Wrangell Sentinel

09/15/2026

Glaciers are in the public eye following the glacier collapse in Nepal and flooding in Juneau last month. These ice giants are as part of the Alaska landscape as salmon or bears, but their scale and remote nature make them difficult to study. On Sept. 9, student scientists from the Wrangell High School Shakes Glacier monitoring team and University of Oregon graduate student Victoria Benson gave a presentation on their research. The high school students have been monitoring the glacier since 2011, while Benson began her work in 2023. Together their work showed how the glacier has changed over time and mechanisms impacting its behavior today. The full story is in Wednesday's Sentinel, which will be available online at wrangellsentinel.com and at City Market, IGA, TK's, the Stikine Inn, Cooper's Corner and the Nolan Center.

09/15/2026

Alaskans who filed online for this year’s dividend and selected direct deposit will see the money in their accounts on Oct. 1, according to the Permanent Fund Dividend Division. Alaskans who filed paper applications, and those who asked for their payments by check rather than direct deposit, will have to wait until the end of the month. The division said it plans to mail out checks from Juneau starting on Oct. 22. The story is online now at wrangellsentinel.com.

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09/15/2026

SEARHC Behavioral Health is marking National Recovery Month, Domestic Violence Prevention Month and World Su***de Prevention Day with a community potluck at the Nolan Center on Wednesday, Sept. 30. The gathering, scheduled from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., aims to bring residents together to remember those lost to su***de or addiction and to celebrate the people and services supporting recovery. Read the story in Wednesday's Sentinel, available at IGA, City Market, the Stikine Inn, TK's, Cooper's Corner and the Nolan Center, and online at wrangellsentinel.com.

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09/15/2026

The assembly has approved the first formal joint work plan between the borough and WCA. While there have been memorandums of understanding between the two entities in the past, this is the first plan formally adopted by both. The plan notably prioritizes tourism, along with quality of life and heritage projects. “The two organizations have had varying levels of engagement and collaboration over the years, but with new leadership on both sides, I believe we have a real opportunity to build a stronger, more productive relationship,” Borough Manager Mason Villarma said on Sept. 10. The full story is in Wednesday's Sentinel, at wrangellsentinel.com.

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09/15/2026

The Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department has been working to put out a large fire that broke out at the Marine Bar shortly after 3 a.m. today. The story is at wrangellsentinel.com.

09/08/2026

Auditions are underway this week as community theater organizers prepare to bring holiday cheer to the stage with a production of “Elf: The Musical.” Tryouts begin Tuesday, Sept. 8, and run through Thursday, Sept. 10, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Nolan Center. Director Haley Reeves aims to finalize the cast of roughly 30 performers by Sept. 12. Shows are scheduled to run Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 27-29. Reeves chose the family-friendly holiday show after hearing directly from residents. The story is online now at wrangellsentinel.com.

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09/08/2026

“Great news,” said Anna Belback, a natural resource technician with the U.S. Forest Service Wrangell Ranger District. Surveyors have not found any invasive European green crabs in their shoreline walks and traps on the northwest coast of Etolin Island. Even more good news: None of the destructive crabs have been found around Anan Bay either, reported Paul Robbins, public affairs officer for the Tongass National Forest. The full story is in Wednesday's Sentinel, which will be available at wrangellsentinel.com and at IGA, City Market, TK's, the Stikine Inn, Cooper's Corner and the Nolan Center.

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09/08/2026

The borough assembly voted unanimously to declare a local disaster as a result of the early closure of the summer commercial Dungeness fishery. This is just the latest step taken by Southeast fishing communities looking for effective management of the region’s booming sea otter population. The declaration is intended to bring federal relief to crab fishermen and catalyze the formation of a Southeast shellfish fishing association. The story is in Wednesday's Sentinel, available at City Market, IGA, the Stikine Inn, TK's, Cooper's Corner and the Nolan Center, and at wrangellsentinel.com.

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09/08/2026

The Department of Revenue announced that Alaska’s K-12 public schools will receive an additional $115 million in state funding this year, prompted by a boost in oil revenue driven by the U.S. war on Iran pushing global oil prices higher. Legislators earmarked sharing the higher oil revenue with schools. The additional funding is a relief to school districts statewide. Many districts have faced severe budget shortfalls in recent years due to funding not keeping pace with rising costs. The Wrangell school district will receive an additional $383,500 for the 2026-2027 school year. The extra money will significantly reduce what the district needs to pull out of reserves to balance its $6 million budget. The story is online now at wrangellsentinel.com.

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09/01/2026

The assembly unanimously voted to donate 2.7 acres of borough-owned land to WCA for construction of a memorial park, which the tribe wants to build in honor of the Native children who were “lost or traumatized” at the federally operated boarding school on the same site. The memorial also would honor Aleuts “who suffered while forced to stay at the internment camp on the same grounds” when they were removed from their homes during World War II, Wrangell Cooperative Association Tribal President Ethan Petticrew wrote to the assembly. The story is in Wednesday's Sentinel, which will be available online at wrangellsentinel.com and at City Market, IGA, TK's, the Stikine, Cooper's Corner and the Nolan Center.