Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 825
A SEARHC patient benefits staffer will be in Wrangell Monday through Thursday, Nov. 27-30, to assist people who have questions about health insurance and need help signing up for low-cost coverage through the Affordable Care Act federally operated online marketplace. The annual enrollment period is open through Jan. 15, but people need to sign up by Dec. 15 for their coverage to start Jan. 1, according to Susan Briles, the SEARHC patient health benefits manager in Sitka. One of her colleagues, Hillary Russom, comes to Wrangell twice a year to...
Multiple resources are responding Tuesday to help people affected by the massive landslide at 11-Mile on Monday night that killed at least one person, with five others still missing. The growing list includes food, temporary shelter, or just a warm place to spend the day with family and friends. Angela Stires, an evacuee and a nurse at Wrangell Medical Center, said she and her family were provided rooms at the Stikine Inn, which has been offering shelter to people displaced by the landslide.... Full story
Myrna Torgramsen dresses for the occasion at the long-term care center on Friday, Oct. 27. Wrangell Medical Center staff carved, painted and decorated a wide array of spooky and silly pumpkins for residents to judge. Torgramsen's favorite entry - and the first-prize winner - was "Betty Bacon," a pumpkin dressed up as a pig and surrounded by small pumpkin piglets....
SEARHC is offering a flu vaccination clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Wrangell Medical Center. People are encouraged to pre-schedule a time slot to help reduce wait times, but walk-ins are welcome, said Randi Yancey, medical office coordinator at the clinic. Influenza vaccines are available for everyone ages 6 months and older, and high-dose vaccines formulated for people 65 and older will also be available. “To schedule a time slot, or to schedule an appointment for an alternative date and time if you are unable to a...
Monday, Oct. 9 Dog complaint. Tuesday, Oct. 10 Agency assist: Division of Motor Vehicles. Agency assist: Wrangell Medical Center. Bear complaint. Suspicious circumstance: Violating conditions of release. Citizen assist. Assault. Wednesday, Oct. 11 Disturbance. Thursday, Oct. 12 Trespass. Agency assist: Ambulance. Violating conditions of release. Agency assist: Division of Motor Vehicles. Shots fired: Unfounded. Trespass and arrest. Friday, Oct. 13 Traffic stop: Arrest for driving under the influence. Trespass. Barking dog. Stolen wallet....
The SEARHC Wrangell Medical Center wants to help the community prepare for the respiratory illness season and will offer flu and COVID-19 vaccination clinics this fall and also provide RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccine shots as soon as they become available. Flu shots, including a supply of high-dose vaccines for people 65 and older, will be provided at the annual community flu clinic Saturday, Nov. 4, reported Randi Yancey, medical office coordinator at the SEARHC facility. The clinic will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “Patients can c...
Wages rose and job opportunities increased across much of Southeast through 2022, but problems such as the lack of affordable housing and child care remain persistent throughout the region, an economic consultant told the annual gathering of the Southeast Conference. Meilani Schijvens gave Southeast’s economy an overall grade of A, the highest rating she has ever assigned for the region in her annual report, now in its 10th year. “Why did our economy earn an A? … Number One — our jobs were up by 5%,” she answered. “That’s an increase of 2,200 j...
After a period when COVID-19 restrictions halted the spread of other respiratory diseases, Alaska had a big increase in influenza cases last fall and winter, state data shows. The overall influenza case load during the 2022-23 season was much higher than in prior years, reports a new bulletin issued by the epidemiology section of the Alaska Division of Public Health. Most notably, cases spiked much earlier in the season, in November and December, before dropping. There were five influenza deaths over the season, all among adults, according to... Full story
Margaret "Missy" Wright is an elegantly dressed woman with a bright white coiffure and a loud, infectious laugh. The long-term care resident has been a fixture of the Wrangell community since she moved to town in the late 1980s and now, as she prepares to turn 100, is likely the island's oldest inhabitant. She has invited the entire town to celebrate her birthday on Friday, Sept. 1, with a massive party at the Nolan Center at 4 p.m. The party theme is purple - Wright's favorite color - and...
When I arrived almost exactly two years ago, Jeff and Kay Jabusch told me people in Wrangell aren’t necessarily wary of newcomers. Rather, they pointed out, they’re hesitant to get attached since they never know who’s going to stay. I fully intended to stay. As you read this, I’m on the Columbia with my three cats, headed for Bellingham, Washington. From there, I’ll disembark and head for my new home in Idaho. A lot changed in two years. When I arrived here, I was married and had four cats and was quite healthy. The marriage ended after bei...
Doyle Guy Sarff left his earthly home on Aug. 7. He was born in Browerville, Minnesota, on Oct. 20, 1931, to Marvin and Rosamond Aldrich Sarff, and was the youngest of nine siblings. Pre-World War II, the family would eventually make their way west, first to Idaho and then to Oregon. As a young man, Doyle found himself in northern Idaho and eastern Washington and met Delores Dougherty. They married on Dec. 20, 1952, "creating a loving and lasting marriage," the family wrote. The couple had one... Full story
Monday, July 17 Welfare check: Person was fine. Tuesday, July 18 Summons service. Agency assist: Hoonah Police Department. Agency assist: Warrant. Lost property. Wednesday, July 19 Theft. Agency assist: Department of Transportation. Agency assist: Ambulance. Agency assist: Wrangell Medical Center. Traffic hazard: Two juveniles on scooters in Shoemaker parking lot crossed in front of a vehicle and were almost hit. Dog complaint: Citation issued for objectionable animal. Thursday, July 20 Unsecured premises: Truck door left open. Agency assist:...
