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Petersburg Medical Center is launching a new cohort of its on-the-job training Certified Nursing Assistant program next Monday, offering people in Petersburg a valuable opportunity to get paid while earning a professional healthcare certification in just five weeks. "We hire people who say they want to become a CNA, and then we pay them while they're taking the class," explained Chief Nursing Officer Jennifer Bryner. "At the end of the class, if it's a good match, then we would offer a... Full story
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...
August 27 - An officer responded to a report of motor vehicle damage on Gjoa Street. An officer responded to a parking complaint on S Nordic Drive. An officer responded to a parking complaint on S 2nd Street. Officers responded to an assault on S 3rd Street. An officer assisted Emergency Medical Services (EMS) on Skylark Way. It was reported that a lanyard had been lost on S Nordic Drive. August 28 - An officer responded to a noise complaint at Sandy Beach Park. A lost iPhone was reported on S Nordic Drive. Gerriann Collins, 32, was charged...
Why I decided to run for Mayor To the Editor: I have given a lot of thought about whether I should run for Mayor. I have asked my wife and many friends and acquaintances that question. It has not been an easy decision. I believe strongly in our community and have invested lots of time to help make it a community that will grow and prosper during these times of great change. I believe we will see a shift of costs from both the State and Federal governments to the local level. We will need to be more self-reliant on local issues like housing,...
The new Wellness, Education, Research, and Communications (WERC) building opened its doors this month, marking the completion of the first major phase of Petersburg Medical Center's hospital replacement project. And according to PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter, the success of this facility has already changed how he's thinking about the rest of the project. "This is just step one," Hofstetter told the Pilot on a recent tour of the 15,000-square-foot building. He will be the first to say that the slow... Full story
A dozen teenagers returned to Petersburg on July 22 after a weeklong kayak trip learning how to paddle, fly-fish and lead as a team. The group kayaked and camped along the southern coast of Mitkof Island, exploring from Woodpecker Cove to Point Alexander. They were led by certified instructors from Petersburg Medical Center and the outdoor education group Onward & Upward as their guides, teaching outdoor safety skills. "Adventure wilderness expeditions changed who I am as a person, honestly...
Petersburg Medical Center will lose nearly $1 million in expected federal tax credits after the federal reconciliation bill retroactively eliminated a one-third portion of the delayed COVID-era employee assistance funding the hospital was eligible to receive. The hospital had applied for around $3 million through the Employee Retention Tax Credit program but will now receive only two-thirds of that amount due to passage of “the one big, beautiful bill,” Chief Financial Officer Jason McCormick told the hospital board Thursday. The leg...
The Petersburg Medical Center celebrated their 11th annual Pedal/Paddle Battle, raising a new high $24,201 with $15,000 from corporate sponsors and $8,501 by participants, to go towards scholarships and education. In previous years, the event has raised between $17,000-20,000. "[The corporate sponsors] led to why we got so much money this year. Participants raised over $8,000 just from family and friends, so that's significant too," Community Wellness and Public Relations Manager Julie Walker sa...
Larry Haugen was born along with his twin, Edward, on August 20, 1950 to Ruby (Simpson) and Ernie Haugen in Petersburg, Alaska. He was a lifelong Alaskan. He attended elementary and secondary school in Petersburg, graduating in 1969. His bent was to be outdoors. He worked summers seining and spent his winters trapping in Duncan Canal. When the Alaska pipeline construction began he moved north and spent several years working on the pipeline until he was badly injured in a construction accident.... Full story
Significant cuts to Medicaid alongside impacts to Medicare are included in the budget reconciliation bill signed into law by President Donald Trump last week. Alaska is second only to New Mexico in the highest rate of people using Medicaid. About 38% of Alaskans are on it, according to the state's Department of Health. Medicaid is a health insurance option for low-income people, and Medicare is a federal program providing health insurance for eligible seniors and people with disabilities. Much...
Nancy Claire Strand was born in Petersburg, Alaska, on June 20, 1945 to Claire and Erling Strand. As was the tradition in her youth, she worked in the canneries during the summers. She graduated from Petersburg High School in 1963 and briefly attended Oregon State University, but missed home and returned to Southeast Alaska and an internship with the Wrangell Sentinel. When she returned to Petersburg in her twenties, Nancy edited the Petersburg Press from December 9, 1966 through March 1967. It... Full story
by Philip Hofstetter There is no question: the federal budget reconciliation now under Senate review would severely harm Alaskans, especially in rural communities. As CEO of one of Alaska’s last three community-owned critical access hospitals, I see the consequences firsthand when people lose healthcare coverage. This bill adds layers of bureaucracy and new Medicaid restrictions that threaten to choke off care entirely. Fortunately, our senators can choose to block it. If the Senate rushes this legislation through, an estimated 33,918 A...
June 10 - An officer conducted a welfare check on Skylark Way. A found backpack was turned into the Police Department (PD). It was returned to its owner. Subpoena papers were served. A dog was reported being left in a car. The owner was contacted and confirmed that the dog was okay and not overheating. Suspicious behavior was reported on Fram St. A speeding vehicle was reported on S 7th & Kiseno St. An officer responded to a disturbance on Wrangell Avenue. A disorderly conduct warning was issued. An officer responded to a report of a speeding...
