Week of September 24, 2026
Week of September 24, 2026
A recommendation from the Petersburg Borough Planning Commission to place a one-year moratorium on data center development failed on a split vote at Monday’s Borough Assembly meeting. Assembly Members Scott Newman, Rob Schwartz and Jeff Meucci voted in favor of the moratorium; Vice Mayor Jeigh Stanton Gregor, Member Bob Martin and Mayor Bob Lynn voted against. Member James Valentine was traveling and excused. Without a majority approval, the motion failed. The Planning Commission asked the assembly to initiate an ordinance establishing a...
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Alaska Marine Lines is increasing its fuel surcharge to 22.5% on Sunday, up from the current rate of 16% and a rate of 9.5% in June 2025. The rate increased to 12% late that month, then dropped to 11% in November before spiking to 18.5% in early April — mirroring a large increase in global fuel prices due to the Iran war that started in late February. Fuel prices would subsequently drop — as did AML’s surcharge to 14.5% in late June before rising to 16% in late August — but are again surging, with some predictions they could go much...
WRANGELL - The early morning fire Sept. 15 that destroyed much of the Marine Bar building was started by an "electric heating element" underneath the building, according to a preliminary investigation two days later by the state fire marshal's office. "The fire is being classified as an accident," Austin McDaniel, communications director for the Department of Public Safety, said Sept. 18. McDaniel described the heating element as similar to heat tape, used to prevent exposed pipes from...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly on Monday amended and advanced Ordinance 2026-21, the adjustment to the borough’s annual budget for “known changes,” adding $150,000 to replace a failing sewer line on Gjoa Street before passing the package on a unanimous second reading. Monday’s amendment increases the Wastewater Fund by $150,000 to pay for the Gjoa Street Sewer Line Replacement Project. Asked by Member Bob Martin where the money would come from, Public Works Director Aaron Marohl said the borough plans to draw it from wastewater...
Don and Karen Cornelius are a family of local artists, and this summer the Petersburg Public Library hosted back-to-back retrospectives for the two. Don Cornelius walked through the exhibition this week with the Pilot and reflected on decades of art – wildlife and landscape oil paintings from across Alaska, portraits of his children, a humorous and distinctive series of gnome paintings, and his two newest paintings completed this summer – all on display through the end of the month....
A controversial subdivision request will once again go in front of the Petersburg Borough Assembly acting as the Board of Adjustment in October. That's after Petersburg's Planning Commission rejected the request for a second time on Sept. 8. The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska's broadband company, Tidal Network, wants to build a tower on borough land near Petersburg's fire hall. The company has already constructed a tower at Mill Road and is in the process of...
Students at the Petersburg School District have seen strong results in last spring’s Alaska System of Academic Readiness statewide standardized test, also known as AK STAR. Students third through ninth grade were tested in English language arts and math. Every tested grade level arrived above the state’s median score in both tests. Districtwide, the amount of Petersburg students who scored “advanced” and “proficient” on both tests was 10% higher than the state average. Superintendent Robyn Taylor said those numbers are great, but... Full story
The salmon and the hooligan that spawn in the Unuk and Stikine rivers have no say in the expansion of mining operations in British Columbia. Neither do the Alaska tribes that live where the rivers empty into U.S. waters. The power lies across the border in Canada, where the mining companies and the provincial, federal and Tahltan Nation authorities have joined forces in a modern-day gold rush to expand the Red Chris Mine at the headwaters of the Stikine River. Plans are also underway to restart...
Influenza-related illnesses killed 36 Alaskans during the 2025-2026 flu season, the Alaska Section of Epidemiology said Friday in a regular annual report summarizing the prior flu season. The report was released alongside a bulletin recommending flu shots for all Alaskans that are at least six months old who do not have medical conditions affected by a flu shot. The state’s weekly flu report shows cases of flu have been on the rise since mid-August. Flu season in Alaska runs from October through July, and in the most recent season,...
A dead 57-foot-long fin whale was pulled from the bulbous bow of the cruise ship Norwegian Joy on Sept. 17 as the ship made its way toward the terminal for its port call in Sitka. The whale was removed from the bow and towed by a tug boat hired by the cruise company to a beach near town. The incident delayed the arrival of the cruise ship into port. Lauren Wild, Sitka area stranding coordinator for NOAA Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network, said she was notified of the situation at 8:20 a.m. by National Oceanic and Atmospheric...
The U.S. Forest Service has extended its public comment period on its proposal to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which it announced on Aug. 18. Originally a 30-day comment period, the Forest Service is now offering a total of 45 days to offer input on the proposed repeal and draft environmental statement. This makes the new deadline Oct. 6. Nathan Newcomer, the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council's Tongass Campaigner, said that while it's good the public was given more time, traditionally the Forest Service has provided 90...
September 24, 1926 – Petersburg’s new cold storage plant is rapidly nearing completion and prospects are very favorable that halibut fishermen may purchase ice and bait and sell their catches at the local plant within a month’s time. Sawdust and shavings for packing the walls arrived from the south last week and nearly all the walls in the place are insulated now. Machinery is arriving on every boat and is being installed immediately upon arrival. All of the machinery for the plant has been purchased and that which has not been received...
In their final meet before regionals, the Petersburg High School Cross Country team showed out for the community during a rain-filled race this past weekend at Sandy Beach. Plenty of teams were in attendance such as Sitka, Wrangell, Haines, Juneau Douglas, Yakutat and Metlakatla in the final ramp up for all teams. "Our team has been incredibly consistent for the entire season and the last two weeks they've had really tough practice so being able to show up the way that they did at the last...
During the second meet of the season at Ketchikan, the Petersburg High School Swim and Dive team had several strong performers on both the boys and girls team. On day 1, Lexie Tow won the 100 yard freestyle and 100 backstroke and on day 2, won the 50 yard freestyle and the 200 freestyle. Bella Miller placed second in the 500 freestyle. On day 2, Miller finished third in the 200 freestyle and sixth in the 100 freestyle. "Everybody did really well. Lexie had a great meet. Bella had a pretty darn...
Preserve our election transparency laws To the Editor: Many groups and individuals, including lots outside of Alaska, are paying for ads for and against Proposition 2. How do we know this? Because of our election transparency laws. These laws will end if proposition 2 passes. I think it is good to know who the big donors are, like Elon Musk. He has contributed $1,500,000 to the Yes on 2 campaign. I also like open primaries. I want to be able to vote for the people I think are the best candidates for Alaska, whichever party they belong to....
Thankfully, only one of the four candidates for governor in the Nov. 3 statewide general election needs a refresher course in math. The rest know that 2 plus 2 equals 4. But Republican Bernadette Wilson, running for her first elected public office, is proving to voters that numbers don’t need to add up when you want to win bad enough. Wilson, who garnered a mathematically unremarkable 10% of the votes in the August primary election, which was good enough to make the Final Four, is campaigning for governor on the promise of a bigger...
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