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In 1927, a 14-year-old girl named Alice Norberg left the fox farm in West Petersburg where she was raised and boarded a steamer to Seattle then a Greyhound bus to Hollywood to pursue a showbiz career. She eventually appeared in 32 movies during the 1930s and 40s. This Friday, the Clausen Memorial Museum is screening one of her films, "The Invisible Ghost" (1941), starring Bela Lugosi, in an evening designed to bring Alice's story back to Petersburg's collective memory. "People kind of forgot...
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...
Petersburg's municipal election received the highest number of ballots this year in over a decade. A total of 1,280 ballots were cast and canvassed, including one outstanding ballot. It was the highest turnout since Petersburg voted to become a borough in December 2012, which saw just over a hundred more ballots than this year. There were a couple of contested races for local office this year, namely for mayor and for Petersburg's Borough Assembly. It was Bob Martin's first time running for an a...
Bob Lynn decisively won Petersburg's mayoral race in the October 7 municipal election, defeating fellow assembly member Scott Newman 807 to 443 votes, while Proposition 1 - limiting the senior sales tax exemption to only low-income seniors - squeaked by with a nine-vote margin. The unofficial results showed strong voter participation, with a record-breaking number of early and absentee ballots cast before election day (647) and the highest local voter turnout (1279) since the borough formation...
October 9, 1925 – According to word received by local persons, the New England Fish Company at Ketchikan is looking for fresh smelt (true Silver Smelt), for which they will pay a minimum of 7 cents per pound, freight on board steamer at Petersburg. Large smelt reaching them in good condition will probably fetch a higher price. A good deal of smelt was shipped from Wrangell last year and some shipments have already been made from that district this season. It would seem that there is an opportunity for local men to make some money in a new f...
Petersburg’s borough assembly is taking up U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan’s offer to talk about H.R. 1, also called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). H.R. 1 is a wide-ranging spending and tax bill that was signed into law in July. The bill includes much of President Trump’s domestic policy agenda, including changes to Medicaid, tax cuts, and phasing out clean energy tax incentives. In Alaska, the bill directs more oil and gas leases in Southcentral’s Cook Inlet, and offers tax cuts for whaling captains. Many impacts of the bill in Alaska...
He's been swimming since he was seven, he became an 18x NCAA All-American during his time at Auburn University, earning the title of "Greatest Auburn Sprint Relay Swimmer of All Time," dubbed by "The Voice of Swimming," NBC announcer and analyst, Rowdy Gaines and an induction in the Alaska Swimming Hall of Fame in 2015. His name is Derek Gibb and he's embarking on a new challenge – now the new head coach of Viking Swim Club and hoping to help lead the next generation of Viking swimmers. Gibb s...
October 2, 1925 – The tidal wave of so-called economy now sweeping over the country is liable to wreck the present system of transporting mail to and from Alaska and outside points, if steps reported as being in contemplation are taken – that of returning to the system in vogue during the late war, when mail to and from Alaska was carried as freight instead of under special contract as at present, when mail clerks were being carried aboard the steamers and the mail handled the same as on trains. Three or four weeks ago special agents of the...
Proposition 1 Yes – 633 No – 624 Petersburg Borough Mayor (One 3-year term) Bob Lynn – 807 Scott Newman – 443 Borough Assembly (Two 3-year terms) Bob Martin – 825 Jeff Meucci – 539 Donna Marsh – 520 Raliegh H. Cook – 286 Tony Vinson – 221 School Board (Two 3-year terms) Sarah Pawuk Holmgrain – 1,042 Hospital Board (Three 3-year terms) Joni Johnson – 933 Cindi Lagoudakis – 874 Joseph Stratman – 853 Planning Commission (Two 3-year terms) Write-in: Joshua Adams – 66 Planning Commission (One 2-year term) Sarah Fine-Walsh – 833 Harbor & P... Full story
Q: Ideas to increase economic opportunity? "For the business owners I've been talking to over the last month, you know that they one of their biggest concerns is there's not enough local tradesmen in town ... maybe a borough school partnership program for scholarships for kids who want to go to become electricians, refrigeration person, or welder, mechanics, and so they come back to Petersburg and work. We need to make sure that we have the basis for the local services in town covered so that...
Bob Lynn's decision to run for mayor wasn't made lightly. "It wasn't an easy decision for me at all."But he sees a need for the community to become more self-reliant as times become more challenging and costs shift from state and federal government to the local level. He says he is willing to listen to and work with all and has demonstrated his ability to help guide decision making: "I have the time to do this, and I have the experience. I'm hoping that I get a chance to try some ideas and see...
Scott Newman decided to run for mayor because he feels "there hasn't been strong leadership, advancing any advocacy towards the big projects in the community like the hospital and in tourism ... I kind of feel like we've had a bit of a dysfunctional process." "We could be advocating more strongly, at a state and federal level for these projects that we have going on, mainly the hospital," Newman told the Pilot in an interview. "I just don't feel like we've been doing enough in that direction....
