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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...
Five Wrangell High School students recently returned from a trip to Washington D.C. and New York City, as a part of the Close Up program. Close Up is a nonprofit student government nonprofit organization, according to Sarah Whittlesey-Merritt with the Wrangell Legislative Information Office. The program brings high school students from schools across the country to visit the two cities, learn about government, and foster an interest in politics. Merritt has been involved in the Close Up program...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly held an emergency meeting last Thursday night to adopt a "surplus property agreement" with the Nome Joint Utility System. The surplus property in question is a pair of diesel generators currently sitting in storage in Nome. Power has been a topic of concern around Wrangell, and amongst the assembly, thanks in part to the recent hydropower shortages at Tyee and Swan Lake. Wrangell currently has four diesel generators which it can use for power in the event of an...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) _ The first phase of the largest timber sale in Tongass National Forest in decades is moving ahead, and the U.S. Forest Service is asking for public comment through May 13. The Forest Service has confirmed it plans to offer about 225 million board feet (531,000 cubic meters) of Tongass old growth timber over 15 years, CoastAlaska reported Monday. More than a fifth of that could be in the next year alone. But the federal agency insists this is much more than a timber sale. The agency prefers calling it a ``landscape level ana...
Virginia Tulley moved to Wrangell in late July of 2018, ready to take on her new position as principal of Evergreen Elementary School. Coming from Arizona, Tulley has worked in a variety of teaching positions before the move to Alaska. Coming here was a bit of an adventure for her. “I always wanted to live in Alaska,” Tulley said to the Sentinel, back in July. “I don’t know my specific reason other than I wanted to explore.” After one school year as principal, however, Tulley decided to put in...
The Alaska Raptor Center is a Sitka-based rehabilitation center that cares for sick or injured birds. The Center cares for raptors, primarily, such as eagles, hawks, and owls. However, according to their website, they will care for "any bird in need." As a part of the Stikine River Birding Festival, two human and two avian representatives of the organization came to Wrangell to teach people about Alaska's raptors. Raptors have several distinct characteristics from other types of birds. These...
Starting April 1, according to a document from the City and Borough of Wrangell, the cap on sales taxes for single purchases has been increased from $1,500 to $3,000 or above. According to Finance Director Lee Burgess, this means that the sales tax for single purchases of $3,000 or more are capped at seven percent of $3,000, or $210. Any large purchases made after the beginning of April will have the new cap, while purchases before that date still have the old cap applied to them. Burgess...
April 16- Donavan Bean was brought before Judge Kevin Miller for a felony first hearing on charges of theft. His conditions of release include a $10,000 performance cash bond and submission to Pretrial Enforcement Division searches. The trial date was set at June 25. April 22- Donavan Bean was arraigned before Judge Kevin Miller on charges of theft. An omnibus hearing was scheduled for May 20, with a calendar call set for June 18. Dusty Cowan was arraigned before Judge Kevin Miller on charges of online enticement of a minor and distribution of...
PETERSBURG–Seafood industry researchers to casual history buffs will use and enjoy Tin Can Country - Southeast Alaska's Historic Salmon Canneries. This copiously illustrated edition is filled with stories, essays, historic photographs, custom made maps and colorful salmon can labels that together tell the story of S.E. Alaska's seafood industry from the time of tidewater Tlingit fish traps to today's highly mechanized, competitive corporate-conglomerated industry. It's a perfect coffee table b...
The Tlingit and Haida Regional Housing Authority held a two-hour training session at the Nolan Center last Wednesday evening, April 24. The THRHA works across Southeast Alaska to create affordable housing, offers opportunities for home repairs, and even helps people learn about money management. Representatives from the organization came to Wrangell last week to offer training on financial planning and preventative home maintenance. The budgeting portion of the training session was handled by...
From superheroes to science fiction, from cartoon characters to thought-provoking stories, for any fan of any genre there is likely a comic book. The characters and stories that have become such an integral part of modern entertainment often got their beginnings in comic books. Batman, arguably one of the world's best-known superheroes, first appeared in 1939 in the pages of a comic book. For those in Wrangell who like comic books, the Little Free Library on Case Avenue will have free comics to...
Wrangell Sentinel's news editor Caleb Vierkant won four awards from the Alaska Press Club for his work in 2018. For business reporting he placed first with the story about the end of the cruise ship season. He earned another second place with his story about a Supreme Court ruling on a local property dispute in the crime and court reporting category. For reporting on health he placed third with the story about staying healthy for the school year and another third place for best profile for his...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly held a workshop before their regular meeting on Tuesday, April 30, to discuss the future of their solid waste program. According to the agenda packet for the evening, Wrangell has handled its waste by shipping the majority of it off the island via Alaska Marine Lines. However, AML decided that they would no longer ship municipal solid waste in open-top containers after a period of five years. This decision was made about four years ago, and Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen said they have about a year and a half...
The Southeast Alaska Power Agency, representing the communities of Wrangell, Petersburg, and Ketchikan, decided to postpone a reimbursement plan to its two northern communities in their last meeting. Petersburg and Wrangell took on additional costs to keep the lights on in their towns over the past months, which they felt SEAPA should compensate them for. In a brief summary of recent events, Wrangell and Petersburg both receive hydropower from Tyee Lake. Due to dry weather last year, however,...
Three senior students at Wrangell High School were informed Monday that they were chosen as recipients of the 2019 Sasayama/Alaska Pulp Corporation scholarship. The scholarship was first put together in 1992, according to Franklin Roppel. The Alaska Pulp Corporation began operations in Wrangell around 1954, he said, and was a major employer in Wrangell, Sitka, and the Southeast Alaska area for many years. Every year since 1992, Roppel said, three students from Wrangell and three students from...