Sorted by date Results 922 - 946 of 1032
Construction is creeping along on Petersburg Medical Center’s (PMC) roof after the contractor Silverbow Construction threatened to stop working last March and asked to be paid for 90 percent completion. PMC CEO Liz Woodyard said the hospital didn’t feel that amount of work had been completed and that more than 30 sheets of Silverbow-installed tin sheets needed to be replaced. According to the contract between PMC and Silverbow, PMC has the ability to withhold payment until it's satisfied. PMC’s architect Joann Lott, from Jensen Yorba Lott...
Petersburg’s Beat the Odds Committee is allocating $22,500 to various organizations that provide for cancer treatment travel, training, support and equipment in the community. The bulk of those donations come from Beat the Odds, A Race Against Cancer—an annual 5K put on during Breast Cancer Awareness month in October where local businesses and individuals can donate. Last fall’s race was Petersburg’s 14th event. “For some people it’s a way to remember someone they’ve lost from cancer and it’s also a way to honor survivors,” committee co-chai...
The Petersburg Police Department filed additional charges against Terry Slafter, 56, who fired multiple rounds off his boat the Lady Lou in the Middle Harbor last week. Two counts of Misconduct Involving Weapons in the 4th degree have been filed against Slafter in addition to the one count of Reckless Endangerment already filed against him. Slafter was apprehended last Wednesday morning after police responded to numerous reports of gunshots in the middle harbor. Officers cordoned off the area and found Slafter in his boat. No shots were...
Lillian Hatlen Hagerman passed away on March 7, 2014 at the Petersburg Medical Center Long Term Care Unit. She was born on June 2, 1922 in Borgund, Norway to Karl and Magda Hatlen. Shortly after her birth, her family moved to the United States. When Lillian was three years old, her family made their home in Petersburg, Alaska and she spent the rest of her life there. She met and married Edward Hagerman in 1940. Ed and Lillian were able to share over 65 happy years together before Ed's passing... Full story
Community members packed the assembly chambers last Monday to support continued local education funding for the Petersburg School District. District staff and parents responded to across the board budget cuts proposed last week by several assembly members. Sue Paulsen said while she understands difficult discussions will need to take place at some point, now is not the time for generalized budget reductions. “I bow to you,” Paulsen said. “You will be having these discussions. It’s not going to be easy. But a general reduction in services right... Full story
National Volunteer Appreciation Week To the Editor: This week, April 6-12, is National Volunteer Appreciation Week. There can't be many people in our little town who don't know someone who gives freely of his or her time and talents to make someone else's life brighter. Petersburg Medical Center alone has thirteen people who have gone through the extra training and screening to become "official" volunteers, and more than 60 others who have helped out in Long Term Care to brighten the lives of our residents. And that is just here in the...
Petersburg Search and Rescue members assisted U.S. Coast Guard personnel with the rescue of a Petersburg man after he went missing Monday evening. The man launched his 14-foot skiff Monday from Banana Point on the south end of Mitkof Island. When a family member became concerned they called emergency personnel. Petersburg SAR Director Robert Carter got the call around 8 p.m. Carter and SAR volunteer Ted Sanhofer contacted witnesses who thought they saw the lost man on a small island near Green’s Camp. The two SAR volunteers set up base camp at...
The Petersburg Medical Center submitted a balanced budget to the assembly earlier this month. The budget for fiscal year 2015 anticipates a net gain of $333,014 after covering $13.5 million in total operating expenses compared to $13.3 million last year. More than $9 million is budgeted for salaries, wages and employee benefits—an increase of around $229,000 from the year before. Net patient revenue is anticipated at around $13.7 million compared to $13.5 million last year. In creating next year’s budget, the PMC Board operated under sev...
Petersburg High School may soon offer a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) course. PHS Principal Rick Dormer said the course would be added to the school’s vocational technology class offerings. “It would allow kids to walk out with a diploma and a CNA certification,” Dormer said. PHS currently has a shop and aquaculture program. The CNA program would consist of one school year’s worth of classroom lessons as well as clinical experience at Petersburg Medical Center. Angela Menish, PMC Director of Patient Services and Registered Nurse, would b...
In an effort to balance next year’s budget, the Petersburg Medical Center Board voted Tuesday to increase patient fees and reduce employee raise mechanisms. Inpatient and long-term care patients will see a 3 percent cost increase and outpatients will pay 5 percent more. Most PMC employees are typically given yearly 2 percent wage increases, similar to a cost of living increase, and an annual ‘step’ raise of 2.7 percent. The board-approved budget reduces the wage increase to 1 percent and eliminates raises. Employee salaries, wages and benefits... Full story
Bruce Hershel Jones was born in Petersburg, Alaska in 1935, and went to be with the Lord on March 6, 2014, just ten days short of celebrating his 79th birthday. During his youth he held a paper route from the town to the graveyard; washed dishes at both the Pastime Café and Winnie's Café and took tickets at the theater. He drove a delivery truck for Wasvick & Torwick and seined with Adolph Mathisen on the F/V Harmony for four seasons. Bruce graduated Petersburg High School in 1953, and went o... Full story
A borough committee may organize to further investigate the merits of instituting an excise tax on tobacco after it was brought up for discussion during several sales tax ordinance committee meetings. While an excise tax on tobacco doesn’t fall under the purview of the sales tax committee’s mission—which is to review and recommend changes to the sales tax code so the borough can generate an equal or greater amount of revenue—it did unofficially make a recommendation to the borough assembly that it consider a tax on tobacco. Committee member... Full story
Superior Court Judge William Carey last Monday sentenced Joshua Franklin, 26, and Brandon Estes, 20, to four years in jail with two and a half years to serve after the pair plead guilty in December to five counts of felony burglaries and several other misdemeanor charges. Estes and Franklin broke into five local businesses around Petersburg last August including Petersburg Motors, Wikan Enterprises, the Petersburg Parks and Recreation building and the Hammer and Wikan grocery store. During his sentencing hearing, Franklin took responsibility...
