Wrangell officials project a $225,000 budget deficit for the upcoming 2021 fiscal year. While the city is not suggesting raising taxes or laying people off, finance director Joyce Mason says there will be cuts across the board. Some jobs may be lost through attrition.

“A couple of positions where people have either retired or moved on, we’re planning on not filling those at this time,” Mason says.

This includes full or half time positions at the library, police, public works, and Wrangell Municipal Light and Power. Wrangell’s sole Division of Motor Vehicles employee retired in March. That office would remain closed. 

Travel and some capital funding projects have been reduced across departments.

Wrangell’s city anticipates large hits to its revenue streams, partly due to COVID-19. The city expects $700,000 less in sales tax than received the previous year. Mason attributes that to less visitors and seasonal workers this summer.

“There’s very little tourism and very little fish processing, because a plant isn’t running,” Mason says.

Same goes for revenues from Wrangell’s public facilities. The museum is missing out on tourism dollars. And Parks and Recreation won’t make what it’s used to in summer program entry fees. 

But federal CARES Act funding could offset the city’s general fund. The city is using that money for COVID-19 specific responses, including an isolation facility and COVID-19 testing for cannery workers. But it can also reimburse staff wages. 

“Anybody’s that doing direct duties that pertain to COVID-19, we can get funding from the CARES act for their wages,” Mason says.

Mason says this includes first responder wages, such as the police and fire department, as well as administrative staff whose duties have shifted to COVID-19.

The city estimates $350,000 in wage reimbursement. That funding is reflected in the city’s budget.

According to a budget memo, city staff recommend using General Fund reserves to make up for the $225,000 budget deficit. But the assembly will also consider a number of reductions. 

The city may place a wage freeze on its employees. That would mean no step increases, estimated to save $55,000. The city may also reduce its contribution to city employee’s health insurance, saving up to $130,000 in a year.

The assembly will consider cutting funding city hall pays out to local nonprofits like the Chamber of Commerce, Wrangell Senior Center, and KSTK. That totals $47,000.

The Wrangell assembly will hold a final budget meeting and public hearing at 5:30 p.m.Tuesday. KSTK will broadcast that meeting.

The post Wrangell to wrap up FY’21 budget appeared first on KSTK.

Wrangell is expecting more than two dozen fish plant workers to arrive from out of state in early June. Local officials are trying to coordinate with the owner of the seafood processor to keep COVID-19 out of the community.

Sea Level and the City of Wrangell have been talking for months over if, when and how the fish processor would bring out of state workers here this summer. 

Plant managers and city officials have discussed how the plant could mitigate the spread of COVID-19 as it brings workers to the island town at the beginning of June. 

Despite this, Wrangell Mayor Steve Prysunka said at a May 22 meeting he’s not satisfied with the company or state officials’ level of transparency. 

“We need to up the pressure on Sea Level or the state government to get us their plan,” Prysunka says.

These plans are likely detailed in the company’s COVID-19 mitigation plan it’s required to file with the state. These plans are required to exempt seafood and other critical infastructure workers from a strict 14-day quarantine imposed on almost everybody else arriving from out of state.

But the city hasn’t seen the final plans. And Prysunka wants answers like: will workers hunker down in their bunkhouses? Or will they begin working on site? Prysunka said during that same meeting the community needs answers.

“Because they’ll have other people from the community working at that plant, who will be coming back into the community. So we have not seen that plan yet, so I think it’s vital that we know what they’re thinking,” Prysunka says.

Flash forward a week later. Prysunka told KSTK that the processor has been more cooperative. Wrangell’s Emergency Operations Center is coordinating with Sea Level. He says the city is offering guidance on how to keep COVID-19 out of the community. But it’s just that — guidance.

“I’m hopeful that we can see a completed plan at some point, but I also understand they are not compelled to do that,” he says.

In other words, the city still hasn’t seen the plant’s final COVID-19 mitigation plan. It had received a draft plan more than a month ago. KSTK requested to see what city officials had received. It was denied on appeal. The city didn’t state its legal grounds for keeping it secret. Only that it didn’t want an out of date plan circulating in the community and recommended requesting the plans from the state. 

CoastAlaska’s records request with the state has been pending since March. 

And KSTK’s only recourse would be to take the city to court.

Sea Level’s Oregon-based corporate office, Pacific Seafood, isn’t returning calls for comment except to release a statement that says it’s following all federal and state guidelines. 

