Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 1876
Young growth Sitka spruce from Mitkof Island, milled at Alaska Timber and Truss and shipped via the Alaska Marine Highway, now forms the timber-frame structure of an outdoor learning shelter at Pacific High School in Sitka. The impressive posts and beams of the pavilion showcase what Southeast Alaska's 50 to 60-year-old second-growth trees can produce. The structure will serve as an outdoor classroom for the alternative high school's garden-based education program. Andrew Thoms, executive...
After their acclaimed but ominous rendition of "Dracula" last fall, Petersburg High School's drama program is ready to brighten up the vibe with a Victorian-era romantic farce, "The Matchmaker," opening Feb. 19 at Wright Auditorium. The Thornton Wilder comedy - best known as the basis for the Broadway musical "Hello Dolly" - features a large ensemble cast navigating love, loss and the search for joy in 1880s New York. Director Elsa Wintersteen said she deliberately chose the play to give...
Four Mitkof Middle School wrestlers will be representing Petersburg at the Tanana Invitational for its 50th anniversary. The kids representing will be Thomas Slaven, Freya Fenner, Ethan Edward and Declan Olsen. Slaven went 2-0 in the 161 weight bracket this past weekend. "[I] worked my breakdowns [and] got my points circling," Slaven said regarding what the catalyst was of his two wins. Slaven finished top first in his weight bracket, something he always expects of himself. "My own rule is, if...
Peter Schultz was born in Lübeck, Germany, on March 22, 1939, the youngest child of Willi and Else Schultz. His oldest brother Jürgen is still living. His brother Klaus, sisters Erika and Almi, and his parents have died. His father was a master blacksmith on a big farm, maintaining the farm machinery and shoeing the huge Hanover work horses. Peter's boyhood was an apprenticeship in smithing and farm work. He learned mechanical skills and how to fix almost anything – skills he used all his lif... Full story
Samuella Mae Grimmesey was born to Walter and Gladys Grimmesey on August 25, 1931, in Oakland, California. Growing up, her sister Patty would play the piano and Sammy would sing. She had a beautiful voice and was encouraged by her teachers to keep singing. After graduating high school she attended college until she married and started her family in Southern California. After a brief move to West Texas, she moved back to California until the mid-1960s when she settled in the Pacific Northwest....
February 5, 1926 – The past few years has witnessed a struggle between theologists and the end is not yet. Whether the miracle of changing water to wine is questioned or not worries not the average layman. For the days of miracles are not past. Recently the United States Marshall’s office of the third division seized considerable whiskey and rum for the pre-Volstead stock and for safe-keeping it was kept under lock and key and stored in the custody of the clerk of court. Recently Judge Richie appointed Frank H. Foster as District Attorney and...
Young performers and seasoned community talent will share the stage in Wright Auditorium on Monday night when Petersburg Live returns as a fundraiser to support high school art students traveling to Haines this spring for Art Fest and drama students heading to Scotland this summer for Fringe Fest. The two-hour variety show opens its doors at 6 p.m., with performances running from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door, with a bake sale offering homemade treats throughout the evening. “There will be a wide range of performance, t...
The Petersburg Lady Vikings looked to claim their first victory of the season when the Haines Glacier Lady Bears came to town this past weekend. The Lady Vikings left no doubt in game one as they took a 27-7 halftime lead. After the Glacier Lady Bears scored their seventh point with 5:16 left in the second quarter, they didn't score again until the 2:16 mark in the fourth quarter. "Any time you hold a high school team to that few points, you have to be happy with the defensive effort," head...
The Petersburg High School Cheer squad took the court for only the second time this season, which was also their first time performing on the road this season. Homecoming is always a raucous and fun time but this season, the Vikings brought a little more juice to the festivities compared to previous years. "We were louder, we brought a lot more energy to the games. We got a lot of compliments from basketball players, parents that came there about how loud we were, how much energy we brought and...
The Petersburg High School Boys Basketball team arrived in Wrangell for last weekend's homecoming, unbeaten in conference play. In the first of two games, the Vikings got out to a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter. They proceeded to go on a 10-2 run to take a 20-9 halftime lead. By the end of the third quarter the Vikings led 37-16 over their rivals, allowing only eight points in the third. The Vikings led this game wire to wire, winning 51-25. A key factor in this game was the Vikings...
LA CONNER, WA - Dr. Gordon Edward Odegaard, 86, of La Conner, Washington, passed away on December 25, 2025. Born August 3, 1939, in Petersburg, Alaska, to Kristian and Agnes Odegaard, Gordon grew up in Petersburg and graduated from Petersburg High School in 1957. Beginning at seven years of age, he spent his summers commercial fishing with his father. During the school year, Gordon focused on his studies and pursued his passion for basketball. After graduation, he attended Ventura Junior...
Ida Mary Fidura was born on October 27, 1949 to Mary and Alexander Fidura in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the elevator on the way up to the maternity ward. One of eight children, Ida's early years were spent in the Polish area of Philly before her father moved the family for a railroad job in Eagle Creek, Oregon. During her school years Ida excelled at basketball, baseball, tennis, and swimming, which she continued for life. She was a member of 4-H and took on a lot of the responsibility for...
