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Along with announcing his veto of an education funding bill on April 17, Gov. Mike Dunleavy introduced new legislation with less of an increase in the state’s per-student funding formula, along with additional funding and policy items to benefit charter schools and homeschool programs. At a news conference in the state Capitol, the governor said there were two reasons for his veto. “One of the reasons is that the (state) revenue situation has deteriorated a lot” in recent months, Dunleavy said. “And the second reason for the veto is there’s...
Members of the high school band, jazz band and choir spent three days in Juneau earlier this month for the 51st annual Southeast Music Festival. “There are no winners or losers at Music Fest,” and no trophies, said Tasha Morse, who is in her 17th year teaching music at Wrangell schools. “It is a learning experience. … It’s kind of like a master class,” with guest musicians, called adjudicators, listening and coaching the students one-on-one and in small ensembles. Music Fest was held April 10-12 at Juneau-Douglas High School, with morning and...
Sometimes, making the decision to leave an abusive situation can be extremely difficult — especially if you are unaware of what options might be available for help. And, often making such a decision requires a person to be brave. BRAVE, a Wrangell nonprofit dedicated to preventing domestic violence and promoting healthy families, will host its Family Resilience Fair 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at the Nolan Center. The event aims to connect community members with vital educational resources through a fun and engaging atmosphere. A...
The community responded with 6,000 pounds of donated food after The Salvation Army cut back the days its free food pantry was open last month due to a shortage of donations to keep the shelves stocked. The donations allowed the pantry to return to its schedule of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Tuesday for families that need help. Previously, the pantry had cut back to every other week. “We’ve been tremendously blessed by this community,” Salvation Army Capt. Chase Green said last week. The 6,000 pounds included lots of canned goods and other shelf...
The Wrangell team in the annual Salvation Army Bible Bowl captured first place at the state level this month, the third year in a row the squad led the state. Wrangell won the national competition last year — the first time ever — and will try for a repeat in June in Los Angeles, said Capt. Chase Green of the Wrangell Salvation Army. “Hopefully, we’ll bring home the repeat,” he said. “There is more opposition,” Green said. “People want to beat them,” he said of the six-member Wrangell team. The state competition quizzed competitors on al...
The Alaska Press Club named the Wrangell Sentinel as the second-best weekly newspaper in the state last year. The awards were presented at the organization’s annual conference April 12 in Anchorage. “With one of the strongest news staffs among the six weekly newspapers competing, the Wrangell Sentinel — ‘The Oldest Continuously Published Newspaper in Alaska’ — consistently places multiple home-grown stories on each front page,” the judge said. The Sentinel, established in 1902, lost out for first place to the Nome Nugget. It’s the second time...
Retired Fire Department Chief Tim Buness was recognized for decades of meritorious public service by the U.S. Coast Guard in an April 3 ceremony, particularly for his dedication to the search and rescue operations run by the department. The award cites Buness’ oversight of more than 2,000 such operations, and his direct work with the Coast Gurd on over 500 search-and-rescue cases. Buness can pinpoint his very first SAR experience, going out with his father Gordon, who was then the fire chief, in May 1967 to look for an overdue boater. Since t...
Graduating senior Kyan Stead, who was selected by the Alaska Association of Basketball Coaches for this year's all-star game in Anchorage, wished the game had lasted just a little longer. Stead's team lost in double overtime in the April 12 contest, 84-82, in a high-scoring game that he described as fast-paced. "I was hoping for a third overtime," he said. Cordova's John Itliong sank the winning basket for the Gold team. Stead played on the Blue team in the Division 1A/2A all-star matchup of...
The 2025-2026 Wrangell Travel Guide, a joint project of the Sentinel and the borough’s Economic Development Department, is now available around town. The 52-page, full-color booklet features as its cover photo a brown bear family walking along, minding their own business at the Anan Wildlife Observatory, continuing the annual guide’s theme of showcasing the bear observatory as a prime attraction for visitors to Wrangell. The updated guide includes stories, maps and suggestions for visitors, including a full-page table listing boat charters ava...
The Alaska House of Representatives on April 16 approved a $6.2 billion draft state operating budget, putting Alaska on track for a deficit of as much as several hundred million dollars in the fiscal year that begins July 1. If the House version of the operating budget is added to the capital budget passed a day earlier by the Senate — and counting a planned supplemental budget needed to fill holes in this fiscal year’s spending plan — total general-purpose spending this legislative session would come in near $6.6 billion. The Alaska Depar...
As Alaska legislators confront a major state budget deficit, the state Senate on April 15 voted unanimously to approve a “bare bones” $162 million capital budget to pay for construction and renovation projects across the state. The spending plan, which would take effect July 1, remains a draft subject to approval by the House. Gov. Mike Dunleavy could also veto individual items in the spending plan. The budget bill passed by the Senate is almost entirely limited to the minimum in state money needed to unlock more than $2.5 billion in fed...
Barbara Jean Taylor passed away peacefully surrounded by family at the age of 88 on Oct. 14, 2024, at Wrangell Long-Term Care. She was born on July 8, 1936. A celebration of life will start at noon Sunday, May 18, at the City Park main pavilion. A barbecue will begin at noon....