A tobacco tax might be the answer to the Petersburg Medical Center board’s future infrastructure funding concerns. The sales tax committee discussed last Tuesday recommending the initiation of a tobacco tax to the borough assembly. PMC CEO Liz Woodyard attended the meeting and said many communities across the country support their hospitals with a similar tax. “That’s a norm,” Woodyard said. “That’s not something that’s unusual. In this case I’m specifically talking about tobacco because we absolutely know we can attribute healthcare diseases a... Full story
The sales tax committee discussed with citizens additional taxes on alcohol and pull-tabs last Tuesday. The mission of the committee is to simplify the sales tax code and collection procedures and to generate an equal or greater amount of revenue so the borough doesn't have to decrease services or increase property taxes. That means it's looking at every option before it makes recommendations to the borough assembly. Many of the Petersburg residents who attended the meeting urged the committee... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly ironed out language in the ordinance governing the Petersburg Medical Center hospital board and settled on a relationship between the two bodies that is somewhat ambiguous. Despite months of discussion between the two boards, Assembly Member John Havrilek still wasn’t comfortable with that ambiguity. “I’m still concerned this ordinance doesn’t give the hospital or us direction on who does what, when, how,” Havrilek said. Havrilek asked that clearer language be added to the ordinance that would define the borou...
Petersburg police apprehended Chase Martin, 19, last Friday evening from a residence on Lumber Street after he escaped custody earlier in the week. Chief Kelly Swihart said an officer originally arrested Martin Tuesday evening on charges of Theft and Violating Conditions of Release. He later complained of a medical issue so the officer escorted Martin to Petersburg Medical Center where he then fled and escaped at about 10:30 p.m. Swihart said police issued a $25,000 outstanding arrest warrant. Officers also became aware that local residents...
The Petersburg Police Department issued a statement yesterday morning asking for any information related to the whereabouts of nineteen year old Chase Martin. Martin escaped from custody at around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday evening while being evaluated at Petersburg Medical Center for possible medical issues. Martin was being held on charges of Theft and Violating Conditions of Release. Police believe Martin is still in Petersburg and is asking for anyone with information to contact PPD dispatch at... Full story
Thank you Petersburg Letter to the Editor: The Petersburg School District would like to thank our community for supporting the 10th Annual Little Norway Invitational Basketball Tournament that took place in December. The tournament is a high school basketball invitational tournament in memory of Jerry Dahl, Sr. The committee, composed of the family of Jerry Dahl, Sr., Rick and Dino Brock, Jaime Cabral and Rick Dormer, has worked to bring teams from varying areas to town for three days of competition at the beginning of the HS basketball...
The Petersburg Borough assembly and hospital board met last week to discuss proposed changes to the Petersburg Medical Center’s charter code as well as a recent memorandum written by the borough’s attorney regarding the relationship between PMC and the borough. The memo details the attorney’s opinion on various questions assembly members posed about hospital policy. Assembly and PMC board members spent much of the time discussing the question of whether or not PMC employees are borough employees—a contentious issue many of the PMC board m...
The Petersburg Parks and Recreation Department is taking applications for this year’s second annual ‘Losing Big Petersburg’ competition. Donnie Hayes, parks and rec director, said the competition will bring together ten Petersburg residents who have “a desire to make a change in your health and wellness, that’s it.” Each contestant will have a set of guidelines to follow each week. They will participate in stress relieving activities such as progressive muscle relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing and journaling. Contestants must also engage in r...
January Petersburg residents contributed a record amount to the Salvation Army Christmas program last year-$15,618.17-more than $9,700 than the year before. Jan. 4, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck 58 miles west of Craig and 203 miles south of Juneau prompting a tsunami warning across Southeast. Petersburg Police Chief Jim Agner and Sergeant Heidi Agner announced their intentions to retire. Officer Ben King joined the Petersburg Police Department. The Petersburg Borough Assembly members were... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly released Monday night an entire memorandum written by its borough attorney concerning the borough’s relationship with the Petersburg Medical Center that had previously been redacted. The assembly released a redacted version two weeks ago after The Petersburg Pilot and KFSK submitted public record requests. The motion to release the entire document failed after two of the three assembly members, John Havrilek and Nancy Strand, voted against its release. The assembly then unanimously voted to pass a redacted v... Full story
The Borough Assembly acted correctly in releasing the complete text of the city attorney’s opinion on the relationship issues between the borough and the hospital. Important topics were previously redacted that need to be the part of the upcoming discussions between the hospital board, borough assembly and the public. While the hospital has operated in a largely autonomous fashion for decades, Petersburg Medical Center’s decision to request financial assistance from the borough logically shifts the discussion to who is ultimately res...
Heather Thomas, owner of the local video store and director of Sea Monster Films, stands shivering underneath the porch as rain beats down. "I just need a few seconds to think," Thomas says to her crew. But Thomas and her crew don't have the luxury of seconds. Starting Thursday evening, Sea Monster Films had 360,000 seconds to come up with an idea, write a script, shoot scenes, edit and produce a short film. It's now Saturday. With roughly 180,000 seconds left, they have an idea, a script, now...
