Sorted by date Results 885 - 909 of 1096
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...
A significant benefit to living in a small town is that everyone knows everyone’s business. Some consider this a detriment, but in the case of Proposition 1, which appears on October’s election ballot in Petersburg, and as Proposition 2 in Wrangell, the Financial Disclosure requirement is not needed. Currently, municipal officers and some candidates for elective office must file a financial disclosure statement. Depending upon how a person’s company is legally organized, the law can be very intrusive, or in the case of a corporation it can r...
Hospice is a Non-Profit organization whose primary purpose is to be helpful and supportive for Wrangellites and their families through the final stages of life. Hospice maintains and makes available durable medical equipment from the Community Loan Closet. The Dove Tree Ceremony is also arranged and conducted by Hospice volunteers. Hospice sponsors and sets up Christmas Tree Lane decorating in the Nolan Center Lobby during the Christmas Season. This is the only fundraiser that Hospice has, using the funds for its activities and to purchase new...
To the Editor: Can Alaskans trust the government of British Columbia to act honestly, responsibly and openly as B.C. authorizes and proposes to manage a series of mines (up to six of them) in the watersheds of some of the greatest, wildest and most productive watersheds in North America? Is BC “basically the same” as Alaska, as Mines Minister Bennett claims, when it comes to process and regulation of industrial activity? There is no question B.C. has a “mine approval” process, but make no mistake, it is vastly different beast than a legal,...
Mine ‘dots’ become lines in B.C. To the Editor: As I look east from Southeast Alaska, I see a picturesque, pristine landscape of mountain peaks, often snow covered - Canada. I was shocked to see a B.C. development map and learn that just beyond my view are mining developments – old, new, proposed and some vast, that dot the seemingly untouched land beyond. The mine ‘dots’ become lines when coupled with other projects across the border. Of course these very watersheds that support B.C.’s mining industry also support our fishing communities...
Dear Parents and Students of the Wrangell Public Schools, Welcome back to a new school year in the Wrangell Public School District! It seems as though our summer has flown by, but what a gorgeous one it has been. Over the summer we have hired several new faces within the Wrangell Public Schools. Kendall Benson is our principal at Stikine Middle School and Wrangell High School. Mr. Benson brings many years of experience as a former principal in the state of Utah. There will also be a new secretary at Wrangell High School, Megan Talburt. Ms....
To the Editor: On September 1, 2015, the United States will fully complete its broadcast transition to digital TV. What effect will this have on Wrangell? Sadly nothing. As a community, Wrangell was once served by a free television broadcast service known as ARCS (Alaska Rural Communication Service). For some unexplained reason, this service was shut down in Wrangell approximately 10 years ago. ARCS is largely funded through the State of Alaska, with communities picking up the minimal last mile of costs for powering and maintaining the...
Have you ever visited with a friend and as you start to leave, something like this is said, “Well now that we have solved the problems of the world I will say good-bye.” I wonder what sort of conversation and how long of a conversation it would take to actually solve all the problems of the world? I do believe it could be a very brief visit to get that ball rolling. A couple of sentences. The Golden Rule, treat everyone as you would like to be treated. The Greatest Commandment, Love your Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your min...
To the Editor: I have been given more information concerning my 16 July letter to the editor. Several people have told me that one of our U.S. senators wants there to be a dock at Anan to please a few airplane operators from Ketchikan. Therefore there is going to be a dock at Anan. What it looks like to me is this is a power play. Apparently this is why there is no cabin and trail maintenance. The one is hurt. It is hard for me to believe the Ranger on up to the Supervisor’s office of the forest service would allow this. I have heard the p...
To the Editor: I would like to thank all of the community involved in the planting and upkeep of the flower beds downtown. They are beautiful and really spruce up the downtown area. I really enjoy them. Thank you so much. Olinda White...
A dynamic event is underway in Arctic Alaska today: one that, if successful, could have a profound effect on our state’s economy. Shell Alaska is preparing to drill for oil this summer in Alaska’s offshore continental shelf. To date, Shell has expended over $7 billion in gearing up for their effort. They anticipate substantially advancing their delineation effort by the end of this year’s drilling season. A sobering statistic highlights the significance of Shell’s effort: Of the total estimated oil in Alaska—43.8 billion barrels—8...
To the Editor: The Public Library provides such a welcoming and warm environment for our community and especially for the Summer Reading Program. Anyone would want and would enjoy hanging out there. There is always a smiling and friendly staff to greet us as we enter and to help us with our needs. The children’s corner is bright and colorful, with puzzles, computers and books. I know this corner has the staff working double time at this time of the year keeping things orderly and up to date. You make it all such fun. Thank you for all you d...
To the Editor: On the KSTK radio program on July 6 was an article about Southeast businesses requesting more Tongass recreation funding. Wrangell’s ranger said that he could only afford one seasonal worker this summer. Now that is a safety issue. I also think it is important to keep maintenance up on facilities. I have found that the better care the forest service took of its facilities was reflected in better treatment by the people. There was less damage to fix, less trash to pick up, and more enjoyment by all. There seems to be money for n...
Summer has come! Summer is a time of plenty. Flowers have bloomed. Our gardens are growing in the summer sun. We feel energized by the sunlight. We celebrate the return of the salmon, a blessing which in large part supports our town and region. We also celebrate the opening of crab season, the return of the migratory birds, and the fattening of the deer. Summer is a blessed time of year, when the promise of spring comes to full fruition. It is also a time when the promise born in the dark of winter comes into the life of the church. Jesus...
I have previously written and spoken about how important the seafood industry is to Alaska’s economy, especially to those of us who live in Southeast Alaska. The industry accounted for 18% of all private sector resident earnings in Southeast Alaska in 2011, according to a McDowell Group report. A 2010 study by TCW Economics found that commercial, sport, and traditional and customary salmon fishing alone in Southeast Alaska is worth $1billion. It is in the best interests of both our economy and our cultural values that our salmon runs stay s...
Starting in July The Salvation Army plans to launch a Christian based recovery program, entitled Recovering from Life’s Hurts. The program is modeled after the Celebrate Recovery program that was developed by Pastor Rick Warren and the staff members of the Saddleback Church. Like Celebrate Recovery, Recovering from Life’s Hurts merges the principles of 12 Step programs with Jesus’ Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12). While most recovery groups focus on people with addictions issues, this program includes anyone recovering from life hurts. In John...