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The Wrangell Mariners' Memorial Board and the Wrangell Ministerial Association came together last Sunday to jointly host the annual blessing of the fleet. The event is a tradition honoring Wrangell's fishing fleet and maritime history, according to board president Jen Miller, and to send them out safely as the fishing season draws closer. She added that this was the first year the memorial board has been involved in the fleet blessing. The ministerial association has held blessings at various...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly sat down for a continuation of their ongoing series of budget workshops on Tuesday, May 14. The assembly has been putting together their FY 2019-2020 budget for the past month, and are getting closer to final approval of it. Each workshop has covered a different portion of Wrangell's facilities and their financial needs. Last week's meeting took a look at capital facilities maintenance and improvements. The capital facilities department is looking at a budget of...
The Fourth of July royalty contest is a longstanding tradition in Wrangell. Each summer, candidates looking to be named "king" and/or "queen" compete in a fundraising competition to support the city's fireworks show. Last year's competition saw three competitors. This year, however, there is only one person running for queen: Abigail Gerald. Gerald is a recent graduate of Wrangell High School. She said that she decided to run because it would be a fun way to support her community, as well as to...
Four members of the Wrangell Swim Club went to Anchorage last month, in late April, to compete in the Alaska Junior Olympics. Over the course of the four day meet, from April 25 to 28, 24 different teams from across the state competed. The Wrangell team collectively made 18 personal best times. Christina Johnson competed in the 10-years-old and younger category and made six personal bests. She took third place in the 50-yard breaststroke, fourth in the 100-yard butterfly, fourth in the 500-yard...
The Wrangell School Board met last Monday night, May 20, for one of their regularly scheduled meetings. One of the first items they covered was the final report of the school year from the student government. They heard updates about student activities, and what the kids have been up to their final few weeks of school before summer, or graduation, came around. The student government elected new leadership in their final meeting, held on May 7. Jing O'Brien was named president for the 2019-2020...
The Wrangell High School class of 2019 set up shop in the gym the afternoon of Tuesday, May 7, to give presentations on their community service projects. The projects are a requirement for graduation, according to Principal David Macri, worth about half a credit. The senior students, individually or in small groups, are supposed to spend at least 20 hours on a project or series of projects that help the wider community. Afterwards, they then put together a poster board reporting on what they...
Muskeg Meadows Golf Course held a nine-hole best ball tournament last weekend. There were 11 participants in total on Saturday, May 18. First place went to a team composed of Matt Hauser, Doug Nelson, and Jim Brooks. They had a net score of 22 with a team handicap of 15. Faye Kohrt had the straightest drive of the day at 178 inches. Sunday’s game, on May 19, had eight participants. First place went to a team composed of Brian Smith, Jason Garringer, Keene Kohrt, and Faye Kohrt. They had a net score of 20 and a team handicap of 16. Kaye Kohrt ha...
The NRA Foundation recently gave a $14,500 grant to some local organizations for the purpose of gun range improvements. Kimberly Powell, the membership co-chair of the Wrangell Rod and Gun Club, said her group partnered with the Stikine Sportsmen's Association to write a grant seeking funds to improve the city's gun range. Powell wrote the grant on behalf of the association, she said. The money came from the Friends of the NRA Banquet that was held in Wrangell last November. Powell said that...
Renovations to Shoemaker Bay Harbor missed the substantial completion deadline last Friday, on May 17. Capital Facilities Director Amber Al-Haddad said that contractors were expected to have the renovations far enough along that boats could be docked in the harbor once again, while the rest of the project was completed. This did not happen, she said, and the whole project has been thrown off schedule "Their whole schedule has been pushed back," Al-Hadd said. "Everyone's really anxious to get...
The Wrangell Convention and Visitors Bureau met last Monday afternoon, May 20, to discuss a potential deal for search engine optimization. The CVB had been discussing a contract with Truly360, which is a contractor with Google. According to Economic Development Director Carol Rushmore, Truly360 was offering a two-year contract, for a total of $36,336, to help Wrangell and its local businesses use Google to its best advantage. This would include things like getting Wrangell higher up in search...
On Thursday, May 30, SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Wrangell Medical Center (WMC) from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. at 232 Wood Street in Wrangell. Located adjacent to the Alaska Island Community Services (AICS) Medical Clinic, the new WMC will include a critical access hospital and long-term care facility. The decision to build a new medical center is in concert with SEARHC's intent to enhance and expand healthcare services in...
KETCHIKAN - According to a press release from the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, a floatplane crashed in Metlakatla harbor Monday afternoon, killing both the pilot and another passenger on board. Taquan Air Flight 20 crashed while landing in the harbor around 4 p.m. Monday, May 20. According to the press release, witness statements say the plane flipped on impact. A seine boat was the first one on the scene, according to a police report from the Metlakatla Police Department, good Samaritans aboard the F/V Lady Liv attempted to rescue the two...
