Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 1782
On a Thursday morning in Petersburg High School's room 206, algebra II students sit around the edge of the classroom, forming a big U. Their teacher, Megan Smith, asks them if it's possible to take the square root of a negative fraction. "Noooooooo" they chorus, "No solution!" Together they work through a series of problems. Then, even though class is only halfway over, she tells them to get started on their homework. She turns to four students who had been ignoring the lesson, curled over...
Nearly 100 high school musicians from Southeast Alaska were in Petersburg to celebrate the 50th annual Southeast Honors Music Festival. It's also the first time Petersburg has hosted the event since 1974. "I think it's really cool that we're bringing it back [honors music festival] for its 50th and I think it's a testament to the music directors and administrators throughout Southeast Alaska that have kept it going," Petersburg High School Music Director Chelsea Corrao said. The festival began...
Weeks after returning from her home state of North Carolina, aiding communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, Petersburg nurse Laura Holder still feels a tightness in her chest — not only from processing the experience, but from the week of breathing toxic dust and mold at the scene. Based out of West Yancey County Fire Department, an ad hoc hub for rescue operations in the region, she spent the week working alongside hundreds of emergency responders, volunteers, and good Samaritans from near a... Full story
Three Petersburg High School students were recently selected to the All-State Music Festival Ensemble. Petersburg senior Eleanor Kandoll and juniors Canek Sosa and Heidi Brantuas were selected to represent Alaska at the Music Festival from Nov. 21-23, in Anchorage. Kandoll was selected for the Clarinet section. "Honestly, I was mostly relieved because I've been an All-State twice before, I would've been very disappointed if I hadn't been [selected]," Kandoll said. "It's a wonderful experience -...
Upgrades are in the works for a few amenities at Sandy Beach recreational area, including a year-round restroom, parking improvements, and the ongoing extension work on City Creek Trail. Sandy Beach is a place for all sorts of recreational happenings. The beachfront park and picnic area includes a few shelters, benches, firepits, barbecues, a playground, as well as a totem pole and four informational signs at the plaza installed this summer. Visitors also park at the Sandy Beach area to access...
Coming off a season in 2023 in which Petersburg High School's wrestling team sent four competitors to state, the Vikings will look to get back there again, with seniors Kaden Duke, Angus Olsen and Marcus Anderson leading the way. Having wrestled for 12 years now, Duke knows what he needs to do to achieve his goal to improve on his 2-2 finish at state last year. "I've accumulated a lot of knowledge of how to properly diet – I'm hoping this year I can at least win a regional championship – my seco...
For the first time in program history, the PHS Boys and Girls Cross Country teams are both the ASAA State Champions for Division III. "It's a special and historic day – I'm so happy for the kids, they earned it ... they've been consistent and worked hard every day," Head Coach Casey Gates said. Last season, the PHS boys cross country team finished third, behind Cordova and Wrangell. This year, the Vikings were able to beat Wrangell and claim their spot on top. The team was led by junior Gaje V...
Voters in Alaska's capital city have rejected a resident-written ballot proposition that would have banned large cruise ships on Saturdays and the Fourth of July.Tuesday was municipal election day for most of Alaska's cities and boroughs, and in preliminary results in Juneau, about 60% of participating voters sided against the "ship-free Saturdays" initiative. Some ballots have yet to be counted but are not expected to change the result. Elsewhere across the state, municipal elections saw... Full story
In response to low bike helmet use in the community and close-call accidents involving children, an up-and-coming incentive project is bringing more helmets to the streets of Petersburg. In the works since spring, the Helmets Are Sweet project is a joint effort through Petersburg's SHARE Coalition to encourage the use of helmets by promoting and providing access to high-quality helmets, educating the community on proper wear, and rewarding individuals for wearing appropriate helmets. The goal...
The Petersburg Pilot and KFSK teamed up to present a two hour long candidates forum on Thursday, September 12. All five candidates for Petersburg Borough Assembly were given one minute each to answer questions on topics ranging from EMS volunteer recruitment, to bears in the garbage, the future of tourism in Petersburg, and a whole lot more. Thomas Fine-Walsh Candidate Opening Statements: My name is Thomas Fine-Walsh. I was born and raised here in Petersburg, and I've had the honor of serving...
Coming off a season in which they finished third at regions in 2023, the Petersburg High School Volleyball team open 2024 with a young team, on a mission to qualify for the 2A Volleyball State Championship. "The seniors this year, they've got this mentality that last year is over, this year is this year now, but we learned a lot of stuff from last year that we got to continue on to keep it going," Head Coach Jaime Cabral said. "The closer we unite and stay together, the more production we can ge...
Dennis Michael Rafferty was born in Trona, California, to Maxwell Lewis and Frances Luella (Longman) Rafferty, and spent his formative years in Needles, California. He was well-known for his active involvement in sports and was president of at least one class. He graduated from La Sierra High School in Riverside, California, where he met his first wife, Sharon. They married on January 30, 1966, and had a daughter, Erin. After serving in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, a chapter of his... Full story
Students in Petersburg outperformed their peers across the state when tested on core school subjects last spring. Statewide assessment data recently released to the public by Alaska's Department of Education and Early Development revealed most students in Alaska are not proficient in the core subjects of science, mathematics and English language arts. In Alaska, almost 32% of students met grade-level proficiency standards in both the English language arts and mathematics tests; and not quite 37%...
