Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 1007
The Petersburg Medical Center reported five active cases of COVID-19 Tuesday evening and is currently at a moderate risk level. The Petersburg School District is currently not reporting any cases of COVID-19 on its dashboard due to the winter break. Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reported 1,597 new cases from January 3-4 in the state, 12 new resident hospitalizations, and no deaths. 60.7% of Alaskans aged five or older are fully vaccinated while only 22.3% have received a...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly passed Resolution #2022-01 during Monday’s meeting which requested a formal discussion with the U.S. Postal Service about providing additional services at Petersburg’s post office. The resolution cited ongoing staffing issues at the post office, irregular hours, and long lines and asked the USPS to explore the possibilities of adding self-help kiosks in the post office and mail collection boxes downtown. The assembly failed to approve a similar resolution tha...
The Petersburg Medical Center Hospital Board heard an update from PMC leadership on how COVID-19 continues to affect hospital operations and PMC's expectation for future outbreaks during its meeting on December 30. Petersburg saw its highest number of active COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic in November, peaking with 97. There were also two COVID-19 related medevacs in the past two months according to Infection Prevention and Quality Manager Liz Bacom who said the hospital is much b...
A Petersburg School Board work session set for Tuesday was pushed to January 6 at 6 p.m. because of flight delays and snow conditions according to an announcement from the Petersburg School District. The meeting’s purpose is to hold a discussion on the district’s COVID-19 Mitigation Plan before the board’s next meeting on January 11. Topics of discussion will include masking, the trialing of the test to stay protocol, and potential changes to the plan. Though there will be no public comments, board members can invite people to speak durin...
Since 1991 the weekly Fish Factor column has highlighted Alaska’s seafood industry with its annual “Picks and Pans - a no holds barred look back at some of the year’s best and worst happenings, and my choice for the year’s biggest fish story. Here are the choices for 2021, in no particular order - Most business potential – Seaweed mariculture. The market value of U.S. seaweed is pegged at $41 billion by 2031. Driving the demand is increased use in pharmaceuticals, health supplements, as a natural thickening agent and in animal feeds. Best fish...
With the Matanuska out of service longer than expected for more repair work, and the state uncertain whether it can bring an idled ferry out of a cost-saving lay-up, the Alaska Marine Highway System is seeking bids from private vessel operators to possibly provide additional winter runs to several Southeast communities, including Wrangell. The state issued the hurried bid notice on Dec. 31, with proposals due by 2 p.m. Friday. The state also is advertising for a contractor to help it recruit and hire for the ferry system, which is short on...
January The assembly approved of a COVID-19 dashboard which tracked cases in the community. Local businesses received a total of $15.08 million in aid in the first round of COVID-19 aid released through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. PMC vaccinated approximately 350 residents aged 65 or older at a vaccine drive in the community gym. PMC was given permission by the borough to apply for a second PPP loan totaling $1.8 million. PMC applied and received a loan of...
The Petersburg Medical Center reported eight active cases Wednesday evening with a positivity rate of 7.6% in the week preceding the last update. According to PMC's COVID-19 Dashboard, the hospital is currently at a moderate risk level and is showing one healthcare worker infection. PMC is recommending that people planning on gatherings take a COVID-19 test two days before and on the morning of the gathering. The hospital is also encouraging masking, physical distancing, and maximizing fresh...
The Salvation Army's signature red kettles raised $13,911.30 for its social services budget during the holiday season according to Major Loni Upshaw. Though it was about $6,000 less than last year's total, Upshaw was still surprised with how high the final tally was and said that it was only $90 dollars short of the goal given to the local branch by the Salvation Army's headquarters. The Petersburg Vessel Owners Association, which had volunteers ringing the bells on Christmas Eve, topped the...
Birders canvassed Mitkof Island on December 18 as part of the National Audubon Society's annual Christmas Bird Count as they looked to collect data on local bird populations. It was a smaller group of people than usual according to Brad Hunter, the coordinator of Petersburg's bird count. Of the 23 people who participated, 10 people watched bird feeders while 13 split up to cover the group's regular routes near Hungry Point, Sandy Beach, the Beachcomber Lodge, and Blind River Rapids. "It's a lot...
During Monday's assembly meeting the Petersburg Borough Assembly voted against Resolution #2021-17 which would have requested the option of home mail delivery by the United States Postal Service. The resolution was presented as a possible solution to ongoing issues at the short-staffed post office which has seen long wait times for package pickup and decreased window hours. Assembly Member Dave Kensinger said he brought forward the resolution because of the time people and businesses are having...
The Viking Swim Club traveled to Ketchikan on December 10 for its first meet in over two years. It was Scott Burt's first opportunity to travel to a meet as head coach of the team which he said was an overwhelmingly positive experience. "I know for the kids that went as well, it was so nice to finally be able to travel and have head-to-head competition with swimmers across the state of Alaska," Burt said. The team has not been able to travel in the last two years because of the COVID-19...
