Year in review

January

Jan. 2: Along with the lights, trees and carolers, the Salvation Army's red Christmas kettles are a common sight during the holiday season. Lt. Jon Tollerud, Wrangell's new corps officer, said the red kettles brought in $10,469.

Jan. 9: The Nolan Center celebrated the new year Dec. 31 with a murder mystery party. As this new year marks a new decade, a return to the '20s, the party had a 1920s theme to it. With jazz music, themed costumes and masks, partygoers had the chance to return to the previous century. The main theater of the Nolan Center was decorated to look like a Prohibition-era speakeasy.

Jan. 16: After Doug McCloskey's retirement last summer, the Wrangell Police Department has been operating without an official police chief. That came to an end last week, as Tom Radke started his job as the new chief.

Jan. 23: The Wrangell Wolves wrestling team was recognized at the Jan. 14 borough assembly meeting. Among several accomplishments this season, the Wolves claimed the 2A regional championship for the sixth time in school history, and also won the regional team sportsmanship award. Eleven members of the team qualified for the state tournament this year, and six came home with placement medals. Liana Carney also earned distinction in the state tournament, becoming the first female wrestler in Wrangell's history to win an individual state title.

Jan. 30: While Petersburg's population rose between 2018 and 2019, Wrangell's population saw a drop in the same timeframe, according to data from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

February

Feb. 6: School officials held a community meeting Feb. 3 to learn more about what the public thinks is important for the Wrangell School District as the district undergoes its budgeting process for the new school year. The first draft of the 2021 budget shows revenues at about $5.5 million and expenditures slightly under $6.3 million.

Feb. 13: With the Matanuska going out of service for repairs last week, state ferry service has completely shut down. The Alaska Department of Transportation reports finding new issues with the ferry engine's reduction gear system. The Matanuska is being towed to Ketchikan for repairs.

Feb. 20: The Wrangell Chamber of Commerce held its annual dinner Feb. 15. This year, two people were chosen for the Citizen of the Year award. Photographers Vincent Balansag and Rich Einert were honored for their skill and dedication to the art of photography, capturing important moments around Wrangell, and doing their part to record the community's history.

Feb. 27: The community turned out in large numbers last week to support some of their own. Fisherman Randall Ferdinand died in a boating accident Feb. 16. He leaves behind two daughters, Amy and Isabelle. A community walk around town and chili feed were organized by Southeast Beasts and Wrangell Burial Assistance on Feb. 22, to raise money for the Ferdinand family.

March

March 5: The Wrangell Wolves played their final home games of the season Feb. 25 and 26 against the Haines Glacier Bears. The crowd was cheering loudly even before the Feb. 26 game started, as senior Hank Voltz stepped out onto the court. Voltz explained he was born with a heart condition, making participation in sports a potential risk to him. For his last home game, however, the team decided to let him play in the opening. Voltz went on to score the first points of the game, a three-pointer within the first 30 seconds of the game.

March 12: Trident Seafoods, one of the two main seafood processors in Wrangell, has decided not to operate during the upcoming salmon season. Stefanie Moreland, vice president of government relations, seafood sustainability and corporate social responsibility with Trident Seafoods

Corp., said the decision was made earlier this year. Predictions of a low return of salmon in Southeast Alaska waters led to the decision not to operate the Wrangell plant this season.

March 19: As part of an effort to encourage social distancing, the assembly passed a resolution to temporarily cancel all nonessential meetings of borough commissions, boards and committees. The resolution also temporarily amended the municipal code to allow the assembly to hold meetings via teleconference. The assembly also passed an ordinance declaring an emergency during the Coronavirus pandemic. This ordinance grants the mayor and borough manager authority to issue emergency orders and take necessary steps to protect public health.

