Sorted by date Results 751 - 775 of 6179
The borough was awarded a $421,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on Friday, Nov. 3, which will go toward planning and engineering work for a deepwater port at the former sawmill site at 6-Mile. The grant covers an environmental risk assessment, permitting, assessment of the property’s bulkhead and utility extension requirements and a feasibility study update, according to an Oct. 31 press release from U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan. The money won’t go toward actually constructing anything at the site, Har...
The building housing the community center is in its eighth decade and the center is into its fifth decade — with the Parks and Recreation Department looking to gather up remembrances for a dedication ceremony planned for March. In a letter posted on the Wrangell Parks and Recreation Facebook page, Director Lucy Robinson encouraged everyone to share their photos and personal stories of time spent at the building over the years. “Preserving the community center’s history is not merely a duty; it's a vital act of love for the building itsel...
Trident Seafoods’ skilled-trades program was founded to address “the graying of the trades” — the shoreside counterpart to “the graying of the fleet.” The four-year course helps young people start careers in welding, electrical work, carpentry and more, while addressing the company’s need for new workers. Students spend two years in training alongside a cohort of 10 students, followed by a two-year commitment to employment at Trident. Wrangell High School alumnus Jacen Hay learned about the program during a presentation to his class. He had...
The Port Commission recommended a substantial boost in the borough’s cruise ship lightering rates at its Nov 2 meeting and the assembly will likely consider the rate increase on Dec. 12. If approved, the change will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024. The recommendation is to raise the rate by half, charging lightering ships 60% of the fee for a dock tie-up instead of the current 40%. The community’s port rates are among the lowest in the region, which has helped attract businesses and stimulate economic growth, according to a report by Har...
Between the dark days, frigid breezes and slippery sidewalks, Southeast winters can be brutal. Sometimes, it feels easier to stay home alone than brave the elements. But thanks to Parks and Recreation's new "community connections" program, Wrangellites have a warm, casual space to socialize, complete with games and hot beverages. Throughout the winter months, the Parks Department is opening the multi-purpose room in the community center from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays to create a...
Not only is Wrangell High School sending two vocalists to the state music festival in Anchorage for the first time in years, but they are brother and sister. It will be a repeat performance later this month for junior Ander Edens, who went to state last year. The vocalist will perform in a mixed choir as a Bass 2. His sister, sophomore Clara Edens, will perform at state for the first time, singing the Alto 2 part. "This is the first year that we're taking two kids to state," music teacher Tasha...
A pandemic aid program that provides one-time payments to tribal citizens is ending Nov. 30, though the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska will continue to offer other federally funded assistance programs for its citizens affected by the COVID-19 pandemic that started more than three years ago. The household relief program is limited to $1,000 for each tribal citizen to help cover expenses related to coping with the pandemic and its economic hit. Those who have not yet applied since the program started in 2021 have...
In addition to their children’s Christmas party, the American Legion Auxiliary is also preparing to provide gifts and treats for other groups in the community, starting with the Veterans Cookie Trade a week before Thanksgiving, as well as their Senior Santa program. According to Marilyn Mork, the Veterans Cookie Trade began about five or six years ago. “At one of our meetings, we decided we would do something for our veterans,” she said. “The ladies and other community members offer to bake goodies and then we go deliver them.” Plans are to del...
The Turkey Trot returns to Wrangell for its 13th year at 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23, at the Volunteer Park Nature Trail. Sign-ups begin at 8:45 a.m. at the covered basketball court behind Evergreen Elementary School. Sponsored by Parks and Recreation, the 5-kilometer (3.1 miles) race course is a three-times loop of the Nature Trail. Participants can choose to either run or walk. Though there isn’t an entry fee, a donation of $10 is suggested. Recreation Coordinator Devyn Johnson expects a turnout similar to last year. “We usually get...
The borough collected a record amount of sales tax revenues in the fiscal year that ended June 30, passing the $4 million mark. A growing share of the borough’s tax collections is coming from online sales, just over $401,000, according to Finance Director Mason Villarma. That 10% share of total sales tax receipts in the past fiscal year is substantially higher than the roughly 6% share two years ago. “It’s bittersweet,” Mayor Patty Gilbert said of the increase in online shopping. The increased tax revenue is not entirely the result of residen...
Ten Alaska Native youth from the Wrangell School District learned about their heritage and made connections with the statewide Native community at the Elders & Youth Conference in Anchorage last month. The event, which featured cultural and educational workshops, speeches, healing circles, a talent show and more, is a chance for Native youth to learn about democratic processes and leadership skills. This year, its theme was Woosht Guganéixh, which translates from Tlingit to “let it be that we heal each other.” Tlingit teacher Virginia Oliv...
The borough wants to hear from the public as officials work toward deciding the best way to sell the several dozen residential lots that will be created at the Alder Top Village (Keishangita.’aan) subdivision upland from Shoemaker Bay. “The borough is considering two methods of disposing of the land — through an auction and a lottery,” according to the survey announcement issued by the Economic Development Department. “This dual approach is intended to enhance affordability and fairness in the land allocation process, ensuring a more equitable...
While serving as interim borough manager, Finance Director Mason Villarma will make $10,000 per month in addition to his regular monthly base salary of just under $10,000 per month. As interim deputy borough manager, Clerk Kim Lane will receive an additional $2,700 per month. Lane already serves as “acting” borough manager if the borough manager is unavailable, and her amended contract adds the same amount to her monthly paycheck that she would make as acting manager. Both contracts take effect Nov. 1 and expire June 30, 2024, or as soon as...
