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In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. May 11, 1916: L.T. Watson, mining man from the Stikine country, is in town this week. Mr. Watson states that the mining outlook for his country was never better and is looking for a number of prospectors to go into the country this spring. Mr. Watson reports that the past winter has been an exceptionally good one for furs and states that one of the largest catches in the country will come down the river as soon as navigation is on in good shape. Mr. Watson also put in a good word for the work being...
With its last meeting of the academic year, the Wrangell Public School Board looked back on its progress as measured against its 2015-16 strategic plan goals. The plan started to develop in February 2015, with faculty and members of the community collaborating on ways to improve students' experience in four primary areas: academic achievement, technical education, safety and facilities improvements, and technology. "Everyone had a hand in the final product," school superintendent Patrick Mayer s...
It was a full ballroom in the Nolan Center Friday for the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce's 26th Annual Fundraising Dinner. The theme for this year was "Good as Gold," highlighting the partnership the Chamber has with its community members. "It just stuck in my mind that Wrangell really needs to be proud of itself," explained Tracy Churchill, who had chaired the evening's planning committee. Despite its economic downturn following the closure of its mills, she said the community had made some wise...
Wrangell’s Public School Board approved a second draft of its Fiscal Year 2017 budget during a special session Tuesday evening. Several sizable changes were made to both its expenditures and revenues, reflecting previously unacknowledged items. Driving the change was a reduction of $53,871 to the district’s Foundation Support revenues, due to expiry of Wrangell’s “Hold Harmless” provision with the state. Hold Harmless addresses declines in a district’s size-adjusted ADM, temporarily increasing it where a district has lost five or more percen...
In the Sentinel 75, 50 and 25 years ago. April 25, 1941: With the registration of nearly 150 men here for home defense, the American Legion Post, which carried on the registration for the city, this week urged upon the council the immediate setting up of a home defense organization which would be prepared for any emergency that might arise. In a resolution adopted by the Legion Post and submitted to Mayor E.J. Wheeler and the Council, the legionnaires declared that the national emergency demanded immediate action. They suggested that the town...
The community’s dialogue on how it wants to proceed with regulated cannabis continued on April 14, with a public workshop held before the monthly Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. While members of the public were invited to attend and provide input, the commissioners themselves were encouraged to start deciding what they want to see from the nascent industry. Adopted by ballot initiative during the 2014 elections, Alaska’s marijuana legalization process began taking effect in February. Licenses to sell, cultivate, test and man...
Though it has discussed the matter before, the City and Borough Assembly held its first public workshop fully devoted to cannabis since its legalization was approved by referendum. The Tuesday evening meeting was intended to get members thinking about current regulations, as well as to gather input from residents. “It's a discussion. No decisions will be made here tonight,” Mayor David Jack told the mostly-filled chamber at City Hall. Economic development coordinator Carol Rushmore had prepared maps of the city, roughly outlining the 500-foot d...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. March 31, 1916: Dr. E.J. Wheeler, well-known Wrangell dentist, was elected Mayor of Wrangell at Tuesday’s election without opposition. He was given 171 votes. Neil Grant, John Coulter and H.H. Hungerford were elected to the city council for a two year term, Hungerford being re-elected. Grant was high with 156 votes, Coulter second with 134 and Hungerford third with 115. W.G. Wies, the only other candidate, received 96 votes. Mrs. Valbourg Coulter was elected to the school board without o...
An applicant to be next year's secondary schools principal has been offered a contract. At their Monday evening meeting members of the Wrangell Public School Board were presented with a contract for Bill Schwan, after current principal Kendall Benson tendered his resignation earlier this month. Since 2012 Schwan has been the principal of Dillingham Middle/High School. Prior to that he had been a high school principal in Powell, Wyo., and has a background in special education. Superintendent...
With rock bottom oil prices pushing the expected deficit to as high as $4 billion, Alaska's financial crisis understandably cast a pallor over Tuesday's City and Borough Assembly meeting. Speaking with city finance director Lee Burgess on Monday, one of the key areas of concern for Wrangell moving forward will be an impending drop by thirds each year to state revenue sharing commitments. This year funds came to $568,000, but could taper off to $417,000 the coming year, less than $300,000 after that, followed by no funds at all by the middle of...
A crowd-drawing discussion on recreation funding held by the Forest Service Tuesday evening made the council chambers at City Hall feel unusually short for space. About two dozen members of the public met with staff of the Wrangell Ranger District to share their concerns about facilities maintenance. Listing concerns from greatest to least, residents participating at the meeting identified cabins, ATV trails and the overall recreation program as their top priorities, followed by trails, berry access, subsistence and stoves. Funding for...
Wrangell Public Schools has initiated a search for a new secondary schools principal, after receiving notice from current principal Kendall Benson late last month that he would not be seeking a second year. Hailing from Utah, Benson had been hired last summer to administer the high school and Stikine Middle School after the departure of predecessor Colter Barnes. Traveling to Sitka for Region V basketball this week, Benson was unavailable for comment. School superintendent Patrick Mayer announced on Friday that an interview committee has been...
