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Reflections from the Health Fair From an airplane (or on a map), the island of Wrangell looks like a bird in flight – some would say a “dove.” We all know that a bird needs two strong wings in order to fly. This image inspired the Baha’i booth at the recent Health Fair to pose a question based on the understanding that material and spiritual progress, like two wings of a bird, must be in balance. Those who visited the booth were invited to answer the question: “What do you think would help make Wrangell a better place?” Twenty-seve...
Jeremiah 31:21a “Set up for yourself road marks, Place for yourself guideposts; …” Guideposts are really necessary to see where you are going and where you have been. I wanted to see Rainbow Falls when it was frozen. A couple of months ago, a friend told me, now is the time. I put on my Yak Traks. The snow on the stairs was 8 inches deep. There was a frozen 1 foot wide path in the middle of the steps. As I was climbing, I could see where some folks had strayed off the path. Others had given up and turned around. I found comfort knowing I was f...
Since June 2017 this newspaper has received three price increases totaling $167 metric/ton from our Canadian newsprint supplier. This newspaper, along with other Alaskan publishers, purchases their newsprint from Canadian manufacturers because there are not enough U.S. paper mills to meet the demands of the newspaper industry. The Trump administration has levied a 22% tariff on newsprint imported from Canada based upon the complaint of a single paper mill (North Pacific Paper Company) that is accusing Canadian mills of engaging in dumping...
Last week, the Alaska State Legislature passed time-sensitive legislation to cover funding shortfalls for vital state services, including the Alaska Marine Highway System and Medicaid. The House voted for the “Fast-Track” Supplemental Budget, HB 321, last Monday with 32 in favor and 7 opposed. On Friday, the Senate followed suit and passed it with a vote of 16 to 1. HB 321 includes $24 million for the Alaska Marine Highway System to keep it operating through spring. The AMHS did not receive the total amount of funding they expected for Fis...
To the Editor: Again, another slaughter of defenseless kids and teachers. Again, the same dialog, “outlaw assault rifles”——-“do better background checks”—-“stricter gun laws—-.“ It’s always the same outcry without a word about doing something practical and workable to defend kids and teachers who are like sheep in a pen, weaponless and helpless. How many more times are we going to let murderers roam through schools, freely killing anyone in sight, for minutes or hours without the slightest concern someone might shoot back?? What if they h...
Funding for Alaska’s schools is one of the most important pieces of our state budget. Yet, each year, school funding gets caught in the crossfire of budget debates and ends up being one of the last measures passed by the Alaska Legislature. The delay wreaks havoc on schools and communities who are forced to play a guessing game on what their bottom line will be. It forces School Districts to draft multiple budgets and contingency plans. It creates a climate of uncertainty, especially given the State’s fiscal situation and the possibility of...
Letter to the Editor: In 1971 a friend took me out on his boat fishing for king salmon. From that day on I wanted to fish for kings. Starting out in my teens I spent most of my youth fishing after that. A few years later limited entry was created, I missed out on a power permit because of living in Ketchikan. After that came gear reduction, power trollers went from six lines down to four, hand trollers went from four down to two. All this to relieve pressure on the king salmon along with a quota. I learned a lot from an old fisherman and one...
To the Editor: The Board of Fish was created to protect our salmon, not just some of them, but all of them. The Stikine River fish count is in the thousands, it is what B.O.F is calling a concern. This concern has turned into an emergency closure being very restrictive in management across fisheries. There are five streams south of the Stikine that have King Salmon returning that the B.O.F call stocks of concern. When you look at the number of fish that are returning to these five streams it is astounding. As of Monday afternoon 2-5-2018, the B...
Governor Walker submitted a budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year. The proposed budget includes a direct increase of $34 million in Public Safety Investments, funding for Medicaid, health care reform strategies, and deferred maintenance projects within the state. Unrestricted General Fund (UGF) revenue is projected to be about $2.1 billion while spending is nearly $4.6 billion, leaving a deficit of approximately $2.5 billion. This is troubling because the state has nearly exhausted its savings account, the Constitutional Budget Reserve Fund...
When ownership of a newspaper or broadcast outlet changes, it’s big news. It’s the lead story of the day. Everyone wants to know who the new owner is, and what changes will be made to the organization. In the case of KSTK, Wrangell’s public radio station, the proposed ownership change was advanced with barely a whisper to the public. With approximately 234 letters mailed to active supporters and bits of information shared with a few others, minimal notification was made of changes that were coming to Wrangell’s station. This newspaper stumble...
It’s so frustrating to go through life and not know how to fix things. One of the greatest skills we can have is the ability to troubleshoot; to look at a problem, to discover why something isn’t working, and make the necessary repairs and adjustments to fix a problem at hand. For example, I wish I had a greater ability to troubleshoot problems with vehicles or boats. Growing up, my dad could seemingly “fix anything.” You’d think I would have paid more attention when he was fixing things. In my defense, when my dad fixed things he would oft...
To the Editor: Recently you published an editorial in which you expressed your opinion about the proposed sale of KSTK to Coast Alaska. The members of the KSTK board, the Coast Alaska board, and yes, even the KFSK board, have spent a lot of time examining the options available, and after much thought and discussion, came to the proposed transfer. The membership of KSTK, (that is, all donors of $20 or more in the past year) were advised of the particulars and invited to vote at a special meeting held for this issue, and approved it unanimously....
