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Wrangell businesses and nonprofits received more than $8 million in federal and state CARES Act funds last year. "It absolutely made a difference, but it still wasn't enough," said Carol Rushmore, Wrangell's economic development director. "It's not making them whole, by any means," Rushmore said Jan. 14. "There are some businesses really hurting." For many businesses that rely on tourism, there is hope that visitor traffic will pick up this year. "We will see visitors coming to help," but short...
The borough will randomly select one resident each month for a one-month rebate of their residential electricity costs. The new program is called "2021: Wrangell's Year of Hope." "We know this is going to be a hard year economically. This program offers a small amount of relief," Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen said in her write-up presenting the idea to the assembly. Assembly members approved the program Jan. 12. "Given the community's economic situation there is great value in the borough...
The borough assembly accepted the resignation of member Julie Decker at its Jan. 11 meeting. Decker has served on the assembly for seven years. Her letter of resignation explained she is stepping away from the position to grieve the loss of her two children. Sig and Helen Decker, 21-years-old and 19-years-old, died in a car accident in Petersburg last July. The tragedy shocked the community, which came together to support the Deckers, to mourn, and to remember Sig and Helen. Decker said that...
Levels of a disinfectant byproduct in Wrangell's water supply are still a little above federal standards, the municipality reported Jan. 11, but are in decline. The presence of haleocetic acids (HAA5) were announced in late September. The levels were triple federal Environmental Protection Agency standards in the regular quarterly test in August, then down to double the standard in a special test in October, the city reported. November's test sample for HAA5 came in at 70 parts per billion...
Run for office is the answer, not a recall To the editor: The Jan. 14 Sentinel had an article stating that a group of people in Wrangell want to recall Mayor Steve Prysunka because of the mask mandate. The mask mandate was approved by the borough assembly and the mayor, so Prysunka was not solely responsible for the decision. Perhaps the non-mask group would like to recall the borough assembly and the mayor. In that case, I would expect to see members of the recall group run for assembly and may...
It's no secret that the state of Alaska is short of enough revenues to provide the services its communities need. And until the legislature, the governor and members of the public make hard decisions about taxes and the size of the Permanent Fund dividend, there will not be much state money available to flow to cities and boroughs for construction and repair projects. However, there is always a chance of political compromise that could create opportunities for dealing with backlogged...
Acknowledging Alaska's shortage of money, the Wrangell Borough Assembly has put together a list of priority projects for state funding "should the fiscal climate change." Until then, "(the city) understands there is little to no availability of funding for local capital needs," said the backup material for the assembly workshop Jan. 12 to compile state and federal legislative priorities for 2021-2022. In putting together the list - just in case money becomes available -the assembly considered...
The social-distancing protocols of the pandemic severely cut into their petition signature gathering efforts last year, but now the Recall Dunleavy group wants to reengage Alaskans and win a spot on the ballot. The group, which started its effort in July 2019, held a virtual press conference Jan. 19 to start a renewed push to reach the 71,252 signatures of registered voters to force a statewide special election to recall Gov. Mike Dunleavy. The group already has close to 50,000 signatures, and...
"Wrangell has become a center for vessel repair and services with the help of local investment and community support," said the United Fishermen of Alaska's 2020 annual report "Commercial Fishing Facts." The Wrangell boatyard is in its 15th year, and though the pandemic's economic hit to the fishing industry slowed down its business, the community facility continues to get noticed. "We've got a really diverse bunch of skills out there," said Wrangell Harbormaster Steve Miller. In addition to...
The Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium is encouraging the public to register for their COVID-19 vaccination shot, as the latest allotment of doses has arrived and more will be on the way. SEARHC is providing vaccines first to people at least 65 years old and to frontline essential workers, according to a Jan. 19 press release. However, anyone can register regardless of where they fit in the availability sequence for their community, and they will be notified when their turn comes up. Mo...
Wrangell schools were continuing to experience internet connection problems as of Tuesday afternoon, after first alerting the public to the trouble in a Facebook post last Friday. Internet and phone systems were affected, according to the post, as was Monday's school board meeting, which endured connection issues at several points through the meeting between board members. According to information on the district's website, a router died. "The primary router for Wrangell Public Schools died...
The event is a month later than most years and COVID-19 safety rules will make it different too, but the goal is the same: Wrangell youth trying to score in the annual Elks Hoop Shoot on Saturday. The competition is set to start at the community center gym at 10 a.m. for 9-year-old boys and girls, 11:30 a.m. for 10 and 11-year-olds, and 1 p.m. for 12 and 13-year-olds. Event organizers are asking kids to arrive 15 minutes early to register. Every participant will be given his or her own...
