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Petersburg's own Tracy Welch was appointed as the second commissioner of the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission (CFEC). Welch was approved by the Alaska State Legislature by unanimous consent on May 14. She was appointed to the position by Governor Mike Dunleavy, taking the second of two seats. After being appointed by the governor, Welch was approved by three confirmation hearings to be officially accepted for the position. Welch grew up in Petersburg and commercially fished for over thirty...
The "Kéet Yaakw" – or the killer whale canoe – launched from Petersburg on Sunday morning and reignited a tradition of canoe-based transportation – the first such departure in at least 100 years. Traveling by canoe to Celebration – the biennial gathering of Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian tribes in Juneau – has been a tradition for tribes in the region. This year Petersburg joins the paddling tradition for the first time since Celebration became an event. ShaaL'aanee Brandon Ware is Petersburg...
The Petersburg Community Foundation distributed grants totaling nearly $50,000 to nine local organizations at its annual award reception Saturday, highlighting during the event that the local foundation's invested endowment has officially crossed $1 million for the first time. Board chair Glorianne Wollen opened the ceremony by tracing the milestone back to the foundation's founding in 2008 as an affiliate of the Alaska Community Foundation, when its initial fundraising goal was $50,000. "It is...
On Missing Murdered Indigenous Peoples Day, Tuesday, May 5, Petersburg Indian Association organized a noise parade to raise awareness of the high rates of violence against Indigenous peoples in the United States and Canada, and to urge advocacy in Alaska which has the country's highest rate of MMIP and where Alaska Native women experience violence at a rate nearly ten times higher than the national average. During the parade (pictured right) Leann Marie Johnston and Priscilla Brusell displayed...
Construction has begun on the expansion of the Tlingit and Haida Airport Subdivision near Mountain View Manor, and the first visible sign of that work - the removal of roughly 300 feet of the area's popular boardwalk trail - has prompted some dismay from residents who say they were caught off guard by the closure. The boardwalk trail section that runs through the muskeg from the Mountain View Manor area toward the Hungry Point Loop trail will remain closed to the public for the duration of...
The Keet Yaakw is the first Alaska Native-designed canoe to be launched out of Petersburg, at least since Petersburg was incorporated as a town in 1910. Petersburg Indian Association Tribal Council Vice President ShaaL'aanee Brandon Ware described the feeling of bringing the new canoe towards shore at Sandy Beach, where it was unveiled to the public. "Coming into the bay, I knew we were seeing the same thing our people have seen since time immemorial... when it was a seasonal fish camp for thous...
Petersburg Medical Center's Home Health department is settling into its new space in the former office of Public Health and is working to expand community awareness about the services available to local residents. The move brings Home Health nursing staff into closer proximity with PMC's clinical departments, emergency room, and therapy services. "It's so nice to be on campus and just be able to have conversations face to face," said Ruby Shumway, PMC's Home Health and Community Based Services...
The unofficial 2026 Petersburg Indian Association election results are in. Tribal members re-elected Carol Martinez to a one-year term as council president, and elected Stephanie Silva to a two-year tribal council seat. Martinez and Silva were the only candidates running for spots on the tribal council this year, leaving two council member seats unfilled. This year’s election had a significant decrease in candidates compared to previous years. Last year, 11 candidates and two write-ins ran for six available seats. The 2024 election had nine c... Full story
January 2025 The Petersburg Borough Assembly agreed to transfer seven parcels of borough-owned land in the Airport Addition Subdivision to Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority (THRHA) in exchange for the developing road and utilities for 11 residential lots. The snowpack at the Raven's Ridge snow survey site at 1,650 ft elevation measured zero inches. One of only two years on record without snowpack in January. Rock-N-Road Construction was awarded the contract for the borough's Pump Station...
