Gretchen Wehmhoff

By Gretchen Wehmhoff Did you hear the one about the newspaper publisher who announced that she was seeking a new owner, then went silent? Yes, that one is familiar. Actually, the comment is real, but the silence had everything to do with health reasons, so let’s get back to some optimism here. Yes, it

By Gretchen Wehmhoff Publisher, The Skagway News This summer Joe and I spent five months at Garden City RV Park. Part of the deal meant that I spent about 20 hours a week greeting guests and answering questions. That was enjoyable. I love sharing Alaska and Skagway with visitors. They love talking to Alaskans. In

By Gretchen Wehmhoff A little over four years ago I was eating lunch with a friend in a local restaurant. A couple walked by and I complimented the woman’s outfit. It was bright, festive and flowing. A perfect summer tunic. That of course started a…

By Gretchen Wehmhoff When the announcement was posted that The Skagway News was going back to print, the enthusiasm was contagious and encouraging. People have told me they missed the actual, physical paper that is the 47-year-old news source of…

By Gretchen Wehmhoff The Skagway News has been through a challenging year. Due to costs we stopped printing the paper (going online only) and let go of pretty much the best office space in town. Of course, the office was where I could stay while in…

By Gretchen Wehmhoff In this time of gathering the family around the table, we have so much to be thankful for. With the tragic landslide in Wrangell and memories of the deadly landslide in Haines just a few years ago, it’s hard not to think of how…

By Gretchen Wehmhoff As a child I’d stay awake late into the night, resting on my elbows because that seemed to make breathing easier. I knew the asthma attack would pass if I could hold my focus. Eventually, I would fall asleep, exhausted. My sister…

By Gretchen Wehmhoff The act of climbing a hill is relative. I have huffed and puffed up slopes on bikes in my younger years and, believe it or not, in three Gold Nugget Triathlons. If it wasn’t for multiple gears, I wouldn’t have made it to the top.…

By Gretchen Wehmhoff “In fact there was only one species on the planet more intelligent than dolphins, and they spent a lot of their time in behavioral research laboratories running round inside wheels and conducting frighteningly elegant and subtle…

By Gretchen Wehmhoff It’s been awhile since I’ve stood in the feminine products aisle. There I was, on a mission for my 14-year-old granddaughter. She used the words “ultra” and “thin.” Did she mean ultra light or ultra heavy? Was it thin liners or…

By Gretchen Wehmhoff Our parents’ business office was in the basement of our home. They worked for record and tape music distributors before and beyond the pipeline years. It’s what brought our family to Alaska in 1965. Dad had a choice to pioneer…

By Gretchen Wehmhoff About twenty years ago I was driving my 13-year-old daughter and her friends somewhere, I don’t know where. Can’t remember that, but I can remember listening to words come over my car speakers that alarmed me. The girls had…

By Gretchen Wehmhoff Anyone who has lived with any chronic health issue understands the stress of changing doctors. When I was young, my parents advocated for my care. When I left the state to attend college, we worked with my pediatrician to find…

By Gretchen Wehmhoff March is Women’s History Month and we, Melinda and I, write history. That’s the major afterproduct of a newspaper – the place for research about what happened in a town, nation or country. Newspapers record history. We are also…

By Gretchen Wehmhoff For over two decades I advised an award-winning high school student newspaper in the state’s largest school district. During that time I pretty much gained a permanent seat in the principal’s office, was part of two legal briefs…

By Gretchen Wehmhoff With the latest dump of snow, winter really showed up. People had to step out of their comfort zones – I mean the comfort zone of toasty homes and cable television. There was so much snow that it was all hands on deck, or snow…

By Gretchen Wehmhoff Joe and I recently traveled Outside. We are experienced travelers and pack so we can get through TSA smoothly. On this trip we entered a security line where the no nonsense officer was starting her shift. “Electronics larger than…

By Gretchen Wehmhoff The evening drive into Anchorage to meet my brother’s flight from New York was a quiet break from a busy day. Pressing the accelerator to climb the hill past Eagle River, I freed my mind from obligations, looking forward to his…

By Gretchen Wehmhoff Joe and I awakened one spring morning to a chaotic, 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…

By Gretchen Wehmhoff Above the Skaguay News Depot on Broadway is the Skagway News office. During the summer months, without the storm windows, the window sashes open tall enough for me to lean out to take in a view that stretches from the tall ships…