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U.S. Sen. Mike Lee says he will revamp his controversial proposal to require the sales of vast acres of federal lands in the West so it can be included in Senate Republicans' sweeping tax and spending cut package. Lee will be seeking approval for his revised plan from the Senate parliamentarian, who will decide if the provision complies with the chamber's strict rules for the fast-track procedure Republicans are using to pass their bill. An earlier version of Lee's plan was dropped from the... Full story
The U.S. Forest Service will seek to repeal a rule that has effectively blocked the logging of almost a third of America's national forests, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins told a meeting of Western governors on Monday in New Mexico. The "Roadless Rule" has blocked the construction of new roads in wild areas of most states' national forests since 2001, when it was imposed in the closing days of President Bill Clinton's presidency. "In this administration, we are taking a look under the... Full story
Three teachers from the Petersburg School District are state finalists for awards in excellence – Hannah Smith and Alice Cumps, math and science teachers at the middle and high schools respectively, are two of the finalists for a Presidential Excellence Award, and Becky Martin, a third grade teacher, for the Alaska Teacher of the Year Award. The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) is the highest honor a K – 12 math or science teacher in the U.S. can...
A U.S. Senate committee has proposed selling more than 3 million acres of public lands in Alaska and several other Western states to support new housing development. The idea has alarmed conservation groups and others in Alaska who fear portions of, say, the Chugach or Tongass national forests, and other treasured areas would be auctioned off to developers. The proposed language in the budget reconciliation bill was released last week by the Republican leader of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. The...
June 12, 1925 – Miss Mary Wolverton has returned from the Cassiar mining district and says: “Three experienced miners who went to Gold Pan Creek diverted a stream at their own expense, after two months’ labor, and took out $1.60 in gold. Very little gold has been found. Many Alaskan and Yukon sourdoughs who went in with dog teams are coming out and are on their way to other fields. The only real money made is in selling claims for hundreds of dollars. One school teacher put her savings of $600 into a claim and sent in two men with supplies. The...
Visitors to the U.S. Forest Service Anan Wildlife Observatory are limited July 5 to Aug. 25, with 60 permits each day set aside for guided tours, while four other slots each day are designated for last-minute, independent visitors. "These permits are for people with their own means of transportation (without a hired service) and must be requested in person at the Wrangell Ranger District, up to one week in advance," the Forest Service reminded the public in an announcement on June 13....
Petersburg Indian Association disposed of ten junk vehicles from around the community last month. "Ten junk vehicles for people who couldn't get them up to the dump," said Brandon Thynes who oversees the Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (IGAP) for PIA. "It went really well, people were really up for it and it helped the community," said Thynes. "We contracted a towing company, and they towed the vehicle and took out the fluids and did the tires." More residents signed up than...
Outside the brand-new facility on South Nordic Drive, the scent of grilling burgers and hotdogs lingers in the air as community members stream through the 16-foot bay doors of High Tide Auto. Close to two hundred people dropped by to congratulate Wes and Angie Davis and have a look inside their brand-new NAPA auto service center, according to Kimberly Simbahon who was dropping visitors' names into a blue bucket for the door prize drawings. "It's been a little stressful," Angie admitted,... Full story
May Day, also known as International Workers Day, recognizes the historic movement for labor rights around the globe. But this May 1, people in Petersburg joined thousands nationwide to stand not only in support of the working class, but also against what they say is responsible for terminating jobs, funding and uprooting the lives of their colleagues and neighbors: the Trump Administration. About 60 locals rallied in the pouring rain at Buschmann Park in downtown Petersburg. Among the...
Barbara Jean Dunbar was born on January 19, 1934, in Utica, New York, to George and Mary Dunbar. Growing up in the majestic foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, Barb's early years were filled with cheerful family gatherings and time spent with friends exploring the many mountain lakes dotting the forests around Inlet and Old Forge, where the fall colors are like no place else on earth. In high school she waved her pom-poms cheerleading, marched in the Syracuse drum band and volunteered as a... Full story
May 1, 1925 – Some of the school children while playing ran across a cache this week in the brush in which there were over 100 pint bottles full of liquid at first thought to be beer. The news caused a wild stampede and soon the woods were full of those only too anxious to sample the goods. During the stampede one or two other small and select caches were discovered, and the rule seemed to be “finders keepers.” In a short time the city and federal officers were on the scene and the bottles were removed to the commissioner’s office, where t...
Eugene Primaky Jr, a beloved son, brother and uncle, passed away on October 12, 2024 at the age of 56. Gene was born on October 3, 1968 in North Carolina to Eugene and Josee Primaky. Before coming back to Alaska he lived in Minnesota. While in Minnesota, he pursued a degree in Archaeology at Bemidji State University. During his senior year he traveled to Thorne Bay on Prince of Wales Island in southeast Alaska. It was here that he accepted a Forestry position with the US Forest Service, marking... Full story
April 17, 1925 – Can the halibut industry be stabilized? Can boat owners and fishermen reach an agreement among themselves for the conservation of this important industry and in order that they may get their just proportion of the proceeds? Is the present duty of two cents per pound more harmful than good to the industry as a whole? Will it hurt the American fishermen if the Port of Prince Rupert is closed? These are some of the questions those engaged in the industry are now pondering. The Herald welcomes comment on this subject, one of the mo...