The Petersburg Rotary Club will distribute over 200 pounds of moose burger to the community on Saturday morning, through a unique local program that turns hunting violations into a food security resource. Petersburg's Moose Burger Bank, now in its eighth year, processes meat from illegally harvested moose and distributes it to local nonprofits and community organizations and, when supplies allow, directly to community members. A public distribution will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday outside...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved a handful of changes to the borough's budget earlier this month, including spending $11,000 to repair damage at the town's ball field. An intense wind storm in September caused one dugout to completely collapse and the adjacent structure covering the bleachers to lean significantly. At the Dec. 1 Borough Assembly meeting, Little League President Becky Turland said the ball field is important to many in the community. "Little League uses the ball fields. T... Full story
Tribal members will decide who will serve as the Petersburg Indian Association’s council president and who will fill three seats on the tribal council when the tribal government holds its election on Jan. 5. The president serves a one-year term, while tribal council members serve two-year terms. Current council members Heather Conn and Nathan Lopez and Heather Conn will not be seeking reelection. Conn will be taking time to care for herself and her family, and Lopez is moving out of Petersburg. Conn has held a seat on the tribal council for s... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved the hiring of Steve Harbour as the borough's next utility director at their early November meeting. Harbour, currently an electrician-operator at the borough's power plant, will begin his new role on December 30, 2025, at an annual salary of $160,000. Current Utility Director Karl Hagerman will remain in the position until July 2026, providing a six-month overlap period that borough officials praised. "This doesn't happen very often where we...
When SNAP benefits failed to arrive this month, Petersburg residents responded with an outpouring of coordinated support across multiple organizations and businesses. Jim Floyd CEO of Hammer & Wikan organized donation efforts, offering discounts to customers who contributed food and making monetary donations to support the purchase of perishables. Rocky's Marine also contributed cash toward the food drive. "This is about understanding there's a need and figuring out how we can meet it," Floyd...
Petersburg is feeling the impact of the federal government shutdown leaving families without their November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. But local organizations are responding quickly to ramp up food distribution efforts. "It's already hitting our community hard," said Veronica Ware, the Johnson O'Malley and Social Services Director at the Petersburg Indian Association. "I've already had calls from citizens in tears because they don't have any food and they don't have any...
The final piece of funding is in place for replacement of the deteriorating breakwater system at Banana Point, with construction expected to begin next spring. The Petersburg Borough Assembly accepted a $78,000 contribution last week from the Petersburg Indian Association to close a gap between the project's existing budget and the lowest construction bid. The borough has issued a notice to award to bidders and plans to present a contract for assembly authorization at its next meeting,...
5G cell tower construction To the Editor: A week ago I awoke to the shocking news that Tlingit and Haida corporation is placing what will be a 5G cell tower 200 feet from my house on the Flower Farm property on Rory Road here in Petersburg, Alaska. I learned about radiation long ago, and am still in a state of fight or flight. Tlingit and Haida have a $50 million contract to put up 5G cell towers wherever they can buy a place to put one or get permission to erect one. I called Chris Cropley, Tlingit and Haida’s man in charge of placing $50 m...
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...
Whether it's online strangers sending kids messages in Roblox, scammers phishing for passwords, or artificial intelligence platforms targeting young people with relationships that can distort how an entire generation views human connection - families with children and teens are facing new kinds of online safety challenges. New digital dangers exist as the results of tools and devices that "were released to the public without long-term studies or clear guidelines, leaving families and schools to...
After 17 years of shaping Petersburg's infrastructure, this has been the final week on the job for Public Works Director Chris Cotta before relocating to Florida, where he'll serve as Public Works Director in Tarpon Springs, a city on the Gulf Coast around the size of Juneau. As Cotta wraps up his tenure, Aaron Marohl-who has deep roots in the community-steps into the director role, inheriting an experienced crew and a long list of ongoing projects. From Florida to Petersburg and back Before...
A group of volunteers searched the south end of Mitkof Island for European green crab on July 18, looking for any sign that the highly invasive species had reached central Southeast Alaska after other sightings southward. After a couple hours of scouring a rocky beach near Woodpecker Cove for crab carapaces (molted shells), there was a close call with a live green crab that the group captured. Sunny Rice, an agent of marine conservation group Alaska Sea Grant, hurried over to inspect it. After...
After years of planning and months of craftsmanship, Petersburg Indian Association has installed a traditional dugout canoe at Sandy Beach Park, marking the completion of the Hutli Plaza portion of their broader cultural and recreational project. The 10-foot children's canoe, carved by Juneau-based artists Herb Sheakley Jr. and his brother Samuel Sheakley, now sits on a sandy foundation near the 3,000-year-old fish traps that mark the site as a historic fish camp. The canoe, called a "yaakw" i...
Middle school students will have the chance to test water samples under microscopes, hike creek beds with a hydrologist, and learn forest management techniques from a U.S. Forest Service forester through a new science education program launching this summer. The Petersburg Public Library has partnered with Alaska Sea Grant to offer “Wonder Camp,” a series of five separate day-long programs designed to introduce students entering sixth, seventh, or eighth grade to real-world science careers in...