While the city waits on Sea Level’s plan from the state, it has offered to pay for the testing of the seasonal plant workers. Prysunka says the city could pull from its share of federal CARES Act money. 

“All we’re trying to do is be supportive as we can and provide resources,” Prysunka says.

Sea Level’s Plant Manager Rocky Caldero says the city is being helpful.  Caldero told KSTK the plant expects 26 workers in early June. He says he’s not authorized to talk on tape. Plant workers will be tested four times for COVID-19: once in Oregon, and three times while in Wrangell, at the start, middle and end of a two-week quarantine. 

Workers would continue to be tested, but it’s unclear how often. He says late arrivals may start work before the two-week quarantine is up. Those workers would stay on site, but potentially mix with other workers, including those living in the community. PPE and six-feet distancing would be required.

The post Fish processing workers set to arrive in Wrangell next month. appeared first on KSTK.

Wrangell still plans to hold the 4th of July parade and other festivities. But it’ll be different from previous years. That’s according to Chamber of Commerce Director Stephanie Cook speaking at a Tuesday meeting with the Wrangell Assembly.

“If we have to change the route and maybe make it longer, do it social distance style. Or there’s ways we can modify that as it gets closer. But we feel we could put on a parade safely for the community,” Cook says.

Independence Day celebrations have been canceled across the country due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. But Cook says people in Wrangell will be encouraged to take precautions including remaining six feet apart. 

Cook says the site of the fireworks display hasn’t been set. And the festivities could be paired down to just a few days.

The month leading up to the 4^th could be the biggest change. The chamber currently has no royalty candidates, who sell food and raffle tickets for the month of June. Money raised goes partially to the candidates and the chamber.

“It’s a little late in the game now to have anyone try to step up and do that,” Cook says. “So we’re looking at alternative ways to raise funds.”

Cook says chamber board members may still use the pavilion to sell food and tickets. She anticipates the chamber raising less money this year.

Last year, only one person ran for royalty and was crowned queen. That was 2019 Wrangell High School Graduate Abby Gerald.

The post 4th of July celebration still on in Wrangell appeared first on KSTK.

A trailer caught on fire Saturday morning in Wrangell’s Panhandle Trailer Park. Neighbors rushed to the scene, rescuing the homeowner before firetrucks had even arrived.

A fire erupted at 10 AM Saturday morning at the home of an 86-year-old man, Norman Canaday. He did escape his trailer, with the help of at least two neighbors, Dan Flickinger and Duke Aitken. 

“I heard a woof, looked out the window and the porch was on fire,” says Flickinger, Canaday’s nearest neighbor. 

He called 911 and went to the burning trailer.

“The first thing you want to do is see if anyone is in there,” Flickinger says.

His other neighbor, Aitken, also arrived on scene.

“A lady named Linda Churchill was down there pointing at the sky crying, and I stopped my truck and ran up here,” he says.

Flickinger says they pounded on the walls and ran to the back of the trailer where they found Canaday. He was standing at his back entrance with the door open.

The drop from the back door to the ground was about three feet, a big jump for someone Canaday’s age. Flickinger says a mattress was laying nearby and they used it to soften his fall.

“Helped him jump on the mattress and picked him up and carried him out of harm’s way,” he says.

All of this happened in a few minutes, before Wrangell firefighters arrived.

“That probably saved Norm’s life,” says Fire Chief Tim Buness.

The fire spread through most of the trailer. Buness believes it’s not salvageable. Wrangell Fire Department is still investigating the cause. As of Saturday morning, the department says an electrical issue most likely started the fire.

Wrangell medics transported Canaday to the hospital. 

The post Neighbors help Wrangell man out of burning trailer appeared first on KSTK.

A small defunct ferry is back in service in Southeast Alaska, this time under private ownership. The Rainforest Islander ferry once connected Wrangell, Coffman Cove and Mitkof Island near Petersburg. A veteran tour operator in Wrangell hopes to turnaround a ship that’s had years of bad luck.   

In 2015, remote Southeast Alaskans were hopeful that the Rainforest Islander would connect small Southeast towns. The Coffman Cove based North End Ferry Authority planned to sail the ship four times a week between Prince of Wales Island, Petersburg and Wrangell.

