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Beginning Sept. 7, the annual Sharing Our Knowledge conference of Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian tribes and clans will be held in Wrangell for the first time. This five-day event will take place at the Nolan Center and will feature a film festival, a panel discussion and a wide variety of research presentations on subjects ranging from Indigenous history to art. Organizers expect an estimated 200 people to arrive in town for the event. Because the anticipated attendance exceeds the capacity of Wrangell’s hotels and bed and breakfast rentals, conf...
In less than five weeks, voters will decide whether the borough should borrow $12 million to repair the schools and Public Safety Building. On Aug. 23, the borough assembly unanimously approved placing two questions on the Oct. 4 municipal election ballot that will ask voter approval to cover the renovation costs. One of the ballot issues would approve borrowing $8.5 million to repair the water-damaged Public Safety Building, while the other would approve borrowing $3.5 million to help fund repairs at the elementary, middle and high schools....
The borough assembly and staff spent a fair amount of time at last week’s assembly meeting, explaining the intent of a contract with an appraisal firm to reassess the value of all the property in town. Homes, businesses, industrial properties, empty lots — they will all get a new look to make sure the borough’s valuation is fair. This is about treating property owners equitably. It’s also about following state law, which requires that cities and boroughs assess property “at its full and true value.” This is not about raising taxes, though seve...
Given my aversion to long planning sessions, whiteboards with erasable markers and consensus building exercises, I can’t believe I am saying this: The town needs a plan for its economic future. A forum to start making that plan is a good beginning. Wrangell’s economic future is as cloudy as a fall day in Southeast, as uncertain as the state ferry schedule, and as chancy as winning a raffle. Improving those dreary odds can’t be based on hope. Wrangell needs a realistic plan. The chamber of commerce is sponsoring an economic forum on Sept. 30 at...
At the start of the final week to file for borough assembly, school board or port commission, Wrangell was still short of candidates to fill half of the open seats. The deadline to file for the Oct. 4 municipal election is 4 p.m. Wednesday. As of Monday afternoon, candidates had filed paperwork for four of the eight races on the ballot. Patty Gilbert, who serves on the borough assembly and previously served on the school board, has filed to run for mayor. Steve Prysunka, in his sixth year as mayor, has decided not to seek another term....
The SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium will switch its food service contractor for the Wrangell Medical Center from NANA Management Services (NMS) to Aramark Corp. The switch in providers, according to SEARHC marketing and communications director Lyndsey Schaefer, was a “business decision.” SEARHC will officially transition from NMS to Aramark on Oct. 1. All 20 current NMS employees in Wrangell will be offered jobs with Aramark, Schaefer said last week. NMS is an Alaska-based, Native-owned company that provides food and security ser...
HELP WANTED Wrangell Parks and Recreation is accepting applications for the following positions: Aquatics and Recreation position supports the office during the evening part time Monday through Friday. Lifeguard and Swim Instructors positions with year-round opportunities. Applications at the Parks and Recreation office, City Hall or online at wrangell.com/jobs. Call 907-874-2444 for more information. HELP WANTED Wrangell Public Schools is accepting applications for the following extracurricular positions for the 2022-2023 school year: High...
Faced with a $474,000 reduction in state funding from last year, the Wrangell School District found several ways to cut the budget for the 2022-2023 school year. State funding is based on enrollment, and Wrangell’s count is down about 50 students — more than 15% — from before the pandemic. The district lost students to homeschooling and enrollment in correspondence schools in 2020. The district this year did not fill a vacant teaching position at the middle school, in addition to adopting a budget that assumes less spending on substitute teache...
Perhaps no school staff member has as much contact with parents and the public as do secretaries. And the public and parents have three new secretaries to get to know as the school year starts Thursday. As of last week, all three secretary positions at the elementary, middle and high school were filled after resignations at the end of last school year left the crucial roles open. Kendra McDougall, Jennifer Stewart and Marsha McCay have been hired as the secretaries of Evergreen Elementary, Stiki...
Aug. 24, 1922 One of the largest single shipments of lumber ever by the Willson & Sylvester Mill Co. was made Wednesday afternoon when Barge No. 29 of the Foss Launch & Tug Co. was towed away from the mill dock with almost half a million feet of lumber aboard. The cargo will be unloaded at Seattle and from there will be reshipped to the East Coast of the United States. The barge is 100 feet in length, 36 feet in width, and 10 feet in depth. Richard Suratt, the famous cinematographer of the North, was on hand with his machine and was busy turnin...
Every year, the Wrangell Cooperative Association reminds the community about the recycling and waste disposal options available in town. The initiative, said Kim Wickman, who coordinates the effort, is about "giving people the information they need to make better choices." Wickman believes that most people want to lessen their environmental impact, but don't always know how. "Making (recycling) simpler for people makes them a lot likelier to do it," explained Wickman. The WCA's 2022 disposal gui...
The 2020 presidential election is over. Multiple judges in multiple federal and state courts have ruled multiple times against frivolous claims of voter fraud, conspiracy, computer hacking and criminal intent. Courts, prosecutors, most members of Congress, even former President Donald Trump’s attorney general all agreed there is no evidence that the election was stolen. No matter how much some want to believe otherwise, Joe Biden was legitimately elected president of the United States. Certainly, he could lose the job in 2024, but in an e...
