Articles from the May 4, 2022 edition
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Assembly approves 30% water rate hike; will show up in June bills
The borough assembly has approved a 30% boost to water rates effective May 1 instead of a 21% rate hike with additional smaller, staggered increases until 2026 originally suggested by staff. The assembly approved the increase April 26 after it...
Borough assembly considers $350,000 to replace underground fuel tanks
As borough staff finalize the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, the Capital Facilities Department is requesting $350,000 toward a fuel tank project to bring the high school and Public Safety Building into regulatory compliance by replacing...
Paddle workshop connects crafters with Native culture
For as long as the Tlingit people have built canoes, they have carved paddles. Just as there are many different sizes and styles of canoes for various purposes, paddles are created to be just as...
Vans art entry wins top 50 spot; students use social media to get votes
High school students were urged to use their smartphones and laptops during an assembly for once. It was announced last Monday that the painted and decorated shoes entered into the Vans Custom...
The Way We Were
May 11, 1922 The first interschool meet even held in Alaska came to a close on Monday evening. The first basketball game was held Wednesday afternoon, when the all stars of Wrangell defeated the Douglas team, 38-17. This initial victory for the local...
Worker shortage 'is real,' says state labor economist
Anyone who wants to get a pizza midweek at the Marine Bar or a steak or burger at the Elks Lodge knows that worker shortages have forced employers to reduce their days and cut back on offerings. “This worker shortage is real, and it’s not going awa...
Borough will apply for state loan toward new water treatment plant
The borough assembly has approved applying for a $3.8 million loan from the state to fund construction of a new water treatment plant, estimated to cost nearly $15.4 million. The borough has nearly $11.1 million in funding from two federal grants...
Bear cub found wandering Shoemaker Loop euthanized
A black bear cub seen wandering Shoemaker Loop off Zimovia Highway at 5.5 Mile last week was euthanized in Petersburg on April 24, a day after a state wildlife trooper and U.S. Forest Service officer captured it following several sightings by...
Truckload of mail burns up on its way to Kenai Peninsula
HOMER (AP) — A trailer containing mail intended for a dozen communities on the Kenai Peninsula caught fire and was destroyed, including all the contents. The driver of the truck hauling the trailer was not injured in the April 25 fire. The cause o...
It's hard to count to 11 in the Senate
The Permanent Fund dividend ranks among the most divisive issues in Alaska politics, along with such longstanding battles as oil taxes, salmon fisheries catch allocations and subsistence rights. Sadly, the dividend has grown in political importance...
The schools need more borough funding
Probably nothing is more important to the community than its school. Not just for educating students, but as a point of pride and center of activities, and a source of future workers needed to keep the town in business. Good schools also are an attra...
Assembly postpones decision for auction of old hospital
The borough assembly on April 26 postponed a vote to put the old hospital building up for online auction after assembly members raised the question if the $830,000 starting bid went up to or beyond the $1 million limit in the law for selling...
July 4th art contest draws inspiration from Stikine River
"A River Runs Through Us" is the theme chosen for this year's Fourth of July celebration in Wrangell, prompting event organizers to hold a first-ever art contest, with the winner's work being...
Little League opening day draws crowd, pits Rays against Sharks
The community turned out for Little League opening day last Saturday, with two Wrangell teams going head-to-head in a spirited game at the Volunteer Park ballfields. Minor league teams the Rays and...
End of federal COVID emergency could end Medicaid for thousands of Alaskans
Thousands of Alaskans could lose Medicaid benefits as soon as July, when the federal government’s COVID-19 health emergency is expected to end. Alaska’s state health officials face the daunting task of combing through pandemic-swollen Medicaid rolls...
Alaska distributor loses 5 million honeybees in airfreight reroute
About 5 million honeybees bound for Alaska got waylaid when Delta Air Lines routed them through Atlanta, where most of the bees died after being left for hours in crates on the ground during hot weather. The bees were the first of two shipments...
Rising costs force developer to cancel new boat haul-out in Sitka
A developer has notified Sitka that high construction costs have caused the partnership to withdraw its proposal to build a new boatyard and haul-out. Sitka's last haul-out operator, Halibut Point...
Senate committee questions definition of sportfishing guide
Legislation to restore and increase the state licensing fee on sportfishing guides and operators ran into problems in the Senate Finance Committee last week, as lawmakers questioned why out-of-state boat owners who bring up guests are not required...
Assembly requires owners pay for disposing of derelict boats
The borough assembly at its April 26 meeting approved an ordinance to hold boat owners liable for disposing of derelict vessels, after the port commission passed a resolution at its April 7 meeting requesting the change. The change to municipal code...
Senator wants Alaska to set up its own flood insurance program
Alaska property owners have paid more than four times as much in premiums than they received back in claims under the National Flood Insurance Program going back to 1980. “It’s kind of ugly,” Lori Wing-Heier, the state’s insurance division directo...
Governor continues to push for larger dividend
JUNEAU (AP) — Gov. Mike Dunleavy last Thursday reiterated his push for payments of at least $3,700 to residents this year, with the legislative session in its last weeks and the size of the annual dividend check paid to residents still unresolved. T...
House Republicans boot controversial member from their caucus
Alaska House Republicans have removed Rep. David Eastman from their caucus, citing tensions with the controversial Wasilla Republican that have built up over time. The decision comes with less than three weeks left in the legislative session that beg...
Police report
Monday, April 25 Agency assist: Ambulance. Citizen report: Driving under the influence. Parking: Car had run out of gas and will be moved. Agency assist: Ambulance requested. Tuesday, April 26 Agency assist: Ambulance requested. Citizen assist:...
Rose May Offley Shilts Sundberg dies at 92
Rose May Offley Shilts Sundberg, 92, passed away on Jan. 4, 2022, in Wrangell. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Rose was born in Vargas, Minnesota, on May 31, 1929. She moved to Wra... Full story
Legislature considers whether state should take over wetlands permitting
JUNEAU (AP) — Alaska lawmakers are considering a request by Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration that the state take over part of a federal environmental permitting program for development in wetlands, though some members of the Senate's budget-writin...
