Wrangell’s City and Borough assembly expects to approve the transfer of 9.12-acres to Tideline Construction, LLC. on Tuesday night. 

The parcel is on public lands and tidelands at the deep water port site six miles out of town at the Old Mill property. Tideline Construction plans to expand its fabrication and recycling operations already on the site, where they will continue processing scrap metal.

The property is adjacent to other projects in the area that will include a shipyard and the location of the new freight barge ramp. 

Wrangell administration says in a summary statement that this project builds on facilitating industrial development and economic growth on the property.

Fee and rates change

Additionally, at Tuesday night’s meeting, a public hearing will take place regarding the borough-wide fee and rates schedule in the Wrangell Municipal Code. Changes in rates are for electricity, Ports and Harbors, sanitation and the Nolan Center. In terms of residential electric rates, they would transition from a declining block structure to a flat rate. 

The agenda states that the majority of residents would experience a decrease in rates. Those who consume the average amount of residential power – 900 kilowatt hours per month – could save approximately $10 monthly. Administration says if the assembly approves this, Wrangell would have the lowest residential electric rates in Southeast Alaska.

Additionally, the assembly will vote on implementing a 2.5% inflationary adjustment to moorage and port rates. This would include potable water service provided to cruise ships, outside dockage and port development fees. 

The assembly will also vote on increasing lightering fees of cruise ships from $5 to $7 and passenger wharfage rates from $7 to $9 in the 2027-28 season.

The Wrangell Borough Assembly will hold its regular meeting on April 14 at 7 p.m. in the Borough Assembly Chambers at Wrangell City Hall. 

There will be a presentation beforehand at 5:30 pm from an Alaska-based business called Structure. They’re working with the borough to advance and modernize Wrangell’s utility systems, like the power infrastructure, water and wastewater.

You can listen to the live broadcast of the Wrangell Borough Assembly meeting on KSTK-FM 101.7, or stream online at KSTK.org or on the city’s website.

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Kim Szczatko woke up in the middle of the night and rushed to her gift shop, Cooper’s Corner, in downtown Wrangell Wednesday night. About an inch of water and mud had flooded the space from back to front.

“It came from the utility room in the bathroom, because the water was coming up and rushing over the top,” she said. “So it came from there, flooded the entire storeroom area, and then came out into the storefront and then out the front door.”

A water main in Cow Alley — right behind her shop on Front Street — had broken around midnight. Public Works Director Tom Wetor said it’s one of the deteriorating asbestos water mains that make up 9% of the borough’s water system.

“It was a three to four foot section that had blown out of it,” he said. “That’s why things were flowing the way that they were there.”

Wetor said his team shut off the water immediately after being notified and returned at daylight to make repairs. By afternoon, the crew had replaced the broken asbestos section with ductile iron pipe.

Not one, not two, but three water issues

But the water main wasn’t the only issue Public Works faced that day. 

A service connection also broke just south of the Public Safety Building on Zimovia Highway. Additionally, a resident reported what appeared to be a third incident — a settled storm drain in a downtown parking lot near City Hall. Public Works dug it up and fixed it the following day.

“When it rains, it pours, to have three reports of a water main break or something like that, basically all on the same day,” Wetor said. “We were running around yesterday, just doing our best to keep up.”

Back at Cooper’s Corner, Szczatko was still assessing the damage. She’s waiting to see whether the water and mud harmed any of her wooden furniture before deciding whether to file an insurance claim.

“If you claim the insurance, then your insurance goes up,” she said. “So if it’s not a significant number, you don’t want to do that.”

She said incidents like this come with the territory of old infrastructure, but puts it in perspective compared to natural disasters, like hurricanes.

“I’m optimistic and resilient,” Szczatko said.

Public Works Director Tom Wetor said some residents have reported brown water coming from their taps. He advises running the water until it clears, and contacting Public Works if the problem persists.

