Sorted by date Results 476 - 500 of 1004
Two more positive cases of COVID-19 were identified in Petersburg on Friday, Nov. 27, according to a joint press release between the Petersburg Borough and the Petersburg Medical Center. The first individual was a Petersburg resident who became symptomatic for COVID-19 while out of state, according to the joint press release. Before returning to town, the infected individual followed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for isolation. The individual tested positive for the virus...
A force of nature, strong, independent, inspirational, fiercely loyal, spunky, and fun to be around, these are just a few words friends and family use to describe Cherie, who died peacefully at home in Camas Washington on Sunday November 1, 2020. Growing up Catholic in Petersburg, Alaska with her parents, Frank and Phyllis Richmond (deceased), and her younger brother, John Richmond of Juneau, was a source of great pride for Cherie. She had a mischievous side and loved telling stories about her... Full story
The Petersburg Emergency Operations Center confirmed four new cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Petersburg, according to three joint press releases between the Petersburg Borough and the Petersburg Medical Center. One case was confirmed on Friday, one on Saturday and two on Sunday. An Alaska resident recently traveled to Petersburg and was later deemed a close contact of a positive case identified on Nov. 14, according to one of the press releases. The individual later tested positive...
Borough residents are now required to wear a face covering in public buildings, work settings and at outdoor public gatherings of 50 people or more following the approval of public health mandate #8 by the Borough Assembly at their Monday meeting. Monday's discussion on whether the assembly should pass a borough-wide face covering mandate left assembly members and the community divided. After several amendments to the mandate, public health ordinance #8 was able to pass in a 4-3 vote. The...
Three new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in town since last week's COVID-19 community update, according to joint press releases between the Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center. The first two cases were identified on the morning of Nov. 14. One positive case was confirmed to be a local resident who is traveling out of state, according to a joint press release. The individual is isolated at their destination and will remain there until they have recovered. The person was not in...
Sharon Lee Smith, 55, died on Oct. 28, 2020 at Petersburg Medical Center. She was born on March 15, 1965 to Wendel O'Neal Smith and Emma Louise Atchley Smith in Camden, New Jersey. She graduated from Sardis High School in 1983 and worked in the seafood industry in Petersburg, Alaska. She was preceded in death by: her father and mother; and brothers Lonnie Smith, Jimmie Smith, and James Smith. She is survived by: husband Jeffrey Smith; brother Gary Lee Smith; sisters Sandy Smith, Karen Walker,... Full story
With the hopes of encouraging residents to resist pandemic fatigue as Alaska approaches the eight month mark of battling COVID-19, the Petersburg Emergency Operations Center released a health alert on Thursday, Nov. 5 reminding residents of the protocols they can take to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while keeping schools and the local economy open. Public health alert #3 strongly recommends, but doesn't mandate, six mitigation strategies. Residents are asked to wear a face covering when...
Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter had the unfortunate job of delivering bad news to the Petersburg School Board at their regular meeting on Tuesday; the Parks and Recreation Center's pool will likely not reopen for the rest of the school year. PSD had been working together with borough officials to get the pool reopened following a fire in the boiler room last month. Kludt-Painter said some repairs could be made in the short term, but the repairs needed to reopen the pool wouldn't be completed...
Incident Commander Karl Hagerman encouraged residents at Friday's COVID-19 community update who travel to other parts of the state to be tested for COVID-19 upon their return to town. The request follows five recent confirmed cases of the virus linked to intrastate travel. While Alaska residents are required to test for COVID-19 either before or after they arrive back in the state from other parts of the country, they don't need to be tested for the virus when traveling throughout Alaska. Four...
In his report to the Petersburg Medical Center Board of Directors last week, PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter said a nationwide shortage of Cepheid cartridges has caused the hospital to closely monitor its own supply of cartridges and enacted guidelines for rapid testing. The hospital's testing capacity is currently exceeding its par level, or the number of cartridges needed to react to a local outbreak, Hofstetter said. "We cannot get the supplies needed to test," said Hofstetter to the borough...
Petersburg Medical Center reported a total operating revenue for the month of September that balanced off the expenses and led to a positive bottom line to the Board of Directors at their meeting on Oct. 29, according to PMC financial statements. Continuing its rise in revenue into the third month of the fiscal year, PMC reported $1,931,329 in total operating revenue, according to the financial statements. That number was 20 percent higher than what the hospital originally budgeted for September. The return of inpatient and outpatient services...
