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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...
Given my aversion to long planning sessions, whiteboards with erasable markers and consensus building exercises, I can’t believe I am saying this: The town needs a plan for its economic future. A forum to start making that plan is a good beginning. Wrangell’s economic future is as cloudy as a fall day in Southeast, as uncertain as the state ferry schedule, and as chancy as winning a raffle. Improving those dreary odds can’t be based on hope. Wrangell needs a realistic plan. The chamber of commerce is sponsoring an economic forum on Sept. 30 at...
What started as a sort of fact-finding trip to Petersburg turned into a deeper appreciation for something I've done for decades, and something many take for granted. Every Wednesday, the Sentinel is delivered to mailboxes and stores throughout Wrangell, making its way into the hands of readers. Many more copies are sent out of town and state and even into Canada. But it takes a lot of work to get it there. I've worked in almost every department of the news industry, from proofing pages to...
My voice is an echo. So many people write to the Sentinel to express their thanks and appreciation for the great work that the folks at the Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department and especially the EMT corps do for this community. I don’t have any better words than what has already been expressed but I want to make sure that everyone involved knows how much I appreciate the rapid response to my call, the good care and the kindness you all displayed. And a huge thank you to the police department and the medical staff at the emergency room. The c...
The 2020 presidential election is over. Multiple judges in multiple federal and state courts have ruled multiple times against frivolous claims of voter fraud, conspiracy, computer hacking and criminal intent. Courts, prosecutors, most members of Congress, even former President Donald Trump’s attorney general all agreed there is no evidence that the election was stolen. No matter how much some want to believe otherwise, Joe Biden was legitimately elected president of the United States. Certainly, he could lose the job in 2024, but in an e...
People vote their pocketbook, or so the old adage says. And certainly more so in this year of high inflation, painful gas prices at the pump and fears of a global recession. It’s understandable that Wrangell voters will think about their household finances when they select which candidates they support. In Alaska, particularly in the past few years, that support has gone to the candidates that promote loudly, promise passionately and pledge sincerely that they will deliver the largest Permanent Fund dividend to voters. OK, I get it. This y...
It is ironic and absurd to the point of tears. We are told by the 2016 Tongass National Forest Plan, the Biden administration through Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and, of course, by local and national environmental groups that there can be no timber harvest on 9.4 million acres of inventoried roadless areas in the Tongass. Why? To “protect” fish and wildlife, and to save tourists from seeing clearcuts. As it turns out, we need to petition the Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Forest Service to act decisively to pro...
Wrangell residents, particularly new and would-be residents, are well familiar with the lack of housing options in town. Few homes for sale, few apartments for rent, and even fewer lots to build on. Sometimes, it feels like people would have better luck hooking a record-size king salmon than snagging a place to live. And those big fish are hard to find. It’s not just Wrangell that is inflicted with a shortage of available housing. It’s everywhere in the state, particularly Southeast, from Haines and Skagway at the northern end, south to Ketchik...
