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Early prices to Alaska salmon fishermen are trickling in and as anticipated, they are up across the board. That will give a nice boost to the economic base of both fishing communities and the state from fish taxes, fees and other assessments. About one-third (62 million) of Alaska's projected catch of 190 million salmon had crossed the docks by July 16 at the half-way point of the fishing season. Prices paid to fishermen vary based on buyers, gear types and regions, and bonuses and post season...
TORONTO (AP) - Canada announced Monday it will begin letting fully vaccinated U.S. citizens into the country on Aug. 9 — without a 14-day quarantine requirement and with no restrictions on the reason for traveling — and will allow travelers from the rest of the world on Sept. 7. The open border will apply only to U.S. citizens at least 14 days past their vaccination shot, according to the Canadian government announcement. Travelers will be required to upload proof of vaccination to Canada’s web portal, and will be required to show proof of a...
The Petersburg Medical Center is advising residents to get tested early if experiencing symptoms amid community spread of COVID-19. The Petersburg COVID-19 Dashboard has been updated to reflect that there are eight active cases in Petersburg as of July 22. Seven of these cases are Petersburg residents while one is a non-resident. PMC says that recognizing symptoms early on and getting tested helps their ability to treat COVID-19 illness. Free asymptomatic testing is available and can be... Full story
Petersburg recorded its second COVID-19 death on Friday according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Service’s COVID-19 Dashboard. The Alaska COVID-19 data summary reported that the death in Petersburg was a male in his 70s. The Petersburg COVID-19 Dashboard has listed that there are eight active cases in Petersburg as of July 26 with 54.3% of the population fully vaccinated. Alaska had 447 new cases reported between July 21 and 22, which has also seen the statewide alert level r... Full story
Businesses across Petersburg are suffering due to the nationwide worker shortage according to local businesses. "If you look, people are trying to hire everywhere," Jim Floyd, the general manager and CEO at Hammer & Wikan Inc., said. Hammer & Wikan stores across town have been affected according to Floyd. The grocery store has limited hours, the deli has limited service, and the hardware store is short-handed but continues to do normal business hours. "The convenience store has to be closed...
Petersburg Medical Center reports four positive COVID-19 cases locally since July 9. On Fri., July 9 a resident of Petersburg tested positive for COVID 19 and is isolating at their home. On Sat., July 10 a guest from the American Cruise Lines Vessel American Constellation tested positive and is isolating in Petersburg with a family member who had tested positive previously. An American Cruise Lines representative is staying in Petersburg to assist them. On Mon., July 12 two new cases tested...
“Unprecedented” is how fishery managers are describing sockeye catches at Bristol Bay, which topped one million fish for seven days straight at the Nushagak district last week and neared the two million mark on several days. By July 9, Alaska’s statewide sockeye salmon catch was approaching 32 million, of which more than 25 million came from Bristol Bay. The only other region getting good sockeye catches was the Alaska Peninsula where nearly 4.6 million reds were landed so far. The Alaska Peninsula also was far ahead of all other regions for pi...
Petersburg Indian Association recently completed construction of a 2,190 square foot duplex the organization plans on renting to low and middle income native families this month. "It's small, but it fits the purposes, and it meets the needs that our clientele are looking for right now," said PIA Tribal Administrator Tracy Welch. "We're seeing a huge demand for one and two bedroom [apartments]." The duplex sits at the corner of S. 8th St. and Ira II St. Both units are mirror images of each other...
Since 1985, Steve and Desi Burrell have lived in the home that used to belong to Desi's grandparents, Adolph and Bunny Mathisen. The 108-year-old home was comfortable, but it needed repairs that the two were unwilling to spend money on. "I guess when you've been living in an old place, you realize the things you would do to make things really comfortable and easy," said Burrell. The electrical wiring hadn't been touched since the 1960s. The lack of insulation in the home caused Steve and Desi...
Petersburg Medical Center reports 10 active COVID-19 cases with one previous case being considered as recovered. Three additional cases have been confirmed in the past three days. All three cases are Petersburg residents who have been instructed to isolate at their homes. Alaska Public Health has received an update on the current numbers and will begin contact tracing. Of the 10 active cases, seven are residents of Petersburg, while three are non-residents. Each positive sample is referred to th... Full story
Two previously identified COVID-19 cases in Petersburg have been identified as the Delta variant according to the Petersburg Medical Center. One is a resident of Petersburg and the other is a non-resident. As of July 16, two additional cases have been identified, both of which are Petersburg residents, bringing the total number of active cases up to 13. They have been instructed to isolate and Alaska Public Health will begin contract tracing. Of the 13 active cases, seven are Petersburg... Full story
WRANGELL - As of last week, employees, contractors and volunteers with the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, which operates in 19 communities, must show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or risk losing their jobs or access to the facilities. Exceptions will be allowed for staff who are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a history of anaphylaxis or allergy to the vaccine, or "persons whose sincere religious observances and practices related to life, purpose or death oppose vaccines,"...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly was advised Tuesday that site selection for a new hospital, according to CEO Phil Hofstetter, "is paramount." According to Hofstetter, an environmental assessment of each of the three proposed sites is necessary. The assessment can determine such things as availability of public utility services, economics, depth of muskeg, and other factors that can impact the cost of construction. In response to a question from assembly member Jeff Meucci, the assessment...
