Skagway, AlaskaAugust 12, 2022 $1.50 THE SKAGWAY NEWS. For the latest news and updates, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. BLOTTER PAGE 7 CLASSIFIED PAGE 7 FREE personal classifieds up to 25 words. CALL (907)983-2354 for more information. Subscribe www.skagwaynews.com/subscribeatObituaries Page 5 Coexistence in nature Page 4Dead crows in Skagway Page 2 Saying goodbye Bird flu Predator and prey (see page 3- SEARHC) A Holland America Noordam tender assists the Norwegian Encore in shuttling passengers from the Small Boat Harbor to their ship after the landslide of Aug. 3. The line to return to the Encore, moored at the Railroad Dock Aft berth, stretched as far back as The Skagway Fish Company. (see page 2- Rock slides)
Railroad Dock landslides continue, declaration of emergency in place
The Skagway Borough As sembly voted Aug. 5 to al low Borough Manager Brad Ryan to pursue negotiations for a management contract for Dahl Memorial Clinic (DMC) with Southeast Alas ka Regional Health Consor tium (SEARHC), with a sep arate agreement to lease the building.Thedirection follows a June 21 assembly vote to cancel the July communi ty vote, which would have advised the municipality whether or not SEARHC could purchase DMC. The cancellation occurred after SEARHC offered an amount far below Dahl’s appraised price.Inthe meantime, DMC, which costs the municipali ty about $1 million per year to operate, will get a tempo rary executive director at the price of around $150,000 for three months through CO ORS Leadership Capital, a company which also sells training and restructuring to health centers. COORS, which is not affiliated with SEARHC, constructed a re habilitation plan for Dahl, which some see as an alter nate path to SEARHC, and a way to keep the clinic man agedThelocally.clinic has been with out a medical director since Brent Kunzler left in late June after being placed on administrative leave, and without a permanent ex ecutive director since Este Fielding resigned in Decem ber 2021. If the SEARHC agree ment is approved as current ly written, SEARHC would By Melinda Munson On July 21 the assembly passed a motion recom mending Railroad Dock’s front berth be shut down with the aft berth required to tender. This unusual move followed the publication of the municipality funded “Railroad Dock Landslide
Initial Site Trip Visit Report” by geological firm Shannon &TheWilson.report was spurred by the June 23 landslide. The new slide area, now known as the South Slide, caused slight damage to the Discov ery Princess. Rocks landed where crew and passengers disembark the vessel, but no injuries were reported as a result of the 7:30 a.m. event. According to the report, the South Slide is not as con cerning as the already estab lished North Slide. Regard ing the older North Slide area the report states: “It is our opinion that the slide mass will eventually fail and the consequences of such failure will be catastroph ic in nature with significant risks to life and property. The timing of such a failure is difficult to predict but ac celerating movement rates suggest that the failure event is Theapproaching.”dayafter the assem bly meeting, municipal rep resentatives met with port leasee White Pass & Yukon Route and other interested parties. Instead of the assem bly’s original recommenda tion, the team kept the front berth open and formed a mitigation plan, moving tour booths and other operations closer to the Small Boat Har bor and to the north of the landslide areas. The Seawalk Parking Lot was closed to the public and repurposed as a turning area for buses. The new patterns were in place on July 24, designed to keep people from congregating near the slide areas. Media stories about the Shannon & Wilson report quickly start edOncirculating.July25, White Pass closed the forward berth on Railroad Dock, “out of an abundance of caution and in consideration for the Munic ipality of Skagway and our cruise line partners to review and evaluate the mitigation inShipsplace.”berthed in the aft po sition had the option to ten der, although few chose the time consuming alternative. Eleven days later on Aug. 3, as passengers began trick ling back to the Norwegian Encore, another northern landslide occurred at 5 p.m. No one was injured but footage of panicked passen gers and staff running from clouds of dust, accompanied by the sounds of loud rum bling, spread across travel websites. Eighteen hundred passengers stood lined up in the rain as they waited to be tendered back to their ship. Since the Encore has lifeboats but no tenders, the Holland America Noordam assisted.“Iwant to return my Skag way t-shirt!” someone in the crowdRonashouted.Percyof New Jersey reacted well to the upheaval. “I kind of look at it like when else would I get on a tender? It’s all right. I’m a little hungry,” she said. Percy didn’t want to give back her Skagway t-shirt. Actually, she hadn’t pur chased one. She said the unique events made her wish sheAfterhad.Aug. 3, the forward berth on Railroad closed through the end of the sea
By Melinda Munson
Muni
toleasemanagement,negotiatetoofclinicSEARHC
Photo by Melinda Munson
Skagway Traditional Council (STC) is helping the University of Arizona to gather participants to interview about stories, knowledge and experiences of the Pius X Mission.
If you have experience or knowledge about Pius X Mission School, please contact STC using this https://forms.gle/thRS8PMxfgsFKkLA7link: or by email at Piusx@skagwaytraditional.org
Pius X Mission School in Skagway Due to limited resources, it is possible not everyone who responds will be interviewed at this time.
