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The Republican Party must soon make some major policy decisions or it will become a split party with two factions - one a single-person party cult and the other a Republican Party based on principles such as small government, free markets, low taxes and individual freedom. I have been around the political system for a long while, and at the end of the day it's a numbers game. You either have the votes or you don't. If you have control, you can set the agenda and usually prevail. If you splinter...
Schools ready to help students in need Due to COVID-19, the level of depression and anxiety our teens are experiencing has skyrocketed. Hospitals across the country - including Juneau - are seeing huge increases in youth attempting suicide and other types of self-destructive behavior. Social services are being overwhelmed. For instance, the state Office of Children's Services supervisor for all of Southeast Alaska recently told me that the number of child-welfare referrals they are receiving...
The state housing corporation started up its new, federally funded assistance program for renters this week. Up to $200 million is available to help tenants across Alaska who are behind on their rent or utilities, and/or need help with the rent for this month and even far into 2021. In addition to a maximum income level - a Wrangell applicant's total household income either last year or this year cannot exceed $57,120 - the other major eligibility requirement is that the household must show it...
Maybe you did not like her vote to convict former President Donald Trump in the Senate impeachment trial. Maybe you wanted her to stick with most Republicans who cast their ballot to acquit because you believe the evidence was weak, or that Trump never intended to ignite a riot at the Capitol last month, or that Congress cannot impeach a former president. Maybe you think the senator, now in her 20th year, isn't conservative enough for your Republican tastes, and you believe she has grown too...
BRAVE fundraiser was a success To the editor: The overall mission of the BRAVE coalition is to help build and strengthen healthy relationships in Wrangell. The group is reforming after limited activity during the pandemic. We are grateful to all who took part in the rummage sale, our first-ever fundraiser, held Feb. 13. As a volunteer organization, the purpose is to raise awareness about issues of interpersonal violence, become trauma-informed, and offer educational programs to prevent injury...
It is going to be another rough year for Southeast Alaska communities. The closure of Canadian waters to cruise ships on their way to and from Alaska is going to mean a lot fewer visitors to towns up and down the Panhandle. Wrangell is among them. But some visitors will still come to Wrangell this summer, whether by smaller cruise ship, air travel or the state ferries. And the Sentinel wants to do everything it can to make that number as large as possible, promoting the community as a...
It wasn't supposed to happen. This summer was expected to be better for Wrangell, for the rest of Southeast and for the entire state of Alaska. It was supposed to be the summer of recovery, or at least the start of it. Not a full recovery to the 2019 level of visitor traffic, but full of hope and at least busier charter boats, stores, hotels and bed-and-breakfasts. Then Canada decided it wasn't safe enough to open its waters to cruise ships - not with COVID infection rates still so high. That...
By Frank Murkowski The Canadian government recently announced that cruise ship arrivals and departures from Canadian ports will be cancelled until February 2022 - the news is a shock to our entire state. Before the coronavirus, it was estimated that cruise ship visitors to Alaska last year would exceed 1.3 million. Polling indicates that the majority of U.S. cruise ship passengers choose Alaska as their No. 1 preferred destination, but that dream has evaporated this year, devastating Alaska's...
The recall group has been portrayed as people who are upset with the mask mandate. This is not the fact. We are a group of citizens who feel strongly about following the laws as set out in our borough charter and state statutes. Many ordinances within the city and borough have been violated, as well as state statutes. Meetings have been called without proper notice, which restricts public input. Letters have been written by city employees to the assembly informing them of actions that have been...
Just because I don't use Facebook doesn't mean I don't see its value in spreading the word about community events online. Even better, people like it because it's free. But the Sentinel also does that, and the publicity is free, too, though we need to know about the events before we can share the news with Wrangell. Is your community group holding a meeting that is open to the public, holding a fundraiser, looking for donations or simply or looking for new members? Is your organization doing som...
The governor had a chance to talk honestly about taxes when he announced his 10-year budget plan last month. He had a second chance Jan. 28 with his State of the State speech. Sadly, he failed both times. The governor's 10-year fiscal plan acknowledges there will be a $1.2 billion hole in the state budget 18 months from now. That's equal to more than 20% of public services and Permanent Fund dividends the next year. And that's after spending down the state's savings for much of the past 30...
It's good that President Joe Biden and members of Congress, Gov. Mike Dunleavy and members of the Alaska Legislature are all talking about doing more to help people hurt financially by the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting damage to the economy. The harm to people's lives and livelihoods has been terrible and, in many cases, long term. But not everyone needs help, and we should not use the state and federal treasuries for one-size-fits-all solutions. Workers who have been able to stay on the j...
Wrangell Mayor Steve Prysunka was unopposed when he won a second term last October. More than 85% of voters cast their ballot for Prysunka; about 15% wrote in someone else. In 2018, he won election with almost 80% of the vote against the other candidate on the ballot. Sure seems like a strong case of majority rule and overwhelming community support. But a contingent of Wrangell residents don't like it. They want to force a special election to recall the mayor. Why? Mostly because they didn't...
