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MIAMI (AP) - Royal Caribbean International is postponing for nearly a month one of the highly anticipated first sailings from the U.S. since the pandemic began because eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19, the company's CEO said. The brand new Odyssey of the Seas was to set sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on July 3, but is now postponed to July 31. Royal Caribbean International's CEO Michael Bayley said June 15 on Facebook that the decision had been made "out of an abundance of...
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge on June 18 ruled for Florida in the state’s lawsuit challenging a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pandemic order imposing standards before cruise ships can resume sailing. U.S. District Court Judge Steven Merryday wrote in a 124-page decision that Florida would be harmed if the CDC order — which the state said effectively blocked most cruises — were to continue. The CDC order said ship operators can choose between running a test cruise to show they can effectively stop the spread...
The borough estimates its revenue loss due to the pandemic and its hit to economic activity in town could total almost $2.2 million by June 30, 2022. That total for lost revenue at the marine service center, port and harbors, utilities, the Nolan center and museum and other borough accounts does not include an estimate for any drop in sales tax revenues. The $2.2 million covers fiscal years 2020-2022. To help fill the pandemic-caused drop in borough revenues, Wrangell is scheduled to receive $485,000 in federal aid under the American Rescue...
When I was a kid, if my brothers or I acted up while on a family drive — six people packed into a sedan, without air conditioning and long before the days of spacious minivans — our dad would do like so many of his generation. He would keep one hand on the steering wheel, turn his head toward the back seat, and announce in a menacing voice: “If you don’t stop that, I’ll put a stop to it.” We knew how he intended to stop our bickering, so we usually sat down and behaved. Today’s version of that childish behavior is playing out aboard airlin...
Budget season is here for the borough assembly, which will hold a public hearing on the budget at 6 p.m. today at city hall. The new fiscal year starts July 1. The assembly already has set the property tax rate for next year. The workshop, and final assembly action on the budget at its meeting next Tuesday, will mostly deal with spending plans for the year. The assembly June 8 set next year’s property tax levy at the same rate as this year, which is 12.75 mills, or $1,275 on $100,000 in property value in the borough’s service area. Pro...
Alaskans who are engaged in or interested in mariculture are invited to become founding members in a new group that will advance the growing industry across the state. The newly formed Alaska Mariculture Alliance is a private, nonprofit successor to a five-year task force formed in 2016 by Gov. Bill Walker and reauthorized in 2018 by Gov. Mike Dunleavy. The task force will sunset on June 30. “One of the priority recommendations was to create a long-term entity that would coordinate and support development of a robust and sustainable m...
Officials reported two new COVID-19 cases in Wrangell late Thursday afternoon, the sixth and seventh this month. "These individuals are Wrangell residents, and are both close contacts of a recent COVID positive case in Wrangell," the borough reported in a prepared statement. "The individuals are symptomatic and are isolating." The other cases this month were reported June 2 (two people), June 9 (also two cases) and June 15 (one case). All are Wrangell residents. This month's COVID cases were the first reported in town since May 6. Wrangell has...
Community members, local organizations and mariners gathered together at the Wrangell Mariners' Memorial last Sunday afternoon for a blessing of the fleet. The blessing is a tradition in seaside towns around the world, praying for safety and bountiful harvests as fishing fleets begin heading out for the season. The blessing is a longstanding tradition for Wrangell, said Jenn Miller-Yancey, with the mariners' memorial board, but recent events have become more collaborative. "I don't know how...
The borough assembly on Tuesday night rescinded $70,000 in funding to cover COVID-19 tests for employees of Sea Level Seafoods, after rejecting an amendment to expand the funding to all seafood processors in Wrangell. The assembly originally approved a motion on May 25 to use $70,000 in federal funding to cover the costs of COVID-19 tests for Sea Level employees, which passed on a 4-3 vote. The borough used federal funds to pay for the tests last year. The item resurfaced Tuesday when Assemblymember Patty Gilbert offered an amendment to the...
Ortiz supports cautious draw on Permanent Fund The state budget is currently being negotiated in a House-Senate conference committee, with its final passage through both the House and Senate hopefully occurring this week. When the Alaska Legislature convenes again, its focus will turn to a more daunting task: Redefining the role of the Permanent Fund in how it pays for our annual dividend and state services. Multiple House committees, including House Finance of which I am the vice chair, have hosted informational hearings on different ideas...
Not surprisingly in a state that hasn’t raised its motor fuel tax rate in 50 years, the Alaska Legislature this session failed to approve a measure to raise the rate, nor did it pass legislation to tax e-cigarettes the same as tobacco products or reinstate the so-called education “head tax” that lawmakers abolished more than 40 years ago. Bills to adopt a state income tax and raise oil taxes made little progress this year, despite the fact that Alaska has drained its savings over the years to cover spending. Legislation that failed to win House...
In the first reported cases since May 6, borough officials announced two new COVID-19 infections June 2. Both were Wrangell residents, both initially showed no symptoms when they were tested, and one had recently traveled outside of Alaska. Both were isolating after their test results came back positive, the borough reported. The two cases bring to 62 the number reported in town since the pandemic started more than a year ago. In Ketchikan, the COVID case count has decreased in recent weeks from a high of more than 100 active cases in mid-May t...
