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The True Local Newspaper of Alaska’s Capital City
Southeast Alaska news


Petersburg sawmill turns Tongass timber into complete home and cabin kits
The opportunity is growing for home builders in Petersburg to use locally milled Tongass timber in their new building projects.


Haines DMV office closed indefinitely until state finds new staff
The local office was closed Monday morning and for the foreseeable future until her replacement is hired.


Officials respond to vandalism that damaged a petroglyph rock at beach site
A petroglyph rock was found split in half last month, apparently damaged by someone attempting to remove the ancient carving, according to borough and U.S. Forest Service officials.


Nonresident anglers allowed kings again in Southeast
King salmon fishing is back on for nonresident sport anglers in Southeast Alaska, effective Monday, Aug. 4, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has announced.


Southeast Alaska State Fair lineup packed with regional favorites
Six Alaska bands are headlining the Southeast Alaska State Fair set for July 31 to August 3.


‘We need a bus’: Parents weigh in after district drops busing service for students
What would it take to get the Haines Borough School district to bus students to and from school this year? That’s a question parents, students, and Haines school district employees tackled during a Monday evening meeting at the former Mosquito Lake school in the upper valley.


Historian tells story of Wrangell's expulsion of Mexican laborers in 1915
Late in the afternoon of Sept. 14, 1915, Oscar Carlson was driving his wagon in Wrangell, headed toward the shingle mill. He was passing the power plant when he encountered a group of Mexican cannery workers. Per the admittedly one-sided account in the Wrangell Sentinel, the possibly intoxicated laborers stopped Carlson and told him to either drink or fight with them.


Writer with Wrangell roots writes for show highlighting Native culture
As a child, Larisa Koenig experienced a vision of her grandfather being mortally injured during a totem raising that she credits with saving him from death. It is recognizing the supernatural realm through a Native lens that inspired her work as a writer and co-producer on an upcoming television show.


New Tlingit & Haida wireless tower in Wrangell will help close coverage gap
Wrangell's newest wireless internet and cell tower has been set in place and, when it is operational, is intended to improve sketchy service for some customers around 3- and 4-Mile.


Citing high costs, Haines school district suspends bus service
With less than a month before the first day of school, up to 30 students who normally rely on a bus will have to find other ways to get to and from the Haines School.


Totem ceremonies bring hundreds together in Wrangell to celebrate and remember
One side pulls while the other side is told to hold tension in the line. Men grunt and struggle as they push against the large pole while men and women pull on the lines, all working together to maintain the balance needed to raise the large Kadashan pole at Totem Park on Saturday.


Forest Service flight moratorium lifted in Southeast Alaska
The U.S. Forest Service has received approval to resume aviation operations in Southeast Alaska after a flight moratorium that halted much of the forest management work across the region’s remote federal lands.


Kiehl, Story answer budget, special session questions during visit to Haines
The Chilkat Valley’s state legislative delegation held three local, question-and-answer sessions recently. The visit came during an eventful time in the state capital, just after Gov. Mike Dunleavy last week called a surprise legislative session, asking legislative allies to help him avoid overrides of his controversial veto choices this spring.


One man’s trash, everyone else’s treasure
A plane built in the 1960s has flown away with the interests of several Haines residents, even after a debilitating crash left it grounded.


Fish and Game reveals locations of dozens of animals seized from Chilkat Valley wildlife facility
Fish and Game commissioner says animals are evidence in a potential criminal case against owner Steve Kroschel, and as such may have to be returned to him.


Layoffs begin for Ketchikan shipyard workers
Vigor Alaska laid off about 40 union-represented Ketchikan Shipyard workers last Monday and Tuesday, according to representatives of Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 23.


Totem raising events in Wrangell will span four days this week
For the first time in 38 years, the Wrangell Native community will raise new totem poles in town, with four days of events planned for Thursday through Sunday, July 17-20.


Army outlines PFAS contamination at Tanani Point
Clean-up of so-called forever chemicals at Tanani Point remains unfunded and unscheduled, said U.S. Army representatives during a meeting last Monday evening with Haines residents.


Mountain goat and moose hunters must take written tests to continue hunting in Alaska
The Alaska Board of Game passed a new statewide requirement to quiz mountain goat hunters, which went into effect on July 1. The requirement has been in effect in Southeast since 2023.


