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Volunteers are still being sought for Fourth of July events scheduled July 1 to 4. The chamber of commerce needs people to assist in setting up, running and taking down the 17 events that are set to take place over the celebratory weekend. Chairpersons for all the events except the log rolling competition have been recruited, but those chairpersons need help. Meanwhile, a past event that wasn’t held last year is returning much to the delight of its volunteer chair, Adrienne McLaughlin. She will oversee the greased pole competition, something h...
For many, classical music evokes images of evening gowns, baroque concert halls and impassioned, white-gloved conductors. Its mood is reverent, its audiences are serious and ever-so-slightly snobbish. But concert pianist Roman Rudnytsky has set out to buck classical piano’s black-tie reputation. The music, he argues, is not only for a knowledgeable few — its beauty can be appreciated by everyone, regardless of whether they know a “madrigal” from a “minuet.” Rudnytsky, a professional musician and professor emeritus, travels the world perfo...
Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office says it didn’t review an incendiary video address prepared by the adviser he had put in charge of the state’s new Office of Family & Life. In the video presented May 11 to the Alaska Family Council, Dunleavy’s then-pro-family policy adviser Jeremy Cubas described supporters of abortion rights as “seemingly demonically possessed” and claimed they were motivated by a “primal urge” to “sacrifice a child at the altar of their false idols.” The video, obtained last week in response to a public records request, raises new...
The Polynesian Voyaging Society vessel Hōkūle’a had been scheduled to arrive in Wrangell on Monday, June 26, but due to the crew’s exposure to COVID-19 in Juneau the vessel delayed its departure from Angoon by a day. The plan is to leave Angoon on Friday, June 23. The vessel is now scheduled to arrive in Wrangell on Tuesday, June 27, a day later than originally expected. Rapid PCR tests have been conducted, none of the crew have symptoms and all are feeling well, according to a revised schedule from the crew. Barring any other delays, the Hōkūl...
The first draft of the borough budget for next year includes a 24% reduction in the property tax rate, authorizes nearly $7 million in general fund spending and reflects recent rate increases for water, sewage, power, trash pickup and harbor fees. Borough officials and assembly members met for a work session June 6 to discuss the draft budget. Assembly members made suggestions to Borough Manager Jeff Good about the community’s goals and explored opportunities for cost savings. Good plans to investigate the feasibility of these suggestions, w...
In 2022, after years of community advocacy for the position, the state Office of Children’s Services (OCS) put a caseworker in Wrangell. However, borough officials will reconsider covering half the cost of the state position, citing budgetary concerns and questions about whether the position meets the community’s needs. OCS seeks to protect and advocate for minors in unsafe living situations. Before caseworker Jennifer Ridgeway transferred to Wrangell from Petersburg last year, the borough had not had an OCS caseworker in the community sin...
A nearly four-year sailing journey will launch on Thursday from Juneau - and Wrangell is part of the itinerary. The Polynesian Voyaging Society is setting sail in the Hōkūleʻa as part of its Moananuiākea circumnavigation of the Pacific Ocean, touring Southeast before continuing on. It will tentatively arrive in Wrangell on June 26. Members of the Wrangell Cooperative Association are preparing for the arrival of the 16-member Hawaiian vessel which will stop in Angoon, Kake and Petersburg bef...
Summer presents an important economic opportunity for businesses as tourists and other visitors sweep through Wrangell. However, many businesses are struggling to find the staff they need to take advantage of the season’s full potential. Staff shortages have prevented City Market from transitioning to its expanded summer hours. “We have just enough staff here right now that are available to have one shift,” said store director Kristina Decker. Summer hours bring a noticeable bump in sales, but the store just hasn’t had the capacity to open an...
Many of Wrangell's totems have fallen into disrepair and need rehab work or replacement. Thanks to a $20,000 donation from the Wrangell Tlingit and Haida Community Council, the Wrangell Cooperative Association tribal council will be able to move forward with plans to carve two new totems while repairing older ones. Last Saturday, Sue Stevens, president of the WTHCC, presented Edward Rilatos, WCA tribal council president, with a check that will go toward the work. The funds came through a grant...
When Lt. Jon Tollerud gave his first sermon in Wrangell, there was one person in the congregation, and it was a newspaper reporter covering the story of the new pastor in town. Now, three and a half years later, an average of 20 congregants gather to hear the weekly message, and Sunday will be the last one given by Tollerud and his wife, Lt. Rosie Tollerud, as they have been transferred to Fairbanks by The Salvation Army. In their time here, the Tolleruds have not only increased the number of...
The Department of Economic Development is conducting an online survey to learn more about what the community would like to see at the former 6-Mile sawmill property, which the borough purchased last summer for $2.5 million. “Can we narrow in on aspects of development,” Economic Development Director Kate Thomas said last week. The 10-question survey follows up on a town hall meeting last December — attended by close to 40 people — at which community members tossed out and tossed around multiple uses for the waterfront property. The borough...
Competitors made of the toughest stuff have less than a month to train for the Tongass Toughman Triathlon in Wrangell. Triathletes put their endurance, strength and fortitude on display in a contest which covers a combined 72.2 miles of water, pavement and earth. The race, which will unofficially kick off the Fourth of July festivities throughout town on July 1, starts with a swim of 1.2 miles to City Dock from a starting point out in Zimovia Strait. Once athletes reach the dock and change out of their wetsuits and into their biking gear,...
