Sorted by date Results 6326 - 6350 of 10681
Legislators wrapped up their fourth special session called for the year last week, passing a crime reform bill but failing to take up any new revenue measures. Passing both chambers, Senate Bill 54 revises the criminal justice reform package passed under SB 91 in 2016. The latest bill is based on recommendations by the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission, including tightening up penalties for Class C felonies and repeat thefts, violations of release and sex trafficking offenses. “There was definitely a need to work the Senate Bill 91, which I di...
One of Southeast’s primary ferries will be out of service longer than expected as it undergoes annual maintenance, affecting the winter schedule. The Alaska Marine Highway System announced last week the M/V Malaspina will be out of commission several months longer than expected. The vessel went in for its annual overhaul and certification on October 1, with the intention of returning it to service on December 22. During the overhaul engineers determined an extensive replacement of the craft’s steel was needed, and that both its propeller hubs r...
A Wrangell freshman was invited to join the state-level treble choir this year, at the All-State Music Festival in Anchorage. Held between November 16 and 18 at the Bartlett and West Anchorage high school campuses, the Alaska School Activities Association event drew around 175 students from around the state to participate in its two choirs. Robyn Booker has been singing for "as long as I could talk," she reckoned. Participating in the annual Christmas concert through her school years, as a new...
Sports fans and other television viewers subscribing to General Communication Inc. have likely noticed that its FOX programming has been absent for most of the month. Since November 8 the telecommunications provider has been unable to show FOX in Southeast Alaska due to a contract row with television station KJUD. Based in Juneau, the television station is an ABC affiliate owned by Vision Alaska LLC, and in addition to FOX, carries programming for the CW network. In a media release GCI...
Until further notice is given, the clerical offices and courtroom at the Wrangell Public Safety Building have been closed down temporarily. The closure began Monday morning, with the Alaska Court System citing air quality concerns for staff using the premises. The space is rented from the city, which maintains the entire facility and surrounding property. "We've got some water issues that need to be addressed," explained Neil Nesheim, area court administrator for the First District Court. He...
Following talks earlier this month with the city, the hospital board drafted a letter requesting that it move forward with finding a third party partnership. At their November 15 meeting, Wrangell Medical Center governing board members discussed the pros and potential cons of partnering up with another organization. A major reason for considering the move is seeking out project support for construction of a new medical facility, an elusive goal for much of the past decade. Among the board’s more immediate concerns is maintaining cash flow to t...
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) _ A report by Alaska's Southeast Conference calls for the state marine highway system to increase its ticket prices. The recommendation is part of a 25-year plan that Gov. Bill Walker asked the conference's stakeholders to put together for the struggling Alaska Marine Highway System, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported Thursday. The major part of the plan is to turn the marine highway into a public corporation. The system's Reform Steering Committee is pursuing legislative changes to make that happen. Stakeholders estimate...
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) _ A report by an Alaska regional development organization indicated that the success of the state ferry service could hinge on repairing the troubled relationship between its management and labor force. The Southwest Conference found that the relationship was strained, inefficient and ineffective, causing financial problems for the Alaska Marine Highway System, the Kodiak Daily Mirror newspaper reported Friday. ``Management and labor need to have a realignment so they're working toward a common goal,'' said Robert Venables,...
November 14 Erik Vocelka, 34. of Wrangell, was contacted by Alaska Wildlife Troopers regarding his license. Investigation had determined Vocelka purchased a 2015 resident hunting and fishing license after receiving a resident hunting license from another state within the previous 12 months. Vocelka was issued a $310 citation in the District Court in Wrangell for giving a false statement on a license application....
In last week’s issue of the Sentinel, the mayor’s selection of SEAPA board alternates was misreported. Voting members will be Stephen Prysunka and Clay Hammer, while alternates will be city finance director Lee Burgess and city manager Lisa Von Bargen. They begin their duties at the power agency’s first board meeting of the 2018 calendar year, on a date still to be determined....
Kaye M. Taylor, 77, a resident of Mount Vernon, Washington and former Wrangell resident, passed away at her home on Nov. 1, 2017. Kaye was born on Feb. 13, 1940 in Beloit, Wisconsin, the daughter of Lester and Darlene (Polglaze) Buckwalter. She was raised and obtained her education in Beloit, graduating from high school with the class of 1958. Her parents separated when she was a child and her mother later married Harold Kelton, who was a loving step-father. She worked for Avis Car Rental in Atlanta, Georgia and for the Lighthouse Travel...
