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Ferry systems struggling under rising costs for fuel, repairs, new ships

Rising costs for most everything, from fuel to maintenance to ship construction, are eating into the budgets at the Alaska Marine Highway System and the Inter-Island Ferry Authority which operates …
10 hours ago

Wrangell gears up for frightfully good time at third annual haunted house

As a chill seeps into the air and the darkness of night creeps earlier and earlier, each day feels a little more like Halloween than the one before. The annual haunted house put on by Last …
10 hours ago

Borough seeks grant funding for trail to connect Mount Dewey with Petroglyph Beach

The borough is applying for state grant funding to design a trail tying Petroglyph Beach with the recently completed Bennett Street-Mount Dewey Trail connection. Borough officials are seeking …
10 hours ago

A year after it began, report from WCA Climate Adaptation Plan nears completion

Whether melting glaciers or declining snow accumulation caused by warming winters, it’s hard to deny that the world is changing. For the past year, the Wrangell Cooperative Association Earth Branch …
10 hours ago

Southeast communities look for answers to high cost of trash operations

Getting rid of solid waste — trash, in a single word — is expensive in Alaska, particularly in Southeast communities that lack road access to haul and dump garbage in a nearby landfill. …
10 hours ago
Alaska news
Two Republican candidates for governor roll back in minimum wage
If elected, Republican governor candidates Dave Bronson and Bernadette Wilson said they would seek to roll back Alaska’s mandatory sick leave law and eliminate a minimum wage increase approved by …
Yesterday at 4:00 AM
Average price of heating fuel in rural Alaska almost $8 in August
The average price of a gallon of heating fuel — No. 1 diesel — in rural Alaska reached a record $7.97 per gallon in August, according to the latest biannual survey conducted by the Alaska …
Yesterday at 4:00 AM
Petersburg mill will use $2.5 million loan to expand, connect to power grid
Petersburg’s Alaska Timber and Truss has secured a $2.5 million financing package to modernize its sawmill on Falls Creek Road, connect it to the power grid and install an additional small mill …
Yesterday at 4:00 AM
Juneau set record with 1.733 million cruise ship visitors
A new daily limit on cruise passengers didn’t keep Juneau from setting a record-high season total for the fourth year in a row. A total of 1,733,016 passengers arrived on large cruise ships …
Yesterday at 4:00 AM
State Labor Department forecasts strong job growth in oil and gas, mining, healthcare
It’s a good time to be embarking on a career as a machine operator or engineer in Alaska. Not so much a journalist or broadcaster. A 10-year analysis of projected state jobs between 2024 and …
Yesterday at 4:00 AM
Childcare advocates intend to push new governor, legislators for support
Alaska childcare providers, families and employers are under intense strain with the lack of available openings and funding, according to advocates. They are calling for major state investment in the …
Tuesday, October 6
Wrangell

Scrapped vehicle recycling operation still on hold

The borough continues to accept cars and trucks to be scrapped, but the private company that had hauled the smashed, junked vehicles out of town still has work to do before it resumes its operations. …

10 hours ago

Police add two ‘new-to-us’ used trucks to fleet

The Wrangell Police Department has upgraded its patrol fleet with two refurbished Ford F-150 trucks, replacing aging sport utility vehicles that are being reassigned to other municipal duties. …
Wednesday, October 7

Muskeg Meadows tees up for winter operations

Golf tournaments are done for the year but the facilities at Muskeg Meadows will be open for a few more days. “We’re planning to keep the pro shop and driving range open through Saturday, …
Tuesday, October 6
Newspaper Archives

View Sentinel archives back to 1898 -- a joint project between the Sentinel and the Irene Ingle Public Library.

Thursday, August 14, 2025

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Police report

Police report for Oct. 14, 2026

Monday, Oct. 5 Welfare check. Trespassing. Tuesday, Oct. 6 Bear complaint. Harassment. Assist: Petersburg Police Department. Domestic violence order. …

10 hours ago
About Town
Photos of the week
Photo gallery

Tugboat fire contained

A fire started in the front of the Samson III, a 77-foot steel tug owned by Samson Tug and Barge, on Oct. 8, while the vessel was parked for work at the Marine Service Center. The fire was reported by someone at the yard, and the harbor crew put the first hose in place before the Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department arrived on the scene, said Harbormaster Steve Miller. No injuries were reported and there was no damage to the yard or other boats, he said. The Samson III has been at the service center since Oct. 1. Samson Tug and Barge did not respond to a Sentinel call for more information.