HELP WANTED Muskeg Meadows Golf Course is hiring for the summer season. Full time or part time; you don't have to be a golf expert. Come join our team! Call Kristy at 907-305-1159. JOB ANNOUCEMENT Wrangell Public Schools is accepting applications for the position of Superintendent of Schools. The Board seeks a candidate with strong fiscal and budget management skills, effective communication skills, proven personnel leadership, and a talent for building and maintaining positive community relationships with established tribal and community...
Federal workers across Alaska have been fired as part of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency cost-cutting efforts, leaving many in a state of uncertainty, frustration and limbo. Three of those former employees spoke with the Alaska Beacon about the work they did, the experience of losing their positions and their insights into how the job losses will affect Alaska. Kitty Sopow was fired from her job with the National Weather Service, based in Nome. She was given warning of her impending termination — a complete sur...
Bill Burr has submitted his resignation as Wrangell schools superintendent, effective June 30. The school board was scheduled to accept his resignation at its monthly meeting Monday, April 14, and then move into executive session to discuss its options for the job. Burr started with the Wrangell schools in the summer of 2021, coming to work from the Delta/Greely School District in Alaska’s Interior, where he had been assistant superintendent since 2014. He had also served as director of technology and as a fill-in principal in the district. T...
The Alaska Legislature last week passed a major increase in the state’s per-pupil base funding formula for schools, but Gov. Mike Dunleavy said he will veto the measure because it lacks any of the provisions he wants such as more state support for homeschooling. The formula change passed the Senate and the House with no votes to spare — 11 votes in the 20-member Senate and 21 votes in the 40-member House. Assuming the governor makes good on his veto pledge — he called the legislation “a joke” last week — it would take a supermajori...
There are two sounds I can never seem to forget. One is the snow shovel scraping along the concrete basketball court I cleared in the Petersburg winters of my youth, basketball in hand. The second is the chain-link basketball net clanging on a Wrangell playground. One is the reason for the other. My future teammates and friends loved the game and knew what awaited us in the high school gyms across Southeast Alaska. And in Wrangell, one of the best awaited: Fred Angerman Jr. As a fifth grader,...
It’s sort of like spring cleaning — but on a much larger scale. The Parks and Recreation Department will close the pool, community center, exercise room and all recreation programming starting Monday, May 5, so that workers can complete a long list of maintenance projects and equipment upgrades. “This closure allows us to take care of necessary work that supports the safety, longevity and function of our community spaces — especially the pool and surrounding amenities,” Parks and Rec Director Lucy Robinson said in an online update on April 10....
April 16, 1925 The regular monthly meeting of the executive board of the local chapter of the Red Cross was held at the City Hall on Tuesday evening with Chairman J. G. Grant presiding. Red Cross nurse Mrs. S. D. Grant reported that some time ago G. E. Diemart had placed his taxi at the disposal of the nursing service, free of charge, and that he had taken patients she was accompanying to the boat for travel to a hospital, regardless of the time of day or night. A vote of thanks was extended to Mr. Diemart for his cooperation. April 14, 1950 A...
LITTLE LEAGUE VOLUNTEERS needed for umpiring, scorekeeping, concessions, pitching machine runners, field upkeep and more. Volunteer applications can be picked up at the Stikine Inn or online at https://bit.ly/4iP0eGr. “PLASTIC PEOPLE” 5:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 17, at the Nolan Center. Free community event about environmental justice and microplastics affecting human health. Reception at 5:30 p.m. Film (80 minutes long) at 6 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session. Light refreshments provided by Sweet Tides. Hosted by Alaska Com...
When cruise ship passengers disembark, a frequent question is: "Where can I get some local seafood for lunch?" Wrangell hasn't had a lot of options, because local residents typically don't go out for seafood, they just pull something out of the fridge or freezer. Brian and Madison Schwartz saw this as an opportunity and are launching Alaska Legacy Seafood, a 24-foot-long food trailer with a menu specializing in locally sourced seafood. They were excited to find a fully equipped food truck...
The borough assembly has taken the first step in setting up a new monofill site for the public and contractors to dump organic material, such as root wads, tree limbs, clean wood, dirt, rocks and other debris. The community’s existing site is full and closed to any new material. The assembly’s unanimous vote on March 25 started the permitting process of the new site, just across the driveway from the current dump site on Ishiyama Drive next to the outdoor shooting range. The current site has reached its maximum capacity and borough officials sa...
Wrangell is big on annual traditions. The Fourth of July, salmon fishing, high school homecoming basketball games, Christmas tree lighting, tax-free shopping days and putting away the snow shovels and ice melt. Of course, there are the less welcome yearly traditions, such as paying property taxes, getting an annual physical and digging through the final packages of last year’s frozen fish. The annual spring cleanup is sort of a mix of the eagerly awaited and the yearly event that feels good even if it requires some manual labor. Kind of like e...
Cultural institutions all over Alaska are scrambling to figure out what a wave of cuts to federal grants means for their programs and staffing. Over the past few weeks, museums, libraries and cultural organizations across Alaska have received notice that federal funds are being terminated. The federal government is making the cuts to align spending with a recent Trump administration order and the Department of Government Efficiency’s goals. Wrangell’s Irene Ingle Public Library has for at least the past 10 years received an annual federal gra...
