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Colleen Nicholson was born on November 7, 1928 in Idaho Falls, ID, the eldest child of George “Bud” and Alice Mortensen. Her father was a cook and butcher by trade who ran restaurants in western Montana. Her brother Buddy (Jim Mortensen) and sister Ruthie (Rhoden) rounded out the family. The restaurant business was especially tough during the Great Depression, so the family moved often, living in Sheridan, Dillon, and Butte, MT. With the onset of World War II, her father heard of an opp... Full story
The Petersburg Police Department released its annual report last week, which includes an array of statistics that give insight into slowing local crime rates. The total dispatch center calls for service, which includes calls for police, fire, and EMS, saw its lowest activity in five years with 3,356 calls-down almost 400 from 2021. That number only includes calls for service and does not represent the total number of calls dispatchers receive, which Petersburg Police Department Chief Jim Kerr...
Community Emergency Response Team in the works To the Editor: The Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department (PVFD) Auxiliary committee has been looking for training to further assist the PVFD in its mission of Public Safety. After some careful digging, Chief Stolpe found a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program through FEMA. Through the PVFD Auxiliary, Chief Stolpe and I hope to establish a Community Emergency Response Team. This team’s mission would be to provide lay responder support to first responders in the event of a large-scale e...
WRANGELL — The borough is about to begin the five-year, state-mandated process of updating its wastewater treatment plant. Borough officials are currently searching for sources of funding for what will likely be a multimillion-dollar project. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issues permits to wastewater treatment plants across the nation, regulating the amount of pollutants they are allowed to release into the water. Historically, the Wrangell treatment plant has received a waiver allowing it to discharge wastewater that has not u...
January Petersburg experienced record snowfall on New Year's Day with 17.5 inches of new snow on the day, bringing the total snow depth to 40 inches according to the National Weather Service. The Petersburg Borough Assembly passed a resolution requesting a discussion with the U.S. Postal Service about providing additional services in Petersburg following continued issues with staffing, irregular hours, and long lines. All-purpose vehicles became legal to drive on roads in Alaska, including in...
December 21 – Property was found at Parks and Recreation (P&R). A citizen turned in property found on South Nordic Drive to the Petersburg Police Department (PPD). An officer responded to a 911 call from Skylark Way and found a youth had made the call and all was okay. An officer responded to an animal related noise complaint on South Nordic Drive and directed the owner to take their dog indoors. December 22 – An officer provided a courtesy transport for an individual needing medical assistance. Vehicles parked on roads were given warnings for...
December 14 – An officer assisted Emergency Medical Services (EMS) on 7th Street. An officer provided a civil stand-by on South Nordic Drive. An officer conducted a traffic stop at the South Harbor crane dock. A vehicle on Lumber Street was impounded. A vehicle impeding snow removal on North Nordic Drive was moved at the direction of an officer. Petersburg Police Department (PPD) received a report of ravens scattering trash on Harbor Way. Jack Galaktionoff was arrested on Howkan Street for allegedly Violating Protective Order. PPD received a r...
December 7 – An officer conducted a welfare check on Nordic Drive. An officer responded to a report of a disturbance on Sing Lee Alley and determined it was non-criminal. An officer spoke with an individual on South Nordic Drive about a civil issue. Officers responded to a report of gunshots in Middle Boat Harbor. An individual reported losing property on Howkan Street; it was later found by the owner. An officer responded to a minor vehicle accident on Haugen Drive. Petersburg Police Department (PPD) received a report of a stranded motorist a...
Local artist Debi McMahon's first solo art exhibit will open at 5:30 p.m. this Friday at the Firelight Gallery, celebrating forty-five years of playing with glass with forty-five recent works. The show will be up through Wednesday, November 30th. McMahon's love of glass began in 1977 when she "had a premature baby, Karine, and after a couple of months of caring for her thought, 'I've got to get out of here. I've got to have some kind of break!'" she says. "So I went to Community Schools and... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously passed an ordinance adjusting the borough's FY23 budget in its third and final reading during its meeting on Nov. 7. No amendments to Ordinance #2022-15 were made during its final reading. The supplemental budget lists 18 revisions to the budget including accepting $123,158 in state legislative grants for lighting projects at the ballfield and the ice skate pond, rebuilding the EMD-16 Generator and the Caterpillar 398 Generator, and increasing the...
On a night where ghosts and goblins roam the streets, Petersburg residents had a bigger problem to worry about. A landslide occurred near 5.5 Mile Mitkof Highway on Monday around 4:30 p.m., damaging power lines and taking down trees to completely block the road. The slide left Petersburg without power and a row of cars waiting along Mitkof Highway to see if they could get home for the evening. According to Fire Chief Jim Stolpe, firefighters searched the area around the landslide and there were...
Thank you — to the Petersburg Police and PVFD first responders who ensured no one was hurt and the scene was safe enough for work to commence, Petersburg Municipal Power and Light who restored power faster than expected which made it possible for so many kids to be out trick or treating on Halloween, Public Works who with Power and Light and Alaska Department of Transportation worked through the night alongside the teams from Rock-n-Road and Reid Brothers to clear the landslide from the highway by Tuesday morning, the emergency line crew f...
