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Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Alaska has faced its share of monumental challenges. The testing of all incoming travelers, providing relief for devastated tourism businesses, creating a new unemployment program from scratch. Yet none compared to the challenge of protecting our critical seafood industry and the communities that rely on their economic production. We commend Alaska's seafood industry for successfully navigating the most difficult season Alaska has ever experienced. Captains,...
Over the past six weeks, I’ve had multiple people reach out to me with issues pertaining to the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The most vocalized concern is that the Ketchikan DMV is no longer giving road tests, which means new drivers must travel to other communities to take their road test. Another concern recently brought to my attention is the temporary closure of the Wrangell DMV office. Although some delays and changes are to be expected during the pandemic, the lack of access over t...
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone in ways we could not have foreseen. One particularly cumbersome issue is Alaskans’ inability to travel to and through Canada. Most notably, our unique southern southeast town of Hyder - which shares a border with Stewart, British Columbia - is negatively impacted by travel restrictions. Hyder is unique because of its relationship with Stewart; these neighboring communities rely heavily on each other and are economically tied together. In normal circumstances, Hyder residents frequently travel a...
I’ve lived in Ketchikan for almost my entire life and have seen the waves of different industries in Southeast crest and fall. Whether it is commercial fishing, timber, or tourism, our economy relies on working with what is available to us: fish, trees, and beautiful sites. A growing, healthy industry utilizes what we have in abundance: our coastline. The mariculture industry responsibly utilizes what we already have in abundance, and I am pleased to support it as it continues taking root in S...
Beginning on June 1st, small businesses were able to apply for AK CARES Act relief funding, which is Federal funds intended to help support local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED) and AIDEA have had difficulties getting the money to applicants; of the $290 million in relief funds allocated by the Legislature in May, only a small percentage of those funds have been distributed to local businesses. In...
Over the past eighteen months, Alaska’s ferry system faced unprecedented challenges: a reduced budget, a strike, unanticipated mechanical and structural issues with five aging ships, and a global pandemic. This spring, as the pandemic hit, AMHS had four of those ships scheduled to enter service, a workable budget in place, and expected sufficient revenue to provide reliable ferry service throughout the year. Due to the dramatic decline in revenue as commerce all but stopped, the financial impacts on AMHS have been severe. Because ticket s...
To the Editor: As the marine highway workgroup strides into August, I want to provide an update on what we have been doing, and where we are heading. Our meetings have been streamed live on Facebook, and recordings are available online at http://dot.alaska.gov/comm/amh-reshaping-workgroup/ if you wish to hear our specific discussions. In line with Governor Dunleavy's Administrative Order No 313, we have reviewed the Northern Economic draft report of January 2020 as well as reports prepared for...
To the Editor: I feel compelled to share information so we can all realize what our town will be faced with this year in economic loss. This information should have been put out long ago so our citizens and businesses could better prepare for what we are now faced with. I have projected how much our community's economy will be down this season. In plain words "What's not coming down Main St. Wrangell" this season. What's not coming to our town this year is about $40,000,000 in revenue, or...
To the Editor: The controversy rages on how to start school. Some schools are virtual learning only; some favor face-to-face as if things were normal, and some favor a combination of normal contact with masks and distancing. I favor the choice of virtual learning only with no face-to-face contact. I lean that way for several reasons. Number one is I have not heard of any kid who died of lack of socialization but I have of Covid 19. Lack of normal contact does cause mental and physician issues...
We've had phone calls from a handful of people about our use of the photo and page one coverage of last week's fatal Mitkof Highway crash. It saddens us to have to report on such a tragedy that impacts the lives of so many in both Wrangell and Petersburg. We don't take pleasure in covering such stories. It wasn't covered to sell newspapers. We covered the story because it is our job to provide information about a tragic event that struck close to home. We placed it on page one because it was...
To the Editor: I am appalled by what was displayed on the front page of Thursday Aug. 3rd newspaper. I understand that some see this as a news article, but for those who have loved the people in that horrific crash have some compassion, decency, and respect for those grieving such a terrible loss. A smaller blurp toward the back of the paper would have sufficed. Ava Hay To the Editor: This letter is voicing my concern about having the fireworks up in the ballpark area. This is right across from...
The implementation of the CARES Act, which are the funds provided by the federal government to states to combat COVID-19, is constantly evolving. Earlier this month, after three Alaska House Labor and Commerce Committee meetings and hours of public testimony, the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED) decided to make changes to their grant program. Thank you to everyone who gave public testimony input and helped shape these changes. The three main changes are: 1) businesses that received up to $5,000 in...
At a time when the fiscal future of many states looks uncertain, Alaska made the smart choice to protect the state's future income for our children and grandchildren. On June 30, $4.9 billion was transferred from the Permanent Fund's Earning Reserve Account to its principal account. Once deposited in the principal account, the funds cannot be spent without a vote of the people. But they will produce earnings, a percentage of which will provide for dividends and essential state services. Alaskans...