At the height of the weekend’s Tent City Days celebrations, local skaters were able to lace up for Hope Community Church of God’s roller rink reopening on Saturday evening. Around 68 kids and parents attended, a number of whom donned glow-in-the-dark face paint and light-up accessories. The church last summer undertook some drainage repairs and replaced the rink’s rooftop with metal paneling, a $20,000 project. Built as an addition in the early 1980s, the building’s tarpaper shingles and rooftop framework were in need of an update. Wrangel...
Between Midnight Madness in December and the King Salmon Derby in April, Wrangell's annual Tent City Days celebration gives residents a reason to shake away the winter blues and have a little fun on the town. Put on by volunteers and area businesses, the four-day series of events will try to feature activities fit for kids and adults alike. The celebration kicks off tonight at the Elks Lodge with its second-ever chowder cook off, starting at 5 p.m. Whether corn, crab, clam or something else...
A pair of entrepreneurs have begun to make their shared dream a reality, building and selling guitars using locally-derived materials. Wrangell resident Steve Helgeson and Kevin Skeek of Hoonah together launched Raven Guitars after winning a $40,000 entrepreneurial grant through Path to Prosperity two years ago. Initially the two were in competition with each other, having independently reached the final round with a similar idea to build guitars using local resources. Concerned they would...
At its regular monthly meeting, the Wrangell Public School Board approved the purchase of a new phone system for its two campuses. Board members approved a $65,000 contract with AP&T to install the new system, which replaces the district's 71 phones with IP-based handsets and will include a one-year service agreement for parts and equipment. "The current system that we have right now, they say they can't support them," explained Matt Gore, technology director for the school district. The new...
On Monday Cyni Waddington resumed her role as executive director at the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce office. The Chamber board made the decision to invite back Waddington, who had spent the past two quarters working with the school district's technology department. She had previously managed the Chamber's operations for three years, which includes organizing annual events, tax free days, visitor services and the birthday calendar fundraiser. "I know we're excited to be back on track," commented...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. January 20, 1916: Owing to the fact that matters seem to progressing rather slowly in regard to the Dry Strait survey, Mr. F. Matheson, who has the matter in charge, recently wrote to Delegate Wickersham regarding the affair and received an answer which states, “On December 8th I wrote to the Secretary of War asking about the report of the Engineer on the matter of Dry Strait improvement and on the 14th he wrote me saying that he had not yet received it from the District Engineer’s Office.” An en...
Mabel E, Fennimore, 89, passed away January 12, 2016 in Wasilla, Alaska. She was born in Wray, Colo. on Jan. 22, 1926. After graduating from Queen Anne High School in 1944, Mabel worked on the Bremerton Ferry where she met the love of her life, Paul Fennimore. Paul and Mabel were married in 1945 in Seattle, Wash. and upon his discharge from the Marine Corps moved to Mt. Angel, Ore. to make their home. In 1960 the family moved to Wrangell, Alaska. Mabel loved to fish and her pickled salmon and...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. January 13, 1916: Alaska seems to be in the grip of one of the fiercest blizzards that has ever swept the coast. All last night and today the Stikine has howled her defiance and since daybreak the thermometer has steadily fallen. The government register at the Customs House at seven this morning was three degrees, at twelve noon it was five below and at six tonight it read ten below. Several other thermometers at different places in the city register differently but the majority are close to that...
The year 2015 was largely a good one for Wrangell, with the appearance of several new businesses, large infrastructural developments undertaken by businesses, the formal opening of the Tribe's cultural center, and a balanced financial outlook for the city despite tumultuous budget negotiations in Juneau. The state deficit will remain the largest issue moving ahead into 2016, as will continued mining developments in Canada along shared waters. January On Jan. 12 and 14 the first of three sets of...
In the Sentinel 75, 50 and 25 years ago. December 27, 1940: About 35 shooters and a few spectators turned out Sunday for the first annual turkey shoot of the Stikine Sportsmen’s Association of Wrangell, keen rivalry making it a highly successful affair. Seven turkeys were knocked off by the sharp-eyed crackshots, the birds going to Lloyd Benjamin, Chet Steear, Chad Wyatt, Howard Messinger, Cliff Kilkenny, Lloyd Ripley and Elvin Lindsley. Some very good scores were shot. The leather medal for missing the target entirely went to President Fred H...
At its last meeting of the year on Dec. 17, the Wrangell Public School Board decided its members could continue with their coffee talks after all. After conferring with the school district’s attorney, board president Susan Eagle determined its informal coffee sessions were permissible under current policies. Board members were informed they were allowed to hold public discussions held outside of regularly-scheduled meetings. At previous meetings this year, various members of staff and the general public have expressed their impatience with t...
The Reverend Thomas Lee (Joseph) Weise, Jr., 46, a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Juneau, Alaska, died December 6, 2015, following a cardiac arrest suffered while visiting family members in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Fr. Weise was born January 10, 1969 in South Laguna Beach, Calif. After graduating from Dana Hills High School, he was appointed to the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., graduating in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Science While in the...
Holding the first of its planned informal sessions with the public last Saturday morning, members of the Wrangell Public School Board learned it might also have to be the last. Resident and former school superintendent Woody Wilson stopped in to let the board know what it was doing seemed to be violating its own policies. Citing Board Policy 7320, he pointed out that minutes were not being taken and that the public had not been given due notice of a meeting. Under the parameters set out in BP-7320 and in BP-7012 regarding communication with the...
