Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 169
Check out 2023 LNF Schedule ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Full story
The Petersburg Pilot received quite a bit of recognition at last month’s Alaska Press Club conference in Anchorage. The press club’s annual contest is a valuable opportunity for our newsroom to take stock of the past year’s efforts, and it helps us get some external feedback from experts in the field. Contest entries are submitted by most of the journalists in Alaska working in print, radio, television, and web. And our state is blessed with a lot of top notch local news being produced across the state, so competition is often pretty tight... Full story
The USDA Forest Service is starting the process of revising the Tongass National Forest Land Management Plan, which will shape local and regional management for years to come. Over the past 27 years since the Forest Plan was developed, the land and lifestyle in Southeast Alaska has changed significantly. As a result, the Forest Service is seeking input from the public to ensure that the revised plan reflects the evolving needs and concerns of the community. The current Forest Plan was developed... Full story
As of early Thursday morning, Phil Hofstetter is 496 miles into the the Iditarod Trail Invitational; he has around 450 miles still to go before he reaches the finish line in Nome. He is on day ten of riding his fat tire mountain bike alone, in subzero temperatures from the starting line in Anchorage, nearly a thousand miles, to Nome. 107 racers started the Invitational this year, most of them were aiming for the 350 mile finish line in McGrath, Alaska. 39 had to give up for one reason or...
In a major hit to Southwest Alaska’s fishing industry, Peter Pan Seafood Co. will keep its huge plant in the village of King Cove shuttered this winter, meaning that the company won’t be processing millions of dollars worth of cod, whitefish and crab. “It’s one of the most difficult days of my life,” Rodger May, one of the company’s owners and a longtime player in the seafood industry, said in a brief interview Thursday. “It’s just a devastating time for the industry.” The closure is the latest sign of the widening turmoil in Alaska seafood ma...
With the rusty Matanuska out of service pending repairs, the Kennicott scheduled for tie-up due to lack of crew and the Tazlina in the shipyard to add crew quarters, the state ferry system’s draft summer 2024 schedule is limited by the number of vessels in service and looks about the same as this past summer. The Columbia would make a weekly northbound stop in Petersburg on Sundays and a weekly southbound visit on Wednesdays on its run between Bellingham, Washington, and Southeast Alaska. The marine highway system released its draft schedule D...
WRANGELL - One juvenile female and two adults are confirmed dead after a massive landslide 11 miles from town covered three homes on Monday night. Three people - one adult and two juveniles - were still missing as of late Tuesday evening. Local and state rescue teams are engaged in an ongoing search. First responders arrived at the scene soon after the slide was reported at 8:51 p.m. Monday. Shortly after, they started a "hasty search" for survivors, said Austin McDaniel, communications... 
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Thank you To the Editor: Thank you to Hammer & Wikan for re-establishing the footpath from the grocery store to the post office. Right now, the path is better than it ever was. Good job!, Sam Bunge Change the ferry LeConte’s name To the Editor: Do you believe in equality? Do you believe in human rights? Please sign the petition in the link below asking the Alaska Marine Highway System to change the name of the ferry LeConte. Joseph Leconte was a slave owning Georgian who believed in racial superiority and never once stepped foot in the state of...
The final report of the Petersburg Borough Housing Needs Assessment was completed on Sept. 30. In January of this year, the Borough Assembly contracted consulting firm Agnew::Beck to conduct this assessment and determine the housing needs in Petersburg, at an estimated cost of about $55,000 with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. The assessment took place from February through September. Information was gathered from 366 community survey responses —about 10 percent of the population, which the project team considered a good response r...
Local fishing industry representatives met with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) in Petersburg last week looking for a Golden King Crab compromise. The department acknowledged frustrations voiced by the fishermen this year regarding management hindering the golden king harvest. King and Tanner Task Force (KTTF) meetings were organized to brainstorm and come to a common understanding. In the latest KTTF meeting held at the Petersburg Public Library on Sept. 28, the industry and the...
Angele McDonald Jones suffered a devastating fall on Saturday at her apartment in Anchorage when the railing at her residence gave way and she fell from the second story, breaking her back in multiple places. Angele, daughter of Wally McDonald, was born in Petersburg in 1988 and graduated from Petersburg High School with the class of 2006. In recent years, she lived in Petersburg with her husband, Michael Jones, working at Rexall Drug and the post office until moving to Anchorage last winter....
Candidates for the hotly contested seats on Petersburg Borough Assembly came together last Thursday for a live candidate forum where they responded to questions from news reporters with the Pilot and KFSK and questions from a live audience. After opening statements, the evening’s first question was the big one: Where do the candidates stand on the new hospital project? Jeigh Stanton Gregor and Jeff Meucci answered with clear, full support of the new hospital phased construction project. Candidates Rick Perkins and Rob Schwartz both emphasized t...
