Sorted by date Results 651 - 675 of 760
The Petersburg Vikings battled through four long conference games last weekend and brought home two wins. The varsity squad had a rough start against Sitka High School on Wednesday evening. “We really struggled to score,” Head Coach Rick Brock said. “We were getting very good looks at the basket but the ball would not drop for us.” The Vikings only put up three points on the board during the first half but managed to hold Sitka to seven points through most of the half. Sitka hit their stride during the middle of the second quarter though...
Petersburg's Ragnarøk Rollers hosted the Wrangell's Garnet Grit Betties and Ketchikan's Rainforest Rollergirls for a big roller derby weekend in Petersburg; consisting of skills workshops, referee training, and a two-hour scrimmage in front of a packed house of fans cheering for their favorite roller girls. The event was a milestone for the new derby squad, most of whom donned skates for the first time in October 2012 when they travelled to Wrangell for their first derby boot camp. Building... Full story
Too often elected officials are turning their administrative hiring duties over to corporate head-hunter organizations which advertise and screen candidates to fill positions for city managers, hospital administrators, police chiefs and school superintendents. We applaud the Petersburg school board for breaking the mold, by conducting the hiring process in-house. Their current superintendent Rob Thomason will write and publish the advertisements, screen resumes, post the hiring timeline, schedule telephone and in-person interviews and then...
Petersburg School District Superintendent Dr. Rob Thomason announced his retirement last week. Thomason began working for the PSD in 2009. Jean Ellis, school board president, said he was instrumental in changing the district for the better. "I've been trying to talk him out of leaving," Ellis joked."When he became the superintendent he was the sixth one in eight years. People were becoming dispirited with superintendent turnover." Ellis credited his people skills and positive attitude as main...
January 10, 1914 – Dancing being the favorite divertissement to Alaskans, many late comers from down east where this amusement is almost considered a crime, and therefore prohibited, finding themselves in a country where dancing is freely indulged in as a pleasure and a harmless recreation, have expressed a desire to learn of late. In answer to the pressing demand, Prof. F. Pruschoff, formerly instructor of a dancing club in Portland, Oregon, has decided to open a class. January 12, 1984 – Final plans for the new high school building were appro...
Petersburg residents donated $20,088.72 this holiday season, an increase of more than $3,400 compared to 2012. Lt. Caleb Fankhauser, corps officer/pastor, said with Thanksgiving being so late in November this year, there were five less days available for contributions. “That could have been $3000,” Fankhauser said. “Petersburg proved that time doesn’t matter. They pulled out their support regardless of the number of days we had.” The top bell-ringing group was The Vessel Owners Association followed by the Rotary Club, The Salvation Army Advisor...
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 announcement at Monday’s borough meeting that construction of a new sawmill could begin as early as this spring, was good news. The employment of 35 to 50 employees will bring new people and new dollars to Petersburg. With the departure of Petersburg’s largest sawmill in 1987, which relocated to Haines, Petersburg lost over a million dollar annual payroll. Salmon and crab harvests were so substantial; the town’s economy barely felt the loss of the timber income. Both Stikine River Forest Products owner John Glenn and Forest Service Range...
Petersburg Mental Health Services will now have its own counselor present in Petersburg High School after receiving $25,000 for a suicide prevention grant. PMHS Senior Clinician Kim Kilkenny and Behavioral Health Clinician Robin Cooley presented the grant to the Petersburg School Board Tuesday night. “We wrote the grant last spring because it was the first time it became available with the (Alaska) Department of Education to provide services for suicide prevention,” Kilkenny said. Cooley wil... Full story
What started as a two-woman operation consisting of a secretary and a fresh college grad has turned into a multi-program, community wide mental health center that serves several hundred clients a year. Petersburg Mental Health Services celebrated its 20-year anniversary last week where board members and other guests gave accolades to PMHS Executive Director Susan Ohmer-the once wide-eyed and idealistic college grad who came back to her hometown in 1993. When Ohmer returned to Petersburg an organ... Full story
An auditing company presented their financial report to the Petersburg School Board Tuesday evening and congratulated the district on reining in its expenses. The school district’s revenue over expenses was $153,000 in total. It also increased its general fund balance by more than $100,000 from last year. Eric Campbell with BDO gave the presentation. When he went over the student activity fund budget Campbell said there were more student activity funds than he’s ever seen. “Every student in Petersburg has an activity fund,” Campbell joked....
Thanks Assembly To the Editor: A couple of weeks ago I read and was appalled by a statement of one of our Assemblywomen as she was quoted as saying “what have senior citizens done to deserve a tax exemption other than get older?” I guess a short history lesson might be in order. The tax exempt status for seniors was a sign of respect and a thank you for all the things they had accomplished in aiding Petersburg's economic development before and during their fixed income days. Let's start with the Petersburg Indian Association. They were not alw...
The Petersburg School board prepared a resolution Wednesday to send to the Alaska Association of School Boards, or AASB, urging the state legislature to clarify a statute that makes school districts responsible for paying for physical examinations of incoming students. School districts across Alaska require incoming students to receive physical examinations and parents or caregivers are responsible for paying for the exams. But after several Petersburg parents questioned the requirement, the school board had its attorney, Allen Clendaniel,...
