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This past week two Wrangell residents were recognized as "patriotic employers" by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve program. The ESGR is a Department of Defense program, according to their website, whose goal is to promote cooperation and understanding between civilian employers and their National Guard or Reserve employees. Richard Smith, on behalf of the ESGR, came to Wrangell on Jan. 8 to present Patriot Awards to Kemberly Green of Tongass Federal Credit Union, and Jenn...
After the retirement of Doug McCloskey last summer, the Wrangell Police Department has been operating without an official police chief. That came to an end last week, as Tom Radke started his job as the city's new chief. Some community members may remember Radke from a meet-and-greet back in November, where he and other potential candidates for the police chief position came to town to meet city officials and the people of Wrangell. Radke was the borough's final selection According to his...
The Hospice of Wrangell organized a weekend of community education forums on Jan. 11 and 12, to help Wrangell residents learn how to "get their ducks in a row" before they pass away. Some of the forums included a discussion on funeral services available at the Ketchikan Mortuary, estate planning and writing a will, and a panel discussion on spiritual concerns regarding the afterlife made up of several Wrangell preachers. One of the discussions was lead by Erin Matthes of the Southeast Alaska...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reminds anglers that the 2020 sport shrimp permits are now available online. The 2020 Subsistence and Personal Use permits are also available online at: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/Store/. 2019 permit holders are reminded that the 2019 permits must be returned either by reporting online at https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/Harvest/ or returning the printed permit to the nearest ADF&G office, even if you did not shrimp in 2019, before obtaining a 2020 permit....
The borough assembly and other city officials met Saturday morning, Jan. 11, to workshop future priorities for the city and to look at the upcoming budget process. A long list of state and federal legislative priorities was laid out for attendees to review and talk about. For state priorities for Wrangell, the first and foremost was the reinstatement of several state positions to the city. Over the past decade, according to the priority list, Wrangell has seen several state jobs taken away that...
The Wrangell Planning and Zoning Commission held a relatively short meeting last Thursday evening. There was only one main agenda item for the meeting, a request by Sara Gadd for a conditional use permit request. Gadd is wanting to set up a drive-through coffee shop at the corner of Bennett Street and Howell Avenue, in the industrial park. According to the meeting's agenda packet, this location should allow for a line of five cars in the drive-through without holding up traffic on Bennett...
When Alaskans are summoned for jury service, they fill out and return a questionnaire that allows court personnel to qualify, defer, or excuse them from service. After historically sending these documents in the mail, the court has switched to using email to send them. By November of 2019, courts statewide were sending these jury documents by email. Potential juror email addresses are provided by the Permanent Fund Dividend office, as is all other potential juror information. If the email is...
Christi Henthorn is a journeyman beekeeper with Wuerker Bee Apiary, of North Carolina. She describes herself on her website as a native of Wisconsin and an Alaskan transplant, currently raising bees on the east coast. She was visiting Wrangell to host a "Beekeeping 101" class for community members interested in doing so, as well as giving a talk on how to promote "healthy pollinators" in the area. "The honey bee's the poster child for promoting and saving pollinators, because everyone can...
City officials and other community members came together at city hall last week on Jan. 10 to discuss the upcoming 2020 census. The census occurs nationwide every 10 years, since the government began tracking the nation's population in 1790, according to the Census Bureau's website. The purpose of the census is to see how populations have changed state to state, to make sure that there is fair representation in Congress. According to the 2010 census, Alaska had a population of 710,231, an...
The cities of Wrangell and Petersburg both briefly lost power on Friday morning, Jan. 10. The power outage occurred a little before 11 a.m. and lasted about an hour. Both cities typically receive their electricity from a hydro plant at Tyee Lake, near Bradfield Canal. Rod Rhoades, light and power director for Wrangell, said that there was a "phase to phase fault" in the power line between the lake and the two cities. He speculated that this could mean something like a tree branch fell on the...
The Nolan Center celebrated the new year on Dec. 31, with a murder mystery party. As this new year marks a new decade, a return to the '20s, the party had a 1920s theme to it. With jazz music, people in themed costumes, and masks, party-goers had the chance to return to the previous century. The main theater of the Nolan Center was decorated to look like an old speakeasy, from the prohibition era, to fit the mood. For those who have never participated in a murdery mystery, it is a lot like a...
Below is the second half of The Wrangell Sentinel's review of 2019, covering the months of July to December: July July 4 - Wrangell Police Chief Doug McCloskey was recognized for his service to the community at last week's borough assembly meeting. With his retirement at the end of June, McCloskey has closed out 38 years of police work. July 11 - The Fourth of July was a hot and sunny day in Wrangell, but that did not stop many people from getting out and having a good time. Like all previous...
