Sorted by date Results 4075 - 4099 of 7980
Friday Nov. 20, the City and Borough of Wrangell announced several confirmed cases of COVID-19. One case is within the community, according to the city’s press release. That individual is in isolation. This is Wrangell’s 22nd case. The press release goes on to state that the city has been informed of two other Wrangell residents who were tested outside of Wrangell. “Those two individuals are Wrangell residents, tested outside of Wrangell and remain outside of Wrangell,” the press release reads. “Those two cases are considered recovered...
During a special borough assembly meeting last Thursday, community members shared their thoughts on a potential mask mandate the city was considering. The mandate would require all individuals, with some exceptions, to wear a mask or face covering in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This mandate, and Wrangell's response to it in general, has been a controversial topic in the community. Over 20 people called into the meeting, and the city also received several letters. The majority of the...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met last Thursday evening, Nov. 5. This was only a discussion meeting, to take in public opinion and decide whether or not a mask mandate would be worth considering in a formal meeting. This mandate was being considered at the behest of the local Emergency Operations Center, who requested the city look at the possibility. The potential mandate, outlined in the meeting's agenda packet, would require all individuals to wear a mask or face veering while "indoors in...
The Alaska Division of Elections, in a Nov. 9 press release, announced a schedule for conducting absentee ballot counts. Moving forward, they announced that the public could expect updated counts to be released twice daily, at 5 p.m. and again at the close of business. "It is the mission of my office and the Division of Elections to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by administering elections with the highest level of professional standards, integrity, security, accuracy, and...
The Wrangell School Board met Monday night for a special work session and meeting regarding the district's FY 2020 financial audit. According to the audit, the school district has approximately $3.57 million in total assets across different funds: $2.07 million in assets in its general fund, $1.07 million in its capital improvement projects fund, and $437,786 in other governmental funds. Meanwhile, there are approximately $1.65 million in total liabilities. An income statement of the district's...
Arlington, VA – Fifty-two museum publications have gained accolades in the 29th annual Museum Publications Design Competition, presented by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). This competition recognizes and encourages superior execution and ingenuity in the graphic design of museum publications and is the only national, juried competition of its kind. Tin Can Country: Southeast Alaska's Historic Salmon Canneries was given an Honorable Mention in the Book Design category. Published with t...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has released preliminary data on state salmon harvests for 2020. Information for Southeast Alaska shows that only half as many fish were hauled in this year compared to last year. 2020 data shows that 14,301,964 salmon were harvested this year, totaling a little over 74 million pounds. The estimated ex vessel value for this harvest is about $50 million. This is a major decrease from 2019 numbers, reported at about 32 million fish, 163 million pounds, and...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met Tuesday, Nov. 10. During this meeting, among other items, they held a discussion about the borough's CARES Act funding. They reviewed expenses so far, as well as possible future projects. Wrangell received a $3.85 million grant from the CARES Act, to help the city respond to the COVID-19 update, according to a memo from Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen. Between March and October of this year, $2.3 million has been spent on a variety of programs and payroll for...
The Alaska Native Sisterhood recently honored one of their members, according to a press release from Anne Fuller, ANS Camp 70 secretary. Ethel Lund was recently elected to Grand President Emeritus. Her Tlingit name, according to the press release, is Aanwoogeex', meaning "The Raven as he walked about when creating the earth." Grand President Emeritus is an advisory role, Fuller explained to the Sentinel, and there is only one Grand President Emeritus at a time. These people have years of...
Late this morning Governor Dunleavy issued a statewide Emergency Alert imploring Alaskans to take a number of different actions related to COVID-19 mitigation to help stop the surge in cases and reduce stress on healthcare capacity. Those actions include: · Working remotely if possible · Pre-order supplies, goods and food for pick-up or carry-out · Stay six (6) feet apart at all times from non-household members · Wear a mask at all times in public if six feet of separation is not possible · Consider celebrating Thanksgiving and other holi...
With polls closing at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, preliminary numbers show Wrangell had a large turnout for the 2020 election. Sarah Whittlesley-Merrit, Legislative Information Officer, told media that over 700 ballots were cast on election day. They received 732 ballots, she said, plus four special needs ballots and 23 question ballots. On top of that, she said that Wrangell saw 316 votes cast early in this election. This is a total of 1,075 ballots cast. According to the Alaska Division of Elections,...
Wrangell's Unified Command announced a new case of COVID-19 the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 3. This is Wrangell's twenty-first total case, and at the time of writing the only active one. According to the press release, this case was confirmed in a non-resident, who has been notified and is in isolation. Of the 21 total cases Wrangell has seen, 13 have been locals and eight have been non-locals. Four cases were identified through airport testing. The others were identified by a routine testing plan...
A local member of Wrangell's Emergency Operations Center recently received threats on social media, according to city officials. The COVID-19 pandemic, and governments' response to it, has been a contentious issue across the nation and at home. The EOC is a collection of city officials who are tasked with gathering information on the pandemic, keeping in touch with state officials, and helping the community organize its response. Nothing has come of these threats, according to officials, but...
