Wrangell Sentinel -

Soon after Carol Rushmore stepped into her role as economic development director in 1993, Wrangell’s economic landscape changed forever. The sawmill, which had been the borough’s economic mainstay since the mid-1950s, shut down, setting off a chain reaction of job losses and business closures that affected the entire community.

“We lost 20% of our workforce overnight,” Rushmore said. “It was extremely bad for a good 10 years.”

But 29 years and countless grant applications, public forums and infrastructure projects later, Rushmore is planning to retire, leaving the community in...