January 8, 1926 – As it happened, it did not require a real eruption to start outsiders talking about Alaska and her prize mountain. No sooner had apparition appeared on the distant slopes than wires were going thick and fast to various news associations in the states. It required several verbose messages to the Associated Press to convince that great news dispensing organization that the mountain had not joined forces with Congressman Free to wipe the Territory off the map. January 12, 1951 – Petersburg came through splendidly in coo...
The Petersburg High School Girls Varsity began their season on the road against the Metlakatla Miss Chiefs this past weekend. First games of the season are interesting because sometimes, you don’t know what the other team has planned and vice versa. “In game one, [the Miss Chiefs] came out in a 3-2 zone, which was a surprise because they’ve historically ran a 2-3 zone,” head coach Matt Pawuk said. “[Our] offense admittedly against the zone was not very effective.” It wasn’t just the offense that had its struggle in game one, it was also the...
January 2025 The Petersburg Borough Assembly agreed to transfer seven parcels of borough-owned land in the Airport Addition Subdivision to Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority (THRHA) in exchange for the developing road and utilities for 11 residential lots. The snowpack at the Raven's Ridge snow survey site at 1,650 ft elevation measured zero inches. One of only two years on record without snowpack in January. Rock-N-Road Construction was awarded the contract for the borough's Pump Station...
After a six year hiatus, Petersburg's wearable art tradition returns this February as a fundraiser for KFSK community radio. The two-night event, scheduled for Feb. 6-7 at Sons of Norway Hall, aims to transform the venue into an immersive, glow-in-the-dark experience under the theme "Weird Core". "I want you to step out of Petersburg for a night," said Bennett McGrath, the event's organizer and a KFSK board member. "It's a night to transform, a night to not be yourself." McGrath's inspiration...
The Petersburg High School Boys Basketball team tipped off the start of their season on the road against the Craig Panthers. Similar to 2024, the Vikings first games on the road were against the Craig Panthers. But unlike last year when Craig handily beat the Vikings in back-to-back games, this time the results were opposite. The Vikings won game one 63-22, with seven different players scoring five points or more – showing the kind of depth this year's squad has. The Vikings scored 37 points i...
When New Jersey-based director Brian Bill was working on the documentary “Tide and Table,” he knew the film needed to premiere in Petersburg. His company, Two Doors Down Productions, visited Petersburg several times this year to document the town’s vibrant food and close-knit community. Bill said it felt important to have the community’s approval before the film hit a broader audience. The production reached out to Petersburg’s only movie theater, the Northern Nights Theater, which partners with the local school district to provide job train... Full story
A theme for the Petersburg High School Wrestling team has been growth, continuing to get better every week. Coming off of what their coach called their best meet of the season, the team had a lot of momentum heading into the Region V Championships. The hard work paid off at regionals as three Vikings qualified to the state tournament: sophomore Edgar Olsen (171), junior Eli Anderson (180) and junior Tanner Caulum (145). In a highly anticipated rematch, Caulum and Wrangell's Jackson Carney met...
The Petersburg High School Cheer squad heads into the 2025-26 season with a mix of new and returning cheerleaders after graduating several seniors a year ago. "The group seems very excited and ready to take on and tackle our season," head coach Becky Turland said. One returner from last season is senior and co-captain Kristina Barkfelt, who's excited for what the team can achieve this season. "Because this is my last season, [I'm] hoping we could win regions and make more memories with my teamma...
The Petersburg Rotary Club will distribute over 200 pounds of moose burger to the community on Saturday morning, through a unique local program that turns hunting violations into a food security resource. Petersburg's Moose Burger Bank, now in its eighth year, processes meat from illegally harvested moose and distributes it to local nonprofits and community organizations and, when supplies allow, directly to community members. A public distribution will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday outside...
December 11, 1925 – Petersburg’s Miss Laddie Kyle, who is in Seward gathering data for a novel she is publishing, received a substantial check and a good contract from an Eastern magazine for pen drawings illustrating scenes around Seward. As a magazine illustrator Miss Kyle has few superiors, her work being of a high order, and eagerly sought by some of the Eastern magazines. Shortly, Miss Kyle will leave for Anchorage where she will spend a month looking over local color, and making pen and ink sketches of scenery in the vicinity. Her new...
In their final tournament before regionals, the Petersburg High School Wrestling team had an opportunity to finish the regular season at Wrangell's Tom Sims Invitational on a high with momentum heading into regionals - and they did just that. The team put out their best performance of the season, said head coach James Valentine. Coach Valentine praised the growth they showed in the meet and to get to this point despite having a younger team. "Overall, I thought this was a great weekend for...
Last season, the Petersburg High School Vikings fell just short of a state berth, losing to the Metlakatla Chiefs. Despite the loss, throughout the season, the team was able to improve deploying their motion offense, despite the struggles for the majority of the season. This year, the team hopes to be able to limit mistakes from the get go when running their offense. "For a lot of those guys last year, it was their first varsity experience of having extended minutes – I'm hoping that e...
