Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 1830
In 1927, a 14-year-old girl named Alice Norberg left the fox farm in West Petersburg where she was raised and boarded a steamer to Seattle then a Greyhound bus to Hollywood to pursue a showbiz career. She eventually appeared in 32 movies during the 1930s and 40s. This Friday, the Clausen Memorial Museum is screening one of her films, "The Invisible Ghost" (1941), starring Bela Lugosi, in an evening designed to bring Alice's story back to Petersburg's collective memory. "People kind of forgot...
Determined to see where they stack up compared to the rest of the conference, the Petersburg High School Varsity Volleyball team continued their momentum with a strong performance in the North Seeding Tournament. The team went 5-2, only losing to the Wrangell Wolves and Craig Panthers, both in three sets (1-2). "Really happy with the way the girls played. They played together on the court. Every game was a battle and the ones that we lost were great learning moments to improve on for the next...
Petersburg’s nonprofit Viking Swim Club will hold its annual fundraiser auction this Saturday at the Sons of Norway Hall, with proceeds helping to keep swimming affordable for local families. “This is the main vehicle to fund the Viking Swim Club,” said Marlena Newman, the club’s fundraising chair. “If we don’t have our fundraisers, then, of course, the dues go up for families.” Newman and a team of volunteers have spent the past three months organizing the event, which includes a dinner, silent and live auctions, and a raffle. It’s one of two...
Grappling with the unknown, the Petersburg High School Wrestling team embarked on the beginning of their season's journey this past weekend in Metlakatla. While head coach James Valentine wasn't present, assistant coach Tyler Thain stepped up to fill the void in the first meet of the season. "Mostly, this first meet was about figuring out what kind of wrestlers you want to be. We do things in practice and in a real life match, it's hard to translate those things," Thain said. "So you try to get...
The Petersburg High School Swim and Dive team ended the regular season strong in Juneau this past weekend. The team looks poised to make a splash in the postseason once again. "We're doing good," head coach Andy Carlise said. "For a couple of the swims, it really boosted their confidence. "Lexie [Tow] had a really good meet and Brooklyn had a really good meet. "They've been a little bit off on their times up until this meet. This weekend, they got season best times on everything." Senior...
Betty Lee Rogers was born on May 15, 1940, in Albert Lea, Minnesota, to Claude and Caroline Hinds. She attended a country school near their farm in Worth County, Iowa, through the eighth grade and graduated from Northwood High School in 1958. After earning a bachelor's degree in home economics from Iowa State University in 1961, she then began work as a county home economist. On April 20,1963, Betty married her high school sweetheart, Harry Rogers. They lived in Spirit Lake, Iowa, before moving... Full story
Homer H. Sarber passed peacefully, with family by his side, at his daughter's home in Anchorage, Alaska on October 5, 2025. Homer was born in Petersburg, Alaska on April 11, 1939. Homer grew up in Petersburg creating memories he cherished and lifelong friendships. His High School days were distinguished by his time playing basketball with the Vikings. After High School he attended Junior College in Washington State prior to marrying his lifelong love, Myra A. Wondzell in 1962. Shortly after... Full story
Jaime Cabral, Petersburg High School and Mitkof Middle School Assistant Principal and Activities Director, was named the 2026 Assistant Principal of the Year by the Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals (AASSP) at a ceremony in Anchorage last weekend. The recognition came while Cabral was already in Anchorage, in the middle of coaching his volleyball team at a tournament. Cabral's wife Heidi picked him up between games, drove him across town to accept the award, and rushed him back...
October 16, 1925 – There is just one reason for this paper being started – to sell news – news that is news, constructive news. The South Alaska Publishing Company, with papers in Ketchikan, Petersburg and Sitka, is organized to conduct an independent press – a press that will, without bias of fear or favor, no matter what its editorial opinion may be, print both sides of a story. Free speech has made the American nation a great country. Those intolerant of free speech and honest discussion of public issues, though they may call themsel...
Petersburg's municipal election received the highest number of ballots this year in over a decade. A total of 1,280 ballots were cast and canvassed, including one outstanding ballot. It was the highest turnout since Petersburg voted to become a borough in December 2012, which saw just over a hundred more ballots than this year. There were a couple of contested races for local office this year, namely for mayor and for Petersburg's Borough Assembly. It was Bob Martin's first time running for an a...
"I wanted to do something different, challenge myself as a director and challenge the students," says Elsa Wintersteen, director of Petersburg High School's drama program. "Doing something scary... that can actually evoke feelings of discomfort in people is a really hard thing to do." For this fall's production of Dracula, that challenge includes scaring the hometown audience, then, next summer, taking their show on the road to the largest theater festival in the world - Edinburgh Scotland's Fri...
The Petersburg High School Varsity Volleyball team played their first games of the season this past weekend to a solid start. At this point last year, the team was 1-8. Heading into their first conference games of the season, the team brings a 6-4 record to the court. “We played such an array of different teams that had different tendencies and played different styles, so that was huge for us,” head coach Jaime Cabral said. “We’re not extremely huge height wise, but athletically is where we can compete and our speed and ball control.” These gam...
For several seasons, the Petersburg High School Wrestling team has had reliable veterans such as Markus Anderson, Angus Olsen and Kaden Duke, who all graduated last year. The program is now entering a new era of Vikings wrestling with a wave of young talent and the coaching staff focused less on results and winning and more on unlocking the potential of this squad. “This team that we have is young. We have one senior [Tyson Reid] and he hasn’t wrestled since middle school. We have two juniors and everybody else is sophomores and fre...