Photo by Paula E. Paschal Donald Paschal stands near the remains of the Pul len home. He hopes Skagwegians can help him locate and mark Harriet Pullen’s, his distant relative, grave and home.
Letters and Opinion
The Skagway Bird Club’s rescue group began see ing high numbers of sick or dead crows the second week of July, according to Elaine Furbish, biologist and club member.“American crows and a few Steller’s Jays were seen with wobbly heads, unable to coordinate walking or fly ing, or letting people get too close without reacting, and a rash of dead birds were re ported,” she said. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (F&WS) has been investigating the spread of a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Alaska, assisted by Alaska Fish & Game and the Alaska State Veterinarian Office in the Environmental Health Division. Dead birds suspected of having Avian Flu are tested for the pres ence of the virus by the state lab. The “highly pathogenic” in the name refers to being contagious to other birds, not humans, but there have been a very few cases of people getting sick, Furbish said. Klondike Gold Rush Na tional Historical Park agreed to coordinate the gathering of some of the dead birds for testing. The park sent five American Crows, one Steller’s Jay and one Rufous Hummingbird to the F&WS Anchorage lab. “Please be careful around any birds,” Furbish said. Call Skagway Police Dispatch at 907-983-2232 to notify the bird rescue group. They will monitor sick birds and dis pose of dead birds.”
To the people of Skagway, I just visited your quiet town in June and had a won derful time! While I was there I took the opportunity to visit the site of Harriet Pullen -- a distant relative. With the help of Tamara, a very pleasant lady who we later saw on the White Pass train, we set about to find Har riet’s house. Going in I knew it had burned but did not know what would be left. In finding the property, I was a little put back to find it overgrown and barely passable. But we looked around, found the chimney, a stone mark er, but not the grave of Harriet. For whatever reason she has been lost to time. I checked with the Park Service and they have no idea where her grave is. Using pictures from the Internet, I went back and spent time looking for any remnants of her marker. I did find rocks in the approximate location and paid my respects. I read the site marker and the Skaguay Alaskan newspaper that just so happened to have a story of the Women of the Gold Rush. I hope that someday a proper marker could be put there and celebrate the life of this extraordinary lady! As a bonus the White Pass Rail could use this opportunity to further its historical lessons. Her grave is within 20 feet of the tracks! I hope this letter in trigues the people of Skagway to not let a part of Skag way’s history fade away. Of course my interest is that of a distant relative. I’m in the lineage of Jenks Pullen, found er of Pullen’s Corners -- what later became Romulus, Michigan. Thanks again for the pleasant visit and special thanks to the troop at F.O.E. #25 for the excellent experi ence. We absolutely loved the vaudeville show! It was a pleasure talking to the per formers after the show. Thank MichiganDonaldSincerely,you.Pinckney, Harriet Pullen deserves to be remembered
Pass noted they in stalled an alert system four years ago, receive regular monitoring reports from geotechnical consultants, constructed and improved rockfall attenuator fences, perform annual scaling of slide areas and provide ad ditional mitigation measure such as covered walkways, catchment berms and ecoblock wall barriers along the length of the dock. Skagway will lose approx imately 30 ships with the closure of Railroad Dock’s forward berth – a depressing reality following two dismal seasons due to COVID-19.
Mayor Andrew Cremata proclaimed a declaration of emergency on Aug. 5 which the assembly voted on Aug. 10 to extend the declaration. The declaration could help procure funding and “alert the public to the seriousness of the Mitigationrisk.” for Railroad Dock is estimated to cost tens of millions of dollars, with the source of funding yet to be determined. Work is expected to begin after the cruise season ends. Cremata, who has spent countless hours on the phone with local, state and feder al entities, is optimistic the rockslides won’t crush Skag way.
“Residents should use cau tion around birds that may have the Avian Flu – espe cially people with domestic chickens or other birds. If you must handle a carcass, wear a mask and gloves, double-bag the body and don’t step too close to where the dead body was found,” Furbish added. Most outbreaks pass with in two to three weeks, so Skagway is probably over its outbreak.“TheF&WS would appre ciate hearing if we see any more birds that might be affected or find more dead birds with no apparent sign of injury. They would be particularly interested if we see any bald eagles that seem to be affected,” Furbish said.
son and all operations were moved north of the restroom. The aft ship is now required toYettender.another landslide oc curred the morning of Aug. 5, punching an enormous hole in a shipping container and a small hole through the roof of the security booth. Again, no injuries were re ported.White Pass said they have “made all the data and eval uation reports produced by our engineering team avail able for review by the mu nicipal consultant. We would also welcome and are com mitted to a sharing of ideas between our two engineering teams, to help develop ap propriate managementmitigationrockslide/rockslidemeasuresandriskstrategiesthat are mutually beneficial to all ofWhiteus.”
