In the Sentinel 75, 50 and 25 years ago.
April 25, 1941: With the registration of nearly 150 men here for home defense, the American Legion Post, which carried on the registration for the city, this week urged upon the council the immediate setting up of a home defense organization which would be prepared for any emergency that might arise. In a resolution adopted by the Legion Post and submitted to Mayor E.J. Wheeler and the Council, the legionnaires declared that the national emergency demanded immediate action. They suggested that the town be divided into districts with qualified persons placed in charge of the various units, all responsible to the authorized police of the town. In presenting its resolution the Legion also suggested that a fence be built around the light plant, pointing out that the place now has no protection from sabotage.
April 29, 1966: The Shikiharu Maru now berthed at the Wrangell Lumber Company wharf is expected to complete her load by Saturday and clear at the weekend for Japanese ports. She is taking 2.6 million board feet of lumber and 500,000 feet of cedar logs. The Chozan Maru is scheduled for May 4 and will load about 2 million feet of cedar logs, vice president C.R. Neill reported. She will be followed in a few days by Mishima Maru scheduled in Haines about May 10 where she will take about 1.5 million board feet of lumber and thence to Wrangell where she will complete her load by taking 2.5 million feet of lumber at Wrangell Lumber. Mr. Neill, who returned this week after about two weeks in Japan, with a side trip to Hong Kong, surveying market conditions and the shipping situation, and the market remains stable for the Alaska lumber product despite some business recession that has been felt in Japan during the last year. There has been considerable import of logs from Russia to Japan, he reported, “But on the whole we find our market pretty stable,” he said. Shipping is still tight with so many ships being diverted to the Vietnam war effort. Hong Kong harbor was thronged with vessels awaiting orders and berthing facilities, he reported.
April 25, 1991: A proposed municipal budget for next year calls for a 2-mill property tax increase. The budget presented to the City Council Tuesday night proposes raising local property taxes to 11 mills. One mill is equal to $100 per year in taxes on a home valued at $100,000. Acting City Manager Jeff Jabusch said the 2-mill increase was proposed to raise about $140,000 next year. The money will go toward paying the $120,000 needed to cover total costs of the middle school project, he said. The council previously decided to borrow money from the $1 million swimming pool reserve fund to pay for the middle school project. The city expects to receive about 72 percent reimbursement for the nearly $700,000 project from the state under the school debt reimbursement program. The balance of the funds would have to come from local revenues, however. Jabusch said the $120,000 cost covers interest lost on the funds borrowed from the swimming pool fund as well as the 28 percent difference between total costs and the 72 percent reimbursement rate. The council last year agreed to boost sales tax from 5 to 7 percent. Some residents at that time advocated the 2-cent increase, saying revenue from 1 cent could be used to help pay for school needs. Jabusch said his draft budget proposes keeping the 7 percent sales tax in place. While Jabusch acknowledged that the council could decide to take funds for the middle school out of city reserves, he said he would not advise in favor of such a move.
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