Sorted by date Results 1051 - 1075 of 1783
Elmer C. (Butch) Whitethorn Jr., 75 peacefully passed away on March 7, 2018 in his one and only hometown, Petersburg, Alaska. He was born to Elmer C. Whitethorn and Margaret (Sis) Roundtree in Petersburg on December 26, 1942. He grew up at his parent's house and was part of the original Lumber Street gang. Some days you could see him zipping through town driving a little red car that his Dad built for him out of Crosley automobile parts. Butch graduated from Petersburg High School in 1961. He sp... Full story
Feb. 28 — There was a wildlife complaint at 1300 Howkan Street. An officer responded to a report of a snow machine being driven on a roadway. The officer was unable to locate the vehicle. An officer responded to a disturbance report on South Nordic Drive. An officer responded and spoke with parties concerning a civil issue. Nicholas Martin, 16, was issued a citation for operating an off-road vehicle on Lumber Street. March 1 — There was a report of illegal parking in the 400 block of Hungerford Hill Road. The vehicles were moved. Drug par...
WRANGELL — Wrangell Medical Center Foundation last month issued a letter to supporters informing them it would forgo its annual fundraiser weekend this year. For the past ten years the Brian Gilbert Memorial Golf Tournament and fundraiser dinner is hosted in Wrangell each May in order to raise money for the Foundation. The Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to support the community’s medical needs. The funds it handles fills a few roles, primarily supporting WMC’s bid for a new facility but also procuring new equipment, funding its cance...
Heed the letters To the Editor: (As submitted to Mayor Jensen and Assembly Members) I recently became aware of your discussions to reorganize Petersburg Power & Light and appoint Karl Hagerman as a part-time Director of Petersburg’s electric utility. I believe this is a very risky and foolhardy move. Let me explain. Petersburg has been extremely fortunate to have had two very capable and highly qualified Power & Light Superintendents over the past 35 or so years. Dennis Lewis was hired in the early 1980s and was followed by Joe Nelson some 20 y...
School administrators in Petersburg are using recent student incidents to spark conversations and learn, while confronting the conversations with young students about active shooter scenarios. There were two students charged in early February with fish and game violations after one 17 year old allegedly hit two deer consecutavly with a truck and the other filmed it from its passenger seat. There appears to be laughter as the deer were hit. One of those teens, Jasmine Ohmer, 17, issued a statement on Monday, in which she sought forgiveness and...
Experience Matters To the Editor: It is my understanding that the borough assembly wants to combine PMP&L and Public Works. There is a big difference in the management of the electrical industry and the management of the public works. Both are important departments, each providing a service to the community. I agree with those who contend that experience matters when it comes to selecting a replacement for the Superintendent of PMP&L. The experience goes beyond just managing employees. That in its self is a task, especially if you don't have...
Citizens Expect Integrity To the Editor: Recently the citizens of Petersburg voted to define the eligibility of seniors to receive sales tax exempt status. This definition was that all citizens of the Petersburg Borough age 65 years or older qualify for sales tax exemption. No place on the recent ballot was there wordage of a fee requirement for an exemption card. Nor was there wordage stating that the seniors of the community are a burden and must pay for an exemption the voters determined they had already earned. Earned, as beneficial,...
Two high school teams from Petersburg competed in Seward last weekend in a state competition focusing on ocean sciences. This year Petersburg has nine students in the National Ocean Science Bowl. They are separated into two teams, with names created based on ocean puns. The freshman Petersburg team was called, simply, “Insert Team Tidal Here,” a boilerplate selection with a twist on the word title. The team included Jaden Perry, Liam Demko, Rose Lane and Taryn Copeland. Demko and Perry were the only members on that team who could attend the com...
For the first time in a decade, the PHS Jazz Band traveled out of state for a festival, where the 18-person ensemble placed second in its category. The Viking jazz group had 20 minutes to impress judges at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington last weekend. There were about 40 schools and 1,300 musicians at the festival. Petersburg was placed in the Single A category, which is designated by schools with 600 students or fewer in the 10th, 11th and 12th grade. Petersburg doesn't even have 600...
Aril (Audi) Thormod Mathisen Jr., 75, passed on January 11, 2018. He was born in Petersburg, Alaska on November 23, 1942, the first of four children for Aril and Klara Mathisen. Summers growing up were spent fishing on his father's boat Lenor, or his uncle's boat Harmony. In school he played basketball, French horn in the high school band, was in chorus, and the honor society. He graduated with the class of 1961 at Petersburg High, and he liked coming back for the occasional reunions. After...
Ronald Lee (Pete) Beckett, 80, entered into Glory on Jan. 28, 2018. He was born to Charles and Harriet Beckett on August 7, 1937 in Dayton, Ohio – the second of four children. While attending West Carrollton High School, he joined the Naval Reserves, and he began active duty in the Navy after his graduation in 1956. He served as a boiler operator/tender on a destroyer radar ship during his two tours in the Mediterranean Sea, and he continued working as a boiler operator throughout his c... Full story
Jacob Benjamin Crain, 33 of Walla Walla Washington, passed away on January 11, 2018. He was born on November 7, 1984 in Fairbanks Alaska to Pearl and Ed Crain. Jacob grew up in Fairbanks Alaska in their family built log cabin. He enjoyed life in the interior of Alaska with his sister and friends. The family moved to Petersburg in 1995 where Jacob attended middle school and high school. He accompanied his father on many hunting and fishing adventures in the Petersburg area. He moved with his...
