News / Wrangell
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Garbage baler could take time to show savings
In order to stay compliant with shipping requirements, Wrangell Public Works began using a trash baler last October. The machine also could save money for the borough. Because open-top trash containers with lose garbage are being phased out by...
Magnolia raises the bar on Wrangell's beauty needs
Darian Burley's Magnolia Beauty Bar serves comfort and grooming care with a lush pedicure massage chair, salon chair and mirror, a nail care table, and hair care items for sale. Burley offers...
SEARHC closes Crossings in Wrangell, expands operation in Sitka
Posted Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 12 Alaska Crossings, a program that helps at-risk teens and takes them on guided wilderness expeditions throughout Southeast, is closing its Wrangell base of operations and moving to Sitka. Crossings has been based... Full story
Annual icy dip draws brave crowd to Shoemaker Harbor
For about 20 years on New Year's Day, some of the bravest in the community gather to prove their mettle by wading into the frigid water of Shoemaker Harbor for the aptly named Polar Plunge. This year...
Assembly will consider increase in electricity rates
Ratepayers will have a chance to weigh in next Tuesday on the borough’s proposed increase in electricity rates for residential and commercial customers. If approved, the rate hike would increase the kilowatt-hour charge by 7.5% to 9% for most resid...
State advertises for fill-in private ferry service; gives bidders 7 days to respond
With the Matanuska out of service longer than expected for more repair work, and the state uncertain whether it can bring an idled ferry out of a cost-saving lay-up, the Alaska Marine Highway System is seeking bids from private vessel operators to...
Tlingit & Haida will start wireless internet pilot project in Wrangell
Wrangell has been selected for the initial start-up of Tidal Network, a newly formed enterprise of the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska that will bring wireless broadband internet service to underserved areas. The new se...
State will stop paying for walk-up COVID testing at end of month
The state has decided to stop offering walk-up COVID-19 testing at Alaska’s larger airports, and to stop paying for similar free testing operations in communities statewide, including Wrangell, effective Jan. 31. The SouthEast Alaska Regional Healt...
Matanuska delayed again; no ferry service to Wrangell for 23 days
The 58-year-old state ferry Matanuska needs additional time in a Ketchikan shipyard for steel decking replacement and other repairs, forcing cancellation of more sailings to Southeast communities and leaving Wrangell without any service between Jan....
GCI internet service spotty since Nov. 30 windstorm
Internet service provided by GCI was knocked out when Wrangell was pummeled by a gusty storm on Nov. 30, and three weeks later residents were still reporting outages. Technicians were able to restore service to customers by Dec. 3, but there were...
A look back at 2021's top news stories in Wrangell
There were about 1,000 stories in the Wrangell Sentinel last year, covering state and local budgets, the ailing state ferry system, ongoing pandemic and more — including a new owner for the Sentinel. On Jan. 1, Larry Persily bought the newspaper...
Borough will apply for rec center improvements grant
The borough assembly has selected an almost quarter-million-dollar recreation center project for Wrangell’s application to a competitive, federally funded COVID-19 aid grant program, while it has also adopted its projects wish list for...
Borough employees receive 2% pay raise
Almost 60 borough employees, union and non-union, will receive a 2% raise retroactive to July 1, 2021. A second 2% raise is scheduled for July 1 of this year. The new wage scale is the result of a collective bargaining agreement between the borough...
Discarded harbor floats present a cleanup headache
Pieces of rigid foam — polystyrene — broken away from harbor floats installed in the 1970s and 1980s are bobbing along Wrangell’s waters and washing up on beaches along Zimovia Strait. Holdovers from the Shoemaker Bay harbor float replacement...
State changes road rules for ATVs; Wrangell 'essentially the same'
As of Jan. 1, Wrangell’s roadways won’t look much different after a new state regulation adopted by Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration took effect. Alaskans are now allowed to drive their ATVs on most roadways where the speed limit is 45 mph...
Cutting down the pile
Mason Dingwall operates a tire cutter at the community's solid waste transfer station, working his way through the immense stack of tires that the borough hopes to dig into, chop up and ship out of...
Assembly approves money to drill into upper dam to figure out a fix
Wrangell’s water reservoir dams need fixing, and the borough assembly last week approved spending $100,000 to help determine the best options. The state dam safety engineer at the Department of Natural Resources has identified Wrangell’s upper...
Wrangell receives 200 at-home COVID test kits, with promise of more
Two hundred at-home COVID-19 test kits were delivered to Wrangell’s emergency operations center last Friday, and more will soon be on the way. Capt. Dorianne Sprehe, of the EOC, said the fire department received the kits via SEARHC, and is making...
Community supports organizations helping others
Fundraising efforts are a year-round task for most organizations, but during the holidays those efforts are increased. People in Wrangell are willing to give their time, energy and money to support...
Health care providers prescribe recreation; SEARHC helps pay the bill
Eat your fruits and veggies, move around plenty and drink lots of water – a combination of these recommendations have come from health care providers for generations. Doctors have always told patien...
SEARHC continues free COVID testing under state contract
SEARHC soon will move into its second year of providing free COVID-19 testing for Wrangell residents and visitors to the community. The testing is covered under a state contract that had been scheduled to stop Dec. 31 but which has been extended to...
Borough will need to replace barge ramp
The out-of-commission barge ramp where Wrangell usually unloads its freight needs to be replaced. Until that happens, repairs will suffice. A 2011 condition assessment of the barge ramp estimated it had another 10 to 15 years of useful life...
Freight rate study shows 4.5% average annual cost increase
The results of a $7,300 study the borough commissioned in October to take a closer look at the cost of shipping goods by barge to Wrangell shows the average annual increase in marine freight costs from Seattle to Southeast Alaska from 2006 to 2021 wa...
Borough settling scope of work for inspecting former Institute property
The contractor hired by the borough for survey and design work of the former Institute property has signed up a subcontractor to advise on historical and archaeological ground searches, which are required before the borough can move ahead with...
GCI replacing cable with Yukon TV streaming app
Like eight-track, cassette tapes and VCRs, cable TV will soon be a piece of entertainment nostalgia — in Alaska anyway. GCI announced a year ago that it would cease providing cable television service, and has introduced its streaming app, Yukon...