Page 2 THE SKAGWAY NEWSAug. 12, 2022 The Skagway News. Skagway’s First Newspaper Christened in 1897, buried alive in 1904 and resurrected in 1978, The Skagway News is currently celebrating 45 years of reporting in Skagway and Dyea, Alaska, re cording our Centennial years and beyond. Subscriptions Sign up online orwww.skagwaynews.comatcallusat907-983-2354Mailchecksto:TheSkagwayNewsPOBox244,Skagway,AK99840 All print subscriptions include online access. Skagway (local) $30 Out-of-town $45 (periodical rate) Online Only $25 USPS 697130 ISSN 0745-872X Periodicals postage paid at Skagway, Alaska 99840 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER send address changes to: The Skagway News PO Box 244, Skagway, AK 99840 Vol. XLV, No 14 (930) August 12, 2022 Published on the second and fourth Friday of the month Phone: (907) editor@skagwaynews.comwww.skagwaynews.com983-2354sales@skagwaynews.com Publishers Melinda Munson Gretchen Wehmhoff Managing Editor Melinda Munson Production Editor/Sales Gretchen Wehmhoff Editor Emeritus William J. “Jeff” Brady ADVERTISING & NEWS COPY DEADLINES Next issue will be published AUG. 26, 2022 Please email sales@skagwaynews.com All ads and classifieds by Aug. 19 COPY, CALENDARLETTERS,DEADLINE: Please email editor@skagwaynews.comAllnewscopy,lettersandcalendareventsbyAug.19 The Skagway News wel comes opinions pieces and letters to the editor. Opin ion pieces should be no lon ger than 600 words and will be published based on space availability and relevance to current and local events. Letters to the editor should not exceed 250 words. Submit letters and opin ions to editor@skagwaynews. com. Letters may be edited for grammar and length. Submissions Rock slides continue (continued from front page)
Bird flu appears in Skagway By Melinda Munson
“And while we are facing a pretty critical issue here, in regards to the rockslide, I’m going to say with confi dence that we’re going to get this resolved before the 2023 season so that we have four berths,” Cremata said.
According to the discus sion draft dated July 28, “SEARHC will commit to continuing all current ser vices offered by the clinic,” with eventual expansion of specifically named services such as dental and mental health.The special meeting, held at the same time as the me morial for Dennis Corrington and town hall for Senator Jesse Kiehl, hosted about 30 citizens with 30 watching on Facebook. It was not broad cast on KHNS due to techni cal difficulties. A represen tative from SEARHC was present via Zoom. Public comment went on for more than an hour. Billi Clem stated she was satisfied with the clinic in its current form.“I’m a frequent visitor of the Skagway medical clinic … and I have had very good service at the Dahl Memori al clinic. And I am not in fa vor of bringing SEARHC to Skagway because I like the service that I get now. And I do not believe that bringing this clinic into Skagway is going to get us any more ser vice than we already have,” sheParentsaid. Kaylnn Howard testified that she didn’t have confidence in DMC, and neither did her pediatrician in Juneau. When Howard’s infant son developed a fever several days ago, Howard contacted her Juneau provid er.“They advised me not to go there [DMC] unless abso lutely necessary. I was will ing to hop on a plane just to get my kid care if his fever didn’t break,” she said. Jan Wrentmore was con cerned about the relationship between the clinic and the municipality. “That’s one thing that strikes me about the management of the clinic currently, is that it exposes the municipality to liability,” sheLisasaid.Mandeville, like sev eral others, felt an issue this big deserved a vote, although not required by municipal code. “No thank you to negotia tions until a public vote oc curs” Mandeville said, also suggesting the municipality acquire a healthcare attor ney.Several residents ex pressed concern with the length of the proposed 25yearDustinlease. Stone, assembly member, said he too was tak en aback by the long lease until he did more research.
Heard on the Wind .
Sam Bass also voted for the mea sure.“...allowing the manager to go into negotiations with SEARHC is a good thing for us,” he said. “Because that allows us to keep our options open to see what’s available out there just very much like the RFP process would do. This also allows us to see what are they really going to offer … what I like about this idea, this lease idea, is that we still maintain some con tractual controls in the lease to manage what type of ser vice we’re going to provide, or we’re going to receive here in Skagway. I think we can build in metrics into the lease that say if you’re not providing a certain level of service, if you’re not meet ing these certain require ments, then the lease can be terminated.” A final agreement with SEARHC must be voted on by the assembly. Interested parties can share their views with the assembly by email ing letters to s.burnham@ skagway.org. The Skagway News welcomes opinion pieces or letters to the editor per our guidelines on page 2.
SEARHC, MOS to begin negotiations over lease and management of Dahl(continued from front page)
. .