People vote their pocketbook, or so the old adage says. And certainly more so in this year of high inflation, painful gas prices at the pump and fears of a global recession. It’s understandable that Wrangell voters will think about their household finances when they select which candidates they support. In Alaska, particularly in the past few years, that support has gone to the candidates that promote loudly, promise passionately and pledge sincerely that they will deliver the largest Permanent Fund dividend to voters. OK, I get it. This y...
When there's trouble in Wrangell, it doesn't take long for the community to show up and pitch in. Such was the case when vandalism was discovered at the Head Start school on Aug. 12. Staff was shocked at first to find broken equipment, toys and supplies scattered around and graffiti sprayed on support pillars. As soon as the community found out, people began to pitch in. "We don't need the kids growing up and thinking everybody is bad and ruining their things," said Katherine George-Byrd, co-own...
A line of parents and students stretched across the Wrangell Cooperative Association parking lot last Friday, waiting for the doors to open at 10 a.m. Some families arrived a half hour in advance to ensure that they would be among the first to enter the building. But it wasn't a rock concert or a new iPhone that drew this substantial queue downtown. They came for the free backpacks, filled with school supplies, that were being distributed by WCA. Before the beginning of each new school year,...
John Paul Feller Jr. passed into the "happy hunting grounds" on Aug. 10 in Wrangell after a hard battle with cancer, his family wrote. "He will be greatly missed." A celebration of life will be held at a later time. John was born on Dec. 29, 1948, to John Paul Feller Sr. and Carol Alice (James) Feller Brady in Wrangell. The oldest of five children, John was someone who everyone looked up to and was a friend to all, his family wrote. John started fishing with his dad at a young age and his love...
Ron Winters, 81, of Wrangell, passed away peacefully on Aug. 14 from complications of diabetes and heart disease. He was born in Astoria, Oregon, in 1940 and went to high school in Forest Grove. He served in the U.S. Air Force. He had been in Alaska for more than 50 years, living in Anchorage, Homer, Cordova and Wrangell. He worked on the North Slope as a welder for several years and owned his own machine and welding shop in Homer, where he met his wife. They spent 20 years owning, operating...
Aly Howell has patiently waited like a student watching the clock for recess. After eight years working on Prince of Wales Island, she has returned to Wrangell to teach. On Thursday, second graders at Evergreen Elementary will be greeted by their new teacher, who is settling in to help shape young minds and raise her family. Her journey to get here was nothing short of adventurous. Howell graduated from college in 2011 with a degree in Christian studies. Her intent was to become a youth pastor....
A change to the school district’s COVID-19 mitigation plan calls for a reduction in testing and an increased focus on students and staff staying “symptom-free.” During the school board meeting Aug. 15, Schools Superintendent Bill Burr detailed what language was removed, what was added and what was kept in the ever-evolving mitigation plan. The district and board review the plan on a regular basis to make necessary changes. The district adopted the test-to-stay protocol last school year, which required students and staff to be tested for COVID...
Patty Gilbert, who serves on the borough assembly and previously served on the school board, has filed her candidacy papers to run for mayor in the Oct. 4 municipal election. Steve Prysunka, in his sixth year as Wrangell mayor, has decided not to seek another term. Gilbert currently serves as vice-mayor on the assembly. Her term ends in October. She served on the school board 2019-2021, and served on the borough assembly 2016-2019. The deadline to file for municipal office is 4 p.m. Aug. 31 at City Hall. In addition to the mayor’s job, two b...
HELP WANTED Wrangell Parks and Recreation is accepting applications for the following positions: - Aquatics and Recreation position supports the office during the evening, part time Monday through Friday. - Lifeguard and Swim Instructors positions with year-round opportunities. Applications at the Parks and Recreation office, City Hall, or online at wrangell.com/jobs. Call 907-874-2444 for more information. HELP WANTED Wrangell Public Schools is accepting applications for the following positions for the 2022-2023 school year: - Accounting Clerk...
An eye in the sky is helping Wrangell teens keep an eye on their future. Five students from the Upward Bound and T3 Alliance programs presented the results thus far of their ongoing work to make the community better through technology. Timothy Garcia, Nikolai Bardin-Siekawitch, William Ashton, Killian Booker and Spencer Petticrew at a public presentation Aug. 8 at the Nolan Center shared their experiences working with drones and GPS-enabled cameras to create promotional videos and map out U.S....
Aug. 17, 1922 A number of matters affecting game conditions in this region have been brought to the attention of the Wrangell Commercial Club. While the club is willing to give its moral support to any movement in the interest of better game conditions, it is nevertheless the opinion of the majority of the members that matters pertaining to game conditions could be more effectually handled by a rod and gun club, whose entire efforts would be solely in the interest of better game conditions. A club of this kind, in addition to getting up enjoyab...
The borough assembly has set a public hearing for its Aug. 23 meeting to consider two ordinances that would seek voter approval to borrow $3.5 million for repairs to school buildings and $8.5 million for rebuild and repairs to the Public Safety Building. The numbers are down from $4.5 million and $10.5 million in an earlier work plan considered by the assembly, as the borough dropped some items from the repair lists to hold down costs. Voter approval is required for the borough to issue general obligation bonds to raise money for the work. The...
Wrangell residents, particularly new and would-be residents, are well familiar with the lack of housing options in town. Few homes for sale, few apartments for rent, and even fewer lots to build on. Sometimes, it feels like people would have better luck hooking a record-size king salmon than snagging a place to live. And those big fish are hard to find. It’s not just Wrangell that is inflicted with a shortage of available housing. It’s everywhere in the state, particularly Southeast, from Haines and Skagway at the northern end, south to Ketchik...