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The Rainforest Islander greets the monthly fuel barge on April 25 in Zimovia Strait. Eric Yancey, captain of the Islander, was using his vessel to act as the bow thruster for the tugboat Dale R. Lindsay and Petro Marine's barge. Since there is limited space in the harbor and certain safety and other requirements, Yancey is on hand to make sure the barge can enter and exit Reliance Harbor without incident. The Islander helps move the barge forward and backward as needed, Yancey said. "I take...
Legislative leaders focused on the Permanent Fund dividend and taxes as they described the budget choices facing lawmakers trying to find a combination that will win enough political support to balance state spending. “The dividend has been the massive rock in the middle of the road,” making it difficult to find an affordable path to a long-term state fiscal plan, Anchorage Sen. Cathy Giessel, the Senate majority leader, said during an online discussion with Alaska Common Ground last week. “The dividend provides a lot of benefits to Alask...
Wrangell Sentinel staff won five awards in the annual Alaska Press Club competition, with radio station KSTK bringing home four honors in the statewide contest for journalists. Marc Lutz won second place in the Best Feature Story category (small newspapers) for his report in the Sept. 21, 2022, Sentinel about retired teacher Jacquie Dozier’s 1965 lunch with Queen Elizabeth II while in the U.K. on a teacher exchange program. The judge commented on Lutz’s work: “A timely memory of QEII, published just after the monarch’s death. The reporte...
The borough has been preparing to make costly updates to its wastewater treatment plant, but recent estimates suggest that the multimillion-dollar project could be over twice as expensive as anticipated. Late last year, borough officials placed the project in the $3 million to $5 million range; the new price tag is over $12.5 million. “This is considerably more than what we were planning on,” said Borough Manager Jeff Good. Construction costs are rising nationwide and the borough has had to adjust estimates on many major projects acc...
If there's one thing fourth graders can count on each year, it's that they will see a dead animal inside and out. Teacher Brian Merritt uses various animals to teach about science, whether biology, environment or, in the case of this year, the food chain. On April 18, Merritt brought his class outside to show them the food chain of the animal kingdom in action, if only slightly after the fact. "Whoa!" "That's huge!" "Wow!" The students reacted with astonishment at the unveiling of the enormous...
Gov. Mike Dunleavy told legislators in a pair of closed-door meetings last week that he will introduce a state sales tax as a component of a budget-balancing, long-term fiscal plan. But with just three weeks left in the legislative session, with no details about the governor’s tax bill as of Monday, and with strong opposition from lawmakers who represent communities with a local sales tax, the odds of passage this year are extremely low. If the governor goes ahead with a sales tax bill, it would join more than a dozen proposals offered by H...
The Irene Ingle Public Library has undergone countless changes in the past three decades, from the digitization of its catalog to major building renovations to the advent of e-books. Library Director Margaret Villarma has guided the facility through it all, offering support to elders and fostering a love of reading in generations of Wrangell youth. Now, after 34 years, she is ready to retire. "I'm just grateful for the job I had here," she said. "I really am. I enjoyed it. I couldn't have asked...
It is a voyage of 43,000 miles encompassing the Pacific Ocean, and it begins in Southeast. The Hawaiian canoe Hōkūleʻa and its crew will set sail from Juneau in June to circumnavigate the vast, blue body of water over the course of four years. On its way south, it will stop in Wrangell for a few days. The double-hulled plywood, fiberglass and resin canoe, which was built in 1975 and made its first voyage the following year, was lifted out of the waters of Honolulu Harbor and was scheduled to be delivered to Tacoma, Washington, last Friday. Fr...
Active shooter drills have become as commonplace in schools across the country as fire drills. However, that is not the case in Wrangell just yet. At the school board meeting on April 17, Devyn Johnson, a parent with two children enrolled at Evergreen Elementary School and one in Head Start, asked that the schools implement some kind of drill. “Wrangell has high access to firearms. Mental illness is high. Depression rates are high. And substance abuse is high,” Johnson said to the board during public comments. “In my opinion, these are all the...
Wrangell may not be on the road system, but that doesn't mean it's not connected to the rest of the world. Last week, a U.S. Forest Service project put Wrangell on the map - the Motus map. The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is an international collaborative research network that uses radio telemetry technology to study the migratory patterns of birds and other animals. After scientists put a nanotag on a bird, its movements can be tracked by hundreds of Motus antennae all over the world. These...
It’s spring cleaning season, and while individual households may wash their baseboards and dust their blinds, it isn’t just private residences that benefit from a thorough seasonal cleanse — Wrangell’s public spaces need love too. Next month, Parks and Recreation is hosting a “Community Collaboration” event, where all borough departments will work alongside residents to clean and beautify the downtown area. The event will kick off on May 12 at the downtown pavilion at 9 a.m., though volunteers are welcome to drop in and out until it ends at...
Mia Wiederspohn, left, makes a purchase at Breakaway Adventures last Friday at the grand opening of the tour company's brick-and-mortar location, while Jaynee Fritzinger works behind the counter. The shop will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday year-round, said owner Spenser Stavee. The storefront will sometimes be open on Sundays, depending on cruise ship schedules. Along with clothing, food and souvenirs, shoppers can rent an electric bike or book jet boat tou...
Whether you prefer dainty French tips or long metallic claws, dayglo colors or classy neutrals, Wrangell's newest nail technician is ready to help you manifest your wildest manicure dreams. Recently certified Luba Lofftus is offering manicures from her home studio and will soon be sharing space with the Stone Cold Fox hair salon downtown. I visited Lofftus in her home to learn more about Happy Girl Nails - her forthcoming business - and to watch her expertise in action. Lofftus does nails at a...
