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U.S. Senate candidate Dan Sullivan from Petersburg says a state investigation into his bid for office is baseless and inappropriate. "It's a little bit chilling in a way, in some ways, that they would go after somebody like me," he said in an interview Wednesday this afternoon. The candidate shares a name and Republican party designation with Alaska's incumbent senator, whom he's running against. That kicked off a lot of Republican complaints and the state's investigation. Sen. Dan Sullivan has... Full story
Inside a small booth with a large glass window, Petersburg Medical Center Radiology Manager Sonja Paul was running Petersburg’s new MRI machine through a quality control test. “These machines can get pretty loud,” she explained, turning up the volume on a nearby speaker. “It sounds like a lot of knocking, hammers, ticks, things like that.” An MRI is a medical device that takes images of soft tissues in your body – like your tendons or your brain – using powerful magnetic fields. Those images can help diagnose joint and back injuries, tum... Full story
Petersburg is home to skilled quilters, knitters, and other textile artists, but it's been years since the island town had a dedicated craft store. That changed on Wednesday, May 6, when Olivia Martinsen opened Tangled Thread. The bright, colorful craft store is tucked into the first floor of the Petersburg Indian Association's Hallingstad-Peratrovich building. Martinsen has a little bit of everything: yarn, fabric, embroidery supplies, weaving materials, felting options, and lots of crafty... Full story
On a Friday afternoon in Jill Lenhard's class, the sound of crying babies filled the room – crying robot babies, that is. The babies were new, and the class, including Lenhard, was still figuring out how to use them. "I took one baby home to see how it all worked, and I took it home in a grocery sack because I didn't want to walk down the street carrying a baby," Lenhard told the class. "But then when I got home and I laid it on the counter my husband was like, 'What is this?!'" These robot b... Full story
The first draft of the Petersburg School District's budget anticipates a $343,000 deficit, which is more than last month's estimate. In a presentation to the school board on Thursday, April 24, school officials said that's because the district's enrollment projections went down, and they had hired more paraprofessionals. But other expenses, like health insurance and curriculum costs, turned out lower than expected. The district is planning to spend $11.6 million next school year. Last year, the...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously last week to sell two borough-owned parcels to local developer Dave Ohmer for $61,800. Ohmer plans to build a duplex on each property, which are on Haugen Drive near the hospital WERC building. Ohmer has not signed the deeds yet, but he told KFSK he was happy the contract specifically outlined that the property would be used to build housing rentals. “I hope this is a bit of a template for them to do this with a lot more people around town, and try to get lots into private hands,” Ohmer sai... Full story
Petersburg’s elementary school will be getting new accessible playground equipment next school year as part of a $173,000 grant from the Hurst Wood Education Foundation, a nonprofit that supports special education projects in schools. The current playground at the Rae C. Stedman Elementary School has swings, slides, monkey bars, and a variety of climbing equipment. For students in wheelchairs or with limited mobility, playing on that equipment can be challenging. Special Education Director Cyndy Fry said having a playground that’s ina... Full story
Two drivers have been transported to the Petersburg Medical Center after a collision around 10 a.m. Tuesday on the Mitkof Highway near Petersburg's cemetery, about two miles south of town. "There was a car heading southbound, and as he was accelerating into the 40 mile an hour zone, he ran into a patch of ice and lost control of the vehicle," said Dave Berg, a spokesperson for the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department. "He crossed the center line and hit another vehicle." Berg said when the two... Full story
The executive director of Petersburg’s domestic violence prevention nonprofit will be leaving her position this summer. Rikki McKay was hired to lead Working Against Violence for Everyone last May. She plans to step down from the position in July after just over a year in the role. The director before McKay was in the position for less than a year. McKay said she’s leaving to finish a double master’s in public health and social work — she’s been working full time at WAVE on top of being a full-time student. “I would like to become licensed as... Full story
Living in a small town like Petersburg often means traveling to Anchorage or Juneau for specialized healthcare. Medical travel can be inconvenient and costly, which means some people delay seeking important preventative care, like colonoscopies. For years, colonoscopy clinics were few and far between in Petersburg. But the cancer-spotting procedure will be returning in February on what's expected to be a quarterly basis. During a colonoscopy, a doctor uses a camera on a flexible tube to look... Full story
The unofficial 2026 Petersburg Indian Association election results are in. Tribal members re-elected Carol Martinez to a one-year term as council president, and elected Stephanie Silva to a two-year tribal council seat. Martinez and Silva were the only candidates running for spots on the tribal council this year, leaving two council member seats unfilled. This year’s election had a significant decrease in candidates compared to previous years. Last year, 11 candidates and two write-ins ran for six available seats. The 2024 election had nine c... Full story
When New Jersey-based director Brian Bill was working on the documentary “Tide and Table,” he knew the film needed to premiere in Petersburg. His company, Two Doors Down Productions, visited Petersburg several times this year to document the town’s vibrant food and close-knit community. Bill said it felt important to have the community’s approval before the film hit a broader audience. The production reached out to Petersburg’s only movie theater, the Northern Nights Theater, which partners with the local school district to provide job train... Full story
