Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 1950
The Petersburg High School Girls Cross Country team claimed the Region V Championship this past weekend in Juneau - their second regional title in three years. The team beat out Wrangell, Craig, Haines and more with a winning score of 11. It wasn't just the fact the team claimed their second regional title, all six girls qualified for state and all of them finished in the top 15. "If our fastest girl is running her best race, then our second fastest girl is probably gonna end up running her fast...
Vote yes on increasing the sales tax cap To the Editor: I am writing to address Petersburg’s current sales tax cap and its impact on our community. As inflation continues to affect our daily lives and local businesses, it has become increasingly clear that the current sales tax cap no longer aligns with the economic realities we face. The sales tax cap, initially set to provide a stable revenue source and prevent excessive taxation, has NEVER been adjusted to keep pace with inflation. Since its implementation in 1959, the cap of $1,000 (...
Sarah Fine-Walsh Sarah Fine-Walsh moved to Petersburg six years ago, to her husband's hometown, and said she still feels lucky to live here. "I pinch myself a lot, especially on a beautiful sunny day when it's flat calm," she said at the candidates forum. That feeling is why she is running for one of two three-year seats on the Petersburg Borough Assembly. "When you feel really, really lucky to live somewhere, the least you can do is give back using the skills that you have to contribute and mak...
Jeigh Stanton Gregor Jeigh Stanton Gregor is seeking another three-year term on the Petersburg Borough Assembly, where he said he has served "a little over a decade now, in total." "I think I'm easy to work with. I'm approachable," he said at the assembly candidates forum. "If re-elected, I will work hard for everyone, whether they vote for me or not." He and his wife, Lea, have been married 19 years and own True North Counseling and Consultation, a private counseling practice. They have two...
Don and Karen Cornelius are a family of local artists, and this summer the Petersburg Public Library hosted back-to-back retrospectives for the two. Don Cornelius walked through the exhibition this week with the Pilot and reflected on decades of art – wildlife and landscape oil paintings from across Alaska, portraits of his children, a humorous and distinctive series of gnome paintings, and his two newest paintings completed this summer – all on display through the end of the month. Cor...
Students at the Petersburg School District have seen strong results in last spring’s Alaska System of Academic Readiness statewide standardized test, also known as AK STAR. Students third through ninth grade were tested in English language arts and math. Every tested grade level arrived above the state’s median score in both tests. Districtwide, the amount of Petersburg students who scored “advanced” and “proficient” on both tests was 10% higher than the state average. Superintendent Robyn Taylor said those numbers are great, but she’s focused... Full story
In their final meet before regionals, the Petersburg High School Cross Country team showed out for the community during a rain-filled race this past weekend at Sandy Beach. Plenty of teams were in attendance such as Sitka, Wrangell, Haines, Juneau Douglas, Yakutat and Metlakatla in the final ramp up for all teams. "Our team has been incredibly consistent for the entire season and the last two weeks they've had really tough practice so being able to show up the way that they did at the last...
During the second meet of the season at Ketchikan, the Petersburg High School Swim and Dive team had several strong performers on both the boys and girls team. On day 1, Lexie Tow won the 100 yard freestyle and 100 backstroke and on day 2, won the 50 yard freestyle and the 200 freestyle. Bella Miller placed second in the 500 freestyle. On day 2, Miller finished third in the 200 freestyle and sixth in the 100 freestyle. "Everybody did really well. Lexie had a great meet. Bella had a pretty darn...
Frank T. Kaino was born on February 18, 1930, in Petersburg, Alaska, the youngest son of Shunichi (Papa) and Hana (Mama) Kaino. When he was twelve years, his school education was interrupted when he and his parents were incarcerated in a World War II Japanese internment camp called Minidoka, in Idaho. After their release from Minidoka they lived for a short time in Denver, Colorado, before returning to Petersburg. Frank graduated from Petersburg High School as one of the nine members of the... Full story
For the third year in a row, free breakfast and lunch will be available to all Petersburg School District students. Superintendent Robyn Taylor said free meals take financial burdens off families, and she sees educational and behavioral benefits that come with making sure students are fed. "It's not uncommon to see disruptive behavior or inattention, and when you're working with that student or that family, to really find out that they're struggling," she said, "A lot of the lack of ability to... Full story
The 2026 Swim and Dive season is now underway in Petersburg. With now graduates Logan Tow and Brooklyn Whitethorn gone, this year's team is poised to be a little younger. The team has been back in the pool for just a week and a half of practice, with the first day being Aug 5, but the team had to do dryland training in the gymnasium due to the pool area being in maintenance. "We're happy to be back in the pool, that's for sure," said head coach Andy Carlisle. Carlisle said those practices consis...
The PHS Cross Country team had their first meet of the season this past weekend in Sitka, culminating in a strong outing. The girls team didn't have their full roster as they were missing a couple of other runners. Despite this, all four girls that competed in the meet finished in the top 25. Junior runner Cadence Flint finished 2nd, Zia Hulebak finished 12th, freshman Arya Holmgrain finished 19th and Devyn Flint finished 25th. Flint set a new personal best with a time of 21:39.84. "For my...
Petersburg's Community Aquatic Center reopened its pools this week after being closed since mid-May for a sewer-line repair beneath the facility's concrete floors. However, while contractors finish up the job and reconcrete the locker room floors, swimmers will need to adjust to reduced capacity and altered access, announced Parks and Recreation Director Stephanie Payne. The leisure and wellness pool and the lap pool have reopened as of Tuesday morning on Aug. 18. The sauna and the second-floor...