The Access to Alaska Native Collections grant program is currently open and accepting applications until September 8. The application can be found on the Museums Alaska website. The program responds to the needs of Alaska Native artists and culture bearers for access to collections in museums by supporting research visits to museum collections storage in Alaska. Alaska Native artists and culture bearers are invited to propose a visit to a participating museum with a collection that has a clear benefit to the development of their work....
Salmon: Coho salmon are now dominating the harvest in saltwater. Trolling for them in Frederick Sound around Beacon Point or Frederick Point might offer a good opportunity to both catch a coho and spot a whale. Sumner Strait has seen increasing catches with Baht Harbor, Vank Island, or the Elephant’s Nose all being good options. Coho marine catch rates will continue to improve over the next few weeks as the coho increase in weight and prepare to enter the streams to spawn. Coho are also being seen in the freshwater systems and it appears t...
Salmon: King salmon fishing has slowed down as typical during this time of year. Catch rates have dropped in the Wrangell Narrows/Blind Slough THA and the dry hot weather is challenging for the king salmon above Blind River Rapids attempting to return to the hatchery. The Wrangell Narrows/Blind Slough THA remains open until July 31 with a bag and possession limit of two king salmon greater than 28” in length and two king salmon less than 28” in length. King salmon caught in this area do not count toward the nonresident annual limit. Sta...
Community members are preparing to welcome the crew of the Hōkūle'a when it visits Petersburg this week as part of its Moananuiākea Voyage, a journey that will cover 43,000 nautical miles around the Pacific Ocean over the next four years. According to the Polynesian Voyaging Society, the Hōkūle'a, meaning "Star of Gladness," is a deep sea double-hulled voyaging canoe built in a traditional Hawaiian style that can be crewed by about a dozen people. Its voyage will take 400 crew members, who will...
WRANGELL - Competitors made of the toughest stuff have less than a month to train for the Tongass Toughman Triathlon in Wrangell. Triathletes put their endurance, strength and fortitude on display in a contest which covers a combined 72.2 miles of water, pavement and earth. The race, which will unofficially kick off the Fourth of July festivities throughout town on July 1, starts with a swim of 1.2 miles to City Dock from a starting point out in Zimovia Strait. Once athletes reach the dock and c...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously during Monday's meeting to accept a proposal from Alaska Public Entity Insurance (APEI) to perform a review of the borough's hiring practices and safety programs. APEI, which is also the borough's insurance carrier, will conduct the review free of charge and will report its findings back to the assembly in 60 days. The move comes after community members pushed for a third-party investigation into the borough's policies in an effort to prevent...
The U.S. Forest Service is still seeking volunteers to fill out seats on the South Tongass Secure Rural Schools Resource Advisory Committee (SRS RAC), but with the deadline to apply fast approaching the committee is at risk of not having enough members to hold meetings. According to the Forest Service, RACs review proposals for projects on National Forest System lands, provide advice to the department, and vote on recommendations for the allocation of federal Secure Rural Schools Act funding to...
Over 50 people and 25 more over the phone attended a hearing last week in Petersburg hosted by the National Marine Fisheries Service on a proposal to list the sunflower sea star as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The hearing allowed NMFS to share details on the proposed ruling as well as gather input from the public ahead of their final determination. Over 20 public comments were heard at the meeting, with much of the community's concern resting on how listing the species as...
Ground deformation beneath the Mt. Edgecumbe volcano continued in 2023, but no eruption is imminent, a team of experts said at a Sitka public meeting Monday night. But the experts, volcanologists from the Alaska Volcano Observatory, said they plan additional research this summer around the Kruzof Island landmark. Activity beneath the volcanic cone came to the observatory’s attention in April 2022 after an earthquake “swarm” was detected there. Follow-up analysis of satellite data showed the mountain deforming at a rate of 8.7 centimeters annua...
A federal judge issued an order Tuesday that appears to close an iconic Southeast Alaska salmon fishery for at least the summer season - a decision that threatens hundreds of jobs and a $30 million industry in response to a conservation group's lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed by the Washington state-based Wild Fish Conservancy, seeks to protect endangered orcas off the coast of the Lower 48 and British Columbia - whales that feed on some of the same salmon harvested by Southeast Alaska troll... Full story
Serious scrutiny needed To the Editor: When we think about our rapidly growing national debt, it is wise to remember that the vast majority of the money owed has been spent on bad ideas that never would have gotten anywhere in the first place if not for the illusion of prosperity that comes from having money that has largely been created out of thin air. Our politicians at every level of government are happy to spend money on the various bad ideas presented to them to ensure that the grateful voters who receive it will return them to their...
In a 2-1 decision, the Alaska Supreme Court affirmed the dismissal of the Estate of Molly Parks' wrongful death claim against the Petersburg Borough and William "Chris" Allen last month. The estate had appealed the case to the Alaska Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments on Feb. 8, 2022, in an effort to overturn the Petersburg Superior Court's decision to dismiss the case and to reopen the lawsuit against the borough and Allen. On July 4, 2016, Molly Parks and Marie Giesbrecht were killed...