But with constant delays and mechanical issues, the ferry was shortly out of service. The ship had a major crack, so it went to Wrangell’s boatyard where it sat for three years.

But last March, the vessel moved out of the yard and was back in the water.

“Everybody has a weakness, buying boats is mine,” says Eric Yancey. He owns Breakaway Adventures, a 30-year-running tour company based in Wrangell. His crew takes tourists for sightseeing trips, to nearby glaciers and up the Stikine River. And in the winter he keeps himself busy transporting high school basketball teams through Southeast.

Yancey looks across the bottom deck of the 65-foot converted landing craft. There’s just open space, where Yancey would transport freight and vehicles.

“I’m guessing four or five cars,” he says. “Three, four, maybe trucks at one time.”

Upstairs is the passenger seating and viewing area. It can hold 30 passengers and crew.

Unlike his jet boats, the Rainforest Islander can move large freight, including vehicles and boat trailers. With ferry schedule cuts, he saw the need for that kind of transport.

“So there’s just these folks that have vehicles strung out throughout Southeast Alaska, wanting to get them home or get them to where they need to be,” Yancey says.

Brian Wilson is a businessman and council member in Coffman Cove. Wilson knows Yancey’s work well, especially getting school athletes to towns safely.

“I think he’s a great guy and he knows the water, I’m hoping he can make this work,” Wilson says.

He also sits on the board for another community effort to provide ferry service to Prince of Wales, the Inter-Island Ferry Authority. That authority offered the connection to Coffman Cove, Wrangell and South Mitkof over a decade ago. He says freight costs for his town have increased considerably over time. If Yancey can offset that, he thinks it would be great for the whole region.

“I can see a very good niche there, if he can hold on and stick it out and show that he’s serious about it,” Wilson says.

Work is already there for the new owner. Yancey’s hauling vehicles and equipment for the U.S. Forest Service to a nearby island, for its fieldwork.

He hopes to service the same towns on the inside passage the ferry was originally intended for. He doesn’t have a set schedule of sailings yet. But being a private owner, he can adjust that according to demand.

But the ship’s history of bad luck is rearing its head. He’s spent a lot of money on repairs and alterations, granted, with no unforeseen mechanical issues. But clearly, he chose an inopportune time to make such an investment.

“I felt like no risk until this coronavirus showed up, but unfortunately we were eye deep into it by the time that started to happen,” Yancey says.

He says last year, it felt like the right move, an exciting one. But now, it will be months or more before he knows if it was really worth it.

The post Can one man revive the Rainforest Islander ferry? appeared first on KSTK.

This year’s cruise ship season has been gutted with more than 80% of sailings canceled. That’s due in large part to a federal no sail order that restricts large cruise ships from sailing until the end of July. But small cruise ships are exempted from the order, leaving local officials wondering whether they’re ready to welcome an influx of visitors as soon as next month.

Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum recently spoke with leaders of port communities during a meeting organized by the Alaska Municipal League. The topic was how to deal with small cruise ships later this year.

Ketchikan City Mayor Bob Sivertsen was on the call. He says he’s concerned that an influx of passengers could bring in coronavirus cases that could overwhelm local hospitals and clinics.

“We haven’t seen anything from the cruise industry yet as to what their precautionary measures are going to be to meet the mandates and health standards that have been set,” he says.

Those on the call say this is just the beginning of talks with the state to figure out an approach to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 that could come from small cruise ships. Sivertsen says for his community, public health is the priority, but clearly Ketchikan relies on tourism dollars. It expected more than a million cruise passengers and potentially $190 million for the 2020 season.

“The local governments are tasked with trying to wade through the process to see if they can safely bring a ship and passengers to a community,” Sivertsen says.

As the state and port communities just now begin to address that concern, the cruise lines themselves have no time to wait. They need to be sure the first sailing of their season has mitigation protocols in place, can comply with state mandates, and is even worth it financially.

In just the past two weeks, smaller cruise lines have cancelled June sailings. Not coincidentally, these cancellations came in after the governor’s overhaul of the state health mandates last month. While local businesses are on the path to reopening, traveling to the state is still restricted.

“So until that 14-day quarantine goes away, I don’t see how it could work, that’s my personal opinion,” says Mark Jensen, Petersburg’s mayor.

His town set some restrictions on leisure boats coming to his town of 3,000 people. All boats with 25 or more passengers must get approval from city officials to dock. This mandate targets intra-state travel, but Jensen believes state mandates would do the job of curbing small cruise ships.