Alvin Lee Nussbaumer was born June 19, 1950, in Bremerton, Washington, to Edwin and Maxine Joy Nussbaumer. After graduating from North Kitsap High School in 1972, he enlisted in the Army and served in Germany. After his discharge he went on to earn an associate degree in electronics. Alvin moved to Petersburg, Alaska, in 1978 and got a job at Petersburg Fisheries where he eventually became a supervisor. He also worked as a bartender at the Harbor Bar and Kito's Kave until around 2005. A very... Full story
Most teams can hit a wall after winning a title, also known as a championship hangover. Throughout this season, the Petersburg High School Boys Cross Country team found another gear, surging to their second consecutive state title. For the first time in program history, the boys team claimed back-to-back titles. The boys squad also became the first team in Petersburg to go back-to-back since the boys basketball team did in 2016 and 2017. During last season's championship run, the Wrangell...
October 9, 1925 – According to word received by local persons, the New England Fish Company at Ketchikan is looking for fresh smelt (true Silver Smelt), for which they will pay a minimum of 7 cents per pound, freight on board steamer at Petersburg. Large smelt reaching them in good condition will probably fetch a higher price. A good deal of smelt was shipped from Wrangell last year and some shipments have already been made from that district this season. It would seem that there is an opportunity for local men to make some money in a new f...
The Petersburg High School Swim and Dive team are rounding into form with their second-to-last meet of the regular season. The main focus for the team at the Sitka meet were strong finishes. “This last weekend, they finished real well. Their splits between the first and second half was really good,” said head coach Andy Carlisle. “They held on really well, so I was pretty happy overall.” Petersburg senior swimmer Logan Tow continued his strong season, finishing first in the 200 freestyle, with a time of 1 minute and 48 seconds, first in the...
Kelly Thomas was born on November 29, 1957, in Petersburg, Alaska, to Samuel and Arliss (Littleton) Thomas, both of whose families were long-time Petersburg residents. Growing up on the corner of Second and Fram, where the Clausen Museum now stands, and surrounded by family, he was a happy, 'giggle pot' of a kid. After graduating from Petersburg High School – where, at 6' 3" he starred as a formidable force on the wrestling team – Kelly spent some time commercial fishing out of Petersburg and... Full story
He's been swimming since he was seven, he became an 18x NCAA All-American during his time at Auburn University, earning the title of "Greatest Auburn Sprint Relay Swimmer of All Time," dubbed by "The Voice of Swimming," NBC announcer and analyst, Rowdy Gaines and an induction in the Alaska Swimming Hall of Fame in 2015. His name is Derek Gibb and he's embarking on a new challenge – now the new head coach of Viking Swim Club and hoping to help lead the next generation of Viking swimmers. Gibb s...
October 2, 1925 – The tidal wave of so-called economy now sweeping over the country is liable to wreck the present system of transporting mail to and from Alaska and outside points, if steps reported as being in contemplation are taken – that of returning to the system in vogue during the late war, when mail to and from Alaska was carried as freight instead of under special contract as at present, when mail clerks were being carried aboard the steamers and the mail handled the same as on trains. Three or four weeks ago special agents of the...
The Petersburg High School Cross Country squad headed into the Region V Championships seeking to make some more history. The boys team was looking to win their first Region V title since 2019 and the girls were looking to win back-to-back titles. In their way were several other teams such as Craig, Kake, Hoonah, Skagway, Haines and Klawock but most notably, the team they've been neck and neck with all season long - Wrangell. The Wolves came out on top over the PHS boys and girls teams, with the...
Rounding into championship form, the Petersburg High School Cross Country team wrapped up another strong regular season at the Capital City Invitational, in Juneau. With the regular season now in the rear view, the Vikings turn their attention to defending their title – and are confident to reign supreme again. "We have a really good team. They are peaking at the right time and I think they're very fit physically and mentally," head coach Casey Gates said. Teams such as Juneau-Douglas, Sitka, Ke...
With only three meets remaining, the Kayhi Invitational was an opportunity for the Petersburg High School Cross Country team to see where they stack up against the rest of their competition with the postseason on the horizon. As they've done all season, the Vikings continued to be one of the top teams across Alaska – with the boys and girls team finishing second with 65 and 53 points respectively. Finally obtaining one of her goals throughout the season, senior runner Gabriele Whitacre ran a n...
It was an up and down season last year for the Petersburg High School Varsity Volleyball team – starting the season 1-10, then having a strong resurgence to end up 9-14, and finishing third at regions. Falling one spot short of a state berth left the team disappointed and wanting more. This iteration of the Vikings aims to bring more power to opponents this season. “The firepower that we have from all positions is different. It’s a different makeup of kids. We are faster than we were last year defensively,” said head coach Jaime Cabral....
Christen loved Petersburg and always called it home even when living in other parts of the world. He began his career at age 11, fishing with his dad Chris Sr. and Walter Hofstad on Walt's boat, the 'R & H'. He was fanatical about sports, and played basketball for the Petersburg Vikings during high school, jersey number 42. He was a proud fan of the Seattle Sonics, Mariners, Huskies and Seahawks. In his 50's Christen fulfilled a life-long aspiration and joined the Merchant Marines. He spent... Full story