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Wrangell police charged a Wrangell teacher and high school wrestling coach with assault in the fourth degree, which is a misdemeanor, on March 25, for allegedly injuring someone at a bar.

Police said the incident occurred at Rayme’s Bar on March 15. They said Carney approached the alleged victim, who was talking with Carney’s wife, and pushed him, causing him to hit the wall several feet back and fall down on the floor. The victim later received medical care for a sprained wrist.

Police said a surveillance camera filmed the incident. They also interviewed witnesses. 

Carney, a U.S. history teacher at Wrangell High School and Middle School, also serves as head wrestling coach. Additionally, he recieved the Division II High School Wrestling Coach of the Year in December.

He pled not guilty during his arraignment on April 7 in the Sitka Courthouse. 

Judge Pamela Stahla-Kernin prohibited Carney from returning to the bar and from discussing the matter with the witnesses. She also ordered him to not have any contact with the alleged victim.

His attorney, Dunnington Babb, wrote to KSTK through an email that “Mr. Carney is to be presumed innocent and has requested a jury trial.”  

KSTK reached out to Carney and he didn’t want to comment about the case. 

A trial is scheduled for the week of July 13. 

The post Wrangell instructor charged with assault appeared first on KSTK.

Colette Czarnecki and Hunter Morrison

The City and Borough of Wrangell and the City of Ketchikan have adopted a joint resolution to establish a Maritime Prosperity Zone. They’re looking to build upon their strengths – from shipbuilding to port infrastructure to maritime logistics. Each community has deepwater access, has developed expanded maritime industrial infrastructure and uses low-cost renewable hydroelectric power.

Wrangell’s borough manager Mason Villarma said they’re responding to an executive order issued by President Trump in 2025 to “restore America’s maritime dominance.” 

“We realized that there’s strength in a partnership with Ketchikan to get the home ports, to get the maintenance facilities together,” Villarma said. “So we’ve deemed ourselves collectively as the Southeast Alaska Maritime Industrial Corridor, and so we’re seeking designation for our two communities. There’s only 100 communities in the United States that will get this declaration.”

According to Trump’s Maritime Action Plan, those hundred selected communities will have that designation for 10 years. 

According to the President’s executive order, maritime workforce and shipbuilding capacity has “been weakened by decades of Government neglect, leading to a decline in a once strong industrial base.” It goes on to say that “the United States constructs less than one percent of commercial ships globally” while China produces “approximately half.”

The executive order’s goal is to allow the selected communities to apply for federal funding and improve workforce development. 

Villarma said federal subsidies and technical support will help the communities that participate in the program. He said the new maritime prosperity zone would help expand domestic capacity and national security. 

“As our national security fleet continues to grow at the Coast Guard and U.S. Navy, there’s opportunities for Alaska to create jobs and do that work here,” Villarma said. “So most of that work, you know, 60% of it, goes to Washington, California, and now they can’t even get into yards. So it’s a really great opportunity.”

JAG Marine Group, for example, has a large-scale shipbuilding and repair yard in Ketchikan and wants to expand in Wrangell. Villarma said the federal designation would help this effort.

Ketchikan City Councilmember Jack Finnegan said if the maritime zone is selected, it could help catalyze private investment in the region’s maritime industry. He said it could also help grow Ketchikan’s population. 

“Anytime we have the opportunity to strengthen an industry that’s so critical to our community, I think it just bolsters the workforce,” Finnegan said. “It feasibly draws more workers here. It draws more families here.”

And that’s important to both Ketchikan and Wrangell. The latest economic data show that young people leaving Southeast is impacting the workforce. 

A resolution to support the Maritime Prosperity Zone will go before the Ketchikan Borough Assembly on Monday. Borough Mayor Austin Otos expects the assembly to approve it. 

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Fishermen in Southeast Alaska will be able to harvest about 70,000 more king salmon this season than last year. The state Department of Fish and Game announced the harvest goal for all gear groups on March 31.

