Week of December 5, 2024
Week of December 5, 2024
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On Monday the Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution opposing a proposal coming before the Board of Fish two months from now which seeks to reduce the production of hatchery chum and hatchery pink salmon in Southeast Alaska by 25 percent. Max Worhatch, a Petersburg commercial salmon fisherman, addressed the assembly at the start of Monday’s meeting “to voice the commercial fishing industry’s support of a resolution to oppose the Board of Fish Proposal 156....
Petersburg's student-run nonprofit movie theater, the Northern Nights Theater, has run out of reserves and will have to make some changes starting in January. The last few years have been very challenging and expensive for the organization. Sitting unused through the early stages of the pandemic led to major malfunctions with the movie projector, Theater Manager Cyndy Fry told the Pilot. "We basically had to buy the whole computer guts of the system, [and then] because of that change we had to...
Mitkof Highway was closed to through traffic for around eight hours on Sunday, Dec. 1, after a power pole snapped under the weight of snow and ice on the line – leaving power lines on the ground crossing the highway. The pole failure occurred around 2:30 p.m. just past 9-mile and caused an 11 hour 10 minute power outage for the entire circuit from the Scow Bay substation out to Blind Slough. Winds reached 35 mph with sideways rain as the crew from Petersburg Municipal Power and Light worked...
After 11 straight years with more residents leaving Alaska than arriving, the state for the first time projects a long-term population decline, according to a report released Monday from the state’s demographer. And as Alaskans keep getting older, the number of deaths will rise while births keep falling, adding to the population decline looking out to 2050, according to David Howell, state demographer, writing in the state’s latest Alaska Economic Trends magazine. The projections, if they...
A Petersburg borough sanding truck slid into another vehicle on an icy hill and then rolled into the muskeg on December 1. The truck was going up a hill to the local dump at around 4:30 p.m. Dave Berg is a spokesperson for the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department. He said the sand that the truck had just put down was no match for the steep, slick road. "He was heading up the hill," he said. "There was another vehicle following him, and the sander stopped, [it] basically was not getting any...
During the 1940s and 1950s, Petersburg's ski hill was the place to be on a winter's day, and the new exhibit at Clausen Memorial Museum opening on Sunday, Dec. 8 shows why. "The ski hill was a really big part of Petersburg between the years of 1939 and 1959," Clausen Museum curator Anne Lee told the Pilot. "It was up where the rock quarry is now, behind the airport ... they had a ski jump, and ski competitions, the ski hill, cross country races, downhill events, and they eventually had a tow...
WRANGELL — Tidal Network is operating in its test mode, with about a dozen Wrangell households trying out the new wireless internet service provided by the Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. Wrangell is the first location in Southeast to get the new service, which is funded by a federal grant for construction and later will be expanded across the region. During the testing phase, technicians will be “breaking it to fix it,” looking to maximize the signals’ range...
Sometimes, the best explanations are the simplest. Especially when it comes to economics. The complicated way to describe the consequences of Alaska losing population, particularly working-age residents, is to explain that fewer people have moved north than have moved out of the state in each of the past 12 years. That net outmigration is making it hard for employers to fill jobs, which means reduced hours of operation, longer waits for services and less money in the economy. The decline in working-age residents — ages 18 to 64 — is...
The Petersburg Pilot offers its congratulations and best wishes to our now-former news reporter, Olivia Rose, who has accepted a position at Petersburg’s much beloved public radio station KFSK. The Pilot has benefited greatly for the past year and a half from Olivia’s thorough and accurate reporting. Her good understanding of what community journalism is all about has been an entirely positive addition to our staff, and we are happy to know Petersburg will continue to benefit from her reporting talents. We’ve long known of Olivia’s...
Adrienne and Freya Stolpe enjoy some mom and daughter time during the cold 2-mile turkey...
December 5, 1924 – Halibut, herring and other fishermen who make their living from the depths of the sea were unanimous in their sentiment that the Port of Prince Rupert furnishes a competitive market for halibut, at a meeting of the Petersburg Men’s Club Sunday night, at which Samuel Schoenfeld, a fact-finding member of the United States Tariff Commission was present by special invitation. Mr. Schoenfeld gave a most interesting account of the tariff work. He said, however, he was present to get information from practical fishermen in...
House District 2 Representative Rebecca Himschoot will be holding a Cookies and Constituents event at the Petersburg Legislative Information Office at 11B Gjoa Street on December 23 from 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. She will also be available for individual appointments from December 22 through December 24. Please call 907-465-3732 to schedule an...
Hundreds of folks gathered downtown Friday, Nov. 29, for this year's Petersburg Christmas Tree Lighting. Donning an array of light-up accessories and holding candles aflame, people of all ages followed Santa Claus, who rode aboard a fire truck, with many joining Nathan Lopez in caroling along the walk through the snow-covered street on Nordic Drive to reach the towering, unlit Christmas tree standing at the municipal building, thanks to Public Works. A crowd formed in the parking lot to see...
The five men lost in the sinking of a commercial fishing boat near Hoonah early Sunday had just delivered a load in Juneau and were making a last run before the fishing season ended. The Sitka-based Wind Walker was transiting out to North Pacific fishing grounds when the boat capsized about 25 miles southwest of Juneau, according to several fishing industry representatives. The National Weather Service had forecast gale-force winds in the area, as well as freezing spray and snow. The Coast...
Deer season in Southeast Alaska is in full swing with hunters reporting high success rates. However, hunters are cautioned about the temptation to be too successful. Hunters should think twice about harvesting more than one deer at a time or caching a deer in the field to continue hunting. This season a Sitka hunter was fatally mauled by a brown bear while retrieving part of a deer he had harvested the previous day. Other hunters this season have reported caching deer so they could continue hunting, only to return and find their harvest...
Wally Swanson was born on March 22, 1928, in Everett, Washington, to Lloyd and Lillian Swanson. He was baptized on May 6, 1928, at the Swedish Covenant Church. His early years were spent at Silver Lake near Snohomish, Washington. Wally's official name was Lewellyn Swanson, but, as many of us know, he didn't care much for that name. His little brother, Norris, couldn't quite pronounce it, and so "Wally" was born. In 1929, when Wally was just a year old, his family made a life-changing move to... Full story
Scott was a lifelong resident of Petersburg AK. He loved the small town life and was very proud to call Petersburg his home. A commercial fisherman from the time he was a young man in high school until he passed. Scott graduated from Petersburg High School in 1976. Scott enjoyed traveling in the winter. Hawaii, Mexico and Las Vegas were favorites. A January trip to Las Vegas to play in the annual "Moose International Texas Holdem Tournament" became an annual favorite. Upward of a thousand card... Full story
Carolyn Verna Hansen, 86, passed away unexpectedly at home in Seattle on October 30, 2024. A devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Carolyn's family was her most prized treasure. She was married to her husband, Norman, for 65 years until his passing in January 2024. Carolyn was born in Petersburg, Alaska on November 30, 1937 to Henry and Verda (Garner) Grindrod, along with her twin sister Marolyn. Carolyn often described her childhood and teenage years as cold and snowy...
November 26 – An officer spoke with a complainant regarding a civil issue. Petersburg Police Department (PPD) received a report of a vandalized door to a school outbuilding near the track. An officer responded to a disturbance on South 2nd Street and determined it was a civil issue. PPD received multiple reports of fraudulent texts from an individual claiming to be a minister needing Apple gift cards purchased for them to give to cancer patients in the hospital, alleging they were too busy to get the cards themself, but would repay the...
Petersburg Pilot... Full story
Petersburg Pilot... Full story