March 26: The borough assembly held a special Sunday afternoon meeting via teleconference March 22 to issue an emergency shelter-in-place order. The assembly a week earlier granted the mayor and borough manager the ability to issue emergency orders in the interest of public health during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

April

April 2: David Macri was brought on as principal of Stikine Middle School and Wrangell High School in August 2018. One year and seven months later, however, he has resigned from the position. Teacher Jack Carney has taken over the role as interim principal for the remainder of the school year.

April 9: As the COVID-19 virus continues to sicken people and economies worldwide, many people are doing their part to lessen its spread. In Wrangell, many community members are putting their crafting skills to good use and sewing homemade masks.

April 16: Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed the state Fiscal Year 2021 budget into law on April 6. In Wrangell, funding has been eliminated for the state Department of Fish and Game office, as well as for a local Office of Children's Services caseworker.

April 23: Late last week, the Wrangell Medical Center received an Abbott Laboratories rapid-test machine, allowing for same-day, in-house testing for COVID-19, according to an April 8 press release from SEARHC. Wrangell is one of seven Southeast Alaska communities to receive rapid-testing equipment.

April 30: Local writer Vivian Faith Prescott recently announced the publication of her newest book, "Silty Water People." The book is a collection of some of her oldest poems, she said, and is a look at "the effects of assimilation" on Wrangell families and the community as a whole.

May

May 7: The majority of the borough assembly meeting April 28 was consumed with public and assembly member comments on the COVID-19 pandemic.

May 14: Three Wrangell High School graduates will head off to college a little more financially secure, thanks to scholarships announced this past week. Laura Helgeson, Kaylyn Easterly and Jing O'Brien were chosen to receive the Alaska Pulp Corp. scholarship this year. Helgeson has also received a scholarship from the Friends of the Wrangell Museum.

May 21: Though it lacked the

in-person fanfare of a typical graduation, the Wrangell High School Class of 2020 found a way to commemorate the event. A small graduation ceremony was held May 12, with seniors receiving their diplomas. A video stream was shown publicly May 15, including slide shows of students, speeches from the faculty and student body. A parade through town was organized for after the video aired, where people could drive by the homes of the graduating students to congratulate them.

May 28: The Wrangell Borough Assembly on May 26 accepted the resignation of member Drew Larrabee. The assembly also approved a resolution to create a Coronavirus Pandemic Emergency Special Revenue Fund, which will be used to hold CARES Act funding for the community.

June

June 4: Several Wrangell residents were recognized May 27 for their heroic actions May 16 when a trailer at Panhandle Trailer Court caught fire. Dan Flickinger, Duke Aitken and George Howell helped rescue the trailer's resident, Norm Canaday. They used a mattress to help Canaday jump out of his back door safely and get away from the burning structure.

June 11: The first positive case of COVID-19 was announced in Wrangell on June 7. A joint press release from the city and SEARHC said the patient is an unnamed female Wrangell resident and is asymptomatic. Contact tracing to determine who might have come into contact with the patient and may potentially be at risk is ongoing.

June 18: In one of their final budget workshops for FY 2021, the borough assembly gave guidance to city administration to do as much as they can to close Wrangell's general fund deficit. According to the agenda packet for the June 10 meeting, the FY 2021 general fund was facing a deficit of $801,451. However, city administration is anticipating that roughly $350,000 in wages for the upcoming financial year will be eligible for reimbursement through the federal CARES Act, "due to time spent on COVID-19 by existing staff through December." This would bring the deficit down to $451,451.

June 25: Despite rainy weather, about 30 people gathered together to march in

recognition of Juneteenth, which originated in Texas when Gen. Gordon Granger announced from the city of Galveston on June 19, 1865, that all slaves were free. With a growing focus on race relations and cases of police brutality, the day has received increasing recognition nationwide. Wrangell's Juneteenth march was organized by Kyle Hovarth, with Alaska Crossings. He and other marchers walked from the Marine Bar to City Dock, some of them carrying signs in support of the Black Lives Matter and Pride movements. They also played music from a livestream that was donating money to Black Lives Matter.