Opinion
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Legislature needs to finish its school work next year
The Legislature earned a passing grade for approving a substantial increase in state funding for public schools — the first since 2017. Think of it as a small gold star for effort, but they still will need to retake the class next year. Rather...
PFD political compromise works for a year
The Alaska Legislature is no different than a typical American household – torn between spending every last dollar from their paycheck on immediate wants or saving some for the inevitable future needs. When the wants win out, money often is short...
Life in the fishbowl can have conflicting outlooks
There are large calendar pages tacked to a wall in the Sentinel office. May through September list the cruise ships scheduled to stop in Wrangell on specified days. We keep them there for easy reference. However, we don’t really need the pages to...
God reminds us that we are enough
You are seen! Many times, we wander through life or even just the day and feel like no one is there or no one cares. We even do things at times to get noticed. We want the adoration or appreciation of others. And yet, sometimes it is unfulfilling. No...
Reader appreciates the Sentinel's award-winning, quality journalism
I just wanted to give a big shout-out for all the recent awards the Sentinel staff received at the annual Alaska Press Club contest. I won’t try to name them all. Wrangell should be very proud of Larry Persily and the entire crew at the newspaper....
Thank you
We would like to thank City Market, Wrangell IGA, First Bank, Marlene Merritt, Cheri Wickman and SEARHC for their contributions to the Wrangell Community Cleanup. – Paula Rak and WCA IGAP...
High school graduates show us the way
The honesty of the younger generation reminds us of what is important in life. It should prompt everyone to pay attention to what teenagers say. It will be their community and their world, so their opinions matter. Wrangell High School seniors are...
Exaggerated claims don't help anyone
Elected officials, ballot initiative supporters and opponents, campaign managers and anyone else who writes, texts or tweets outlandish claims and promises should be required to stay after the election and write on the blackboard (remember those)...
Most survey respondents favor scaling back PFD to help pay for public services
Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete my 2023 Legislative Budget Survey. It was a straightforward questionnaire: Do you support decreasing the Permanent Fund dividend to balance the state budget? If yes, by how much? If no, what cuts...
State sales tax to cover larger PFD is a bad idea, distracts from real needs
The support from our governor and some legislators for levying a statewide sales tax on all Alaskans defies logic. Nor does it even make horse sense. As the Legislature enters its final days, the governor says he supports a $2,700 Permanent Fund...
Ukrainian software developer lands at Wrangell airport
Virtually that is, not literally. But maybe someday for real Oleh Shevchenko, the boss of Northern Sky Studio, a software development company based in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and his team recently created a computer-generated Wrangell airport add-on for...
Can't hide tax owie under bandages
The great tax debate in Alaska sounds similar to the age-old question of whether it is less painful to yank off the bandage quickly or peel it off slowly and gently. I have found that it just doesn’t matter all that much how I pull off the bandage....
Beware of cruise visitors overrunning Southeast Alaska communities
Large cruise ship tourism is ruining Juneau. We will see up to six large ships at least one day a week this year. We expect 1.7 million tourists plus crew. In addition to that, smaller ships and air travel will bring in even more tourists. My...
Hardings say thank you, and welcome new owners of the Sourdough Lodge
After nearly 40 years and two generations of Hardings having a dream, building and operating that dream, the Sourdough Lodge now has a new generation of owners, the John and Zach Taylor families of Wrangell. We enjoyed every minute of our journey....
Reelection isn't as important as making good decisions
No doubt elected officials want to win their next election. They want to continue working on the issues that matter to them and their constituents, including public services, spending and regulation. They want to keep the job. But, as parents tell...
There's more to state finances than oil
Most Alaska state budget watchers follow oil prices, fully realizing that they can bounce around like a small plane on a windy day, creating that same stomach-churning queasiness when they drop. The estimated difference between Alaska North Slope cru...
Thank you
The Wrangell Golf Club board of directors would like to thank everyone who helped make our annual fundraising dinner and auction a success. This was our first time back at it since before COVID, and we couldn’t have asked for a better event. Thank...
Do it for those who live here and for visitors, too
Residents will have two opportunities in the next couple of weeks to pitch in, bend down, pick up, lift and carry in a collective effort to make the community cleaner and greener for the summer. The annual community events are a source of pride for r...
Governor's sales tax doesn't make sense
Alaska is 30 years into state budget deficits, borrowing billions from savings to pay the bills. Gov. Mike Dunleavy is five years into the job, still pledging mega Permanent Fund dividends even if the money isn’t there. Three months ago, Dunleavy i...
People need a reason to move to Alaska
A wise economist made the point last week that while it’s true more people have left Alaska each of the past 10 years than have moved here, the problem isn’t so much the departures as it is the drop in arrivals. Alaska has long had a high...
Social media amplifies the bad examples
When I was a kid, I suppose my role models were mostly professional athletes. Sports was everything (no offense to school or my parents or Boy Scouts leader). Though I never was very good at any of them, particularly sports or school or being an...
Wrangell's self-reliance shines in graduating class
Another school year is almost done and, once again, I’m truly impressed by the caliber of young people Wrangell produces. For the past two years, I’ve interviewed the students of the senior class for their graduation projects. Each story...
Southeast at risk of losing Alaska Marine Highway service to Prince Rupert, permanently
Ketchikan, her close community neighbors and all of Southeast Alaska are in danger. We are at risk of losing our Alaska Marine Highway System ferry run to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, permanently. Ferry service to Prince Rupert is vital. It is...
House version of state budget falls short of long-term help for more school district funding
The Alaska House has debated the state budget and, as the representative for southern Southeast, helping to create the budget is one of my main duties. There were some amendments in the House Finance Committee that are encouraging: We increased fundi...
Fourth is about freedom, but it's not free
No question about it, Wrangell loves its Fourth of July celebration. Residents, families and visitors all gather downtown to watch and participate in the games and races, enjoy the food and, hopefully, some summer sunshine, though that is the least...