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PETERSBURG – At the age of 23, Harvey Gilliland left his job at Western Union Telegraph Company in Seattle to take a job at the White Alice Communications System (WACS) in Duncan Canal, just 9-miles from Petersburg. The site was 2.25 miles from the beach, according to Gilliland, and sat on a mountain at a 2,460 ft. elevation. The steep terrain between the site and beach required 6.25-mile road with 5 major switchbacks, Gilliland noted. Following two weeks of indoctrinization in Anchorage, "...
The history of the code name White Alice is lost to history. Those devising the code name may have selected it as an acronym or just a name with no special meaning. One claim has Alice an acronym for Alaska Integrated Communications Enterprise. Air Force regulations required two words in a code name. A second word White, represented the long Alaskan winter. Alice White would work, but a silent screen star already had that name and person’s names could not be used. Transposing the two words solved the problem. Another assertion was that White A...
Social media was astir Monday as word spread about the second stage of a project being undertaken to mitigate contamination at the former Byford junkyard. Notice of a proposed use of Pats Creek Road was submitted to the United States Forest Service late last week, informing Wrangell Ranger District trucks would be making extensive use of the road to shift around 18,500 cubic yards of lead-contaminated soil from the former Byford property near 4 Mile Zimovia to a rock pit just two miles down the...
More than just focusing on the local wildlife, Wrangell's annual Bearfest is also an opportunity to focus on the creative arts. Whether it is judging photographs and paintings at the Nolan Center, a "Bear-oque" classical concert and fundraiser lunch for the Wrangell Chorale, local girls playing their violins during the Saturday market, or judges selecting their favorite pies, there were varied ways last week to highlight the beauty and inspiration that comes from living in rural Alaska....
For the first time since last winter, paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) risk factors for butter clams sampled on beaches near Pats Creek have dropped back to normal. Wrangell Cooperative Association’s Indian Environmental General Assistance Program office made the announcement last week, after samples taken July 24 showed decreased levels of saxitoxin. The cause behind PSP, elevated saxitoxin traces were first discovered at the site in January. Saxitoxin is a deadly neurotoxin produced by phytoplankton of the genus Alexandrium. When a...
In last week’s issue of the Sentinel, a Dan’s Dispatch entry outdated by some years was run inadvertently. On the topics covered therein, Alaska Wildlife Troopers have long since decided to retain Wrangell’s post and a trooper is currently serving in that capacity. The correct dispatch has been included in this week’s issue....
Later this week, the Legislature will convene for its third (and hopefully very brief) special session to pass a capital budget. Negotiations with the Senate have been completed and I’m confident that a compromised version of the capital budget will pass out of both bodies. It will meet the minimum needs of the state and it’s residents in terms of infrastructure investment. Most generally, the capital budget is how we fund investment in Alaska’s infrastructure for transportation (including the AMHS) and our natural resource development. Over...
Candidates are being sought for Wrangell’s various municipal committees and elected seats. Beginning August 1 and extending through the remainder of the month, the city clerk’s office will be accepting declarations of candidacy and signature petitions for the October 3 ballot. Two three-year terms on the Borough Assembly are coming up for election, with the seats of Stephen Prysunka and Mark Mitchell both expiring. Two seats on the Public School Board – one a full three-year and the other an unexpired two-year term – are likewise up for ele...
In a media release put out by Rivers Without Borders on Tuesday, a proposed buyer for a disused mining operation has reportedly since dropped its interest. Citing unspecified sources, the environmental group reported private investment group Black Loon Metals has dropped its interest in purchasing the Tulsequah Chief mine, located along the Taku River watershed in British Columbia. When asked for comment on the release, Black Loon Metals declined to confirm whether this was the case. Rivers Without Borders had previously announced the Canadian...
The symposium at last week's Bearfest was an opportunity for experts in bear-related research to share some of their knowledge about the different species, as well as highlight the work they have done in their different fields. Lance Craighead of Montana's Craighead Institute has been a longtime supporter of Wrangell's annual festival, which celebrates the area's robust bear population. Speaking last Wednesday, the environmental advocate sought to convey how people directly affect and often thre...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – A new cruise ship is set for an eight-day expedition exploring Alaska. On Saturday, Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic launched the Quest its first ever-new build from Juneau. The ship left from Anacortes, Washington, for a shake-out cruise to Alaska, arriving in Juneau on Friday. Its first passengers boarded at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, the Juneau Empire reported. The 100-passenger vessel originally was expected to debut last Wednesday. But the line scrubbed that cruise, citing problems with a launch attempt. A little o...
On Monday Gov. Bill Walker signed into law a capital budget for the 2018 Fiscal Year, which had been adopted by the Legislature in a brief special session on July 27. The new budget includes $5,000,000 in the Municipal Harbor Facility Grant Fund, precisely what will be needed for Wrangell’s Harbor Department to proceed with an overhaul of the facilities at Shoemaker Bay Harbor. “We’re excited,” said Wrangell harbormaster Greg Meissner. The aging facility has about passed its useful life, with a portion already closed off to moorage. The project...
