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The Petersburg Medical Center has reported two positive cases of COVID-19 among Long Term Care residents over the past week. The first case was reported on July 8 and an additional case was identified on Tuesday after a second round of testing. According to PMC, both positive residents have mild symptoms and are being isolated. The hospital reported that it has been in contact with State of Alaska Epidemiology and is currently checking residents for symptoms twice a day and testing residents and staff twice a week. Residents and staff are also...
The Market in Petersburg wins award To the Editor: This summer is the 13th season for The Market in Petersburg, a locally organized community market that takes place twice a month from May through September. The Market features vendors who sell handmade and homegrown goods including fresh vegetables, baked goods, and artisan jewelry. It is a celebration of the creativity and talent found in our small island community. This year The Market in Petersburg was awarded a grant from the Alaska Farmers Market Association (AFMA)/USDA, administered by...
During Monday's meeting, the Petersburg Borough Assembly voted 6-0 to appoint Assembly Member Bob Lynn as chair for the next three assembly meetings. The motion was brought forward as Mayor Mark Jensen will be absent fishing and Vice Mayor Jeigh Stanton Gregor will be attending the meetings remotely if available. Stanton Gregor said Monday that he would prefer having someone in person in the assembly chambers facilitate the meetings rather than him running the meetings over Zoom and he...
The Petersburg Medical Center Hospital Board unanimously approved its FY23 budget during last Thursday's meeting. According to PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter, the hospital faced many challenges and unknowns while crafting its "creative budget" as the healthcare industry comes out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the budget's total operating revenue of $23,925,927 is 11.1% up from the FY22 baseline, a value based on the hospital's year-to-date financials through March 31, 2022 plus an average over the...
An investigation by the borough into a complaint filed by Petersburg Police Department Chief Jim Kerr, alleging that he was the subject of harassment from Assembly Members Jeff Meucci and Dave Kensinger, found that no conduct that met any legal definition of harassment had taken place. The investigation also found that Kerr's comments at a Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting on November 17, 2021 were not protected by the First Amendment or the Alaska State Constitution. On Monday, as a response... Full story
June 9: In the District Court at Petersburg Alaska, Magistrate Judge Rachel Newport presided over an arraignment hearing for Ariel Booker Eiler. The defendant was present and in custody at Lemon Creek Correctional Center. The court had received a notice of filing an extradition packet from the State of Colorado, as well as the warrant and notice. They had not received the originals in the mail yet. The warrant of arrest from the Governor of Colorado was read out loud. The defendant requested time to speak with her Public Defender. The...
Sandy Ellis passed away peacefully at her home in Petersburg on Friday, May 13, 2022 with her children by her side after a short second battle with cancer. Last year she was treated by Southeast Radiation and Oncology Center in Juneau. Upon finding that the cancer had recently returned and was terminal, she was treated by staff at Petersburg Medical Center and the Home Health and Hospice Program. The gentle and thoughtful care in her last few days, as well as the support shown to family... Full story
Two candidates have filed for candidacy in this year's election to fill Rep. Jonathon Kreiss-Tomkins' seat in the Alaska House of Representatives. Kreiss-Tomkins, who first elected to the seat in 2012, announced earlier this year that he will not seek reelection. House District 2, which was newly created by the Alaska Redistricting Board, spans Southeast Alaska from Prince of Wales Island to Yakutat and includes Petersburg, Sitka, Kake, and Craig. The candidates running for the seat are Kenny...
Parents Ian and Shawna (Klein) Braun welcomed baby daughter Malenie Claire Braun, born on May 10th at The Flagstaff Medical Center, Flagstaff, Arizona. She weighed 6 pounds, one ounce and measured 19.5 inches. Proud grandparents are Duke and Kate Klein of Prineville, Oregon and Rick and Sue Braun of Petersburg....
The Petersburg Borough Assembly and Petersburg Medical Center Hospital Board met in the assembly chambers Tuesday afternoon for a joint work session to discuss potential sites for a new hospital building. During the meeting, PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter gave an update on the progress made toward planning and construction of a new building and what the project's next steps are. The assembly and hospital board have both previously agreed on the need for a new facility and passed resolutions in the... Full story
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht and the boroughs attorney are set to begin discussions with the Petersburg Medical Center on the possibility of transferring management of the Mountain View Manor Assisted Living Facility to the PMC following unanimous approval from the Petersburg Borough Assembly. The borough has struggled to hire staff including resident assistants and registered nurses at the manor and sees the transfer of management as one solution to relieve staffing challenges. The manor...
The Petersburg Medical Center is one step closer to "shovel ready status" following unanimous approval from the Petersburg Borough Assembly to begin surveying and evaluating potential sites for a future hospital. The approved process, which will be paid for by PMC through received funding, will help the hospital learn more about the borough-owned properties and see if there is anything at the proposed sites that would prevent building. Petersburg Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter said during... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly passed its FY23 budget by a 4-3 margin in its third and final reading on Monday with Assembly Members Dave Kensinger, Jeff Meucci, and Thomas Fine-Walsh voting against. There were no amendments proposed in its last reading but discussion saw similar points of concern raised by opposing assembly members. Fine-Walsh had concerns about how the budget would place “more emphasis on policing than education and housing.” “These are my priorities, these are the priorities of our community as they have been expre...