Deb Potter sits on the clinic board and described how af ter hearing the COORS pro posal for an 18 to 24 month process to revamp the clinic, she wasn’t convinced. (Visit skagway.org),“Thereareso many things that I can’t talk about, that the assembly members can’t talk about, that the board of clin ic directors can’t talk about because they happened in an executive session. I think what I can say is, if we could talk about those things, I think it would change a lot of people’s minds about how we move forward. It is an emergency situation. And I see this [management con tract] as a really nice com promise that keeps us in control. And that’s why I’m in favor of it,” she Assemblymembersaid.
• Little girl: “Mom, how do you spell KHNS?”
“The amount of capital that an organization like SEARHC … would have to put into the clinic, over the years that it’s in there, would require a fairly lengthy lease to allow them to recoup the capital that they put in,” he said.Assemblymember Jay Burnham was the lone no vote.“The last proposal, I vot ed no, because it was a low amount offered, $3 million, and the municipality was losing oversight at the clin ic. It seems now that we’re being offered no money, will retain current and future li abilities related to PERS, be required to keep the … building maintenance, and lose oversight of the clin ic. It almost seems like it’s worse than the first propos al … Let’s give the COORS interim manager a chance to work,” he Assemblymembersaid.
•Tourist boy: “Mom, I haven’t seen this much nature be minutes after the Aug. 3 Railroad Dock land “Can’t we just walk through it?” “acquire ownership and as sume responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the clinic” with an antici pated purchase price of $1. The clinic building could be leased for 25 years at $1 per year. SEARHC would be required to keep all cur rent clinic employees, “sub ject to SEARHC’s routine background check screening standards and procedures.”
•Twentyfore.”
Page 3THE SKAGWAY NEWS Aug. 12, 2022
Tourist:slide.
& BOOKS
Page 4 THE SKAGWAY NEWSAug. 12, 2022 Editor’s column
A Guitar Player on the Yukon Border BY PAUL LUCAS Life on the backroads with the guitarist extraordinaire who has played Skagway, Atlin, and all over BC-Yukon dating back to 1979. “You can’t make this stuff up!” Illustrated by Lynn Johnston “For Better or For Worse”
By Gretchen Wehmhoff Joe and I awakened one spring morning to a chaot ic, cacophony outside our bedroom window. About 20 magpies squawked, fluttered and dove at an object on the ground in the backyard. It was a hawk and it had taken a magpie. The magpies ad monished the hawk for the strike and continued to mob it verbally until it was appar ent the young bird gripped in its claws was no longer mov ing.Abruptly, the birds watched in near silence as if honoring the death of their conventicle member. One bird approached the body as the hawk maintained its grip. I thought maybe it was going to take a bite, but later learned that it is not unusu al for magpies to have some sort of funeral for their mate or member. I’ve seen that before. At a home in downtown An chorage I witnessed a large, mature magpie calling over the body of a fallen partner. I moved in for a closer look and saw the brilliant colors on the quiet bird that we miss as they fly and dance in the trees. Vibrant teal and purple feathers on its wings caught the afternoon sun, ac centing the deep black and pure white we identify with the long-tailed birds. A light breeze fluttered the shorter, downy feathers. The crea ture was beautiful. Dead, but mesmerizing in its last pose on the Abovelawn.iton a short chain link fence the mate seemed distraught. Magpies hang with their partners, breed and travel together. This was a vigil of a lost love. Folks call magpies thieves, camp robbers and scaven gers. How very human of them. We are all so alike on thisOurplanet.yard, surrounded by conifers and deciduous trees, hosts a variety of birds over the year. Each spring our robin returns – mornings are filled with the chatter of chickadees, juncos and thrush. A week or so later a lone hawk hangs out for a few days, then moves on. Towards the end of summer a Steller’s Jay rests on our back porch for a bit on its way south. In the winter it is a busy village of magpies, ravens and eagles. This summer is different. We saw our robin once. Only once.In the trees next to our yard a pair of sharp-shinned hawks set up camp. Instead of moving on as usual, they stayed. Our airspace filled with loud, sharp screeching, and eventually obnoxious, calls as they defined their territory and lured predators away from the nest. We never saw the robins again. The morning birds slipped by in a very early flock then moved on. It was just the two hawks. Then there were four. A group of hawks is a cauldron, a kettle or a tribe –sounds like a stew, but these hawks had set stake on a new home and the rest of our birds disappeared. I like to think they moved on, but I’m sure a few became meals. The parents took turns set ting watch on the tall spruce thirty feet from our driveway. A few weeks ago a storm blew in. Branches tumbled from our birch stand and the tall spruce moved like a carnival ride with the hawk clinging to the branch, mov ing with the bows as rain started to fall. The storm in tensified and I moved inside, concerned for the hawk. Watching Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color as a child, I was engrossed in the educational animal shows and playful narration that made the creatures seem so much like us – until the fox, wolf or lion showed up. I was a fan of the prey - the rabbit, the deer, the mouse. I’d watch silently, holding my breath, hoping the rabbit saw the fox. When the pred ator pursued its prey I pan icked, screaming at the TV: “Run! Run! It’s right behind you.DisneyRuuuun!”usually didn’t show the gory truth, and the fox, “moved on to find other prey.” I was happily and na ively satisfied that the rabbit, deer or mouse lived a long life after the trauma. Nature has always been too tough forBackme. in the yard, the hawks had survived the storm and were back to screeching. I sat in my lawn chair and tried to talk to them, some times whistling. It works withNextravens.totheir tree was