Fishermen are the ears and eyes of the marine ecosystem as a changing climate throws our oceans off kilter. Now a new phone app is making sure their real life, real time observations are included in scientific data. The new Skipper Science smartphone app, released on June 18, comes from the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island in the Bering Sea as a way “to elevate the thousands of informal-yet-meaningful environmental observations by fishermen and others into hard numbers for Alaska’s science-based management,” said Lauren Divine, Director of Ec...
Petersburg Medical Center reports four positive COVID-19 cases locally in the past four days. On Fri., July 9 a resident of Petersburg tested positive for COVID 19 and is isolating at their home. On Sat., July 10 a guest from the American Cruise Lines Vessel American Constellation tested positive and is isolating in Petersburg with a family member who had tested positive previously. An American Cruise Lines representative is staying in Petersburg to assist them. On Mon., July 12 two new cases... Full story
Petersburg will be kicking off three days of festivities on Friday in celebration of the Fourth of July. The Parks and Recreation Center, Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Petersburg Lighthouse Church will be hosting over 20 activities in the downtown area and Middle Harbor, similar to years past. Last year's Fourth of July festival was scaled back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this year's festival is a return tradition. The fun begins at 6 P.M. on Friday when the Parks and Recreation...
The Emergency Operations Center demobilized and dissolved at 11:59 P.M. on Wednesday, along with the repeal of the local Emergency Disaster Declaration. "Over the past sixteen months, our community has worked together to put processes and infrastructure in place to combat the COVID-19 pandemic," the EOC said in a press release issued Wednesday. "Community partners from all corners of our community have come together to collaborate, share resources and reduce the impacts of COVID-19 as much as...
In April and May, Petersburg Medical Center reported a consistent number of patient days, which were higher than what the hospital had seen over the last fiscal year, according to financial statements presented to the PMC Board of Directors on June 24. PMC had 129 inpatient days in April and 130 inpatient days in May. In March, the hospital's inpatient days were 56. Year-to-date, PMC has a total of 963 inpatient days, which have been down as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of May...
Deck Out Our Deck organizers broke ground on the site of Mountain View Manor's covered deck on Tuesday after two years of planning with help from general contractor Ty Cummins and Reid Brothers Construction. "This has been a long project," said Sally Dwyer, one of the organizers. The group has only raised $78,000 of their goal of $112,000 needed to complete the project. However, with the funds they have now, the group can lay the foundation for the deck, install support beams and build the...
The Race to Alaska, a 750 nautical race from Port Townsend, Washington to Ketchikan, was cancelled for the second year in a row due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year, but that didn't stop Hammer brothers Jake, 42, and Jens, 38, from taking advantage of the warm summer weather. When the Northwest Maritime Center (NMC) announced a new 360-mile race through Puget Sound, the two brothers quickly signed up; although, they didn't have a boat. After some quick thinking and phone calls, Jens was able...
Local business owners are pessimistic about Petersburg's economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey conducted by Southeast Conference. Every year, Southeast Conference performs a survey to track the business climate and investments of Southeast Alaska businesses. In Petersburg, 32 business leaders participated in the 19-question survey, which was administered between April 9 and 23. The survey found that 48 percent of local businesses had a decline in revenue a...
Incident Commander Karl Hagerman gave the Borough Assembly possibly the last update of the Emergency Operations Center actions ahead of June 30, the date when all local COVID-19 related mandates and protocols come to an end. The Local Disaster Emergency Declaration will be terminated at 11:59 P.M. on June 30. Additionally, the Emergency Operations Center has been directed by the Borough Assembly to stand by until the end of the month. Petersburg's sole local health mandate, which requires...
The Borough Assembly approved resolution #2021-08 on Monday that awards a 20 foot wide utility easement on a piece of property located on Sandy Beach Rd. to be used by Alaska Power & Telephone for the installation of a submarine landing. AP&T Wireless is using a United States Department of Agriculture grant to interconnect Prince of Wales Island and Juneau with a fiber optic cable, said AP&T Vice President Jason Custer. The project will bring high speed broadband access to those living in...
The results of the Petersburg School District's spring Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment showed growth in language arts and math, but students didn't score as high as anticipated. Bridget Wittstock, special education director with the school district, presented the results of MAP test scores for kindergarten through ninth grade to the Petersburg School Board at their June 8 meeting. The spring results were compared to the test scores from the fall. Wittstock noted that the students...
Crab has been one of the hottest commodities since the Covid pandemic forced people in 2020 to buy and cook seafood at home, and demand is even higher this year. Crab is now perceived as being more affordable when compared to the cost to enjoy it at restaurants, said global seafood supplier Tradex, and prices continue to soar. That's how it's playing out for Dungeness crab at Kodiak and hopefully, at Southeast Alaska where the summer fishery got underway on June 15. Kodiak's fishery opened on...
