Sorted by date Results 751 - 775 of 1040
Midnight Madness, Wrangell’s annual welcoming of the Christmas season, is scheduled to take place this Friday, Dec. 4. Stephanie Cook, with the chamber of commerce, said that people can expect many of the usual traditions of Midnight Madness, but with some changes in response to COVID-19. “We are going to be doing the tree lighting at 6 p.m., and we’ll do the count-off from 10 to 0, and the tree will light up,” She said. “We are asking people to mask up and social distance if they’re going to be coming downtown to watch the tree lighting, j...
The 2021 preseason terminal run forecast for Stikine River large Chinook salmon is 9,900 fish. The forecast is below the lower end of the Escapement Goal Range (EGR) of 14,000 to 28,000 fish. The 2020 terminal run size was 11,750 large Chinook salmon with an escapement of 10,670 fish. The 2021 preseason terminal run forecast for Taku River large Chinook salmon is 10,300 fish. The forecast is below the lower end of the EGR of 19,000 to 36,000 fish. The 2020 terminal run size was 15,980 large Chinook salmon with an escapement of 15,590 fish....
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The first shipment of a COVID-19 vaccine could arrive in Alaska within a few weeks, state health officials said. Early batches of vaccine will be prioritized for essential workers in health care, assisted living and emergency medical settings, The Anchorage Daily News reported Monday. Vaccines initially will be issued in limited quantities and likely will not be available to the general public until March or April. The state continues to work on plans to distribute supplies after the vaccines become broadly a...
The City and Borough of Wrangell announced this afternoon, Dec. 5, a new confirmed case of COVID-19. The case, a Wrangell resident, is reportedly symptomatic and in isolation. At this time, according to the city’s press release, no further details are available. This is the 26th case of COVID-19 to affect the Wrangell community. Currently, there are only two active cases in Wrangell. The other 24 are considered recovered. 16 cases have been in locals, and eight in non-locals. Two cases have affected Wrangell residents while they were out of t...
Wrangell Parks and Recreation has learned a lot about adaptability this past year, P&R Director Kate Thomas said. With the COVID-19 pandemic, she said that things could change quickly and her department would need to change their operations to meet them. As the year is coming to a close, Thomas said they are looking at their options for winter programming. In a previous meeting on Nov. 11 the Parks and Rec Advisory Board decided to maintain a moratorium on travel for youth programming through...
While this holiday season may look different with the COVID-19 pandemic, several Wrangell traditions are still going strong. The public will still be able to participate in the annual Christmas Tree Lane, though there will be some changes. The Dove Tree ceremony is still moving forward, as well. Christmas Tree Lane is a yearly fundraiser for the Hospice of Wrangell. People and organizations across the city donate uniquely decorated Christmas Trees, and then others can place bids on them to take...
The Wrangell Lady Wolves travelled to Prince of Wales this past weekend for regionals. It has been a unique season, with the COVID-19 pandemic requiring schools to organize mitigation plans and to host games with limited access to the public. The Alaska School Activities Association also decided, back in October, to cancel all state championship events for the year. This meant that regionals would be the end of the season for Alaskan volleyball teams. The Lady Wolves played hard against two...
The commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Registration Area A (Southeast) will close in most areas by regulation at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, November 30, consistent with 5 AAC 32.110. Districts 1 and 2, and Section 13-B outside of the Sitka Sound Special Use Area [5 AAC 32.150(10)] will remain open until February 28, 2021. For those areas that close at 11:59 p.m. on November 30, all Dungeness pots must be removed from the water except that pots may be stored on the grounds with all pot doors secured fully open and all bait and bait containers...
Monday evening, Nov. 30, the City and Borough of Wrangell announced the community’s 25th confirmed case of COVID-19. According to their press release, the case is a Wrangell resident. They are reportedly asymptomatic and are in isolation. The press release goes on to say that this case is non-travel related. This makes 25 total cases of COVID-19 for Wrangell. Of these, 15 have now been found in locals and eight in non-locals. Two cases were announced in Wrangell residents, who were not in town at the time. Only one case is currently active. T...
Last Thursday morning, Nov. 12, many Alaskans received an emergency alert on their phones from Governor Mike Dunleavy. The message contained a link to a video of Dunleavy, in which he addressed the rapid spread of COVID-19 across the state. Effective immediately, he said, all state employees were to work from home if possible, and face masks and social distancing were mandatory at state work sites. On Nov. 16 he also issued a new 30-day COVID-19 disaster declaration. In his address, the governor...
Southeast Beasts will be hosting the 9th annual Turkey Trot next Thursday, Nov. 26. Lucy Moline-Robinson, with the running group, said that participants should arrive at the covered basketball court by Evergreen Elementary School at 8:45 a.m. The run will begin around 9 a.m. This year, the turkey trot is in support of both the Stikine Middle School Running Club and the Salvation Army food pantry. Participants are asked to make a donation of money and nonperishable food. The money will go towards headlamps for the running club, Robinson said, to...
In a Nov. 17 press release, the Southeast Alaska Health Consortium announced that they would soon be discontinuing their free asymptomatic COVID-19 testing program. This program has offered free COVID-19 tests for members of the public not showing any symptoms of COVID-19, freely across many Southeast Alaskan communities. According to their press release, this decision to roll back the tests is in response to the surge of COVID cases across Alaska, and the need to prioritize symptomatic...
