Articles from the June 2, 2016 edition


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  • Brian Gilbert fundraiser brings in $30K for hospital

    Dan Rudy|Jun 2, 2016

    Nearly $30,000 was raised by the hospital's foundation dinner and golf tournament on May 28. After covering costs, proceeds from the Wrangell Medical Center Foundation's annual fundraiser will go toward its cancer care and scholarship fund. "We did better than last year on the auction," explained WMC's development coordinator Kris Reed. At the Nolan Center on Saturday evening, auctioneer Steven Talbot led the proceedings, which included both a silent and live component. Guests bid on a number... Full story

  • Wrangell resident earns five medals in shooting tourney

    Dan Rudy|Jun 2, 2016

    A Wrangell resident brought back a number of top prizes from one of the world's largest muzzle loading shooting competitions. Don Roher was one of four men competing for Alaska's team at the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association's 25th annual Western National Shoot in March. Held just north of Phoenix, the week-long tournament drew 180 competitors from across the country and beyond. "These are the best of the western United States," Roher said. The state almost didn't have a team to send... Full story

  • P&Z denies pot appeal, approves zoning recommendations

    Dan Rudy|Jun 2, 2016

    Meeting in a special session last week, Wrangell’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved a recommendation to the Assembly for changes to a local ordinance allowing for various classes of cannabis-related businesses. The recommendations follow several meetings the commission has held over the past couple of months to determine which activities licensed by the state would be appropriate for which zones. The memorandum approved on May 26 recommends updates to the city’s zoning regulations, which currently do not take marijuana processing or cul... Full story

  • The Way We Were

    Jun 2, 2016

    June 6, 1941: Samuel R. Privett, a resident of Wrangell since 1927, has taken over the Union Oil dealership here. He succeeds Edward J. Bradley, who has been the dealer here for seven years, said he would be selling heating oil as an independent dealer. Privett, who has been associated with the logging industry during his fourteen years in Alaska, took over the dealership last Friday. He is being assisted in the operation by Jimmy Early. June 6, 1966: Wrangell will have its first backout next Wednesday night. Following a conference with...

  • Correction:

    Jun 2, 2016

    In last week’s edition of the Sentinel, information was brought to light about two of the scholarships received by Wrangell students. The WMC Foundation scholarship is paid for through its educational fund, separate from the Cancer Care fund. And the Patricia Roppel Memorial Scholarship is provided by husband Frank Roppel and Wrangell Friends of the Museum. We regret the errors....

  • Police reports

    Jun 2, 2016

    Monday, May 23 Nothing to Report. Tuesday, May 24 Citations for Dog at Large, License Required and Objectionable Animal issued to Kayla Gillen, 25. Driving Complaint. Agency Assist. Wednesday, May 25 Traffic Stop: Verbal warning given for improper display of tags. Citizen Assist: Unlocked vehicle. Found wallet: Owner came in and claimed it. Suspicious Driving. Thursday, May 26 Unlocked Vehicle. Possible MCA unfounded. Unlocked Vehicle. Friday, May 27 Traffic Stop: Verbal warning given for driving habits. Citation for Failure to Provide Proof...

  • Obituary: Gregory Gene Scheff, 61

    Jun 2, 2016

    Gregory Gene Scheff, 61, died in a devastating plane accident April 8, 2016 on Admiralty Island, near Angoon, Alaska on route to a survey job at the Alaska Marine Highway Terminal. Greg was born in Crosby, N.D. to Claude and Delila Scheff on February 18, 1955. Greg met Deborah in Hyder, Alaska in 1989. They were married in Wrangell, Alaska on December 9, 1993. Together the couple purchased the M/V Lady Ferrell and made it their home. Lady Ferrell was a well-known vessel in Southeast Alaska. Lady... Full story

  • Dan's Dispatch

    Representative Dan Ortiz|Jun 2, 2016

    Congratulations to our 2016 Wrangell High School graduates. You truly deserve to be proud of your achievement. Alaska is an exciting location for ambitious graduates in the beginning chapters of their lives. It is the frontier of our country’s future. Jobs never before dreamed are being created right here. There are opportunities for new industry in Alaska, from the Arctic passage to rainforest ecotourism. Our tried and true fishing industry and its elements are oft-debated, but it is lively and reliable due to our excellent public m...

  • Letters to the Editor

    Jun 2, 2016

    To the Editor: I think that with the state of the economy locally, the US, and around the world that it is a really bad time to raise rates in the harbor. Empty stalls do not bring in revenue if the big boats leave. Those who have to stay are our friends and neighbors. I think the economy is going into a deflationary depression. Just look at the interest rates at about 0 and the negative rates in Japan and Europe. Look at Puerto Rico, Chicago, Detroit and prices for oil, corn, gold, etc. A couple examples I think show overpricing are small boat...

