Sorted by date Results 4415 - 4439 of 7980
The Tlingit and Haida Regional Housing Authority held a workshop at the Nolan Center last week, to cover a variety of topics. The group brought together members of Wrangell's native community, and the wider public, to share information about the census, financial planning, and preventative home maintenance. Esther Ashton, tribal administrator for the Wrangell Cooperative Association, led the discussion on the census. It is very important for the native community to respond to the census this...
The Wrangell School Board held a work session Monday night to discuss next year's budget. The district is currently undergoing its budget season, looking at the financial year for 2021. The current draft of the FY 2021 budget has the school district operating at a loss. Total revenues are estimated at a little less than $5.7 million, while expenses are around $6.5 million. The largest costs for the district include $2.7 million for "instruction,'' about $831,000 for "operations and maintenance...
While Alaska has yet to see any confirmed cases of the 2019 novel coronavirus, now known as COVID-19, the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) is closely monitoring information being provided by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (ADHSS), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and other state, federal and global health organizations as they work to monitor, contain, and mitigate the impact of the virus. "SEARHC's top priority is the safety of our patients and...
PETERSBURG – Sen. Bert Stedman told the community while attending the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce banquet on Saturday that the future of the Alaska Marine Highway System depends on how negotiations go with Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Stedman said that legislators will discuss the AMHS and present possible scenarios to the governor when Dunleavy releases his operating budget; however, without enough votes to override the governor's anticipated vetoes, negotiations won't be too aggressive. "If you don'...
The shutdown of ferry service in Southeast Alaska has impacted many aspects of day-to-day life in communities across the region. In previous reporting by the Wrangell Sentinel and Petersburg Pilot, peoples' travel plans have been disrupted, businesses have been impacted, and cultural events like Celebration 2020 could potentially see decreased turnout. Another aspect of Southeast communities that is facing disruption from the lack of ferries are school districts. The schools of Wrangell and...
The Alaska House Finance Committee received public testimony from people across the state on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21 and 22. The state is currently in its budget season again, and the finance committee held the meeting to hear what the public felt was important. Several members from Wrangell called in from the local Legislative Information Office to give their perspective on the community's needs moving forward. Among the items Wrangellites voiced support for were the need for ferry...
The Wrangell Mariners' Memorial project is moving along at a good pace, according to Brennon Eagle. The memorial has been a long-running project for the community, beginning back in the early 2000s. According to the memorial committee's website, Wrangell High School seniors worked to identify a suitable location and design for the memorial, meant to recognize Wrangellites who lose their lives at sea. The Wrangell Mariners' Memorial Committee achieved tax-exempt status as a nonprofit in 2017....
Wrangell's Baha'i community will be hosting a party at Evergreen Elementary school this Friday at 6 p.m., to celebrate Ayyam-i-Ha and is open to the Wrangell community. The Baha'i faith operates with a calendar of 19 months, made up of 19 days each. This means the Baha'i calendar has a total of 361 days in it. To keep their calendar aligned with the Gregorian calendar, Baha'is celebrate several "intercalary days." This year, being a leap year, has five intercalary days for the Baha'i...
The Wrangell School Board adopted some revisions to the FY 2020 budget at their Monday night meeting. The district's budget, originally, set revenues at a little less than $5.5 million, and expenditures at around $6.1 million. With the revisions however, revenues have been bumped up to around $5.7 million. The first revision to the budget adds the Wrangell borough's contribution. The revised budget takes into account a contribution of $610,329 from the City and Borough of Wrangell....
The Wrangell Chamber of Commerce held its annual dinner last Saturday evening. Community members from all over town came to the dinner, including several out-of-town guests such as Representative Dan Ortiz and Senator Bert Stedman. Like last year, the dinner served as an opportunity for the community to come together for a good meal and to participate in a number of auctions and raffles. The dinner also served as an opportunity to recognize people and organizations that really stood out over...
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...