Sorted by date Results 1301 - 1325 of 6213
Above: The Crayne family, Eric, holding Theo, and Aria, holding Laylynn, pose for a photo during the Christmas tree lighting event on Front Street last Saturday night. Right: Lights twinkle throughout the towering spruce tree after Santa Claus led the gathered crowd in a countdown...
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...
Ballots from six rural Alaska villages were not fully counted in Alaska’s November elections, the Division of Elections said. A division official said the U.S. Postal Service failed to deliver them to the state election headquarters before the election was certified on Nov. 30. “You’ll need to contact the USPS to find out why there were some that never arrived — as we were told from poll workers, everything had been mailed,” Tiffany Montemayor, the division’s public relations manager, said by email on Dec. 2. As a result, 259 voters in S...
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...
After a boating accident near Point Baker last week, former Wrangell resident Kelsey Leak spent 24 hours on West Rock before being rescued by a fishing boat. Her boyfriend, 27-year-old Arne Dahl has not been found and is presumed dead. The morning of Nov. 27 was bright and clear. Leak and Dahl set out from their Point Baker homestead at 11 a.m. to collect firewood aboard Dahl's old wooden fishing vessel, the Randi Jo. The pair had been living off-grid at Point Baker, where Dahl was raised, since...
Tribal members of the Wrangell Cooperative Association are eligible to receive funding from another round of COVID-19 federal pandemic relief under the American Rescue Plan Act. The WCA is accepting applications through Dec. 16 to distribute $2,000 per member household to help with things like fuel, groceries and utilities. “Wrangell Cooperative Association realized this can be a tough time of year for people and wanted to offer some assistance to our tribal citizens,” said Esther Reese, WCA tribal administrator. “All WCA members must fill...
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...
Next year, Wrangell will become the first community with access to Tidal Network, the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska’s new broadband internet service. And thanks to a recent influx of federal funding, other communities across Southeast won’t be far behind. On Nov. 17, the Central Council announced that it had received a $50 million grant for broadband infrastructure. The funds were awarded through the Tribal Connectivity Program, which increases access to affordable internet on tribal lands as part of the 2021 fed...
A Southeast advocacy group dedicated to protecting the transboundary rivers that flow from Canada through Alaska to the sea want the British Columbia government to work with Alaska Indigenous people on mine permits the same as tribal members on the other side of the border. The group’s immediate concern is permitting of mines in British Columbia in the watersheds of the Stikine, Unuk and Taku rivers. The group fears any mine pollution will flow downriver, harming fisheries and other habitat. Under a 3-year-old law in British Columbia, the p...
Sen. Lisa Murkowski has requested $490 million for more than 130 Alaska projects in congressional appropriations bills under consideration in Congress. None of the money would be headed to Wrangell, though the community could benefit indirectly from statewide programs. Congress is working this month to approve spending on projects and government operations for 2023. When Murkowski visited Wrangell on Sept. 11, Borough Manager Jeff Good gave her a tour of the borough’s ongoing capital projects. They visited the water reservoir dams, Public S...
Residents will gather for a “Christ-moose” potluck at the Nolan Center at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 18 to celebrate the holiday season through food and fellowship. All are welcome to the free event, which will feature moose meat prepared by Jake Harris of the Stikine Inn. Attendees are encouraged to contribute their favorite side dish to the spread. The potluck is the first of its kind in three years, explained event organizer Lovey Brock. A similar event was held in 2019 — before pandemic fears hit — and boasted around 150 attendees, plus a wide array o...
Readers can find both an optimistic view and gloomy numbers in the borough’s annual economic conditions report, issued last month. “With some of the lowest electrical rates in Alaska, the highest school district test scores, the potential to grow its visitor industry, the lowest unemployment rate on record, and a high level of entrepreneurship (more than a quarter of all workers are self-employed), Wrangell has potential to improve its prospects,” says the report, prepared by Juneau-based consulting firm Rain Coast Data. However, the repor...
Former Wrangell residents Kelsey Leak and Arne Dahl were involved in a boating accident late Sunday afternoon. By mid-afternoon Monday, Leak had been picked up by a nearby fishing vessel. As of Tuesday morning, Dahl had not been found. The couple was boating near Point Baker and Point Protection, roughly 40 nautical miles west of Wrangell. Leak, who survived the accident, spent Sunday night on one of the West Rocks, in the area around Point Baker and Point Protection. "That was a feat by...
Statewide assessment test scores have been released by the Alaska Department of Education, and the results are not good. In English language arts, 70% of students tested were not proficient. In math, 77% were not proficient. In science, 62% were not proficient. Wrangell’s students fared better than the statewide average, with 62.68% not proficient in English language arts, 65.49% not proficient in math and 48.08% not proficient in science. That’s not necessarily bad news, say Wrangell’s educators. The tests given last spring were the Alask...