Small cruise lines like UnCruise and Alaska Dream Cruises recently cancelled their June sailings. Both of these companies operate ships that carry less than 100 passengers. Zak Kirkpatrick with Alaska Dream Cruises wrote in a statement it would be difficult for crew to abide by current state mandates. Liz Galloway of UnCruise wrote that travelers own safety concerns will dictate booking numbers and the season. Both are set to resume sailing in July.

American Cruise Lines may be one of the first to enter the state, on June 14.

Brenda Swartz-Yeger has been trying to keep up with the schedule changes. She runs a tour company and sells her own art out of her shop in Wrangell.

“I think the cruise ship picture is becoming clearer and more bleak as days go on,” she says.

The Southeast town gets only about 2% of Alaska’s cruise ship traffic. But for mom and pop operators like Schwartz-Yeager, it’s been a big boost. The average cruise passenger spends $150 in the island town. Schwartz-Yeager takes some of these travelers out on the water to see nearby glaciers and the bear observatory. She says she’ll get about 20 passengers on a good cruise day. 

Small ships dock most days in the summer in Wrangell. Schwartz-Yeager can only expect four ships in May and June. And full season cancellations of Seabourn’s luxury, mid-size sailings sting.

“Great high-end clientele that take a lot of tours and buy art in my shop and things like that cancelled their whole season,” she says.

For the players still in the game, they may pivot again when the state decides to reassess travel restrictions that are set to sunset on May 19. 

The post Even with mass cancellations, small cruise ships heading to Alaska appeared first on KSTK.

State public health officials recently relaxed COVID-19 restrictions on religious gatherings allowing prayer groups of 20 people or less. But as KSTK’s June Leffler reports, the church leaders in the Southeast community of Wrangell say they’re not ready to hold services any time soon.

Harbor Light Church, the local chapter of the Assembly of God faith, shut its doors around the same time most businesses closed down. That was seven weeks ago.

Pastors have instead connected to their congregation … virtually.

For Sunday service a full band is performing in the empty church. On a side screen, the lyrics are displayed. Church-goers can stream the event live and follow along.

On a recent Sunday, Pastor Kem Haggard gave a sermon on being content despite your situation. He’s shown in a corner of the church with a monitor displaying key passages.

“’I just can’t till this is over, I can’t just wait till things get back to normal.’ Paul’s message is this, you have what you need,” he says.  

His church has arguably adapted better to the shelter-in-place order than any organization in town. Haggard immediately saw the need to broadcast their services virtually.  They had the sound equipment, and went from there.

“I will tell you that it’s all of us old dogs learning new tricks. I’ve learned video editing and sound editing,” Haggard says.

Harbor Lights would usually host traditional Sunday service, along with kid and teen programs throughout the week. Those have all gone virtual.

Despite the governor’s easing of restrictions on businesses and houses of worship, Haggard says there’s no hurry to hold in-person services.  He usually gets around 100 worshipers and it’d be… awkward to have to turn people away. 

“I think that most of the churches, we don’t all have really huge facilities at this point. And so when you start talking about six feet, it doesn’t take long till the fact that you’ve already come to maximum capacity just in the social distancing area,” Haggard says.

He and other church leaders say they’re augmenting their presence in the community by reaching out on an individual basis. Especially to elders who might not be on the Internet.

“You’re not texting. You’re not sending an email. You’re actually getting on the phone and having a conversation,” he says.

Even though he can open the church doors, he has no date in mind for when that might be.

The Juneau Catholic Dioceses, which covers Catholic churches across Southeast Alaska, has ordered its churches remain closed across the region.

Father Steve Gallagher leads the Wrangell and Petersburg Catholic church. He says he leads about 60 active parishioners. So far he hasn’t connected with them online in real-time.

“You’re talking to a dinosaur. Are you kidding? I don’t know how to do that,” he says. Gallagher is 67.

But he does send out emails, letting folks know he’s praying for them. Emails contain a daily reflection or a Catholic meme.

Lastly, I spoke with the head of Wrangell’s local Mormon Church. I was wondering about the two missionaries, the young guys riding their bikes along the Zimovia Hwy bike path everyday. Where were they?