Every school district in Alaska requires new or incoming students to receive physicals before starting school and most, if not all, don’t cover those costs. Most school districts in Alaska might be in violation of state statute. That’s if Petersburg School District’s attorney Allen Clendaniel’s interpretation of Alaska Statue 14.30.070 is correct. In part, it states, “The governing body of each school district shall provide for and require a physical examination of every child attending school in the district.” “If you look at the literal l...
Rae C. Stedman Elementary is welcoming two of its previous students back as staff as the new school year kicks off. Kerri Curtiss will be teaching reading to third through fifth grade students as well as teaching a high school physical education class. Curtiss grew up in Petersburg before graduating from Central Washington University in 2005. She taught second graders in Washington for two years and decided to move back to Petersburg to be closer to family. “It’s pretty cool to walk around and...
Petersburg School District Superintendent Dr. Rob Thomason was awarded a Superintendent of the Year Award last week. Bruce Johnson, Executive Director for the Association of Alaskan Superintendents, presented the award to Thomason PSD staff during a welcome back school board meeting. “It is my great honor to announce that your superintendent, Dr. Rob Thomason, is Alaska’s 2014 Superintendent of the year,” Johnson said to an applauding crowd. Johnson said a selection committee sought nomin...
Schools are scrambling To the Editor: Back to school is always an exciting time. In Alaska, every one of our 53 school districts and school staffs have diligently prepared so the new school year will be one of deep learning and strong emotional growth for all of Alaska's students. As educators, nothing pleases us more than welcoming back students to launch a new academic year. This year, like none other in recent memory, school districts across the country, including every district in Alaska are scrambling. Districts are feeling the negative ef...
As Petersburg continues to iron out its borough formation, the assembly will decide which committees and boards to dissolve or keep active. Boards to be considered for removal are; Transient Room Tax, Public Safety, Utility Advisory, Motor Pool, Parks and Recreation and Public Library. Those boards act as advisors to the borough and its corresponding departments. Although, they’re all on the chopping block, Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht said several will likely stay such as the Harbor Advisory Board and the Library Board. During T...
The Petersburg School Board voted during a July 31special session to repair a leaky boiler and update the 8-12 mathematics curriculum. Tye Petersen, Petersburg School’s Maintenance Director says he’s already capped several leaks in the tube where heated water flows but couldn’t maintain a tight seal in the latest repair. An inspector told Petersen the tubes needed to be replaced. “They’ve been retubed once in their lifetime,” Petersen said during the meeting. “There are two boilers. One can handle the current capacity but not in the wintertim... Full story
Who sets the tone? To the Editor: My husband Edgar and Jim's parents, Jim and Shirley Agner – want to thank all of you for welcoming “our kids” (Officers Jim and Heidi Franz Agner) into your community and into your lives – and thus giving all of us an experience beyond any luxurious world cruise anywhere. It all began in 1984 when Chief Dale Stone “initiated” us as only Chief Stone could do. “Doc” Lopez gave my husband Edgar professional shooting lessons – and a lot of fun. John Hamilton took all of us (toddler Jesse and older brother Bar...
Dean John Weeden, 82, passed away on July 17, 2013 at St. Mary's Assisted Living in Eureka, Mont. He was born on November 7, 1930 in Lynn, Mass. to Dagny Thoresen and John Sven Weeden (Widen). Age five to seventeen he lived in Brooklyn, N.Y. with his mother and step-father Ole Olsen. Dean hopped a train out west when he was seventeen years old launching his first job in the Forest Service doing seasonal work in Idaho. In 1951 he served in the Air Force as a Surgery Technician for the 452 Bomb...
The Petersburg School District Board approved a policy allowing home school students to participate in activities at the high school without being enrolled in classes. This policy has come about by a change in state law mandating this allowance. “The students will have to fill out quite a bit of paperwork,” Petersburg School District Athletic Director Jaime Cabral said. “There is a long checklist that will have to be gone over with the student and their parents in order to make sure the information is correct.” Each of the students wishing... Full story
June 7, 1913 – The Seattle Times says that a chain of ten hotels is intended to be built at the most interesting points throughout Alaska and the Yukon Territory, and at the cost of $30,000 for each. One of them will be built each year. The first is now finished and is located at Atlin Lake. Each hotel will be located on a tract of 120 acres of land and will be supplied with steam heat and all other modern conveniences. Mr. Dickeson, manager of the White Pass and Yukon Railroad in speaking of the project, said “The people of the United Sta...
Six local organizations received a total of $9,000 in grants from the Petersburg Community Foundation, bringing the total community grant amount to $33,000 over the past five years. “The Petersburg Community Foundation is proud to partner with these great organizations,” PCF Advisory Board Chair Liz Cabrera said. “Thanks to our donors and their generous investment in our community, PCF was able to support a variety of projects and programs this year.” Organizations and projects that received funding were: the Petersburg School District receive...
Jon Arthur Stephen, 68, died April 9, 2013 in Petersburg, Alaska. He was born on June 22, 1944 to John “Jack” and Agnes Stephen in Petersburg. Agnes passed away when Jon was about three, and Jack who worked in several different capacities was unable to raise his young son. At this time, Jon moved in with his maternal grandparents John and Marie Hammer. In 1951, Jon moved in with Jim, Bev and younger “brother” Ken (Hammer). Over the next few years, the family grew to include Christi, Bob, We... Full story