Yesterday at 4:00 AM
History column

The Way We Were for Oct. 14, 2026

Oct. 14, 1926 The Pioneers have arranged to celebrate Alaska Day on Oct. 18. The organization has offered prizes to the high school pupils who write the best essays on a subject of their own …

10 hours ago
Opinion
Editorials

Thank you to DeRuyter and Mach, and welcome Howell and Privett

With the conclusion of the municipal election, it’s a good time to thank those who have served in elected office in Wrangell — and provide some advice for the newcomers taking their seats. …

10 hours ago

Wrangell excels at community fundraising

Wrangell bickers a fair amount, as does any small town. It’s not especially mean-spirited or nasty and is sometimes amusing, but often it’s unproductive. It’s recreational bickering, …

Wednesday, October 7

Vaccination decision should be about community health

It’s fall, which means winter is coming next. But before then, people have to get through a couple of autumn decisions. One is to cast their votes in the Oct. 6 municipal election and the Nov. …

Wednesday, September 30
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Reporter's column

The best camera makes you want to work

There is an old, reliable maxim in photography that often gets lost beneath marketing copy: The best camera isn’t the one with the highest price tag or the most advanced technology — it’s the …

Wednesday, September 30
Publisher's column

I hope I’m not like him when I am 80 years old

It was hard as a kid to accept life when I didn’t get what I wanted, when my parents did not think my behavior was worthy of high praise and honors, when I did not receive the rewards that I …

10 hours ago
Letters to the editor
The League of Women Voters of Alaska is a nonpartisan, grassroots, statewide volunteer organization. Our mission is: Empowering Voters, Defending Democracy. We never support or oppose political …
10 hours ago
When it comes to politics, what a campaign says is rarely as important as what it’s avoiding. And the writers of Ballot Measure 2 are hoping you don’t notice what’s on 33 pages of the 35-page …
Wednesday, October 7
Obituaries
Phillip “Phil” Wayne
Longtime teacher Phil Wayne, who helped start wrestling program, dies at 89
Phillip “Phil” Wayne passed away peacefully at his home in Sitka on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, at the age of 89. Phil’s arrival on Feb. 7, 1937, was featured in the Corbin Times as the first …
10 hours ago
Jerimiah ‘Jerry’ Lee Meyers
Surrounded by family and music, Jerimiah ‘Jerry’ Lee Myers passes at age 77
Jerimiah “Jerry” Lee Myers passed away on Aug. 25, 2026, in Absarokee, Montana, at the age of 77. Jerry was born Sept. 26, 1948, in Medford, Oregon.  He was raised all along Southeast …
Wednesday, September 23
Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ Brown (Gross)
Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ Brown (Gross) dies at 79
Jacqueline “Jackie” Brown (Gross) passed away on Aug. 14, 2026, in Glendale, Arizona, at the age of 79. Jackie was born on May 17, 1947, in Wrangell and carried with her throughout her life …
Wednesday, August 26
Patricia Eileen (Lewis) Mork
Lifetime resident Patricia Eileen (Lewis) Mork dies at 92
Patricia Eileen (Lewis) Mork, loving wife, mom, grandmother, great- and great-great-grandmother and friend to many, passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 26, 2026. Patricia “Pat” was born …
Wednesday, August 19
Aurore Marie (Grant) Fickeisen and her husband, Larry, loved driving around the Pacific Northwest in their antique cars. This photo is from 1984.
Aurore Marie (Grant) Fickeisen dies at 83
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Aurore Marie Fickeisen, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and friend, who died on June 25, 2026, at her home …
Wednesday, August 12
Sports

Lady Wolves beat Skagway, lose to Petersburg on volleyball court

The Lady Wolves took to the court against the Petersburg Vikings on Saturday, with (from left) Jenna Eastaugh, Alexis Easterly, Kaiya Roher, Alana Harrison and Breann Boon working together to set up a shot.
The high school volleyball team played its only home games of the regular season, winning two matches on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 9-10, both against Skagway. Wrangell and Petersburg went neck and …
Yesterday at 4:00 AM
Wrangell senior Alana Harrison (264) and Petersburg junior Cadence Flint (199) lead a pack of runners up a hill during the Division III girls state cross-country championships at Anchorage's Bartlett High School trails on Oct 3. Flint placed seventh in 22:15 and Harrison 11th in 22:29.

Boys and girls cross-country teams both place second at state

The Wrangell Wolves boys and girls cross-country running teams both took home second-place honors in the Division III state championship meet last weekend in Anchorage. Wrangell senior and team …

Tuesday, October 6

Meissner wins again as cross-country team sharpens form in Petersburg

The Wrangell cross-country team used its final regular-season test last weekend to sharpen tactics and build momentum, capturing an individual title and multiple top-10 finishes against Southeast …
Tuesday, September 22
Community Calendar
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