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The Wrangell High School cheer squad placed second in Division 2A in this year's virtual Southeast regional competition, and now they have the plaque and medals to prove it. The squad sent in videos of their four routines to the judges back in March, and the awards just arrived last week, said coach Stephanie Cartwright. In addition to the team award, Wrangell squad members Aaliyah Messmer and Brodie Gardner were named to the 15-member all-conference squad, Cartwright said. Schools were...
Wrangell police, assisted by several other law enforcement agencies, arrested Wilson Taylor Boon, 32, on a felony drug charge at the post office May 19. Boon was being held at the Wrangell jail as of Monday on a $10,000 cash bail. He was arrested in possession of 84 grams of methamphetamine, almost three ounces, said Wrangell Police Lt. Bruce Smith. “U.S. Postal Service employees in Wrangell intercepted a suspicious package. A search of the package revealed it contained a controlled substance,” according to a press release from the city. Boo...
Wrangell graduating seniors received scholarships that could total almost $175,000, with many extending through four years of college. The scholarships were announced at the high school awards ceremony Monday. Students received scholarships from 21 different programs. Among the larger awards was the Alaska Pulp Corp. scholarship of $20,000 per student over four years to attend the college of their choice. The former owner of the since-closed Wrangell sawmill started the program in 1992, and sinc...
uld begin this week, the day after the current regular session of the Legislature is scheduled to end, if lawmakers are unable to finish work on the state budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. He also called legislators back to work to consider his proposals for a much larger Permanent Fund dividend. In addition, he announced a second special session, scheduled to begin Aug. 2, that would address his proposed constitutional spending limit, a constitutional ban on any new taxes without a public referendum, and spending of federal...
For not much more money - less than $10,000 - the city is able to add 411 acres at the north end of the island to an aerial imaging project that already covers 957 acres of downtown, Wrangell's water reservoirs, and land south and east of Heritage Harbor. It has been almost 20 years since aerial photography of the community. In addition, the project includes LiDAR, an airborne pulsed laser signal that "sees," measures and produces detailed three-dimensional images of the terrain, ground cover an...
After going online last summer, the Irene Ingle Public Library summer reading program for kids is back this year — just like it was for 25 years before the pandemic. “We’re excited to get things a little back to normal this year,” library director Margaret Villarma said. Kids will receive points for each book they read, with more than 100 drawings and a special prize for readers who complete the program. Young readers can register now at the library or call 874-3535 to sign up. The library is open noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturda...
The U.S. House is the next stop for legislation granting a temporary waiver of federal law so that large cruise ships could come to Alaska this summer, avoiding a Canadian COVID-related ban on the ships stopping in that country’s ports along the way. Senators voted without opposition to approve the measure May 13. Even if the legislation makes it into law, however, it is uncertain that cruise lines would offer summer Alaska voyages. Most of the ships are not in position on the West Coast, and many operators are still struggling to come to t...
The borough assembly will hold a public hearing at its May 25 meeting on a proposed ordinance that would extend the closing time for retail marijuana sales to 10 p.m. from the current limit of 6 p.m. The assembly was asked during recent public testimony to consider extending the hours for marijuana sales, Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen reported in her backup material for the ordinance, which was introduced at the May 11 assembly meeting. The borough “spoke with Wrangell’s only marijuana operator, and his suggestion is to allow operations thr...
Just three days after announcing the Ketchikan king salmon derby would return after a three-year absence, organizers reversed course and said there will be no derby next month. Organizers had planned for two weekends of derby fishing — June 18-20 and June 25-27 — but the Alaska Department of Fish and Game thought that would be a bad idea, considering low king stocks in the area. The department’s sport fish division called the event organizer on May 11 with the bad news. “They expressed some concerns with the idea of basically encoura...
Ketchikan's first cruise ship of the year canceled its visit due to a spike in COVID-19 infections in the community, UnCruise Adventures director of marketing and communications Liz Galloway said last Thursday. The Wilderness Legacy, carrying 55 passengers, was scheduled to arrive early last Friday morning and stay until about 6 p.m. Ketchikan broke two pandemic records last Thursday, recording a record-high case count of 20 new infections, and marking an all-time high of 102 active cases....
The Alaska House passed a version of the state operating budget Monday that would bring back the Department Fish and Game and Office of Children's Services to Wrangell, but the spending plan still needs Senate approval and the governor's signature before the two jobs could be restored. Wrangell lost its children's service caseworker several years ago to budget cuts. The commercial fisheries office closed last year. The Legislature tried last year to fund both positions, but Gov. Mike Dunleavy...
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it an unusual last year for Wrangell High School seniors, and that will culminate with a unique graduation ceremony stretched out on the city dock May 21. That assumes decent weather. The backup plan is back to the community gym, said Megan Powell, adviser to the class of 2021. The students wanted something different this year, Powell said, and that is the dock. The school submitted its COVID-19 mitigation plans to the borough manager and port director, and seating will be limited to four guests for each of the...
Plans are set for the Fourth of July royalty kickoff event May 31, while planning is underway for the four-day holiday celebration a month later - but volunteers are still needed. "The big one we really need is for someone to step up for the parade," said Kimberly Cooper, of the chamber of commerce, which leads Wrangell's annual Fourth of July activities. Volunteers also are needed for game and food booths, she said. While planning continues for July 1-4 events, Wrangell's celebration will begin...