May 13 - Dylan Franks was arraigned before Deputy Magistrate Leanna Nash on charges of unlawful contact and violating conditions of release. He entered a not guilty plea and was released on a $1,000 performance bond. A calendar call was scheduled for July 9. May 14 - Jazmyn Waddington-Wright was arraigned before Deputy Magistrate Leanna Nash on charges of driving under the influence. She was released on a $250 performance bond. A calendar call was scheduled for June 18. Lisa Nicole Nelson was found guilty of charges of driving under the...
Friends, family, and school staff all crowded into the gym at Wrangell High School last Monday afternoon for an awards ceremony. With graduation just around the corner, the senior class of 2019 was the primary star of the show, with 25 different scholarship programs present to recognize the graduating students. WHS counselor Aimee Romeijn said that she was not sure how much money was given out, in total, but about 45 scholarships were awarded to the seniors. Jean-Luc Lewis received the most out...
Members of the Wrangell School District and the borough assembly came together for a joint workshop on the school district’s recently adopted budget. As Superintendent Debbe Lancaster said in the past, and repeated in Monday evening’s meeting, this was a “no fat” budget that was operating very close to the district’s bare minimum. The FY 2020 budget is assuming $6.34 million in revenue, and almost the same in expenses. In comparison, this is a decrease from the FY 2019 budget which had expenses set at roughly $6.61 million, but still higher th...
With the recent resignation of Principal Virginia Tulley, Evergreen Elementary School has found itself in need of new leadership. However, the school district itself is also facing tight finances, with the recent passage of a "no fat" budget. This budget does not allow for the hiring of a new principal, according to Superintendent Debbe Lancaster. In response, the school board determined that a new leadership position was required. The board met in a special meeting last Friday, May 10, to...
Path to Prosperity is a program organized by Spruce Root, a nonprofit that was organized with seed money from Sealaska Corporation through Haa Aaní Economic Development. It is an annual competition open to everyone across Southeast Alaska who wishes to create or expand their small business. According to Spruce Root's website, the Path to Prosperity competition judges business models not only on their feasibility, but on their contributions to the local economy, community, and environment....
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board met to review some proposed fee changes last Wednesday, May 8. The fee changes discussed in the meeting were mainly for streamlining and reformatting, according to Parks and Recreation Director Kate Thomas. She said that most of the altered fees were either moved into a different category of the department's spreadsheet, or eliminated altogether. For example, the $5 fee for use of the showers at the community pool was removed, as Thomas said those fees...
The Irene Ingle Public Library is gearing up for their annual summer reading program once again. The program has been running for over 20 years, according to Library Director Margaret Villarma. She said it is designed to hone kids' reading comprehension even when they are not in school. "It's important for them to do the reading program because if they don't read over the summer they lose some of what they learned the previous school year," she said. "They call that 'summer backslide,' I think...
Laura Davies’ fifth grade classroom has spent the past year learning about how to create and give a persuasive argument. To showcase their newfound talents in persuasive debates, several volunteers in her class will be presenting their speeches to the public at the Nolan Center next Tuesday, at 7 p.m. Writing and giving persuasive speeches has been a traditional part of Davies’ classroom for several years, she said, but she only opened it up to the public last year. From simple arguments to large, formal debates, the ability to create and def...
The Coast Guard, partner agencies, and Good Samaritans continue to respond to the report of two aircrafts colliding and are searching for two people in the vicinity of George Inlet near Ketchikan, Alaska, Tuesday. Ten people were rescued and are receiving medical care. Four people are confirmed deceased. The nationalities of the people from both planes are 14 Americans, one Canadian and one Australian. Commercial divers dove on the submerged Otter float plane Monday night and located one deceased individual. The Coast Guard is searching with th...
April 11 - Charles M. Gadd was cited with failing to register his powerboat. His court appearance was optional, and he chose to pay the $70 fine. April 26 - Denise Louise Boakes was found guilty by Judge Kevin Miller on charges of theft. She was fined a total of $872, and is required to perform 24 hours of community service. She will also be required to write a letter of apology, and will be on probation until April 2020. April 29 - Anthony Free Guggenbickler pleaded guilty to the charge of driving with an invalid license. He was fined a total...
Fire, smoke, and sirens could all be seen and heard at the Wrangell airport last Tuesday afternoon. While there was no real emergency, the situation was meant to simulate one. A disaster drill was held on the airport's runway. According to Airport Manager Willie Bloom, the drill is a triennial event in Wrangell and is required by the FAA. He said the drill is meant to be an opportunity for the Department of Transportation, the Wrangell Fire Department, and the city's medical services be better...
From building flower pots to repairing walls, a group of AmeriCorps volunteers will be spending six weeks volunteering in Wrangell. "Green 3," as the team is called, came to Wrangell at the request of the U.S. Forest Service to help with a wide variety of community service projects in the area. They arrived on April 24, according to a press release from the National Civilian Community Corps, and will be working in the area until June 3. "The team overall is excited to be in Wrangell for the firs...
Lean times are ahead for the Wrangell School District, according to the budget that was adopted on April 30. Funding for the district has been a topic of much concern ever since Governor Mike Dunleavy released his proposals for the state budget. One of his proposals was a major cut to the Base Student Allocation, a program that gives schools money for every student in their district. It has been very challenging to prepare a budget for the new school year without knowing for sure what was going...