Wrangell’s new city manager sat in on her first meeting of the City and Borough Assembly Tuesday evening. Starting work last week, Lisa Von Bargen gave her first report to council members on the state of city departments. Offered the job back in April, the former Valdez economic director reported she has been getting to know the departments under her since her arrival. She has been getting together with staff at City Hall, the Harbor Department and Public Works this past week to visit sites. She further plans to meet with Parks and R...
Intermittent rains and wind on Saturday prompted Muskeg Meadows Golf Course to cancel one of its two days scheduled for the First Bank Golf Tournament. Twenty-six golfers from Wrangell and Petersburg still hit the links on a sunny Sunday morning for the best-ball, team play competition. Players vied for a number of prizes and for First Bank-related raffle items during the lunch to follow. Golfing with a handicap of 16, Eric Koding, Faye and Keene Kohrt, and Tyler Eagle took first place overall w...
August 2, 1917: At the last meeting of the Civic Improvement Club it was decided to purchase from Mrs. Minnie Rosenthal of Seattle the lot adjoining the school property on the southeast. This lot is to be used as a children’s playground, and will be deeded to the town. The price paid for the lot was $400. It has a frontage of 39 1/3 feet, and extends from Second Street back to Cassiar Street. The mere purchase of a lot for $400 is a small matter when considered solely was a business transaction. But this purchase of a playground for the s...
A new officer has joined Wrangell Police Department, bringing its staffing levels closer to optimal. Recently retired from the United States Coast Guard, Eric Wolf began work in Wrangell as an officer at the end of June. After 12 years of active service, he explained a medical condition he had developed prevented him from continuing as an aviation mechanical technician. Originally from Washington, he was drawn back to the northwest by an interest in law enforcement. Previously Wolf had worked for just over a year and a half as a reserve police...
Wrapping up a visit to Wrangell over the weekend, cruise ship The World was on its way to Petersburg late Monday when a medical emergency took precedence. Wrangell Fire Chief Tim Buness received a call from the local emergency dispatcher at around 8:15 p.m., relaying that the vessel required assistance. He contacted the United States Coast Guard about the situation. At 644 feet, The World is the largest private residential ship on earth. During its several-day stay in Wrangell it remained...
On July 15, 2017 Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Wrangell Post, cited Randy Scherer, age 64 of Arkansas, for making a false statement on a sport fishing license. Investigation revealed Scherer claimed to be an AK resident on his 2017 sport fishing license at time he did not meet Alaska residency requirements. Scherer was issued a $310 citation in the District Court at Wrangell....
As the fisheries industry continues to expand and Wrangell’s Marine Service Center’s services demand increases, I believe Wrangell’s economy has nowhere to go but up. However, to accommodate this growth, the state must maintain their services in Wrangell. I am particularly concerned about the conservation of state jobs in Wrangell. Several years ago, Wrangell lost its social worker and its fisheries biologist. Now, the loss of the Wrangell trooper and the potential of reduced funding to the city jail weigh heavily, as Wrangell’s state jobs sl...
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) – The U.S. will conduct as soon as next weekend another test of a missile defense system meant to counter threats from North Korea. The launch from Alaska’s Kodiak Island is scheduled to occur at the Pacific Spaceport Complex-Alaska, according to a U.S. Coast Guard notice. Mariners are advised to remain clear of swaths of ocean between Kodiak Island and Hawaii through the weekend. U.S. Army soldiers are stationed temporarily at the launch complex for U.S. Missile Defense Agency testing of the Terminal High Altitude Area Def...
In a joint news release on Monday, House Speaker Bryce Edgmon (D-Dillingham) and Senate President Pete Kelly (R-Fairbanks) announced that the Alaska Legislature will call itself into another session in Juneau today at 11 a.m. The special session – the 30th Legislature’s third called for 2017 – follows extensive wrangling over the state’s fiscal deficit. A compromise operating budget was approved late last month and signed by Gov. Bill Walker on June 30. The $4.9 billion budget for the new fiscal year, which started July 1, came with a $2.5 bill...
A Wrangell student is currently in Anchorage getting a full month’s worth of science, math and engineering lessons. On July 8 future sophomore Tasha Massin left for Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program’s (ANSEP) five-week acceleration academy, one of two such sessions it holds each summer. She joins 138 students from 30 different communities around the state, to be immersed in a university setting while exploring opportunities in scientific, technological, engineering and mathematical (STEM) fields. “The goal of Acceleration Acade...
With activities for Alaska Bearfest 2017 already underway, running enthusiasts are gearing up for its finale on Sunday. This year’s Bearfest Marathon-1/2-5K will be featuring three separate but concurrently run events, with participants taking on either the five-kilometer (3.1 miles), 13.1-mile or 26.2-mile runs. The start time is at 8 a.m., outside the Nolan Center, but day-of registration opens up at 7 a.m. Becca Rice has been organizing this year’s event, which has been a component of Wrangell’s bear-related celebration for its past eight...