A constitutional convention along with candid discussions of difficult federal and state issues that have surfaced in recent months are scheduled during the three-day 90th annual Tribal Assembly by the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska starting Wednesday. More than 120 delegates from 21 communities in Alaska, Washington and California are scheduled to gather at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall where they will also consider resolutions and elect some tribal positions. It will be the first constitutional convention by Tli...
A rustic Forest Service recreation cabin tucked away on Kupreanof Island will soon get a much-needed sanitation upgrade, according to U.S. Forest Service officials. The Tower's Arm Cabin, one of the Petersburg Ranger District's most remote sites, will have its dilapidated outhouse replaced during a three-day project in spring 2025, the agency announced this month. According to the decision memo, the cabin's existing outhouse is "dilapidated and unsanitary." The new outhouse will feature a...
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, encouraged members of the Alaska Legislature – and the public – to work together to get things done, despite major uncertainties caused by the Trump administration, as well as its cuts to budgets, personnel and programs. “I’ll tell you I accept the challenge. I want you to know that I’m going to do everything in my power to make the best of this,” Murkowski said, of her role in advocating for Alaska’s priorities in Congress. “We are engaging every day to try to identify where we are seeing challenges pres... Full story
This is a developing story. The Trump turmoil in the federal workforce continued at full tilt Tuesday as the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced all fired probationary Forest Service workers will be reinstated with back pay at least temporarily. Meanwhile the Department of Education made another round of mass firings that essentially cut its workforce by half. Those two moves were just part of the day's chaos that Trump administration officials are embracing as a necessary shakeup and detra...
JUNEAU — President Donald Trump has issued several executive orders in recent weeks to expand logging in the nation’s forests, but stakeholders say the recent mass firings of U.S. Forest Service employees could hinder the administration’s plans in Alaska. Trump’s actions are the latest chapter in a decades-long tug-of-war between conservation and development in Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest — by far the largest of the nation’s forests. On his first day back in the White House, Trump signed an executive order to boost development o...
This month the Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) was honored at the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet with the Community Impact Award — for transforming local transportation infrastructure through decades of partnerships, generosity, and community engagement. Glowing with pride as she presented the award, Petersburg Parks and Recreation Director Stephanie Payne described the partnership between the borough and PIA “in creating and maintaining trails for the community, along with ro...
Federal employees across Southeast Alaska's Tongass National Forest received termination notices over Presidents Day weekend, part of what union leaders are calling an "intentionally dishonest" nationwide purge of civil service workers that has hit Alaska's rural communities particularly hard. In Petersburg, as of Sunday evening, at least nine Forest Service probationary employees were terminated, with seven more terminated in Wrangell. Most of those affected were early-career professionals... Full story
Forest Service terminations To the Editor: 3,400 U.S. Forest Service employees have lost their jobs across the nation. 10 of those FS employees live in Petersburg. These firings were not based on performance. That is a false agenda this administration is pushing to make you not care and look away. These terminations were inflicted on employees that were still in their probationary period, usually their first year of work. They are predominantly young, motivated people starting out their careers. This will not only leave a gap in the Forest...
A vintage briefcase sits against a wall in the Clausen Memorial Museum, displayed alongside weathered timesheets from bridge inspections conducted decades ago. The well-worn leather case, donated by Tom Laurent, carries a family history of Forest Service dedication – passed down from his father, who himself was a second-generation Forest Service scientist, Tom continued using the leather case for bridge inspections until just last year. This simple briefcase, representing three generations of s...
Cruising Sitka Spruce Circa 1900, United States Forest Service employee Alice Stuart created The Alaska Calendar for Engagements and one of the photos she chose was "Cruising Sitka Spruce." The image depicts two gentlemen measuring and assessing the dimensions and bulk of a stand of Sitka Spruce trees. When a stand of trees is to be sold in a timber sale, the USFS needs an estimate or appraisal. In the photo the men are "cruising" – the name given the method used to measure a stand of trees t...
February 13, 1925 – At the meeting of the chamber of commerce last evening a resolution was adopted calling on the government to make use of its boats in Alaskan waters hereafter to feed deer every winter. For practically no cost to the government it is estimated that thousands of deer can be saved every winter from starving. The Seattle Times wired to the chamber here for information and were informed that it was estimated there were some 3,000 deer in this region needing attention and that at least 35 tons of hay would be needed for t...
WRANGELL — The Wrangell Police Department successfully executed a dual search warrant on Jan. 28 after a month-long investigation into a local drug ring. Cooper Seimears, 39, Jacob Marshall, 29, and McKenna Harding, 29, were charged and arrested following the 8 a.m. search warrant execution. Seimears and Marshall face eight drug-related felony charges and one misdemeanor. Harding faces drug-related charges of one felony and one misdemeanor, though she and Marshall, her fiancée, each face two additional misdemeanors for keeping drugs near th...
