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Assembly members commiserated with city and hospital staff on Monday to discuss how to move forward on new organizational arrangement at Wrangell Medical Center. Currently the hospital is a public asset, managed by the City and Borough of Wrangell. For several years it has been contending with inconsistent revenues and cash reserve concerns, and in the event of a default the city would be liable for any outstanding debts. In 2015 the Assembly approved a reserve source of interest-free funds of up to $500,000 for WMC to draw from in case of...
Boys varsity Glacier Bears Wolves Sunday, February 25 59 61 Monday, February 26 56 40 Girls varsity Glacier Bears Lady Wolves Sunday, February 25 44 84 Monday, February 26 36 65...
Wrangell residents will have an opportunity to offer their two cents on the state operating budget currently in development in the Alaska House. The basis for the draft budget was proposed by Gov. Bill Walker last December. Being considered now in the House, bill number 286 will see a number of amendments to it that have been put forward by the chamber’s representatives and various subcommittees. “We’re in the process of finalizing what we’ll be looking at right now,” said Rep. Dan Ortiz (U-District 36), who sits on the House Finance Committee...
Southeast Conference held its annual Mid-Session Summit in Juneau last week, turning the region’s attention to the state of its economy as legislators reach the mid-point of their 2018 regular session. For much of it, the outlook is pretty grim. Indicators since 2014 put the region’s population and jobs on a worrisome decline, along with earned income. “We’re just taking a hit in almost every way you can imagine,” explained Meilani Schijvens, a consultant to SEC and a former executive director. Faced with continued multibill...
Wrangell Public Schools will begin searching for a new superintendent. Meeting Monday, the Public School Board approved moving forward with a search for candidates. Superintendent Patrick Mayer had since last month's meeting submitted his letter of resignation. Mayer has been in the post since 2014, and will finish out the 2018 school year. When asked about his decision or future plans after Wrangell, he declined to respond. However, a notice put out by Valdez City Schools last month listed Maye...
February 28, 1918: From one of the Dailies of Alaska: “It is pretty generally believed that a bunch of women can’t get along together for any length of time without a lot of friction,” says Miss Anna Durkee, head of the Alaska Garnet Mining and Manufacturing Company, a $1,000,000 concern, “but I want to say most emphatically that it isn’t so. Fifteen of us have been closely associated for eight years now, and never once have we had any ructions in a board meeting-we’ve gone through some pretty strenuous times, too.” It was eight years ago tha...
City staff from several departments were surprised to learn of one late resident's generosity. At its meeting in early December, the Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau discussed news that Marian Glenz had bequeathed a considerable donation to it. Details at the time had yet to be worked out, but at the Borough Assembly's February 6 meeting, City Manager Lisa Von Bargen had confirmed the contribution totaled $50,000. Born in Wisconsin in 1936, Glenz spent her youth in Port Protection, Ketchik...
February 3 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Wrangell Post, concluded a residency investigation involving Stephen Nesbitt, age 49 from Washington. Investigation determined Nesbitt was claiming Alaska residency on his fishing licenses while receiving benefits from Washington. Additionally Nesbitt obtained two subsistence salmon permits by claiming residency. Nesbitt was issued a summons on five counts of False Statement on a License with a mandatory court appearance in the District Court at Wrangell on Feb. 21....
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Doctors confirmed the presence of mumps in Juneau for the first time in more than two decades. There has been one confirmed case of the disease in Juneau as of Thursday, and three other possible cases, Juneau Public Health Center nurse manager Alison Gaines said. The first case was diagnosed in January, with the most recent suspected case appearing this past week, Gaines said. This is the first confirmed case of mumps in Juneau since 1997, Alaska Division of Public Health Epidemiologist Amanda Tiffany said. Mumps is a cont...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska environmental conservation officials warned lawmakers that budget cuts are increasing the dangers to residents. The state Department of Environmental Conservation gave the warning as lawmakers work this week to finalize the budgets of various state agencies, the Juneau Empire reported Wednesday. The department has seen its operating budget reduced from $87.9 million in 2014 to a proposal of $80.2 million for fiscal year 2019. The department is tasked with enforcing drinking water safety, sanitation standards, food s...
The Wrangell Wolves chalked up a pair of losses last weekend hosting the Metlakatla Chiefs, though it easily could have been a split between the two teams. Friday's evening game was a blowout for the Chiefs, which controlled the court for much of the game. Though the final score ended up in a 52-42 win for them, Wrangell coach Cody Angerman acknowledged some last-minute catching up had helped close a larger gap between the two teams. By now in the second half of the season, the teams' meeting...
KENAI, Alaska (AP) – Sport-fishing license sales dropped in Alaska last year, despite the state Department of Fish and Game recording an increase in revenue from license sales. Division of Sportfish Director Tom Brookover said Tuesday that the department was expecting the decline in sales because fees rose. Brookover said resident license sales fell by a much higher percentage than nonresident license sales. Resident anglers bought 162,500 licenses in 2017, about 20 percent fewer than about 203,000 licenses in 2016, Brookover said. The Legislat...
Playing at home over the weekend, the Lady Wolves had a pair of close games against Metlakatla High School. “They were really good games for the girls,” said Wrangell basketball coach Laurie BrownThe Miss Chiefs held a double-digit lead through most of the first half, ahead 37-20 by the break. Metlakatla player Marissa Yliniemi posed a particular obstacle to Wrangell, netting six of 10 attempted three-pointers during the game. Wrangell pressed back, however, focusing on their defense and putting the visiting team on its guard. “They press...