Next month, Sarah Lewis of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Extension Service will help Wrangell residents develop the skills they need to ride out the dark winter days, from preserving delicious foods to reducing those shocking seasonal energy bills. From Dec. 8 to 11, she will teach a wide variety of home skills and food preservation classes in collaboration with the Wrangell Cooperative Association, the nonprofit RurAL Cap and the federal Tribes Extension Program. Lewis, a licensed architect with a master’s degree in social work, has m...
Three students traveled to Boise, Idaho, earlier this month for a gathering of young minds that could shape not only their futures but the future of Wrangell and beyond. Members of the Teaching Through Technology Alliance, better known as the T3 Alliance, attended the Energy Summit at Boise State University Nov. 3 - 7, and were tasked with finding an energy-related problem and then working together to come up with innovative solutions. Senior Nikolai Bardin-Siekawitch and juniors Sean McDonald...
Residents are invited to reserve a spot at the Wrangell Medical Center’s COVID-19 booster vaccination clinics planned for Dec. 9 and 16. Though infection rates in Wrangell and across Alaska have declined this fall, health officials are advising that case counts could rise as people spend more time indoors for holiday activities. The first clinic is planned for 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 9 for the Pfizer booster. Residents are advised to call 907-874-7000 and reserve an appointment. The third booster shot of the vaccine to help protect against C...
Wrangell vessel owners who already shuttle passengers and freight around southern Southeast said they would be willing to contract with the borough for service to Petersburg and Coffman Cove, rather than see the borough subsidize a return of the more expensive Inter-Island Ferry Authority. Zach Taylor, who operates the 38-foot catamaran Island Cat, and Eric Yancey, who operates the 75-foot landing craft Rainforest Islander, have expressed their willingness to contract with the borough to provide regular service between the communities. “If Wran...
Despite recent rate hikes, the borough’s user fees are still insufficient to fully cover future big-ticket infrastructure costs, according to the audit of last year’s municipal finances. At a Nov. 15 assembly work session, Finance Director Mason Villarma and Joy Merriner, of the audit firm BDO’s Anchorage office, suggested that the borough conduct “comprehensive rate revaluation and reserve modeling” annually, to ensure that rates keep up with inflation and generate enough money to maintain essential infrastructure, like vacuum trucks, t...
The Wrangell School District has taken another step toward curbing harassment by using modern technology. Earlier this month, the district installed the STOPit system on electronic devices to make it easier for students and staff to anonymously report any bullying they may witness. “It’s been in the works for a year now,” said Schools Superintendent Bill Burr. “The Southeast Regional Resource Center in Juneau wrote a grant and included most of the Southeast school districts in the grant. This is an online program with an app, already install...
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, thanks to Evergreen Elementary School students. Last Wednesday, students in every grade level had an opportunity to create ornaments for this year's community Christmas tree. All manner of colorful baubles were crafted and made ready to adorn the tree. Teacher Jenn Davies' third grade class was busy the day before Thanksgiving using cellophane to wrap empty and cleaned food containers, such as strawberry packaging, to make ornaments that look like gia...
Top photo, from left: Kastle Powers, Silje Morse, Brogan Booker, Alana Harrison, Clara Carney, Amura Roaher and Mariah Carney, as the Von Trapp children, listen to Sarah Scambler, playing Maria, as they rehearse for "The Sound of Music." It's been more than 20 years since Wrangell staged a community play. The musical will be performed at the Nolan Center at 7 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are on sale at the Nolan Center or online at bit.ly/3ioydek. Bottom photo, from left: Ellen...
Rolland Wimberley has a bear of a time running the Wrangell Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. Wimberley, along with many others, ran and walked the Volunteer Park Nature Trail loop three times to total 3.1 miles. Many were dressed in costumes as part of the traditional event to help burn calories and raise funds for the Parks and Recreation Department, which put on the race....
School districts statewide, including Wrangell, will be looking to the Legislature next year for an increase in state funding, but any boost in the state’s per-pupil formula likely will depend in large part on oil revenues and also Permanent Fund earnings. And neither looks good this month, less than eight weeks before lawmakers are scheduled to convene in Juneau. The state funding formula for K-12 education hadn’t moved in about five years before this year’s 0.5% mini-nudge upward. Meanwhile, districts statewide are facing budget defic...
Next year, Wrangell will be home to a hot new tourist attraction — public restrooms. Portable facilities will appear downtown in the late spring to meet tourist demand and to reduce the strain on area businesses. “We’re looking at doing some sort of mobile trailer type of restroom,” said Tom Wetor, director of the Public Works Department. The trailers will sit at the intersection of Campbell Drive and Front Street, near 56º North and Angerman’s. Facilities will include four private stalls, complete with sinks. Two of the stalls will be wheelch...
