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Forest Service plans to clear and rebuild road to Middle Ridge cabin By Larry Persily Sentinel writer Progress is underway toward reopening the full length of Middle Ridge Road. Sections of the old logging road were overrun in a November 2023 landslide. The U.S. Forest Service is working to complete repairs to the road and reopen access to the Middle Ridge public-use cabin. "We were able to secure some emergency relief funding for work on the Middle Ridge Road," Wrangell District Ranger Tory...
Vanessa Barnes is comfortable letting go. Since she was 5 years old, the high school senior called the wrestling mat home. For her senior project, Barnes was able to share that sense of home with wrestlers on the middle school team and in the peewee program. For the project, she teamed up with fellow high school senior standout Della Churchill. "I planned it before," Barnes said, standing in the back room of the high school art department as she painted a handmade ceramic cup. "I've always done...
The annual Stikine River Birding Festival returns for a weekend of avian adventures April 26-27. Evolving from what was once known as the annual Garnet Festival in 1997, Birdfest will begin at 7 a.m. Saturday, April 26, with people invited to bring their binoculars to a two-hour bird walk on the Muskeg Meadows Golf Course, led by local birding expert Bonnie Demerjian and wildlife expert and special guest speaker Chadd Drott. Drott, a Colorado resident, has been studying wildlife for more than 25 years. He operates Chadd’s Walking With Wildlife,...
FUNDRAISER Fish Fry dinner 6 p.m. Thursday, April 17, at the Wrangell Elks Lodge. Dine in or take out. $25 per plate. Cash or checks only. Fundraiser is hosted by the Wrangell Athletic Club to support state travel activities for students. FREE DESK Wood desk, 54 inches wide and 34 inches deep, in fair condition. Free. Call Amber at 907-874-2301 or stop by the Sentinel office on Front Street. FREE ADS Do you have something to sell? Having a garage sale? Looking to buy something? Classified ads for individuals and community groups are free in...
A Canadian environmental nonprofit group, long critical of the Red Chris Mine in the northern watershed of the Stikine River, has released a new report that cites increasing underground seepage of contaminants from the mine’s tailings pond. The report comes as British Columbia regulators are considering the mine operator’s application to expand ore recovery by changing to underground tunneling instead of open-pit surface mining. The gold and copper mine started operations in 2015 and sits about 50 miles east of the Stikine River community of...
A majority of Wrangell teachers approved sending a letter to the school board, expressing “no confidence” in the leadership of Board President Dave Wilson. “This action was not taken lightly,” the March 31 letter said. “It reflects widespread concern among educators about Mr. Wilson’s conduct, lack of preparedness, (and) unwillingness to collaborate with community stakeholders. …” Almost 50 people attended a March 24 work session between the school board and borough officials to hash out options amid a severe budget squeeze at the schools. Wi...
Twenty years after Congress passed the REAL ID Act, and after numerous postponements, the Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, will require travelers have an approved identification to board an airplane as of May 7. Which means Wrangell residents who don’t have a REAL ID issued by the Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles — the cards have a star in the upper-right corner of the license — are running out of time to get a new license. People need to get to the DMV office in the Public Safety Building to fill out the forms and provi...
“Why should the kids have all the fun?” was a significant motivating factor for the Irene Ingle Public Library’s first-ever winter reading program for grown-ups, which wrapped up in March after 11 weeks of page-turning. It was a success, attracting 60 participants who read a combined 1,072 books. Sarah Scambler, library director, said many patrons commented that the summer reading program for kids, which has been offered for the past 30 years, always generates reading fun and excitiement, and adults wanted in on it. The idea had been floated by...
April 9, 1925 A government surveying party, headed by E. C. Guerin, cadastral engineer, arrived in Wrangell on the Yukon on Wednesday afternoon. Mr. Guerin headed a party which spent six months last year surveying land suitable for agricultural purposes in the Stikine River district between Farm Island and the Canadian border. The work will be of incalculable benefit to future settlers along the Stikine. When the work is completed, the homesteader will not have to wait for a survey or a report on his holdings by a government representative. In...
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. BRAVE MEETING 2 p.m. Thursday, April 10, at the Irene Ingle Public Library. Everyone is welcome; learn about plans for the coming year with BRAVE (Building Respect and Valuing Everyone). Contact Kay Larson for more information or for a Zoom link to attend online, 907-209-9117. FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY will meet at 3 p.m. Friday,...
The 2025 Southeast Alaska harvest limit for king salmon will be almost 40% less than last year, a drop of 60,000 fish. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game on April 1 announced an overall allocation of 130,800 treaty king salmon — fish that don’t originate in Alaska hatcheries — for all gear groups targeting kings in waters off Southeast Alaska and Yakutat. In recent years, Southeast Alaska’s all-gear allocation has ranged between a high of 355,600 treaty kings in 2016 down to 130,000 in 2018, Fish and Game records show. The regionw...
