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It’s not a headline I take lightly, but it’s scary that almost 300 Republican candidates for U.S. Senate, House and key statewide offices around the country have denied or questioned the outcome of the last presidential election. Not on the basis of proven facts but based on contrived conspiracy theories and marching orders from the candidate who lost the election because 7 million more voters cast their ballots for the other guy. Almost 300 election deniers running for important offices is not an inconsequential or harmless number and many of...
It’s been almost three years since SEARHC started its move out of the borough-owned hospital building on Bennett Street into new quarters. It’s been almost five months since the borough embarked on multiple efforts to sell the unused property. Since then, there have been no buyers, no serious expressions of interest, not even a prescription to ease the financial pain of maintaining the empty facility. The $830,000 asking price for a decades-old building with a lot of problems is about as attractive as an old pickup truck that needs new tires, a...
Wrangell is great at helping neighbors in need, at filling holiday food baskets and supporting student activities. The community excels at watching out for each other, watching over our elders and keeping watch over mariners. There are multiple examples just in last week’s and this week’s Sentinel and on the Wrangell Community Group Facebook page: Volunteers working to reopen the roller rink after a three-year shutdown; all the effort that has gone into growing the community garden; the dedication, labor and money that have gone into bui...
Last Saturday, Sept. 24, I had the pleasure of helping work the finish line at the Capital City Invitational cross-country meet in Juneau. The previous night’s monsoon had passed, and the cool, damp air at the running field throbbed with the pent-up energy of about 225 young runners from all parts of Southeast Alaska. It was high school athletics at its finest. I must say I was one of many people who were impressed by the grit and toughness of the Wrangell boys team. They’ve clearly been working hard, and they run like a pack of red hungry wol...
I urge your newspaper to raise hell about the fact that the new Alaska Marine Highway System winter ferry schedule provides no service between Juneau and Haines between Jan. 4 and Feb. 4. How are legislators to get their cars and trucks to Juneau from Haines for the January legislative session? How are Greens Creek and Kensington miners who live in Haines to get back and forth? Don't blame the commissioner of the Department of Transportation — he inherited this mess when the governor started getting rid of vessels. As a result, Southeast A...
The Irene Ingle Public Library would like to thank all of the individuals, businesses and organizations who donated prizes for the Summer Reading Program. We appreciate your continued support in assisting us by encouraging children to read during the summer and improve their reading skills. We would also like to thank; First Bank, for the funds to purchase Adidas Sackpacks for all those who completed the program; Alaska Airlines, for the funds to purchase prizes; the city and borough of Wrangell; Jeff Angerman for his ongoing support; and...
Workers, families and retirees are not the only Alaskans squeezed by inflation, rising interest rates and tumbling investments. The state is in the same tight spot. And it could get worse. The price for Alaska North Slope crude oil was down to $86.57 a barrel as of last Friday, dropping a third from almost $128 in early June. U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate was even lower, at $78.74. The stock market, where the Alaska Permanent Fund invests much of its money, as of Friday was down 20% from the start of the year. Bond and real estate...
Time may heal all wounds — but that doesn’t apply to old buildings. Time just makes them worse and more expensive. That’s the case with Wrangell’s school buildings and Public Safety Building, which are all three or four decades old. All are showing the signs of rot, mildew, ventilation, roof and siding problems, in addition to boilers, fire alarm panels and other safety features that need a contractor’s care. The only thing that lasts forever in a rain forest without maintenance is the muskeg. After years of dodging the costly building...
Voters will go to the polls next week with only two contested races on the ballot — mayor and two borough assembly seats. Choosing elected officials is an important decision for the community, and voters deserve to know where candidates stand on key issues. In Wrangell, do the candidates support or oppose the bond issues for repairs to the Public Safety Building and school buildings? And why? What are their priorities for the borough budget? What past spending did they like or not like? Declining newspaper and radio interviews is not fair of c...
I was in high school when I read “1984.” It was an assignment and a tough slog for me. I couldn’t see that happening here. We had too many examples of totalitarianism in South America and Eastern Europe for it to take root in America. We had free and fair elections and we always had a peaceful transition of power. Then the MAGAs and their Dear Leader showed up. They have cast aspersions on every national election since 2008. In 2020 they attempted a violent takeover of our Capitol in order to stop the certification of an election that they...
Wrangell should vote yes on Oct. 4, giving the borough permission to sell or lease the former 6-Mile sawmill property — if a private developer steps forward. This isn’t a final vote on a development plan, and any sale or lease would require borough assembly approval, a public hearing and a lot of public information. This is a let’s-be-prepared vote to save time in case the borough receives an offer. It would allow borough officials to negotiate a sale or lease and present it to the assembly for a public hearing and consideration without havin...
The Sentinel often criticizes state ferry system management for bad decisions. But now it’s time to praise them for a good decision. Dropping the “dynamic pricing” structure for ferry service this fall and winter, October through April, is the right thing to do. There was nothing dynamically well-liked about the 3-year-old pricing system that added a surcharge of 5% to 50% on passenger, vehicle and stateroom ticket prices on popular sailings. The state was trying to run the ferry system like an airline, charging more as the ships fill up. Unlik...
I promise, this will be the first and only column I write that makes fun of how people behave in Washington, D.C. Well, maybe I’ll write another one someday if I see something that is so silly it’s worth sharing with readers. OK, I guess then it’s pretty likely there will be another, but I absolutely, positively promise this will be the last one that laughs at people and their addiction to so-called smartphones. I don’t know why we call them smartphones when they make people act so dumb. I arrived in Washington, D.C., last week to start m...