After considering 11 projects submitted by community members and borough staff for Wrangell’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application, the assembly selected the Stikine Middle School roof replacement as its top priority at the Oct. 24 meeting. Most of the middle school roof hasn’t been replaced since 1995, and the roof’s substrate has begun to warp after 28 years of water absorption. The estimated cost is $1.475 million. The CDBG is a federal program that provides financial assistance for low- to moderate-income communities seeki...
Jackie Hanson, high school and middle school principal, is attempting to make improvements in student attendance before it becomes an issue this school year. According to the most recent Alaska Department of Education’s Report Card to the Public, school attendance in the Wrangell School District has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, remaining at 86.72% for the 2021-2022 school year, almost 9% below its attendance rate of 95.54% during the 2019-2020 school year. “Given the transitions associated in how educational services were del...
Now that the tourist season has come to a close, the Nolan Center looks back on a successful year as it prepares for a winter of community events and holiday festivities. In 2023, the Nolan Center had a record year for tour visitors and museum pass sales. Museum passes brought in around $13,000 more than what Nolan Center Director Cyni Crary had anticipated, for a total of around $50,000. The center is also on track to meet or exceed its projected $15,000 in event revenues. "We're booked," said...
The newly created Wrangell Athletic Club is ready to start fundraising to cover student travel expenses for state competition. The group will focus on the state swim meet later this month, followed by the volleyball and wrestling championships in December. The group held its third organizing meeting on Oct. 25, looking to start fundraising efforts in time for the competitions. The school board is scheduled to meet Nov. 16 to consider an administration recommendation to draw from reserve funds to cover a $44,000 deficit for state event travel ex...
SEARHC is offering a flu vaccination clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Wrangell Medical Center. People are encouraged to pre-schedule a time slot to help reduce wait times, but walk-ins are welcome, said Randi Yancey, medical office coordinator at the clinic. Influenza vaccines are available for everyone ages 6 months and older, and high-dose vaccines formulated for people 65 and older will also be available. “To schedule a time slot, or to schedule an appointment for an alternative date and time if you are unable to a...
The 50-year-old state ferry Columbia has been pulled from service, with the Alaska Marine Highway System reporting repairs is expected to take a week. The problem is in the steering system, Sam Dapcevich, spokesman for the Alaska Department of Transportation, told the Ketchikan Daily News on Friday, Oct. 27. “It’s going to require a fairly extensive repair that’s going to take place down in Bellingham, (Washington),” Dapcevich said. The Columbia left Southeast Alaska on its regular southbound sailing Monday, Oct. 30, heading from Ketchik...
Hunters harvested a total of 141 moose in the Wrangell-Petersburg area this year, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. This year’s take is much higher than the harvest of 118 in 2022 and exceeds the five-year average of about 120 moose, according to the department’s statistics. “The previous high was 132, and it was in 2021,” said Frank Robbins, a state game wildlife biologist in the Petersburg office. The season opened Sept. 15 and ran through Oct. 15. The count covers moose hunts on Wrangell, Mitkof, Kupreanof, Kuiu, Zarembo,...
School district administrators have recommended using a collection of unspent accounts and general fund reserves to cover the $44,000 deficit in the travel account from past state competition, while acknowledging that does not address the funding problem for the current or future years. The school board will consider the staff recommendation for wiping out the negative balance in the state travel account at its Nov. 20 meeting, along with discussing options for covering travel costs for this...
After a yearlong public process, the U.S. Forest Service has announced eight potential cabin sites in the Petersburg and Wrangell Ranger Districts. After considering the environmental impacts and accessibility of hundreds of sites suggested by members of the public or identified by staff, the district picked the ones that are most likely to see substantial traffic and compete for federal funding, and announced them in a draft decision published Thursday, Oct. 19. There are three sites in the...
The Wrangell Cooperative Association’s Tl’átk - Earth Branch is looking for a place to build a greenhouse after tribal citizens objected to putting one near the community garden, due to the area’s proximity to Indigenous gravesites. The borough assembly was slated to consider Tl’átk – Earth Branch’s request for a parcel of land next to the garden at its Sept. 26 meeting. The parcel is near Indigenous gravesites and Tl’átk was considering maintenance and signs on the gravesites as part of its plan for the greenhouse. However, after some triba...
Alaska is seeking to turn mariculture — a form of marine farming that includes oysters and kelp — into a $100 million industry in the next 20 years. With two kelp farm permit holders and an operating oyster farm near town, Wrangell is home to a nascent mariculture industry of its own. Robert Lemke of Salt Garden Farm has permits for two kelp farms, each three acres, on the Back Channel near Madan Bay and Earl West Cove. Though he’s held the permits since 2020, he hasn’t started a kelp crop yet and is planning to do so this season for the fir...
Economic Development Department staff met Oct. 18 with the Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau to review the borough’s travel marketing strategy and prepare it for final bureau approval in November. The group discussed industry trends, the borough’s strengths as a destination and the methods it should use to expand tourism in town. Potential visitors might ask, “why come (to Wrangell) when other communities north and south of us are easier to get to and have more perceived amenities,” said Economic Development Director Kate Thomas. She belie...