Sorted by date Results 1 - 15 of 15
Following the devastating landslide that happened in Wrangell the night of Nov. 20, volunteers throughout Southeast have organized several ways to support the town of 2 thousand. Volunteers in Petersburg organized a relief effort in less than 24 hours and shipped donated supplies to the neighboring community. In Wrangell, a crowd of volunteers -including Parks and Recreation Director Lucy Moline-Robinson, Chris and Dixie Booker from C&D Deliveries and fourth-grade teacher Brian Merritt-...
WRANGELL - State officials have released the names of the four people killed and two others still missing from the Nov. 20 landslide that hit just past 11-Mile Zimovia Highway. As of Monday, Nov. 27, searchers had found the bodies of Timothy Heller, 44, his wife, Beth Heller, 36, and their daughters, Mara, 16, and Kara, 11. Mara was a high school junior and Kara was in fifth grade. Searchers found Mara's body the night of the slide, during the initial search operations by first responders able...
WRANGELL - Christina Florschutz, an aide at Evergreen Elementary School, survived the 11-Mile landslide killed at least four people Nov. 20 - even after debris destroyed her home and trapped her overnight. The evening of the slide, Florschutz went upstairs to take a shower. After she got out, she heard "a horrible noise, a very loud noise." Before she could react, the landslide slammed into her house, tossing her "like a piece of weightless popcorn" around the room until she lost consciousness....
An arrest has been made for the recent string of burglaries of downtown Petersburg businesses. Zachary Bray, 27, was taken into custody by Petersburg Police Department (PPD) on Nov. 22. According to charging documents filed with the court by PPD, an initial warrant to search a package was issued after USPS Postal Inspectors received a report from the Petersburg Post Office of multiple suspicious contacts with Bray seeking to collect a suspicious package, followed by a break-in at the post office. PPD Officer Jared Popp executed that search...
November 30, 1923 – The Thanksgiving Eve masquerade this year was a most enjoyable and successful affair. The hall was crowded and the costumes were many and varied. The hit of the evening was Barney Google and Spark Plug, enacted by Alva Allen with Mat Rayner and Jonas Hallingstad as the “front and hind legs of the ‘orse.’” Mrs. Lillian Renke as the Irish hod carrier was very clever and caused considerable comment. Chris Gronseth as the snowman was a decided novelty, his costume showing considerable ingenuity and much work. Mrs. Hans Wick...
To Whom It May Concern To the Editor: I am 82 years old now. My great-grandchildren are seventh generation of family residents growing up in Petersburg. Kay and I were adopted and given Tlingit names by elder Pete Marten, Senior, fifty years ago, into a Tlingit society that has been scientifically and indisputably proven to exist in S.E. Alaska for over 10,000 years and literally hundreds of generations. Thirty years ago, Spencer Israelson, who spent his youth at Point Agassiz, took me to the mainland and showed me many petroglyphs that he and...
November 21 – The Petersburg Police Department (PPD) advised the Department of Transportation of several downed trees and flooding along the Mitkof Highway in the vicinity of Crystal Lake Hatchery. PPD served a protective order on Lumber Street. A fire drill was conducted on Charles W Street. An officer provided a courtesy transport to a highly intoxicated individual on Sing Lee Alley. Zachary Bray was arrested on Howkan Street and charged with burglary. PPD received a report of a cement block askew in a parking lot. Public Works (PPW) was n...
WRANGELL — People living near the landslide’s path had a harrowing night Nov. 20, as homes were evacuated and first responders searched for people who were unaccounted for. Stan Guggenbickler was missing overnight after going for a drive on the evening of Nov. 20. He had baked a cake for his son’s 18th birthday and wanted to let the cake cool before frosting it, so he headed up the road from his house at Panhandle Trailer Court to Middle Ridge cabin in his truck. After turning onto the road to Middle Ridge, debris covered his exit, trapping h...
WRANGELL - Heavy rains, high winds and the unique topography of the area likely caused the Nov. 20 landslide at 11-Mile. The type of landslide that hit Wrangell is called a "debris flow" - a "notably destructive" event that is common in the region, said state geologist Barrett Salisbury at a Nov. 21 press conference. They occur when soil becomes so saturated with water that individual pieces of soil are no longer touching each other, and lack the strength to hold themselves in place. Debris...
A series of landslides hit Sitka more than eight years ago during heavy rain, with the largest striking a new subdivision and killing three workers. It prompted the community, led by the Sitka Sound Science Center, to set up a landslide warning system. The system includes rain gauges and soil-moisture sensors spread around town, with a website that advises people of the risk level of a landslide. It took about four years to develop the system — and a lot of federal grant money. “We started when we had our landslide. We started calling sci...
WRANGELL — First responders and volunteers working at the site of the deadly landslide have a Wi-Fi signal, thanks to a backpack satellite-link setup the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Tribes of Alaska sent to Wrangell. The council’s operations center keeps the Starlink setups in Juneau and Sitka for emergencies and community use, said Chris Cropley, director of the Tidal Network at Tlingit and Haida. The council sent two of its Starlink packs to Wrangell on Nov. 22, and the service was up and running at the landslide response sit...
On Nov. 20, the Petersburg Borough Assembly approved the sale of borough-owned tidelands to Wikan Enterprises, Inc. at the price of $112,564. The price tag includes the appraised value of the property, the cost of the appraisal, and two years worth of the remaining lease agreement. Wikan Enterprises is a well established business of almost 30 years as a marine repair shop that specializes in diesel engines. Sheri and John Wikan applied to purchase the property located at 103A Dock Street, which they have leased for the duration of their...
After helping her friend Kerry Kirkpatrick set up a solo exhibition at Juneau Douglas City Museum last year, Suzanne Fuqua realized the time has arrived to introduce herself to her community as an artist. Clausen Memorial Museum will host Fuqua's first ever solo exhibition from Dec. 1 through Dec. 14. The art show titled "Before, After, and In Between" will showcase a collection of around 50 paintings in a range of styles and mediums produced by Fuqua over the past five years. There will be...
Petersburg swimmers Tori and Bella Miller traveled down to the lower 48 earlier this month to compete against some of the best in the country at US Swimming Interval Medley Xtreme (IMX) in Mesa Arizona. Amongst a group of six Alaskan swimmers, the Miller duo competed against kids from Southwest, Pacific Northwest, and Midwest states, coming out of the competition with several impressive performances in various events. IMX is a yearly event that hosts young swimmers and helps them ease into a...