Ortiz asks constituents to take budget survey To the editor: This week, the Legislature convenes for session. One of the main obligations of the Legislature is to pass a budget for the upcoming fiscal year. It is also one of our greatest challenges. In order to create a budget that works for District 36, I need to hear from you. This time of year, I typically send out a survey asking for your opinion. This year, in lieu of a survey from my office, I am asking you to take Commonwealth North's bud...
Run for office is the answer, not a recall To the editor: The Jan. 14 Sentinel had an article stating that a group of people in Wrangell want to recall Mayor Steve Prysunka because of the mask mandate. The mask mandate was approved by the borough assembly and the mayor, so Prysunka was not solely responsible for the decision. Perhaps the non-mask group would like to recall the borough assembly and the mayor. In that case, I would expect to see members of the recall group run for assembly and may...
It's no secret that the state of Alaska is short of enough revenues to provide the services its communities need. And until the legislature, the governor and members of the public make hard decisions about taxes and the size of the Permanent Fund dividend, there will not be much state money available to flow to cities and boroughs for construction and repair projects. However, there is always a chance of political compromise that could create opportunities for dealing with backlogged...
It was depressingly sad to watch the scenes in the Capitol last week as destructive rioters took over the historic building, furious at the outcome of the presidential election. I have been in the Capitol, as have many Alaskans - for meetings and on tours - and have enjoyed the annual Memorial Day and Fourth of July concerts on the Capitol lawn. I have stood and watched orderly protests, and felt good that the building is so accessible to the public. The Capitol is a monument to laws, not lawles...
To help gain support for his proposal to pay Alaskans $5,000 in Permanent Fund dividends this year, Gov. Mike Dunleavy cites numbers that the Alaska Permanent Fund gained $10 billion on its investments March 31 through Nov. 30, 2020. The state can afford the extra spending, he says. That's not entirely accurate. It's misleading. Before the fund gained $10 billion in eight months, it lost $7 billion in the first three months of the year. But the governor is not talking about those money-losing...
Walking around Wrangell the days before Christmas, it felt much the same as when I first arrived in town in May 1976. People said hello, starting as soon as I stepped out of the airport terminal. Drivers waved. And the Wrangell Sentinel office was on Front Street. I can't say I planned to return as owner of the Sentinel, but it just seemed right. It's not a matter of reliving my youth - I'm too old and sensible for that. My neck is too stiff to sit at a keyboard 12 hours a day. My knees don't...
Predictability and dependability. More than anything else, that's what the communities served by the Alaska Marine Highway System need. The communities need to know the schedules further in advance so that they can plan school sports, scholastic and musical events, regional festivals, and confidently market to tourists in a post-COVID world. Residents need the dependability of ferry service for medical appointments, commerce and shopping, vehicle repair appointments at dealers, and of course...
Thanks to all who helped with Polar Plunge and Dip Thanks to all who participated in the 2021 Polar Plunge and Dip. Also, a big thank you to all the folks who came out to help and donate, including the folks who supplied firewood for the burn barrels: Bob Lippert, Todd Torvend and Rolland Howell. Thanks also to John Taylor and Tim Buness of the Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department, the Wrangell Public Works Department and Parks and Recreation Department, and Stephanie Cook at the Wrangell...
Last Friday, Governor Dunleavy released his proposed budget for the 2022 Fiscal Year (FY22). The budget, which includes all departments and services but not the PFD, totals $3.81 billion in Unrestricted General Funds. It is slightly less than this past budget (FY21), which was approximately $3.83 billion. The primary difference is that FY21 included one-time COVID-19 funding in the Department of Health and Social Services that is not included in this upcoming year's budget. FY22 also has a smaller Education budget by $26.8 million because...
To the Editor: A big thank you to the people in Wrangell who operate our elections. Sarah Whittlesey-Merritt and Kim Lane and their teams do a great job. Our election process goes smoothly here, pandemic or not. Sarah and Kim are part of a national army of election workers and volunteers who are dedicated to ensuring fair voting in every election. I’m disturbed to see people shouting ‘Fraud’ against conscientious people who do their jobs like Sarah and Kim, accusations of hiding ballots or counting votes twice. There are always reasons why a...
Last week, the Alaska Marine Highway Reshaping Group released a report it had been working on for several months throughout the pandemic. Even though this group has finished it’s task, I will continue to work to find ways to increase ferry service and reliability throughout Southeast Alaska and the rest of our state, at a level that is sustainable, functional, safe, and efficient. The Reshaping Group made several recommendations, many of which focused on the need for the ferry system and the ferry budget to focus on long-term service goals, r...
To the Editor: I am extremely concerned that the State has decided to cut ferry service over the winter months to the community of Wrangell. The Alaska Marine Highway has determined that Ketchikan and Petersburg will each have 10 stops while Wrangell will have just two. We will have one north bound vessel in November and one south bound vessel in January. How is this possible? We are literally right between Ketchikan and Petersburg. The explanation provided by the State is that timing the tides...