Articles from the March 16, 2022 edition
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School district shares budget gap outlook with assembly
With lower enrollment creating ongoing revenue shortfalls, the school district is seeking solutions and resources to close the persistent gap — particularly as one-time federal pandemic aid money will run out in two years. On March 7, members of t...
Winning plan for Malaspina would operate it as maritime museum
The state has started negotiations to sell the Malaspina to a company owned by a business that operates a new multimillion-dollar cruise ship terminal at Ward Cove in Ketchikan. M/V Malaspina LLC and the Alaska Department of Transportation “have a...
Wrangell awarded $2 million federal funding for upper reservoir project
Federal help for Wrangell’s ailing water delivery system will soon be flowing down the pipeline. Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced on Friday that the borough would be among the communities sharing in $230 million directed to Alaska projects in the $...
Borough receives patent on Zarembo land, part of 9,000 acres selected from state
A process that has dragged on for years for the borough to receive full ownership of about 9,000 acres of state land has reached another step. The borough, which has already received the patent for its state lands selection of 2,000 acres on Zarembo...
The Way We Were
March 16, 1922 So rapid has been the growth of the city library, established only a few months ago, that additional bookshelves were requested by the Library Board at the March meeting of the Civic Improvement Club. A box of fine reference books was...
State ferry system will return to Prince Rupert in June
After a 30-month absence due to a new federal requirement for armed customs agents and the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown of Canadian waters, the Alaska Marine Highway System is scheduled to resume limited service this summer to Prince Rupert, British...
Students portray Tlingit story of respect for women
Raven learned the hard way that you don't mess with women. High school and middle school students performed a shadowbox play of "Koodigwási Shaawát (Fogwoman)" on March 8 in honor of Women's H...
State misses the boat keeping proposals secret
There really isn’t a strong reason for the state to keep the proposals confidential until it closes a deal to sell — or give away — the state ferry Malaspina. The Department of Transportation promised exactly that when it advertised for offers on th...
Energy relief bidding could get out of hand
Many Alaskans will be hurting under $5-a-gallon gasoline, and rural residents who pay even higher prices will hurt even more. The state treasury, meanwhile, is flush with higher oil production tax and royalty checks, depositing tens of millions of...
Ortiz supports one-time energy relief check, higher capital budget
The House Finance Committee has released its proposed state budget, which includes funds for an energy relief check for every eligible Alaskan. The proposal comes from high and continuously rising energy costs, a concern that I have heard from you....
Baha'is invite public to celebrate advent of spring
Spring is in the air. The last little mounds of snow are melting. Packets of seeds are on my shopping list. Small birds have begun to appear at my feeder. We are breaking out of our cocoons. For Baha’is worldwide, March 21 coincides with the v...
State population estimate for Wrangell even lower than census
The U.S. Census Bureau and Alaska Department of Labor both say Wrangell has lost population, though the numbers don’t match other statistics. The Census Bureau last year said the community lost 242 residents, about 11%, between the 2010 and 2020 c...
Post-census survey finds higher undercount of minorities than 2010
Black, Hispanic and American Indian residents were missed at higher rates than a decade ago during the 2020 census, according to a report released last Thursday that evaluated how well the once-a-decade head count tallied every U.S. resident. Even...
Busy schedule doesn't keep Jake Eastaugh from returning to the mat
It's hard to pin down senior Jake Eastaugh. Between a full schedule of work and school, the 18-year-old found time to complete his senior project by combining it with something he loves: Wrestling....
Elders light up the board with winter bingo games
Sunlight streamed in through the windows of the Wrangell Senior Center where a handful of elders gathered after lunch last Wednesday to play bingo until "blackout" - the second such gathering since th...
Borough submits archeological work plan for former Institute property
It’s looking like April for archeological field work to start at the former Institute property — or so the borough hopes — as it awaits a response from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the State Historic Preservation Office on a draft plan submi...
Borough contracts for appraisal of former hospital building
Regard Recovery Centers, a Fort Lauderdale-based for-profit substance abuse treatment chain that has expressed interest in the former Wrangell hospital, has been waiting on a commercial appraisal of the building — and last week the borough said i...
Court clerk sworn in as deputy magistrate for Wrangell
Wrangell once again has a deputy magistrate for the first time in just over a year. The post hasn't been filled since Leanna Nash retired in January 2021 after 22 years. Sheri LaDawn Ridgeway was swor...
Parks and rec department proposes lifeguard pay increase
The parks and recreation department wants to hire and retain lifeguards at the pool, and is asking the borough assembly to amend the current wage classification so as to offer more competitive salaries. People shy away, Director Kate Thomas said,...
Updated cruise ship calendar shows almost 19,000 berths
The borough released its updated cruise ship calendar on March 9, with ships reflecting a capacity for 18,777 passengers this summer, up from 17,170 in a Jan. 19 draft calendar. That’s an increase of 1,607 in berth capacity for potential visitors a...
Canada reopens its waters to cruise ship traffic
Canada’s Minister of Transport has announced that cruise ships are again welcome at the nation’s ports, starting April 6. The COVID-19 pandemic stopped all cruise ship traffic in 2020 as Canada closed its waters, and the revenue hit was sub...
Governor, state senators support suspension of motor fuel tax
Gov. Mike Dunleavy and Alaska state senators said Friday they support legislation to temporarily suspend the state’s 8-cents-a-gallon tax on gasoline and also taxes marine and aviation fuels for one year, in an attempt to reduce the hit of rising f...
Applications open for mortgage assistance program
Applications are now being accepted for a federally funded financial assistance program for Alaska homeowners. Applications will be accepted through April 4 by the Alaska Housing Finance Corp., which is administering the $50 million program to help...
Kenai-Matanuska Republican ticket forms to run against Dunleavy
KENAI (AP) — Republican Charlie Pierce, Kenai Peninsula Borough mayor, has picked the chair of the Alaska Parole Board, Edie Grunwald, of the Matanuska Valley, to be his running mate as he campaigns for the governor’s job. Grunwald previously ran...
Lady Wolves win Southeast, head to state tournament this week
In perhaps their toughest competition this season, the Lady Wolves high school basketball squad proved why they're the top Division 2A team in Southeast by beating both Haines and Metlakatla last week...
