Sorted by date Results 501 - 525 of 760
When the Mitkof Middle School started a robotics class nearly 10 years ago only a couple students took the course. This quarter, there are 14 sixth-graders taking part and learning problem solving skills through hands-on experience. Rick Brock is responsible for bringing the program to Petersburg after seeing how well it worked at another school. Brock researched the program and thought it would be a good addition to the middle school's Exploratory Program, and asked the school to invest in sett...
The Petersburg School Board met Tuesday, May 11 and approved the hire of Joyce Metsa for next school year’s high school math teacher. The board also approved a new social studies curriculum and a new SHOP Lite (low intensity technology education) course aimed at encouraging female students to enroll. “We lack in having, I’m trying to think of the exact words there, pretty much we don’t have enough girls in Shop,” Petersburg middle and high school principal Rick Dormer said. Shop LITE features basic woodworking, basic automotive maintenan...
The Petersburg High School baseball team hosted the Ketchikan Kings last Wednesday and Thursday, and played close games during the first day of the series. Game one started with a hit batter, a walk and an error allowing the Kings to put three runs on the board to start the game, but the home team was able to keep their composure. The Vikings lost 4-1, but the effort pleased head coach Jim Engell. "After we got out of that first inning, we just settled down and played really good baseball,"...
The Petersburg High School baseball team took the field for their first games of the season last Monday night in a doubleheader against Juneau-Douglas High School. The Vikings dropped both games, losing 8-1 in the first game, and having the second game called after five innings with the Crimson Bears up 14-4. In game one, Petersburg went up against JDHS starter Bryce Swofford, a junior, who PHS head coach Jim Engell says is one of the best pitchers in the conference. Swofford tallied nine strikeouts in five innings, and his stuff is not...
Along with a slew of other awards, the Petersburg Pilot won best weekly newspaper in Alaska at this year’s Alaska Press Club awards competition—the annual awards program recognizing quality journalism in print, radio and television across the state. “This weekly has it all: amazing color photos, such as the blue iceberg, solar storms and orcas; and a terrific layout,” wrote Cheryl Thompson in her judges’ comments. “Very clean and easy to read. And I love the ‘Yesterday’s news’ section.” Some of the entries included photo submissions by Care... Full story
April 22, 1916 – An advance in passenger rates is announced by the Border Line Transportation Company, effective with the next sailing of the Al-Ki from Seattle. The new rates between Petersburg and Seattle are $23 first-class and $14 second-class, the increase being $4.00 and $1.50 respectively. No change is announced in fares between Alaska ports. A. E. Austin, representing the Tacoma Grocery Company, was a Petersburg business visitor the fore part of the week. Mr. Austin reports a brisk and growing demand in Alaska for his company's s...
Local Petersburg resident Eliza Warmack will be a new 5th grade teacher at Rae C. Stedman Elementary School next year. Eliza, her son Ari and her husband Glenn Warmack came to Petersburg four years ago from Sand Point in the Aleutian chain where Eliza taught kindergarten for two years. "We actually moved up there (Sand Point) for a teaching job," Eliza said. "We were in Portland and I taught there for a year and did some subbing for Portland Public and there was just not a job to be had. The...
The Petersburg School Board approved the employment of two new teachers within the district. Eliza Warmack will join staff as a 5th grade teacher beginning in the 2016-17 school year and Rowan Beraza will be a secondary language arts and Spanish teacher beginning the same time. The School Board also approved the principal contracts for another year. Middle and high school principal Rick Dormer will receive a salary of $97,116 and elementary principal Teri Toland will receive a salary of $88,773. They also approved exempt contracts for finance... Full story
April 15, 1916 – A new course of procedure in the matter of changing master's papers, which will be of great convenience to Petersburg's boats, is being arranged by the customs officials at Juneau, according to word brought from there by K. L. Steberg this week. The plan as stated by Deputy Collector Garfield is as follows: Owners of boats at Petersburg that wish to change papers without making the trip to a port of entry they will be permitted to have the master's oath taken here before a notary public. The notary is then to mail the papers t...
wrangell — A crowd-drawing discussion on recreation funding held by the Forest Service Tuesday evening made the council chambers at City Hall feel unusually short for space. About two dozen members of the public met with staff of the Wrangell Ranger District to share their concerns about facilities maintenance. Listing concerns from greatest to least, residents participating at the meeting identified cabins, ATV trails and the overall recreation program as their top priorities, followed by trails, berry access, subsistence and stoves. F...
The Petersburg school board approved the contracts of district superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter and teachers at the regular meeting on Tuesday night. The action is the result of salary negotiations that have been taking place with the Associated Teachers of Petersburg (ATP). The board unanimously approved a three-year contract for superintendent Kludt-Painter, and each year includes a 260-day contract with 40 days of leave. The contract will run through June, 2019, with a one-time signing incentive of $10,000 to be paid on or before June 30,...
The Petersburg School Board unanimously approved an $80,037 software program for the Petersburg School District’s finance office. PSD Finance Director Karen Quitslund said the current software is 35 years old and that she has been looking at new programs for several years. “The current system is really outdated. It’s inefficient,” Quitslund said. “All the processes are done manually and of course the more manual processes that you have the more the margin of error is greater.” The district’s current software doesn’t interface with other prog... Full story
Have you thanked a school board member lately? School board members volunteer hundreds of hours and immeasurable amount of energy to assure that our schools are providing the best education possible for the children of our community. February is School Board Recognition Month, and I encourage you to show your appreciation for the tireless work of our local school board members. School board members are citizens whose decisions affect our children – what they learn, who will teach them, and what kinds of facilities house their classrooms. T...
