Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 608
A month ago, the draft cruise ship schedule for Wrangell showed 50 stops in town, with the two largest vessels able to accommodate 1,100 and 1,300 passengers and crew. But now, there's not much the community can do but wait to see whether or not smaller ships still come to town, said Stephanie Cook, executive director of the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce. A Feb. 4 decision by the government of Canada to keep its waters closed to cruise ship traffic through February 2022 blocks the larger vessels...
JUNEAU (AP) - Alaska held the enviable position of having the highest rate of coronavirus vaccinations per capita in the nation as of this week, the state said. As of Monday, more than 80,000 Alaskans had received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and nearly 18,000 had received both doses, according to a report in the Anchorage Daily News. That does not include shots administered through the departments of Defense or Veterans Affairs but does include vaccinations handled through Indian Health Service partners. That’s a gain in four d...
January Jan. 2: Along with the lights, trees and carolers, the Salvation Army's red Christmas kettles are a common sight during the holiday season. Lt. Jon Tollerud, Wrangell's new corps officer, said the red kettles brought in $10,469. Jan. 9: The Nolan Center celebrated the new year Dec. 31 with a murder mystery party. As this new year marks a new decade, a return to the '20s, the party had a 1920s theme to it. With jazz music, themed costumes and masks, partygoers had the chance to return to...
The year has come to a close, and a new one looms. Many are likely happy to see 2020 go, just as many are also likely eager to see what 2021 has to offer. In either case, this Friday afternoon offers a chance to celebrate in Wrangell fashion; with the annual Polar Bear Plunge. The event will take place at Shoemaker, at 1 p.m. The plunge has been a local tradition for over 20 years now. It had humble beginnings, long ago in the year 2000. In an interview with the Sentinel, Clay Hammer said that...
January 6, 1921 The entertainment by the Sisters and Brothers society on New Year’s night was well attended, and proved to be a most enjoyable affair. Early in the evening there was a masked parade up Front street which was the beginning of the evening’s festivities. A light lunch was served for which only 25 cents was charged. The entertainment was not strictly a benefit affair, yet $66.15 was realized from the event. The Sisters and Brothers society is a beneficiary organization, but unlike most societies of that kind, it has often ext...
Despite cold weather and choppy water, Wrangell's annual holiday boat parade took place Sunday night. The Doc Davenport Christmas Boat parade has been a local tradition for decades, going back to the 1970s. Three boats participated in the parade this year, the same number as the 2019 parade. The boats came out to City Dock, bobbing in the rough water, all lit up with Christmas lights. Despite the cold and the rain, the parade drew a good crowd of people to watch the boats and the fireworks....
December 17 Jamie Roberts, with the Wrangell EOC, reported that there are currently no active cases of COVID-19 in the community. Statewide, Alaska’s case count is 41,859 as of yesterday. This is an increase of 3,151 from last week. Wrangell received its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 16. According to SEARHC, following guidance from the Alaska Vaccine Advisory Council, vaccinations will be given to frontline health workers first, along with first responders, and l...
Wrangell's Christmas tree lighting ceremony has been postponed due to bad weather and ongoing efforts by the city's electrical department to keep power running, according to the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce. In a Facebook post on Thursday, Dec. 3, the chamber announced that the annual tradition was being pushed back, potentially to Dec. 11. However, the post went on to say that Midnight Madness was still moving forward Friday evening Dec. 4. Many businesses were still open late for shopping and...
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...
Wrangell’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony has been postponed due to bad weather and ongoing efforts by the city’s electrical department to keep power running, according to the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce. In a Facebook post on Thursday, Dec. 3, the chamber announced that the annual tradition was being pushed back, potentially to Dec. 11. However, the post went on to say that Midnight Madness is still moving forward tomorrow evening, Dec. 4. Many businesses will still be open late for shopping and sales. “As I am sure many of you have notic...
The Wrangell Chamber of Commerce hosted a contest this past weekend, Harvest Fest, to promote local businesses. Shoppers were given the opportunity to get cards stamped at participating businesses, and having those cards entered into a raffle for a $500 prize. Pictured here is Apryl Hutchinson, with the chamber, spinning the raffle wheel at the Stikine Inn on Nov. 16. The Harvest Fest winner was Devyn Johnson....
With the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing, and with cases increasing across the state, there has been some discussion in Wrangell about what Halloween could look like this year. Stephanie Cook, with the chamber of commerce, wanted to let everyone know that Halloween is still on this year. Peoplecan go trick-or-treating at businesses like normal, but some precautions should be taken. "We're just going to encourage everyone to mask up and social distance, and stay home if you're sick during the...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan and challenger Al Gross met in a debate focused on fisheries policy that ended up focusing on other issues including federal COVID-19 relief funding and Pebble Mine. The candidates for Sullivan’s seat in the U.S. Senate squared off Saturday in the 90-minute debate on Zoom, The Anchorage Daily News reported. Sullivan, the Republican incumbent, repeatedly characterized Gross as a threat who could hand Democrats control of the Senate. The debate was hosted by ComFish Alaska and the Kodiak Cha...
