Week of October 8, 2026
Week of October 8, 2026
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By the time Petersburg's polls closed on Tuesday night, 1,120 ballots had been cast and counted. That's about 160 fewer than last year. The preliminary results remain unofficial until the election is canvassed. Ballot propositions Three questions were on Petersburg's municipal ballot this year. Proposition 1 came from the Borough's power department, and authorizes a $3.3 million revenue bond for a diesel generator project south of town in Scow Bay. Unofficial results show Prop 1 passed by a...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly on Monday overturned the Planning Commission's denial of a minor subdivision at 1200 Haugen Drive, moving the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska a step closer to buying the borough lot next to the fire hall where it plans a broadband tower. Sitting as the Board of Adjustment, the Assembly voted 6-0 to grant Tlingit & Haida's appeal and approve the subdivision, Assembly Member Scott Newman was excused from the meeting. Tidal Network, a...
Alaska Timber and Truss has secured a $2.5 million financing package to modernize its sawmill on Falls Creek Road, connect it to Petersburg's hydroelectric grid and install an additional mill built to process young-growth timber. Co-owner Brett Martin said the goal is to have the expanded operation running well by the middle of next summer. "We're taking a gamble," Martin said. "We're obtaining a couple of loans to expand our mill, or essentially retool our mill to bring it up to modern...
Running your own commercial fishing operation may offer more freedom, but that freedom comes at a premium. That cost can make it particularly hard for those looking to enter the industry or update their fleet. The Alaska Department of Commerce investments division held a public session in Wrangell on Sept. 16 to share information with potential borrowers and check in with current ones. The program offers low fixed-interest loans to commercial fishermen. On June 30, 2027, the legislation that fixed rates at 5.25% for the loans will expire,...
Wrangell’s efforts to add to its downtown waterfront, develop the former 6-Mile Mill property for a possible shipyard and replace its leaking water diversion flume to the community reservoirs will receive a $43 million boost from the federal government. The borough applied this past spring for a federal Economic Development Administration Industry Transformation Pathway Grant. The official announcement is not expected until later this month, but Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, who is in a tight reelection race, delivered the news last week....
Alaska Airlines will retire its fleet of Boeing 737-700 aircraft next year, switching over to larger 800 Series planes — providing more passenger and cargo capacity, particularly on Southeast Alaska runs. Alaska generally uses the 700 on its multi-stop flights through Southeast, such as the morning “milk run” from Seattle to Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Juneau and Anchorage, and back again in the afternoon. The larger Boeing jets are configured for 161 passengers, a 37-seat gain over the 124-passenger 700 Series. The 800 Series is...
October 8, 1926 – Councilman Ohmer reported that he had written to Colonel J. G. Steese, chairman of the Alaskan Engineering Commission, concerning the speed with which steamers not calling in Petersburg proceed through the Wrangell Narrows. Upon several occasions recently steamers passing through have done so at a considerable speed, the wakes they threw up causing damage to small boats moored at local wharves. Colonel Steese replied that the City Council should write to each of those companies whose boats are alleged to be causing damage...
Winning a single championship is hard to do. Winning two championships is a monumental task. In 2025, the PHS girls cross country team placed third, not bad but not quite to the standard they've set. This year, they're queens of the Division III mountain once again, reclaiming the title from 2024. The girls team's greatest challenge was going to be Wrangell, who was led by sophomore phenom Jenna Meissner and senior Alana Harrisson. Since Meissner's freshman season, she and Peterburg's star...
New beginnings for this year's Petersburg High School Volleyball squad. The team is transitioning from being led by now former head coach Jaime Cabral to now being coached by former assistant Kerri Curtiss. This also means that Petersburg alumna Kaia Dahl-Thomassen is now the main assistant. This year's team boasts 12 varsity players and half are freshmen (Anya Curtiss, Lucia Worhatch, Evelynn Litster, Arya Holmgrain, Savina Pawuk and Molly Doud). The young squad will have to quickly adapt....
Volunteers needed To the Editor: Petersburg Rod and Gun Club is looking for volunteers to help with free firearms safety and etiquette clinics for high school hunters. Discussion items will include firearm safety, their transportation, cleaning and more. Parents should know that their children and their friends are as prepared as possible when handling firearms and that the proper handling of hunting rifles and sidearms will be taken seriously at all times. Anyone interested in helping can call Jake at 907-518-4025. Additionally, ADF&G hunter...
If Pinocchio had been in the room, his nose might have grown long enough to equal several of the 115,000 sections of 40-foot steel pipe that would be needed to construct the mythical mirage of the Alaska North Slope natural gas pipeline project that has mesmerized state leaders for decades. There were that many lies spewed in the Oval Office during President Donald Trump’s Sept. 30 announcement that South Korea would unconditionally invest $54 billion in the Alaska project. “Thanks to the agreements my administration has secured with the...
September 30 – An officer conducted foot patrols downtown. A complainant spoke with dispatch. An officer responding to a complaint of barking dogs on S 2nd St heard no sounds of barking in the area. Brandon Johnson was arrested in North Harbor for allegedly violating conditions of release. A driver on N Nordic Dr was issued a warning for failure to maintain their lane. An officer spoke with a complainant concerning a non-criminal issue. There was a report of a deer struck by a vehicle on Mitkof Hwy and then running into the woods. An...
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