Articles from the December 4, 2014 edition


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  • School program building better builders

    Dan Rudy|Dec 4, 2014

    Students taking vocational instruction courses at Wrangell Public Schools have been making use of some exciting new pieces of equipment. Under instructor Drew Larrabee, the shop's new Universal Laser, 3D printer and computer numerical control (CNC) router should broaden students' future prospects. These devices incorporate traditional craftsmanship with computer technology and are effectively setting a new course for industrial production. The laser-cutter can make precise cuts in wood with...

  • Salard trial date moved to February

    Dan Rudy|Dec 4, 2014

    The trial of Greg Salard has been pushed back by seven weeks to Feb. 23, 2015, following a request for delay by his defense attorney. Originally set for Jan. 5, Salard's federal defense attorney Cara McNamara wanted the jury trial's date moved so an expert in computer forensics can review the evidence gathered by prosecutors. The former physician is facing two felony counts of sexual exploitation of a child after being arrested at his Wrangell home Oct. 15 by state, local and federal law...

  • Local kids drop rocks at Elks annual shoot

    Dan Rudy|Dec 4, 2014

    With the extended Thanksgiving weekend in full swing, the local Elks' annual Hoop Shoot had a reasonable turnout on Friday. Eighteen girls and 11 boys between the ages of 8 and 13 came down to try their hands at the best-of-25 free throw. The kids took their shots at the Community Center gym in the morning, with 8 and 9 year olds throwing from 11 feet out and the rest shooting from the free throw line. Every participant received a new basketball and were treated to a hamburger lunch at the Elks...

  • Snowman smilin'

    Dec 4, 2014

  • The Way We Were

    Dec 4, 2014

    In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. December 3, 1914: There have been several complaints made by citizens in regard to the unsafe conditions of the sidewalks as a result of throwing water thereon by the young people of the town in their desire to facilitate sleighing - in the interest of public safety, this must be stopped. The Clatowa came in Tuesday from a trip to the fishing grounds and brought back 11 boxes of fine salmon for C.M. Coulter. The fishing here is holding out remarkably well and all of the fishermen are making good...

  • Courts

    Dec 4, 2014

    Monday, November 17 Michael Maleski appeared before First District Judge Kevin Miller on charges of Petition to Revoke Probation. After a hearing, the court found the defendant violated conditions of his probation and were modified as follows: he was ordered to pay the suspended $100 jail surcharge, ordered to pay the $1500 of suspended fine and all other terms and conditions of probation in the original judgment remain in effect. Tuesday, November 18 Troy Winchester appeared in court and pled guilty for Hunting Seasons and Bag Limits for...

  • Police reports

    Dec 4, 2014

    Monday, November 24 Dog at Large. Lost Wallet. Citizen Assist: Unlock Vehicle. Phone Harassment. Possible DUI/Unfounded. Tuesday, November 25 Agency Assist. Possible Theft Unfounded. Wednesday, November 26 Nothing to Report. Thursday, November 27 Abandoned Vehicle: Notice posted on vehicle. Friday, November 28 Traffic Stop: Citation issued to Donald Sorric, 52, for Failure to Provide Insurance and verbal warning for driving habits. Illegal parking citation issued to Daniel Eklund, 27, for Illegal parking at airport.Citizen Assist: Unlock...

  • Hoisting the holiday tree

    Dec 4, 2014

  • Obituary: Ethelwyn Esther Schwartz, 103

    Dec 4, 2014

    Ethelwyn (Teddy) Esther Schwartz, 103, passed this life peacefully on November 30, 2014 in Portland, Ore. She was born in Mansfield, Wash. on June 20, 1911 to William and Goldie Haynes. Her brothers were Norman, Dude and Howard Haynes. She grew up in Anacortes, Wash. and married Ronald (Mutt) T. Schwartz in 1929 in Seattle, Wash. She raised her family in Anacortes until 1943 when she moved, with her family, to Wrangell, Alaska during WWII for war effort work in the Alaska fish canneries. In 1954...

  • Snow a reminder to use winter sense

    Dan Rudy|Dec 4, 2014

    Autumn came to a sudden end as a low pressure system swept Southeast over the weekend, bringing a heaping helping of snow to Wrangell. Forecasters with the National Weather Service issued a weekend winter storm warning Saturday for Juneau, Petersburg, Wrangell and Hyder. A low pressure system pushed across the Gulf of Alaska, bringing warm, moist air into the area and creating the potential for blizzard conditions. In Juneau and Petersburg, about ten inches of snowfall was recorded over the...

  • More cash for icy Iditarod race winners

    Dec 4, 2014

    ANCHORAGE (AP) – The world’s most famous sled dog race is putting more cold cash into the hands of its top mushers.The winner of next year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race will pocket $70,000, which is $19,600 more than what the top musher received this year, Stan Hooley, the race’s chief executive officer, said Tuesday. The overall purse is increasing by $50,000, and that additional prize money will be distributed to the top five finishers. He expects this development to increase the intensity of competition among race leaders. “Our goal is t...

