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Being "The Last Frontier," Alaska has long been a crossroad for adventure. From the likes of John Muir, Susan Butcher and Jack London, that tradition continues with the arrival of modern-day travelers. Circling the globe in his sailboat, Guirec Soudée found a friendly harbor in Wrangell last week during a run of rough weather. Hailing from Brittany, a peninsular region in northwestern France, the 24-year-old sailor recently navigated the Arctic's Northwest Passage, accompanied only by his hen,...
Remaining members of the Borough Assembly revisited local nepotism rules, after member Stephen Prysunka tendered his resignation last month. In a letter explaining the decision, Prysunka said his daughter had applied for a lifeguarding job with the city, and as such felt he had a conflict of interest under the city’s code. The current reading had been updated in August 2013, and does not allow for the assembly, manager, or other figures of authority to appoint relatives to offices or positions of profit if within the second degree of relation o...
Local voters took to the polls Tuesday, putting an end to what was for many an overlong campaign season. Nationally, indications showed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to be ahead of Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, though by press time Tuesday final tallies were being calculated in half a dozen states. In Alaska, preliminary results from around the state were only just coming in from different precincts as of Tuesday night. In unofficial tallies for Wrangell voters, some 45 percent of registered voters turned out on Election...
November 23, 1916: The December run of king salmon in Wrangell harbor has begun a little earlier than usual this year. It has been an interesting sight during the past week to see the numerous fishing boats trolling in sight of the Wrangell waterfront. Fishermen catch from five to fifteen fish a day. The average weight of a king salmon is 25 pounds. Fishermen find ready sale for their fish in Wrangell at 5 cents a pound. The fish sold here are shipped to Prince Rupert and Seattle. Experienced fishermen predict an unusually large run of salmon...
The heads of two consolidating health providers appeared before the Wrangell City and Borough Assembly Tuesday evening to talk about upcoming plans and to answer any questions the assembly’s members might have about the transition. Last month Wrangell-based Alaska Island Community Services (AICS) announced it would be merging with larger organization SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC), a process expected to finalize in February 2017. AICS executive Mark Walker explained the move was necessitated by the provider’s growth. Sin...
Monday, October 31 Nothing to Report. Tuesday, November 1 Animal Complaint. Found Items. Driving Complaint. Wednesday, November 2 Agency Assist – DVO Service. Agency Assist – Harbor Department. Illegal Dumping. Thursday, November 3 Scam. Courtesy transport given. Friday, November 4 Vehicle Unlock. Agency Assist. Subpoena Served. Traffic stop verbal warning given for driving habits. Saturday, November 5 Agency Assist: DOT was notified of a small landslide. Parking Compliant – Vehicle was moved. Welfare Check. Sunday, November 6 Noise Compl...
Gerald Lee Hall, 73 died on Oct. 24, 2016. He was born on February 27, 1943, to Marion Louise and Glenn E. Hall, in Seattle, Washington. A year later his mother and dad divorced and his mother married Thomas C. Charlton, who in 1952 moved the family to Wrangell. Gerald attended school in Wrangell and graduated in 1962. He moved out on his own right after high school and he and Mel Gadd shared an apartment for awhile. He started work at the saw mill on the log pond. It was very hard work but he t... Full story
Sue (Susan) Linda (Almquist) Gabrinski, 63, died Oct. 16, 2016, with her family by her side. Sue fought colon cancer beginning in May 2013. Sue was born in Wrangell, Alaska on June 19, 1953. In 1954 the family moved back to Willmar, Minnesota. In 1975, she earned her degree in Special Education from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. While teaching in Petersburg, Alaska, she met and married Tom Grabinksi on Aug. 20, 1977. The family moved to Bozeman in the fall of 1979 and lived there until moving to Troy in 1991. Sue is survived... Full story
Stikine Middle School: Principals Honor Roll: Jade Balansag, Emma Martinsen, Samantha Acuna, Elizabeth McIntyre, Jimmy Baggen, Tyson Messmer, Liana Carney, Sophie O’Brien, Honor Roll: Paige Baggen, Aaliyah Messmer, Devlyn Campbell, Mercedes Morgan, Jacob Dow, Ryan Rooney, Jamie Early, Nikolai Siekawitch-Bardin, Jacen Hay, Bruce Smith, Daniel McIntyre, Leroy Wynne, Kendra Meissner, Honorable Mention: Brett Abrahamson, Brodie Garner, William Ashton, Ethan Blatchley, Terra Hoyt, Jayden Buhler, Alex Rooney, Randy Churchill, Logan Ritchie, C...
The summer visitor season appears to have improved slightly over the last year for Wrangell, according to data available through the city, state and private businesses. One indication of this has been collections of the city's transient occupancy tax, commonly called the "bed tax," a six-percent levy on room rates for local hotels, lodges and other accommodations. The Wrangell Chamber of Commerce has 17 of these listed, whose primary seasons and target markets vary. While sales tax data could...
Art students at the middle and high schools are throwing pottery with style, now that a new kiln was purchased. Stikine Middle School and Wrangell High School art teacher Anne Luetkemeyer explained the new addition to her classroom was financed thanks to proceeds from annual art auctions. Held in early December each year, students from her class pool together pieces and various works to sell during the annual Christmas concert. Saving for the past three years, the class raised the $3,800 needed...
As Alaska’s iconic halibut fishery wraps up this week, stakeholders are holding their breath to learn if catches might ratchet up slightly again in 2017. Meanwhile, prices for hard to get shares of the halibut catch are jaw-dropping. The halibut fishery ends on Nov. 7 for nearly 2,000 longliners who hold IFQs (Individual Fishing Quotas) of halibut. The Alaska fishery will produce a catch of more than 20 million pounds if the limit is reached by the fleet. Last year, the halibut haul was worth nearly $110 million at the Alaska docks. For the f...
Wrangell Senior Center is conducting a survey this month tracking Native elder health and social issues. The local surveying is a cooperative effort between Southeast Senior Services and Wrangell Cooperative Association. The results go to the National Resource Center on Native American Aging, which assesses the quality of life for elders across the United States. NRCNAA helps compile and prepare the results of the assessment, as well as provide assistance on how to best use that data. The survey focuses on individuals aged 55 and older, and...
Wrangell’s wrestlers took sixth place overall during the weekend’s annual tournament in Anchorage. The Lime Solar-Anchorage Christian Schools Invitational draws schools from around the state each year, many of them contenders for tops honors at State. Forty-six teams attended this year’s tournament, and Wrangell fielded one of the smaller rosters for teams making the top ten. Nine Wolves competed, with seven counting toward the team total for points. In the Varsity 98 bracket, Jonah Comstock bested Eielson High student Jolie Lucas in a 14-11...
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) – A California city manager has been selected to serve as the new manager for Alaska’s Ketchikan Gateway Borough. The Borough Assembly picked Ruban Duran for the job on Friday. He’s leaving his position as manager of the Southern California city of El Centro and will take over for the borough’s outgoing manager, Dan Bockhorst, on Dec. 19, The Ketchikan Daily News reported. Duran was chosen to manage the borough over two other candidates – Washington state-based municipal employee Robert Grumbach and Albert Scott, wh...
