Articles from the July 27, 2022 edition
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 27
Borough considers whether to borrow money for building repairs
The borough assembly is considering whether to seek voter approval to sell $10.5 million in bonds for the first phase of rehab work at the rot-damaged 35-year-old Public Safety Building, and $4.5 million in bonds to help pay for roof, siding and boil...
Financial help available for licensed child care providers
More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, parents across Alaska are still struggling with long wait lists, high costs and limited capacity at child care centers. Federal grant funds administered by the state and a child care nonprofit are...
Almost 1 in 5 state jobs are vacant as hiring struggle gets worse
The top employees of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. are some of the highest-paid public workers in Alaska, but with wages rising across the country and employers competing for skilled labor, even the $80 billion Permanent Fund is struggling to keep...
Moose sculpture drifts to new home at Alaska Waters
It would be hard to miss a nearly 7-foot moose in downtown Wrangell. Such is the case with a new addition in front of the Alaska Waters and 56 North storefront. A driftwood statue of a moose gifted...
The Way We Were
July 20, 1922 It is safe to say that no governmental activity has contributed so much to the growth and development of Southeast Alaska as road building, and none has contributed more to the pleasure of those living here. The government roads...
BearFest promises full schedule of workshops, food, music and more
From Wednesday through Sunday, the schedule for BearFest is loaded with something for all ages, whether games and art workshops or food and educational symposiums. Since the event is focused on...
Borough should help with child care efforts
Few would dispute that Wrangell needs affordable, dependable child care services. The lack of child care keeps parents away from filling the long list of job vacancies around town and, when their kids are sick, can keep them away from the jobs they...
Checks get bigger with unlimited campaign donations
Inflation smacks drivers in the wallet when they fill up the tank, punches shoppers in the stomach when they load up a grocery cart, and brings travelers down to Earth when they want to buy an airline ticket. The public complains loudly about rising...
Biden needs to look to Alaska for oil and gas
After saying Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was a pariah for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, President Joe Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia to engage with the Arab world. I believe his priorities are out of touch with most...
Wrangell businesses in the running for $25,000 start-up prize
Two businesses based in Wrangell and one looking to be based here are among a dozen Southeast finalists for a pair of $25,000 cash prizes. Path to Prosperity, a competition for small businesses and start-ups in Southeast, announced 12 finalists, two...
Tlingit & Haida behavioral health services reaches out across Southeast
In November of last year, Tlingit & Haida Community and Behavioral Services opened a healing center in Juneau to provide care to tribal citizens and other Alaska Natives. At the time, care was provided through Zoom Health or over the phone. The...
No surprise, rain brings up water levels at reservoir
After mostly dry weather in June and early July, the more typical rain of late has helped refill the community’s water reservoirs. The lower reservoir was looking pretty low around the Fourth of July and the borough was looking to start siphoning w...
Borough continues toward dam stabilization project
A planned project to stabilize Wrangell’s upper water reservoir dam is contingent on finding out just how stable the dam is. Core drilling is necessary to determine the materials and density of the dam which is built of a log-crib core covered...
COVID cases among non-residents aboard ships highest all summer
The COVID-19 case count in Wrangell dropped last week to less than half the number of the previous week, but the infection numbers for cruise ship travelers to Alaska was double the rate of the previous four weeks. A highly infectious variant of the...
Statewide teachers shortage gets worse every year
Bobby Bolen is trying to fill around 50 teaching positions at the North Slope Borough School District. “This is our focus 24 hours a day right now — to get classrooms staffed for students,” Bolen said. Bolen is the brand-new human resources dir...
New law could lead to shellfish hatcheries in Alaska
Shellfish hatcheries could be in Alaska’s future, under legislation recently signed into law. The measure allows the Department of Fish and Game to manage shellfish enhancement and restoration projects. Restoration projects are designed to bring a...
Petersburg basketball player gets his wish and shoots hoops with NBA star
Joseph Tagaban is excited to suit up for the Petersburg High School basketball team this winter as a sophomore. A year ago, that was anything but a certainty. In December 2020, Tagaban was diagnosed w...
Haines commercial longliners pull in 425-pound halibut
Three Haines commercial fishermen caught a 425-pound halibut measuring 91 inches in length. “It was just an epic fish,” said fisherman Cole Thomas, who hooked the fish with his father and captain Bill Thomas and friend Jeff Wackerman. “This...
State sues federal government over polluted lands transferred to Native corporations
The state has sued the U.S. Department of the Interior in an attempt to hold the federal government responsible for the identification of thousands of polluted sites on land given to Alaska Native corporations. A complete inventory is a first step...
Governor will sign tribal recognition bill into law
Gov. Mike Dunleavy will sign a bill giving state recognition to Alaska’s 229 federally recognized Native tribes, the Alaska Federation of Natives said last week. In a ceremony scheduled for this Thursday, the governor will also sign bills creating...
Record harvest in Bristol Bay and the opposite along the Yukon
For Alaska salmon fishing, the summer of 2022 is the best of times and the worst of times. In the Bristol Bay region, the sockeye salmon run and harvest amounts set new records, as was predicted in the preseason forecast. As of July 18, the run had t...
Dunleavy ahead of Walker in fundraising in final weeks before primary
Incumbent Gov. Mike Dunleavy has raised more money than any other candidate in this year’s Alaska governor’s race over the past five months and is heading toward the Aug. 16 primary election with more cash in his campaign war chest than his chall...
Police report
Monday, July 18 Attempted unlawful contact. Tuesday, July 19 Agency assist: Ambulance. Citizen assist: Medication disposal. Welfare check. Noise complaint. Wednesday, July 20 Agency assist: Fire Department. Found property. Jail incident. Subpoena...
Pope apologizes for 'evil' committed against Canada's Indigenous peoples
MASKWACIS, Alberta (AP) — Pope Francis issued a historic apology Monday for the Catholic Church’s cooperation with Canada’s “catastrophic” policy of Indigenous residential schools, saying the forced assimilation of Native peoples into...
Murkowski has huge fundraising lead over Tshibaka
Incumbent Lisa Murkowski has a dominant fundraising advantage over challenger Kelly Tshibaka in the U.S. Senate race. In the race for U.S. House, Nick Begich enjoys a big cash-on-hand advantage despite raising the least of the three main contenders...