  • TAC members identify common ground in timber transition

    Mary Koppes|Dec 4, 2014

    Tongass Advisory Committee (TAC) members compiled work-group draft recommendations for the Tongass National Forest’s timber management plan amendment at their Nov. 19-21 meeting in Sitka. Present at the recent meeting was USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Bonnie; Beth Pendelton, the U.S. Forest Service Alaska regional forester; and Forrest Cole, the Tongass National Forest supervisor. Bonnie emphasized the importance of TAC’s opportunity “to find a solution that works for everybody [so] we ca...

  • UAS brings spotlight to Aleut internment camps

    Dec 4, 2014

    KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) – John Radzilowski stood in front of a group of some 50 people Wednesday at the University of Alaska Southeast library in Ketchikan and asked for the survivors of the Aleut internment camps and their descendants to stand and be recognized. More than a dozen people, ranging in age from late 80s to teens, stood and were met with a round of applause. UAS showed “The Aleut Story” as part of the Ask UAS program this week. Radzilowski, UAS associate professor of history, introduced the film and led a discussion after the scree...

  • Third Annual Turkey Trot supports food bank

    Dec 4, 2014

  • Seafood plant employee sentenced in Clean Air Act case

    Dec 4, 2014

    ANCHORAGE (AP) – The last of three federal defendants who pleaded guilty this year to Clean Air Act violations at a Dutch Harbor seafood plant was sentenced Nov. 25 to three years of probation, avoiding the maximum sentence of two years in prison. U.S. District Court Judge Ralph Beistline also ordered Bryan Beigh, 48, to pay a $750 fine. The defense, according to U.S. Attorney’s Office Alaska Criminal Division chief Kevin Feldis, indicated that Beigh lacked the money to pay a more substantial fine. In July, the government charged Beigh wit...

  • Election winners confirmed, Ortiz to caucus with minority

    Dan Rudy|Dec 4, 2014

    After about three weeks of tallying, Alaska’s general election results were finally certified by Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell on Nov. 26. Turnout in the state was the third-highest turnout of any state, with 284,925 of the 509,011 registered voters participating. High-profile races and a trio of contentious ballot measures may explain the figures: as a result of the election Alaska has become the fourth state to legalize recreational marijuana use and will tout one of the highest minimum wage levels in the country. Some of the s...

  • Bill Walker sworn in as Alaska's new governor

    Dec 4, 2014

    JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Bill Walker was sworn in Monday as the first Alaska governor to not be affiliated with a political party. Walker took the oath in during a ceremony in downtown Juneau, using a Bible that spokeswoman Grace Jang said has been in his family since the 1800s. He was sworn in by Alaska Supreme Court Justice Daniel Winfree. Walker succeeds Republican Sean Parnell, who he upset in last month's election. An attorney perhaps best known for his support of an all-Alaska natural gas pipeline, Walker finished second to Parnell in the 2...

  • Agency proposes critical habitat for seals

    Dec 4, 2014

    ANCHORAGE (AP) - The federal agency that oversees the U.S. seal population has proposed 350,000 square miles of ocean off Alaska’s north and west coast as critical habitat for the main prey of polar bears. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Tuesday that it’s proposing critical habitat for ringed seals throughout U.S. jurisdiction in the Beaufort and Bering seas and in much of the western Bering Sea. “After reviewing the best available information, our scientists identified the habitat features that are essen...

  • Fish Factor

    Laine Welch|Dec 4, 2014

    It’s the time of year when Alaska’s fishery meetings kick into high gear - with five set for this week alone. The industry will get a first glimpse of potential 2015 halibut catches when the International Pacific Halibut Commission convenes in Seattle, WA. It’s been a wait and see attitude among fish circles - will Alaska’s catch limits again be reduced, down already 70% over a decade to just 16 million pounds? Or has the Pacific halibut stock started to rebound as some of the science indicates? Tune into the IPHC meetings live via webinar...

  • Judge invalidates part of school funding mechanism

    Dec 4, 2014

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – A superior court judge has invalidated the state of Alaska's requirement that local school districts help pay for education, which could leave a cash-strapped state on the hook for more than $220 million in additional funding statewide. Judge William Carey ruled the contribution is a dedicated fund, which violate the state constitution's provision that no state tax or license will be earmarked for any special purpose. Carey ruled in the case Friday, but copies of the decision weren't available online from the K...

  • Wrangell to join two more Big Thorne suits

    Dan Rudy|Dec 4, 2014

    Wrangell City and Borough Assembly members Stephen Prysunka, Julie Decker and Pamella McCloskey met Nov. 26 for a special session to discuss further involvement in a trio of suits filed against the United States Forest Service over its Big Thorne timber sale with Craig-based mill Viking Lumber. The Assembly had already decided on Oct. 28 to intervene in one of the suits, for the fee of $5,000. It had investigated separately filing an amicus brief as an option, but had decided the cost of that action would likely have been higher while leaving...