Sorted by date Results 4300 - 4324 of 7954
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska’s state-run ferry system is not requiring that passengers and crew wear face coverings in response to COVID-19 concerns, with a spokesperson saying rider numbers are low and social distancing on board is ‘’easily attainable.’’ CoastAlaska reported the Alaska Marine Highway System said it puts the health and safety of employees and passengers first. Cloth masks are available for crew members but not mandated, the system said. State transportation department spokesperson Meadow Bailey said rider numbers are ‘’very...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Firefighters were able to contain an Alaska wildfire that was initially fought by campers who first spotted the blaze, the U.S. Forest Service said. Several groups were camping at Boy Scout Beach in Juneau when some of them saw the fire Saturday morning, KTOO-FM reported. “We just noticed some smoke, and it was kind of high up in the grass,’’ said Blaine Scharen, who was camping with his wife and extended family. The fire appeared to be growing out of control when Scharen and his brother-in-law went to the next campsit...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly held a special meeting Monday evening, May 4, to discuss three agenda items related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Mike Dunleavy and the Department of Health and Social Services recently announced four metrics by which they would determine if restrictions need to be eased or rolled back, to protect public health. According to the meeting's agenda packet, the four metrics are: Epidemiology, tracking disease trends and forecasts; Testing, tracking overall...
May signals the end of the school year for the Wrangell School District. For 25 students, this May signals the end of their high school careers. The COVID-19 pandemic has created several challenges and changes this year. Three students of the class of 2020 shared their opinions on this closing chapter of their lives. In general, all three students agree that the pandemic is a disappointing way to end high school, but they are understanding of the situation and grateful to the community for...
Last week's borough assembly meeting, on April 28, only had a few items on the agenda. The majority of the meeting was spent receiving comments on the COVID-19 situation from the public and some assembly members. Joan Sargent, of Island of Faith Lutheran Church, led the invocation for the meeting. Afterwards, she also shared her comments on the pandemic and the community's response to it. She wanted to share with the public that the Irene Ingle Public Library, which has been serving as a hub to...
The Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau met last Friday, May 1, for a work session on social media and marketing opportunities it could provide. The bureau wanted to talk about how they could promote local businesses, and Wrangell itself, via social media. As this was just a work session, no formal action was taken in the meeting. "Webinars that I've been on, ATIA's advice, it seems like most everybody is headed that direction and trying to beef up social media now, while we're all sort of...
The Reopen Wrangell Task Force, a committee of multiple community representatives working to support local businesses in reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic, met last Monday afternoon. It was a fairly long discussion, according to Economic Development Director Carol Rushmore, and the topics were pretty varied. Surveys were one topic of discussion in the meeting. The task force recently sent out a survey to businesses around town to see what their situation was during the pandemic, and what...
PETERSBURG – Southeast Alaska Power Agency is still in the process of trying to replace a damaged submarine cable that provides Petersburg with power, as complications increase due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bob Lynn, chairman of the SEAPA board, told the Petersburg Borough Assembly at their meeting on Monday that there are concerns over whether the project can be completed this year. The damaged cable is one of four submarine cables that connects the terminals between Woronofski and Vank islands...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (department) announced the following information concerning the 2019/2020 Southeast Alaska commercial pot shrimp summer fishery. The following areas will reopen by emergency order at 8:00 a.m., Friday, May 15, 2020: District 4: will be open. The total Guideline Harvest Level (GHL) is 20,000 pounds, current harvest information is confidential. District 5: will be open. The total GHL is 12,000 pounds, current harvest information is confidential. District 15: (Remainder): will be open in Chilkat Inlet, and in...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska’s largest newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize in public service Monday for its work examining law enforcement in rural communities, a feat coming less than three years after the outlet was rescued from the brink of financial collapse. This is the third such award won by the Anchorage Daily News. The award announced Monday was won in collaboration with ProPublica for “a riveting series that revealed a third of Alaska’s villages had no police protection, took authorities to task for decades of neglect, and spurred an infl...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Organizers of the Southeast Alaska State Fair said Friday that the summer event in Haines has been canceled this year due to COVID-19. In a statement, fair officials said it was a difficult decision but the right one to make. “For us and many across Southeast Alaska and the Yukon, the Fair is something to look forward to at the end of the summer, a moment of congregation and fun separate from the rest of the year,’’ the statement reads. “2020 has instead united us with the common goal of preserving the health and safet...
April 21: Gary Hamley was arraigned on charges of violating conditions of release. The arraignment was scheduled to continue on April 28. Theodosia James was arraigned on charges of violating conditions of release. The arraignment was scheduled to continue on April 28. Daniel Meissner was arraigned on charges of criminal trespass and violating conditions of release. He was released under his own recognizance, and is not to have contact with the alleged victim or return to their property. A calendar call was scheduled for June 16. A disposition...
