Sorted by date Results 801 - 825 of 3069
After 20 years of working in the U.S. Forest Service, Tory Houser is taking on a new role, albeit a temporary one. While Ranger Clint Kolarich is away on another assignment for four months, Houser is filling in as the acting ranger for the Wrangell district of the Tongass National Forest. The biggest change in Houser's duties is that she will be the decision maker for the district. "All of the recommendations, all of the projects and things that come through here and need a signature, a 'yes'...
Alumni Sam Armstrong, left, Riley Blatchley, Sean Gillen and Tyson Messmer pursue senior Ethan Blatchley as he drives the ball during the annual alumni game on Dec. 27. The game started at a fast pace and never let up. The high school team jumped to an early lead and never let up. They defeated the alumni 56-39. Kaylyn Easterly, with the ball, is surrounded by members of the Wrangell High School girls basketball team, while looking for an opening during the alumni game on Dec. 21. The Lady...
Gov. Mike Dunleavy introduced a first-draft $7.3 billion state budget last week, meeting a legally required deadline but acknowledging that the spending plan is likely to change significantly as the administration negotiates with lawmakers in the upcoming legislative session. “This budget that we’re submitting, as always, is a talking point with the Legislature,” Dunleavy said. “It also reflects values, what our revenue picture looks like, and where we’re headed.” The biggest single expense in the entire proposed state budget is $2.5 billio...
Participants in the 6-Mile mill property community forum shared their hopes for the site with borough officials last Thursday. Attendees weren't afraid to dream big as they crafted the headlines they'd like to see in the Sentinel 20 years from now: "Industrial complex a success - largest haul-out facility in Alaska." "Wrangell shows steady economic growth while maintaining small-town charm." "No more milling around - Wrangell's industrial diversification takes off." "Wrangell industrial complex...
Two senior wrestlers went to Anchorage as regional title holders. They returned to Wrangell with another title to their names: State champions. Ethan Blatchley and Randy Churchill each took on four competitors in their respective weight classes from across Alaska to win the Division II state championship title on Saturday night. Blatchley won for the 171-pound weight class and Churchill won for the 160-pound weight class. Over the course of Friday and Saturday, Blatchley grappled with Memphis...
Dec. 21, 1922 Wrangell basketball fans had an opportunity to see the high school team in speedy action last Friday night when they met the Kake town players. The Kake boys were a stalwart bunch, but they were unaccustomed to the latest rules and had been practicing outdoors instead of in a hall, according to a statement by their coach prior to the game. They were distinctly outclassed. The speed of the Wrangell high team, their teamwork and their superior ability to connect with the baskets made it impossible for the visitors to get more than...
Wrangell's Davis Dow of the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium received the Rising Star Award at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium's Behavioral Health Aide forum last month. The award is given to a health aide who delivers exceptional client care and improves the behavioral health care delivery system in their community. Dow was honored for his collaboration with the Wrangell School District and for helping meet the needs of homeless community members. His efforts allowed...
Newly reelected Gov. Mike Dunleavy last week unveiled his proposed state spending plan for the next budget year. By far, the largest single expense in the entire state budget is the Permanent Fund dividend. The governor’s budget proposes no increase in state funding for public schools and a reduction in funding for the university system. No significant increases for road repairs, snow removal, mental health services, or more staff to help the backlog of food stamp applications which has created hours-long hold times for callers needing help. L...
The Wrangell Wolves had a preview of what's to come in this season's basketball tournaments, and the team has its work cut out for them. In competition that spanned three days, the Wrangell High School boys basketball team traveled to Sitka to take on three different teams. They won two games and lost two games in fierce opening play. On Thursday, the team was supposed to compete against Kodiak High School, but the Bears were canceled by foul weather. Instead, the Wolves took on the Sitka...
Word of River's Mouth is spreading, just like one of their locally made jams. It's only been a little over a month since River's Mouth Trading Co. opened in the former GCI storefront on Front Street, but customers have already taken advantage of the permanent space. The company has existed since 2017 and has found success through selling at the monthly community market, but as the product line increased, the once-a-month market became harder to sustain. "I started making too many things to pack...
Everything you could possibly want to know about fish, from their biological characteristics to the commercial fisheries that harvest and sell them to the governmental entities that regulate them, is available through the University of Alaska Southeast applied fisheries program. Catering to high schoolers, recent graduates and seasoned professionals alike, the school’s online and in-person programs prepare students for jobs in the industry. Applied fisheries is a workforce development program housed in the UAS career education department in S...
HELP WANTED Wrangell Public Schools is accepting applications for the following positions: Custodian: This is a full-time, year-round classified position with benefits, 7.5 hours per day. Salary placement is on Column B of the Classified Salary Schedule. Job duties include but are not limited to keeping our school complex clean and assisting with setting up rooms for classes, large presentations and business meetings as needed; and assisting with minor repairs. A High School Diploma or equivalent is desired. The successful applicant will begin...
Letters from long-term substitute Holly Padilla’s kindergarten class I would like a trampoline for Christmas. Rooney I would like a Sophia Doll for Christmas. Gavia I would like a fone for Christmas. Kiera I would like a Dino Island skull for Christmas. Torin I would like an Ironmans nooter for Christmas. Nolan I would like an apple iPhone for Christmas. Blake Allen I would like a phone for Christmas. Chayda For Christmas I would like a fairy. Sawyer I would like Pokemon cards for Christmas. Maddox I would like phone for Christmas. Brynlee I w...
