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Fish and deer carcasses, propane bottles, and glass, all of these nonrecyclable items have shown up in the Petersburg Borough Sanitation Department's comingled recycling bins. Commingled means customers' recyclable materials don't need to be sorted into plastic, aluminum, paper, etc. However, the recycling must be clean and free of food and debris. Glass is not recyclable in Petersburg. But there are glass drop-off locations for the public at the baler and at Public Works. "At 303 South 2nd Stre...
To modernize an old expression, Alaskans are fiddling while the Permanent Fund burns. Not literally, of course. The Permanent Fund’s stocks and bonds, real estate deeds, lease agreements and investment contracts are all safely stored. But the fiddling part, that’s true. And because it’s a state election year, we can expect a lot of candidates to turn up the volume on their fiddles. No matter how off-key the music, no one ever loses an election by playing happy tunes about big Permanent Fund dividends. No one wins an election talking about...
August 7 – A driver on North Nordic Drive was issued a warning for an inoperable headlight and expired insurance. Petersburg Police Department (PPD) received a report of bear activity in the Skylark Way area. PPD received a report of vehicles and boats blocking two fire hydrants at two locations on Unimak Street and they were relocated at the direction of an officer. A deer that was struck and killed by a vehicle on Mitkof Highway was not salvageable. Palmer Thomassen was remanded for allegedly violating conditions of release. An officer r...
Forty-three people spent the night in Juneau's emergency shelter at Floyd Dryden Middle School on Monday night as a record-high flood from the Mendenhall Glacier inundated homes. Deputy City Manager Robert Barr said the total number of people who evacuated their homes is likely several times that; shelters are usually a last resort for people who cannot stay with family, friends or in a hotel. "You can imagine how hard it would be to wake up with water in your house, not expecting there to be... Full story
A cyanide spill at a major gold mine in the Yukon Territory — high in the Yukon River watershed — has sparked widespread concern in Canada. But Alaska salmon advocates say the mishap isn’t just a problem for Yukoners: The spill happened upstream of a tributary of the Yukon River. The Yukon is Alaska’s biggest transboundary waterway, and residents along its shores who have depended on salmon for generations are already suffering amid crashes of multiple species. Officials on both sides of the border say it’s too early to know the full impact of...
10 volunteers pulled on their rubber boots and rain jackets last Friday to search Petersburg's beaches for suspicious crab carapaces in observation of European Green Crab Awareness Day. After breaking into four groups, the volunteers combed the waterfronts of the Wilson Creek camp area, Crescent Beach, Greens Camp, and Woodpecker Cove; they found 33 carapaces in total, none of which were green crab. "I think it went well. I think it's good we didn't find any green crab," said organizer and...
The St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church applied for two conditional use permits during the Petersburg Borough Planning Commission's regular meeting on Tuesday. Spearheaded by Juneau architect Rich Conneen - who attended the meeting remotely - both permits were approved by the Planning Commission, giving the church approval to construct a church in the same single-family residential lot it previously occupied, as well as allowing use of the parking lot at 306 N 3rd St. for required off-street...
Alaska's freshly signed capital budget includes state funding for a program meant to encourage land development. It's a single line: Statewide Housing Development, $4 million. But according to Republican Senator Bert Stedman of Sitka, that money could help shake loose some land for much-needed housing. He said there's a lot of land around the state, but it's not getting developed. "The economics don't work, due to the cost of the infrastructure, mainly the roads and the utilities," he said. "So...
WRANGELL — The borough has been awarded a $25 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant to rebuild most of the downtown harbor floats, install new pilings and improve parking. The federal money, which requires no match from the borough, will fund most of the estimated $28 million project that will include an overhaul of the Inner Harbor, Reliance and Standard Oil floats, new fire suppression systems, pilings and relocated parking. The borough will likely get the remaining $3 million for the project t...
A ballot proposition on this October municipal ballot will put the question to Petersburg voters whether to increase the amount of sales tax that can be collected on a single purchase from $72.00 to $300.00. At their regular meeting on June 17 the Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously passed Ordinance 24-10 in its third and final reading to propose the municipal code amendment for this sales tax exemption change to borough voters. Currently in the borough, sales tax liability for any single...
In the past week, four informational signs were installed on a newly constructed plaza at Sandy Beach Park - bringing to life the first phase of the Hutli Project. The Hutli Project -a collaboration between the Petersburg Indian Association and an advisory committee including members from PIA, the Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition, Petersburg Parks & Recreation, the US Forest Service, and others- aims to tell the story of Petersburg's Indigenous population through the further development of...
Alaskans, including many in Petersburg, have experienced heightened food insecurity for the past several years - ever since the Dunleavy administration cut more than 100 jobs from the state's Division of Public Assistance in 2021, which left offices understaffed and led to a severe, multiyear backlog of applications for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Thousands of Alaskans were left without the food aid they needed. To combat the backlogs Gov. Dunleavy added millions...
On a much needed sunny Saturday last weekend, the Petersburg Market – an outdoor market for homegrown and handmade local goods - kicked off its summer season, welcoming shoppers in a new location and under new leadership. With several new changes in the works by freshly appointed market manager Rebekah Gumz, the 2024 market is slowly growing into its new location between Kito's Kave and The Salty Pantry, as both new and old stalls, vendors, and attractions pop up to serve the public every other...
