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There are two sounds I can never seem to forget. One is the snow shovel scraping along the concrete basketball court I cleared in the Petersburg winters of my youth, basketball in hand. The second is the chain-link basketball net clanging on a Wrangell playground. One is the reason for the other. My future teammates and friends loved the game and knew what awaited us in the high school gyms across Southeast Alaska. And in Wrangell, one of the best awaited: Fred Angerman Jr. As a fifth grader,...
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. “PLASTIC PEOPLE” 5:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 17, at the Nolan Center. Free community event about environmental justice and microplastics affecting human health. Reception at 5:30 p.m. Film (80 minutes long) at 6 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session. Light refreshments provided by Sweet Tides. Hosted by Alaska Com...
Wrangell is big on annual traditions. The Fourth of July, salmon fishing, high school homecoming basketball games, Christmas tree lighting, tax-free shopping days and putting away the snow shovels and ice melt. Of course, there are the less welcome yearly traditions, such as paying property taxes, getting an annual physical and digging through the final packages of last year’s frozen fish. The annual spring cleanup is sort of a mix of the eagerly awaited and the yearly event that feels good even if it requires some manual labor. Kind of like e...
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,...
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...
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 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...
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...
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. NOLAN CENTER THEATER presents the musical production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at 6 p.m. Friday, April 4, and at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday, April 5. Doors open 30 minutes before the show. Tickets are $25 and available online at paybee.io/@nolancenter@5 or in person at the Nolan Center. FRIENDS OF THE LIB...
Prompted at a work session with the borough assembly last week to gather more public input into its long-term budget plans, the Wrangell school board is seeking volunteers to serve on a special committee. The school board announced March 28 that it is seeking letters of interest from people willing to serve on an ad hoc committee “to research long-term budgetary considerations,” such as a four-day school week, consolidation of the district’s three schools or other measures to cut expenses. “This is your opportunity to be a part of what could l...
Harold Bailey passed away at the age of 89 on March 22, 2025, in Wrangell. He was born in Port Townsend, Washington, on Jan. 21, 1936. After finishing high school, he joined the Army and was stationed in Germany. After his discharge from the service, he married Patricia (Pat) in 1958. In 1968 Harold and Pat, along with their three children, Jim, Bill and Kristi, moved from Washington to Wrangell. Harold worked at the Wrangell Lumber sawmill on the log boom and the tug Chester. In a few years he...
March 26, 1925 The Civic Club held an interesting special meeting last Saturday. An informal discussion on proposed legislative measures of interest to the women of the territory was followed by a survey of possible candidates for the coming city election. Considerable interest is manifested by the thinking women of the community in the result of the election, owing to the fact that the school question is involved and because of the fact that women have been urged to take a more active part in civic affairs. While several suggestions were made...
FISHING VESSEL SAFETY DRILL CONDUCTOR CLASS 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 30, and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, at the high school. The class is free for commercial fishermen and $300 for non-commercial fishermen. The class meets the U.S. Coast Guard training requirements for drill conductors on commercial fishing vessels. Register online at www.amsea.org or call 907-747-3287. HOMESCHOOL HANGOUT 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, April 1, at the Irene Ingle Public Library. Bring school work, play games and be with friends. Snacks provided....
“There’s nothing off the list,” Superintendent Bill Burr said about potential cuts to the school district’s 2025-2026 budget. From exploring what life would be like as a satellite site of the Petersburg school district to eliminating teacher positions, Burr said the district is exploring everything and anything. The draft budget presented to the school board last month showed a $1 million shortfall between projected revenue ($5.05 million) and proposed expenses ($6.1 million). Covering that gap — without a significant boost in state funding ...
In most instances, the tenor saxophone lies under the surface. It's the wind blowing over the ocean - the invisible force that brings life to the world's waves. It acts as a railway, offering a platform for a jazz ensemble to thrive. In a way, the tenor sax - one of Ander Edens' artistic mediums of choice - is the perfect instrument for the graduating senior. He's someone who enjoys working outside the limelight, in roles that frequently go underappreciated, despite their necessity for a...
The Alaska House of Representatives is asking Congress to appropriate funding for a program that pays money to rural school districts affected by the decline of the timber industry — including Wrangell. The state House voted 35-4 on March 17 to pass a resolution urging Congress to reinstate the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. The U.S. Senate approved extending the program and providing funds last year, but the U.S. House never took up the legislation before it adjourned in December, leaving a big hole in c...
The Alaska House passed a bill on March 12 intended to boost annual state funding for public schools by $275 million, starting with the 2025-2026 school year. If approved by the Alaska Senate and the governor, the legislation would increase state funding for the Wrangell school district next year by about $600,000, according to Kristy Andrew, the district’s business manager. The sizable increase in the state’s per-pupil funding formula approved by the House will face challenges winning approval from the Senate and the governor, however, as the...
March 19, 1925 The most important PTA meeting of the year was held at the grade school last Thursday evening and was attended by a large number of school patrons. The effect of the new standard of accreditation of high schools on the local school was discussed fully. People said the changes could lead to the disadvantage of graduation from a school not accredited; the cost of sending pupils out of town to school; and a loss of civic pride. People also discussed the need for a new school building; the cost of repairing the old buildings each...
PORTABLE SOUTHEAST, a traveling art exhibit from the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council, is on display at the Nolan Center through March 28. “Portable Southeast provides a new and exciting mode for artists to showcase their works beyond local reach,” the arts council says. BAHAI NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION, Naw-Ruz, 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 22, at the multi-purpose room near the old gym. Campfire-themed dinner provided; everyone is welcome for a joyful celebration of renewal and community. Call 907-209-9117. FISHING VESSEL SAFETY DRILL CONDU...
Jeff and Kay Jabusch were named citizens of the year. The Wrangell Cooperative Association was named organization of the year. Alice Rooney took home volunteer of the year. Jack Carney won the award for educator of the year while his son, Jackson Carney, was awarded young leader of the year. And this year’s theme for the Fourth of July celebration? Small Town, Big Heart. The chamber of commerce’s annual dinner took place on Saturday, March 15, at the Nolan Center and was catered by Wrangell’s newest eatery: The Wolf Shack. For those famil...
