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The 2022 general election polls closed Tuesday night, putting an end to the campaign season and kicking off a two-week waiting game as ballots are counted until the final results tabulation on Nov. 23. As of Wednesday evening, 80% of the ballots cast statewide have been reported according to the Associated Press. With Alaska now using ranked choice voting in statewide elections, those ballots are only reporting votes for candidates whom voters ranked as their first choice. So far in Petersburg...
In votes counted through early Wednesday morning, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy appeared on pace for re-election to a second four-year term. Dunleavy, a Republican, built a substantial lead over challengers Democrat Les Gara, independent Bill Walker and Republican Charlie Pierce, holding 52% of Tuesday's 216,364 first-choice votes. If Dunleavy's vote share stays above 50%, he will win the election outright without going through Alaska's new ranked choice counting process. Gara and Walker had less... Full story
The nation's eyes are on the U.S. Senate and House races in Alaska, but anyone wanting to know the outcome will have to be patient. Defending their seats are two high-profile women. In the Senate is Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump – and who has been the target of ire from Trump and from hard-liner conservatives. She trailed Republican challenger Kelly Tshibaka by a small margin, 42.7% to 44.4% of the first 216,000 votes counted. But Murkowski w... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly will hold a special meeting on Nov. 11 to decide if it will appoint the law firm of Jermain, Dunnagan, & Owens to serve as the special legal counsel in a lawsuit brought against the borough and Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson in her official capacity. During its meeting on Monday, the assembly discussed the appointment of the law firm which had been recommended by Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht and Borough Attorney Sara Heideman. After a lengthy discussion, the...
November 10, 1922 – In a talk before the Juneau Commercial Association luncheon, Roy Jones, an aviator from Ketchikan currently in Juneau with his plane, stated that while it was not generally known, two representatives of the government had been here and elsewhere in Alaska recently looking up the feasibility of establishing aerial mail routes. The investigators were members of the army. Mr. Jones laid stress on the wonderful possibilities of aerial service in Southeastern Alaska in particular and throughout the territory in general, p...
The Petersburg and Wrangell Ranger Districts are seeking comments for nine proposed cabins as the U.S. Forest Service looks to construct new cabins in areas that are closer to communities and accessible by road or saltwater. According to the project's scoping letter, the Forest Service plans to redistribute the cabin system on the Tongass National Forest to meet increasing demand and to make cabins easier to travel to and easier to maintain. The four proposed cabins in the Petersburg area...
November 2 – An alarm activated at pump station #4. Water Wastewater (W/WW) was notified and responded. An officer responded to a report of a dangerous driver on Sandy Beach Road but was unable to locate the vehicle. Petersburg Police Department (PPD) received a report of property lost downtown. An officer assisted a citizen on Kiseno Street. PPD received a report of four-wheelers driving dangerously on Ira II Street. An officer conducted a welfare check on individuals on South Nordic Drive and found all to be okay. An officer responded to a re...
October 19, 2022 In the Petersburg District Court, Deputy Magistrate Judge Sheri LaDawn Ridgeway presided over the State of Alaska v Dylan Barger in an arraignment hearing for Assault 4. The defendant failed to appear and a bench warrant was issued. No bail was set. Deputy Magistrate Judge Sheri LaDawn Ridgeway presided over the State of Alaska v Shayla Madole in an arraignment hearing in the Petersburg District Court. The defendant pleaded guilty to first degree minor consumption/possessing/controlling alcohol. The defendant was fined $500...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted against a resolution during Monday's meeting that would have set 6 p.m. as the start time for all assembly meetings. Resolution #2022-17 narrowly failed by a 3-4 vote with Assembly Members Thomas Fine-Walsh, Dave Kensinger, Bob Lynn, and Jeff Meucci opposing the time change. The resolution came after Jim Floyd presented the assembly with a petition with over 70 signatures at its last meeting, which alleged that holding assembly meetings at noon makes them...
Bob Lynn was elected vice mayor by the Petersburg Borough Assembly during its meeting on Monday in a 5-2 vote with Mayor Mark Jensen and Assembly Member Scott Newman opposed. Newman made a motion to elect Assembly Member Donna Marsh as vice mayor, which was seconded by Assembly Member Dave Kensinger for the sake of discussion. Kensinger said that he was not opposed to Marsh becoming vice mayor but thought that it would be prudent to elect someone who had been on the assembly for at least a...