At the current time, I am opposed to the bond measures and associated tax increase that are on the municipal election ballot. We could and should spend at least a year applying our current workforce to doing maintenance and repair to see what we can accomplish out of pocket. There is a lot we can do to improve our infrastructure without great expense or obligation (bonds). We can look at bonding for additional work at a later date, while improving the quality of life for our community immediately. We need to ask: Do we really want to increase a...
In his letter to the editor of Sept. 14, John Morse alleges former President Donald Trump is a fascist dictator whose attempted “installation” by MAGA culprits fortunately failed Jan. 6, 2021. Morse also thinks MAGA does not make sense because “America is still great.” If that is the case, why have top Democrats starting with former President Barack Obama insisted that America must fundamentally change? Change to what? G. Orwell’s utopia “1984” where contradictory statements like “war is peace, freedom is slavery and ignorance is strength” ar...
The members of the Sharing Our Knowledge organizing committee extend our gratitude to all those in Wrangell who helped us in the production of a conference that exceeded our fondest hopes. This was the 11th Sharing Our Knowledge conference since 1993, which we have endeavored since 2007 to hold every two years. In Wrangell, beginning Wednesday, Sept. 7, with the “Warming of the Hands” ceremony of welcome at Chief Shakes House and concluding on Sunday, Sept. 11, with a visit to Anan Creek, roughly 250 people participated as audience or pre...
Alaskans this week will start receiving their $3,284 payout from the state treasury, a combination of a large Permanent Fund dividend ($2,622) and a one-time bonus ($662) to help people pay higher energy costs. The payment is almost triple the size of last year’s dividend. Two reasons for the generosity: This is an election year, and oil prices for the state fiscal year that ended June 30 were almost 70% higher than the previous year, generating more than $2 billion in additional dollars for the state general fund. That fund pays for schools, r...
Starting this week, I will be working as a policy adviser to Mary Peltola, Alaska’s newly elected congresswoman. I hadn’t planned on it, but she asked and I accepted. Fortunately, I saved my suits from when I worked in Washington, D.C., for the state and federal governments a decade ago. I’ll be advising Peltola on oil and gas and other energy issues, natural resources, tax, fiscal, transportation, federal agency issues and whatever else is on the work list for Alaska as she fills out the rest of the late Rep. Don Young’s House term until J...
As a conservative, I subscribe to the principle to leave alone things in government that are working well. We have enough important things that need to change, like high inflation, the Biden administration’s efforts to close down ANWR and reimpose the roadless rule on the Tongass. Alaska's original constitution is one of the things in government that is working well and should be left alone. Article XIII, Section 4 gives voters the opportunity every 10 years to vote on whether Alaska should hold a constitutional convention. Alaska voters h...
The first time I saw one of those red MAGA hats. a friend of mine was wearing it. I was surprised that a fellow honorably discharged vet would see America as no longer great. I chalked it up to his deep-seated hatred of Obama. We have watched the MAGA version of Republicanism, Americanism and patriotism for years, and finally we saw the MAGA version of democracy on Jan. 6, 2021, when they tried to overturn a free and fair election and install a fascist dictator. They failed but they came far too close for comfort. John Morse...
The port commission last week declined to recommend that the borough lease a portion of its newly purchased property at the former 6-Mile sawmill site for use as a scrap metal recycling yard. It was nothing against the recycling business — Channel Construction, out of Juneau — which previously used the property under its previous owner as a staging area for scrap metal collection. Rather, port commissioners said they need more information before making a decision: The length of the lease, the terms and, perhaps most importantly, how it wou...
Normally, I do not respond to anonymous questions. Most all newspapers, the Sentinel included, will not print anonymous letters. To do otherwise would allow people to take free shots at anyone they want, hiding from view and protecting their own identity while they criticize or question others. However, sometimes the questions raised in an anonymous letter are worth sharing with the community. Such as the case of an unsigned letter mailed to the Sentinel, raising multiple questions about the proposed bond issues to pay for repairs to the...
What is wrong with the slogan “Make America Great Again”? Apparently a lot, at least according to President Joe Biden. In his fiery speech on Sept. 1, President Biden, while preaching unity, accused 73.6 million MAGA/Trump voters of “representing an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.” He also quoted a federal judge, who said the “MAGA movement is clear and present danger to our democracy.” Biden said of MAGA Republicans: “They embrace anger. They thrive on chaos. They live not in the light of truth but in the shadow...
Wednesday evening, Aug. 17, may have been wet, very wet, but Mother Nature’s deluge did NOT dampen the spirits of Wrangell residents attending the music fest at Shoemaker Park. The community was once again privileged to be entertained by the Powers and their talented musician friends who are REALLY good at what they do, aren’t they? Having the Powers here with all they offer adds a special spark and another dimension to our otherwise quiet and simple lives. Thank you again, Powers family, we are glad you call Wrangell home. And thank you to...
The borough assembly and staff spent a fair amount of time at last week’s assembly meeting, explaining the intent of a contract with an appraisal firm to reassess the value of all the property in town. Homes, businesses, industrial properties, empty lots — they will all get a new look to make sure the borough’s valuation is fair. This is about treating property owners equitably. It’s also about following state law, which requires that cities and boroughs assess property “at its full and true value.” This is not about raising taxes, though seve...
