Articles written by Brian O Connor
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 322
Fourth festival comes to Wrangell
The Fourth of July started with a pie-eating contest and ended not with a bang but with the stamp of feet on pavement at Volunteer Park. The five-day event began July 1 with the Welcome Home Picnic and concluded on the day after Independence Day with... Full story
Smith crowned Fourth of July Queen
Months of small-business decisions, pavement pounding, hand wringing and stress culminated on the Evergreen Elementary School stage Thursday evening. Graduating senior Erica Smith was crowned the Fourth of July Queen. Smith edged second-place... Full story
Assembly votes to raise electric rates
The borough assembly voted 5-1 to raise electric rates seven percent Tuesday. The rates increases are aimed to off-set declines in the budget reserves of the electric light utility fund. Officials have said that increasing health insurance, labor,... Full story
Slide deployment delays flight
An emergency slide on an Alaska Airlines jet plane deployed accidentally Saturday, delaying a north-bound flight for several hours at Wrangell Airport, according to a spokesperson for the company.... Full story
Therapy cap extension impacts Southeast patients
Patients in local hospitals could face new limitations on how physical therapy can be paid for in Southeast Alaska hospitals. Annual caps for the amount of physical therapy have, in past years, been restricted only to hospitals that did not receive t... Full story
Fourth festivities will feature new fair
Among the countless events inherited from Fourth of July festivities stretching decades into the past, two new events will feature in this year's festivities. A Red, White and Blue fair aims to boost participation in the Southeast Alaska State fair...
Rain, clouds don't deter solstice fair
Attendance at Saturday's summer solstice block party easily topped last year's inaugural edition by most accounts. Most Fourth of July Queen food booths stayed open late. Dual candidates Robyn Booker...
Amid Fourth of July festivities, Nolan Center marks decade
It began, in part, with a dance. In 2004, Alaska's first lady and many residents of the town attended the ribbon cutting for the newly constructed James and Elsie Nolan Center. Amid the festivities...
Early 2015 numbers project hospital cash increase
Preliminary hospital budget figures show the hospital anticipates a five percent revenue increase in the next fiscal year. Operating revenues are projected to increase five percent, while operating...
KSTK hires new reporter
Katarina Sostaric graduated this spring from the University of Missouri-Columbia and wanted to see somewhere beautiful. Less than a month and a half later, and after a few days of training in Juneau,...
Survey: recycling, illegal dumping top local environmental issues
An informal survey of Wrangellites conducted by the Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (IGAP) concluded illegal dumping and recycling were the top environmental issues locally. The survey’s 158 respondents were asked to rank, on a...
School officials table food services contract
School board members tabled by unanimous consent a food services contract with Nana Management Services, LLC (NMS) at Monday’s regular school board meeting. In particular, discussion focused on codifying an unwritten agreement between the company... Full story
Stough resigns from Assembly, TBPC
James Stough resigned from both the Thomas Bay Power Commission (TBPC) and the borough assembly Friday. TBPC secretary Dave Galla resigned the same day. The resignations came a day after a Petersburg... Full story
Lights, Camera, Wrangell
Some burly men were duct taping a video camera to the side of a plasma cutter in a shipping container at the Marine Services Center Friday afternoon. The camera was a GoPro. The plasma cutter... Full story
Assembly to consider raising electric rates
An ordinance change passed on first reading at the June 10 assembly meeting could raise electric rates by as much as 10 percent by January 2015. If approved as worded – judging only from preliminary discussion at the assembly meeting, that appears...
Officials look to Rally's return
Officials this week tried to make the best of last week’s postponement of the Salty Dog Rally. Among the officials who expressed disappointment was Leslie Cummings, a Wrangell Convention and Visitors Bureau board member who played a large role in...
Power official urges caution with fish entrails
Fish guts and good intentions have caused at least one of two short bird-related power outages in the last two weeks, officials with Wrangell Light & Power said. Fishermen with an eye toward offer...
Wrangell rentals in seasonally short supply
When their Plan A for housing fell through, the seven-member Bosdell family pitched Plan B in Shoemaker Park. Plan B was a three-room tent. Plan A had been to buy property at Olive Cove, but at the last minute, the deal fell through, Victoria Bosdell...
Zoning commission approves variances
The planning and zoning commission voted 5-0 to approve a pair of measures for a local tanning salon June 12. In the first vote, the board approved a conditional use permit for the permanent location of SunDash Tanning at 105 Church Street. The...
Salmon Derby prizes awarded
Fishermen and fishing enthusiasts gathered at the Nolan Center June 12 to garner cash and prizes for the 2014 Salmon Derby. The Derby has been held since 1953, said master of ceremonies Jeff...
TBPC approves resolution supporting SEAPA takeover
Thomas Bay Power commissioners voted 5-0 to support the handover of Tyee Lake to the Southeast Alaska Power Agency (SEAPA). The special meeting, held June 5, was the commission’s first in at least two months and drew Petersburg commissioners as... Full story
Familiar faces in race to replace Wilson
Candidates for the newly renumbered State Representative District 36 say jobs and connections were among the key issues for Southeast. Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly member Agnes Moran, Wilson...
Borough assembly approves 2015 budget
The borough assembly voted 5-0 Tuesday to pass both the property tax rate and the municipal budget for the fiscal year 2015. At a May 13 budget workshop, officials pledged the mill rate of 12.75 mills will remain unchanged this year. That means that...
Summer road work projects will pave Weber, Cassiar
Summer road projects will result in two Wrangell streets being paved for the first time. Work is currently underway to pave Weber Street, starting at its intersection with Church Street and stretching up into the small subdivision above Reid Street,...
Lemonade peddlers line Front Street
While lemonade – organic, strawberry, cherry, pink and blue – was definitely for sale Saturday, it was far from the only thing eager Wrangell children were selling at stands on the borough's main...