“It’s not, you know, a great catch limit, but it’s a decent catch limit,” said fish biologist Dani Evenson, with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. “Even though it’s sort of an average catch limit, it came as welcome news, because last year was the lowest ever.” 

How many king salmon Southeast Alaskans can catch each year is determined by the Pacific Salmon Commission. The group oversees a treaty between the U.S. and Canada that ensures both countries can harvest the fish.

Alaska’s take this year is 207,400 king salmon, also called Chinook. That amount is in line with recent years. . .except last year. Last year’s regional harvest goals plummeted because of lower salmon forecasts in other regions.

Chinook are highly migratory, traveling thousands of miles in their years-long journey to return to their spawning grounds.

“Some originating as far away as the Oregon coast, the Columbia River, the Washington coast and British Columbia,” said Evenson. “They all swim up into our waters, into the Gulf of Alaska to take advantage of the nutrient-rich waters to feed and grow.”

Evenson coordinates the salmon treaty for Fish and Game. She said that because of the king salmon’s migrations, there are many stakeholders.

“Southeast Alaska Chinook is one of the most complex, if not the most complex, fishery management structures in the state of Alaska,” Evenson said. “These fisheries are managed in accordance with a large suite of international, national and domestic policies and regulations.”

Most of Southeast’s king salmon harvest — 146,000 fish – goes to salmon trollers who fish with hook and line. The sport sector is the next largest with about 43,600. The net fisheries – seining, gillnetting and set nets – don’t target king salmon and have smaller harvest goals for bycatch.

The Pacific Salmon Treaty is renegotiated every 10 years. The state is already working on the details of its agreement for 2028.

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Wrangell’s borough assembly unanimously agreed on March 24 to add a section to the municipal code that would allow for permanent vehicle registration. This follows Ketchikan’s ordinance that went into effect at the beginning of this year.

In general, qualified noncommercial motor vehicles have to be at least eight years old and noncommercial trailers can be any age.

Police Chief Gene Meek said the change would provide cost predictability for residents and reduce administrative burden on vehicle owners and borough staff.

“The benefits are you have that vehicle that’s eight years old, or you can register it. It’s there. You don’t have to worry about it anymore,” he said. “(You) don’t have to worry about every year, two years coming back in on your birthday.”

The eight-year limit comes from Alaska Statute 28.10.155 and does not include vehicles that are electric, plug-in hybrid or powered by alternative fuel. These types of vehicles are not eligible for permanent registration.

Eligible owners will pay a one-time registration fee that’s valid throughout ownership. The registration would automatically expire upon transfer of vehicles – meaning the next person who gets the vehicle is responsible for registering it again. 

Permanent registration goes into effect for Wrangell residents Jan. 1, 2027.

Other municipalities that have opted-in include Sitka, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Mat-Su, Hoonah, Yakutat and others.

The post Vehicle registration in Wrangell will be less taxing for some appeared first on KSTK.

Former Alaska State Senator Tom Begich is one of 18 candidates running for governor in the Last Frontier. He’s a Democrat, and the uncle to Alaska Congressman Nick Begich III, who is a Republican. In mid-March, Tom Begich visited several Southeast communities, including Wrangell. In an interview with KSTK’s Colette Czarnecki, he said this isn’t the only time he’s going to visit town before the election.

Full Interview:

This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.

There’s something to having spent 30 years working in rural communities. On substance use prevention, violence prevention, suicide prevention, mental health issues and juvenile justice. These issues literally permeate our communities around the state. I’ve slept on gym floors in Western Alaska. I’ve even once been in a jail cell in Point Hope, because that was the only bed available. But you stay where you have to stay, and you get to know people. 

Why are you running for governor?

I do deeply love my state. I was born here. 

We really worked hard in the six years that I was in the Senate as minority leader to build those cross party relationships. Not just within my caucus, but also with the majorities and the minorities in both bodies. As time has gone by since I left, which was in 2022, I’ve really watched those relationships between the governor and the legislature deteriorate. I think that that is bad for Alaska.