The Petersburg High School wrestling team capped off its season with a trip to Anchorage last weekend to compete in the state championship tournament. Eight PHS students took part in the tournament which saw hundreds of students go head-to-head in the Alaska Airlines Center to crown the best in the state. “All of our wrestlers, I think, peaked this trip,” Valentine said. “I’ve never seen them wrestle better to be honest.” DD Toyomura, who won the regional championship this season, claimed fifth at state. She lost to the number two seed in t...
The Petersburg Medical Center' COVID-19 Dashboard reported four active cases as of Monday, the last time the dashboard was updated, with 18 tests results pending. PMC moved to yellow status on Monday as a result of the decrease in cases and continues to encourage physical distancing, masking, and other mitigation measures. Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reported 347 new cases from December 13 to December 14 in the state, along with two deaths and 12 new resident...
The Petersburg School Board held a discussion on the district's current COVID-19 protocols during Tuesday's meeting and agreed to hold a work session on potential changes in January. The district has required universal masking for the majority of the year due to continued COVID-19 outbreaks both in the district and in the community. The district began the school year with two weeks of universal masking as part of its reopening plan and the board later amended the plan during its September...
The newly opened Evergreen Market is looking to offer new options in a changed world as challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic shift the store's thinking. Replacing the old hardware store, the market looks to be a fluid store that can adapt to supply chain issues and stock items that are not easy to find in Petersburg. Half of the market focuses on offering healthier food options for those who want to eat better or have specialized dietary needs. "...the thing we get asked for the most...
The Petersburg High School boys basketball team is set to open its season at the Sitka Holland America Tournament this week. Led by Head Coach Rick Brock, who was named as the 2021 2A Boys Coach of the Year, the boys basketball program is starting its season with approximately 20 students, four of whom are seniors. The team is still waiting on a handful of students who are coming back from injury or are still with the wrestling team. After two years of big senior classes, Brock said a lot of...
The Petersburg High School girls basketball team is looking to bounce back from last year’s shortened season going into its first tournament of the year. The team has been practicing for two weeks under Head Coach Dino Brock, who said so far practices are going well and the students are working hard. This year’s team is younger than most. It is made up of three seniors, two sophomores, and seven freshmen who practice on the court who put time on the court every day. “The younger kids are learning quickly, older kids are doing a great job helpi...
JUNEAU (AP) — Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Monday he plans to propose as part of his upcoming budget that the state spend $5 million in federal dollars to support tourism marketing efforts amid the ongoing pandemic, and additional funds to prepare state parks for visitors next year. He said the hope is for a return to “robust” tourism activity after a difficult two years. Speaking in Anchorage, Dunleavy said people are “starting to learn to live with (the coronavirus) … understanding that it’s not going to go away, but there’s ways to protect onese...
The Borough Assembly voted to extend an emergency ordinance requiring masking in indoor public buildings during Monday's meeting. The previous emergency ordinance was passed during an emergency meeting on November 5 in response to a COVID-19 outbreak in Petersburg which was at one point the highest per capita outbreak in the country. The original ordinance required people to wear masks in indoors settings that are open to the public including businesses with some exceptions such as a medical...
The Borough Assembly held a discussion during Monday's meeting on the continuing issues at the post office and the possibility of home delivery. The assembly has held multiple discussions on the U.S. Postal Service's operations in Petersburg in the past, including at its last meeting, while the community continues to wrestle with limited service window hours, long lines, and the lack of masking enforcement in the building. A draft resolution was included in this week's assembly packet...
The active COVID-19 cases count fell to five on Thursday with two positives in the previous seven days and 11 tests pending results according to the Petersburg Medical Center’s COVID-19 Dashboard. Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reported 441 new cases from December 6-7 in the state and three deaths. According to the DHSS, 56% of Alaskans aged five or older are fully vaccinated while 63% of residents in Petersburg Borough are fully vaccinated. The Petersburg School District r...
The state of Alaska has spent decades trying to predict, forecast and even guesstimate the price of oil in an ongoing effort to help the governor and legislators draft an annual spending plan. If state officials truly could know the price of crude a month, a year, two years out, budget-building work would be much easier. Or at least more accurate. And while Alaska’s budget health, public services, education funding and road maintenance is much more dependent these years on Permanent Fund earnings than on oil revenues, any periods of high oil p...
Fearful from what if possibilities To the Editor: I have been wondering for quite a few years now but especially these last 2. When did we as a country become so hysterical, fearful from what if possibilities. Tobacco, global warming, nuclear power, acid rain, mining, logging. The list is long of things that are going to end the world. Now the latest SARS covid-19. A nuclear power plant is destroyed in Japan and the Pacific Ocean is doomed. A mine tailings dam is breached and the river is going to die. Both of these of course never happened. So...
Petersburg Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter gave a report on the latest COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on the hospital during the PMC Hospital Board's December 2 meeting. According to Hofstetter, PMC saw over 230 individual Petersburg residents with COVID-19 in November. It was the largest outbreak Petersburg has seen since the start of the pandemic, caused in part by the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant. Approximately 16% visits to the ER in November were for COVID-19 and...