After two years of navigating supply chain issues and the demands of his other responsibilities working for the Petersburg Indian Association(PIA), Jack Galaktionoff put the final touches on the Mountain View Manor Trail and its official opening was celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony held on Monday, November 7th. The trail, which begins behind the Manor at the corner of 13th and Gjoa Streets, is just short of 1400 feet long and connects to the existing Hungry Point Boardwalk, creating a f...
The Anchorage School District, which is considering the closure of six elementary schools amid a projected $68 million budget shortfall, isn’t the only district facing a major fiscal problem. At the end of the last school year, Fairbanks closed three schools. In Juneau, the school board is considering whether to fire specialists intended to help students recover reading skills lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. In rural Alaska, districts are trying to balance their books while dealing with high transportation and heating costs. Local and s... Full story
The Petersburg High School wrestling team made the long trip up to Anchorage last weekend for the Anchorage Christian Schools invitational, the largest competition they have attended yet, and were rewarded with their best performance of the season. "We just turned it on and we did really, really well," Coach James Valentine said. The Petersburg boys placed fifth overall, making them the top team from Southeast at the competition. Kaden Duke and Wyatt Litster both flew through their brackets,...
Three Petersburg High School students traveled to Haines with their music teacher, Chelsea Corrao, to perform in the October 23-25, 2022 Southeast Alaska Honor Music Festival. After a classic southeast travel experience complete with flight delays and an early morning ferry, the students met the other musicians and began rehearsals in preparation for a Tuesday evening live performance. The process for selection for Honor Music began back in September. Chelsea Corrao, the new Petersburg High...
Gov. Mike Dunleavy has requested a federal disaster declaration and U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola has requested $250 million in relief funding after the failure of this year’s Bering Sea snow crab and Bristol Bay red king crab fisheries. Peltola asked Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the chair of the House Appropriations Committee to include relief funding for crab fishermen and the crabbing industry in Congress’ year-end appropriation bill. Disaster relief funding could be available if Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo declares a fis... Full story
The wolf hunting and trapping season for Prince of Wales Island will be the same as last year — Nov. 15 to Dec. 15 — though a number of individuals who trap wolves in the area criticized the Alaska Department of Fish and Game last week for its wolf management decisions. The department announced the limited season last Friday, just two days after a teleconference to review with the public wolf population estimates and harvest levels. Several people described seeing more wolves than deer in the area, arguing that a longer season and higher harves...
After a recent fire put the Ketchikan harbor department at risk of a lawsuit for not requiring boat owners to carry insurance, the Wrangell Port and Harbors Department is considering issuing an insurance requirement for vessels, though the decision-making process is still in the early stages. At the Ketchikan harbor, the owner of a boat damaged in the fire aboard a nearby vessel has threatened legal action against the city for losses. According to Wrangell Port Director Steve Miller, the borough harbor department is weighing its funding needs...
WRANGELL — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that its updated permit for the Wrangell wastewater treatment plant will contain stricter limits on the amounts of bacteria the facility can discharge into Zimovia Strait. Wrangell will need to update its treatment operation to include disinfection of discharged wastewater, which will decrease fecal coliform and enterococcus bacteria counts. The borough will have five years to comply with new requirements. Disinfection will be “a major project for us,” said Borough Manager Jeff Good....
WRANGELL — The coronavirus led to many business closures in 2020. Of those that were able to adapt and weather the financial storm caused by the pandemic, many are still struggling to recover. To that end, the Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska has reopened its federally funded small business relief grant program to help small businesses owned by tribal citizens. The council also has introduced a grant program for 2022 start-ups. The relief grants have been awarded since 2021, with $200,000 total being awarded to 40 b...
Sigrid Medalen passed away peacefully on October 12, 2022 after a short illness. Sigrid Carol Dokken was born on March 8, 1931 to Syvert and Clara (Oium) Dokken, one of 7 children. She grew up on their family farm along the Mouse River at Towner, North Dakota. She attended school through eighth grade in a one room country schoolhouse. After graduating from high school in 1949 in Towner, North Dakota Sigrid went to summer school in Minot, North Dakota and got her teaching certificate. She taught... Full story