The Wrangell Lady Wolves are preparing for a truly unique basketball season this year. Not only has COVID-19 required the high school to create mitigation plans to keep players safe, but the team has had to get creative to find enough players to even form a team. However, after decisions by the state school sports association and the school board to ease the eligibility rules, the season will move forward for the girls' team. Christy Good is head coach for the Lady Wolves this year, her first...
The first ship built for what would become Alaska's state ferry system sank Jan. 13 in a windstorm and dock collapse in Anacortes, Washington, where the decommissioned Chilkat had been moored to a concrete floating pier. The ship sank about 85 miles north of Tacoma, where it was built in 1957 at a cost of about $300,000 to provide daily service between Juneau, Haines and Skagway. When Alaska entered the union on Jan. 3, 1959, the Chilkat became the first Alaska state ferry, later joined by four...
The single biggest hit to fishermen from the COVID-19 virus is lower dock prices, according to Alaska and West Coast harvesters, and 98% said their businesses have been badly bashed by the pandemic. That's based on survey results compiled by Ocean Strategies, a public relations firm that focuses on fisheries that helped profile the Pacific region for a larger federal study. Nearly 400 fishermen responded to the short, confidential survey launched last November, said senior consultant Hannah...
JUNEAU (AP) - A proposal to split the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services into two organizations has been criticized by health care workers, social service organizations and tribal governments. Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced the reorganization plan last month, saying the department had become too large and its administration too burdensome to operate as a single entity, the Juneau Empire reported Jan. 14. Dunleavy issued an executive order to establish the Department of Health and the Department of Family and Community Services. The...
HAINES – Mark Kelly, 50, manager of the Funny Farm lodge north of Haines relied on a weak Wi-Fi signal and his iPhone’s Siri voice command app to call for help after he was buried and pinned underneath a pile of snow, ice and firewood on Jan. 4. Kelly was listening to a podcast and collecting firewood to feed the boiler of the lodge on Mosquito Lake Road, 30 miles north of Haines, at around 11:30 p.m. Several feet of ice and snow had collected on the woodpile to the point that a cornice had developed. Kelly, a former heliski guide who has bee...
Monday, Jan. 11 Vacation check requested. Domestic violence order papers granted. Dog complaint. Failure to stop for a school bus. Tuesday, Jan. 12 Power outage. Citizen assist. Courtesy transport. Bear complaint. Disturbance. Minor in possession charge. Summons service. Citizen assist. Welfare check. Wednesday, Jan. 13 Disturbance. Subpoena service. Agency assist: Court. Agency assist: Fire. Thursday, Jan. 14 Citizen assist. Friday, Jan. 15 Theft of a firearm. Courtesy transport. Theft of services. Agency assist: Adult Protective Services....
JUNEAU (AP) - Sealaska Corp. has announced plans to get out of the logging business after more than 40 years. The Juneau-based Alaska Native corporation announced the change Jan. 11 in a sign of Southeast Alaska’s economic transition away from logging, CoastAlaska public radio reported. The transition is not expected to affect future profits or dividends, but is part of a long-term strategy to generate ``sustainable value’’ for shareholders, the corporation said. Sealaska CEO Anthony Mallott said in a statement that logging created value for t...
WASHINGTON (AP) — Companies in the oil and gas and other industries will not be held legally responsible for killing migratory birds as long as they did not mean to do it, the Trump administration said, drawing swift condemnation from animal welfare and conservation groups. The Interior Department rule change is a plus for oil and gas companies that sought weakened protections of birds in the administration’s waning days. The rule change came just two weeks before President-elect Joe Biden assumes the presidency, and on the heels of a new bip...
SEATTLE (AP) — More than two dozen Native American and Alaska Native tribes and cultural groups from the Northwest, along with the states of Washington and Oregon, are suing the federal government to stop the sale of the National Archives building in Seattle, a plan that would force the relocation of millions of invaluable historical records to California and Missouri. The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska is among the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, as is the Tanana Chiefs Conference from Interior Alaska. The g...
The coronavirus pandemic has taken away about a third of the nation’s commercial fishing industry’s revenue, according to a federal report released Jan. 15. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said revenues from catch brought to the docks by commercial fishermen fell 29% over the course of the first seven months of 2020. Revenues declined every month from March to July, including a 45% decrease in July, the report said. The NOAA report said the seafood industry at large has been hit hard by restaurant closures, soc...
A Wrangell resident arriving at the airport has tested positive for COVID-19 and is in isolation in town, the city announced today. The state reported the positive case in its statewide numbers on Monday, and Wrangell’s Unified Command was notified today. The city press release did not specify the date the individual was tested. The last COVID-19 positive case was reported by the city on Dec. 17. This week’s case brings to 28 the total number of Wrangell-related COVID-19 positives since the start of the pandemic. Of these, 18 have been in Wra... Full story
