Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 1823
Earl Nelson Benitz, Junior, was born on November 23, 1940, in Petersburg, Alaska. Growing up in Petersburg he spent his summers fishing on his dad's boat, the F/V Baranof. After graduating from Petersburg High School, Earl attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks where he obtained a teaching degree. A proud alumnus, he took a teaching position in Cordova, Alaska, where he and his bride, Mary Lou [McKibben] started raising a family. After several years he was able to get a job teaching high... Full story
WRANGELL — More than five dozen high school students from around Southeast, along with their art teachers, will be busy painting, inking, printing, beading, knitting and more during Artfest, a four-day series of workshops in Wrangell this week. Artfest will run Thursday through Sunday, April 24-27, at the high school, with an art show open to the public from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Sunday, said Tawney Crowley, the Wrangell School District’s art teacher. The festival for Southeast students started in 1997 when Wrangell art teacher Kirk Garbisch helped or...
"The Senate's new education bill is a joke!" declared Governor Mike Dunleavy in a social media post last week. "It does absolutely nothing to improve educational achievement... Welcome to Alaska: 51st in the nation in educational outcomes. In what world does one write a blank check with no expectations?" The governor's comments came as the Alaska Legislature passed House Bill 69 on Friday, April 11, which would increase the Base Student Allocation (BSA) by $1,000 per student. Dunleavy...
The Petersburg High School music team stunned the crowd during Spring Music Fest this past weekend in Juneau. The music team was determined to perform at their best, from jazz bands to solo ensembles. In 2024, Petersburg’s concert band did not receive any “superiors,” the highest marks from the judges. They changed that this past weekend. “We were just focused, we were like ‘Let’s just try to get one,’ but our concert band got three and that’s a reflection on the amount of work they [seniors] put into it and the amount of care,” music di...
The Petersburg High School baseball team began its season on the road at Ketchikan. In their first game against the Homer Mariners, the Vikings faced a 4-0 deficit after two innings and then a 9-0 deficit after four. The Vikings didn’t score until the sixth inning but by that point, the Mariners had complete control and they would go on to win 11-3. “We made some mistakes, we committed quite a few errors in that game. That was probably one huge contributing factor to the score. We have to rely upon making outs on the defensive side of thi...
April 3, 1925 – Earnest Kirberger, the merchant at Kake and fur farmer, was in town the forepart of the week with some choice blue fox pelts to be shipped to the New York auction sales. Mr. Kiberger says Kake is unusually lively this season with boats supplying clams from there to Mountain Point Packing Company below Scow Bay, and with three different logging camps operating in that section. He said Charles Knutson of the powerboat Katie and Arthur Johnson of the Woodrow are making regular trips to Mountain Point with clams. Mr. Kirberger s...
Education Funding To the Editor: Article VII of the Alaska Constitution requires the Legislature to “maintain a system of public schools open to all children of the State.” Alaska Statute (Alaska Students’ Educational Bill of Rights (3)) states “A quality education for students of all ages is a concrete investment that vastly improves the future prosperity, welfare, productivity, and vitality of society.” The indisputable, mathematical fact is that at least for the last 10 years (years in which I served in the Alaska State House), the Legis...
The Petersburg High School Track and Field team enters 2025 surrounded by excitement, led by first-time head coach Erin Hofacre. Hofacre was an assistant for the 2022 cross country season. "Even back in high school, being part of coach [Tom] Thompson and then [Brad] Taylor's track teams, there were pieces of those teams that I see as successful – having a really strong team atmosphere," Hofacre said. "Making sure that the team knows they're in this together and supporting each other." P...
Martha Luan Madole was born on April 12, 1960, in Tuscumbia, Missouri, to Orville and Wilma (McConnell) Alexander. In 1978 she graduated from Eldon High School in Eldon, Missouri, and joined the workforce as a secretary. She married Thomas Olaf Madole on December 8, 1979, at Blue Springs Baptist Church near Eldon, Missouri. After a while, Luan began to work with her husband as a pastor's wife. When her husband became a Village Public Safety Officer, she moved back to her hometown near Eldon to a... Full story
March 20, 1925 – The Petersburg teachers have received a certificate for framing from the National Education Association attesting to the fact that they are enrolled 100 per cent in that organization. There are over 70,000 teachers in the United States and more than half of this number are enrolled in the national organization. The Petersburg teachers have made it a 100 per cent year for they are also enrolled 100 per cent in the Alaska Education Association, an organization of all the teachers in Alaska. To thoroughly keep in touch with all o...
A year after they won nine games and finished fourth at state, The Petersburg High School baseball team looks to carry their momentum in 2025. "The guys are excited about playing. We've had more open gyms – pulling the batting cages out this year than before," head coach Jim Engell said. The team graduated two key players last season Hunter Conn and Kieran Cabral. Some teams would rely more on their seniors but this year's squad will look towards their juniors and sophomores. "My two seniors, L...
