A bill advancing in the Alaska Legislature would dramatically shorten the time needed to authorize logging of some state-owned lands, shrinking approval time from years to days in the most extreme cases. Proponents say the bill will alleviate fire da... Full story

May 3, 1923 Just after the Sentinel was issued last Thursday, word was received from Washington that the Wrangell breakwater had been included in the federal Rivers and Harbors Appropriation and that $50,000 was available this year. This is the most...

The tire cutter that Wrangell shares with the rest of Southeast has returned to town early. The Public Works Department is trying to complete a construction project that requires reducing the pile of old tires at the town’s waste transfer site, so t...

The Alaska Senate rolled out its latest version of the operating budget on April 26, with a $1,300 Permanent Fund dividend, a $175 million one-time boost for public schools and a $90 million surplus to cover contingencies or if oil prices drop. The...

The borough has been preparing to make costly updates to its wastewater treatment plant, but recent estimates suggest that the multimillion-dollar project could be over twice as expensive as anticipated. Late last year, borough officials placed the...

It’s spring cleaning season, and while individual households may wash their baseboards and dust their blinds, it isn’t just private residences that benefit from a thorough seasonal cleanse — Wrangell’s public spaces need love too. Next month,...

With four weeks left before the May 17 adjournment deadline, legislators are focusing on the state budget and how to resolve big differences between the House and Senate over school funding and the amount of this year’s Permanent Fund dividend. T...

The opportunity for free recycling of old cars and trucks, metal roofing and shelving, major appliances and anything else made of metal will end Sunday. Juneau-based Channel Construction, which is operating under a short-term lease at the borough-own...

Thanks to federal pandemic relief money, the borough will be able to improve the reliability of the community’s water supply. At its March 28 meeting, the borough assembly allocated the final round of these funds — nearly $1.5 million total — to th...

Trident’s decision to reopen its Wrangell seafood processing plant after a three-year closure was welcome news for residents, thanks to the economic boost it will bring to town. However, since Trident is one of the community’s major water con...

Keeping voter rolls accurate is a good thing. Even more so in recent years as far too many candidates question election results for their own political gains and far too many citizens have climbed on the bandwagon of doubt and suspicion. Why then...

To keep pace with inflation and ensure its ability to cover future costs, the borough is considering rate increases across all enterprise funds — electric, water, port and harbors, wastewater and garbage. If the proposals are adopted, rates for t...

Since the Wrangell Cooperative Association started offering e-waste recycling around 2016, IGAP technician Kim Wickman has been surprised to see growing demand for the service. “We thought we would have less,” she said, after a few major purges clear...

After years of legislative debate over the size of the Permanent Fund dividend, reasonable voices are starting to grow louder, maybe even hopefully strong enough to outvote the irresponsible catcalls for an unaffordable dividend. It’s a welcome c...

Alaska Natives continued to have the world’s highest rates of colorectal cancer as of 2018, and case rates failed to decline significantly for the two decades leading up to that year, according to a newly published study. The study, by experts from t... Full story

It took a consultant’s report for the collective management of the Alaska Marine Highway System and state Department of Transportation to realize that of 250 job applicants over the past year, just four were hired to work on the ships. At that rate,...

Monday, March 6 Citizen assist: Firearm permit renewal. Agency assist: Alaska State Troopers. Notice of hearing. Tuesday, March 7 Order to show cause. Agency assist: Fire Department. Wednesday, March 8 Civil issue: Child custody. Agency assist:...

A school budget presentation meant to engage the public in the decision-making process on Feb. 27 drew a scant few to ask questions and offer suggestions. Outgoing district business manager Tammy Stromberg, whose last day was Feb. 28, went over the...

Monday, Feb. 27 Citizen assist: Vehicle unlock. Traffic stop: Citations issued for failure to provide proof of insurance and operating in violation of provisional license. Traffic stop: Citation issued for expired registration. Welfare check....

The borough has been trying to get the old hospital property off its hands for the better part of a year. After a $360,000 price cut and months of languishing on a public surplus website, the property has attracted its first potential investors. Jim...

For decades, Alaska’s economy has depended on the harvest of natural resources — industries like pumping oil out of the ground and cutting timber. Now, Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy wants the state to make money by leaving trees standing, and by pum...