Articles from the May 18, 2017 edition


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  • Boat yard picking up, picking out centenarian vessel

    Dan Rudy|May 18, 2017

    The sounds of a couple dozen projects can be heard coming from Wrangell's Marine Service Center, as commercial fishermen, pleasure boaters and other mariners finish work ahead of the busy summer season. Activity at the yard has heightened over the past six weeks, harbormaster Greg Meissner reported, following a steady but comparatively slower winter. The uptick is normal, however, with a little fewer than half of the boats lifted at the yard through the year moved during this final fiscal quarte...

  • Senior projects giving back to community in different ways

    Dan Rudy|May 18, 2017

    Senior students at Wrangell High School presented their end-of-year projects for parents, faculty and other passersby last week at the school gym. Twenty-four members of this year's graduating class worked on a variety of assignments to meet their core requirements. School activities director Bill Bradley explained the projects are self-driven, and encourage students to give back to the community as best they can. Projects are at least 25 hours each, which can be difficult to arrange when...

  • The Way We Were

    May 18, 2017

    May 31, 1917: The Memorial Day observance in Wrangell yesterday far surpassed that of any previous year. The people themselves were surprised at the success of the observance. The parade formed in front of the Redman’s hall and marched to the dock where the school children strewed flowers on the water in honor of the sailors dead, after which taps were sounded. The procession then marched to the rink where Memorial services were held. The attendance was good, there being between four and five hundred persons present. May 29, 1942: Ten Wrangell...

  • City capital requests top $1.4M

    Dan Rudy|May 18, 2017

    Wrangell’s Assembly mulled over a sizable list of capital priorities for the coming fiscal year Monday. There were 103 items on the list, which finance director Lee Burgess ranked from critical to moderate necessity. He recommended 20 of these requests be funded, 13 coming from the city’s General Fund in the amount of $594,000. Topping the list was an addressable fire alarm replacement for the Public Safety Building, as well as new heating system piping, roof repair and considerable siding repair. Together these four items would amount to $33...

  • Police reports

    May 18, 2017

    Monday, May 8 Civil Issue. Courtesy Transport. Tuesday, May 9 Vacation check requested. Agency Assist: NOAA seized salmon delivered to Senior Center. Unlock Vehicle. Report of Harassment. Wednesday, May 10 MVA: Officer responded to accident. Trespass: Warning given. Traffic Stop: Verbal warning for driving habits. Thursday, May 11 MVA: 911 Officer responded to car in ditch. Controlled Burn: Caller having controlled burn at their residence. Citation issued to Kathaleen Blackburn, 44, for speeding. Friday, May 12 Unsecured premises. Drug...

  • Correction:

    May 18, 2017

    In last week’s issue, it was mistakenly conveyed that Charley Seddon’s queen booth would sell breakfast every morning during the competition. Baked goods may be sold most Sundays....

  • Elementary school principal heading north

    Dan Rudy|May 18, 2017

    The school district has begun advertising for a new principal at Evergreen Elementary School, after its board accepted the resignation of current principal Deidre Jenson on Monday. Once the school year ends, Jenson said she will be heading north this summer with her husband, Joel. “We’re heading to Deering, Alaska,” she explained. There, Jenson will be a principal and special education instructor for the Northwest Arctic School District. Two of the Jensons’ children have already graduated, while arrangements are being made for a third to rema...

  • Wrangell resident brings home 14 shooting awards

    Dan Rudy|May 18, 2017

    By Dan Rudy Sentinel writer A Wrangell competitive shootist bested his own performance last year at the 26th annual Western National Shoot from February 28 to March 6. At the 2016 event, resident Don Roher took five different awards – a personal best – but this time around very nearly trebled that performance. “It was truly an amazing year,” he commented afterward. Hosted by the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility outside of Phoenix, Arizona, the competition is touted as one of the world’s largest f...

  • WML&P power pole replacement work continues

    Dan Rudy|May 18, 2017

    The next step in a five-year utility improvement process is wrapping up on Church Street. Work on Church Street’s power infrastructure is about one-third of the way through, Wrangell Municipal Light and Power superintendent Clay Hammer reported. “It’s the tough third,” Hammer added, serving the library and post office, as well as feeding much of the residences up the hill from them. Over the weekend the city collaborated with telecoms provider GCI to reroute the last of its cables on the street underground. The weighty cables have built u...

  • And they're off!

    May 18, 2017

  • Fish Factor: ​Alaska's seafood output increased slightly and dollar values held steady

    Laine Welch|May 18, 2017

    The U.S. seafood industry’s contribution to the nation’s economy sank a bit, while Alaska’s output increased slightly and dollar values held steady. An eagerly anticipated annual report released last week by NOAA Fisheries measures the economic impacts of U.S. commercial and recreational fisheries. It highlights values, jobs, and sales for 2015, along with a 10 year snapshot of comparisons. A second report provides the status of U.S. fish stocks for 2016. The Fisheries Economics Report shows that including imports, U.S. commercial fishi...

  • Wrangell Tribe hires new tourism coordinator

    Dan Rudy|May 18, 2017

    Wrangell Cooperative Association has created a new position for tourism development, hiring Rachel Moreno for the job. The move is one intended to better coordinate the Tribe’s participation in the visitor industry, a growing segment of the economy regionally despite declines in other sectors. According to state labor statistics, tourism accounted for nine percent of all employment earnings in Southeast for 2015. The sector made up about 17 percent of all jobs, and is currently the fastest-growing. About 500 average annual jobs were added last...

  • ANSEP receives $3M science foundation grant

    May 18, 2017

    The National Science Foundation announced this week the Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP) will be receiving a $3,000,000 research grant through the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program. Receiving $600,000 a year over the next five years, ANSEP will use the funding to conduct research aimed at better understanding the barriers to broadening participation in the STEM workforce. The grant will also fund a programmatic expansion across all three University of Alaska campuses. The goal is to increase the number...

  • Third ambulatory air service comes to SE Alaska

    May 18, 2017

    JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – A third air ambulance will be servicing a southeastern Alaska community. Juneau patients got a third option for their medical evacuation needs in early May, the Juneau Empire reported (http://bit.ly/2qjDGUS). LifeMed Alaska joins Airlift Northwest and Guardian as an air ambulance service in the area, a frequent stop for tourists. LifeMed Alaska has two Lear jets based in Juneau that can carry two patients each. Their medical team is experienced in pediatric, obstetric and neonatal care as well as adult care. LifeMed A...

  • National Guard closing down Wrangell armory

    Dan Rudy|May 18, 2017

    Troops were in town recently, decommissioning Wrangell’s National Guard armory on Bennett Street. Lt. Colonel Candis Olmstead of the state Army National Guard Public Affairs Office confirmed last week five soldiers from the 38th Troop Command, 297th Regional Support Group and Joint Forces Headquarters were in Wrangell on April 24 and 25. Additionally, on May 2 personnel from the Guard’s facilities and maintenance office were in town. Their purpose entailed the collection of materiel and disposing of unnecessary furniture and items. Once tha...