Martina Nellie Maria Dundas, lovingly known as Tina, was born in Sitka, Alaska, on May 15, 1976, at SEARHC Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital to Martin Dundas Senior and Lisa Mae Dundas. She was raised in Metlakatla and graduated from Metlakatla High School. A talented musician, she played multiple instruments and sang in the choir. She was also an athlete and a student of the late master Tsimshian carver Jack Hudson, embracing the rich artistic traditions of her heritage. A free spirit at heart, Tina... Full story
Born in the small Norwegian fishing village of Petersburg, on Mitkof Island, Southeast Alaska in 1943, Nick was one of 6 children born to the Martinsen family. Nick grew up working on the family-owned dairy farm, milking cows, loading them on to the barge for summer pastures up the creek, and delivering milk to local customers during his school lunch hours. It was in Petersburg where Nick met his wife to be, Anna, when they were skiing at the age of 4. Anna and Nick went to Petersburg High Schoo... Full story
Robert James Leekley, loving husband, father, brother, and grandfather passed away March 13, 2025, in Petersburg, Alaska at the age of 82. Robin was born April 4, 1942, in Petersburg, Alaska to Anne and James Leekley. He grew up on the Federal Fur Farm 9 miles from town. The Fur Farm raised fox, mink, and martin and in the war years tested the effects of sonic boom on mink behavior. Robin helped on the farm with the family vegetable garden, animals, and shoveling snow which could be over ten... Full story
March 13, 1925 – Talking to fish buyers and others the outlook for the halibut trade is none too flattering this year, although no man can tell what might happen before the season ends. One thing is certain, the closed season did not seem to boost prices, as was expected. It is claimed the cold storage plants were loaded up with fish. Some even claim that the Japanese helped to stock up the cold storage plants, but we can hardly believe that can be true. Word comes that more strict rules have been made in Seattle in grading, in weights and for...
In Wright Auditorium, tubes of cardboard are being transformed into marble columns. Costumes salvaged from thrift stores are repurposed into Elizabethan finery. And students are grappling with language written over 400 years ago learning how to bring it to life. Petersburg High School's drama program, under the direction of Elsa Wintersteen, is tackling William Shakespeare's comedy "Much Ado About Nothing" this spring, with performances scheduled for March 27-29, including a Saturday matinee....
Petersburg AAU girls' basketball team – which is made up of players from fifth grade through eighth – recently went undefeated during a tournament in Wrangell, sweeping the A, B & C brackets. Petersburg went an impressive 11-0 throughout the tournament. "They're extremely talented," head coach Matt Nilsen said. "We've been working on fundamentals and ball handling, passing, defense and playing to the best of our abilities." The team was split into A, B & C brackets, with every player getting a t...
February 20, 1925 – Petersburg is essentially a HOME TOWN. Why? Because of low rentals and property values. Because of excellent school facilities. Because of an absolutely landlocked harbor and ample dock and float accommodations. Because of pleasant surroundings and recreational grounds, including Sandy Beach where summer bathing and picnics are enjoyed. Because of absolutely pure mountain water for household and drinking purposes. Because of fine electric lights and power at low rates from a hydro-electric plant owned by the city. Because o...
Essential Air Service To the Editor: On Wednesday, February 19, I asked Senator Lisa Murkowski during a live and recorded town hall meeting if Essential Air Service would be protected from DOGE cuts. She stated she is “very worried about Essential Air Service.” Essential Air Service is a U.S. Department of Transportation program serving 65 rural communities in Alaska along with over 100 communities in the Lower 48, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. The program was put into place to guarantee that communities that were served by certificated air car...
Darcel Ann (Burrell) Schouweiler was born September 19, 1953, to Warren and Barbara Burrell in Lebanon, Oregon. Darcel grew up in Petersburg, Alaska, where she met her first husband, Terry Carolin. Together they had two children, Amanda and Heather. After their separation, Darcy reconnected with her high school sweetheart Harold "Terry" Schouweiler. They married and had their daughter Katie. Splitting their time between Petersburg and Elma, Washington, Darcel had many adventures - hiking the... Full story
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
Randy Lee Greenway was born on March 29, 1963, in Las Vegas, Nevada, to Richard Greenway and Donna (Davis) Greenway. His childhood was spent in Petersburg, Alaska, where he graduated from Petersburg High School in 1981. Randy spent his career as a project manager in oil, gas and mining fields around the world. His career took him from the North Slope of Alaska to places like Russia, Australia and Africa. Never above getting his hands dirty, he was a leader who would do everything he asked of... Full story
A proposal to establish a Petersburg police K9 unit was rejected by the borough assembly Monday in a 4-2 vote, with members citing budget uncertainties despite strong support for the program's anti-drug objectives. The Petersburg Police Department had requested approval for a dual-purpose police service dog that would be trained in both patrol work and narcotics detection. The department highlighted an urgent need, pointing to "multiple search warrants for illegal narcotics" executed over the...
Petersburg's first baby of 2025 arrived on her own schedule, surprising her parents with a slightly early appearance on January 16 at 3:07 a.m. in Anchorage. Haley June Torrez, weighing 8 pounds, 3 ounces and measuring 20 inches long, was born to Petersburg residents Tori Shay and Aidan Torrez, marking a joyous beginning to the new year for this hometown family. The couple are both 2014 Petersburg High School graduates. Tori, a lifelong Petersburg resident, works at SEARHC handling medical...
