Sorted by date Results 4399 - 4423 of 7954
Randall Ferdinand, 53, of Wrangell, passed away at sea last Sunday. A dispatch from the Alaska State Troopers reports that they received a report of an overturned vessel about 12 miles southwest of Wrangell the afternoon of Feb. 16. Wrangell Search and Rescue and the Coast Guard went to investigate and the vessel in question was located around 3 p.m. The 32-foot vessel had struck some rocks in shallow water. Wrangell Search and Rescue and Wildlife Troopers from Ketchikan remained on scene...
Jan. 27: A change of plea hearing was held for James Howe, charged with unlawful contact, violating conditions of release, being a felon in possession of a weapon, having a weapon in the house of a felon, and harassment. A sentencing hearing was scheduled for June 22. A change of plea hearing was held for Valerie Nakamura, charged with driving with a cancelled/revoked/suspended license. Another charge of driving in violation of license limitation was dismissed by prosecution. She pled guilty to the first charge, and the second charge was...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met last Tuesday evening, Feb. 11, for a work session on the borough's future goals. The discussion was meant to ensure that all city employees understood what Wrangell's priorities are, and what they are all working towards. According to the meeting's agenda packet, the borough had a wide variety of goals to consider. Some of the goals laid out in the agenda packet included development of the old Institute and Byford junkyard properties, and cleaning up abandoned...
Derek Peterson visited Wrangell on Monday and Tuesday to host a series of workshops to talk about Integrative Youth Development and how it could help the community's children. According to a flyer announcing his visit to Wrangell, Peterson is an international child and youth advocate. He is the Founder of the Institute for Community and Adolescent Resiliency - Unifying Solutions, as well as Integrative Youth Development. Integrative Youth Development, according to the ICAR-US website, is a...
Elizabeth Peratrovich Day took place this past Sunday, Feb. 16. Peratrovich was one of Alaska's better-known civil rights activists. Born in Petersburg in 1911 and coming from the Tlingit nation, she fought for the rights of native Alaskans. In 1945 she was instrumental in the passage of the Anti-Discrimination Act by the territorial legislature. Fourth and fifth graders at Evergreen Elementary put together an art display in recognition of Peratrovich and her work, which is currently on display...
PETERSBURG – The Petersburg Indian Association, Petersburg Arts Council and Petersburg ANB/ANS hosted the first annual Elizabeth Peratrovich Day celebration on Sunday to honor the woman who spearheaded Alaska's Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945. The ceremony began with a march down Nordic Dr. that began at the Trading Union and ended at the John Hanson Sr. Hall where the celebration continued. Master of Ceremonies Nathan Lopez acknowledged the work that Peratrovich and her husband Roy did for civ...
The Wrangell Planning and Zoning Commission approved a conditional use permit for a proposed business. Sara Gadd has plans to establish a drive-through coffee shop in the industrial park, at the corner of Bennett Street and Howell Avenue. This topic was brought up in the commission's previous meeting in January, but was tabled as Gadd was not present to answer questions, nor did the commission have a written agreement from the owner of the lot next to this potential business allowing driveway...
Hailing from the village of Unalakleet, Nick Hanson is probably best known as the "Eskimo Ninja," a regular contestant on American Ninja Warrior. He has competed on the TV show, running through a series of obstacle courses and physical challenges, since its seventh season in 2015. His most recent participation in the show last year, season 11, saw him make it to the first stage of the finals in Las Vegas, Nevada. In his four years on the show, going on five, Hanson has represented his family,...
Today, Alaska’s ferries are one step closer to receiving badly needed funds. Members of the budget subcommittee working on the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities’ budget voted to add $18.7 million into the AMHS budget. Rep. Louise Stutes (R-Kodiak) is a member of the DOT budget subcommittee, chair of the House Transportation Committee, and serves on the Alaska Marine Highway Reshaping Work Group. Representative Stutes said, “Shelves in grocery stores are empty. Alaskans are missing medical appointments. Mothers are turni...
With the M/V Matanuska going out of service last week, ferry service via the Alaska Marine Highway has completely shut down. According to a press release from the Alaska Department of Transportation, new issues have been found with the ferry's reduction gear system. The Matanuska, at the time of writing, is being towed to Ketchikan for repairs. "AMHS is aware of travel needs for upcoming school and community tournaments in March and is exploring options for alternative service in the event...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met Monday, Feb. 10, to workshop some staffing issues at the Irene Ingle Public Library and the Nolan Center. The assembly originally planned to hold a special assembly meeting right after the workshop, but instead decided to just have the workshop and revisit the topic at a later meeting. An assistant position is currently open, one of three permanent positions the city maintains at the library: Library Director, Assistant II, and Assistant I. The Assistant I...
The Wrangell Port Commission met last Thursday, Feb. 6, to continue their ongoing discussion of changing the city's rates for visiting cruise ships. Harbor Master Greg Meissner explained that the commission needs to consider increasing the fees Wrangell collects from cruise ships for a variety of reasons. For one thing, the cruise industry is continuing to grow. With more ships potentially visiting in the near future, he said they would need money to renovate and improve City Dock. Another...