Silversea Cruises, operator of the 600-passenger Silver Muse, last week confirmed its resumption of cruises to Alaska, with its website listing three sailings that include stops in Wrangell. The Silver Muse, with capacity for 400 crew members, will be the largest cruise ship to visit Wrangell this summer. The company on June 1 announced its return to Alaska. It said last month’s congressional action that waived a stop in Canada will allow the cruises to resume. The ship is scheduled to leave Seattle on its first 10-day cruise on July 29, a...
The Petersburg borough is offering $10,000 in prizes during June to encourage residents who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 to get the shot. The Sleeves Up Petersburg drawing is sponsored by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, with money distributed through the Alaska Chamber of Commerce. It’s part of a campaign to increase the state’s vaccination rate by 25%. “That’s the drive from the start, to increase our vaccination rate and get out of this pandemic,” said Petersburg Incident Commander Karl Hagerman. “Let’s ge...
MIAMI (AP) - Royal Caribbean International said it will require vaccinations for passengers 16 and older on cruises to Alaska, and that crew members on all of its ships will be vaccinated against COVID-19 before it restarts cruise operations __next month to Alaska and from ports in Texas and Florida. The vaccination requirement will be expanded to cover Alaska-bound passengers 12 and over starting Aug. 1. Royal Caribbean is the latest of most other major cruise operators to Alaska - in...
JUNEAU (AP) – The state of Alaska has begun offering free COVID-19 vaccines at airports, a move that was planned a month ago for the start of the summer travel season as an additional enticement for visitors to come to Alaska. The state health department said vaccine eligibility was expanded June 1 to include anyone in Alaska who is at least 12 years old, including visitors from other states or countries. In addition to airport vaccination sites in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau, the state has opened up all its other sites around the state for...
The Petersburg borough is offering $10,000 in prizes during June to encourage residents who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 to get the shot. The Sleeves Up Petersburg drawing is sponsored by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, with money distributed through the Alaska Chamber of Commerce. It’s part of a campaign to increase the state's vaccination rate by 25%. "That's the drive from the start, to increase our vaccination rate and get out of this pandemic," said Petersburg Incident Commander Karl Hagerman. "Let's get back t...
"Middle school here I come!" said Silje Morse, one of 15 fifth graders at Evergreen Elementary, during her last day of school. Evergreen marked the end of the school year last Thursday with a celebration on the school playground. Every class, from kindergarten to fifth grade, got a hotdog lunch and cupcakes. They then also got to run, dance, and in some cases cartwheel in a procession across the playground. Afterward, following a brief return to class to wrap up the day, the kids officially...
In an effort to reduce waste and provide good soil for gardens, the Wrangell Cooperative Association is encouraging people to bring their compostable waste to the community garden, out by City Park. The WCA took over the composting project about a year ago, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic things got put on hold. “In 2018 Chris Hatton (of WCA) completed a solid waste assessment, and in those findings she discovered that 40% of our waste that is being shipped is compostable,” said Kim Wickman, with the WCA. “We had big plans, then COVID happe...
Wrangell children need an OCS worker stationed here Because it often takes days for the state Office of Children's Services to send an investigator to Wrangell, I was forced to send a frightened kid to a home where she had recently experienced serious domestic violence. I cannot describe my anger and frustration. I cannot describe my anger and frustration at hearing a student say, "Why bother? They never do anything," when I told her I was referring her situation to OCS. I cannot describe the an...
The borough again this summer will use federal funds to cover the cost of COVID-19 testing for Sea Level Seafoods employees. The borough assembly voted 4-3 at its May 25 meeting to appropriate up to $70,000 in federal funds to pay for testing this year. Testing last year cost the borough about $22,000. “Administration is requesting an amount more than triple last year’s expenditure because it is our understanding Sea Level would like to institute a far more robust testing regime than last year,” Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen briefed the assem...
Ending a long hiatus of cruise ship visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wrangell received its first cruise ship of the season last Friday. The Kruzof Explorer, operated by Sitka-based Alaskan Dream Cruises, delivered about a dozen tourists to town for a day-long visit - the first ship to call on Wrangell since 2019. "We're having a great time with Alaskan Dream Cruises," said Susan Igdaloff, of Newhall, California, one of the visitors. "We're very fortunate we were able to stop in Wrangell."...
The 102-passenger National Geographic Orion, a Lindblad Expeditions vessel, arrived in Ketchikan on May 24 - without any passengers. The ship carried 110 crew members to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations. The Orion left Ketchikan on Monday. Acting Ketchikan Port and Harbors Director Mark Hilson said the idea to bring cruise ship crew to Ketchikan to receive their vaccine shots came up a couple of months ago in talks with the company's local agent. "They have a mitigation plan that keeps them...
Zoom is a thing of the past for Wrangell borough assembly meetings. The next meeting June 8 will be in person, no more freeze frames, no more digital hassles. The assembly voted unanimously Tuesday evening to repeal the resolution directing online meetings during the pandemic. “Conducting meetings with the Zoom stuff is exhausting,” Mayor Steve Prysunka said. Borough Clerk Kim Lane recommended the assembly approve the return to in-person meetings. “Since we are trying to move forward and climb out of this pandemic,” she said, it would be approp...
Congressional action exempting large cruise ships from having to stop in Canada on their summer voyages to Alaska will provide a boost to heavily tourism-dependent Southeast communities. Although Wrangell was never on the itineraries of the largest ships, it’s possible the town may see some additional visitors with the change in U.S. law. Without the temporary exemption from a century-old U.S. maritime law, the foreign-registered ships would have been required to stop in Canada, which has not been possible since the country shut down its p...