After 35 years working in local public radio - 27 years as general manager of KFSK in Petersburg - Tom Abbott has reached retirement. It'll just require a bit more crisis management before he can fully clock out. In an interview with the Pilot, Abbott said he provided KFSK's board of directors a resignation letter last year, with 18 months built in to pass the torch to the station's next manager. He hoped a successor could be hired and would arrive by this summer and the two could work together...
The window to file for candidacy in Petersburg's upcoming local election closed Tuesday afternoon. In total, 24 people filed for the various positions. There are 20 open seats among several boards slated for the October 7 ballot, including a mayoral race. That race is contested this year, as are the races for Petersburg Borough Assembly and the Public Safety Advisory Board. Current assembly members Bob Lynn and Scott Newman are both running for mayor. Mayor Mark Jensen is not running for...
Three candidates are now vying for two Petersburg Borough Assembly seats as the candidate filing deadline approaches, with incumbent Donna Marsh joined by challengers Raliegh Cook and Bob Martin. Assembly member Scott Newman, whose term is up this fall, remains the only candidate for mayor, seeking to replace Mark Jensen, who announced in June he would not seek reelection after 18 years in elected office. Fifteen candidates have submitted paperwork to Borough Clerk Rebecca Regula since the...
Petersburg Borough Assembly Member Scott Newman has filed to run for mayor, making him the first declared candidate to replace Mark Jensen, who announced in June he would not seek reelection after 18 years in elected office. Ten candidates have submitted paperwork so far to Borough Clerk Rebecca Regula since the filing window opened July 29. Candidates have until 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 26 to file for positions on the Oct. 7 ballot. Raliegh Cook has filed to run for borough assembly. Two assembly...
Larry Arthur Matheny was born on February 24, 1943, to Beauford (Bill) and Pauline (Polly) Matheny in Juneau, Alaska. After Larry graduated from Juneau Douglas High School he went on to study Art and Design in Colorado before returning to Juneau and enlisting in the Army National Guard. During his 6-year enlistment Larry was briefly married to his first wife and had his son Lon Wayne Matheny. In 1971 Larry met Shirley Birchell in Juneau, Alaska, and they married on June 2, 1972, and together... Full story
To better understand the hydrology of their neighboring island, Petersburg middle schoolers mapped Coho Creek on July 30. The trip to Kupreanof Island was part of the summertime Wonder Camp series facilitated by the Petersburg Public Library and Alaska Sea Grant, a marine science education organization. The camp provides opportunities for middle schoolers to learn more about the environment around them, with the help of experts. This trip's expert was Emil Tucker, a hydrologist for the U.S....
The Right Reverend Mark Lattime, Episcopal Bishop of Alaska, was in Petersburg last Friday to hold the final service at St. Andrew's church on the corner of Excel and Third Streets, familiar to many as the longtime home of the Mitkof Dance Troupe, a non-profit dance program for children from pre-school through high school. St. Andrew's, established in 1949, has always had a small congregation and has for many years relied on Rector Dawn Allen-Herron's traveling from Ketchikan to Petersburg once...
An application by Dave Ohmer to purchase two borough-owned lots and develop them into rental duplexes came before the Petersburg Borough Assembly on Monday evening, after being unanimously recommended for approval by the Planning Commission earlier this month. The application needed four votes to be approved. Assembly Member Rob Schwartz and Mayor Mark Jensen were absent from the meeting. Assembly Members Bob Lynn, Jeigh Stanton Gregor and James Valentine voted in favor of the land sale. Vice...
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...
Rikki McKay is the new executive of Petersburg non-profit Working Against Violence for Everyone. Since its inception in 1982, WAVE has worked to provide compassionate advocacy, empower survivors and prevent violence within our communities. Like many non-profits the pandemic was hard on WAVE. Since Executive Director Everett Bennett left their position in May 2024, keeping the doors open has been a challenge. "With the transition between Everett leaving and then hiring someone and losing them,...
Rick Brock has opened the Petersburg High School gymnasium doors before dawn for 35 years, offering students a quiet place to work on their basketball skills before the school day begins. "I'm an early riser, so I've had the gym open in the mornings pretty much since I started coaching - hour to 45 minutes before the day begins," Brock said. It's a routine that reflects his belief about what can drive student athletes to succeed: "The ones that show up every morning and shoot baskets," he said,...
Petersburg’s school district approved a budget last week that will draw down nearly $700,000 dollars from its reserves to make up for school funding vetoed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Dunleavy reduced education funding for school districts statewide with a line-item veto on June 12, just weeks before districts start their next fiscal years. The Legislature originally approved a $700 increase in per-student funding, known as the base student allocation (BSA). It was the first substantial increase since 2017. Dunleavy didn’t approve enough money to fu...
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