Marc Taylor will be sworn into the Petersburg school board next month, filling a seat that has been vacant for nearly two months. Taylor has lived in Petersburg since 2022 and works for Trident Seafoods. He said he applied for the board’s remaining empty seat because he wanted to give back to Petersburg. “I just kind of want to do my part for our community,” Taylor said. He said education has been a big part of his family, which also contributed to his desire to serve on the board. “My whole family, outside of me, were teachers or worked... Full story
Tribal members will decide who will serve as the Petersburg Indian Association’s council president and who will fill three seats on the tribal council when the tribal government holds its election on Jan. 5. The president serves a one-year term, while tribal council members serve two-year terms. Current council members Heather Conn and Nathan Lopez and Heather Conn will not be seeking reelection. Conn will be taking time to care for herself and her family, and Lopez is moving out of Petersburg. Conn has held a seat on the tribal council for s... Full story
When 16-year-old Jakob Preisler signed up for his international exchange program, he didn't expect to come to Alaska. "It was a really big surprise," Jakob said. "I choose USA, and then after a few weeks, I got the information: you go to Alaska." Since the early 1990s, Petersburg's Rotary Club has participated in international exchange programs. Each year, a student from Petersburg spends time in another country, and the community welcomes an international student for the school year. This... Full story
Back in May, National Marine Fisheries Enforcement Officer Jerod Cook responded to a call from Petersburg's police department about a stranded baby seal at the Libby Straits south of town. "He was just hanging on to the beach there," Cook said. "We never did see a mother for it." He moved the seal to a safer location, then came back to check on it the next day. "It was obvious that something, a decision, needed to be made," Cook said. After several months of treatment at the Alaska SeaLife... Full story
With the start of fall comes respiratory illness season, which means it’s also the time of year when medical providers recommend getting your vaccinations. Multiple vaccines are currently available in Petersburg. Free flu shots are available to anyone six months and older at the Petersburg Medical Center and Petersburg Public Health. Regular and high-dose shots are available. On KFSK’s call-in show PMC Live, Petersburg Public Health Nurse Erin Michael said a recent flu vaccine clinic gave out close to 150 flu shots in a day. “And that doesn...
On a cold, cloudy Friday at Petersburg's Sandy Beach Park, Vivian Yéilk' Mork poured locally picked red huckleberries and water into a blender. Mork wasn't making a smoothie, though, she was trying to do the opposite. "Now, you don't want to turn it full on when you do it," Mork explained, gently pulsing the blender as she inspected the pulp inside. "Because you're just wanting to separate the flesh from the seeds." Mork was teaching a class on berry propagation, a way of growing new plants...
It’s back-to-school shopping season in Petersburg, and for many kids, that means it’s time to try on new shoes. But not every family can afford new shoes every year. That’s where Lee’s Clothing, a family-owned store on Petersburg’s main street, comes in. The business maintains a “shoe fund” for families in need, which helps pay for one new pair of shoes per child. The program started a decade ago, when a woman who wanted to be anonymous came into Lee’s Clothing and asked if any kids in town needed new shoes. Heidi Lee, who helps run the store,...
Petersburg's school buildings and surrounding area were on lockdown for over an hour Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 26, after police received a report of a person with an AR-15 gun and multiple magazines in a school bathroom. The Petersburg Police Department, Alaska Wildlife Troopers and U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement responded and secured the area. Officers found no real threat on the premises and determined it was a false report. "I'm sure people were alarmed, but rest assured it's safe and...
Part of a wastewater line in Frederick Sound has broken, and the Petersburg Borough must repair it to comply with an upcoming Environmental Protection Agency permit. The pipe, known as the outfall line, discharges wastewater from Petersburg's treatment plant into Frederick Sound. Wastewater Operations Supervisor Justin Haley said that a part of the pipe called the diffuser has fallen off. The diffuser distributes the wastewater at different places in the water, where ocean currents dilute it further in a "mixing zone." Right now, wastewater is... Full story
The Alaska Legislature overrode Governor Mike Dunleavy’s veto of state education funding at a special session on Saturday. Earlier this year, lawmakers approved a $700 increase in the per-student funding formula known as the base student allocation (BSA). Using his line-item veto power, the governor reduced that increase by $200. The override undoes the governor’s veto. Both of Petersburg’s state lawmakers, Senator Bert Stedman (R-Sitka) and Representative Rebecca Himschoot (I-Sitka) voted in favor of the override. Petersburg Super...
The federal government will be releasing billions of dollars in education funding this week, including $46 million in Alaska, after freezing the funds last month. The Trump administration announced in late June that the funding was being withheld pending a review. Multiple advocacy groups and school districts sued the Trump Administration, including some in Alaska. Last week, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it would be releasing the frozen funding. Part of that funding is Title I-C funding for migrant education. A quarter of...
Petersburg’s school district approved a budget last week that will draw down nearly $700,000 dollars from its reserves to make up for school funding vetoed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Dunleavy reduced education funding for school districts statewide with a line-item veto on June 12, just weeks before districts start their next fiscal years. The Legislature originally approved a $700 increase in per-student funding, known as the base student allocation (BSA). It was the first substantial increase since 2017. Dunleavy didn’t approve enough money to fu...
