Articles written by Ben Muir
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Home and Garden Edition: Something new, something blue and built for the view
The couches and loveseats inside Donna Martinsen's new home all face outward, toward Hungry Point, turned away from the modest flat screen in the corner. Martinsen and her husband, Jim, moved into a...
Home and Garden Edition: Two of Petersburg character preservers The apartment and the net house
As a teenager in California, Wally McDonald watched the community he grew up in become unrecognizable and commercialized, setting the groundwork for his later effort to preserve Petersburg's...
Home and Garden Edition: Vicks build culturally diverse home next to their grandkids
The essence of Theresa and Dan Vick's new house is its inside diversity, between her culture with Native figurines, a totem pole, and his, with an electric guitar shaped like an assault rifle, and...
New Petersburg Medical Center CEO selected
A hospital administrator from Nome is slated to become CEO of the Petersburg Medical Center. Philip Hofstetter, who's been vice president of hospital services at the Norton Sound Health Corporation...
Local Samaritan tends to man who swam halfway across Wrangell Narrows
A Petersburg Samaritan was clipped by an oncoming car on Sunday as he was tending to a distressed man in the middle of the road, who had just swum halfway across the Wrangell Narrows, police say. Sgt. Jim Kerr with the Petersburg Police Department...
Headed back to Michigan
I’ll keep this brief since a reporter shouldn’t be near an op-ed page. I wrote a few stories for the Pilot over an 11-month period and now I’m leaving, back to my home state, Michigan, where I will be editor of a newspaper. My departure is not...
Borough land selection halts amid apparent miscommunication with DNR
For now, the Petersburg Borough won’t choose any state land it’s entitled to, coming after a string of emails that suggest a stunning miscommunication with the DNR. Gov. Bill Walker signed Senate Bill 28 in Petersburg in November, which entitles...
Young Wrangell artist has first solo show
A 23-year-old artist from Wrangell had her first solo show in Petersburg on Friday, where she was stunned by the turn out and support. The artist, Jaynee Fritzinger, was nervous for her first show at...
PHS senior completes externship with AK Rep.
Alice Neidiffer, the student body president at Petersburg High School, recently spent a half week in Juneau, researching bills and passing notes in hearings, all while observing those who might not...
Meteorologists say more dry days likely to come
March in Petersburg was the fourth driest on record, and meteorologists are predicting the summer could be more of the same. There were 2.74 inches of rainfall in March, including snow water, which is 78 percent less than what is normal in...
First Petersburg High School alumnus inducted into ASAA Hall of Fame
A Petersburg High School alumnus was selected to this year's Alaska School Activities Association Hall of Fame for his excellence in basketball. Cam Severson, who graduated in 2008, will be the first...
Petersburg police sergeant accepted into FBI National Academy, one of two Alaska officers
A police sergeant in Petersburg was notified on Wednesday that he has been accepted into the FBI National Academy, a program that roughly one percent of officers in the United States are selected...
Local police celebrate national dispatchers week
Currently the Petersburg Police Department is recognizing its dispatchers for National Telecommunicator Appreciation Week. Kelly Swihart, chief of police, said Petersburg dispatchers are a devoted gro...
Man charged in heroin investigation
A Petersburg man is facing controlled substance charges after police intercepted a package shipped to him that contained about an ounce of heroin. Kelsey McCay, 25, was arrested on Tuesday and...
School staff to start administering alcohol tests
The Petersburg School District recently purchased a less invasive way than a breathalyzer to test for alcohol, coming after a few students were hospitalized amid the homecoming dance in February. The...
PHS track young but talented, coach says
The Petersburg High School track team is gearing up for the season and hoping to offset losing six seniors by using speed, relay races and young additions. More than 30 kids are rostered on the Petersburg Track and Field Team, consisting mostly of yo...
Kake canoeing team preparing for Juneau voyage
A group in Kake is preparing for a canoe trip to Juneau in part to celebrate its Native culture, but a logistical setback has left them seeking help from the Southeast Alaska fleet. A 13-person crew from Kake is hoping to carry out an eight-day canoe...
Petersburg Ranger District considers guide permit until community pushes back
The forest service in Petersburg was hardset on waiting to decide on a recent controversial guide permit for moose hunting issue, saying on Wednesday it would hold-off until next week, only to change its mind minutes later. A retired forest service...
Research biologist explains communication with humpbacks
Researchers at a lighthouse near Petersburg have been conducting behavioral studies of humpback whales, trying to understand their diverse communication system, and this summer the humans are ready...
Southeast power agency CEO updates Borough assembly on savings, water levels
The CEO of Southeast Alaska’s wholesale power provider stopped by an assembly meeting on Monday to update Petersburg on its projects and financial wins so far this year. Trey Acteson, CEO of Southeast Alaska Power Agency, the primary electric...
Herring fishery closes 8,330 tons short of guideline level
The Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery closed Tuesday for the remainder of the 2018 season after two days and about 8,300 tons short of guideline harvest level. The Alaska Department Fish and Game closed the Sitka fishery after the roughly 30 boats...
WAVE promotes 'Embrace Your Voice' for sexual violence month
A non-profit group's theme for sexual assault awareness month focuses on how to educate and talk about sexual violence in Petersburg. The group, Working Against Violence for Everyone, is using April...
About 10 applicants for police chief position so far
The Petersburg Borough is a month into recruiting for a police chief, and about 10 applications have been submitted as of Monday, the manager said. The borough is advertising a salary range from $80,000 to $95,000 for the police chief position,...
Borough upgrades old response equipment
The Petersburg Borough recently installed two emergency sirens in the area while the EMS team is looking forward to a new vehicle. Sandy Dixson, the fire department and EMS director, said the borough...
About 15 volunteers help repaint 'Our Town' mural
A 15-year-old, fading mural in Petersburg is getting about four coats of paint added by volunteers in town. The Our Town mural, which hung above the parking lot across the street from the Wells Fargo...