Jan. 21: Caleb Padgett pled guilty to charges of driving under the influence. He was sentenced to 45 days imprisonment, with 42 suspended. He was ordered to pay a fine of $1,500, $150 police training surcharge, $50 initial jail surcharge, and $330 for the cost of imprisonment. He will be on probation for one year. A change of plea hearing was held for Valerie Nakamura, charged with driving with a cancelled/revoked/suspended license and driving in violation of license limitation. The hearing was reset and rescheduled for Jan. 27. James...
Governor Mike Dunleavy's planned visits to two Southeast Alaska communities, Petersburg and Wrangell, have been cancelled due to bad weather. Cold temperatures plus snow and rain have made travel around the region difficult. The planned meetings, for Feb. 3 and 4 in Petersburg and Wrangell respectively, were to be part of a town hall series where the governor could receive input on the PFD, services valued, and other topics. "I want to hear your thoughts, understand your concerns, and see your...
The Wrangell Chamber of Commerce and other city officials hosted a public meeting to discuss the upcoming 2020 Fourth of July celebration. Wrangell is well known for going all out with its week-long schedule of events for the Fourth, and a preliminary draft schedule shows that this will be the same this year. While there was low turnout for the meeting, there was a lot of information regarding some of the celebration's bigger events. For one thing, the annual boat races will feature a brand new...
School officials held a community meeting Monday to learn more about what the public feels is important for the Wrangell School District. The district is currently undergoing its budgeting process for the new school year. The first draft of the FY 2021 budget has revenues set at about $5.5 million and expenditures of slightly under $6.3 million. About 75 percent of the budget comes from the state of Alaska, according to Superintendent Debbe Lancaster. In a school board meeting on Jan. 20, it...
During their last meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28, the Wrangell Borough Assembly got to take a look at their financial situation from the past six months. The current budget, for FY 2020, was adopted last June. As of Dec. 31, 2019, total revenue for Wrangell's general fund has been about $3.5 million, and about $2.7 million in expenditures. The general fund is currently sitting at a profit of $869,251. However, for the entire financial year the general fund is expected to bring in a little less...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly held a work session before their regular meeting, on Jan. 28, to review the preliminary results of a compensation study by JB Reward Systems. Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen explained that the study compared the salaries of public employees in Wrangell to those of similar municipalities, to see how they stacked up and whether or not Wrangell is a competitive location for potential hires. "Basically, our three fundamental goals would be to have a structure that was...
The evening of Saturday, Jan. 18, a pipe in the public safety building's sprinkler system broke and caused some flooding. Amber Al-Haddad, capital facilities director, explained that the building, which houses Wrangell's court, police department, fire department, and other entities, has two sprinkler systems: A wet system and a dry system. Somehow, she said that water got into the dry sprinkler system and froze during the cold weather Wrangell experienced this past month. This broke one of the...
Southeast Alaska Power Agency conducted a survey on a damaged cable running between Woronkofski and Vank islands and the board will make a final decision on whether to repair the cable or replace it by March's board meeting. "We could have up to 20 more years," said Bob Lynn, Petersburg's voting member on the SEAPA board. "We don't know, but the risk is very high on that old cable." Lynn gave the Petersburg Borough Assembly an update on the project at an assembly meeting Monday, but data from th...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Substance misuse in Alaska has cost the state about $3.5 billion in 2018 in resulting health care, productivity loss, criminal justice, traffic accidents and other services, a yearlong study said. The McDowell Group, contracted by the state Mental Health Trust Authority, found that $2.4 billion was related to alcohol abuse and $1.1 billion was related to drug abuse, Juneau Empire reported Friday. Health officials define substance misuse as the use of illegal drugs or inappropriate use of alcohol or prescription drugs. “We...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Two environmental groups gave formal notice Friday that they will sue to protect endangered Alaska beluga whales from problems caused by oil and gas operations. The announcement came three days after a federal agency said the population of white whales is declining faster than previously thought. The Center for Biological Diversity and Cook Inletkeeper said they will sue the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for violating the Endangered Species Act by n...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska has encouraged residents with immigration problems to contact Gov. Mike Dunleavy after he asked the president to aid his attorney general's family with their immigration documents. Dunleavy sent an official letter to President Donald Trump in December requesting aid for Attorney General Kevin Clarkson, who is seeking documents so his Colombian wife and stepson can live in the United States, Anchorage Daily News reported F...
Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks have identified a new species of thalattosaur, a marine reptile that lived more than 200 million years ago. The new species, Gunakadeit joseeae, is the most complete thalattosaur ever found in North America and has given paleontologists new insights about the thalattosaurs' family tree, according to a paper published recently in the journal Scientific Reports. Scientists found the fossil near Keku Island near the village of Kake in 2011....
(JUNEAU, Alaska) – The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) is cancelling sailings on the M/V Matanuska through Sunday, March 1. New issues with the reduction gear system have been identified and the manufacturer and contractor need the vessel to travel to the Ketchikan shipyard where it can be inspected in dry dock to determine if further repairs are necessary. The Matanuska returned to service in November 2019 after a complete re-power, and the repairs are covered under warranty. AMHS is a... Full story