Lack of support from KSTK public radio listeners and businesses in Wrangell may bring ownership changes to the station. A public notice published in last week’s Wrangell Sentinel foreshadows the transfer of radio station assets to CoastAlaska in Juneau. CoastAlaska provides administrative support and other services for seven Southeast public radio stations including KSTK. Reductions in grant revenue and local donations, has made the station’s financial situation untenable. We’re not convinced that moving the station’s operations to CoastAl...
The clamor of “take me fishing” is taking on new meaning in Alaska. Prospects for a deckhand apprenticeship program just got a big lift from a $142,000 national grant awarded to the Sitka-based Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA), and the group plans to get more boots on deck statewide. Deckhand apprenticeships are recommended as one way to attract younger entrants into an industry where the average fisherman’s age in Alaska is over 50. ALFA has been crafting a local deckhand training program since 2015, and the grant from the Nation...
Yes the winter is upon us and the summer fun is behind us, but we still have things to look forward too. Our children are back in school and by now very accustomed to their individual schedules. Maybe now they are thinking about trick or treating, maybe thinking about snow but it’s too early for snow. Nevertheless we have things to be excited about no matter the time of the year. It is nice to be able to embrace each particular time of year and what individual things happen. Finding the fun and feeling the excitement keeps us looking to the f...
Last Thursday, I hosted a town hall in Ketchikan to discuss the revenue options for the upcoming special session. Our primary topic was Governor Walker’s wage and self-employment tax bill that he submitted for the Legislature’s consideration. I plan to propose an amendment to his bill, part of which I’ve outlined below. His proposal calls for a 1.5 percent flat tax on wages or self-employment income that includes a capped amount of $2,200.00, which would be the amount owed by an individual making $170,000 annually. I plan to introduce a 50% d...
The Alaska Marine Highway System needs forward funding. I don’t think I need to say it twice. If money is allocated to the AMHS for its future expenses, the AMHS can properly plan sailings which would: capture revenue from tourists (including those considering traveling with their RVs or vehicles), allow businesses to send employees to neighboring islands, and provide more advance planning options for Alaskans. Of course, the ferry system would also benefit from being more insulated from political influence. Currently, support for the marine h...
It is September 2017 and school has once again started. From my window in the Wrangell Senior Apartments I see the youngsters coming up the street to the elementary school; a rain coated brother looking less eager than his sister; here come two boys racing each other on their bikes and jumping off to greet one another. The big yellow school bus pulls up unloading its load. A little girl hurries to meet a friend, and a boy is sharing some toy from his backpack with a friend. Here comes the proud parent holding tight to a tiny hand while also...
If legislators do not pass a budget within the regular legislative session, they should not receive legislative per diem during the subsequent special session. Alaskans for Integrity – a group founded by one independent lawmaker, one Democratic lawmaker and one Republican citizen –proposed a ballot initiative for 2018 that will raise legislative standards of financial transparency and accountability to the public. I support this initiative, known as the “Alaska Government Accountability Act.” If approved by voters, this ballot initiat...
To the Editor: I’ve heard community leaders pose the question, “How can we make Wrangell a community that attracts and retains those in the younger generations?” With the dark economic cloud looming on Alaska’s horizon, the answers to this question will become even more imperative. The changing and progressing ideological beliefs of millennials and generation Z are important to consider. Support for gay rights among younger age groups is higher than ever before. This shift has been locally evident, with recent LGBTQA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexua...
To the Editor: There were some things that need to be mentioned about the article “Rock Pit site selection at creek raises concerns” in the August 3, 2017 issue of the Wrangell Sentinel. The volume of lead-stabilized soil that will be hauled is around 20 truckloads per day, not 30-40. The 30-40 truckloads per day includes both the lead-stabilized soil and the transport of clean rock to be used for the construction of chimney drains, as well as base and cover fill, and which would come from another local quarry. Transport of clean rock was pro...
As the fisheries industry continues to expand and Wrangell’s Marine Service Center’s services demand increases, I believe Wrangell’s economy has nowhere to go but up. However, to accommodate this growth, the state must maintain their services in Wrangell. I am particularly concerned about the conservation of state jobs in Wrangell. Several years ago, Wrangell lost its social worker and its fisheries biologist. Now, the loss of the Wrangell trooper and the potential of reduced funding to the city jail weigh heavily, as Wrangell’s state jobs sl...
Here we are well past July 4 and all the excitement of the celebration of our country’s birth. We had great times with ample food to eat, events to watch and participate in. A great day for us. It is fun to see friends and get caught up on their lives the people that no longer live here but are part of our past and remembered in our hearts. The day is filled with excitement, joy, and love for one another. We do things we don’t always do as in our daily routine we spread our wings and fly into the unknown with new things that have not been don...
To the Editor: Help prevent the destruction of another cabin by the U.S. Forest Service as early as August. Jens, Jake, and Carrie Hammer recently lost their father, Kenny Hammer. They inherited a cabin up Petersburg Creek that the Forest Service is in the process of forcing the family to remove. In their effort to eliminate every cabin ever built on Forest Service land, the Forest Service designed a permit plan that only allows one transfer within a family. When a family member dies, the Forest Service reserves the right to destroy that...
History of city negotiations I feel as a City employee, who is in the union, I must say something. Circa 2004, the employees approached the council with the issue of wages and the fact that they had not changed, plus the fact that we were behind something on the order of 8% (memory) in the cost of living. As the City did not want a union to enter into the fray, they offered to give us half of the cost of living we were behind in that year, and the rest the following year, plus a wage study was authorized. That year all went well, sort of. The e...