a dead, beetle-killed spruce in the neighbor’s yard by our fence. This became the hawk family’s new lookout – until a group of magpies showed up.Magpies gather in parlia ments, tribes or groups apt ly called a mischief. Some times a murder as they are related to the raven. In my car, leaving for an appoint ment, I paused to watch. The sky looked like a “Top Bird” movie. I didn’t know who to root for – my resident hawks or the magpies that might become their dinner –but that wasn’t what played out.Two magpies dived at then flew alongside a hawk un til the predator veered off, away from the area. Four or five magpies land ed near the top of the dead tree, still claimed by the other hawk. A small magpie dropped to a branch 10 feet lower and moved close to the trunk – almost as if instruct ed. I noticed that the neck was narrow and the bird seemed to not have filled out. It was a chick. I was late to my appoint ment, but put the car in park toThewatch.magpies occupied a circle of branches below the hawk. One bird flew at the hawk, backed off and flew at it again. Outnumbered, the hawk gave up its perch to the black and white tribe and flew off. As I pulled away, I ob served seven or eight young magpies feeding in the neighbors’ yards. Normally I would worry about them be ing so exposed to the hawks, but the adult members of their tribe had cleared the way for feeding. The chicks appeared unaware of the “bird fight” above them as adult magpies kept watch. I left for my dentist ap pointment knowing I had a good reason for being late and curious about what I would find upon my return. The next day the magpies and the hawks came back. I rarely see all four hawks anymore. I think they are out learning to hunt and only come back for family dinners to squawk their suc cesses. The magpies have a significant number in their parliament and fly freely within the branches of the birch, cottonwood and wil lows. For some reason they all want to stay. We have magpies that stay in our yard for the winter. Maybe this is theTherefamily.seems to be a rota tion of sorts on the old, dead tree. One day I’ll see two hawks at the top while the magpies spread out in the trees across the street. The next day the magpies will be in the tree – maybe while the hawks are hunting. I hear this particular type of hawk will migrate south, but some stay. I hope they fly off for the winter months so our magpies, ravens and chickadees can return. And if they stay, I am confident that the large winter magpies and ravens will negotiate a deal the way only nature can. the
magpie Signed Copies Available - See Paul here Aug. 20 Open Daily • 907-983-3354 • skagwaybooks.com
The hawk and
SKAGUAY NEWS DEPOT
Dennis Richard Corrington Feb. 22, 1942 - July 25, 2021
Page 5THE SKAGWAY NEWS Aug. 12, 2022 Obituaries
A celebration of life was held last week in Hermann, Missouri for for mer Haines and Skagway resident Michele Fehlings (57). She died July 9 of organ failure at the Her mann Area District Hospital follow ing a sudden, brief illness. She was a member of the Hermann hospital board of directors, on the regional library board, treasurer of the local food pantry and a Hermann business owner. “Her family, many friends, and business associates all will miss her terribly,” brother Jerome Feh lings said. In Skagway, Fehlings managed Corrington’s on Broadway for years and met the love of her life, the late Mick McCarter. In Haines, she loved their home at Lutak and working for Roger Schnabel and Southeast Roadbuilders. She especially liked being John Schnabel’s unofficial administrative assistant. The former Haines sawmill owner and reality TV star was “like a grandfather to her,” Jerome said. Michele Fehlings was born in Washington, Missouri, Nov. 14, 1965. Her parents, Ralph and Lois Fehlings were descendents of the original “Hermann German” settlers and avid gardeners. “During summer months there was always something to pick or can or juice or pickle or preserve- and I disliked every min ute of it! I looked forward to the day when I was grown up, had a job, and could go to the grocery store and buy what I wanted,” Fehlings wrote on herSheblog.attended Hermann High and Lindenwood College in St. Charles, Missouri, where she studied fashion design and Lindenwoodmarketing.alum Nancy Cor rington visited the college just be fore graduation and offered Fehlings a job in Skagway. “When Mrs. Cor rington approached her, she jumped at it. Michele wanted an adventure and she made it one,” her brother said.She met Mick McCarter at the Red Onion Saloon in 1988 and they quickly became a pair. They lived in his much-photographed log cabin at Long Bay. “It was the most charm ing cabin imaginable. He was an amazing decorator,” friend Margaret Sebens said, “and Michele was an immaculate housekeeper.” They wed on January 2, 2002 on a visit to Charlotte, North Carolina prior to moving to Haines. “Mick said, ‘We have got to get married, it’s the right thing to do, we are going to own a house together,’” Fehlings said in McCarter’s 2016 obituary. They returned to her hometown in 2008 due to his heart condition. The couple restored and renovated sever al Hermann properties that became Grapevine Guest Cottages. Fehlings also earned an MBA and worked for the Missouri department of educa tion managing grants. In her “Coming Home Again” blog Fehlings wrote that she and McCa rter, “blindly followed” Faulkner’s philosophy that, “The happiest peo ple are those who are too busy to no tice whether they are or not.” She described herself as “an aspiring writer, an avid reader, a self-pro claimed homebody and a pretty good cook. I am secretly addicted to HGTV.”“Michele was never a gusher but she was thoughtful and caring and made sure you knew she cared about you. She is the only grown woman I know who sent Valentine’s Day cards to friends. It was very surpris ing and touching. She was a good and wise and steady friend to many, and she was dearly loved,” Margaret Sebens said. Her husband Mick McCarter pre ceded her in death. In addition to Jerome and Carolee Fehlings, Mi chele leaves two nephews, three great-nieces and three great-great nieces on the Fehlings’ side, and many McCarter relatives. Friends will gather to scatter her ashes in Haines in the fall.