I think my willingness to change the dialogue, to look at pushing for that strong, forward and fully funded education system, moving us away from a dependency on diesel fuel and moving toward alternatives in the state. It’s about actually finding ways to sustain the state as independently as we can in the long run. It’s important for us to maximize our resources in terms of the Permanent Fund. Ensuring that it not just survives, but thrives, because it produces 60% of Alaska’s income today. It means that we have to ensure that when we have multinational corporations coming into our state and taking our resources, we get our fair share of those resources.

Your nephew, Representative Nick Begich, is a Republican. How do you navigate campaigning the state where your family name cuts both ways politically?

I do my best to ensure that they understand I represent different values than he does. 

Look, I grew up in a family where my brothers and sisters did not always agree. My mom raised us – single mom. Part of that upbringing was to be patient, listen to others perspectives and then move forward. Well, I don’t begrudge a different perspective. 

What’s your specific plan to resolve the long running standoff of education in Juneau?

Do we have the money to fund a solid education system? We’re often told we don’t. What we actually do have is the resources there. We just do not collect them. There’s the internet fee that was tied to education for $35 million that literally was vetoed by the governor, and legislature did not override that veto, but if I’m governor, I’ll be signing that bill into law the day it comes on my desk. 

I will sign into law the exception that has allowed Hilcorp not to pay corporate income tax on its oil properties. They’re the only oil company that does that because of a loophole in the law. That loophole should be closed so that we do not further risk losing corporate income tax and that we collect that $100 to $150 million. And finally, I have advocated for, and the Senate resources has now adopted, an approach that would reduce the oil and gas tax credits on the three largest oil fields on the North Slope – Prudhoe, Alpine and Kuparak. Those would generate, in my estimate, between $200 to $250 million. 

We’re going to move on to the Alaska Marine Highway. Will you talk about your plan with that?

I believe it should be a separate authority that also has the capacity to bond.

Number two, ensuring the vessels that we produce and those vessels are interchangeable.

Third is to deal with the deferred maintenance that has been neglected for so long. I would do that with a general obligation bond.

But here’s the thing with the ferry service, you have to have known regular service. It is a system that serves life and health issues for everyday Alaskans, and it is the connector for all the pieces of Highway 7. It is a highway.

What’s your position on the Permanent Fund Dividend? How should the state balance the PFD against services?

There is nobody that I am aware of that is a serious candidate that thinks that the dividend can stay with the current statutory formula. I think you should rewrite the statute so that the check itself is tied to the volatility of the Permanent Fund itself. What I mean by that is, if the Permanent Fund is making money, then that check goes up from an initial amount that you started at. If it loses money, it goes down, and then in the end, you’re able to maintain a dividend that is an appropriate dividend that we can afford while providing public services. 

Last question, you’re also a singer songwriter and a poet. How has that creative life shaped how you think about leadership and listening?

I try to write music or poetry that is reflective of the human condition and the ability to be empathetic, to listen, to feel what other people are thinking or what other people are struggling with, informs my music and my poetry. Being heard is exactly what a singer songwriter or poet must do, and being heard is a skill set that anyone in politics ought to have. 

But when I finally realized these two things were not separate, but connected, it made me a better person and a whole person. And I think that that will make me a much better governor. 

The post Can a Democrat win Alaska’s governorship? Tom Begich thinks so — and he came to Wrangell to say why appeared first on KSTK.

Wrangell’s borough assembly plans to consider amending the Fiscal Year 2026 budget to replace the swimming pool roof. The roofing is both sloped and flat. 

They would add this roof replacement to a list of other projects involving the Wrangell School renovations project. This includes work at the elementary, middle and high schools. The borough said combining the projects would reduce costs through site logistics, collaboration and management oversight. 

This amendment would transfer a million dollars from the Secure Rural Schools fund reserves to the Capital Improvements Projects fund. The federal government sets aside Secure Rural Schools money for communities next to federal lands.