October 26 – An officer spoke with an individual about illegal parking at the airport. An officer conducted a welfare check on South Nordic Drive. A driver on Mitkof Highway was issued warnings for excessive speed and expired tags. October 27 – An officer responded to a report of a bear attempting to access garbage, but was unable to locate the bear. An officer responded to a report of a possible fight on South Nordic Drive and determined there was no criminal activity. A driver at the corner of 4th and Excel Streets was issued a warning for...
Early in-person voting for the 2022 state general election opened on Monday. Petersburg residents can vote ahead of election day in the community center activity room Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Nov. 7. The election will use ranked choice voting where voters will be able to rank the candidates in each race based on their preference. After the polls close, each voter's first choice vote will be counted. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the candidate who...
On a night where ghosts and goblins roam the streets, Petersburg residents had a bigger problem to worry about. A landslide occurred near 5.5 Mile Mitkof Highway on Monday around 4:30 p.m., damaging power lines and taking down trees to completely block the road. The slide left downtown Petersburg without power and a row of cars waiting along Mitkof Highway to see if they could get home for the evening. According to Fire Chief Jim Stolpe, firefighters searched the area around the landslide and... Full story
WRANGELL – The U.S. Forest Service spent last week showing that the wildlife at Anan Creek aren't your average bears. From the chilliest to the chunkiest, the inaugural Anan Bear Awards were posted via Facebook from Oct. 3 to Oct. 7, honoring nine bears for their unique personalities. Paul Robbins, public affairs officer for the Tongass National Forest, said the awards are modeled after the Katmai National Park and Preserve's Fat Bear Week held at the same time. In that event, National Park Serv...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved an ordinance which would adjust the FY23 budget for known changes in its first reading Monday. The assembly voted 6-1 in favor of Ordinance #2022-15 with Assembly Member Thomas Fine-Walsh opposed. The supplemental budget accounts for some funding received from state grants, items that could be purchased, and repair work that was not included in the original FY23 budget. The adjustments to the budget are as follows: • Accept $123,158 in state l...
WRANGELL — It is tempting to imagine that toilets, shower drains and kitchen sinks are domesticated black holes, transporting our waste to some mysterious nether region outside space and time, where it ceases to exist the moment it is out of sight. However, Public Works Director Tom Wetor knows better than anyone in Wrangell that the spoiled milk, blackened cooking oil and remnants of last night’s dinner that are flushed into the sewer do not disappear. Pouring oil, grease and fat down the drain can damage essential infrastructure, strain the...
The five candidates running for the two seats on the Petersburg Borough Assembly participated in a candidate forum on Monday in the assembly chambers hosted by KFSK and the Petersburg Pilot. Assembly Member Jeigh Stanton Gregor, Assembly Member Chelsea Tremblay, Donna Marsh, Scott Newman, and Kurt Wohlhueter were presented with the same questions and were each given one minute to respond in a random order. The first part of the forum saw candidates answer questions asked by members of the media...
(AP) - A landslide triggered by record rainfall significantly damaged three homes, prompted the evacuation of about a dozen residents and caused power outages in downtown Juneau, Alaska's capital city. Geological assessment teams determined Tuesday that favorable weather has returned the threat level to pre-slide levels. The city's public works department was preparing to begin removing debris, city spokesperson Meredith Thatcher said. Of the three homes, one was completely destroyed as it came...
Three years after adopting a pricing plan that adds a surcharge for passenger, vehicle and stateroom fares on popular sailings, the Alaska Marine Highway System has decided to suspend the program for its fall/winter schedule. The ferry system's "dynamic pricing" added 5% to 50% to ticket prices, depending on the percentage of a ship's capacity already booked - similar to airlines raising prices as flights fill up. The Alaska Department of Transportation announced the decision last Friday to...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously to pass Ordinance #2022-11 in its third and final reading during Tuesday’s meeting, allowing for increases to the purchasing authorization limits of borough officials. The ordinance now gives the borough manager the authority to set the spending limits for individual department heads. It also increases the borough manager’s purchasing authorization limit, allowing the borough manager to authorize purchases costing more than a department head’s limit but less than $75,000. Previously depar...
A complaint filed Tuesday to the Alaska Public Offices Commission accuses Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who is running for reelection, of engaging in a “scheme to subsidize and coordinate” the activities between his official campaign and an independent expenditure group working on his reelection, and scheming “to improperly subsidize his campaign with public resources.” The complaint asserts that Dunleavy’s campaign spent a “laughable” sum on staffing while key positions were filled on a “volunteer” basis by people paid tens of thousands of d...
The Clausen Museum has been getting some much needed restoration work done over the summer to help keep the building standing. Building Maintenance Techs Jim Holder and Sam Jackson have been working since June, replacing rotting wood, putting on a fresh coat of paint, and adding safety equipment as part of the work. "They really have been going to town," Museum Director Cindi Lagoudakis said. The museum, built in 1967 and expanded in 1976 with the Heritage of the Sea wing, needed some serious...
