Sorted by date Results 626 - 650 of 760
This October’s municipal ballot is the largest Petersburg voters have seen for many years, according to Petersburg Borough Clerk Kathy O’Rear. Thirty-six elected positions and seven ballot propositions, pending assembly approval, are on the ballot. In a report to the Borough Assembly, O’Rear wrote in regard to the need for election workers. “A push to recruit new workers in 2009 to train for future elections failed,” O’Rear wrote. “The numerous letters and notices we have recently placed seeking new election workers have largely gone unanswer...
Ravens Roost Trail opens To the Editor: On Monday evening my dogs and I were able to enjoy our first “official” walk up the completed first leg of Petersburg’s brand new Raven Trail, located between Sandy Beach Park and Ravens Roost Trail. As luck would have it we bumped into the project’s manager Brad Hunter, USFS Petersburg Ranger District Recreation /Wilderness Staff Officer, as he and his wife Sharon made his final inspection and had the opportunity to personally thank him for a job well done. Most of us realize it takes years of dedicat...
The Petersburg Medical Center board and their hospital administrator continue their push to have their cake and eat it too. While they want to maintain their autonomy from borough oversight, they want the borough assembly to open the purse strings and fund capital projects for the facility. We don’t think that’s going to happen and we side with the assembly majority who denied PMC’s funding assistance at the most recent assembly meeting. The PMC board had requested $21,900 to repair a leaking exhaust stack. Up to this point, PMC has paid for r...
Outgoing Petersburg School District Superintendent Rob Thomason attended his last school board meeting Tuesday evening. He had these final words for the board and the public: "It's been a great five years in Petersburg," Thomason said. "It's been the highlight of my career. It truly has. As my wife and I have reminisced, we always say we wished we would have found this opportunity ten years sooner. It's been good, and I think the district is in good hands with the principals and the director of... Full story
June 13, 1914 – Last Tuesday evening, immediately after the adjournment of the firemen's meeting, nearly every man in town who was not otherwise occupied assembled at the Fire Hall for the purpose of devising ways and means for the celebration of the coming fourth. Enthusiasm ran high and, if kept up, Petersburgers and visitors will witness the greatest fourth of July celebration in the history of the town. It was suggested that everybody be appointed a committee of one and invite out-of-town friends to join in the festivities of the day. J...
Despite fears this winter of dipping into its reserves, the Petersburg School Board unanimously approved a balanced budget for the 2014/2015 school year without spending from reserve funds. Petersburg School District Finance Director Karen Quitslund presented the budget to the school board last week. She outlined several budget considerations including recent legislation passed during this spring session that increased the base student allocation (BSA) by $150, which brings total funding per student to $5,830. Petersburg schools will have an an... Full story
May 23, 1914 – With Mayor Finch in the chair, the postponed council meeting was held last Tuesday evening at which the question of a water system was taken up in earnest. The necessary expenditure of some fifteen thousand dollars is an enterprise for a community the size of Petersburg was by the council deemed worthy of serious consideration. After the momentous question was thoroughly discussed, a committee was finally appointed and the preliminaries ordered commenced. It was practically agreed that the council spend the money available in t...
The public will vote this October on whether or not they want Petersburg Borough elected officials to be exempt from the public official financial disclosure law, which requires public officials to disclose income sources and business interests. According to state statute, the disclosure of financial earnings is meant to discourage public officials from acting upon a private or business interest in the performance of public duty. If the exemption is not approved, bodies such as the borough assembly, school board and planning commission would...
The Petersburg High School girl's track team won the conference track meet division wide in Ketchikan last weekend-a feat the Petersburg girl's team hasn't accomplished in more than three decades. Head coach Brad Taylor has been coaching since 1987 and knew this season would be a special one for the program. "I've known for a couple years that this class, this freshman class coming in and with the seniors that we have, and the experience of those kids going to state for so many years, we knew... Full story
The Petersburg School Board is seeking to appoint two new school board members to serve until the October elections after board members Dawn Ware and John Bringhurst resigned. Both Bringhurst and Ware are moving away from Petersburg. Bringhurst said he couldn’t think of any profession that has more impact on society than that of a teacher. “For me it’s been a pleasure and a great experience being on the team that helps oversee this effort and work with all of those who stand in support of and in back of and in leadership of those wonde... Full story
Petersburg School District Finance Director Karen Quitslund presented a bare bones draft budget in front of the school board Tuesday evening. Quitslund said next year’s school budget is the most challenging budget she’s worked on in her three years as finance director. Staff had to plan the budget while dealing with several financial unknowns due to changes in education funding in the State legislature. Declining enrollment, which influences a state funding formula known as ‘foundation funding’, in Petersburg school’s also presented a challen...