The USDA Forest Service is starting the process of revising the Tongass National Forest Land Management Plan, which will shape local and regional management for years to come. Over the past 27 years since the Forest Plan was developed, the land and lifestyle in Southeast Alaska has changed significantly. As a result, the Forest Service is seeking input from the public to ensure that the revised plan reflects the evolving needs and concerns of the community. The current Forest Plan was developed... Full story
All mud dump fees for the new hospital project will be waived. Although the fees would have amounted to about $186,000 in revenue for the borough, the Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved the request to waive the fees because it will be an in-kind contribution, which can help PMC secure additional funding for the project, and improvements made by work on the project is saving the borough about $160,000 in expenses. At the assembly meeting on Monday, assembly member Thomas Fine-Walsh...
The state House needed an auctioneer last week. Instead, it wasted three hours in a meaningless bidding war as the Republican-led majority told Alaskans they cared far more than anyone else about supporting education and ensuring state-funded alternatives for correspondence school students and their families. That meant they didn’t want to move too quickly to fix the constitutional problem of state money going to private and religious school programs. Let the millions continue to flow and wait for the Alaska Supreme Court to hear the appeal o...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) preseason forecast estimates 1,400 adult Chinook returning to the terminal harvest area this summer. The low abundance triggered the department to close the freshwaters of Blind Slough for fishing king salmon this season. The last time freshwater was fully closed for a season was in 2013. ADFG ordered the closure according to the management plan for the sport fishery. It is a conservation effort to protect the broodstock for the Crystal Lake...
February 28 – An officer assisted with a lockout on Wrangell Avenue. An officer assisted in contacting individuals blocking the snow plow on Fram Street. An officer assisted with a lockout on Mitkof Highway. Chris Haerling was cited on Mitkof Highway at Hungerford Hill Road for operating a vehicle without a valid license and failure to provide proof of insurance. A deer was killed on Sandy Beach Road and its meat was salvaged. An officer assisted with a lockout on 4.5 Street. An officer responded to a reported loud noise on North 2nd Street, b...
February 7 – An officer conducted foot patrols downtown. An officer conducted a welfare check. An illegally parked vehicle was moved at the direction of an officer and a warning was issued. An officer responded to a reported disturbance on Kiseno Street and determined it was non-criminal. A post-incident report was filed concerning a disturbance on South 2nd Street. A trespass notice was served. February 8 – A driver on Dolphin Street was issued a warning for an inoperable headlight. Found property was brought to the Petersburg Police Dep...
Concert pianist Tony Lu, 26, arrived in Petersburg on Tuesday for a week of piano performances and inspiring the community to think about music differently. He will perform live at the Lutheran Church on Sunday, Feb. 11. Originally from Wuhan, China, Tony moved to the United States when he was 16 years old, completing high school in St. Louis, Missouri. "It was a really good experience ... getting to know the culture, getting to know the language," he said. He first started teaching piano to...
January 24 – An officer responded to a report of trespassing on North 12th Street and directed an individual to leave the area. An officer responded to an alarm that activated at a business on North Nordic Drive. Petersburg Police Department (PPD) received a report of a water outage at a residence on Skylark Way. Petersburg Public Works (PPW) was notified and responded. An officer conducted a welfare check on Mitkof Highway. Property found on South Nordic Drive was returned to its owner. A driver at 3rd and Excel Streets was issued a warning f...
In 2015, a deadly landslide occurred in Sitka. Anxiety swept the community as a result, and the frequent heavy rainfall typical for Southeast Alaska became a source of fear for many Sitkans left questioning when the next disaster would strike - and wondering what they could do to keep the citizens of the city safe. In response to the concerns, the Sitka Sound Science Center organized a volunteer team of geologic and climate experts from across the country. For over a year, the group met...
January 17 – An officer spoke with neighbors on Mitkof Highway who were arguing over snow removal and they agreed to be neighborly. An officer assisted a citizen on South 2nd Street. Petersburg Police Department (PPD) received a report of a disabled vehicle at Eagles Roost Park. An officer conducted a welfare check on Nordic Drive. PPD received a report of items left at the post office. PPD received a report of suspicious activity on Excel Street. Extra patrols were conducted on Haugen Drive. January 18 – An officer conducted a welfare che...
January 10 – An officer assisted Emergency Medical Services (EMS) on North 12th Street. An officer responded to a request for a welfare check, but the individual had left the area. January 11 – An officer responded to a reported structure fire on Mitkof Highway and assisted the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department (PVFD). An officer responded to a reported structure fire on Kiseno Street and assisted the PVFD. PPD transferred a report of an animal related incident to the Alaska Fish and Wildlife Troopers (AWT). An officer provided lockout ass...
Correcting the wrongs of the past To the Editor: As the Landless Native bill works through Congress and many Alaskans eagerly await its passage and others oppose it, a look at the past provides a broader perspective. In the years prior to Statehood when Alaska was a Territory, there was a movement to repatriate lands to Alaska Natives through the creation of a system of reservations throughout the Territory. At the time, the Governor of Alaska was Ernest Gruening, a wise and learned man who believed strongly in Native rights. He did not...