Tamped down prices due to toppled markets caused by the Covid virus combined with low salmon returns to many Alaska regions added up to reduced paychecks for fishermen and will mean lower tax revenues for fishing communities. A summary of the preliminary harvests and values by the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game shows that Alaska’s total 2020 salmon catch came in at just under 117 million fish, a 44% decrease from last season’s haul of 208.3 million fish, and the 13th lowest on record. The statewide salmon value of $295.2 million is a who...
Friday Nov. 20, the City and Borough of Wrangell announced several confirmed cases of COVID-19. One case is within the community, according to the city’s press release. That individual is in isolation. This is Wrangell’s 22nd case. The press release goes on to state that the city has been informed of two other Wrangell residents who were tested outside of Wrangell. “Those two individuals are Wrangell residents, tested outside of Wrangell and remain outside of Wrangell,” the press release reads. “Those two cases are considered recovered...
During a special borough assembly meeting last Thursday, community members shared their thoughts on a potential mask mandate the city was considering. The mandate would require all individuals, with some exceptions, to wear a mask or face covering in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This mandate, and Wrangell's response to it in general, has been a controversial topic in the community. Over 20 people called into the meeting, and the city also received several letters. The majority of the...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met last Thursday evening, Nov. 5. This was only a discussion meeting, to take in public opinion and decide whether or not a mask mandate would be worth considering in a formal meeting. This mandate was being considered at the behest of the local Emergency Operations Center, who requested the city look at the possibility. The potential mandate, outlined in the meeting's agenda packet, would require all individuals to wear a mask or face veering while "indoors in...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has released preliminary data on state salmon harvests for 2020. Information for Southeast Alaska shows that only half as many fish were hauled in this year compared to last year. 2020 data shows that 14,301,964 salmon were harvested this year, totaling a little over 74 million pounds. The estimated ex vessel value for this harvest is about $50 million. This is a major decrease from 2019 numbers, reported at about 32 million fish, 163 million pounds, and...
The number of boots on deck in Alaska has declined and most fisheries have lost jobs over the past five years. Overall, Alaska’s harvesting sector ticked downward by 848 jobs from 2015 through 2019. A snapshot of fish harvesting jobs is featured in the November edition of Alaska Economic Trends by the state Dept. of Labor. The findings show that after hitting a peak of 8,501 harvesters in 2015, fishing jobs then fell to around 8,000 for the next two years before dropping again in 2018 to about 7,600. In 2019, average monthly fishing e...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met Tuesday, Nov. 10. During this meeting, among other items, they held a discussion about the borough's CARES Act funding. They reviewed expenses so far, as well as possible future projects. Wrangell received a $3.85 million grant from the CARES Act, to help the city respond to the COVID-19 update, according to a memo from Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen. Between March and October of this year, $2.3 million has been spent on a variety of programs and payroll for...
Late this morning Governor Dunleavy issued a statewide Emergency Alert imploring Alaskans to take a number of different actions related to COVID-19 mitigation to help stop the surge in cases and reduce stress on healthcare capacity. Those actions include: · Working remotely if possible · Pre-order supplies, goods and food for pick-up or carry-out · Stay six (6) feet apart at all times from non-household members · Wear a mask at all times in public if six feet of separation is not possible · Consider celebrating Thanksgiving and other holi...
Wrangell's Unified Command announced a new case of COVID-19 the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 3. This is Wrangell's twenty-first total case, and at the time of writing the only active one. According to the press release, this case was confirmed in a non-resident, who has been notified and is in isolation. Of the 21 total cases Wrangell has seen, 13 have been locals and eight have been non-locals. Four cases were identified through airport testing. The others were identified by a routine testing plan...
A local member of Wrangell's Emergency Operations Center recently received threats on social media, according to city officials. The COVID-19 pandemic, and governments' response to it, has been a contentious issue across the nation and at home. The EOC is a collection of city officials who are tasked with gathering information on the pandemic, keeping in touch with state officials, and helping the community organize its response. Nothing has come of these threats, according to officials, but...
Last Tuesday evening, in the agenda packet for the borough assembly's meeting, was a report on Wrangell's economic conditions. The report, by Rain Coast Data, was updated this past October, and looks at a variety of aspects of the local economy. With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting many aspects of life in Wrangell, the community's economic survival has been a topic of much discussion. "In 2019, Wrangell, Alaska had 1,143 year-round equivalent jobs and nearly $50 million in workforce earnings,"...
After a salmon season that successfully fished its way through a pandemic and upturned markets, the value of Alaska salmon permits is ticking up in two regions while toppling in others. Permit values are derived by the state Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission based on the average value of four permit sales. One of the uppers is the bellwether fishery at Bristol Bay where driftnet permits are showing good gains after a strong fishing season, despite a disappointing base sockeye price of $.70 a pound, down by nearly half from last year....
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska Legislative Council approved a measure that requires lawmakers, employees and reporters to be screened for the coronavirus when entering the Capitol and to wear masks or face coverings in the building and other legislative offices. The council also voted on Thursday to keep the Capitol building closed to the public until at least January, when the next Legislature convenes. Legislative staff and reporters will still be allowed into the building, KTOO Public Media reported. The council’s chair, Sen. Gary Ste...