The Way We Were

Nov. 10, 1921

The longest period of waiting for mail from the south that Wrangell has experienced in a long time, 17 days, ended Tuesday morning when the mail brought by the Spokane was received. Postmaster Stedman had 100 sacks of mail to distribute Tuesday and the Post Office was a busy place all day. Local merchants received 100 tons of freight. The supply of sugar, eggs, butter and other staples was running low, some of the merchants being entirely out of one or two of these things before the boat arrived. The fresh vegetables which the Spokane brought were disposed of very quickly to Wrangell housewives. With the mail contract for Alaska awarded to the Admiral Line and the Alaska Steamship Co., it is generally supposed that Southeast Alaska will receive better mail service. The contracts went into effect Nov. 1.

Nov. 8, 1946

Wrangell High School has returned to the Southeast high school basketball league after an absence of several years. During the war years there was such a low enrollment in the school that it was difficult to find enough boys to get a five-man team, much less substitutes. However, now there are considerably more boys in school and Coach Fabricius hopes for a good year for the team. Other conference teams are Ketchikan and Petersburg with Wrangell in the southern division, and Juneau, Douglas and Skagway in the northern division. The first games are set for Nov. 21-22 in Wrangell against the Pioneer Athletic Club.

Nov. 12, 1971

Dick Stokes, president of the Wrangell chapter of the Alaska Native Brotherhood, is heading a delegation of six Wrangellites at the 59th annual Alaska Native Brotherhood and Sisterhood Convention in Sitka. The ANB delegates also include Gilbert Gunderson and Thorne Ferguson. Wrangell Alaska Native Sisterhood members attending the Sitka sessions are President Ethel Gonzales, Marge Byrd and Margaret Gross.

Nov. 7, 1996

In its regular Tuesday meeting, the city council split 3-3 on the issue of lowering the city sales tax by 2 percent, approved the commitment of $200,000 for a geophysical survey of mining potential around Wrangell, and agreed to hire up to 25 more temporary people for six-months jobs in various city departments. Councilwoman Fern Neimeyer, who has long favored the sales tax reduction, says she intends to keep pushing the issue. Zo Herriges-Sherman and Mayor Doug Roberts also voted for the reduction. Councilman Jeff Angerman was absent. “They refuse to lower the sales tax 2 percent, and on two later agenda items they spent darn near $500,000,” Neimeyer said. She promised to raise the matter again during budget hearings in the next few months. Councilman John Baker wanted to know how the city would offset the lost tax revenues, and to be assured that reducing the sales tax would not mean an increase in property taxes. Figures drawn up by Finance Director Jeff Jabush show that the sales tax reduction to 5 percent would cost the city $500,000 to $560,000 per year.