Following is the Wrangell Sentinel's news review for January through June of 2019. Next week the review will include events from July through December. January Jan. 13 - The Fairbanks Arts Association opened their 24th annual statewide poetry contest for submissions this December. Each year, the association picks a new judge for the contest. This year will be judged by Wrangell resident Vivian Faith Prescott. Prescott is the author of numerous works, including The Hide of My Tongue and The Dead...
Wrangell's Convention and Visitor Bureau met last Monday, Dec. 23, to continue their ongoing work on putting together a "tourism best management practices" document for the city. This conversation began back in November. A growing tourism industry in Wrangell has highlighted the need for some form of guidelines, as well as concerns about how future tourism might impact the community's day-to-day life. Tourism best management practices, or TBMPs, are a way to help ease friction between tourism...
Along with the lights, the trees and carolers, the Salvation Army's red Christmas kettles are a very common sight during the holiday season. Standing in front of stores and on street corners, volunteers accept donations for the Salvation Army with ringing bells and the iconic red buckets. The Christmas kettles are a century-old tradition, according to the Salvation Army's website. In 1891, Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee organized a fundraiser, where people could throw money into a large...
A longstanding tradition for Wrangell High School students is their senior project. As their high school careers begin to draw to a close, WHS students will organize a community service project to help give back to their community, before heading off to their next stage in life. These projects can vary in size and scope. Last year, students volunteered at Christmas Tree Lane, held ACT prep courses, assisted in amphibian research along the Stikine River, and much more. Danika Smith is one of...
City officials, community members, and local business owners met at the Nolan Center last Tuesday evening, Dec. 17, to discuss Wrangell's tourism industry. This meeting was to cover the recent tourist season, as well as projections for the next one around the corner. The city also wanted to hear people's concerns and priorities when it came to Wrangell tourism. "It's a community discussion because ultimately our docks and our Front Street are community assets," said Mayor Steve Prysunka,...
On Dec. 20, NOAA issued a press release stating they had given a Notice of Violation Assessment to Wrangell resident Sylvia Ettefagh. She was given a fine for failing to offload and report the entirety of a halibut catch. "Officers from the Alaska Division of NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement in Petersburg conducted an investigation," the press release reads. "It revealed that Ettefagh and crew retained 600 pounds of Pacific halibut that was not deducted from their IFQ permit or documented on...
Back at the end of August of this year, Alaska Natives Without Land visited Wrangell to hold a presentation on their organization and mission. The group represents five Alaska Native communities in Wrangell, Petersburg, Haines, Ketchikan, and Tenakee Springs. According to their website, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was passed in 1971. This returned 44 million acres of land and $963 million to 13 newly organized native corporations. However, for no discernible reason according to a...
SITKA, Alaska (AP) – Sitka is considering getting into the tiny home movement. The Daily Sitka Sentinel reports the Sitka Planning Commission got its first look Wednesday at how city code could be amended to make room for tiny houses, specifically those on chassis allowing the structures to be moved. “We’re looking to hear from tiny homes advocates in the community,” city special projects manager Scott Brylinsky told the newspaper Thursday. Brylinksy and another planning official plan to reach out to tiny home advocates before the next meeting...
Governor Mike Dunleavy's administration released a proposed budget for FY 2021 on Dec. 11. Total revenues for the state of Alaska would be about $8.77 million, and expenditures at $10.18 million. A press release from the governor's office highlights a few items of interest with the budget, such as fully funding K-12 education and the court system, as well as providing for a full PFD payment. This new budget would also fund 15 new State Trooper positions, and increases general fund spending on...
Members of the Wrangell Fish and Game Advisory Committee and other local organizations met at the Salvation Army building on Dec. 11 to discuss how best to distribute this year's collection of moose meat. As hunters in the area may know, moose are legal to hunt with proper permits, but only certain types of moose are legal to kill. If an "illegal" moose is killed, the meat is confiscated and the hunter is fined. An email from Chris Guggenbickler, with the advisory committee, reported that they h...
The Wrangell Planning and Zoning commission held their monthly meeting last Thursday, Dec. 12. It was the first meeting for Commissioner Jillian Privett, who was just appointed by the borough assembly on Dec. 10. There were only three items on the agenda for the commission's meeting. The first item was a conditional use application by the Miller family, for a vacation rental. The Millers are purchasing a lot near the intersection of Reid Street and St. Michael's Street, according to the agenda...
On 12-4-19, Alaska Wildlife Troopers in Wrangell, investigated a moose that was taken on Wrangell island after the registration moose season had closed. Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Wrangell AWT office at (907) 847-3215 or Wildlife Safeguard at 1-800-478-3377...
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