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A comprehensive review of assessments on every piece of property in the borough has resulted in total taxable values 56% higher than last year. That doesn’t necessarily mean this year’s tax bills will increase. The actual tax rate multiplied against the assessed value will depend on what the assembly decides is needed for the borough budget this spring. Assemblymember David Powell said Friday the assembly would do its best to maintain consistent tax bills for residents, covering the borough’s budgetary needs and no more. “We know that all the...
The past three summers have been lean for Alaska cruise ship tourism, but Wrangell’s 2023 draft cruise schedule shows a substantial gain in traffic compared to the 2019 pre-pandemic season. There are 132 scheduled stops this summer, with a combined maximum passenger capacity of 28,830 — about a 40% increase from the 2022 capacity of 20,088 and a 35% jump from 2019. Before the pandemic shut down the industry, Wrangell’s cruise tourism numbers were on a steady climb, from 5,500 in 2011, 10,000 in 2015 and 15,000 in 2018, according to stati...
Who cheers on the cheer squad? A weekend that began with disappointment turned into determination and the will to beat defeat. As the Wrangell High School boys and girls varsity basketball teams were scheduled to go to Juneau to compete this week, so too was the cheer squad. But there weren't enough funds to cover the trip. That is, until the squad and community jumped into action. "We're going (to regionals)," said cheer coach Stephanie Cartwright last Saturday. "Between the parents and me ......
The Alaska Marine Highway System is working faster to hire more crew, trying to fix problems that slowed the process so much the past four years that the state failed to keep up with retirements and resignations. The hiring process was so cumbersome and excessively choosy that the state brought aboard just a few new workers out of 250 applicants forwarded by a search agency over the past year, according to a January report from the recruitment contractor. “Since 2019, AMHS has lost more staff annually than recruitment efforts can replace. F...
A school budget presentation meant to engage the public in the decision-making process on Feb. 27 drew a scant few to ask questions and offer suggestions. Outgoing district business manager Tammy Stromberg, whose last day was Feb. 28, went over the draft budget for the 2023-2024 school year, detailing projected revenues, expenditures and where the Wrangell School District could fall short. According to the current draft, the district is projected to be short by $53,179 in its spending plan of about $5 million, and will draw on its general fund...
A record number of Wrangell Cooperative Association members came out to vote for four members of the tribal council, the governing body of the Native organization. Esther Aaltséen Reese, the tribal administrator for WCA, said 168 members, or 41.6% of 403 eligible voters, voted in this year’s election on Feb. 28, the most they’ve had turn out. The WCA has 887 members, but only those 18 years and older are eligible to vote. Seven tribal members ran for the four vacant seats on the eight-person council. The winners, Sandy Churchill, Luella Knap...
Canadian educator, nonprofit director and human rights advocate Catherine Morris is visiting Wrangell this week to share a message about human rights challenges that are playing out on the international stage. After graduating from the University of Alberta law school in 1978, she began working in the University of Victoria's Institute for Dispute Resolution, where she served in leadership roles from 1992 to 1998. She founded the nonprofit organization Peacemakers Trust, which focuses on...
For many years now, Google Maps street view allowed travel planners to tour cities in a realistic, 360-degree-view platform. But not people planning to visit or those living in Wrangell. One teen decided to fix that. Senior Killian Booker photographed all of the borough's streets and popular tourist attractions to upload to Google Maps, allowing people to use the street view option. He chose the undertaking for his graduation project. Booker began taking photos and editing them on Sept. 12 last...
The borough assembly has issued a unanimous statement of opposition to a petition by conservation groups to list the Alexander Archipelago wolf as an endangered species. Earlier last month, the assembly considered signing a petition against listing the wolf but decided not to, opting instead to draft its own statement, which it approved Feb. 28. The opposition petition, which was drafted by the Klawock Fish and Game Advisory Council and has been circulating through Southeast communities, argues that an endangered listing likely would lead to...
In a change of plans from just a few weeks ago, the Alaska Marine Highway System reports it lacks enough crew to operate the Kennicott this summer. The loss of the Kennicott from the schedule likely would mean dropping service to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and the loss of two additional port calls in Wrangell each month, May through September. It also could jeopardize state ferry service to Yakutat on the cross-gulf route, and abandoning plans to run the Kennicott to Bellingham, Washington, once a month to help move the heavy load of summ...
Community members showed their support for the Churchill family last week after Randy Churchill Jr., 39, was killed by a falling tree in an accident Feb. 22. Parks and Recreation Coordinator Lucy Robinson organized a community walk last Sunday to raise money for the family and about 50 people showed up. “There were a few really close family members there that joined us,” said Robinson. “There were good conversations.” She planned the walk to create an outlet for community members to express their support in-person and provide financial assista...
The Wrangell school board voted unanimously Feb. 20 to approve a contract for business manager services with a private company based in La Center, Washington. K12 Business Services will fill the role after district business manager Tammy Stromberg submitted her resignation in January and left the job at the end of February. Kristy Andrew, the owner of K12, served as business manager for the Cordova School District before relocating to Washington state to be closer to family. Because she still...
How much does Wrangell shake, rattle and roll? Shake Club wants to find out. Four students from grades seven through 12 have been involved with the seismic data-collection program since last fall and are getting ready to present their findings at a conference in Fairbanks this weekend. Shake Club is a joint effort of University of Alaska Fairbanks Earthquake Center and the Teaching Through Technology (T3) Alliance program. Senior Will Ashton, sophomore Ander Edens, eighth grader Andrei...