Allen Rooney has been running the shooting competition during the Fourth of July festivities in Wrangell for eight years now. But for him, it’s more of a firearm safety activity than a shooting competition. The free event will take place on July 3 from 8 a.m. to noon at the shooting range down past the golf course off Spur Road. Though Rooney is judging entrants on speed and accuracy, he’s more interested in the safety education he brings with it. “This is a firearm safety activity,” he said. “It’s like anything when you’re dealing with...
The U.S. Forest Service again this year is making available permits for unguided visits to the Anan Wildlife Observatory, limited to four per day. The permits must be requested in person at the Wrangell Ranger District office, up to one week in advance. Permits, at $10 each, are required for visiting Anan from July 5 through Aug. 25, when the popular bear-viewing site is limited to 60 visitors a day on guided tours. The four unguided visitor permits are in addition to the 60. “These (four) permits are for people arriving with their own means o...
This is a good time to introduce you to a project we have been working on this past year. We received a fellowship with the National Folklife Network to introduce the world to our rainforest life. The initiative from the National Endowment for the Arts launched in spring of 2022. The goal was to bring together artists, community knowledge-keepers, cultural organizers and advocates committed to strengthening communities through sharing heritage arts, folklife and traditional practices. We were...
The Southeast Alaska summer commercial troll season for coho and chum salmon will open on July 1, but no chinook retention will be allowed, the state Department of Fish and Game announced May 30. The prohibition on troll-caught kings is due to the ongoing lawsuit by the nonprofit Wild Fish Conservancy against the National Marine Fisheries Service. Still, Alaska trollers are holding out hope that king salmon fishing will open as usual on July 1 if the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals grants a stay of last month’s U.S. District Court order t...
A few months ago, passengers on an Alaska Airlines flight trying to get to Wrangell were stranded in Petersburg due to a mechanical problem. Thanks to a local tour operator, the castaways were picked up and brought back to Wrangell in less than an hour. For many years, Wrangell skippers have been offering shuttle services as a quick and affordable means of traveling between the two communities. Last Saturday, Zach Taylor, owner of Muddy Water Adventures, teamed up with Summit Charters and took...
Due to funding cuts and a staffing shortage, the Senior Center has suspended its hot lunch service and limited the number of bus rides it can offer to elders. The changes will remain in effect until the center can hire two new employees — a cook and a bus driver. “Because we are short-staffed, we have to make some changes to our schedule to keep the center going,” said Senior Center manager Solvay Gillen. Hours have been cut to Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with shelf-stable lunches available for pickup from noon to 1 p.m. Dine-...
On a recent Saturday, Devyn Johnson brought her children and their friend to the Rainbow Falls trailhead at 5 Mile. They met with a curious hiker and prepared to trek up the path to the top, about six-tenths of a mile away. Before starting on the journey, Johnson found a large slab of rock weighing between 20 and 30 pounds and put it into her backpack. That’s the difference between hiking and adding a rucking element to it. Every weekend, rain or shine, the Wrangell Parks and Recreation department hosts a rucking hike in various places around t...
The Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau is converting the town to digital. On May 24, the WCVB board unanimously approved spending up to $12,000 with a mobile mapping app provider to aid and encourage travelers and increase data analytics for marketing. At the monthly board meeting, Economic Development Director Kate Thomas and Matt Henson, the borough’s marketing and community development director, presented board members with results of their research into smartphone mapping software. “This is meant to be a software platform that serves bu...
Ander Edens celebrates the kickoff of his Fourth of July royalty campaign last Wednesday at the downtown pavilion. The teen has a full menu planned for the month of June, and raffle ticket sales began on June 1....
Do you know any magic tricks? Can you juggle five bowling pins or burp the alphabet? Can you do a great Matthew McConaughey impression? Or even better, a terrible Matthew McConaughey impression? If so, you would be a perfect fit for Wrangell’s Fourth of July talent show and wearable art competition, both of which are coming up next month. The talent show offers community members a chance to display their skills, and the wearable art event provides them an opportunity to design, create and model handmade clothes featuring unorthodox m...
Every dog may be a good boy, but which member of Wrangell's canine community is the best boy? Scratch that, it's an unanswerable question. And one that the Fourth of July dog show will not seek to address. Instead, the event will offer dogs and their owners the chance to display their unique personal style and stellar obedience skills - or lack thereof - in the company of fellow dogs and dog lovers. Prizes will be awarded, but for Joan Sargent of St. Frances Animal Rescue, "every dog is a...
Ever dreamed of being a hardened-but-hopeful gold prospector, heading up the Stikine in a steamship to strike it rich in the Klondike gold fields? Thanks to Wrangell's new escape room, you can experience the excitement and adventure of the prospecting days without blowing your life savings on a dubious venture. Lisa and Luke Messmer's new business, "You Escape Me," offers customers the chance to test their mettle as they race against time to identify clues, solve riddles, complete puzzles and...
Sharpen your pencils, dip your paintbrushes and don your smocks, because Parks and Recreation is offering art classes to youth this summer. There will be two art camps, one in June and one in July. Each will be held on Fridays from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in the community center multi-purpose room. There will be space for 15 K-5 students in each class. The camp costs $25 per student and participants should wear clothes they won’t regret splattering paint on. Tawney Crowley, the art teacher at Evergreen Elementary School, will lead the classes. This i...