Petersburg Medical Center (PMC) completed a complex water system repair project last week that highlights both the ingenuity of local maintenance crews and the mounting infrastructure challenges facing the community's critical access hospital. The project began February 5 when the six-inch sprinkler main suddenly developed a hole. "We threw a patch on it that we got from the city, and that actually stopped the leak," explained Wolf Brooks, PMC's Facilities Engineer. But this leak revealed a... Full story
May 28 – An officer assisted Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Petersburg Police Department (PPD) received a report of a disabled vehicle on South 2nd Street. The owners were working to move it. An officer assisted EMS with a cardiac arrest on Mitkof Highway. PPD received a report of a lost CPAP machine. PPD received a report of a dog attempting to enter a neighbor’s house. The owner of the dog was contacted. An officer assisted a citizen. An officer issued a trespass warning to an individual who’d climbed scaffolding and was on the roof of a...
Community support for Beat the Odds To the editor: Petersburg Medical Center Foundation’s Beat the Odds provides resources in Petersburg for people with cancer. Our generous sponsors helped raise over $37,000 during our last fund drive. We acknowledge the contributions of Petersburg Mental Health Services and an incredibly special gift from the late Scott Olson. Thank you to First City Council on Cancer in Ketchikan, Wrangell Cancer Care, and Cancer Connection in Juneau. In 2024 over $35,000 was provided to assist with expenses for P...
On Saturday, the Petersburg Community Foundation awarded $37,125 in grants to seven local organizations during its annual awards ceremony and honored one community volunteer with its prestigious Volunteer of the Year recognition. The foundation, which began 17 years ago with support from the Alaska Community Foundation and the Rasmuson Foundation, has seen accelerated growth in recent years. It took the organization around a decade to award $100,000 in local grants, but it has matched that...
News diversity makes us smarter To the Editor: Like many of you, I value the Pilot for its fair coverage of local news and views. In its pages we see the facts of our local issues, so that we can make decisions together despite our various political leanings. Unfortunately, this consensus reality breaks down as soon as we zoom out beyond the island, turn on cable news, or lock into our social media and video algorithms. When it comes to national news, most of us are more influenced by monied interests than we care to admit, even when we think...
I Feel So Blessed To the Editor: Reaching out to our entire community with a heartfelt THANK YOU!!! To all my friends, family, loved ones, well wishers, and prayer senders, to the EMTs, PMC staff, Medivac staff, PPD staff, Providence Alaska Medical Center staff, and Providence St. Elias staff – your generous and caring support both physically and emotionally have followed my sons and me to Anchorage for life-saving medical care. One never knows what the next day is going to bring. Your continued support is much needed and appreciated along this...
For Petersburg families wondering what their children will do this summer, Petersburg Medical Center's Youth Programs are offering more activities, more accessibility, and more options than ever before. After a six-month effort to secure critical funding streams, the programs have achieved a milestone that will help ensure more families can participate, regardless of financial circumstances. PMC Youth Program administrators have spent months advocating for access to state child care assistance...
Kinder Skog mentor and Mitkof Dance Troupe teacher Kaili Watkins has been named an Alaska Afterschool Superhero, one of five educators recognized across the state this year by the Alaska Afterschool Network. The press release on Monday described the recognition as "a highly competitive, statewide award that recognizes spectacular afterschool professionals ... Kaili has gone above and beyond in her role, building relationships and learning about the individual needs of youth." Watkins was...
A middle-aged man was rescued from frigid waters near Petersburg on the night of April 7. Franz Schonberg was walking his dog near the ferry terminal after sunset when he heard someone yelling in the Wrangell Narrows, between Mitkof and Kupreanof Islands. Schonberg, a local volunteer firefighter, launched his skiff and went to investigate, searching the dark, fast-moving waters for the person calling out for help. Around the same time, local resident Dr. James Pizzadili was walking along the...
We felt loved and cared for To the Editor and this wonderful community: One year ago I came very close to dying. I got very, very sick with three upper respiratory viruses which allowed a strep infection to turn into pneumonia which caused sepsis or toxic shock syndrome. All in a matter of days. Luckily, I live here in Petersburg, the best place on earth. The doctors, nurses, and staff at Petersburg Medical Center were amazing and got me out on a medivac as quickly as possible. The outpouring of love, prayers, good vibes, cards, and gifts was...
We Can Protect Each Other To the Editor: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced,” as James Baldwin reminds us. So let us look at what is happening to people like Fabian Schmidt, Camila Munoz, and Dr. Rasha Alawieh. All have been living in the United States legally. Schmidt has a green card, Munoz is in process of obtaining citizenship as the spouse of a U.S. citizen, and Alawieh has her H1B visa as a kidney transplant specialist and professor at Brown University. Nevertheless, Schmidt and Mun...
A Petersburg-based fishing commercial vessel caught fire Thursday near Point Gardner in Chatham Strait where it had been participating in the golden king crab fishery. The fire prompted a coordinated response from nearby Samaritan vessels, the Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department, and the U.S. Coast Guard. The U.S. Coast Guard received a distress call at 1:49 p.m. reporting that the F/V Spicy Lady, a 58-foot steel vessel, was on fire and crew members were preparing to abandon ship into a life...