Every year on Dec. 1, the internet is flooded with variations on the same video - a high school senior sits at their laptop surrounded by a crowd of onlookers who are anxious to discover whether the student has received a full ride to an elite college through the Questbridge program. The student opens their status letter and the crowd goes wild. The student is smothered in hugs. Tears are shed. When Wrangell High School's Nikolai Bardin-Siekawitch received his Questbridge email, his response...
From deadly toxins to dangerous explosions, the risks of pressure canning make this vital home skill sound like a stunt straight out of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise. But, armed with knowledge from Sarah Lewis of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Extension Service, Wrangell residents learned that food preservation can be safe, simple and fun during a series of classes hosted by the Wrangell Cooperative Association last week. Their mission, should they choose to accept it? Turn raw meat an...
I am the parent of an upcoming graduating senior at Wrangell High School. This May, I will have had two kids successfully complete their primary and secondary education through the Wrangell public schools. As I write this letter, I aim not to be too negative. However, I am deeply disappointed and disheartened by the school district’s continued COVID testing policy for student athletes who travel for competition. As reported by KSTK on Dec. 2, the policy supported by Schools Superintendent Bill Burr is stricter than the policy of the Alaska S...
Lifelong resident Harvey Gross came to the end of the trail and met death on Nov. 30, 2022, at the Wrangell SEARHC medical hospital. Born in Wrangell on April 7, 1929, to his Tlingit mother Bessie (Nickerson) Gross and Father William (Bill) Gross Sr., Harvey was the youngest of five children. Like so many who were poor during the Great Depression, he described living those years as "the chicken in the summer and the feathers in the winter." About 1935, the family took up homesteading on the...
There was plenty of tough competition last Friday and Saturday as the Wrangell High School wrestling squad attended the Southeast Division II regional championship competition in Ketchikan. Head coach Jack Carney's strategy to curb any risks of injury over the previous weeks paid off as grapplers brought home six first-place wins, one second-place finish, four third-place, two fourth-place, one fifth-place and one sixth-place win. The Wrangell squad placed second overall behind Mt. Edgecumbe...
If your smartphone screen is cracked, your tablet is on the fritz or your laptop won’t stop generating pop-up windows after you clicked on a suspicious link, Tyler Riberio of Tydi Creek Tech might be able to help. His new tech repair service assists Wrangell residents as they navigate the intimidating world of computers, whether he’s fixing minor cosmetic issues or performing total rebuilds. Riberio moved to Wrangell with his wife in July. After taking on a few pro-bono tech repairs, he “noticed that there was a need in the community” and dec...
"Remember, ladies," head coach Christina Good yells to her players from across the high school gym, "stretch really good. Hammies. Quads." Good moves about the hardwood, keeping an eye on the players' forms, with one bare foot. As players arrived for practice last Wednesday night, one had forgotten a single sock. Good lent the player hers. It's an example of how dedicated the coach and her team are toward making the most of the season. "That's what coaches do," Good said with a shrug. Last...
The borough assembly is moving toward lowering the asking price for the former Wrangell hospital by almost half and hiring a real estate agent to sell the property. The assembly at its Nov. 22 meeting accepted an ordinance to reduce the asking price and set a public hearing on the ordinance for Dec. 20, at which time members could vote on the proposal. The Bennet Street lot has been vacant since the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium’s new medical center opened in February 2021. The borough has been looking actively – and unsuccessfull...
An incredible run of wins took the Wrangell High School girls volleyball team all the way to the state championship playoffs at Palmer High School last Thursday and Friday. Even with their signature ability to come back from losses and overcome the competition to win matches, it wasn’t enough for the Lady Wolves, whose bid for the state title ended after three hard-fought games. Wrangell versus Dillingham Play started Thursday morning with Wrangell facing the Dillingham High School Wolverines. Early on, it was evident the kind of competition W...
Cassady Cowan had a grand plan for her senior project to bring some vibrancy to Wrangell. Although her original plan didn't float, her backup plan bears repeating. When Cowan, 17, was trying to figure out her high school project, her focus was on the killer whale mural on the retaining wall facing the water behind the Stikine Inn. "I was going to make it brighter and make it look newer," she said about the mural. Ultimately, "it would cost too much (because of) the cracked paint. The...
This year could look very different for the Wrangell High School boys basketball team. Already, the team is comprised of anywhere from 17 to 20 players, allowing coaches to modify their training routine. But first, many of their players have to finish wrestling, making it the first challenge the team faces this year. "We have ... kind of a big group that are still wrestling," said head coach Cody Angerman. "The crossover is tough on both (programs). It's tough on the wrestling program because...
Grapplers from all over Southeast traveled to Petersburg over the weekend to compete in the Viking Rumble tournament. Eleven different schools met on the mat, but incomplete round robins made it hard for the Wolves to earn first-place finishes. Wrestlers from Craig, Hoonah, Hydaburg, Ketchikan, Metlakatla, Mt. Edgecumbe, Sitka, Skagway, Thunder Mountain in Juneau and Wrangell high schools competed in Petersburg across various weight divisions. Katelyn Gillen was the only Wrangell wrestler to pla...