A staff member at Petersburg Medical Center has tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total local case count of the virus up to five, according to a joint press release between the Petersburg Borough and PMC. The positive test result was identified through the hospital's routine asymptomatic testing protocols, according to the release. The individual is in isolation and is not experiencing any symptoms. PMC has switched over to a red level of mitigation protocols and has cancelled all... Full story
Petersburg School District is expected to reopen their doors today, Oct. 29, after a positive case of COVID-19 was confirmed at Rae C. Stedman Elementary School on Tuesday that resulted in a district-wide school closure, according to Petersburg School District Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter. Petersburg public health officials completed their contract tracing related to the school district on Wednesday, said Kludt-Painter. Students and staff who have been instructed to quarantine were asked...
The Borough Assembly extended a contract between the borough and the state for COVID-19 related services offered at the Petersburg Airport through Dec. 31 at their meeting on Oct. 20. Under the extension, the borough will receive $423,725 for the greeting, screening and testing services of incoming passengers from June 8 through Dec. 31, according to a memo to the Borough Assembly from Incident Commander Karl Hagerman. The extension also amended the memorandum of agreement between the borough...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted against terminating the borough's declaration of disaster emergency, which was enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, at their meeting on Tuesday. Assembly Member Taylor Norheim requested the action item be on the meeting's agenda to address the borough's declaration of disaster emergency and determine if the new assembly agreed with the declaration. Assembly Member Dave Kensinger was voted on to the assembly after the municipal election earlier this...
The Emergency Operations Center is asking anyone who visited or worked in any of the local bars on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10 to call Petersburg Medical Center's COVID-19 hotline, after an individual infected with the virus was determined to have visited a local bar last weekend, according to Incident Commander Karl Hagerman at the COVID-19 community update on Oct. 16. In prerecorded calls, text messages and emails, the EOC informed the public on Oct. 15 that one of the three residents that had...
Two cases of COVID-19 have been identified within the same household Tuesday evening, according to a joint press release from the Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center. One of the two individuals was showing symptoms of the virus and called PMC's COVID-19 hotline, according to the press release. The individual that was asymptomatic has underlying health issues and was also tested for COVID-19 out of caution, according to the press release. Both individuals tested positive on Oct. 27... Full story
A positive case of COVID-19 was identified this morning in Mrs. Potrzuski's fifth grade classroom at Rae C. Stedman Elementary School, resulting in a district-wide school closure, according to a statement on Petersburg School District's Facebook page. Both the student and their parent tested positive for the virus, according to a joint-statement between the Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center. The student recently traveled to Juneau on a non-school related trip and is symptomatic,... Full story
The Planning Commission approved a parking agreement with Valhalla Place, LLC at their regular meeting on Tuesday on the condition that any overflow parking from its future 15 unit affording housing complex on Excel St. be directed to a vacant lot several blocks away. Valhalla Place, LLC submitted a request to utilize an exception in current municipal code that allows them to make a payment in lieu of providing sufficient off-street parking for future tenants. According to Joe Bertagnoli, a...
Three cases of COVID-19 were confirmed within a single household Wednesday evening, according to a joint press release from the Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center. The individuals were showing symptoms and have been told to isolate themselves. According to the release, one member of the family recently traveled in the state, and the positive test result is likely related to their travel. PMC reported on Wednesday morning that 4,460 test samples have been collected to be tested for...
Time for tougher garbage requirements To the Editor: Every fall, it's the same story: bears wandering around town and getting into garbage. It's time for the borough to adopt tougher requirements to keep bears and garbage separate. Common sense and personal responsibility clearly aren't working. Ditto the existing wimpy ordinance on garbage cans. (You must make a "reasonable effort" to keep garbage cans inaccessible to animals. A reasonable effort includes securing a can with a bungee cord, no...
The SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium has begun free asymptomatic testing of Petersburg residents and others throughout the region. Testing is offered from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. every Saturday and Sunday at the SEARHC parking lot at 202 Gjoa St. Petersburg Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter said at the COVID-19 community update on Oct. 9 that SEARHC is sending their test samples to Sitka and is seeing a four day or less turnaround time on results. Residents will receive their results via...
Dr. Kayla Luhrs began working full time at Petersburg Medical Center as its fifth doctor in August. Luhrs had been working with PMC since 2018 as a locum physician, traveling back and forth between Juneau and Petersburg to fill in as needed. Then in March of this year, she came back to PMC, but decided to stay as the COVID-19 pandemic began to affect Alaska. "With the whole pandemic thing, we thought it would be easier if I just stayed instead of traveling," said Luhrs. She then signed a...
The Petersburg Medical Center staff member that tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday is thought to have contracted the virus locally, said Incident Commander Karl Hagerman at the COVID-19 community update on Friday, Oct. 2. The positive case of COVID-19 was detected during PMC's regular asymptomatic testing of its employees, said PMC Infection Prevention and Quality Manager Liz Bacom. The person immediately went into isolation and contract tracing has begun. "That gives us encouragement that...