Michele Fehlings Nov. 14, 1965 - July 9, 2021
By Heather Lende
Dennis Richard Corrington was born Feb. 22, 1942 in St. Louis, Missouri to Mortimer Franklin and Dorothy Loraine (nee Shelton) Cor rington. He was in the University City High School Class of 1960. He received bachelor degrees in both English and biology, and a master’s degree in secondary school adminis tration from the University of Mis souri,AfterColumbia.graduation in 1966, he ap plied for teaching positions in the Pacific Territories, and in Alaska, promising himself his destiny would be based on the best offer that he received. As fate would have it, he made his way to Nome, Alaska, be coming first a teacher and later prin cipal of a Native Alaskan regional boarding school. Dennis traveled around the state to meet and recruit Native Alaskan students for Beltz Regional Board ing School. During his travels he received countless requests from Nome residents to bring back cer tain items that could not be easily purchased, since there were no roads to Nome. Unexpectedly, the requests were paid by the recipients with pieces of Native art, ivory carvings, bone carvings, scrimshawed ivory, pieces of jewelry, basketry and fur pelts. As these items began to ac cumulate, Dennis’s entrepreneurial spirit went into action, and he took a leap of faith that led him down a path that would change his life forever. In 1970 he opened the Arctic Trading Post in the heart of Nome’s down town area. The Trading Post was a success. At that time, Nome received about 9,000 visitors a year. While in Nome he also developed a liking for snowmobile racing and dog mushing, which led him to ac quire 40 Siberian Huskies and to train for the lditarod Dog Sled Race, which he ran in 1976. Having gotten into the swing of retail, he decided to take another leap of faith and moved to Skagway, Alaska, where the vis itors outnumbered Nome’s visitors by ten. This began Corrington’s fif ty-year career as a retailer, real estate developer, microbrewery and hotel owner, art appraiser and part-time thespian. He built or restored and re modeled seven buildings in Skaway’s Historic District and raised the bar for all buildings that followed. His log cabin was the first new structure in Skagway in 30 years, built in 1976 by Steve Jacklitch, Oly Slettevold and himself. From the moment he landed in Skagway, he seemed to al ways create a bit of a stir. Early on after the log cabin was built, a fel low merchant took issue with the fact that he washed the windows of his store. The lady maintained that it would not do any good because the roads were still dirt at the time. Her words were: “Dennis Cor rington, if you wash your windows, then everyone will have to wash their windows!” He welcomed visitors in costume on his Pupmobile along with Jeff Brady, commonly referred to as “Governor” at that time, and Janice Wrentmore who then owned the Red Onion Gift Shop and various other costumed locals. He performed in the precursor to the Days of ‘98 Show which was in competition with the “Mighty Moose Melodrama.” Eventually, the Days of ‘98 won out and Mighty Moose moved to Tuc son, Arizona. In 1984, his life took another turn, when he married a young widow with four children from St Louis, Missou ri. For the next 38 years, they lived their dream of an “ almost-perfect” marriage, splitting the difference be tween St. Louis, Missouri and Skag way Dennis and Nancy blended their families. Dennis’ three children and Nancy’s four, adding the binding bonus of their eighth shared child in 1989. They found themselves to be very compatible business partners and together began their expansion into the Historic District beyond the original Fifth Avenue Store, Cor rington’s Alaskan Ivory. Dennis continued to delve into Alaskan history, developing another facet to the business by creating his second museum. This one became “The Corrington Museum of Alas kan History,” featuring the history of Alaska from prehistoric times to the present, scrimshawed (etched) on beautifully polished fossil walrus ivory tusks, and currently housed in the Golden North Hotel. It is one of the best kept secrets in Skagway. Dennis was a lifelong adventurer, entrepreneur and fun loving spirit, with a comedic flair for storytelling. He had a zest for life second to none. He was full of passion, curiosity and had a certain finesse for the dramat ic. His favorite saying was: “Life is not a dress rehearsal,” and on Sun day, July 25, 2021, he took his final bow in this world at 79 years young. For 38 years Dennis was an amaz ing husband, business partner and soul mate to Nancy, devoted and loving father to Scott Rehm, Chris (Jen) Rehm, Sherry Corrington, Bret (Tam) Corrington, Kevin (Katie) En loe/Corrington, Sarah (Tommy) De nos, James (Laurie) Rehm, Susannah (Jarek) Stultz. Grandfather to 17. Great Grandfather to five. Brother, William Corrington (Maryann), Sis ter, Susan Alice. Uncle, and friend to many fortunate souls who crossed his trail on his journey. May he rest in peace with the secure knowledge that he was loved deeply and forever by his wife, family and friends. A memorial service was held Aug. 5, 2022 at the Chilkoot Trail Outpost
