requirement for the Nov. 3 el...
In last week's assembly meeting, Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen reported that the city had recently been informed by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation that they had surpassed allowable levels of HAA5 in the water supply. HAA5, or Haloacetic Acids, is a byproduct of organic material in the water being treated with chlorine during the disinfection process. "It is important to remember organic material is always present in the source water treated for Wrangell's drinking water,"...
During Southeast Alaska's record breaking rainfall this summer, the Swan Lake hydroelectric facility reached its full capacity for the first time since the project was upgraded three years ago, according to a press release from Sen. Bert Stedman's office and Southeast Alaska Power Agency. Water levels reached the flashboards and forced a reservoir spill on July 24. The upgrade expanded the capacity of the hydroproject from 86,000 acre-feet to 111,800 acre-feet, according to the press release. Th...
The Freeberg family moved to Wrangell in April of 2019. Kyle Freeberg moved here to take a position as the town's state wildlife trooper. He has a total of three years of experience as a state trooper, the previous two spent in Fairbanks. His year as state trooper in Wrangell involved enforcing state laws, educating the public about important hunting and fishing regulations, and as he said in a July 2019 interview, working to increase collaboration between himself and the community. This...
Construction on the Wrangell Mariners' Memorial is coming along well, according to Mariners' Memorial Board Treasurer Jeff Jabusch. The steel for the memorial's walls themselves has been ordered, he said. The walls, once complete, will be where the plaques will eventually be placed. "We're hoping to get at least one wall actually finished and up before winter, and then get these three walls poured," Jabusch said. "Then we'll get everything leveled off to grade with gravel, and then probably won'...
The new Wrangell Medical Center is nearing completion, according to a press release from SEARHC. Several crews are on-site working on siding, concrete, drywall, and other aspects of the construction project. According to the press release, the facility is 80 percent complete. Installation of exterior siding is nearly complete, with only the courtyard walls and south-facing side of the facility left. The majority of plumbing has been completed, as well. Electric crews are currently installing...
Wrangell Parks and Rec announced a new photo contest for the public to participate in last Tuesday, Sept. 22. The "Pups In Parks" contest will give Wrangell dog owners a chance to go enjoy the great outdoors with their canines, and take a few pictures while they're out there. There will even be a chance for their dogs to be featured in a new parks and recreation calendar. Wrangell is a rather dog-friendly town, Parks and Rec Director Kate Thomas said. There are somewhere around 550 dogs on the...
The Public Safety Building has been a topic of much discussion and concern to city government. The building, which houses Wrangell’s police department, fire department, court, and DMV, is in disrepair. It was first constructed in 1987, according to Capital Facilities Director Amber Al-Haddad. Much of the discussion has been whether or not replacing the entire building would be cheaper than renovating it, and about the growing list of issues present in the building. Another problem has recently been added to the list, according to Borough M...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska reported six more deaths from the coronavirus — the highest number of deaths in a single day since the pandemic began, according to the state Department of Health and Social Services. The state also reported 128 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Friday, the most recent available data. The deaths include three men in their 60s, one man in his 50s and two men in their 70s. The state had previously reported a high of four deaths on Aug. 25. As of Friday, there were 4,424 active cases of the coronavirus in the sta...
A contractor at Southeast Alaska Power Agency’s Tyee Lake hydroelectric facility accidentally entered an incorrect control system input, resulting in a power outage in Wrangell and Petersburg Saturday morning, said SEAPA CEO Trey Acteson. SEAPA staff were conducting a training session associated with recent control upgrades when the error was made. Tyee Lake generation was lost at 9:15 A.M. on Sept. 26, said Robert Siedman, an electrical engineer with SEAPA. Power was restored 25 minutes later at 9:40 A.M. All the Wrangell and Petersburg c...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A federal appeals court will not hear an Alaska absentee ballot lawsuit before the Nov. 3 general election. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request Tuesday for an emergency order ahead of the election. The decision likely eliminates the possibility a judge will require the state to send absentee ballot request forms to all voters before November, which was the goal of the lawsuit by the Disability Law Center of Alaska and other plaintiffs. Alaska voters must request absentee ballots to vote by mail. The state p...
As discussed over several Economic Development Committee meetings, the City and Borough of Wrangell announced last Tuesday morning changes to existing COVID-19 relief programs, as well as a new program available to the public. As part of their response to the pandemic, the city has put together a variety of grant opportunities and other assistance programs to help businesses and community members get through these tough times. In a previous interview with the Wrangell Sentinel, Economic...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met Tuesday night to hold a public hearing on a Community Development Block Grant. In 2018, according to the meeting's agenda packet, the borough received a block grant for the purchase of a new fire truck. The grant was for $337,500, with the total estimated cost of the fire truck at $450,000. Per the requirements of the grant, two public hearings were held about the grant, one for the public to suggest projects and another to serve as a status report on the grant...