Barbara Cecilia Crabtree, 82, passed away May 3 in Wrangell, Alaska, after a short but recurring bout with cancer. She was born on August 13, 1937 in Ketchikan, Alaska. She lived most of her life in Southeastern Alaska. She lived most of the 1970s in Petersburg and has lived in Wrangell since 1984. Barb was mainly employed waitressing and as a cannery worker. Barb enjoyed cooking, especially baking, gardening and crocheting. She enjoyed playing cards and was especially competitive when playing...
Throughout my life, my grandma, Mary Jane Fate, imparted the importance of education on my brothers and me. We understood early on that education is the means through which we can make a difference in the world. She led by example, and I've carried this message with me each and every day. Education looks very different today than it did 50 years ago. We can no longer rely solely on pen and paper to learn. The way we learn is influenced by technology, which is evolving at an unprecedented rate,...
Just eight years ago the Wrangell Sentinel published 648 pages for the year. By 2019 that number dropped by 100 pages to 548 pages. We certainly didn’t have any less news to print. The reason for the drop in page count was from retailers opting to not make use of the Wrangell Sentinel’s advertising services. The Wrangell Sentinel has many ways for businesses to promote themselves. Even during tougher economic times, there are still benefits to keeping in touch with the people patronizing your business. SPONSOR PAGES: These pages promote com...
Happy Fourth of July! This year, we are celebrating 244 years as an independent nation. In 1776, our representatives from all 13 colonies declared our independence from the British monarch. The vote for freedom actually happened on July 2nd, and in the following two days, Congress, led by Thomas Jefferson, focused on writing and finalizing the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration was signed on July 4th, now known as our Independence Day. Thus began the ‘Great American Experiment’ to pursue “a more perfect union.” This Independence Day,...
To the Editor: What is the purpose of the weekly police report ? It seems to be a totally useless part of the paper. When we lived in Petersburg the police report was an interesting source of info and sometimes amusement. I save many of the best morsels like Ernie Haugen driving too slow, Lars Christensen driving a vehicle without a steering wheel , someone leaving Q tips outside her apt door, 2 youths racing in wheelchairs, cat has a can stuck over its head, 911 call accidentally dialed by a...
Thank you to everyone who participated in the public testimony meeting last week hosted by the University of Alaska Board of Regents. As many of you are already aware, the University is considering merging the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) into either University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) or University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). This idea comes after many years of financial struggle. If this idea is adopted, it certainly would have a negative long-term impact on our local and Southeast regional economy. The University budget has been cut...
The 118 year-old Wrangell Sentinel has seen a lot of change during its existence. Due to our coverage of a small and compact community and the ongoing trust of our readers, we have fared better than many in the industry. Larger metropolitan size papers can survive on subscription revenue, and in some cases, significant income from the sale of corporate assets like multi-acre sized printing facilities. Smaller papers continue to require a mixture of advertising revenue from retailers and subscrip...
To the Editor: As someone who has spent a lot of time working away from home I believe that most of the migrant cannery workers will spend their last night home socializing and will show no symptoms for days after arriving here. Jon Campbell...
What is the greatest line you’ve ever heard in the movies? For me, it comes from the 1992 movie with Al Pacino and Chris O’Donnell in The Scent of a Woman. In this movie Al Pacino is in a public hearing in the Baird School for Boys, defending Chris O’Donnell for some perceived wrong. In a rather stirring speech he says, “Now I have come to the crossroads in my life. I always knew what the right path was. Without exception I knew – but I never took it. You know why? Because it was too d—n hard!” In today’s society a great majority of my...
Now in its 118th year of continuous publication, the Wrangell Sentinel is unlike any other newspaper in the world. That's because there is no other place in the world like Wrangell. The newspaper reflects the lifestyle and inner workings of the community. In good times and bad, the Sentinel has continued publishing, earning it the slogan of being, "the oldest continuously published newspaper in Alaska." The Kodiak Daily Mirror holds the title of being the oldest newspaper, but during World War...
The COVID-19 pandemic has dominated our lives, and it has been the focus of Alaska leaders in an effort to slow the spread. However, I also want to begin focusing on what we will face once the pandemic subsides. Alaska has challenges different and greater than other states, such as the following declines in: the financial markets tied to the Permanent Fund, demand for seafood, the visitor industry, the rural healthcare system, and the oil industry. The Alaska economy cannot be rebuilt unless we...
To the Editor: To date, 100,000 Americans have succumbed to the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic. So far, Wrangell has been spared, largely due to our remote location and precautions taken by the town fathers and our governor, conscientious individuals devoted to the well-being of our town. How blessed we are to have them. Talk, talk, talk: meetings, broadcasts, work-sessions, notices posted on store fronts, newspaper articles, mandates, brainstorming, continually. It's all we hear. After a while, we...