Articles written by caleb vierkant
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Assembly adopts policy for use of police body cameras
The borough assembly on Tuesday evening approved a policy for use of body cameras by the Wrangell Police Department. Under the policy, “All sworn Wrangell law enforcement employees will be issued a BWC (body worn camera) and trained in the basic o...
Community gathers for blessing of fleet
Community members, local organizations and mariners gathered together at the Wrangell Mariners' Memorial last Sunday afternoon for a blessing of the fleet. The blessing is a tradition in seaside...
Assembly rescinds funding for Sea Level COVID testing
The borough assembly on Tuesday night rescinded $70,000 in funding to cover COVID-19 tests for employees of Sea Level Seafoods, after rejecting an amendment to expand the funding to all seafood processors in Wrangell. The assembly originally...
Imagination led to fantasy, sci-fi writing for former resident
"I always enjoyed reading, I plundered the local library when I was a kid," said Max Florschutz. Florschutz, 35, lives in Utah but grew up in Wrangell. He moved away to attend college at Bringham...
Borough moves closer to developing former Institute property
A preliminary plat for the first phase of developing the former Wrangell Institute property into residential and commercial lots, known as Shoemaker Bay Subdivision II, was approved by the planning and zoning commission Tuesday afternoon. There is...
Students bid farewell to school, hello to summer
"Middle school here I come!" said Silje Morse, one of 15 fifth graders at Evergreen Elementary, during her last day of school. Evergreen marked the end of the school year last Thursday with a...
Composting resumes at community garden
In an effort to reduce waste and provide good soil for gardens, the Wrangell Cooperative Association is encouraging people to bring their compostable waste to the community garden, out by City Park. The WCA took over the composting project about a...
Wrangell receives first cruise tourists since 2019
Ending a long hiatus of cruise ship visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wrangell received its first cruise ship of the season last Friday. The Kruzof Explorer, operated by Sitka-based Alaskan...
Travelers cope as best they can with ferry woes
With frequent breakdowns of the Matanuska — the only state ferry scheduled to serve Wrangell through September — residents are adjusting to the uncertainty, although not always happily. Besides for canceled sailings, Mayor Steve Prysunka also is cri...
Students learn to fly without leaving the ground
High school students reached new heights with a university Upward Bound program. "We started out with some basic drones ... getting the basic mechanics down," said student Terra Hoyt. "Now we're doing...
Wrangell profits from strong stock market
Wrangell, just like most other investors, profited from stock market gains of the past year, adding about $1.5 million to the value of the municipal permanent fund over the past 15 months as the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached record highs. The...
Seafood processor wants to take over Wrangell location
Tacoma-based Alaska Ice Seafoods, which specializes in geoducks, also markets crab under the Fathom Seafoods name, and it’s the crab and other seafood that is bringing the company to Wrangell. Alaska Ice Seafoods has asked the city to approve an a...
Police chief will want public feedback on body camera policy
The police department wants to get public feedback before its officers start wearing body cameras. The borough assembly took a first look at a draft policy for using the sound and video recording devices at its meeting April 27. The policy is under...
Little League season begins
Despite rainy weather, Wrangell's Little League season opened Saturday morning. Players on the league's sole junior league team for 13 to 14 year olds, and two major league teams for 10 to 12 year...
May 22 run will be fun finale
Lucy Moline-Robinson is organizing her “finale” fun run for Southeast Beasts May 22. Robinson has been organizing events for Wrangell’s running group since 2012, she said, and it is time for her to step away from the work. “It’s been a wonderful...
Filmmaker looking for Wrangell pictures of 1960s' Rasmuson
The producers of Magnetic North, a series of historical documentaries on interesting and important Alaskans, is calling on Wrangell for photos or home movies of the community and Ed Rasmuson, who managed the town’s only bank branch 1965 to 1967. Rasm...
Trident will not reopen this summer, cites low chum numbers
Trident Seafoods has notified city officials the company will not reopen its Wrangell plant this summer. Plant manager Nick Ohmer called on Tuesday with the expected news, Borough Manager Lisa Von Bar...
Wolves bring home six regional wrestling titles
The Wrangell Wolves wrestling team continued its strong season last weekend with several wrestlers taking first place in Southeast regionals and then making a solid showing the next day at the Bill...
Budget built on lower student count, cuts one teacher
The school district assumes more students will return to classrooms in the fall — though the count would still be down 25% from its pre-pandemic level — with the enrollment drop and tight budget lea...
Beachcomber sees art and history in old glass
"The idea is to reclaim, repurpose and recycle," Andrew Hoyt said. "That's where R&R Glassworks got its name, 'reclaimed' and 'repurpose.'" Wrangell residents may be familiar with R&R Glassworks, a...
Visitor bureau closer to tourism management plan
The Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau has decided it's almost time to get business input on its draft proposal for how the tourism industry should operate in the community, called "tourism best m...
City approves funding for trash baler
Wrangell is getting a machine to cut, mash and bundle up its trash into compact bales for the ride out of town. The borough assembly on April 13 approved spending more than $600,000 to buy and...
City will fill Nolan Center position, but still wants to save money
The Nolan Center, Wrangell's movie theater, museum and community center, is understaffed. Leaving the facility manager position vacant this fiscal year has been too much of a strain on the remaining s...
Federal aid provides $700,000 boost to school budget
The latest Wrangell School District draft budget for the next school year includes an estimated $700,000 in additional federal relief aid, but board members expressed concern that the money, while...
City extends declaration to protect any relief funding
To ensure the city qualifies for federal and state disaster relief funding, the borough assembly has voted to extend Wrangell's emergency declaration for the COVID-19 pandemic. In the same meeting...
