Articles from the December 17, 2020 edition


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  • Erosion causes landslide at Public Works

    Brian Varela|Dec 17, 2020

    Water from this month's heavy rainfall ripped at deformities in a culvert that runs underneath the Public Works yard, opening up a portion of the pipe and causing a landslide near Hammer Slough. The culvert diverts water from a creek that runs parallel to Kiseno St. to Hammer Slough. When 6.63 inches of rain fell over the town on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, water in the creek became backed up as the culvert struggled under the volume of water, said Public Works Director Chris Cotta. The gushing water...

  • Petersburg bow hunter sets world record

    Brian Varela|Dec 17, 2020

    After an anxious three months, the rocky mountain goat Kaleb Baird shot with a bow and arrow on the Cleveland Peninsula has been certified by Pope and Young, a conservation club, as the largest billy ever taken down with a bow in the world. "It was a killer animal and a great goat," said Baird. "It's neat that he gets to be recognized as number one." The mountain goat had a final score of 53 1/2 inches, according to Pope and Young. Baird said an official scorer took ten different measurements...

  • Yesterday's News

    Dec 17, 2020

    December 17, 1920 The Petersburg city council met in postponed regular session last Monday night and transacted routine business. The report of the town treasurer showed that the town had a balance of approximately $700 after all bills, amounting to $1,396.82 had been paid. It was reported to the council that the new power plant machinery is consuming 80 gal. of fuel oil and four and a half gallons of lubricating oil every 24 hours. It was estimated that the plant is now costing the city $814 per month to operate the plant, with a gross income...

  • Pathologist: PCR tests set bar in COVID testing

    Brian Varela|Dec 17, 2020

    Dr. John Hoyt, medical director at Northwest Pathology in Bellingham, explained the science behind PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests and how the molecular diagnostic tests are the gold standard in COVID-19 testing at the COVID-19 community update on Dec. 11. According to Hoyt, the RNA in test samples is converted into DNA and placed into a sample well. It then goes through cycles of heating and cooling to amplify the sample. As it expands, probes that were placed on the sample also begin to...

  • Cases at zero week before Christmas

    Brian Varela|Dec 17, 2020

    As of Wednesday, Petersburg Medical Center had collected 6,359 test samples to be tested for COVID-19 onsite and at outside laboratories. Of those test samples collected, 6,268 have returned negative and 55 are still pending. There are currently zero cases of COVID-19 in the community, according to the Petersburg Borough. Incident Commander Karl Hagerman cautioned businesses and the public at the COVID-19 community update on Dec. 11 about Julebukking this year. The Emergency Operations Center...

  • Raven Trail

    Dec 17, 2020

    The view of Frederick Sound on Dec. 12 from Raven Trail at 1,663 feet of elevation....

  • To the Editor

    Dec 17, 2020

    Cite reports and references To the Editor: After reading Marc's letter, I have some questions. First, "... 99% of which are most likely over Age 75+ with serious other health problems." Please cite your reference for this statistic. Do you realize that when folks use a percentage in an argument, 97.3% of the time it was just made up? Second, "You can find just as many experts that will tell you masks, social distancing and this upcoming vaccine is wishful thinking." I cannot find them. Please ci...

  • Stephanie Payne chosen as next P&R director

    Brian Varela|Dec 17, 2020

    Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht has recommended Facilities Supervisor Stephanie Payne to fill the vacant Parks and Recreation director position. The Borough Assembly will vote whether or not to ratify the decision at their meeting on Monday, though Giesbrecht said there's a good chance they'll support his decision. Payne was originally hired by Parks and Rec. as the program director in March 2019 and was later promoted to facility supervisor three months later. Her duties increased when the...

  • Police report

    Dec 17, 2020

    December 9— Authorities responded to a report of theft at the Petersburg School District. A parking complaint at a location on Mitkof Highway brought a police response. Extra patrols were conducted on Charles W St. December 10— Authorities assisted with a probation reporting compliance report at a location on S. Nordic Dr. Disturbances were reported at South Boat Harbor and a location on N. 2nd St. December 11— A suspicious vehicle belonging to a patient at a Ketchikan hospital was reported at a location on Fram St. Authorities responded to a...

  • PHS basketball, cheer get start date

    Brian Varela|Dec 17, 2020

    Activities at Petersburg High School are set to resume later this winter and spring with basketball and cheer starting Jan. 11. The decision comes after an Alaska School Activities Association Board of Directors meeting on Dec. 8. Petersburg School District Activities Director Jaime Cabral serves as the president for the region and also attended a conference for activity directors across the nation. "We're still super fortunate," said Cabral. "I got to talk with quite a few [activity directors]...

  • Alaska Fish Factor: Homer based  Wild Alaskan Company takes seafood e-commerce to a whole new level

    Laine Welch|Dec 17, 2020

    The Wild Alaskan Company based in Homer has taken “mission based” seafood e-commerce to a whole new level. While many Alaska fishermen and groups sell boxes of seafood directly to customers and can claim several hundred monthly customers, Wild Alaskan has notched more than 140,000 seafood regulars since 2018 and since Covid hit, the company is adding 100 to 200 customers every day. The average order for their subscription service is $160 per month. Founder Arron Kallenberg calls it a “three generation overnight success,” referring back to 1926...