Petersburg High School sophomore Helen Martin, 15, will take a trip to the state capitol in early March and spend four days sitting in on the legislative session. Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins selected Martin to participate in his Legislative Externship Program after her world history teacher talked to her class about the program. Martin, who is the vice president of her sophomore class, talked it over with her mom and they both thought it would be a good idea. "I'm pretty excited to sit in and... Full story
Susan Erickson from Petersburg/Wrangell Insurance gave the board an update about property and casualty insurance trends concerning the school district. The district had a great year in terms of premiums, and the increase in premiums accounted for less than one percent of that budget item, Erickson said. “We stayed with Alaska Public Entities. They have been a great carrier for us for many years now, and we just signed a three year commitment to stay with them for another three years,” she said. “They are doing a great job for us provi...
Petersburg’s Local Marijuana Regulation Advisory Committee was disbanded earlier this week. Petersburg Borough Assembly Member and Committee Chair Jeigh Stanton Gregor recommended last Monday to the assembly during a committee update that the marijuana advisory committee should disband due to its ineffectiveness. Stanton Gregor said a majority of committee members didn’t read the state’s retail marijuana regulations, which had been available for review and public comment throughout the summe...
It's a question Petersburg's Northern Nights Theater manager Anne Tate fields every now and then. "I've been asked, I think, about a million times," Tate said. "I'm not certain I can leave my house without someone asking." It's no surprise people are inquiring. 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' shattered records, including the largest box office record of all time, and will likely continue to eclipse previous big movie box office sales. The movie has already grossed more than $1 billion...
Dear, Santa i would like a Hachet, i would like a dirt bike to, and a psa game boy and a sky Drone and a pare of snow showes and some Fishing tackle and a pare of corce logeing Bootes. Senserliy, Davis DEAR SANTA, I WOULD LIKE A MAKEUP KIT AND JULIE'S BEd FOR MY DOLL. IVE BEEN GOOD. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? I WOULD ALSO LIKE THE FIREELF LEGOS. LOVE LEXIE Lexie Tow, Age 6 DEAR SANTA, I HAVE BEEN A GOOD GIRL. I WOULD LIKE A CAMERA, AND A PlAY CAR, AND A ZOOMER KITTY. AND A GIRLSCOUT OVEN. THANK YOU,...
Marijuana dispensaries can't set up shop in downtown Peterburg based on Alaska's Alcohol Beverage Control Board's (ABC's) recent adopted marijuana license restrictions. According to the adopted regulations, the ABC Board won't issue a marijuana establishment license "if the licensed premises will be located within 500 feet of a school grounds, a recreation youth center, a building in which religious services are regularly conducted, or a correctional facility." Those restrictions eliminate... Full story
First step the hardest To the Editor: Some say the first step is the hardest, but we’ve found community-wide support makes the first step a bit easier. Recently, the Petersburg Children’s Center took its first step toward a long awaited building expansion project. Through the generosity of Reid Brothers, Hammer & Wikan and local donors, the piling is in and we’re getting ready to start framing up the building shell. While we are officially underway, we are continuing to seek donations to fund completion of the project, including an unant...
The Reverend Thomas Lee (Joseph) Weise, Jr., 46, a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Juneau, Alaska, died December 6, 2015, following a cardiac arrest suffered while visiting family members in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Fr. Weise was born January 10, 1969 in South Laguna Beach, Calif. After graduating from Dana Hills High School, he was appointed to the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., graduating in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Science While in the... Full story
We are in this together To the Editor: I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the School Board members and administration that worked for literally hundreds of hours to develop and pass the amended Memorial policy. As we all know, it is heartbreaking to lose someone that you love, no matter the age, circumstance or relationship. No one grieves in the same way. Some are comforted by reminders of the person, but others can’t face any reminders at all. I appreciate the opportunities that our close-knit community offers in the way of r...
The memorial policy has received much debate for and against the removal of memorials from the Petersburg school grounds and Petersburg School District properties. The policy was approve unanimously by the board in a room filled with almost 30 people, including many school staff members. The policy was in its final reading, and the only amendment to the language was the removal of “temporary memorials” and changing it to “temporary memorabilia.” The approved policy states the conditions that are acceptable when dealing with memorial activit...
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht gave the following report at Monday’s regular Assembly meeting: Power & Light is nearing the end of a major rewrite of the Emergency Action Plan required by FERC on our Blind Slough hydro. Power & Light and Public Works spent significant time putting up Christmas lighting for the tree and street poles. Excellent cooperation made the job go smoothly. Thanks to Power & Light, Public Works, Matt Bryner, Pete and Theresa Litsheim, Ray and Gladys Olsen for such a beautiful community Christmas tree this year. The P...
With the holidays upon Petersburg and Black Friday in the rearview mirror, retailers are looking for ways to help keep shoppers local and combat online shopping. Heidi Lee of Lee’s Clothing says the holiday season really gets jumpstarted with the lighting of downtown. Lee says the store has spearheaded the Christmas tree lighting and parade for years because it helps encourage residents to get in the holiday spirit and start visiting downtown stores, in addition to making downtown look good and festive. Lee’s Clothing makes a concerted eff... Full story
