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The borough has negotiated a $50,000 insurance settlement to help pay for repairs after a boat owner pulled up their anchor and hooked and crimped the sewage treatment plant’s deep outfall pipeline in the waters off City Park last September. The Public Works Department quickly found a temporary solution to keep the treated discharge flowing out of the plant. Bids on a permanent fix were due at City Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The total cost of the temporary work, underwater video to locate the problem and permanent repairs to the pipeline is estim...
The borough assembly has passed the first reading of an ordinance to eliminate the requirement of a public vote to sell or lease borough-owned property worth more than $1 million, scheduling the ordinance for a public hearing and possible approval Feb. 11. Lawyers had advised the borough that the public consent requirement in the municipal charter contradicts the state constitution. The assembly unanimously approved the first reading of the ordinance Jan. 28. The approval process was used as...
A wide-ranging education package with provisions that include allowing students to attend any public school in the state was introduced Friday, Jan. 31, by Gov. Mike Dunleavy at the State Capitol. The legislation also revives numerous policy goals by the Republican governor such as more state money for homeschooling and state authorization of new charter schools instead of leaving that decision up to school districts. The governor’s package contains no increase to the state's per-pupil funding number for school districts, the Base Student A...
The boys and girls high school home basketball games between Wrangell and Craig were postponed from the weekend (Jan. 31 and Feb. 1) to Monday and Tuesday this week (Feb. 3-4). Bad weather in Craig made it unsafe for student travel by boat for the weekend games, though the Panthers were eventually able to make it to Wrangell ahead of the Feb. 3 matchup. Following the postponement, the boys varsity games tipped off at 5:30 p.m. on Monday and again at 7 p.m. the following night. The girls schedule was the inverse, tipping off at 7 p.m. Monday...
Facing a deficit of $111 million, the Anchorage School District released its draft budget on Jan. 31 calling for massive cuts to programs and positions. The cuts represent about 20% of the district’s spending plan for the 2025-2026 school year. In a letter to Anchorage parents, Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt said the deficit is “driven by more than a decade of flat state funding and rising costs due to inflation.” The budget proposal came on the heels of Gov. Mike Dunleavy rejecting a plan by Alaska lawmakers to significantly increase state...
PIANO TUNING Piano tuner from Corvine Piano Care plans a March visit if there are enough pianos to be serviced. Contact Alice Rooney at 907-305-0007 to be put on the work list. FUNDRAISER Fundraiser for Tasha Toombs Peterman. Hand-woven cedar bark hat by Clara Haily. Tickets are on sale through Feb. 13. Sellers are Clara Haley, Fern Seimears and Lynn Allen, available at Raymes. Call Clara at 907-305-0874. HOME FOR SALE Spacious 2-bedroom, 1½-bath, fully furnished 1,695-square-foot home near the airport, with 1-car garage, RV parking, gated back...
Wrangell is a better basketball team than Craig. They’re better organized, taller, better athletes, better shooters, better rebounders, better playmakers and they understand the sport at a higher level. At one point Wrangell’s Daniel Harrison even told a Craig player where to stand during a pair of three throws. And while the series opener on Monday, Feb. 3, got off to a clunky start, the Wolves eventually found their rhythm, defeating the Panthers on back-to-back nights 74-61 and 73-49. The wins bounce Wrangell up to second in Southeast, jus...
This wasn’t the first time a point guard named Johnson played center when their team needed it. A move made famous by Magic Johnson in the 1980 NBA Finals was replicated by Wrangell’s Christina Johnson 45 years later. In a split series held in Wrangell on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 3-4, the Wolves relied on some unconventional methods to contain a Craig team that had handedly beaten them in the Southeast Alaska Cultural Tournament championship game last month. Wrangell dropped the first game 55-60 but bounced back on Tuesday, winning 52-35. Wra...
During a break in the U.S. Army apology ceremony, Sik'nax̲.ádi clan leader John Martin walked over to a table in the audience, turned and handed U.S. Army Chaplain Phillip Rittermeyer a book. It was "The Sea Runners," by Ivan Doig, a novel about four indentured servants and their quest for freedom in a stolen canoe. Rittermeyer turned to those seated at his table and explained what happened. "We met last night, and he wanted me to have this," the chaplain said, tapping the book to the table. I...
The Wrangell School District could run short of operating funds by 2026 or 2027 if it doesn't receive new revenues or make large cuts to its programs. The school board discussed the first draft of its 2025-2026 budget on Jan. 20. Barring any notable changes between now and when the budget is sent to City Hall for approval by May 1, the district anticipates a deficit of $767,016, requiring a dip deep into the school district's dwindling reserves. This would leave the reserves at an estimated $51,...
A team from Oregon State University’s Sustainable Tourism Lab will conduct a survey in Wrangell next month to help the borough learn more of what residents think of tourism, the positives and any negatives of having visitors in town, and how to manage for the best outcome for the community. The online survey will start early February, with a student researcher in town later in the month for in-person interviews. “The purpose is to figure out where community sentiment lies” on the effects of a growing tourism industry, explained Kate Thoma...
A member of the Alaska House majority on Jan. 24 introduced legislation that would increase the state’s public school funding by more than 35%, marking the beginning of what will likely be a lengthy debate over lawmakers’ top priority for the session. The bill would add roughly $464 million to the state’s annual education spending, which currently hovers around $1.2 billion per year to Alaska’s schools. The measure was introduced by Rep. Rebecca Himschoot, a Sitka independent who co-chairs the House Education Committee, and who worked as a publ...
Jan. 29, 1925 The finest equipped riverboat in the world of the twin-screw tunnel type will be built in Wrangell within the next 10 weeks and will be ready for operation on the Stikine at the opening of navigation early in May when gold seekers from everywhere will be rushing into the Cassiar region of British Columbia. The new boat will be an addition to the fleet of riverboats on the Stikine owned by Capt. Sid Barrington. Hazel B No. 2 will be the name of the new boat, which will be 90 feet in length with a 25-foot beam powered with two...