Page 6 THE SKAGWAY NEWSAug. 12, 2022 Family Fun Page - print and share Across 1 bandageNatural 5 21201817151413121110presenterMost“America’sWanted”JohnTriteandtiresomeGemstateExclusivegroupUnpaidworkerthatnevertiresEccentricCutanddriedgrassSaturn’swifeDecoratedFrontendcoveronacarExcels 23 Drugknownalso “ozone”as 24 Involved with 25 It regulates flyers 26 Bring to bear 27 Hoppy beer 30 No fun 32 Shun 34 It’s an honor 35 They are checkedoften 36 Shortcompositionliterary 37 Act fresh Down 1 “Deal!” 2 Dr Cidtoaboutreactswayspay 3 partyMandela’s 4 When that time arrives 5 Lean muscularand 6 Commotion 7 Noonarrangedburials for bodies in workplacethe 8 Patronize 9 191610StrongattractionHeadhonchoEthiopia’scapital,---Ababa.Bottletop 20 Discontentedshoutfromthebleachers 21 Suitoutpassed 22 Untrustworthypeople 25 Celebrity 26 Grotesque 28 Oilinsertspipeline 29 Lifeblood of andTV the web 31 33theleagueBaseballbelowMajorsThrough Last issue’s answers To play codeword, refer to the grid above with 26 spaces. Three boxes have letters. For instance, box 17 has an R. Find all of the boxes in the puz zle numbered 17 and place an R in them. Do the same for the other two clues. All number 12 box es should be filled with a C. All number 26 boxes should be filled with an I. Once you fill the spaces, you should start to put together words. As you find new number codes, enter them in the grid above and fill them in on the puzzle. Good luck. codeword Color Me
July 21 -Police assisted in an inves tigation of a death aboard a cruise -Subjectship.of previous crime turned themselves in at Public Safety Building only to be sub sequently arrested for driving there under the influence.
July 7 -Dispatch assisting in reuniting a lost credit card with its own -Policeer. responded to a call about someone spitting on -Firepeople.personnel responded to a call for Search and Rescue. -Dispatch assisted in reuniting a lost dog with its owner. -Police and Fire personnel re sponded to a call of a bicycle -Policeaccident.personnel respond ed to a noise complaint at a downtown business.
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Page 7THE SKAGWAY NEWS Aug. 12, 2022 News Classified Ads cost 40 cents per word, $4 minimum. PERSONALS-MISC. SERVICES FOOD BANK DONATIONS WELCOME. Donations may be sent to the Food Bank, PO Box 200, Skagway, AK 99840. The local Food Bank helps those in need with groceries. If you need assistance, or know anyone who needs assistance, at any time of year, call any pastor or 907-612-0313. CLASSIFIEDS
Submitted by Skagway Police DepartmentPolice & Fire Blotter
A.M. DATE MAX MIN PREC Weather Watch 6/18 - 7/02 7/3 78 52 7/4 82 53 7/5 85 55 7/6 79 58 .02 7/7 74 53 7/8 71 58 7/9 68 56 7/10 67 53 7/11 64 52 .23 7/12 61 52 .70 7/13 56 50 .38 7/14 64 50 .02 7/15 70 49 7/16 72 55 7/17 59 54 .01 7/18 60 56 .02 7/19 61 52 .01 7/20 62 54 7/21 57 49 .15 7/22 60 49 7/23 57 51 .02 7/24 62 52 .25 7/25 60 52 .10 7/26 61 57 trace 7/27 68 49 trace 7/28 66 53 .98 7/29 59 53 .48 7/30 62 52 .04 7/31 61 54 .12 8/1 66 54 .08 8/2 63 55 .07 8/3 66 53 trace 8/4 65 53 .06 8/5 66 54 trace
July 8 -Police and fire personnel responded to a medical emer -Firegency.personnel responded to a fire alarm at a downtown -Firebusiness.personnel assisted Guard ian Flight with a medevac. -Police and fire personnel re sponded to a vehicle accident. -Fire personnel responded to a fire alarm at a downtown -Policebusiness.responded to a public disturbance call. -Fire personnel assisted the U.S. Coast Guard with a -Policemedevac.responded to a report of gunshots that turned out to be fireworks. July 9 -Dispatch assisted RCMP with an -Dispatchinvestigation.assisted in reuniting a lost phone and its owner. July 10 -Dispatch assisted a citizen in contacting the clinic on duty provider. July 11 -Police responded to a report of a person screaming at tour -Policeists. responded to a report of a suspicious person. -Police responded to a call about a rowdy person at the -Firelibrary.personnel assisted Guard ian Flight with a medevac. -Police responded to a report of someone drinking from a salt shaker and threatening vi -Policeolence. personnel responded to a report of trespassing.
