(74) stories found containing 'bert stedman'
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Governor, lawmakers agree to use federal aid to boost ferry system
Nearly $77 million in federal pandemic relief funds would be used to cover the state contribution to the Alaska Marine Highway System operating budget through Dec. 31, 2022, bringing more certainty...
House approves early school funding; Senate action uncertain
The Alaska House of Representatives has passed a bill intended to prevent teacher layoffs the next two years with early appropriation of state funding to local school operating budgets. Though helpful in its intent to provide funding certainty to...
Federal aid helps Southeast second time in 25 years
A quarter-century ago, Congress appropriated $110 million explicitly to help Southeast communities get through the loss of the timber industry, the region's big economic driver. This year, federal...
'What if' budget scenario could add to winter ferry service
A state Senate subcommittee had asked the Department of Transportation what it could do if it had more money to cover some of the gaps in the Alaska Marine Highway schedule. Part of the answer would...
State budget problem worse than it looks, legislative analyst says
Federal pandemic relief aid, one-time funding sources - some of doubtful legal authority - and other salves to ease the state budget pain in the fiscal year that starts July 1 only mask the underlying...
Legislature looks at size of PFDs and new revenues
The state is not going to fill its billion-dollar fiscal pothole with additional deep budget cuts, said two veteran legislative finance committee members. The hole is too deep, and years of cuts to...
Absentee ballots counted for District 36
As of last Wednesday, Nov. 18, all absentee and early ballots have been counted for District 36. According to unofficial results for the Nov. 3 election, there were 3,748 absentee ballots cast this...
Election update
The following are unofficial results for how Wrangell voted in the 2020 election, as of 3 p.m. on Nov. 4. 732 ballots were cast on election day. As of Friday afternoon, Nov. 6, these numbers have... Full story
Division of Elections to begin counting absentee ballots
The Alaska Division of Elections, in a Nov. 9 press release, announced a schedule for conducting absentee ballot counts. Moving forward, they announced that the public could expect updated counts to...
Guest Editorial
Last week, the Alaska Marine Highway Reshaping Group released a report it had been working on for several months throughout the pandemic. Even though this group has finished it’s task, I will continue to work to find ways to increase ferry service...
Little winter ferry service currently planned for Wrangell
Disruptions to ferry service have become a relatively common occurrence in recent history. The Alaska Marine Highway System has faced tight budgets, a strike, and an aging fleet in need of upgrades. With winter drawing near Wrangell will not see any...
Wet summer overflows Swan Lake
During Southeast Alaska's record breaking rainfall this summer, the Swan Lake hydroelectric facility reached its full capacity for the first time since the project was upgraded three years ago, accord...
Primary election results released, 15 percent turnout in Wrangell
The official results for the Aug. 18 primary election have been released on the Alaska Division of Elections website. The primary election gives voters the opportunity to narrow down which candidates they would like to consider in the upcoming...
Guest Commentary: Protecting the Permanent Fund
At a time when the fiscal future of many states looks uncertain, Alaska made the smart choice to protect the state's future income for our children and grandchildren. On June 30, $4.9 billion was tran... Full story
Alaska governor seeks to assert calm over virus concerns
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, seeking to assert calm concerning the new coronavirus threat, said Monday he sees the fall in oil prices as a ``momentary issue’’ that with the stock market will work itself out. The virus has af...
Stedman speaks on AMHS at Petersburg chamber banquet
PETERSBURG – Sen. Bert Stedman told the community while attending the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce banquet on Saturday that the future of the Alaska Marine Highway System depends on how negotiatio...
New nonprofit recognized, citizens of the year named at chamber of commerce dinner
The Wrangell Chamber of Commerce held its annual dinner last Saturday evening. Community members from all over town came to the dinner, including several out-of-town guests such as Representative Dan...
Letter to the Editor
As residents of the towns near the proposed Kake Road, we firmly oppose it. The $40 million raised for this “road to nowhere” should instead support the return of the Alaska Marine Highway System to our coastal Alaskan communities struggling...
Southeast communities disrupted by ferry shutdown
With the M/V Matanuska going out of service last week, ferry service via the Alaska Marine Highway has completely shut down. According to a press release from the Alaska Department of Transportation,...
Alaska Fish Factor
They are certainly cute but the voracious appetites of sea otters continue to cause horrendous damage to some of Southeast Alaska’s most lucrative fisheries. How best to curtail those impacts will be the focus of a day long stakeholders...
State ups budget, timeline for review of Alaska ferry system
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Gov. Mike Dunleavy's administration is upping the budget and extending the time for a review of potential options for the future of Alaska's ferry system. A spokeswoman for the system, Aurah Landau, said the administration so...
Senator hopes for agreement to fund ferries through mid-2020
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)– A co-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee said Thursday he wants to reach a budget agreement that would fund the state’s ferry system through mid-2020. Sen. Bert Stedman, a Sitka Republican, said that would allow time...
2018: A year in review, Part 1
The past year has been a busy one for the community of Wrangell, and also one full of changes. Elections have come and gone, the school district saw a new superintendent and two new principals, a high school swimming and diving team was organized,...
Senator Stedman gives a session update during Festival visit
With the adjournment of the Legislature on May 12, Senator Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, talked to The Pilot during the Little Norway Festival about the session. The legislature realized they have to restructure the Alaska Permanent Fund (APF) and Senate...
Budget allows for Byford soil to be shipped off-island
Money appears to be available for Wrangell’s Byford yard cleanup that would allow remaining contaminated soil to be shipped off-island rather than disposed of in a local monofill. At the behest of Gov. Bill Walker, the Alaska Legislature approved...