After being delayed one week and one day to reopen, Sweet Tides will again welcome customers on Thursday. The bakery has been closed since early March to expand its storefront and offer specialty coffees in a café atmosphere. Due to a backlog in permitting through the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, it was unknown how long the business would be delayed in reopening. Owner Shawna Buness posted on Facebook last week that the permits were approved the day after a Sentinel story reported she didn’t know if it would take a week or...
Alaskans who need cash quickly can go to a payday lender for a short-term loan of up to $500, handing over a check or access to their bank account to cover the entire loan repayment just as soon as they get paid at work or their pension arrives. But it will cost them plenty for that fast cash, as much as 15% interest on the debt every two weeks. A freshman Republican legislator from Anchorage wants to put an end to what he calls “these predatory loans.” Payday lenders “take advantage of the dire situations of individuals,” said Rep. Stanley...
The Southeast Conference is conducting its annual survey of business owners and managers, looking to gauge the economic outlook and priorities for the region. Last year’s business climate survey collected 440 responses, including 26 from Wrangell. Nearly two-thirds of survey respondents had a positive view of the Southeast business climate, and half expected that business would be better than the past year as tourists returned to Alaska and travelers put COVID-19 behind them. Business leaders last year reported that the lack of available h...
Wrangell’s annual community cleanup is planned for April 29, with free lunch, free trash bags, free disposable gloves, and cash prizes for volunteer picker-uppers. And while organizers hope the incentives will get people to turn out, the real prize is a cleaner community. “Trash is expensive,” said one of the organizers, Kim Wickman, of WCA. It’s expensive to buy the goods, which are shipped into Wrangell, it’s costly to send the trash out to a landfill in Washington state, and it’s unsightly when the garbage litters the town. She hopes peopl...
Every spring when the eulachon spawn, the Stikine River flats are flooded with thousands of migratory shorebirds. And each year, the town responds in-kind with the Stikine River Birding Festival, filling the radio airwaves with bird songs and holding an array of avian-themed events. This season, the festival will run for three weekends between April 21 and May 6. It will feature movies, crafts, workshops and more. “Birding is such a nice welcome to spring,” said Corree Delabrue of the U.S. Forest Service, who helped plan the festival. She lov...
For nearly 40 years, the Sourdough Lodge has served the needs of Wrangell whether through tourist visits, assisted living or pandemic housing. During that time, it was owned by the Harding family, who built the lodge in 1984. Now, Zach Taylor and his father John Taylor have purchased the property from Bruce and Darlene Harding and will continue to operate the business as a bed and breakfast. "We're going to call it the Sourdough Lodge," Zach Taylor said. "Bruce and Dar had it as the Old...
As the Alder Top Village development moves through its design process, borough officials, the planning and zoning commission and members of the public will have the opportunity to shape what these new neighborhoods will look like. At its April 11 meeting, the borough assembly unanimously approved the first reading of a rezoning for the subdivision, which will be built on the site of the former Wrangell Institute, a Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school. The assembly will hold a public hearing April 25 and could vote to amend or approve the...
The Planning and Zoning Commission has approved the next step in making a physical location for the St. Frances Animal Rescue facility a reality. Last Thursday, the commission voted to grant a conditional-use permit for the nonprofit organization to put a building on Lot 4, Block 66 in the north portion of an industrial lot on Fifth Avenue, just off Bennett Street. The approval is the latest development in the shelter's ongoing process to have a fixed location since it was created in 2006 and...
The siding on the exterior of the swimming pool building is deteriorating and borough officials are working to ensure that the facility stays safe and looks its best for years to come. At its April 11 meeting, the borough assembly unanimously approved spending an additional $261,000 to purchase and install new siding on the building, bringing the total appropriation to $436,000. “The … project involves removing the existing cedar siding and replacing it with a tongue and groove PVC-like siding,” wrote Capital Facilities Director Amber Al-Ha...
Do you know who the first Christian martyr was? Or who replaces Judas Iscariot as the 12th apostle? Or how to escape imprisonment by Herod Agrippa? Wrangell’s youth Bible Bowl team knows. For the first time in 15 years, the town has a competitive Bible quiz crew in The Salvation Army competition. Since December, the five team members have met regularly, sometimes as often as twice a week, to study and memorize the biblical Book of Acts. The competition involves two rounds of 50 questions. Each team member answers questions on a tablet that calc...
Like waiting for yeast to rise, customers of Sweet Tides Bakery will have to wait a little longer for the business to reopen. The bakery had planned to open this Wednesday, however a permitting backlog at the state's food safety and sanitation office has delayed the reopening by a week or possibly more. It's proving to be a blessing and a curse, said owner Shawna Buness. The delay has given Buness and her husband Jordan more time to finish the cabinetry and décor, but it's hard to run a...
Twentieth-century U.K. novelist and philosopher Iris Murdoch once wrote that “the bereaved cannot communicate with the unbereaved.” Grief can have intense physical and emotional effects on people, from nausea and increased blood pressure to changes in memory and behavior. Knowing how to help a grieving person can be difficult, but Rev. Julie Platson of Sitka believes that communicating with the bereaved is not only possible, but essential for healing. Platson will visit Wrangell’s St. Philip’s Episcopal Church on April 29 from 1 to 2:30 p....