COMMUNITYCALENDAR Library Hours: Weekdays 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Weekends 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. Call 983-2665 or library@skagway.orgemail
July 12 -Police responded to another report of trespassing which ended in arrest. -Police responded to a report of municipal code violations. -Fire personnel responded to a medical emergency. -Police personnel assisted a citizen with a flat tire. July 13 -Fire personnel assisted Guard ian Flight with a medevac. July 14 -Police personnel responded to a report of a person sleep ing on a residential lawn. -Police personnel assisted cruise ship security with a mat ter of public safety. -Fire personnel responded to a fire alarm at a downtown -Dispatchbusiness. assisted in reuniting a lost phone with its owner. -Police responded to a report of found drugs. They turned out to be blood pressure med ication.
for bor ough meeting updates. Weather Watch NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OBSERVATIONS FOR PREVIOUS 24-HOUR PERIOD BEFORE
Dahl Clinic Winter Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Closed Sat. and 907-983-2255Sun. For after-hours emergencies, dial 911. Solid Waste Facility Hours T, Th, Sa, Su. 1 - 3 p.m. Skagway Museum 907-983-2420 Border stations: 7 a.m. - 11 p.m. Call each station for specifics. Ferry Terminal Hours M-F 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. www.skagway.org 7
July 4 -Police responded to a report of public intoxication. -Police responded to a sepa rate report of public intoxica -Dispatchtion. helped reunite a lost phone and its owner. -Dispatch helped reunite a lost wallet and its owner. -Dispatch helped reunite a lost credit card and its owner. -Fire personnel responded to an unconscious person in a -Firerestaurant.personnel responded to a medical emergency. -Police responded to a report of bears in Dyea. -Dispatch assisted a citizen in contacting the clinic on duty provider. July 5 -Fire personnel responded to a fire alarm at a downtown -Dispatchbusiness. reunited a lost dog with its -Dispatchowner.assisted a citizen in contacting the clinic on duty provider. July 6 -Dispatch assisted in reuniting a lost wallet with its owner. -Dispatch assisted in reuniting a lost passport with its owner. -Fire personnel assisted Guard ian Flight with a medevac. -Dispatch assisted a citizen in contacting the clinic on duty -Policeprovider.responded to a theft at a downtown business. -Police responded to a report of someone burning during a ban.
July 15 -Fire personnel responded to a fire alarm at a downtown business. -Police and fire personnel re sponded to a highly intoxicat ed person downtown. July 16 Police personnel responded to a report of a slashed vehicle tire. July 17 Fire personnel responded to a medical emergency. July 17 -Dispatch assisted in reuniting a lost driver’s license with its -Policeowner. assisted a citizen with a vehicle -Dispatchlockout.received complaints regarding railroad mainte nance noise after curfew. July 19 Fire personnel responded to a fire alarm at a downtown busi ness. July 20 -Police personnel responded to a report of public marijuana -Policeconsumption.responded to a non-in jury hit and run collision. -Police responded to a do mestic dispute that ended in an arrest.
MISTAKES TO AVOID
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The REGULAR PICK ONE PRIMARY ELECTION and SPECIAL GENERAL ELECTION are on the same ballot. VOTER ADVISORY 16 Statewide Election
August
THE AUGUST 16TH ELECTION WILL BE AN IN-PERSON ELECTION with polling places open on election day 7am-8pm
If you skip a ranking your next ranking moves up. Here, if your first choice candidate is eliminated, your third choice counts as your second choice and your fourth choice would count as your third choice. If you skip two or more rankings in a row only the rankings before the skipped rankings will count. Here, your first choice counts and the fourth choice would not count. Your vote only counts once, even if you rank a candidate more than once. When a candidate is eliminated in a round, they are eliminated from all future rounds. If you give more than one candidate the same ranking, those rankings and later rankings will not count. Here, only your first choice counts.
Fill in only one oval per candidate, in each column. You do not have to rank all the candidates. Your second choice is only counted if your first choice candidate is eliminated.
Page 8 THE SKAGWAY NEWSAug. 12, 2022
RANKED CHOICE VOTING: HOW TO MARK YOUR BALLOT
Absentee In-Person & Early Voting begins August 1. The list of locations is available at elections.alaska.gov/avo
ALASKA
For more detailed information, sample ballots, and explainer videos, visit www.elections.alaska.gov/rcv.php