Petersburg boys basketball took a team of eight to Unalaska this weekend where it struggled to shoot the ball, losing two games and dropping to a 1-5 record. The Vikings lost to Unalaska on Friday, 48-27, and Saturday 64-38. "That's a quality team we played," said Rick Brock, the Viking head coach. "Has to be one of the best teams in the state for what I've seen." With Petersburg shooting woes against Unalaska -- a team that's big, fast and can shoot, Brock said -- he was happy to see his team...
January The Borough assembly started approval of a program called Local Improvement Districts, which asks Petersburg residents whether they would pay for road work in their neighborhoods. The Petersburg School Board discussed the possible loss of federal funding through a program called Secure Rural Schools. The school district reported a case of a Pertussis, or whooping cough, confirmed in Petersburg. Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter said it was not a public health emergency. An engineer led...
Leonard Charles Skeek, 86 died in Petersburg on Dec. 19, 2017. Leonard Skeek was born to Thomas and Amy Skeek in Kake, Alaska on July 7, 1931. He was a commercial fisherman and his name and face was recognized by many throughout Alaska and the fishing community. He had a passion for hunting, trapping, commercial and subsistence fishing, and processing traditional native foods with his friends and family. He was always willing to teach those who wanted to learn about subsistence ways and sharing... Full story
Petersburg High School boys basketball lost two games against Metlakatla last weekend, an outcome that underscored the Vikings' effort but punctuated its youth, the coach said. In Friday's game -- last year's 2A state championship matchup -- the Vikings jumped out to a 28-27 lead at the end of the half. Petersburg senior Mark Neidiffer led the way in scoring with 13 points in the first quarter and three in the second. He finished with 21. The start of the third quarter saw Metlakatla go on a...
The Petersburg High School girls basketball coach said the team needs to learn how to play more rounded after it lost both games against Metlakatla last weekend. In its first weekend of the 2017-2018 campaign, the Lady Vikings dropped two games to Metlakatla. On Friday, the game ended with a 25 to 45 score, and on Saturday it ended 44 to 34. Senior Rikki Lewis, whose feet were cramping during most of the game, led the team in scoring on Friday with her perimeter shooting. She finished with 10...
Ndesamburo Kwayu is the retired headmaster of the Sokoine Secondary School in Tanzania. His wife Rose is a retired elementary school teacher. The couple visited Petersburg last week to provide a report on projects that the Petersburg Lutheran Church and the Petersburg Rotary Club have supported, and also to inform the community of the continuing needs of the school and neighboring town. The secondary school is comparable to a high school level program in the U.S. It has 650 students and a staff...
Shirley Ann (White) Stephenson was born on March 30th, 1945 in Petersburg, Alaska and passed away on December 8, 2017 after a tragic fall at her home in Palm Desert, California. Shirley was second to the oldest of four children born to Howard and June White. Shirley started and finished school in Petersburg. After graduating from Petersburg High School, she attended college in Colorado where she met Randy Stephenson. They were married in the Petersburg Lutheran Church on July 1st, 1967. They... Full story
The Petersburg School District updated its strategic plan for the next four years, with a focus on health, diversity in the classroom, future readiness and co-curricular activities. A Planning Team with 16 people, including school staff, board members, students, and other community members took two days in mid-November to finish the strategic plan that will run through 2021. “[We talked] about what a school district will look like for the next four years,” said Mara Lutomski, “what our high aspirations are even though we may not end up there...
The Southeast Regional Wrestling Championship was last weekend in Ketchikan, where Petersburg was at full health and controlled most top spots across their weight classes, but the team is still beset by its roster size. Ten Petersburg wrestlers traveled to Ketchikan, and six of them finished in the top two in their weight class. The Viking girls, with two wrestlers, finished second, and the boys, with eight, finished fourth. Jolyn Toyomura, a Petersburg sophomore, finished first, but only one other wrestler matched-up in her weight class....
Petersburg School's food service program gained about $3,300 in last year's fiscal year, a striking result that is mostly accredited to the nutrition director cutting costs and the district cracking down on unpaid bills. The Petersburg food service program, a department the school usually has to add about $25,000 into every year, actually saw its revenues outweigh its expenditures in fiscal year 2017, said Karen Quitslund, the district finance director. "This is not a money making venture,"...
Keith Alexander, 66, died at home in bed on July 26, 2017 in Petersburg, Alaska. He loved cribbage, music, silly jokes, his friends-not necessarily in that order-but above all else, he loved the Lord. He was fearless in sharing his faith and stood up for his beliefs, often at personal cost. He ever wanted to bring all our churches together. Keith was born in Washington, DC on Dec. 3, 1950 to James and Nadine Alexander. He excelled in school and was recognized for academics, sports, and music.... Full story
Melanie Erin McAdams, 42, passed away peacefully in Anchorage, Alaska on Nov. 29, 2017. She was born on Sept. 17, 1975 in Mobile, Alabama, the daughter of "Mac" and Sharon McAdams. In October of 1979, when Mel was just four, the U.S. Coast Guard transferred Mac and his family from Mobile, Alabama to sunny Oahu, Hawaii. Mel spent 10 wonderful years in Hawaii where she attended 1st - 8th grade. In 1989 her mom Sharon McAdams moved with Mel and her brother Matthew to Petersburg, Alaska to be...
