Sorted by date Results 851 - 875 of 1077
Wouldn’t Alaskans experience violence if a gunman shot into their home? SB 91, a crime reform bill that ignores victims’ rights, says shooting into a home is ‘non-violent.’ Felonies will have reduced presumptive sentencing and jail time, and sometimes no jail time at all. The bill credits time during the conviction process even for child molesters and murderers. An offender can watch television, spend time with friends, go to work and live normally, then get up to a full year reduced from his/her sentence. Many felons will be released after ser...
We are totally against a Retail Store and a Grow and Manufacture business in the town limits of Wrangell. Please do not issue permits for either business. Could we at least have the citizens of Wrangell vote on their opinions of cannabis in Wrangell? If we have this kind of business in our downtown area, I feel our reputation of a friendly, historic and safe place will change to a “Pot Town.” Please don’t let this happen. Our children should not be exposed to this drug. Look at all the time and money that has been put into selling our town...
One Sunday after church, a Mom asked her very young daughter what the lesson was about. The daughter answered, “Don’t be scared, you’ll get your quilt.” Needless to say, the Mom was perplexed. Later in the day, the pastor stopped by for tea and the Mom asked him what that morning’s Sunday school lesson was about. He said “Be not afraid, thy comforter is coming.” John 14:16 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.” The world is completely filled up with fear. No matter where you direct your a...
To the Editor: We would like to thank the Wrangell Cooperative Association and the US Forest Service for their cooperative project improving the lower Rainbow Falls trail. The labor provided by the WCA (Lizzy Romane and Jodie Lindley) and the gravel and equipment by the Forest Service have made walking the trail much more enjoyable. No longer do we have to watch our feet for roots and mudholes. Thank you all for this much needed and appreciated effort. Haig and Bonnie Demerjian To the Editor: Hubris: Excessive pride or self confidence,...
Alaskans are the beneficiaries of the state’s investment. Our constitution requires the State of Alaska to manage our resources to the maximum benefit of the people. Government’s fiduciary duty to its citizens is to make prudent investments and establish a sustainable budget. The State of Alaska must make responsible and wise business decisions, as we are an owner state. The current oil and gas tax credit system, with its many layered and net operating loss credits, does not do that. Alaska receives essentially no income from the dev...
To the Editor: Dear Wrangell, I don't know where to start. And I'm at a loss for words at the celebration of Dave's life. He would never in his wildest dreams foreseen the respect he had. All the care and comfort everyone gave to my family and me will always be cherished memories. I cannot name names because it is all of you. However I must mention Pastor Haggard for all the time he spent with us and the marvelous service. And Jordan - Dave is up there giving you a big thumbs up for your fly by. Remember what I told you and always fly safely....
To the Editor: I and my staff want to thank those in the community who joined us in the recent meeting to discuss the future of the recreation program on the Wrangell District. I appreciate that so many people were willing to take the time to listen and lend their voices to a topic that is important to the entire community. We heard that the community treasures its surrounding lands and the recreational opportunities they provide. We heard how important the cabin program, the local trails, and the island’s recreation sites are to Wrangell. We h...
A LOVE LETTER Dear Dad, I just want you to know how special you are to me. You took care of all of us growing up. There were 7 mouths to feed. You did it without ever complaining. No matter what, you made sure we had all we needed, clothes on our back, shoes on our feet, a roof over our heads or a new baseball glove for the next season. You taught me how to play baseball. You were my coach until your surgery that almost took your life away. At the time, I couldn’t understand why God would do that to you. I was angry at God and at you. How c...
Letter to the Editor: My other father in law is Greg Scheff and he is married to Mark Mendoza's mom, Deborah Scheff. Greg died recently in a plane crash in Alaska. It's always sad to lose someone before their time, especially when you don't get to say good bye, but even though he's going to be very deeply missed by a lot of people, I feel so thankful to have known him. He was probably the most gentle, kind, patient man I have ever met. He loved my mother in law so fiercely. The way he looked at her would just melt my heart. He was incredibly...
By Representative Dan Ortiz Is oil, or any commodity, really Alaska’s most valuable resource? I, for one, would say no. Our most valuable resource, the resource that most contributes to Alaska, is our people. If we were to make a ranking list of the most valuable populations, senior citizens would be at the top. As we in the Legislature attempt to deal with our significant fiscal challenges, it’s important for us to protect our seniors. Our seniors are a treasured asset to our communities and our economy. The Alaska Legislature shouldn’t adopt...
I have the honor of serving as your representative in the Alaska State Legislature. The major issue facing our legislature this session is Alaska’s fiscal situation. I’m committed to the practice of a government of the people, by the people and for the people. I spend a lot of time communicating with constituents across our district, from Hyder in the south, to Wrangell in the north. I seek to hear from our friends and neighbors about the issues on their minds. Our district does not always come to a consensus, but most of us agree that we nee...
The budget cuts aren’t easy this year. The easy cuts were done last year. Now, the Alaska Legislature’s job is to spread the pain and ensure everyone shoulders the burden of budget cuts equally. With the state facing an annual deficit of $3.7 billion a figure rising every day oil is below $56 per barrel there’s no other option. Even with higher taxes on Alaskans and spending earnings from the Permanent Fund, the state’s budget still must be cut to break even. We understand the difficulty of the job facing lawmakers, but we feel obliged to spea...
By Representative Dan Ortiz A daily goal of mine, as your House District 36 representative, is to create avenues for constituent communication. A belief in “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, motivates me to make constituent communication easy and inviting. One area of concern, about which I have been hearing often from folks in our district, is persistent high gas prices at the pump. Gas prices have stayed high in Southeast Alaska despite a monumental drop in the price of a barre...