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) – Kodiak researchers will study why Pacific cod stocks have been shrinking over the past few years. The Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center researchers will collect information about the habitat use, diet and energetics of juvenile cod, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported Tuesday. The hypothesis is that warmer temperatures increase the metabolic rates of young cod and, subsequently, their food sources don’t supply enough energy. The hypothesis stems from research that suggests the stocks’ decline was caused by a mass of wa...
Wrangell's Amateur Athletics Union basketball program will be hosting its 2018 invitational this weekend. A gap bridging program for middle school girls interested in the sport, this is the Wrangell program's fifth year in operation, and the regional tournament will be the fourth it has hosted so far. Students from Petersburg, Sitka and Juneau will be making the trip, with play for seeding starting this evening at 4 p.m. Juneau and Sitka will be fielding three teams each, while Wrangell and...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) _ A study of bears and berries has determined that the big animals are the main dispersers of fruit seeds in southeast Alaska. The study by Oregon State University researchers says it’s the first instance of a temperate plant being primarily dispersed by mammals through their excrement rather than by birds. Researcher Taal Levi says seed dispersal is a key component in the understanding of any ecosystem. He says brown and black bears thrive on Alaska’s Panhandle because of abundant salmon but both feed on berries whi...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott criticized Juneau’s bid for annexation, saying the state’s capital city is not being a good neighbor. Speaking at a conference Wednesday, Mallott lambasted officials for trying to annex parts of nearby Admiralty Island, CoastAlaska News reported . His comments were made at the Southeast Conference Mid-Session Summit. The Assembly voted in January to add four parcels to its borough, including parts of northern Admiralty Island. It later dropped one parcel after hearing objections from Juneau cabin...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska Senate is considering a bill that would exempt utility companies from liability related to a pesticide used on most wooden power poles in the state. The bill comes after federal wildlife officials alerted state authorities to “concerning levels’’ of the pesticide in areas on the Kenai Peninsula, KTOO Public Media in Juneau reported Thursday. Most power poles are treated with the pesticide Pentachlorophenol. In 2015, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists found elevated levels of the pesticide in soils a...
Ordinarily highlighting new developments in Wrangell’s economy, the Chamber of Commerce’s 28th annual fundraiser dinner was dedicated to something different this year. Decorating the Nolan Center ballroom in black and red last Saturday, the theme for 2018 was “Honoring the Spirit of Service,” dedicated specifically to the men, women and youths who devote so much of their time to Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department. “I can’t think of a better group to honor than those that serve,” said Cyni Cra...
February 21, 1918: Here is a suggestion for a saving plan for the household, one that is tangible and easy to follow. Let parents organize their tots into Home War Savings Groups so that the children can earn their pennies and not have them donated to them, by keeping their rooms in order, doing the dishes, running errands dusting, etc. By earning their pennies in some definite and regular manner and then purchasing Thrift Stamps with them, children will gain in the spirit of self-denial, they will become conscious of rendering a real service...
For the second year running, residents will have an opportunity next week to dispose of their antiquated electronics with a collection drive put on by the Tribe. Wrangell Cooperative Association’s Indian Environmental General Assistance Program will be working with residents and businesses both to gather together e-waste, items ranging from fax machines and scanners to tube televisions, charger cords, adapters, cellular phones and computer towers. The drive will accept all video and music players, cameras and other monitors. Basically a...
PETERSBURG – Alaska Wildlife Troopers filed charges against two Petersburg teens who allegedly hit multiple deer with a truck last week, filmed it, and then uploaded it to social media. The teens, 17-year-old Sebastian R. Davis and 17-year-old Jasmine C. Ohmer, were charged on Monday with harassing game, a misdemeanors, according to court documents. Davis was charged with reckless driving as well. The charges stem from a video taken last week that emerged on Snapchat, a social media app. The video shows a truck traveling southbound on W...
A state grant to the Wrangell Museum is allowing its staff to take on larger projects as they continue to digitally archive its collection. Museums Alaska awarded $9,212 to Wrangell through its Collections Management Funds, one of three it has to benefit the state's historical and art institutions. Underwritten by Rasmuson Foundation, this particular grant will go toward acquiring equipment and materials necessary for the museum's oversize archives. Museum archivist Greg Acuna explained the...
Letter to the Editor: In 1971 a friend took me out on his boat fishing for king salmon. From that day on I wanted to fish for kings. Starting out in my teens I spent most of my youth fishing after that. A few years later limited entry was created, I missed out on a power permit because of living in Ketchikan. After that came gear reduction, power trollers went from six lines down to four, hand trollers went from four down to two. All this to relieve pressure on the king salmon along with a quota. I learned a lot from an old fisherman and one...
The Southeast Alaska Power Agency governing board last week approved moving forward with a remote inspection of the tunnels underlying the Tyee Lake hydroelectric plant. In his report to the board on February 8, SEAPA power systems specialist Ed Schofield explained a remotely operated vehicle would be needed to perform an inspection of the facility’s water conveyance structures. Unlike the dam at Swan Lake, Tyee is a natural lake which is tapped for the facility. Water is conducted to the powerhouse through an intake in the lake into a drop sha...