  • Stikine Middle School Honor Roll

    Jun 2, 2016

    Principals Honor Roll: Laura Helgeson, Jing O’Brien, Jade Balansag, Liana Carney, Sophie O’Brien. Honor Roll: Madison Blackburn, Hannah Brown, Karri Buness, John Buness, Kaylyn Easterly, Tasha Massin, Trevor Miller, Hunter Wiederspohn, Jacob Dow, Aaliyah Messmer, Bruce Smith, Samantha Acuna, Jimmy Baggen, Jamie Early, Daniel McIntyre, Elizabeth McIntyre, Tyson Messmer, Mercedes Morgan, Ryan Rooney. Honorable Mention: Caitlin Cooper, Adriana Larrabee, Skylar Larrabee, Tate Miller, Sean Rooney, Hank Voltz, Terra Hoyt, Logan Ritchie, Alex Roo...

  • City replacing power poles, keeping eye out for power backup options

    Dan Rudy|Jun 2, 2016

    The city power department has begun upgrading Wrangell’s power infrastructure, focusing on priorities approved by the Borough Assembly in March. The upgrades are expected to be part of a long and expensive process, estimated to cost between $3 million and $3.65 million over five years by consultants at Electric Power Systems. Fixes include replacing aging poles along Church Street, Case Avenue, Zimovia Highway and Cow Alley, and replacing the existing H structure and substation supporting the grid. “The guys have been hard at it,” said Wrangell...

  • Local Lions Club discontinuing after half-century

    Dan Rudy|Jun 2, 2016

    After 48 years of service to the community, Wrangell's chapter of the Lions Club will be wrapping up its operations this summer. "It's a sad story," said Janet Strom, speaking for the club. "We don't have the membership and we don't have the volunteers that we used to." Perhaps best known for its collection and refurbishment of glasses, the Lions Club is an organization based around the premise of community service, which takes on different forms as needed from one to the next. Over the last...

  • City excited about accelerated school proposal

    Dan Rudy|Jun 2, 2016

    At its May 24 meeting, the Borough Assembly learned of a possible development in the works for Wrangell’s Institute property. City Manager Jeff Jabusch explained he was currently in contact with the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP), an accelerated learning program aimed at Alaskan high schoolers. ANSEP launched its Acceleration Academy in 2009, in part to address a longstanding problem Alaska’s university system has been experiencing with chronic remediation of incoming students. Compared to peers elsewhere in the cou...

  • Winning the big money

    Jun 2, 2016

  • Fish Factor

    Laine Welch|Jun 2, 2016

    The budget impasse with Alaska legislators is wreaking havoc on salmon fisheries across the state, and the industry is bracing for the possibility of a complete shutdown in some regions. If lawmakers can’t agree on a budget by June 1, all state workers will be on notice for layoffs starting July 1. That includes 750 full-time and seasonal workers in the commercial fisheries division, many of whom are the boots on the ground for salmon management. “The word that comes to my mind is catastrophic,” said Scott Kelley, director of the state comme...

  • ADFG announces new king salmon sport conditions

    Jun 2, 2016

    The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced on Tuesday that modified king salmon sport fishing regulations that have been in effect for Wrangell and Petersburg’s District 8 are rescinded. As of this morning, the increased sport fishing opportunity for the district has come to an end, bringing regulations back in line with those of the wider Southeast region. Under the regulations, an Alaska resident permit-holder can bag and possess a limit of three king salmon, of 28 inches or greater in length. Nonresidents are limited to one king s...

  • Building for Alaska museum, library archives set to open

    Jun 2, 2016

    JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – A new state museum, library and archives building is opening in Juneau, a project years in the making and one of the last major buildings to be constructed by the state before the oil crash plunged Alaska into a deep deficit. The sleek, bright and airy facility is located at the site of the old museum downtown. It is named for the late Father Andrew P. Kashevaroff, who became the first curator of the Alaska Territorial Library and Museum in 1920, according to state Sen. Dennis Egan, who sponsored the law naming the b...

  • SEC releases new five-year plan

    Dan Rudy|Jun 2, 2016

    An economic plan surveying the coming five years was adopted this week by Southeast Conference. The Southeast Alaska 2020 Economic Plan released on Tuesday looks at various economic and demographic trends in the region and lays out targets for improvement. The plan also highlights the importance of sound economic planning in light of impending cuts to federal and especially state government spending in coming years. The economic plan is the result of a year-long collaborative process in which more than 400 regional leaders were consulted....

  • Dead whale found on bow of cruise ship entering Alaska port

    Jun 2, 2016

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – A veterinary pathologist worked Monday to determine what killed a juvenile fin whale discovered on the bow of a cruise ship entering an Alaska port. The cause of death was not immediately apparent for the endangered whale spotted just after 5 a.m. Sunday on the bulbous bow of the Zaandam, a Holland America Line cruise ship, as it prepared to dock in Seward. The carcass was towed to a beach near Seward, a spokeswoman for the fisheries section of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Julie Speegle, said M...