WRANGELL MARINERS’ MEMORIAL board members will be available to assist in completing applications to add names to the commemorative plaques from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31, at the Nolan Center. Applications are available online at wrangellmarinersmemorial.com. Donations and memberships are also accepted online. COMMUNITY MARKET from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Nolan Center. Check out the locally grown and handcrafted item. WRANGELL KIDS CLUB 2:30 to 5 p.m. Wednesdays at the Irene Ingle Public Library for STEM activities a...
The Wrangell advisory committee doesn’t want to see Southeast residents lose any more of their limited share of king salmon catches to nonresident charter fishing customers, but it isn’t ready to support proposals that would substantially rewrite the commercial/sport allocations set by the Alaska Board of Fisheries. “It’s complicated,” said Chris Guggenbickler, chair of the local advisory committee which met three times in November and December to consider close to 160 proposals that will go before the state board at its meeting Jan. 28 throug...
Among the 159 proposals to go before the state Board of Fisheries at its meeting in Ketchikan starting this week is one to reduce Southeast Alaska hatcheries’ chum and pink egg take by 25%. Supporters say it would help wild salmon stocks by reducing their competition with hatchery fish for food. The Wrangell advisory committee to the Board of Fisheries “adamantly opposes” the proposal, said Chris Guggenbickler, committee chair. “The hatcheries around here are pretty beneficial to everyone,” he said. “If we didn’t have them,” a lot of people i...
This Valentine’s Day, you won’t have to worry about where to eat. The Wrangell Elks Lodge will transform its Nolan Room into a “five-star romantic restaurant” on the evening of Feb. 14. According to the Elks, romance will be the night’s theme. There will be “soft music, candlelight, five-star service,” and of course, the four-course meal. The event will take place from 6 to 9 p.m., with seating times at 6, 6:30 and 7 p.m. To book a reservation, call Dawn Angerman at 907-305-0552. Seats are limited and organizers encourage anyone interested to...
Admittedly, a lot of people avoid surveys. They have other things they want to do with their time than answer questions. But this isn’t a political poll or an advocacy group asking your opinion about a hot topic, or a company asking how much you love their product. The borough has given the Sustainable Tourism Lab at Oregon State University a homework project. The students will run an online survey of Wrangell residents, asking their opinions about — yes, you’re right — tourism. What’s good about it, what’s not so good. What are the benefit...
The Wrangell girls basketball team took second in the inaugural Southeast Alaska Cultural Tournament, held in Craig from Jan. 23 to Jan. 25. After some back-to-back wins against the Ketchikan junior varsity team and Klawock, Wrangell eventually fell to hosts Craig in the championship game. Wrangell returned home adorned with a silver medal and a chip on their shoulder ahead of the upcoming rematches against Craig on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 in Wrangell. Wrangell started off the tournament strong, beating the Ketchikan JV team...
The high school boys basketball team took first place in the inaugural Southeast Alaska Cultural Tournament, hosted by Craig Jan. 23-25. The Wolves won three of their four tournament matches, meaning Wrangell has won seven of their last eight matchups, dating back their out-of-town matches against Petersburg earlier this month. Though the tournament will not contribute to the Southeast conference standings, the win will certainly bolster the boys’ confidence ahead of the two-game home stand against Craig this weekend. The opening contest of the...
For their senior project, Addy Andrews and Aubrey Wynne are helping to coach the middle school girls volleyball team. During their four-year careers playing high school volleyball, they three-peated as Southeast champions, with just as many showings at the state tournament. Now, with their varsity volleyball careers behind them, Andrews and Wynne hope they can help the next generation find the same passion for the sport they love. "We try and make sure that they enjoy it," Wynne said. "We both...
Money's going to be tight, but a permanent education funding increase rather than another one-time boost is among the essential tasks facing lawmakers this session, state Senate leaders said as the Alaska Legislature gaveled to work on Jan. 21. Energy and development issues also dominated conversations with lawmakers during the first day of the session, which came the day after President Donald Trump issued an executive order seeking to vastly expand oil and other natural resources production...
Jacquie Dozier passed away on Dec. 23, 2024. She was born on Jan. 3, 1935. "About the artist, Jacquie Dozier," her family wrote. Jacquie was a former teacher and headmistress of a Christian school for language disabilities in California. Taking a job on a sailboat as a nanny, she came to Alaska. She arrived in Wrangell around Mother's Day in 1995. She fell in love with the friendliness of the people and the warmth of the town. Often she would be seen with her little white Westie, wandering...
PIANO TUNING Piano tuner from Corvine Piano Care plans a March visit if there are enough pianos to be serviced. Contact Alice Rooney at 907-305-0007 to be put on the work list. FUNDRAISER Fundraiser for Tasha Toombs Peterman. Hand-woven cedar bark hat by Clara Haily. Tickets are on sale through Feb. 13. Sellers are Clara Haley Fern Seimears and Lynn Allen, at Raymes. Call Clara at 907-305-0874. HOME FOR SALE Spacious 2-bedroom, 1½-bathroom, fully furnished 1,695-square-foot home near the airport, with 1-car garage, RV parking, gated backyard,...
Unique bedrock formations, a thick layer of loose sediment, and a concentrated water drainage system flowing down from the ridgetop were three of the main ingredients that led to the Nov. 20, 2023, landslide that killed six people at 11.2-Mile. These three causes, all benign on their own, became disastrous when heavy rains down poured on Wrangell Island. Though the airport weather station reported rainfall conducive to a "large but not especially large" storm, members of the public who live...