May 24, 2022: Magistrate Judge Rachel Newport presided over an arraignment hearing in the Petersburg District Court for Palmer H. Thomassen Jr. The defendant was present, but not in custody and pleaded not guilty to charges of DUI, refusal to submit to a breath test and reckless driving. Thomassen was released on his own recognizance and will retain his own lawyer. He must: obey all laws, appear at all hearings, maintain contact with attorney when retained, not consume or possess alcohol or go to any establishment where it is the primary source...
The Petersburg Medical Center Hospital Board voted to support a pilot program which could see the hospital offer after-school child care programming as soon as fall 2022 through its Community Wellness department. Julie Walker and Becky Turland, who was recently appointed to the Early Childhood Education Task Force, spoke to the board during last Thursday's meeting about their idea for the program which grew from the results of the child care needs assessment completed by the SHARE Coalition...
The Petersburg Medical Center Health Fair is returning for the first time in four years this Saturday in the community gym. The in-person fair, organized by the Community Wellness team, will feature speakers, booths, prizes, and more. After its cancelation in 2020 because of the pandemic, this year's theme is "getting back on track" with the hope of returning focus to preventative care such as annual health checks, something that many set aside while spending the last two years mitigating... Full story
Petersburg Medical Center staff discussed how a surge of COVID-19 cases in Petersburg has affected hospital operations and the community during its hospital board meeting last Thursday. According to Dr. Selina Burt, over the past month the hospital has had to reshuffle its staff to cover shifts of those who had to stay at home with the virus, but that at this point operations are mostly back to normal. PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter also reported that there has recently been "a little bit of an explosi...
The Alaska State Legislature approved its budget at the end of the legislative session last week which includes $20 million toward the construction of a new Petersburg Medical Center facility. The hospital board has been vocal of the need for a new medical facility and is taking a phased approach through development as funding becomes available. $8 million in funding was also approved earlier this year as part of Sen. Lisa Murkowski's congressionally directed spending requests. Though the $20...
The Petersburg Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Alaska Community Foundation, announced on Saturday the 10 organizations receiving grants this year. The event, hosted by Glo Wollen, saw volunteers, politicians, business owners, and other prominent community members gather to support local programs. Before the grant awards, the foundation announced a new annual award-Petersburg Community Volunteer of the Year. Dave Berg was chosen as the award's first recipient which also comes with...
Ambler Moss, the Petersburg School District's new secondary school principal, and his wife Thandar Myint visited Petersburg for the first time last week after he was offered the position. During their trip, Moss toured the schools, talked with students and staff, and met with members of the community during a meet and greet Friday evening. "We're psyched, we're excited about it, my wife's very enthusiastic about it," Moss said. Moss has experience teaching K-12 and has served as the head...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously to appoint 11 people to the Early Childhood Education Task Force during Monday’s meeting. The task force will be made up of Jessica Doril, Hannah Flor, Denise Gubernick, Katie Holmlund, Sharlay Mamoe, Jeff Meucci, Stephanie Payne, Chelsea Tremblay, Becky Turland, Glo Wollen, and Chad Wright. The assembly also voted unanimously to appoint Tremblay as the chair of the task force. The task force was created following multiple public meetings and work sessions which identified problems with r...
Our mother, Lois Ellen was born on August 26th, 1935 in Mandan, North Dakota to Alice and Carl Schiller. Growing up on a family farm, following the Great Depression, were challenging times in the rural Midwest: no electricity, running water or phone service. Mom could recall meager living with no money for holiday celebrations or frivolous gifts. A favorite memory was a ballpoint pen given to her when she was learning to write. Education was extremely important to her father, and he impressed... Full story
Petersburg Medical Center staff are continuing to adjust to the new electronic medical record implemented by Cerner last December and are now seeing some of the advantages the new system has to offer. Kirsten Testoni, the home health manager, said nurses are able to use the system on their tablets when they go out to see patients, allowing for easier access to information. "It's happening in real time as opposed to having to come back, log into the computer, and that kind of thing," Testoni... Full story
Laurel Ann Greseth passed away peacefully at her winter home in Thousand Palms, California with her family by her side after a months long battle with cancer. She had been treated by the Eisenhower Medical Center and was at home under care of Reliance Hospice. A lifelong Alaska resident, Laurel was born to Norman and Evangeline "Vange" Tate on September 15, 1947 in Ketchikan, Alaska. She graduated from Petersburg High School in 1965. On June 4, 1972 Laurel gave birth to twins Guy Clifford... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously in favor of two ordinances in their first readings during Monday's meeting, with Assembly Member Bob Lynn excused, which would increase the rates residents pay for water and sewage utilities. According to Utility Director Karl Hagerman, the increases included in Ordinance #2022-05 and Ordinance #2022-06 would be the first rate increases since 2018 and are needed to meet increased costs and expenses. Hagerman included a report in the meeting packe...