Local writer Vivian Faith Prescott recently announced the publication of her newest book, Silty Water People. The book is a collection of some of her oldest poems, she said, and is a look at "the effects of assimilation" on Wrangell families and the community as a whole. The poems range from the serious, to the humorous, to the intimate. The ideas of identity and culture have always fascinated her, Prescott said. She holds a doctorate in cross cultural studies. Silty Water People, she said, is...
With Health Mandate 16, part of Governor Mike Dunleavy's plan to reopen Alaska's economy safely during the COVID-19 pandemic, communities across the state are considering what the near future may look like. Revenues have fallen for the city and businesses have had to get creative to stay open. While there is optimism to be found amongst some business owners, uncertainties loom for the economy in general. Alan Cummings, of All In Charters and Grand View B&B, said that they are looking at a rough...
The Reopen Wrangell Task Force, made up of several representatives across the community, met last Monday afternoon to discuss ways to assist Wrangell's economy through the COVID-19 pandemic. The task force recently sent out a survey to local businesses to see what their needs are. The survey became available Friday, April 24. Kate Thomas, with the Wrangell Parks and Recreation department, said they have received 27 responses. Two of them were test runs from city officials, she said, but the bulk...
This has been a unique school year in Wrangell. With the COVID-19 pandemic, not only was the basketball season cut short, but districts across the state have closed their doors. The Wrangell School District is no different, having closed down the schools to protect staff and students from the virus. While the buildings are not in use currently, the district is still providing education remotely, through online classrooms. Not only that, but the district is working to make sure students are...
April 1 was Census Day, but Carol Rushmore wanted to remind everyone that responses can still be turned in until the end of July. Rushmore, Wrangell's economic development director and head of the local census committee, wanted to clear up a few questions she had received from the public regarding the census, and to encourage further turnout. One of the most common questions she has heard about the census was about when people can expect to receive physical packets, she said. Rushmore explained...
At the beginning of April the Wrangell Sentinel reported on Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium's organization-wide COVID-19 testing numbers, across all of their medical centers and clinics in Southeast Alaska. At the time, SEARHC representatives said that they could not provide community-specific numbers to the public. The test numbers in each individual community were so small, the reasoning went, that releasing those numbers could potentially identify who was being tested and violate...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly held a special meeting Thursday, April 16, to consider their local contribution to the Wrangell School District's budget. According to the meeting's agenda packet, the city can provide the district anywhere between $583,830 and about $1.6 million. The district's current budget for FY 2021, which was adopted on March 19, has revenues set at about $5.68 million and expenditures at about $6.08 million. The school district was requesting the same contribution as the...
The Wrangell Sentinel has again been named among the best weekly newspapers in Alaska according to the Alaska Press Club, which announced winners of its annual contest for 2019 over the weekend. The Cordova Times placed first in the category, Petersburg Pilot, second and Wrangell Sentinel, third. Tawney Crowley placed second in the best illustration or graphic. Her entry was titled, "The greatest bite of all time." Judges commented: "Nice work. I can see the illustrator had fun with this...
The Wrangell School Board met last Monday evening, April 20, via web conference. The first item on the agenda was a temporary suspension of the policy requiring that the school board hold in-person meetings. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is safer to hold all meetings via phone or web conference. With this out of the way, the board got down to the business of accepting a contract for school psychology services. The contract is with SERRC, the Southeast Regional Resource Center. This contract...
While the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, across the country government authorities and businesses are discussing the idea of slowly reopening and getting things back to normal. In Wrangell, one of the many industries impacted by the virus is the tourist industry. Now that spring has begun, the time for cruise season is drawing ever closer. However, recent information provided by Economic Development Director Carol Rushmore shows that the cruise season, if there even is one this year, will have a...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met remotely last Tuesday, April 14, to hold one of their regularly scheduled meetings. It was a light agenda, as far as items requiring an assembly vote, but there was much discussion. After opening the meeting, the assembly heard from two Wrangell residents who wanted to see the local economy start to reopen. Wrangell residents Dale Parkinson and Mike Lockabey both thanked the city staff and the wider public for doing their parts to keep the community safe during...
The Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau met last Friday afternoon, April 17. Among the items on the meeting's agenda was the cancellation of this year's Birdfest, and what could be done in its place. The Stikine River Birding Festival, more shortly known as Birdfest, is a Wrangell tradition that dates back over 20 years. Usually occurring in April, around the time migratory birds return to Wrangell and the Stikine River area, the festival brings all kinds of people, from locals to tourists,...
With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, many events and traditions in the Wrangell community have been cancelled. The Wrangell School District has closed its doors for the remainder of the academic year, hosting classes virtually. While this rather unique school year is drawing to a close, school staff are working to make sure the graduating class has a memorable end to their high school careers. Jack Carney, interim principal for Wrangell's secondary schools, said that plans are in the works for a...