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
This weekend, the Petersburg Fire Department will be hosting the SE Region Emergency Medical Services Council’s 30th Annual Emergency Medical Services Symposium in Petersburg. This will be the first time in SEREMS’ history that the 4-day educational event will be held here. Approximately 100 speakers, vendors and attendees will descend on Petersburg for the educational offerings, social events and the opportunity to experience the community of Petersburg. According to Bobbi Leichty, Executive Director of SEREMS, “It will be the ‘safe...
The Petersburg School Board unanimously selected Dr. Lisa Stroh to be the new Petersburg School District (PSD) Superintendent. Stroh, who is the current superintendent of Valdez City Schools, officially begins July 1, 2014. "When I look at the (Petersburg) district, things are going very, very well," Stroh said. "What I need to do is get familiar with the programs, listen to people, talk with them and find out from them what's going well, what things we need to tweak, and how can I help them... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly couldn't come to a consensus last Tuesday for next year's budget spending after it was tasked with providing direction to borough staff to make any changes the assembly would like to see. The assembly met with department heads last week and went over budget line items department wide. During Tuesday's budget hearing, members of Petersburg's community service organizations-organizations the borough funds annually-lobbied for their respective funding needs....
Two superintendent applicants toured Mitkof Island, Petersburg and visited with various community members including district staff and administrators on Wednesday. Virginia Jewell Jewell grew up in New England and has spent more than five years of her educational career building start-up American schools in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. "Interestingly enough, overseas, you get a lot of non-Americans who want to have an American education," Jewell said. She is currently working at a start-up school... Full story
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...
Summer break will start early for Stedman Elementary School students this year after the Alaska Department of Education Commissioner gave the Petersburg District School Board tentative approval to release students four days early so construction can begin on the elementary school’s exterior renovation project. The $2.3 million project will require a large amount of shuffling of classrooms and supplies and the extra few days will allow staff to pack up and move before full access to the building is granted to contractors on June 6. Exterior w... Full story
Three Petersburg School District Superintendent applicants land in Petersburg early next week for interviews and will speak with PSD staff and administrators, visit with the community and tour the island. Jay Thomas, Virginia Jewell and Lisa Stroh have all been selected as finalists for the position. Thomas is currently the Assistant Superintendent in Unalakleet, Alaska. “During my 13 years in rural Alaska, I have been a coach, mentor, teacher, principal and assistant superintendent,” Thomas wrote in his application’s cover letter. “In every s...
The Seas Masons—Petersburg High School’s Alaska Tsunami Science Bowl team—placed 4th out of the 18 teams from across Alaska that competed in the science bowl in Seward two weeks ago. The competition consisted of three categories: a research paper, a presentation and a quiz bowl. In those categories, the Petersburg team placed 9th in the research paper, 2nd in the presentation and 3rd in the quiz bowl. The Sea Mason’s spent the past seven months researching the effects of ocean freshening through the air-sea interface. Sea Mason’s team capt...
Gov. Sean Parnell came to town last Monday and heard from Petersburg School District teachers and administrators about his education reform bill along with other issues in the education arena. Sue Hardin, district teacher, was concerned about Senate Joint Resolution 9-a proposed constitutional amendment that would increase state funding for private and religious schools. "Because in our way of looking at it, all it's doing is taking public money and putting into schools that don't take all... Full story
Alice Ann Farra, 83, of Lincoln, Mont. passed away Feb. 9, 2014 at her home in Lincoln. Alice was born Jan. 11, 1931 in Jeffersonville, Ill. to Louise (Brunner) Farra and Forest (Buck) Farra. At age six months her parents returned to Montana. She was raised in Harlowton, baptized and confirmed in Trinity Lutheran Church and graduated from Harlowton High School in 1949. Having an adventurous spirit, she joined the Women's Army Corps. She was stationed in Arizona, Calif. and Japan. After an... Full story
The Petersburg School District brought home major accolades from Anchorage last weekend after it swept student, teacher and administrator awards at the Alaska Society for Technology in Education (ASTE)-an organization dedicated to promoting access to technology and connectivity to information resources. Petersburg Senior PK Bunyi won Alaska Technology Student of the Year. Teacher and Technology Coordinator Jon Kludt-Painter won Alaska Technology Support Teacher of the Year and PSD... Full story
The Petersburg District School Board voted unanimously Tuesday evening to allow students participating in the Alaska Tsunami Ocean Science Bowl to earn half a credit. The Ocean Science Bowl is a regional competition for high schools in Alaska where teams of students study topics related to oceans and present research papers, give oral presentations and participate in a timed quiz competition. Middle and High School Principal Rick Dormer said Petersburg students dedicate a significant amount of time to the project. “The kids are putting in t...
February 14, 1914 – Returning Petersburgers from Seattle on the Admiral Sampson, have brought the unconfirmed, but hopeful news that the Pacific Coast & Norway Packing Company held its annual stockholders meeting, and that it was decided that machinery for sanitary cans was to be installed in the cannery this coming season. That was predicted last fall. It was said at the time that before the company could operate its plant successfully, sanitary cans would have to be used. This involved the expenditure of considerable money, and means a g...