The two men were reassigned to Anchorage once COVID-19 concerns emerged, according to Sanoe Harrsion, the local president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“So it’s usually a two year mission for the guys and an 18-month mission for the gals, and those who were within four months of going home were sent home early,” Harrison says.

The rest went closer to the statewide president and chapter, to ensure a higher level of safety. Harrison, also a doctor at Wrangell hospital, says that move is warranted. But since it removed so many missionaries from the system, it’s hard to say whether the guys, or a new pair, will return even when the pandemic is finally over. 

“When there’s less missionaries overall, they get prioritized where there’s the most people,” Harrison says.

Harrison says there’s 30 active members of his local church. While church services and meetings are happening online, Harrsion says the emphasis has shifted to in-home, family bible study. The Mormon Church, worldwide, has a weekly curriculum to guide followers.

Harrison says ultimately that God is leading people’s learning. But he does have a message.

“I love the teachings of the savior, that he said if you are prepared you shall not fear,” he says.

It’s not bad advice for anyone, really. Whether you’re a religious Mormon or not… be prepared so you don’t have to fear.

The post Wrangell churches not ready to reopen appeared first on KSTK.

As the state gradually eases COVID-19 restrictions on businesses, merchants and restaurateurs have the option of reopening with restrictions. KSTK checked in with Wrangell’s business community to see what their plans are and whether people are ready to venture out.

Friday marked a new day for the Marine Bar, which serves up pizzas and other pub grub. I met Patty Kautz at the restaurant on Saturday afternoon before opening hours.  Even with her petite frame, she stood out as she folded laundry in the dark and spacious bar.

“It is a lot more pleasant in here when it’s packed, or at least a quarter full,” Kautz says.

The governor’s plan to reopen was great news for Kautz. She says under the new mandate she can accommodate 26 dine-in customers. On Friday night, she had just one couple reserve a table at her bar.

But Kautz is optimistic. Even if she’s not seeing that many more customers, she says reopening is her way of getting things back to normal.

“It’s life, it’s living. The way it is right now, it’s not living,” she says.

The Marine Bar is the only food establishment that took advantage of the state’s guidance to reopen last weekend.

Zak’s Café is sticking to takeout.

Katherine George runs a small restaurant with her husband James. George says it would be awkward for her to open the doors. She could seat six people based on capacity, but the café is super small. The dining area is about the size of my living room.

And thinking of her customers, they don’t dine in just for a hot meal.

“Like everybody was excited about the restaurants reopening, but that doesn’t mean all the girlfriends can go have lunch or lunch meetings, it is just your household,” George says.

Folks still roll up for lunch and dinner. And it seems like it’s working out pretty well. They are closed for Sundays, which is a change.

“I just can’t see doing breakfast to go,” she says. “Someone would have to walk in the door to pick up their order as James is flipping their eggs, because nobody wants cold breakfast.”

As restaurants in Wrangell are slow to re-open, hair salons remain shuttered. The two salons agreed that last weekend was too soon.

“I honestly felt like they were throwing us to the wolves to test us out,” says Jenni Jackson.

She owns Pink and White Nails and Hair Salon. She thinks including salons in the first phase of reopening goes against common sense. She does hair, nails, waxing. So she’s in close contact with her clients. While masks and gloves are recommended, cross contamination seems unavoidable.

“So I’m holding their hand and doing their nails and their hands are touching my gloves,” Jackson says. “So then I have to reach to get a utensil or something. So I take the glove off because I can’t touch my clean utensils with a dirty glove, then I have to put another glove on, and sometimes I’m reaching four or five times.”

While she’s consulted with the state board for cosmetology, she doesn’t see how she could do her job safely.

“And if I can’t, you know, look at your face and shake your hand… why should I put us both at risk for your hair?” Jackson says.

Downtown merchants have been given more freedom to reopen. Groundswell sells handmade jewelry, personal care products and other Alaska goods. Shop owner Angie Flickinger says once things shut down, they pivoted to curbside pickup and deliveries. They also decked out their window display and began taking orders online.

“We wanted to do since Christmas time. And so we had, like, halfway created a website, but we had never really uploaded everything. So fortunately, we were like, Okay, well, here’s the push, like, let’s put everything online,” Flickinger says.

Flickinger says it’s worked out well for her and the customers.

Jeff Angerman owns a longstanding fishing and outdoor gear store. He says he’s having a rough go at it. With the initial shut down, he closed for two weeks and laid off his staff. After that he manned the store on his own, letting only one customer in at a time or taking requests by phone.