The local Unified Command continues to meet weekly to consolidate the local COVID-19 response. During the meeting on Wednesday, September 16, local representatives expressed concerns for gatherings, provided updates on flu clinic preparations, and shared information on local testing programs. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) continues to monitor large gatherings, according to EOC Director Dorianne Sprehe. She stated that such crowds are currently not an issue but concerning. Sprehe urged...
Election Day is just around the corner, on Oct. 6. Wrangell residents have the opportunity to voice their support for several candidates, seeking various leadership positions across the borough. Mayor, one two-year term Stephen Prysunka is seeking re-election to the position of mayor for a two-year term. He has served as Wrangell's mayor since 2018. He is seeking re-election because Wrangell is going through some hard times, he said, and it would be important to keep people with experience...
The Wrangell School Board met Monday, Sept. 21. Two major topics of discussion during this meeting were the high school swim team, and whether or not students could travel for activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several people spoke at the meeting, calling for the school district to fully fund the swim team, to add the coach's position to the schedule of extracurricular activities, as well as to remove the schedule of extracurricular activities from the negotiated agreement process. Jamie...
The Alaska Children's Trust was first established in 1988, with a goal of preventing child abuse across the state. They want to ensure that all Alaskan children can live in a family and community that gives them the necessary tools for success, according to their website. They also have a new team member helping them on their mission, as Wrangell resident Maleah Wenzel has taken a fellowship position with the Trust. Wenzel, a lifelong resident of Wrangell, recently graduated from Dartmouth with...
There was a power outage across the city last Thursday afternoon beginning a little after 4:20 p.m. The Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department was called out to the municipal light and power building shortly after the lights went out, with what appeared to be smoke coming out of the building. There was no fire, however, and power was restored to the city around 5 p.m. Wrangell Municipal Light and Power Director Rod Rhoades explained that a radiator fan motor seized up, which caused the 2.5 megawatt...
The Wrangell School Board held a special meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 9, to continue their discussion of a formal reprimand and improvement plan for the superintendent. Late last August, Superintendent Debbe Lancaster and several district staff members went on a trip to Juneau to purchase supplies to prepare the district for the upcoming school year. This was in violation of a district travel ban during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as done without board approval. The planned use of CARES Act...
Around 7 p.m. Monday evening, Sept. 14, the City and Borough of Wrangell announced that the community's 20th case of COVID-19 was confirmed. The latest case was identified in a routine testing program, according to a press release from the city. The patient is asymptomatic and in isolation. Contact tracing is ongoing. This case is currently the only active one in Wrangell, according to the press release. The other 19 have recovered. Of all the cases, 13 have been Wrangell locals. The other seven...
The lawsuit by Wrangell resident Kipha Valvoda, against several current and former members of the city government, was removed from the trial schedule on Aug. 10. Valvoda's lawsuit contends, as reported in an Oct. 17, 2019 article in the Sentinel, that the city has used discriminatory hiring practices that kept him out of work. His complaint, which was filed in April of 2019, is seeking $700,000 in compensation. Defendants in his lawsuit include former Mayor David Jack, current Mayor Steve...
Wrangell's planning and zoning commission met last Thursday evening, Sept. 10, to review various final and preliminary plats. They also discussed current plans for the Institute Property, and what their recommendations should be. There were five plat reviews on the agenda, two final plats and three preliminary plats. All but one of them met approval by the commission. A final plat review of the D&D Ellis Subdivision was deferred during the meeting. This subdivision would repeat Lot 8, Block...
Moose season opened Tuesday, Sept. 15 and according to Alaska hunting regulations for the area, the season will run until Oct. 15. Wrangell, Petersburg, the surrounding islands and nearby stretch of mainland are covered under RM038. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website, this hunt is available to nonresidents and residents alike, with the proper permits. Before going out hunting, those wanting to bag a moose should be aware of the regulations in place. According to the...
Southeast Beasts, Wrangell's running group, will be hosting a Forest Fun Run this Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. The 5k run will be around the nature trail loop at Volunteer Park, beginning and ending at the covered basketball court. According to the Facebook event page for the run, there will be prizes for the first and last place finishers, as well as other door prizes. The run will also serve as a fundraiser for Southeast Beast's youth athletic shoe account at Angerman's Inc. Lucy Robinson,...
Wrangell's cross country team took part in its first meet of the season last Saturday afternoon. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teams could not travel to compete against each other in person. Instead, a virtual meet was held, where teams ran in their hometowns but still competed against the other teams' times. Seven communities competed, altogether: Wrangell, Petersburg, Haines, Klawock, Craig, Metlakatla, and Unalaska. For the girls race, Liana Carney took first place for Wrangell, and seventh...
