Articles from the September 17, 2015 edition


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  • Local moose season opens and hopes are high

    Jess Field|Sep 17, 2015

    Moose season is now open and hunters are afield trying to fill their freezers. Hunters will continue to operate under the same regulations, as hunting areas and antler restrictions remain unchanged from 2014. The season opens with high hopes for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) and hunters alike. Last fall, 106 moose were taken locally, the second highest total on record for the RMO-38 moose hunt. The total was just a couple shy of the 109 recorded moose killed in 2009. “That’s very good, because it wasn’t that long ago that we we... Full story

  • Road closed at Haugen and Sandy Beach

    Sep 17, 2015

  • Locals express frustration with Kake Road project development

    Mary Koppes|Sep 17, 2015

    About 15 Petersburg and Kupreanof residents attended a meeting last Thursday night to hear about and voice their opinions on recent developments on the Kake Access road project. Meeting attendees listened to presentations by ADOT's Andy Hughes, Seth English-Young from the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) and two consultants working on the project who explained developments with the project's purpose and need statement and a screening process developed to evaluate 21 transportation... Full story

  • Assembly apprised of liability coverage, gaps for harbor use

    Mary Koppes|Sep 17, 2015

    Sue Erickson of Petersburg-Wrangell Insurance gave an overview of the Borough’s liability insurance coverage at Thursday’s regular Assembly meeting. The Borough’s insurance has been provided by Alaska Public Entities Insurance for over a decade. There’s a $240,000 premium for its liability coverage, 11 percent of which goes to cover workers’ compensation. The premium has only increased $11,000 in the past six years, which Erickson characterized as “fantastic” and attributed to both claims handling and safety efforts by the Borough. Eric... Full story

  • Yesterday's News

    Sep 17, 2015

    September 18, 1915 – The power barge Elliott, Captain W. H. Royden, arrived in port on Friday of last week from a six weeks' shark-fishing cruise. The cruise was successful, the scow bringing in forty-one barrels of oil and twenty-nine barrels of salmon bellies. The salmon were seined for bait, the backs being used for that purpose. The total number of sharks caught was 362, and the oil rendered averaged about five gallons per shark liver. The principle demand for shark-liver oil comes from the paint companies. The oil is said to be a very f...

  • Brazilian exchange student experiences life in small-town Alaska

    Mary Koppes|Sep 17, 2015

    Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil-the largest city in the Americas with a population of almost 12 million-Carolina Macluf is settling into life in small town Alaska as this year's in-bound Rotary exchange student. Macluf chose Petersburg as the location for her one-year exchange because she wanted to practice English and see somewhere different. "I just think I want a different place," she said, adding that several other out-bound exchange students from her area chose to study in one of...

  • Resolution to address 'Roadless' ruling fails to get needed Assembly support

    Mary Koppes|Sep 17, 2015

    Three concerned Petersburg and Kupreanof residents spoke out against a resolution being considered as part of last Thursday’s Borough Assembly agenda. Though three Assembly members—Mayor Mark Jensen, Bob Lynn, Nancy Strand—voted in fav or of the resolution, four votes were needed for it to pass. The resolution would have called for the governor to petition for an appeal of the Ninth Circuit court’s late July ruling which overturned the Tongass National Forest’s exemption to the Roadless Rule. The Wrangell Borough and Ketchikan Gateway B...

  • SEAPA holds regular board meeting in Petersburg

    Jess Field|Sep 17, 2015

    For its September regular board meeting, Southeast Alaska Power Authority (SEAPA) board members met in Petersburg earlier this week. The board heard updates concerning the company's ongoing efforts to catalog hydro sites in Southeast. This summer, a consultant flight crew moved personnel and equipment to remote areas, including lakes that have never had bathymetric studies conducted on them. The process reveals underwater topography while recording the depth of the lakes. Falls Lake and Scenery Lake were both mapped and recorded. Similar survey...

  • Police reports

    Sep 17, 2015

    September 9 An officer responded to a report of a loud verbal argument between a group of males at Eagle’s Roost Park. The officer found there was no argument and advised the group of quiet hours. Police spoke with individuals involved in a vehicle-person collision. Neither party wanted to pursue the matter with police. A parked vehicle creating a road hazard was reported. A driver received a warning for not having tags on their vehicle. A noisy generator that’s constantly running on Scow Bay Loop was reported. September 10 An officer fou...