Mad Raft revelers ticketed by State Parks after race
A few hundred spectators crowded into Chilkoot Lake State Recreation Site on the Fourth of July to watch a rafting race down the Chilkoot River that has become a staple of the community’s celebration of the holiday. But some are now facing tickets and fines from state parks staff who said the event was dangerously crowded and left parts of the river full of trash.


Borough, cruise line working out details for new downtown dock
City Hall and American Cruise Lines continue negotiating the details of a development plan for the borough to fill in about two acres on the waterfront near the Nolan Center and for the company to spend $3 million building a new floating dock to accommodate its ships for overnight stays.


WCA contracts with marketing firm to help develop tourism strategy
What’s working well right now for WCA tourism efforts? What could be improved upon? These were the primary questions asked by the tribal council’s contractor at a public session at the Nolan Center on June 26.


State closes Southeast commercial king salmon troll fishery
The Southeast and Yakutat commercial troll fishery for king salmon closed on Friday, July 4, as the Alaska Department of Fish and Game projected that the fleet would hit the harvest limit for the season’s first opener in just four days.


Carvers finish up their work for historic totem raising July 18-20
The rhythmic tap of carving tools and the scent of fresh-cut cedar fill the Wrangell Cooperative Association carving shed, where dozens of visitors gather, cameras clicking and questions flowing.


Guide remembered for ‘ love in her heart for the river’ and the people she cared about
Evie Hagan, a river guide who came to Haines for the summer to work for Alaska Mountain Guides, was involved in a fatal rafting accident...


Kroschel, staff, say close to 20 animals missing after raid on wildlife center
An abandoned mink, a wolf who died during a roundup, and a snowy owl who was euthanized after transport were among the dozens of animals caught in the middle of a years-long dispute over the conditions at a Mosquito Lake wildlife facility.


Green crab discoveries in Ketchikan show the invasive threat is spreading in Alaska
Thousands of the crabs have already been trapped in southern Southeast Alaska, and experts advise the public to be on the lookout for...


Busiest year for tourism in Wrangell since 2005; spending estimated at $7.9 million
Wrangell is on track for its busiest summer tourism season since 2005, with visitor spending on food, rooms, transportation, excursions and retail shopping estimated to total $7.6 million this year, according to a report prepared for the borough.


Cemetery caretakers, Takshanuk in dispute over Sawmill Road parcel
A boundary conflict between neighbors on Sawmill Road exploded into the open last week, threatening the future of a community composting facility, and, some say, the future of the borough-owned Jones Point Cemetery.


One dead after local guides take weekend Canada river trip
One person is dead and two others were treated for medical issues after a group of rafting guides operating in the Chilkat Valley took a weekend trip down two rivers in Canada.


Wrangell school committee suggests consolidation, cuts to cope with deficit
The school board’s ad hoc committee charged with recommending money-saving ideas for the financially stressed school district has listed consolidating the elementary school into one building and moving to a four-day school week among the top options.


Volunteers set up nonprofit to raise money for Anan projects
A new nonprofit wants more people to enjoy learning about the Anan Wildlife Observatory — regardless of whether they visit the site in person or online through video cameras installed to watch the bears feasting on salmon.


Oceanview grows into larger operation to fill community’s flower and food basket
Oceanview Gardens started as a hobby farm when Dwane and Laura Ballou bought the land in 2020, but it has grown into a multifaceted enterprise, filling a variety of community needs.


Bass steps down as Skagway’s mayor after Assembly vote
Town’s last mayoral resignation was Skip Elliott in 1987-88 for personal reasons Sam Bass (right) is sworn in a Skagway’s mayor on Oct 3,...


New reporting standards, not record temps, prompt first-ever heat advisory
Friday was the first day of the region’s first-ever heat advisory, but downtown was breezy, with temperatures in the high 60s to low-70s for most of the day.


New owners bring years of newspaper experience in Alaska and the the Midwest
The Skagway News will transition to new owners over the next two months. Pattie and Tommy Wells are taking over the paper as experienced...


Trump land sale plan draws protest in Sitka
Anna Laffrey Daily Sitka Sentinel Sitka residents are mounting a strong response to a draft provision of the U.S. Senate Republicans’...


Search may identify historic Sitka grave
By Cathy Li Daily Sitka Sentinel On the salmonberry-covered hill of Marine Street, where the Holy Trinity Church used to be, Reverend...
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