Previous bids were greater than allocated funds in 2017

In 2017, the borough held an auction for contractors to replace the pool’s roofs. They didn’t go through with it then because all the bids the borough received were greater than the allocated funds for the project. Since then, the roofs’ conditions have significantly deteriorated, according to the capital projects director, making the project a critical requirement.

The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development agrees with combining the projects to maximize public funds and operational order. The borough designed the proposed structure of the project as three-tiered: design phase, construction phase and cost tracking. 

Another item on the agenda involves an outdated chapter in the Wrangell Municipal Code (chapter 6.08). It was enacted in 1966 and covers commerce with peddlers and traveling merchants.

Borough plans to repeal an entire chapter on local commerce

The assembly plans to repeal the entire chapter because it does not align with current business realities and has redundancy with state and federal law. 

The Wrangell Borough Assembly will hold its regular meeting on March 24 at 6 p.m. in the Borough Assembly Chambers at Wrangell City Hall.

You can listen to the live broadcast of the Wrangell Borough Assembly meeting on KSTK-FM 101.7, or stream online at KSTK.org or the borough’s website.

The post Wrangell assembly preview: swimming pool roof and school renovations project; repealing outdated chapter on local commerce appeared first on KSTK.

Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska’s published its unofficial election results Thursday, after the last day of voting ended. They counted a total of 366 votes for two delegates and 13 Community Council members for Wrangell.

Kenneth “Neish” Hoyt and Luella “Aanshaawasnook” Knapp will serve as delegates representing Wrangell for two years, with 53 and 47 votes, respectively.

The 13 Community Council members include Sandra Churchill with 58 votes, Lavina “Lovey” Brock with 26 votes and Virginia Oliver with 16. 

Others include Richard Oliver, Jeffrey Rooney, Sr., Thomas Gillen, Sr., Arthur Larsen, Sam Campus, Ty Harding, Christie Jamieson and William Willard. Last but not least was Frank Churchill, Jr. and Einar Haseth with two votes each.

Candidate DaNika Smalley ran only as a delegate with 31 votes, not winning her a seat. Additionally, there were 84 write-ins.

Any candidate could challenge the election results by the end of Friday. Currently it’s unknown if anyone challenged.

Tlingit and Haida will swear in the delegates at a ceremony. The date has not been scheduled yet.

The post Election results for Tlingit & Haida delegates and Community Council members representing Wrangell appeared first on KSTK.

Alaska Congressman Nick Begich visited the Southeast Alaska communities of Wrangell, Petersburg, Ketchikan and Juneau last week between March 10 and March 13. In the capital, he spoke to the Alaska Legislature for his annual address.

His Communications Director, Silver Prout, said in an email that the Congressman’s trip focused on meeting with local leaders, industry representatives and community members. She said they discussed local priorities and economic opportunities in each community.

In Wrangell, he met with the borough manager and toured the Public Safety Building, Deepwater Port, Wrangell Harbor Basin and Water Treatment Plant. And he visited Angerman’s Clothing and Sporting Goods, Prout said.

Visiting Petersburg and Ketchikan

His visit to Petersburg was similar, where he talked with the school superintendent, the hospital’s CEO and the harbormaster. 

Petersburg borough officials said they discussed infrastructure needs, housing, timber and healthcare. 

According to Begich’s Facebook page, he visited the JAG Marine shipyard in Ketchikan.

His team did not want his visits to Wrangell, Petersburg and Ketchikan announced publicly. Prout said the goal was to “spend as much time as possible in direct conversations with local officials, business leaders and community partners.”

Local newspapers and radio stations were not informed of the visits either. Each community held a campaign fundraiser that local supporters shared by email.

Nick Begich is running for reelection on the Republican ticket.

KSTK’s Colette Czarnecki conducted a survey on how many people knew about Begich’s visit. She posted it on the Wrangell Facebook Community page. 24% of participants knew about his visit and 76% did not. A total of 54 people participated.

Olivia Rose contributed reporting from KFSK in Petersburg.

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