  • Courts

    Sep 17, 2015

    September 10 Randi Jo Haviland appeared before Magistrate Judge Desiree Burrell for an arraignment on a charge of Negligent Driving, a minor offense. Haviland pled not guilty and a trial was scheduled for Oct. 14. September 15 Permelia Lyons appeared telephonically before Superior Court Judge Leonard Devaney for a felony first proceeding. Lyons is charged with Assault in the 3rd Degree and three misdemeanor charges. A public defender agency was appointed and an arraignment for the misdemeanor charges was scheduled for Sept. 16. Superior Court...

  • 2015 Tongass Rainforest Festival

    Sep 17, 2015

  • Viking cross country teams place high against tough competition

    Jess Field|Sep 17, 2015

    Petersburg High School cross country had tough competition at the Wrangell Invitational last weekend. The boys and girls faced a field with multiple 3A and 4A teams, including Juneau-Douglas, Thunder Mountain and Ketchikan. The meet hosted over 200 runners, and the course proved to be quite fast. The boys team place sixth overall in the 1A/2A/3A/4A standings, and third among 1A/2A/3A squads. And the girls team finished third in 1A/2A/3A/4A, finishing behind first place Juneau-Douglas and only...

  • Viking volleyballers are ready to go

    Jess Field|Sep 17, 2015

    Petersburg High School volleyball started this week, and over 35 girls will be participating for the Vikings. Last year, the volleyball team played as a 3A team, and this year they will be playing in the smaller 2A classification, but still face serious competition. Head coach Jaime Cabral says the girls were excited to start practice on Wednesday, and he believes his “scrappy” squad will be prepared and ready to play. The Vikings first junior varsity and varsity matches will be in Juneau against 4A Juneau-Douglas on Oct. 2 and 3. Cabral say...

  • Cleaning up the streets

    Sep 17, 2015

  • Banner year for local berry pickers

    Jess Field|Sep 17, 2015

    The abundance of outdoor opportunities in Southeast creates a haven for those willing to explore the almost unlimited potentials. Often times that exploration can lead to personal growth and finding new hobbies that quickly become passions. For Bev Siercks, picking wild berries means wine making, and relaxing amongst the trees and assorted berry patches. Growing up in North Dakota, Siercks occasionally picked berries, but since moving to Petersburg it's become a lifestyle. Especially this year,...

  • Fish Factor: State commercial fisheries director resigns post

    Laine Welch|Sep 17, 2015

    Alaska’s fishing industry was dismayed last week by the sudden news that Jeff Regnart, Director of the state’s Commercial Fisheries Division, will leave the job on October 2. “I’m resigning due to family reasons, aging parents…I just can’t be in the state full time like this job demands,” Regnart explained. Jeff Regnart started as an Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game field tech in high school, and over 30 years worked his way to management positions at Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet and Bristol Bay. He took over as director of the commercial fi...

  • Manager's Report

    Sep 17, 2015

    Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht gave the following report at last Thursday’s Regular Assembly meeting. As requested by the Fire Department, a new fire hydrant will be installed next to Piston and Rudder in conjunction with road work. Two old cement mixers were donated to the Wastewater Department by Dave Carlson. The mixer drums from the trucks will be converted into rotary composters. There was a small landslide next to the road leading to the Cabin Creek dam. The water line is not in any danger but Public Works crews will perform some w...

  • Obituary, Karilyn Eunice Simchuk Reid, 61

    Sep 17, 2015

    Karilyn Eunice Simchuk Reid, 61, passed away peacefully in Spokane, Wash. on September 6, 2015. She was born on April 8, 1954 to Nick and Eunice Simchuk in Spokane and was raised in the area. Karilyn attended Mead Schools and graduated from high school in 1972. She met her first husband, Steve O'Neil, at Spokane Falls Community College and they began traveling to Alaska for the summers. Together they had two children, Cameron and Stacey O'Neil. The family spent their time between Washington and... Full story

  • Cemetery fee increase advances; Assembly considers accessible fishing dock project

    Mary Koppes|Sep 17, 2015

    The Borough Assembly voted unanimously to approve new columbarium fees and increases to other cemetery fees as part of an ordinance passed on its first reading last Thursday. The ordinance includes language changes to reflect Borough incorporation and to establish fees to place an urn in one of the 320 burials niches of a new columbarium erected at the cemetery last month. The new proposed fee for urn placement is $175, with an additional $75 charge for placements occurring on weekends or holidays. The proposed fee for burials—opening and c...