Articles from the January 29, 2026 edition


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  • Petersburg to receive $8 million for wastewater treatment improvements

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Jan 29, 2026

    Petersburg is one big step closer to receiving $8 million in federal funding to engineer the disinfection upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant. The funding was included in a spending bill that passed the Senate on Jan. 15 and the House a week earlier, according to U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office. The bill now awaits President Donald Trump’s signature. The $8 million will fund a disinfectant study, engineering work and plant design for the facility, which discharges into Frederick Sound. The total project was initially estimated to cos...

  • Rainy 2025: Petersburg's fourth-wettest on record

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Jan 29, 2026

    As Petersburg residents are all too aware, it was exceptionally rainy last year. 133.90 inches of precipitation fell in 2025, making it the fourth-rainiest year since records began in 1924. Last year's total fell just short of the all-time record of 136.88 inches set in 1991, according to data from the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Juneau. The second-wettest year on record was 2015 with 135.98 inches, followed by 1987 with 134.32 inches. "Based on the data we have, Petersburg was...

  • First home games of the season

    Jan 29, 2026

  • SE trollers question award of legal fees to WFC from Chinook case

    ANNA LAFFREY, Daily Sitka Sentinel|Jan 29, 2026
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    The Wild Fish Conservancy’s use of the Equal Access to Justice Act is alarming the small-boat fishermen who fought the conservancy’s lawsuit that sought to close the Southeast Alaska Chinook troll fishery to preserve migratory Chinook as prey for the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales that feed in waters near Puget Sound. WFC, a membership-based nonprofit with offices in Duvall, Washington, filed that lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service in U.S. District Court in Washington in 2020. For months in 2023, a District Cou...

  • Yesterday's News

    Jan 29, 2026

    January 22, 1926 – There is going to be a big time at the Sons of Norway Hall on Saturday when the Firemen give their annual Ball. We’re going to start with dances from way back in the 1880s and progress right up to the present date. In other words, we will start with a square dance and end up with the Charleston. A feed such as you never saw before will be served by the time you are good and hungry then you can start all over again. So don’t miss this Old Time to Modern Ones – it’s the Firemen’s Dance on Saturday! January 26, 1951 – The spell...

  • Quick response and lucky break saved Aquatic Center from extended shutdown

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Jan 29, 2026

    On January 9, heavy snow melt and rain saturated outdoor electrical panels at the Petersburg Aquatic Center, causing a failure of the main electrical breaker. Borough staff and local contractors quickly responded and restored electricity within three days, averting what could have been a costly, extended closure. "It was [around 4:14 p.m.] on Friday, and Julie texted me that the power on just the Aquatic Center had gone out," Parks and Recreation Director Stephanie Payne said. Payne immediately...

  • Assembly approves December diesel surcharge to recover unbudgeted cold-weather electricity generation costs

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Jan 29, 2026

    Petersburg utility customers will see a small surcharge on their January bills to cover the cost of running diesel generators during December’s extreme cold snap, following a 6-1 vote by the Borough Assembly at its Jan. 20 meeting. The diesel generation adjustment charge of 0.32 cents per kilowatt will apply to all electricity used in December and is expected to recover about $24,000 in unbudgeted expenses for fuel, lubricating oil and overtime, according to Utility Director Karl Hagerman. “The extreme cold temperatures experienced in Dec...

  • To the Editor

    Jan 29, 2026

    On Holocaust Remembrance Day To the Editor: Today, Tuesday, January 27, is Holocaust Remembrance Day. My good friend George, a youth in Poland at the time, rode his bicycle across two countries, eating scraps of food, hiding and sleeping in deserted barns – eventually immigrating to the United States. My dad, a descendent of immigrants, helped defend the world as a Marine who also earned a Purple Heart – despite his great prejudice against most minorities. Holocaust Remembrance Day is about “Never Again.” Never Again ignoring the warning...

  • Commentary

    Larry Persily, Wrangell Sentinel, publisher|Jan 29, 2026

    Gov. Mike Dunleavy, in the final year of his 2,918-day, two-term career in the job, is picking at the plate of a long-term fiscal plan for the state, much like a kid skips the broccoli and wants to move straight to the dessert. The governor talks about a full menu of legislation to build a balanced budget for years to come, with enough revenue to meet expenses — a goal which has eluded Alaska for much of the past decade as the state has burned through its savings. It’s a goal which the governor pretty much ignored in his first seven years on th...

  • Police report

    Jan 29, 2026

    January 21 - A welfare check was conducted. Suspicious noises were reported on S 4th Street. Officer was unable to locate the source of the noise/disturbance. An individual requested a civil standby. A citizen was upset that another person had called him a name. A fraud was reported. A warning was issued for headlight requirements. January 22 - An extra patrol was conducted on Haugen Drive. A water leak was reported. A warning was issued for expired registration. A dangerous dog was reported on Excel Street. Smoke was reported in the Mill Road...

  • Vikings continue winning ways, sweep home series against Craig Panthers

    Aiden Luhr, Pilot writer|Jan 29, 2026

    The Petersburg Boys Basketball team continued their winning ways this past weekend against the Craig Panthers. In game one, the Vikings came out of the gates with a dominating defensive display, limiting the Panthers to zero points in the first quarter. "I liked the fact that we were able to put pressure on the ball and take away the avenues and places they were trying to move without gambling too much," head coach Rick Brock said. The Vikings allowed only nine points in the first half, taking...

  • Lady Vikings fall to Craig Lady Panthers in road series

    Aiden Luhr, Pilot writer|Jan 29, 2026

    Seeing their first wins of the season, the Petersburg Lady Vikings got off to a 6-4 start against the Craig Lady Panthers. Early in the second quarter, the Vikings had a 8-4 lead. After that, the Lady Panthers went on a 11-0 run, to take a 17-8 lead and hold the Lady Vikings scoreless in the final 6:35 of the half. The Vikings remained scoreless until about the six minute mark of the third quarter. “We were right in it for the first quarter and then half of the second. We were holding [the Panthers] off for a little bit but our shots w...

  • Alaska Board of Game holds line on deer bag limit in Wrangell last weekend

    ANNA LAFFREY, Daily Sitka Sentinel|Jan 29, 2026

    Meeting in Wrangell’s Nolan Center over the weekend, the seven-member Alaska Board of Game heard testimony from Southeast Alaska hunters and trappers, and made decisions on proposed changes to state regulations that govern the harvest of deer, bears, mountain goats, birds and other animals in Southeast Alaska. On Monday, the seven-member board voted 5-2 to reject Proposal 23, which would have increased the bag limit for non-Alaska residents hunting deer in the greater Sitka-area Game Management Unit 4, which includes Baranof, Admiralty and C...

  • Obituary:

    Jan 29, 2026

    Darlene Elizabeth Haley was born on September 10, 1949, in Ontario, Oregon, to Jimmy Lee and Ethel Goff. Her childhood was spent picking berries, babysitting, and enjoying many family outings in Idaho – simple moments that helped shape the warmth, work ethic, and love of family she carried throughout her life. In 1970, she met the love of her life, Bill Haley. Their partnership became the foundation of her life – a bond built on deep love, loyalty, and laughter. In 1979, with Bill, Brian and...