Alaskans know the importance of oil to the state’s economy and state government coffers. No question. Oil is huge. But with all the talk of oil, it’s easy to overlook other parts of Alaska’s economy. Commercial fisheries, for example. Fisheries anchored many Alaska communities years before the start of oil production. And they’ve continued to do so after oil began flowing through the pipeline. The continuing economic contribution of fisheries is perhaps more apparent in coastal Alaska communities, such as Ketchikan, than in the Railbel...
Our Alaska State Constitution requires the Alaska State Legislature to ensure our natural resources are managed for the maximum benefit of Alaskans. In the interest of managing our seafood resources, our state fishing institutions should reflect our values and promote policies that ensure Alaskans benefit from our rich ocean resources. In 1968, the Alaska State Legislature made Alaskan residency a requirement for commercial fishing licenses. Shortly after, that legislation was deemed unconstitutional. Over the last 20 years, a significant numbe...
Since the Department of Transportation continues to push ahead on the Kake-Petersburg Road, it’s appropriate that the Borough Assembly takes action to divert funds from the project. Nothing kills a road project quicker than taking the money off the table. Repeatedly, citizens from Kupreanof, Kake and Petersburg have told Transportation officials the road is a bad idea. It’s not needed, it’s not cost effective and it needs to go away. Kake needs lower cost electricity and a road is not needed to address their power needs. Since as early as Ja...
Legislators should be held to a high standard. They should lead by example in this fiscal crisis by cutting their own per diem and getting their work done in a timely manner. Legislators will primarily need to address our fiscal situation this session. The per-barrel price for Alaskan crude is below $30, so we now have a projected budget deficit above $3.5 billion. Despite the fact that I voted to cut the budget by $900 million during the last legislative session, cuts will continue to be part...
We get used to it. It happens every year. As winter approaches in our northern hemisphere, daylight hours grow shorter. (What a strange way of saying that - grow? shorter???) But it’s true. Summer turns to autumn. Long afternoon shadows and darkness fall silently upon the land. I call it my “cozy-up-time” and try to take advantage of a quieter, slower pace — a form of hibernation. I like to curl up into a little ball with a cup of hot tea (or Theraflu, it depends) and take a rest. (It is not always possible). But it’s a fleeting period of...
To me, government by the people and for the people is more than just a theoretical concept. I believe this famous phrase from President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address must be put into practice for government to work. That’s why I’ve been going door to door in Wrangell, mailing out surveys and hosted a town meeting at the Nolan Center in October. The revenue options survey results showed our district supports restructuring our oil tax program to maximize profit. There is also majority support for a state lottery. A common suggestion was to creat...
Sealaska has shamed themselves To the Editor: Last week in Petersburg, Alaska’s newest environmental group ‘The Greater Southeast Alaska Conservation Community,’ (gsacc.net) gave a slide show on the latest industrial logging now taking place on state land, Sealaska land and other land grant interests. The slideshow consisted of images from ‘Google Earth’ satellite overviews of Sealaska lands on the Cleveland Peninsula, and also on P.O.W.’s Election Creek and other examples. Needless to say, the push to privatize land from the Tongass Nat...
Some years back, when the Lehman Brothers financial institution collapsed, a friend of mine lost his retirement. To get through the financial crisis my friend relied heavily upon guidance from the Tao Te Ching, an ancient Chinese text. In many respects the Tao Te Ching is a delightful book that is filled with much wise council. As a Christian pastor I do not find it is necessary to debunk everything in the sacred texts of other religions, although being a Christian means I take the Christian version over the other when there is a difference. Fo...
It’s appalling that since 2006 the ranks of the Petersburg Alaska Army National Guard (AANG) have dropped from 11 members to 2. Worse yet, as in Petersburg and Wrangell, the AANG facilities in many rural communities across the state sit empty. How did the leadership in the AANG allow this to happen? Our report published last week, exposes some of the reasons, and possibly excuses, for this downturn. Budget cuts, higher recruiting standards and lack of recruiting effort all are a part of the reason. Why is Guard leadership allowing the 761st M...
To the Editor: I am not an active member of the Wrangell Landless, having stepped away in the year 1996. On August 1, 2015, I formally submitted my Letter of Resignation as an Officer of Wrangell Landless, as apparently I was incorrectly listed as such in 1996. Carol Snoddy To the Editor: It has been a great autumn in Wrangell. The change in the leaves represents a movement from summer into fall and an associated extracurricular activity movement out of cross-country season into wrestling and basketball. This also represents an example of seaso...
By Representative Dan Ortiz Governor Walker once said Alaska is “a resource rich, but currently cash poor, state.” I have the honor of representing our district in the Alaska State Legislature. My fellow legislators and I will need to do heavy lifting in the upcoming session to address our state’s immediate fiscal challenges. However, Southeast Alaska’s economic climate will be bright if we are bullish about our long-term economic future. If we are poised and bold, we will not miss opportunities to benefit from our resources. Populat...
A Wrangell Landless meeting was called on August 28, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. It was chaired by Brad Fluetsch with Bill Willard, Marzieh Schenk, Tis Peterman and Carol Snoddy. This meeting was called to hold an election according to the bylaws. These bylaws were never ratified by the shareholders of Wrangell, which makes this meeting null and void. The Sealaska attorney said not to use Facebook to discuss landless issues. Brad and Richard Rinehart haven’t listened to her. When Richard first wanted an election, I told him when the Wrangell Landless C...