A film about the life of Baha’u’llah, Prophet and Founder of the Baha’i Faith, will be shown on Fri., Nov. 24, at 6 pm in the Stikine Fireview Room. This is a follow up event in recognition of the 200th anniversary of His birth, held October 20. The purpose is to acquaint people with His life and teachings as they impact our modern world. The evening will begin with a potluck dinner. Everyone is welcome. Activities will be provided for children. Wrangellites joined millions of others around the world in celebrating this event. Our progr...
After a rollicking three days in Petersburg for Region V, the Lady Wolves volleyball team will be headed to State next weekend. Twelve Wrangell students headed to the tournament, seeded third among their division's teams after a hard-fought season. "Everybody got to step onto the court over the weekend," said Jessica Whitaker, Wrangell's head coach. Her girls began their tournament against Haines on November 16, starting off with a strong 25-9 win. The second match came out more closely at 25-18...
Meals have been brought to 74 families’ tables for Thanksgiving this week through the efforts of a local charity drive. The annual Thanksgiving basket drive organized by the Wrangell Ministerial Association has for each of the past sixteen years provided traditional meals to hundreds of residents. Donations of cash and goods from community members are pooled together to assemble turkeys, dressing, vegetables and other sides for a family feast. Don and Bonnie Roher, Damon and Eva Roher, and Mike and Jennifer Bates this year packed and d...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – While constitutional questions swirl around a crime bill recently passed by the Alaska Legislature, the director of the state Department of Law's criminal division thinks the courts will work out a solution. John Skidmore said courts will find a way to interpret the law in a way that avoids constitutional issues, KTOO radio reported. But Tara Rich, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska, believes the courts will invalidate a provision dealing with Class C felonies. She also expects legal c...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Officials in Alaska want the U.S. State Department to raise with the Canadian government concerns about the impacts of British Columbia mining on waters that flow across the border. Gov. Bill Walker, Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott and Alaska's congressional delegation also asked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to determine if the concerns should be brought to a special international commission. The commission gets involved when asked to do so by the national governments. The congressional delegation made similar requests under t...
At last week’s meeting of the City and Borough Assembly, a number of ongoing infrastructural needs made the agenda. One item of interest was acquiring a new backup generator to support one of the city’s recently upgraded sewer pump stations. The pump station on Case Avenue is one of two primary stations servicing Wrangell’s waste that were upgraded last year. In the event of a power failure, Public Works has requested permission to purchase a 175 Kilowatt backup generator capable of running the pump. Currently the department has one smaller gen...
One of the state's public ferries will help collect data on ocean acidification during its regular route. The news was announced last week by Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center at University of Alaska Southeast, which has partnered with the Alaska Marine Highway System, British Columbia's Hakai Institute, Alaska Ocean Observing System and other federal agencies on the project. The vessel chosen for the data collection study is the M/V Columbia, which at 418 feet and a gross tonnage of 3,946 is...
Wrangell's mayor chose the community's new voting and alternate member on next year's Southeast Alaska Power Agency board. Based in Ketchikan, the regional power provider services that community, Wrangell and Petersburg. The three member utilities pool production from their hydroelectric facilities and collectively purchase power from the agency through 25-year power sales agreements, with the current agreement extending through 2034. Decisions guiding the agency is overseen by a governing...
November 29, 1917: Several local mariners have called our attention to an error in our report of the Mariposa wreck. The Sentinel stated that the wreck occurred at a place that is out of the usual course of traffic. This is not true. Any large vessel leaving Wrangell northbound would pass very close to where the wreck occurred. It is only the smaller boats, such as the Humboldt, Jefferson, and City of Seattle that go through Wrangell Narrows. All vessels leaving Wrangell must go around Cape Decision and cannot avoid the perilous passage which t...
The Wrangell Advisory Committee (AC) to the Board of Fish reviewed shellfish proposals for the coming 2017-18 year last week, focusing primarily on several shrimp and crab measures. Made up of various sport, commercial and subsistence users, locally-formed advisory committees each year put together proposals for changes to fish and game management policies, and have the opportunity to review and weigh in on proposals from other committees. Their comments are then considered by the two boards when the different proposal sets are considered each...
Wrangell's Wolves wrestlers had a good tournament in Petersburg over the weekend, edging out the home team for pins in a two-day tournament. "It was good," said coach Jeff Rooney. "We ran a couple of different styles," he explained, with a scramble format followed by a round robin on November 10. The following day, round-robin match-ups were followed by a bracketed format. In a mixed face-off on Friday, JD Barratt wrestled his way to the top of his 113 weight bracket. In a round-robin he won all...