October 7, 1920 Articles of incorporation have been filed in the office of the secretary of Alaska for the Wrangell Mining, Pulp & Power company. The company is incorporated for $1,000,000 and is divided into 10,000 shares for $100 a share. The articles state that the company will carry on the industries of mining, pulp milling and leasing of water power for the generating and transmitting electric power, in the vicinity of the town of Wrangell. The period of duration of the corporation is 50 years. There are five directors. The incorporators...
Some surprising results are revealed in the first of a series of briefing papers showing how Alaska’s seafood industry has been affected by the pandemic from dock to dinner plates. The updates, compiled by the McDowell Group for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), show that so far the amount of seafood that has been harvested is in line with previous years. “While 2020 harvests have been significantly lower in some salmon fisheries…the declines are due to weak runs rather than reduced effort or other forces that might have some...
With the close of Labor Day weekend, Wrangell's coho and halibut derbies have come to an end. Results have been posted to the chamber of commerce's derby website. In the halibut derby, first place went to Steve Keller, bringing in a 176.8 pound halibut on Sept. 6. Second and third place went to Elmer Mork and Jeremy Stolley, catching halibut weighing 96.4 pounds and 63.4 pounds, respectively. While coming in third in the halibut derby, Stolley took first place in the coho derby. He brought in a...
Kodiak has again scored a first debate between candidates in one of Alaska’s most high-profile political races: the U.S. Senate. Kodiak has been hosting debates for congressional and gubernatorial hopefuls since 1999 with a single focus: Alaska’s seafood industry. The date and format for the U.S. Senate faceoff are still being finalized, but it will occur in close proximity to the annual ComFish event on September 17 and 18, bumped by Covid from its traditional dates in March, and now set to be a virtual experience. Republican Senator Dan Sul...
Wrangell's annual coho and halibut derbies are just around the corner. The coho salmon derby begins tomorrow, Aug. 28, and will run until Sept. 7. The halibut derby, meanwhile, will take place from Sept. 4 to Sept. 7. Last year, in the 2019 fishing derbies, over 220 tickets were sold to participants. For those participating in the derbies, weigh-in stations will be located at the Chamber of Commerce office from Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., or the harbor master's office at Reliance...
The Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau met last Thursday, to workshop their goals for a rebranding project. As part of a large to-do list recently approved by the borough assembly, the CVB is seeking to use CARES Act funding to improve Wrangell's brand and draw in more tourists. As this was just a workshop, no official action was taken. However, the bureau generally agreed that Wrangell's brand should be focused on Wrangell as a community. "I think our brand should be community-focused,"...
The City and Borough of Wrangell (City) will begin rolling out a series of programs of economic relief for businesses, non-profits and residents in Wrangell who have been impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic. The City has designated up to $915,000 of the CARES Act funds received from the State to these assistance programs which are intended to provide economic relief in the areas of most need. Each program will require a separate application be completed by each business, non-profit or resident....
While Wrangell is well known for its Fourth of July celebration, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered the community's plans for Independence Day. While many popular and traditional events will not take place this year, such as the boat races or royalty contest, the public can still look forward to a fireworks show and parade. "Chamber leadership has weighed input from business membership and members of the community along with State and Local public officials," a community notice...
July 1, 1920 That Wrangell is to have a crab canning plant is an assured fact, according to A. H. Range of Portland who was here last week working on the proposition. Mr. Range recently patented a machine for extracting crabmeat from the shells by means of compressed air. One of these machines will do the work of 15 hand pickers. This invention puts the crab canning business on an entirely new basis. After Mr. Range outlined his proposition, C. M. Coulter, the local fish buyer, was asked if he thought there was a plentiful supply in this...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly held one of their last budget work sessions last Wednesday evening, June 17, to finalize next year's budget for the city. For FY 2021, Wrangell is looking at revenues of $4.48 million in the general fund, but expenses of $4.78 million. Much of the discussion in this workshop revolved around the general fund, and how to handle its deficit. The workshop lasted for about three and a half hours. In the end, the assembly directed city administration to move forward with...
The Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau met last Wednesday afternoon, June 17, to finish up a proposed marketing plan to bring before the borough assembly. In the time of COVID-19, the bureau was hoping to receive funding from the city to address the impacts the pandemic has had on the visitor industry. According to their list of proposals, provided by Economic Development Director Carol Rushmore, the CVB is seeking a total of $146,516 for various projects. First of all, the CVB would like...
Members of Wrangell's Unified Command reconvened on June 17, through teleconference to consolidate the community COVID-19 response. Talks were largely focused on recent efforts by the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to implement community testing and changing the culture surrounding positive cases. EOC Manager Dorianne Sprehe filled the group in on discussions which would allow the EOC to provide relief to the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium's (SEARHC) COVID testing efforts. Sprehe...