“I had days where I had two or three customers and I had days where I had no customers,” Angerman says.

With the state reopening, he’s hired back staff with the help of a federal loan. He hopes allowing up to 10 customers at a time will help.

“You know, I’m grateful for every customer, no matter if we just have one,” he says.

But around 2 p.m. Saturday, Angerman didn’t get what he was hoping for. He got more than one customers, but he says it was dead for most of the day.

The post Wrangell businesses slowly reopen appeared first on KSTK.

Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang recommended the closure to save around $70,000.

Agency officials have said the closure would not impact fish management, including research on the Stikine River. Local commercial fishermen and sportsmen say the office is a go-to source for keeping up with regulations.

One fish and game employee would be laid off. Another would relocate to Petersburg’s office. All field work in the island town would continue. This would not impact enforcement — wildlife troopers are part of the Department of Public Safety.

The office is already closed to the public for the rest of April due to Covid-19 concerns. The official closure is set for June 30. 

Ketchikan independent Rep. Dan Ortiz had been vocal about keeping local services in Wrangell. Local cuts and those to the Alaska Marine Highway System shook him.   

“I’m flabbergasted. I can’t believe that it happened, but it’s happened and now we have to see what we can do to rectify the situation,” Ortiz says.

It takes a vote of three-quarters of the legislature to override the governor’s vetoes. 

The governor also vetoed a part-time Office of Children’s Services caseworker to be based in Wrangell at a cost of $90,000.  

A single Petersburg-based caseworker is currently responsible for the welfare of children in three communities: Petersburg, Wrangell and Kake. Wrangell has not had a local caseworker since 2008. 

Note: $200 million is an updated figure

The post Governor vetoes Wrangell Fish and Game, OCS offices appeared first on KSTK.

The City of Wrangell is considering a mandatory quarantine for everyone arriving in the island town.

Smaller communities in Alaska are banning travel to try and keep out COVID-19. Hoonah is letting no one in, even members of its own community. Kake will have no one coming in or out of its 600-person community.

That’s because the state gave smaller, isolated towns with limited medical facilities the right to create stricter measures. With a population of 2,500, Wrangell may be the largest town to enact this sort of measure.

At a meeting Monday evening, the Wrangell Assembly was set to vote on a mandatory 14-day quarantine for most people arriving from out of town. 

The state requires those coming to Alaska from the Lower 48 to quarantine for 14 days. Wrangell is looking to implement the same measure, but for intrastate travel.

The assembly came to a stalemate when it considered how this would impact its most important local industry: commercial fishermen and processors. The state has exempted these workers as critical infrastructure — provided employers file a plan on how they’ll keep workers from spreading COVID-19 between communities. 

City Manager Lisa Von Bargen wants to see those assurances in writing.

“There’s nothing to keep them from coming into our community. With the exception of us being able to ask for a locally approved plan,” she says.

Since the state requested these plans, these businesses have scrambled to come up with something the state would sign off on.

Anyone involved in fisheries is going through this process. Assembly Member Julie Decker knows this, she’s a fishing industry advocate.

“I want people to be fully aware this has a potential to be pretty messy,” she says.

The red tape is potentially burdensome, not just on those submitting the plans, but the state agencies reviewing them.

Decker says the industry wants to mitigate risk, saying “peer pressure” within the fleet goes a long way. But it’s unclear how another measure will be enforced. And what criteria the city is looking for.

“That being said it also needs to be effective, seen as reasonable, and fair,” Decker says.

The assembly agreed. It’s looking to hear more from the fishing community at a meeting Tuesday. City staff plan to come back with details on how this would be enforced at the docks.

And one of the largest employers of seasonal, outside workers are the fish processors. One plant isn’t working this summer. But Sea Level’s Zimovia Highway plant is expected to submits its plans to the city. 

Sea Level’s corporate office in Oregon did not respond to KSTK’s questions regarding how many workers it plans to bring into town this season. The local plant manager previously told the Wrangell Assembly that the plan would not bring in any workers before May 1. 

Wrangell remains free of any positive cases of coronavirus – as of Monday evening. And city officials say they hope to keep it that way.

Wrangell’s city assembly is scheduled to review the proposed quarantine rule at a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The post City meets with fishermen ahead of intrastate travel restrictions appeared first on KSTK.