Articles from the January 13, 2022 edition
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 37
The Way We Were
Jan. 12, 1922 Mr. Henderson's talk to the high school on Monday afternoon was mostly about the Southeast Alaska school meet to be held at Juneau the latter part of March. Contests will be held in basketball, indoor track, debating, declamatory and...
First baby of new year born to Crowleys
Issabella and Tawney Crowley welcomed their first child - and the first baby born to a Wrangell family in 2022 - last week. Ryleigh Rowan Crowley was born at 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 4 at the PeaceHealth...
Siekawitch becomes U.S. citizen after 18 years in Wrangell
It took nearly two decades, but Larissa Siekawitch is now an American citizen. On Jan. 4, Siekawitch took a test in Anchorage that lasted an hour and included an interview, reading, writing and answer...
Assembly raises electricity rates; first in eight years
The borough assembly voted unanimously Tuesday to approve an electricity rate hike that will increase the kilowatt-hour charge by 7.5% to 9% for most residential and business customers in Wrangell. The rate increase comes after the Southeast Alaska...
Wrangell nears record with surge in COVID-19 cases
COVID-19 cases in Wrangell are surging at their fastest rate of the nearly 2-year-old pandemic, with 67 new infections since Christmas weekend, as of Tuesday evening’s borough report. Of those, 37 cases were recorded between Friday and Tuesday. T...
Warmer, wetter weather creates its own set of problems
With this week's warmer weather, the snow shovels may get set aside but the higher temperatures and rain can create their own set of winter problems. Last week's single-digit temperatures gave way to...
Assembly could make borough manager decision this week
The assembly could decide this week on a new borough manager. The three finalists were scheduled for interviews at a special assembly meeting Wednesday afternoon, and assembly members could take action in public after talking with the candidates in p...
Alaska Airlines says reductions will not affect Wrangell flights
Alaska Airlines said last week it would trim its flight schedule by about 10% for the rest of January as it deals with “unprecedented” numbers of employees calling in sick during the COVID-19 surge. Service to Wrangell — Flight 65 northbound in the m...
Legislators should focus on fiscal problems
Every year, before the Legislature convenes in Juneau, lawmakers submit their “pre-file bills,” a chance to tell the public which important issues they want to work on during the session. Just as cities and boroughs statewide submit their annual wis...
Moose don't like winter any more than we do
The deep snow and strong winds are making the moose in Alaska’s Interior cranky. Who can blame them. More than four feet of snow fell in Fairbanks in December, with over six feet in Denali National Park. Moose have long, strong legs, but those f...
Alaskans need to know what the Permanent Fund is doing
The successful conservative management and investment philosophy of the Alaska Permanent Fund must be restored. The importance of the Permanent Fund’s contribution to the economy of Alaska cannot be overstated. Its current value is more than $83 b...
Take time to prepare for future
St. Philip's Episcopal Church Yes, this is new to us, we have never been here before. We have many memories of past years, but what is in store for us in the future? I’m happy, though I don’t know — at least I think I am. What if we knew that we were...
School district hires new business manager to work remotely
After about 10 candidates applied for the position of business manager with Wrangell Public Schools, a hiring committee chose Tammy Stromberg, of Anchorage, to fill the job. Citing the scarcity of...
Wrangell works to obtain state aid for windstorm expenses
The governor has issued a disaster declaration for Wrangell after a windstorm took down power poles and disrupted services on Nov. 30, though it appears most of what the borough has requested is not eligible for state aid. The borough estimated its...
Art program seeks to raise confidence, bolster curriculum through creativity
A schoolwide art program at Evergreen Elementary began at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year by drawing out confidence in the student body. Developed over the summer by Tawney Crowley, the soc...
Wrangell now has enough money for Mt. Dewey trail extension
A second federal grant of $450,000 has given the borough enough money to start work and complete the long-planned extension of the popular Mt. Dewey Trail. Construction likely will begin this year, according to Parks and Recreation Director Kate Thom...
State fires magistrate for writing political letters to newspaper
ANCHORAGE (AP) — The longest-serving magistrate in Alaska is no longer on the bench after writing letters to the editor critical of the Republican party. Former Seward Magistrate George Peck wrote four letters to the editor of the Anchorage Daily N...
Willy Eyon, who helped build Wrangell, dies at 91
Willy Eyon passed away on Oct. 31, 2021, at the Wrangell Medical Center long-term care facility at the age of 91. Born in Wrangell on Sept. 27, 1930, Willy would go on to graduate from Wrangell High S... Full story
Ed Rasmuson's banking career took him through Wrangell
Ed Rasmuson, a banker and philanthropist who led Alaska's largest philanthropic organization, died Jan. 4 at age 81. He managed the Wrangell branch of the National Bank of Alaska in the late 1960s.... Full story
Garbage baler could take time to show savings
In order to stay compliant with shipping requirements, Wrangell Public Works began using a trash baler last October. The machine also could save money for the borough. Because open-top trash containers with lose garbage are being phased out by...
State commission recommends changes in legislative pay
A commission tasked with making recommendations for state legislative pay advanced a proposal Jan. 4 to raise the annual salary for Alaska lawmakers from $50,400 to $64,000, but also to significantly reduce and place limits on the daily allowance...
COVID cases disrupt cruise ship sailings
It was a rough week for the cruise line industry and travelers. Hundreds of passengers who embarked on an 11-day cruise from Miami were returned to port on Jan. 4 after less than two days at sea because several dozen crew members got infected with...
Magnolia raises the bar on Wrangell's beauty needs
Darian Burley's Magnolia Beauty Bar serves comfort and grooming care with a lush pedicure massage chair, salon chair and mirror, a nail care table, and hair care items for sale. Burley offers...
Lady Wolves lose to alumni in hard fought game
From the start, the Wrangell High School girls basketball game against alumni players was fierce. It was evident from the moment the starting buzzer sounded last Friday that the alumni team came...
Troopers find mother who abandoned infant on New Year's Eve
JUNEAU (AP) — Authorities have located the mother of a baby found abandoned in a cardboard box in frigid conditions in Fairbanks last week. A unit within the state troopers that handles major cases identified and located the mother on Jan. 4, and s...