One of the U.S. Forest Service's most popular recreational cabins in the area has met an untimely demise. The cabin at Anan Bay was demolished sometime before Feb. 18 by a fallen tree which was most likely toppled by high winds, said Tory Houser, acting Wrangell District ranger. "It's total destruction. It's pretty awful," Houser said Feb. 23. "It's really sad because it was a new cabin and beautiful." Built in 2012 of yellow cedar, the 15-foot by 17-foot structure could accommodate seven...
Pills laced with fentanyl are spreading through Southeast Alaska, and Wrangell authorities are doing what they can to address the health hazard and danger. “The buzzword right now is fentanyl,” said Police Chief Tom Radke. “The quantity that they’re recovering is exceeding what people thought was out there.” Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The Alaska Department of Health reports fentanyl was responsible for almost 75% of opioid-related deaths in the st...
With its controlled movements, deep stretches and emphasis on mental awareness and breath, yoga is a low-impact activity whose benefits can be enjoyed by all. Under a new program, yoga classes will be available to Parks and Recreation members at least 18 years old at 8 a.m. Saturdays in the community center multi-purpose room starting this weekend. After moving to Wrangell in October from North Carolina, Yoga Alliance certified teacher Rachel Lange quickly reached out to Lucy Robinson of Parks and Recreation about offering classes through the d...
The lights dimmed and a hush fell over the packed Wrangell High gymnasium, where the school had gathered to watch Team Hollywood celebrity streetball perform on Feb. 21. Orchestral music filled the room as a spotlight illuminated a masked figure, hanging upside down from a basketball hoop. Batman, or Tommy Adams, formerly of the NBA summer league, dropped to the floor while Black Panther, or football player and Disney actor Maurice "Mo" Woodward, climbed down a rope suspended from the balcony....
Last Wednesday afternoon, Alaska’s junior U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan visited Wrangell to learn more about the community’s priorities and concerns. After meeting with municipal and tribal leadership and touring the island, Sullivan held a public forum to discuss borough, state and national issues. He spoke with each of the roughly 20 attendees about their priorities. It was his first visit to Wrangell since 2018. Wrangell residents touched on a wide range of issues, such as adolescent mental health, harbor and transportation infrastructure, the Ton...
A trip that was almost scrapped because of scheduling conflicts received a jolt of inspiration to help out a Cordova business owner. Ten students in the Upward Bound and Teaching Through Technology (T3) Alliance programs, including two students from Wrangell, conducted an energy audit for the Orca Adventure Lodge to help its owner see where he could save energy and money. Originally, the trip was going to involve more students and be more of a leadership conference. Since basketball schedules kept many kids from attending, organizers switched...
When it comes to reaching the finish line for graduating, Devlyn Campbell's ambition is definitely not running on empty. Campbell's senior project is starting a high school track program to give student-athletes a springtime sport, something that's been lacking since the last baseball team was fielded in 2017. "I was on the state championship cross country team, so that made me want to run more," he said. "I realized we have a lot of kids with a high potential in running. We also don't have a...
At its special meeting last Friday, the borough assembly unanimously approved a resolution supporting the Alaska Trollers Association in its fight against a lawsuit that could shut down the Southeast Alaska commercial troll fishery of chinook, or king salmon, this year. Though the association also requested a $7,500 donation to the fishery’s legal defense, the assembly did not approve funding for the cause. The Wild Fish Conservancy filed a lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2020. The Washington-based nonprofit alleges t...
"Alaskans are such go-getters. If we don't have access to a service here, we either live without it, or make it happen," said Shawna Buness, co-owner of Sweet Tides Bakery. Buness and her partner Devyn Johnson are among the self-employed people who comprise about 9% of Alaska's workforce. The percentage is higher in Wrangell, where one in eight workers is his or her own boss, according to a report in Trends, a monthly magazine of the Alaska Department of Labor. Wrangell was in the top third of...
Bella Garcia-Rangel had a goal to teach kids everything they would need to know about making a book, and she went through the topic cover to cover. Last Saturday's class on creating a literary masterpiece - or at least its packaging - was part of a youth art series being taught once a month at The Salvation Army by Garcia-Rangel. The class went over the parts of a book, such as its pages, cover and spine, and the various ways a book can be bound by gluing or stitching and other methods. For Satu...
For Lucy Robinson, the Parks and Recreation Department provides residents with far more than workouts, programs and professional development opportunities - it is the "lifeblood of a healthy community," a space where Wrangellites of all ages and from all walks of life can come together to chat, sweat and enjoy their shared love for recreation. After attending open swim as a child, lifeguarding as a teen and working as recreation coordinator as an adult, Robinson is ready to take charge of the...
Communities throughout Southeast have signed a petition to oppose listing the Alexander Archipelago wolf as an endangered species, due largely to the additional restrictions a listing could impose on wolf hunters and the potential risk to the deer population. Though members of the Wrangell borough assembly expressed widespread support for the petition, they took issue with details in its wording at the Feb. 14 assembly meeting and preferred to draft a statement of their own. The assembly instructed Borough Manager Jeff Good to prepare a resolut...