A medical student is visiting the Wrangell Medical Center for a month this summer to learn more about rural medicine and prepare herself for a future as a physician in Alaska. Christine Richter, who recently finished her first year at the University of Washington School of Medicine, arrived in town July 22 and will stay until Aug. 19. "I was so happy when I saw I got placed here (in Wrangell)," she said. Though she was born and raised in Anchorage, she hasn't had the opportunity to explore much...
The borough assembly is making another attempt at selling the former hospital property. It contracted last month with a real estate agent who will search near, far and wide for a buyer willing to pay the asking price of $470,000 — or anything close. Last year, the borough’s efforts to sell the building and land produced no down payments at the original minimum of $830,000. The assembly later cut the price in hopes of enticing someone to take ownership of the 30,000-square-foot building and almost two acres of land. It would be great if the bor...
Each of local artist Scott Glaze's wooden creations - geometric cutting boards, engraved wall hangings, children's toys, holiday décor - is a labor of love. The owner of Papa's Cabins and Gifts spends countless hours handcrafting one-of-a-kind pieces for customers. After he was laid off from his job at the Wrangell Medical Center at the beginning of the pandemic, Glaze spent his newfound free time making a miniature log cabin out of cedar for his grandchildren. The cabin featured over 200...
Due to funding cuts and a staffing shortage, the Senior Center has suspended its hot lunch service and limited the number of bus rides it can offer to elders. The changes will remain in effect until the center can hire two new employees — a cook and a bus driver. “Because we are short-staffed, we have to make some changes to our schedule to keep the center going,” said Senior Center manager Solvay Gillen. Hours have been cut to Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with shelf-stable lunches available for pickup from noon to 1 p.m. Dine-...
The biggest headline in the borough’s draft budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 is the proposed 24% reduction in the property tax rate, though a substantial drop had been expected. This year’s comprehensive assessment review of every piece of property in Wrangell resulted in a significant boost in taxable value for most homes and businesses. Borough officials had said the intent was fairness — assessing all property by the same standards — not raising revenue. The proposed cut to the tax rate follows through on that pledge. Aside f...
Though pandemic restrictions were hard on all community members, they were particularly hard on elders, many of whom endured long-term isolation because of the risks COVID posed to their immune systems. Now that the federal government declared the pandemic public health emergency over this month, Hospice of Wrangell is encouraging community members to reach out to their grandparents, older friends and long-term care and Senior Apartments residents. Homebound elders and Senior Center or long-term care residents “still want to be part of the c...
On June 1, the Wrangell Senior Center will cut back its in-person meals and ride services after a loss of funding. Juneau-based Catholic Community Services, the organization that operates the senior center, announced on May 1 that there would no longer be any funding from COVID-19 emergency relief federal programs, making it necessary to reduce operating hours. “With the White House’s announcement that the coronavirus public health emergency is officially ending, there is no longer emergency relief money available to support the senior ope...
Former Wrangell resident Elizabeth "Betty" Ann Twitchell Keegan, 90, passed away on March 31 in Moses Lake, Washington, following complications of a stroke. She was born April 19, 1932. As a child, Betty and her mother traveled the Lower 48 following Betty's father from Seattle to San Diego and Miami with stops in between while he served as a career sailor in the U.S. Navy. During World War II, Betty and her mother lived with her grandmother in Wilkeson, Washington, when her father fought in... Full story
Margaret "Missy" Wright, president of the long-term care resident council at Wrangell Medical Center, cuts the ceremonial ribbon last Thursday for the four-room expansion at the facility, bringing it to 18 beds. "We are just so excited to be able to expand and provide additional services for our elders," said Kay Turner, the unit's administrator. "Long-term care is such a need in Southeast." The facility serves local residents and people from throughout the region. The unit includes...
Since the Wrangell Cooperative Association started offering e-waste recycling around 2016, IGAP technician Kim Wickman has been surprised to see growing demand for the service. “We thought we would have less,” she said, after a few major purges cleared most of the backlog of old electronics off the island. “But minus the COVID year, we’ve had a bit of a steady increase as people are realizing the importance of it. We get a lot of phone calls over the year about when our next e-waste event is.” Residents with old electronics crowding their close...
Wrangell’s economy has been in decline since long before the COVID-19 pandemic erupted three years ago. But the economy — meaning jobs, businesses and families — would be a lot worse off if not for federal assistance. Oppose federal spending if you want, but the $30 million or so in pandemic relief aid that the U.S. Treasury poured into Wrangell the past few years for the borough, schools, businesses, individuals and the tribal government made a huge difference in people’s lives. Criticize the IRS and income taxes if it makes you feel better,...
Zach Taylor of Muddy Water Adventures is a self-described "small-town person." He likes striking up a conversation with his barista and greeting the familiar people he passes on the street. However, he acknowledges that life in small towns like Wrangell may not be for everyone. "Folks who grew up here, (Wrangell) they either stay here and they really like it," said Taylor, or they "have never been back, not for any reason." The Alaska Department of Labor is interested in the factors that...
Due to an increase in respiratory disease rates —including COVID-19 — throughout Southeast and in Wrangell, the Wrangell Medical Center has re-implemented a mandatory masking policy for its visitors, patients and staff. “It was in response to what we were seeing as increased respiratory illnesses both in the community and in the region, COVID of course being one of those,” hospital administrator Carly Allen said last week. “We’ve also been following influenza A and B and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), as well as … other respiratory i...