The remains of an infant girl who was taken from a Thomas Bay cave nearly a century ago are coming home to Petersburg next month for burial. Stephanie Aikins, who is coordinating the project for the Petersburg Indian Association, said the infant — known to those working on her return only as “Baby Girl” — will arrive on the morning jet Friday, Sept. 4. A welcoming ceremony of singers and dancers is planned on the tarmac as she is unloaded. “She will be back on her land for the first time in almost 100 years,” Aikins said. For Aikins, this repat...
For a third straight summer, Katie Holmlund - the youth program coordinator behind Petersburg Medical Center's Kinder Skog outdoor program - led a group of local teenagers on a sea-kayak expedition down the south end of Mitkof Island, roughly 50 kilometers over 10 days in collaboration with the guiding outfit Onward and Upward. Eight students and five instructors launched from Banana Point, worked their way out to Woewodski Island, and backtracked home. By the last few days, the adults were most...
Independent U.S. House candidate Bill Hill brought his campaign to Petersburg last week, fielding questions at a Q&A session hosted at the Harbor Bar and later sitting down with the Petersburg Pilot to make his case for unseating first-term Republican Rep. Nick Begich III. Hill, a lifelong Bristol Bay commercial fisherman and retired school superintendent from Naknek, is running as an independent in a race he now frames as effectively two-way, after Democrat Matt Schultz ended his campaign and...
For the previous two years, the Petersburg High School Cross Country team has been the premiere D2 school. With former head coach Casey Gates at the helm, the boys team won two consecutive state titles and the girls team won state (2024) and finished third last year. With Gates heading to Oregon to coach football, Petersburg alumna and marathoner Kayleigh Lenhard takes the reins of high school cross country. While this will be Lenhard's first season coaching in Petersburg, she was the assistant...
Eli Ray Ribich was born on January 24, 1941, in Hamtramck, Michigan, into the loving home of his parents Rade and Dorothy Ribich and his brother John, 11-years older. He carried their legacy with grace, integrity and humility. Lee pursued his education with a desire to make a difference, graduating from Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, with a teaching degree that would lay the foundation for decades of inspiring young minds. Lee's career path took him into teaching and coaching, where... Full story
Thursday July 30, the cast of the high school play "Dracula" will head to Europe. They will first stop in London for a few days first and take a Shakespeare performance class at the historic Globe Theater. Then, they will perform their Dracula four times, Aug 7-11, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. Fringe Fest is renowned as the world's largest performing arts festival. It runs from August 7-31 and sold 2.6 million tickets last year. The local cast will be Petersburg's first-ever...
The Coast Guard Cutter Elderberry has a new officer in charge, following a change-of-command ceremony held July 15 at the Sons of Norway Hall. Senior Chief Petty Officer Jacob Pegoda, officer-in-charge of the 65-foot buoy tender for the past three years, turned over command to Senior Chief Petty Officer Craig Campomizzi. The new commander of Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska, Captain Ginny Naldony, traveled to Petersburg for the ceremony. Pegoda received a commendation for his years at the...
Bergen Kludt-Painter grew up in Petersburg, graduating high school in 2022. She went to college at the University of Idaho, where she just graduated with a degree in political science. Now she is back in town on a 10-week internship with Alaska Sea Grant. She brings her background to a program called "Sea Grant Community-Engaged Fellowship." Kludt-Painter works alongside Marine Advisory Program Agent Sunny Rice. "Bergen's job is to create a project over the course of the summer that matches both...
From July 28 through Aug. 25, candidacy forms will be available for Petersburg residents interested in running for elected office. Borough Assembly, Hospital Board, Planning Commission, Harbor and Ports Advisory Board, Library Advisory Board, Parks and Rec Advisory Board, and Public Safety Advisory Board all have seats up for election. July 22 the candidacy packets will be available at the borough clerk office. If running for assembly, school board, or hospital board a certain amount of signatures in support of running are needed. Early...
Rebecca Shatwell has been a teacher for three decades, teaching in Texas most recently. Now she brings her experience to Petersburg High School, where she will teach assigned math courses and has also been entrusted with two courses of her choice starting this fall. Those courses are Petersburg Maritime Math, and Artificial Intelligence Literacy and Ethics. "I just want learning to be something that [students] enjoy and that's truly beneficial, not just something that they're going to go...
The Petersburg School District approved the budget for the next fiscal year on June 30. Due to higher projected student counts, one-time state funding and one-time energy relief funding, the district anticipates receiving roughly $900,000 in additional revenue to spend. Much of that money comes from the Alaska Legislature's approval of up to $115 million in one-time funding for districts. But, that funding is contingent on oil prices staying high. The state Department of Revenue has until the... Full story
The Borough Assembly voted 5-0 Monday to send a letter to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities asking the state to add pedestrian routes to its winter snow-removal work in Petersburg. The letter, prepared by Mayor Bob Lynn, focuses on non-motorized corridors that the borough says become unusable and unsafe when snow and ice go uncleared. It singles out the sidewalks and pedestrian routes along Haugen Drive leading to the Petersburg James A. Johnson Airport and Sandy Beach Park, and the Libby Strait bike path, which the...