Legislation to bring back a state tax on individual Alaskans to help pay for schools — which was abolished in 1980 as the state got rich with oil — looks destined for more homework and returning to class in committee next year. The bill moved out of the House Ways and Means Committee on May 6, moving next to the Finance Committee. But getting a tax bill through the full House and Senate before the Legislature’s May 19 adjournment deadline would be a tough assignment in any political school. The measure, as amended by the committee last week,...
The SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium is encouraging everyone over the age of 12 to register for their vaccination shots. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children 12 to 15 years old. Dr. Elliot Bruhl, SEARHC chief medical officer, said COVID-19 patients are trending younger and people under 50 years old now make up the largest group of new hospitalizations in the country. “We urge parents and guardians to be proactive in protecting themselves and their community against C...
Hungry Beaver Pizza, Wrangell’s longest-running pizza restaurant and part of the Marine Bar, is operating at reduced hours until the owner, Patty Kautz, 78, can hire some help. Kautz said she can’t maintain her usual pace of work. For the foreseeable future, pizza will be available only during high-demand days: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 5 to 8 p.m. “I’m 78, I can’t keep doing it,” Kautz said. The pizza spot was closed for a week before it reopened last Friday. “You talked us into it,” she said on Facebook. Kautz has owned...
Advocates of restricting cruise ship traffic to Juneau have started gathering petition signatures to put three questions on the municipal election ballot Oct. 5. The initiatives would make the ballot if supporters can gather signatures of nearly 3,000 registered voters in the town of about 30,000 residents. They started collecting signatures May 3, and face a June 2 deadline to turn in their petition books at city hall. One of the amendments to the city charter would ban cruise ships in town between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., though it would apply...
The loss of most cruise ship traffic to town will hurt Muskeg Meadows again this summer, but the golf course is open and it’s already on its third tournament of the season this weekend. Back in 2019, before the pandemic shut down cruise ship travel, a local tour operator would book golfers in advance, meet the ship and drive the visitors to Muskeg Meadows, sometimes as many as 20 a day, said Bill Messmer, who works at the course. The package would include clubs and golf cart rentals. “That was a huge day for us,” he said. The course still...
The Wrangell Chamber of Commerce is making plans for the community’s 66th king salmon derby to open June 15. It’s not exactly the 66th annual, since the derby was canceled 2018-2020 due to weak runs, but after that three-year wait the 66th derby could finally happen. The chamber is planning for a shorter derby this year, ending June 30, to make way for the community’s Fourth of July celebration and to ease into the event, which in the past ran an entire month, said Kimberly Cooper, of the chamber. “More details are on the way,” she said last Fr...
City officials reported a new COVID-19 case Thursday afternoon, the 21st infection reported in the community since April 8. "The Wrangell Emergency Operations Center was notified today of one new positive COVID case. This individual is a Wrangell resident who recently traveled outside of the state and tested upon returning to Wrangell," the city said in a statement issued at 4:45 p.m. Thursday. "The individual is asymptomatic and is isolating. No additional information is known at this time." It is one three active COVID-19 cases in the...
Nearly $77 million in federal pandemic relief funds would be used to cover the state contribution to the Alaska Marine Highway System operating budget through Dec. 31, 2022, bringing more certainty to scheduling the vessels, under a deal worked out between the governor and legislators. The money would come from the transportation section of a $900 billion relief bill passed by Congress in December. The governor announced the funding plan while in Ketchikan last Thursday. The federal money, when...
Legislators will focus the next few weeks on how to spend $1.02 billion in federal pandemic relief destined for the state treasury, with last week's opening acts of the fiscal play showing somewhat different budgetary scripts from the House majority coalition and the governor. Both proposals would direct money to construction projects, the tourism industry and repairing Alaska's damaged economy, though at differing funding levels. The House plan also would direct funds to communities worst hit by the pandemic. And while House leadership has...
About 70 people came out for Saturday's Wrangell Community Cleanup, about 10 more than usual, said organizer Valerie Massie. There was no cleanup in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the annual event was brought back this spring, sending volunteers around the city to pick up trash. Massie said participants filled 146 bags with trash in a half-day of work, enough for 10 full dumpsters and four truckloads of large items like metal and mattresses. Organizer Kim Wickman said there was not one...
Wrangell, Petersburg and Juneau residents are competing to see who can walk, hike or run the farthest - without ever leaving town. "Bragging rights will go to the community that walks/hikes/runs the most miles (average miles per person)," the Wrangell Parks and Recreation website says. Juneau Parks and Recreation, which started Walk Southeast last year to keep people active during the pandemic, invited Wrangell and Petersburg to join up this year, giving the event a friendly competitive alure...
With warmer weather, the Wrangell Police Department is expecting roadkill to increase. With that, they are hoping to update their charity list for recovering and sharing the deer meat. Chief Tom Radke said the department's list currently has less than 10 names, and anybody interested in being added to the list just has to give them a call. When there is a report of roadkill with salvageable meat, he said the department will start calling names on the list to see if anybody wants it. The list helps keep the roads clean, while making sure good...
