Month: November 2009

Wrangell's public health center is holding an H1N1 vaccine walk-in clinic today and Friday afternoon. While the center is happy to be able to offer the vaccine to several priority groups at the same time, distribution of the vaccine was a lot slower starting out. KSTK's Lisa Phu reports.

Bob Dalrymple is happy to be back in Southeast Alaska. Last month, Wrangell's new district ranger was hired to permanently taker over the position. Prior to coming to Wrangell, Dalrymple spent two decades in Southeast Alaska. His most recent stop was San Juan National Forest in his native Colorado. Dalrymple takes over for Francisco Sanchez, who was hired over the summer on an interim basis after Mark Hummel left for a position at Superior National Forest in Minnesota. KSTK's Tony Gorman recently caught up with Dalrymple to discuss his plans for the Wrangell Ranger District.

The road to re-election for an Alaska State Representative almost begins as soon as it ends. Every other year, every representative vying to keep his or her spot must hit the campaign trail a year in advance to get the jump on the competition. Southeast Representative Peggy Wilson is no different. The Wrangell Republican was the first to file for candidacy for next year's election. So far, Sitka Democrat and Assembly Member Reber Stein and Petersburg Republican and business owner Steve Samuelson have announced that they will run against Wilson, but have yet to file with the Alaska Division of Elections. KSTK's Tony Gorman had a chance to sit down with Wilson to discuss why she is running for a sixth consecutive term and her plans for the district if she is re-elected.

Subsistence fishing and the Alaska Ferry System have been hot topics in Southeast Alaska in recent weeks. Earlier this year, Southeast Senator and Sealaska Corporation Board President Albert Kookesh was one of three fishermen cited for overfishing their subsistence limits. Later, Kookesh and the other fishermen pleaded not guilty to the charges. The Angoon Democrat didn't stop there. He took his case to the recent Alaska Federation of Natives Conference in Anchorage and won overwhelming support. So much support, that the AFN created a War Chest Fund of $100,000 dollars in an effort to push for changes in subsistence management and enforcement. In the final segment of this three-part interview with KSTK's Tony Gorman, Senator Bert Stedman shares his thoughts about the subsistence situation as well as improving the Alaska Ferry System.

The WHS Volleyball team recently wrapped up its season at last weekend's Region V Tournament at Mt. Edgecumbe. The Lady Wolves competed in three matches before they were eliminated in the second round of the loser's bracket. KSTK's Tony Gorman reports.