Jan. 14, 1926
The past six-week period showed an enormous increase in tardy marks at the high school. Announcement was made that beginning with the new semester, all tardiness would be penalized by a deduction of one percent from the student’s grades in all subjects for each offense. Since the students almost unanimously petitioned last year for an 8 a.m. beginning hour, it is inconsistent to think that they cannot be on hand promptly at a quarter of 9. The high school boys and girls basketball teams will leave for Petersburg Saturday morning on Mr. Waters’ boat, the Beilby. The teams will play a double-header Saturday night and return to Wrangell Sunday morning.


Jan. 12, 1951
Work on the dam to improve the town’s water system is progressing rapidly, the city council was informed at its last meeting by the water committee consisting of chair George Smith and members H.R. Coulter and Vern Smith. The spillway is being enlarged to 30 feet, thus eliminating trouble with clogging by backup of debris as has been experienced in the past. Seaplane float facilities also were discussed. Correspondence from Territorial Director of Aeronautics Tony Schwamm advised the city council that plans would be forthcoming soon to the council for its consideration. Work probably will be underway in another 30 days or so. Logs for improving the floats at the shrimp cannery and making an approach to the float at the head of the bay near the Fred Lewis property have been brought into town from Vank’s Island by Capt. E. M. Campbell of the Alasco 4.


Jan. 14, 1976
The mill’s “smokeless” teepee burner, which never quite lived up to its billings, will be permanently decommissioned by a Sept. 30 deadline, even if there is no new equipment to replace it, a state official said last week. Tom Hanna, air quality control supervisor for the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said Alaska Wood Products will be required to quit using the burner, even if it is necessary to store waste material or barge it to Sitka for disposal while a new burner is being installed. Mill manager Lance Ingle told Hanna the teepee, burner erected in 1973, at the Alaska Wood Products mill at 6-mile Zimovia Highway, has failed to perform as advertised. Ingle said plans are underway to remove the burner and install another system of waste disposal that will meet the state’s anti-pollution standards.


Jan. 11, 2001
The city council opened its first meeting of the year with an invocation by Pastor Doug Schoultz of the Bible Baptist Church. For a year sure to be packed with tough issues and tougher decisions, the invocation seems to be appropriate. The city manager’s report covered the status of the demolition of the old Wrangell Institute buildings (now moving forward again and hoped to be complete by early spring), and review the multiple cause of the recent electrical outages (there does not appear to be a common cause, just a series of unfortunate incidents that hopefully will not recur). The city power plant is making progress on moving the old diesel generators out of town and moving the new generators into their permanent place as soon as possible.