The Coast Guard pulled a man out of the water last Sunday evening, Nov. 1. The incident occurred in Union Bay, near Meyers Chuck, south of Wrangell. Petty Officer Janessa Warschkow, with the Coast Guard, said that they were notified of a man in need of rescue at about 4:46 p.m. Warschkow said, in an email, that they were on-scene at 9 p.m. According to a Coast Guard press release, an air crew from Sitka and the cutter Anacapa were sent to conduct the search and rescue. A 70-year-old man was foun...
More progress has been made on the Wrangell Mariners' Memorial, but several aspects of the project have been put on hold as winter begins. Jenn Miller-Yancey, with the Wrangell Mariners' Memorial Board, reported that concrete work around the memorial has been finished for the time being. More will be done next spring, she said, as they install more light posts. While concrete work has paused, there is still work ongoing. "The material to build the actual memorial walls has arrived,"...
Last Tuesday evening, in the agenda packet for the borough assembly's meeting, was a report on Wrangell's economic conditions. The report, by Rain Coast Data, was updated this past October, and looks at a variety of aspects of the local economy. With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting many aspects of life in Wrangell, the community's economic survival has been a topic of much discussion. "In 2019, Wrangell, Alaska had 1,143 year-round equivalent jobs and nearly $50 million in workforce earnings,"...
Aug. 31: Victor James Stead was arraigned on two charges of sexual assault, assault 2, assault 3, and burglary. He entered a not guilty plea. An omnibus hearing was scheduled for Oct. 6. A calendar call was scheduled for Dec. 14. A trial was scheduled for Jan. 4. Sept. 3: Christine Abrahamson was arraigned on charges of criminal trespass. She entered a plea of not guilty. She was released O.R.. A calendar call was scheduled for Nov. 10. Sept. 8: Charges against Christine Abrahamson, of criminal trespass, were dismissed by prosecution. Sept. 9:...
Construction of the new Wrangell Medical Center is nearly done, according to a press release from the SouthEast Alaska Health Consortium. They are about 85 percent complete with the project, the release reads, and the entire project remains on budget and slightly ahead of schedule. The hospital, according to previous reports, is aiming to be ready for use by early-2021. Drywall work is nearly complete, according to the press release. Siding on the hospital's exterior is finished everywhere...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today [Oct. 28] announced a final Alaska Roadless Rule that exempts the Tongass National Forest from the 2001 provision that prohibited road construction, road reconstruction and timber harvests. The Record of Decision identifies the selected alternative, provides the rationale for the decision, and explains that the exemption does not authorize any specific projects in Alaska. Proposed projects must continue to comply with the 2016 Tongass Land...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The U.S. Coast Guard has assigned its icebreaker Polar Star to the Arctic in December instead of its normal role in supporting Antarctic affairs. The Polar Star’s change in deployment was due to concerns stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement also echoes concerns from military commanders in Alaska about security in the region, the Juneau Empire reported Friday. “The Arctic is no longer an emerging frontier, but is instead a region of growing national importance,” said Vice Adm. Linda Fagan, command...
SITKA, Alaska (AP) – An Alaska island village plans to use an advanced version of an ancient renewable energy system to lower its high energy costs. The village of Kake wants to build a biomass district heating system to warm its public buildings while saving the community nearly $100,000 annually in energy costs, Alaska’s Energy Desk reported Tuesday. Kake was awarded a federal Department of Agriculture grant to design its biomass system. The village is now seeking funding. The system planned for Kake, on Kupreanof Island south of Juneau, wou...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska Legislative Council approved a measure that requires lawmakers, employees and reporters to be screened for the coronavirus when entering the Capitol and to wear masks or face coverings in the building and other legislative offices. The council also voted on Thursday to keep the Capitol building closed to the public until at least January, when the next Legislature convenes. Legislative staff and reporters will still be allowed into the building, KTOO Public Media reported. The council’s chair, Sen. Gary Ste...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly held a workshop last week, Oct. 20, to discuss the water treatment plant improvement project. This has been an ongoing project for some time now, and the workshop was to make sure new assembly members were up to speed on the current situation, and to share opinions on how it is going so far. Capital Facilities Director Amber Al-Haddad led much of the initial discussion, providing a history lesson on the project. Plans to renovate and improve Wrangell's water...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met Tuesday evening, Oct. 27. The main focus of the meeting was a discussion on the COVID-19 pandemic, and the situation across the state. Multiple guest speakers from the state were invited into the discussion, to answer questions and talk about what people need to do to stay safe. Guests included DHSS Commissioner Adam Crum, Bryan Fisher with Alaska's COVID-19 Unified Command, DHSEM Deputy Director Paul Nelson, and Eliza Muse with DHSS. It is pretty clear that Ala...
Starting next Monday, Nov. 2, Evergreen Elementary school will be returning to a full-day schedule. After the district closed down late last school year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wrangell's schools have been following modified schedules and operating plans this year. Thanks to the situation in Wrangell being comparatively safe, and a recent staffing increase, Lead Teacher/Assistant Principal Jenn Miller-Yancey said Evergreen Elementary is ready to get back to their normal schedule....