September 12, 1924 – Some fine loganberries have been raised on the Papke farm below Petersburg. It has been claimed by agents of the government experimental farm that this class of berries could not be successfully raised in Alaska, but yet Mr. Papke has proved the contrary so far as his place is concerned. He also has cherry trees, apple trees, raspberries, strawberries, and several varieties of vegetables. On his place also has been raised hemp with an excellent texture. In fact, his place is a veritable wonderland in the many different f...
There is a nationwide shortage of providers for behavioral health services, and Petersburg is no different. "We've definitely had times in Petersburg where we've had more providers, and there's still been people on a wait list. That's just the reality of it," said Ashley Kawashima, a behavioral health clinician at Petersburg Medical Center. Because there are wait lists, Kawashima said less preventative care is provided as providers, like herself, must triage based on severity: "We're really...
Heading into their first meet on the road, the Petersburg High School cross country team looked to build on their momentum from the invitational hosted in Petersburg. And they did exactly that. The PHS cross country girls team had a dominant showing this past weekend in Craig, with sophomore Maria Toth, junior Gabriele Whitacre and freshmen Ariel Tucker and Zia Hulebak finishing first, second, third and fourth in the entire meet in the Women's 5000 Meters. "It was really promising and really...
The 2024 Petersburg high school swim season is now underway. Coming off a season in 2023 where they made the state championships, the Vikings are looking to return to the championship meet in Anchorage, Alaska. In 2023, there were only two members of the team, now junior swimmers- Brooklyn Whitethorn and Logan Tow. This year, the Vikings have eight total members on the team. What I'm most excited about is "having relays because I have four boys and four girls now," this year is going to be way m...
Rebecca Louise Norris Weisenburger was born on February 6, 1955, in Vallejo, California. Her father, Robert Edwin Norris, was a pastor and her mother, Ann Norris was a proud homemaker and an active member of their church. Becky joined her brother Mark and sister Debie. Soon after, their brother Dave was born. When she was four, the family moved to San Diego for a short while before settling in Salinas, California, where they were surrounded by lettuce farms and looked forward to regular trips to...
Local nonprofit Humanity in Progress is partnering with Petersburg School District to launch a pantry on campus - a new stepping stone toward improving access to basic needs for students in all grades. Food and hygiene products line the shelves of the new pantry, which is located inconspicuously inside the door to an office supply room by the middle school/high school office. The idea to start a pantry was brought into conversation at a school wellness meeting just before summer, as the...
August 21 – The Petersburg Police Department received a report of a bear accessing unsecured garbage on Skylark Way. A citation will be issued. Officers responded to a disturbance on North Nordic Drive. PPD received a report of a bear accessing unsecured garbage at an unoccupied residence on Skylark Way. A citation will be issued to a resident of Skylark Way for failure to secure a refuse container. PPD received a post-event report of shoplifting. An officer responded to a report of a strong odor on North Nordic Drive. An officer responded t...
Petersburg High School's cross country team raced out to a strong start to the 2024 season on Saturday, Aug. 24, in Petersburg. In a meet that included Sitka, Wrangell, Ketchikan, Juneau-Douglas, Skagway and Craig, the boys placed fourth out of seven teams. The girls placed second out of four teams. Head coach Casey Gates was very pleased with his team's performance during the first meet of the season. "I'm very excited and happy with how today went and also with the outlook of the season, I...
Gary Weldon Grandy, age 86, of Richmond, Utah, passed away on August 16, 2024, in North Logan, Utah from complications of a stroke. He was born on March 11, 1938, in Montpelier, Idaho, to Weldon Emil Grandy and Mary Anona Bird. Gary spent his formative years working on various ranches in Paris, Idaho, graduating from Fielding High School in 1956. That summer he worked at the Palisades Dam, Idaho site for the Bureau of Reclamation as an Engineering Aid. He attended the University of Utah for two... Full story
Marcia Lynn Hanson peacefully passed away on July 12, 2024, surrounded by her family. Marcia was born on July 17, 1956, in Petersburg, Alaska, to Christopher and Lucy Hanson. She was the oldest of three. Growing up in Petersburg Marcia enjoyed adventures with her many cousins, was on the Petersburg High School Drill Team, and liked to help out where she could, always happy to take on the important behind-the-scenes jobs. She was an employee of Whitney Fidalgo Cannery, Petersburg Fisheries,... Full story
Petersburg students return to class this Tuesday, and students and families will experience some changes to Petersburg School District policies this academic year. The local school board reviews the student handbooks for Stedman Elementary School, Mitkof Middle School and Petersburg High School every year and makes updates as deemed necessary. Language in the Stedman handbook about dress code was added to include a "three-finger rule" for tank tops to advise the width of sleeves should be about...
Jill Lenhard moved to Ketchikan last August to take a teaching job at Ketchikan High School, but she – and her husband, music teacher Matt Lenhard – both got caught up in this year's teacher layoffs that impacted public school districts across the state. Fortunately for Petersburg, this meant the perfect candidate was unexpectedly available to fill a new teaching vacancy at Mitkof Middle School. Lenhard had spent over 20 years in Petersburg as a vital component of the school district's Eng...