As has been routine in recent years, the state has closed the waters in front of the Stikine River to sport fishing for kings or retention of the salmon though July 14. The annual closure is a continuing effort to rebuild the river’s depleted runs. The closure of District 8 covers the waters around the top half of Wrangell Island to the eastern half of Zarembo Island, and up the east side of Mitkof Island. Districts 6, 7, 9 and 10 as far north as Frederick Sound and into Chatham Strait and south of Etolin Island are closed to king sport f...
No one likes another requirement to pass through security before boarding a flight to see family or friends, visit a medical specialist, attend a business meeting or, even better, take a vacation. But the federal requirement that travelers on domestic flights must show a REAL ID, or other approved enhanced-security photo identification, will take effect on May 7. The deadline comes 20 years after Congress approved the law. Over those two decades, the frequently criticized law has been postponed several times, same as the morning northbound...
In today’s world, many feel concern, anxiety and cynicism. Yet there are countless reasons to remain hopeful. A gathering in Anchorage on March 29-30 and open to all, explored how we can unite to create a more peaceful and prosperous world for every member of the human family. Among the 140 attendees with diverse backgrounds were three adults and one youth from Wrangell, all eager to reflect on this question. Through devotional gatherings, large and small group discussions, the arts and shared meals, we explored the teachings of B...
The Wrangell Chamber of Commerce will move into the Nolan Center, pending the expected approval by the borough assembly later this month. Setting up shop in the Nolan Center will put the chamber in a more visible and heavily trafficked location, allowing better access for visitors. Since 2012, the chamber has been in an office in the Stikine Inn, around the corner from the front desk. “We’re essentially becoming roommates,” said Kate Thomas, the borough’s economic development director, describing the new arrangement for sharing office space....
Police on Saturday arrested Ethan Robison, 22, on multiple charges after he allegedly hit one vehicle and ran two others off the road before losing control of his own vehicle and crashing off the highway. Police said they received a report about 5:25 p.m. Saturday, April 5, “of a potentially intoxicated driver” in a pickup truck near Evergreen Trailer Park on the north end of the island. “Shortly after, the same truck hit a vehicle at the intersection of Bennett Street and Zimovia Highway,” according to the Wrangell Police Department stateme...
The math of not having enough revenue to cover what the public wants out of state government isn't a shock to freshman Rep. Jeremy Bynum, who left four years of service on the Ketchikan Gateway Borough assembly to start his new job this year as a member of the Alaska House of Representatives. What surprised him is the size of the gap between available revenue and spending desires, said Bynum, who represents Ketchikan, Wrangell, Metlakatla, Hyder, Meyers Chuck, Whale Pass and Coffman Cove. He...
Kyan Stead talks a lot about practice. If there are two things the high school senior excels at, it's basketball and welding, two talents reliant on tedious repetition. And while that may deter some folks, Stead embraces it. For his senior project, he organized a wood and metal art table at the Nolan Center's holiday community market last December. He sold student projects and other creations students made in shop class. From cutting boards to coat hangers, he sold about $2,000 worth of goods. A...
"The roof is on fire, and I feel like nobody is actually paying attention," teacher Mikki Angerman said at a joint work session between the borough assembly and school board on March 24. Nearly 50 members of the public attended the meeting, and Angerman's impassioned speech to the school board exemplified the widespread frustration with the district's handling of its large budget shortfall. The meeting coincided with the release of the district's third draft of next year's budget. Business...
Without a real plan, Olivia Strano found herself in the right place at the right time. When she walked away from her work as a yacht stewardess and onto a Wrangell dock last summer, she felt she had found her home. "I've been searching for my place for 10 years, and Wrangell is everything I've been looking for," she said. While she was working a variety of jobs to make ends meet, she asked locals what was something that Wrangell needed but didn't have. Music, music venues and more bands were...
It’s even better than a raincoat, it’s “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” and the musical is coming to the stage at the Nolan Center this weekend. “If you’ve never seen a show, this is the one to see,” director Haley Reeves said of the community theater production, the fifth play since volunteers resumed putting on shows in December 2022 after an absence of more than 20 years. “Joseph” retells a Bible story about a large family and one young man’s journey and later reunion with his brothers. “It’s not a boring show,” Reeves sa...
Spring started a month ago, but better to wait until any remaining snow is gone and the temperatures are a little warmer before embarking on Wrangell’s annual community cleanup. The cleanup event is set for 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 19, with crews collecting their gear and heading out from the Evergreen Elementary School parking lot. “People come in and get bags to collect trash at the place of their choice,” said one of the volunteer organizers, Paula Rak, who has been helping with the community cleanup the past 40 years. The organ...
April 2, 1925 J.T. Freeburn, who was in the mining game in Alaska for many years, was a guest of the Wrangell Commercial Club at its weekly luncheon Monday. Mr. Freeburn stated that he believes the mining possibilities of Alaska are far greater than is generally realized. He further stated that lead, manganese and other metals which 10 years ago were down in price are now being quoted on the market at considerably increased prices. Mr. Freeburn said there has never been a time when it was easier to get money for the development of legitimate...