  • Damage control

    Dec 17, 2020

    Streets Foreman Martin Odegaard uses an excavator to assist Petersburg Municipal Power & Light with relocating a transformer on the Public Works lot. A recent landslide on the property put the transformer at risk of toppling over, said Public Works Director Chris Cotta....

  • Twisted Antlers, live

    Dec 17, 2020

    It's that time of the year when the Luncheonettes don Christmas apparel and become the Twisted Antlers to sing carols and raise money for the Salvation Army. From left to right: Katey Gilpin, Rachel Etcher, Erica Kludt-Painter, Irene Littleton and Mary Leonard....

  • Art displays SE photography, watercolors

    Brian Varela|Dec 17, 2020

    Photos capturing the beauty of Southeast Alaska and watercolor paintings concealing hidden details were all a part of Hillary Hunter's art show, which opened on Friday, Dec. 11 at FireLight Gallery & Framing. Seven photos were on display, but other photos can be printed out by the gallery. Two of the photos were panoramas that featured the Northern Lights and Devil's Thumb and the surrounding mountain range. When creating a panorama, Hunter said she takes several photos and stitches them...

  • Saltwater charter operators and guides in SE AK required to use electronic logbook in 2021

    Dec 17, 2020

    Sport fishing guide businesses operating in Southeast Alaska salt waters will be required to use eLogBook to report their sport fish guiding activity starting in 2021. Under the new 2019–2028 Pacific Salmon Treaty and corresponding Southeast Alaska King Salmon Management Plan (5 AAC 47.055), the Southeast Alaska sport fishery is to be managed in season to meet its’ allocation, increasing the need for timelier fishery data. The goal of the eLogBook program is to decrease processing time and improve accuracy of logbook data. After an initial tra...

  • Winter Wonderland

    Dec 17, 2020

    Wade Hatfield waves at a passing car as he holds on to his grandmother Stephanie Payne's hand....

  • Rainbow from Outlook Park

    Dec 17, 2020

    A rainbow as seen from Outlook Park stretches over Point Agassiz on Sunday....

  • Dancing at Wonderland

    Brian Varela|Dec 17, 2020

    Glo, left, and Sigrid Wollen dance along to a performance of Winter Wonderland by Nicole and Alec McMurren on Saturday. See more photos of this event on page16....

  • Artifact Archive

    Dec 17, 2020

    The History of Petersburg The Museum has a collection of essays from 1947 written by students of Miss Helen Pruessing, Petersburg High School English III instructor. Sonya Husvik, Casper Hallingstad, Frank Kaino, June Otness, Darline Rosvold and others describe everything from Petersburg Air Service, to Scow Bay, to the Folk Tales of Petersburg. In the "Advancement of Petersburg Roads" Bernice Espeseth begins "When our town was young, some people wanted the streets widened for cars and trucks,...

  • Rainbow over Point Agassiz

    Dec 17, 2020

    Point Agassiz shines yellow beneath a rainbow over the mainland on Dec. 13....

  • Alaska receives first COVID-19 vaccine doses

    Dec 17, 2020

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska has begun receiving its initial doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, state officials announced Monday. Some hospitals had received vaccine Monday, and it was expected some Alaskans would be vaccinated as early as Monday, said Tessa Walker Linderman, co-lead of Alaska’s Vaccine Task Force. She said hospitals could decide whether to publicize the doses they are receiving. A vaccine shipment arrived Sunday night on a UPS plane, the state health department said in a statement. The state’s chief medical officer, Dr. Anne...

  • Alaska front-line health care workers get first vaccinations

    Dec 17, 2020

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Coronavirus vaccinations reached the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage as the rollout spread across the state. Front-line medical workers at the center waited Tuesday to receive their first shot and get instructions on when to return for a second injection as part of the two-step process. “I’ve been looking forward to this,” Dr. David Zielke, a pulmonary critical care physician at the medical center, said before Emily Schubert, the employee health nurse, administered his shot. Zielke said he’s read the safet...

  • AK submits fewer college aid requests than other states

    Dec 17, 2020

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An analysis of federal data shows Alaska’s high school seniors applied for college financial aid at a lower rate than students in all other U.S. states. Only 11.5% of Alaska’s 2021 senior class applied for higher education financial assistance as of Dec. 4, The Anchorage Daily News reported Sunday. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, widely known as FAFSA, started accepting submissions in October. The application, which students usually complete ahead of submitting college applications, provides access to fe...

  • Alaska governor proposes cash payouts, infrastructure plan

    Dec 17, 2020

    JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) _ Gov. Mike Dunleavy proposed an “extraordinary response” to revive Alaska’s pandemic-stunted economy Friday, including about $5,000 in direct payments to residents from the state’s oil-wealth fund and an infrastructure plan he said is intended to create jobs. “Alaskans are suffering now. Businesses are suffering now. This is the time for us to act. This is the time for us to act quickly,” he said in rolling out his budget plan for next year. The state’s economy has been battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, with tourism and h...

  • Congress authorizes new Arctic icebreakers for Coast Guard

    Dec 17, 2020

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Congress has passed a bill authorizing the addition of Coast Guard Polar Security Cutters for use as icebreakers, and an Alaska senator said the Trump administration is considering leasing an icebreaker owned by a Republican donor. The Coast Guard has two icebreakers, but only one is operating following an August fire that damaged the USS Healy. Ongoing construction work on a new icebreaker is not expected to be finished until 2024. The Coast Guard Reauthorization Act is part of the National Defense Authorization Act p...

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