Articles from the July 1, 2021 edition
Sorted by date Results 1 - 23 of 23
Wrangell B&Bs full with summer visitors
After a rough pandemic-closed year for the tourism industry nationwide, especially in visitor-dependent Alaska, businesses are starting to show signs of recovery. And that means guests filling up overnight accommodations in Wrangell after a dismal...
It's summer, so why not watermelons
Watermelon races in the pool, not watermelon eating contests. Thomas Rohr Wickman (from left), Lucas Stearns, Ryder Ritchie, Lilly Stearns and AJ Roundtree were part of Wrangell Parks and...
Businesses report heavy loss of revenue during pandemic
Wrangell businesses did better than those in Skagway but worse than their counterparts in the larger and more diversified economies of Juneau and Sitka during the economic shutdowns amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an online survey of...
Jason Rivers ties his love for fly-fishing into business
"Fly-fishing in general, I think, it's really hard to explain but everybody that I talk to about fly-fishing, that has fly-fished, they get it," Jason Rivers said. "It's really hard to explain to...
Legislature finishes budget but dividend fight will resume Aug. 2
The Alaska House avoided a government shutdown when it voted Monday for the state budget to take effect with the start of the new fiscal year today, though the political battles over state spending and the Permanent Fund dividend are far from over. G...
The Way We Were
June 30, 1921 A letter received from Col. Steese by Mayor Grant yesterday contains the necessary information about the road to the Standard Oil dock and reads as follows: Mr. J. G. Grant, Mayor, Wrangell, Alaska: As I wired you yesterday, we will...
All aboard for Spain
The heavy-lift vessel Red Zed I resurfaces with the former Alaska Marine Highway System fast ferries Chenega and Fairweather on its back last Friday in Tongass Narrows in front of Ketchikan. The Amak...
Editorial: Flexibility is good for borough budget
The borough is required to set the property tax rate for the next budget year that starts today, which it did. The rate will not change. And the borough is required to adopt a budget to guide its spending over the year, which it did, pretty much the...
From the publisher: News, opinion, advertising are all different
This week seems like a good time to explain to readers the different roles of a newspaper. In particular, this newspaper. Actually, any week would be a good time, as I am often reminded that many readers are confused at the different parts of a...
Letters to the Editor
Legislature finishes budget, but more to do The Alaska House of Representative was able to come together Monday for a final-passage vote of the state budget, averting a looming government shutdown. The budget totals $4.5 billion in state...
Borough wants to sell unused armory
The borough is selling the unused National Guard armory at 101 Second Ave. The armory was built in 1982 on land leased from the city, and the building was turned over to the borough when the Guard shu...
The triathlon is real, even if it is 'unofficial'
Try telling the competitors who swim 1.2 miles in open water, bike for 56 miles and run for 15 miles that they are “unofficial.” Nicholas Howell organized the inaugural Tongass ToughMan Triathlon in 2019 as an official event, but the COVID-19...
Silversea agrees to COVID protocols for cruise visits
With the arrival of the biggest cruise ship to call on Wrangell this summer a month away, the borough and the cruise company have settled on operating plans to help lessen any risk of spreading COVID-19 among passengers, crew and residents....
Find Your Adventure at Wrangell's 4th of July
Friday, July 2 3-on-3 Basketball: Start at 10 a.m. At the covered play area behind Evergreen Elementary School. Chairperson: Christie Good Art Clark Scrap Fish Derby: 11 a.m. City Dock Summer Float... PDF
Police report
Monday, June 21 Agency assist: Harbor Department. Traffic stop: Verbal warning for lumber hanging off the vehicle and into the other lane of traffic. Lost property. Agency assist: Alaska State Troopers. Traffic hazard: Verbal warning given to...
Patience and practice
Nate Rooney (left) practices his casting with help from Jason Rivers at the annual Family Fishing Day last Saturday at Pats Lake. Rivers, who taught kids and adults the basics of fly-fishing, was...
Effort underway to bring back Coast Guard Auxiliary
It’s been about 25 years since Wrangell had a U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary detachment — and Liz Buness wants to bring it back. She thought about the need while she was working aboard the state ferries for 16 years, vowing “when I retire, maybe...
Police remind public of pet regulations
Wrangell is a dog-friendly town. With easy access to the outdoors and places to explore, exercise and play, the island is a dog’s paradise. However, the Wrangell Police Department wants people to remember there are rules when it comes to their...
Governor offers Malaspina to the Philippines for free
JUNEAU (AP) - The state of Alaska is trying to dispose of a 58-year-old, unused ferry, and even has offered to give it free to the government of the Philippines. Gov. Mike Dunleavy offered to give away the Malaspina in a letter last month to the...
U.S. will investigate past oversight of Native boarding schools
The federal government will investigate its past oversight of Native American boarding schools and work to “uncover the truth about the loss of human life and the lasting consequences” of policies that over the decades forced hundreds of...
Former 2-term Alaska senator Gravel dies at 91
SEASIDE, Calif. (AP) — Mike Gravel, who served as a U.S. senator from Alaska 1969-1981 and who read the anti-Vietnam War Pentagon Papers into the Congressional Record, has died. He was 91. Gravel died last Saturday, according to his daughter,...
Alaska Native corporations win access to CARES Act funds
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled June 25 that Alaska Native corporations should benefit from hundreds of millions of dollars in disputed coronavirus relief funds, rather than be denied access and the money instead spread among Native American t...
Portland melts under record 116 degrees
SEATTLE (AP) - The hottest day of an unprecedented and dangerous heat wave scorched the Pacific Northwest on Monday, with temperatures obliterating records that had been set just the day before. Seattle hit 108 degrees Fahrenheit by evening. Portland...