Sorted by date Results 651 - 675 of 906
The school board met for its monthly meeting Tuesday, and worked its way through a full agenda including the FY17 budget, changes to student handbooks and an activity fee increase. The Petersburg district, like many others in Alaska, is dealing with a tighter budget due to lack of funding. Karen Quitslund, director of finance for the district, presented the budget she’s been working on for months. The board approved the budget with a 4-0 vote, after receiving a summary. “One thing that’s definitely different about this budget, that I’ve...
WRANGELL - The planning team for future development at Wrangell's former Institute site returned this week for a second round of public discussions. At a presentation Monday night, information gleaned from previous sessions in March had been narrowed down into three different concepts. Project lead Chris Mertl of Corvus Design was joined by architect James Bibb of NorthWind Architects and analyst Meilani Schijvens of Rain Coast Data. A surveyor with R&M Engineering joined them the following day...
On November 4, 2014 614 Petersburg voters, 58 percent of those who turned out, scratched their pencils on a ballot, darkening a little oval marked ‘yes’ to Ballot Measure 2, titled “An Act to Tax and Regulate the Production, Sale and Use of Marijuana.” In the description of the potential law, the first line of the ballot measure read, “This bill would tax and regulate the production, sale and use of marijuana.” According to Petersburg Borough data, 39 percent of voters turned out for the November 2014 election, which, besides the vote for borou... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly continued to discuss the prudence of taking ownership of three dock facilities after the state offered to transfer the facilities along with more than $700,000 and the responsibility of operation and maintenance. Last February, the state offered to transfer the Entrance Island, Kupreanof and Papke’s dock facilities to the borough. In a letter from the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Commissioner Marc Luiken said he applauds the borough’s willingness to accept responsibility and ste...
Scholarships earned by this year's graduates Elks National MVS Scholarship Stuart Medalen Elks Nat'l Foundation Legacy Award Adanna Kvernvik Elks Scholastic Award Kylie Wallace, Stuart Medalen, Chauncy Sandhofer Elks Lodge Technical Grant Award Kirk Evens State Elks Vocational Grant Kirk Evens, Ben Johnson Supreme Emblem Club Tucker Hagerman Moose-Mary Anne Greseth Memorial Kylie Wallace Moose-Ginny Clark Memorial Hannah Pfundt Moose-W.T. Snyder Memorial Chauncy Sandhofer Petersburg Pilot Cody S...
The Class of 2016 graduated Tuesday night in the Petersburg High School gymnasium. Thirty-three seniors were members of this year's class, which PHS principal Rick Dormer described as the "nicest" group of people he's encountered. "To begin my speech every year I do my best to tell these students and the audience my impression of the graduating class or maybe rather how I will at least remember them," Dormer said as he opened up the ceremony. "We've had our dominant classes, we've had our quiet...
This year's graduating class at Petersburg High School donned their caps and gowns early for a very important walk around campus. The senior class started a tradition called a Senior Walk that will hopefully inspire younger students to set graduation goals early, and stay in school. On Monday, the seniors dressed up and started the event by walking through the middle school while students lined the hallways, cheering the seniors on. Then things got loud when the graduates entered the elementary... Full story
May 27, 1916 – The picnic and clam bake given by the Arctic Brotherhood was a success, despite rather uncertain weather on leaving Petersburg in the early morning. Hogue and Tveten's launch Trygve and Dr. Pryer's launch Nux carried the twenty-six picnicers who took a chance on the weather to Castle Island, in Duncan Canal. That region they found to be out of the rain belt (for the day), and all had a real good time. May 30, 1941 – The 55-foot boat, Sylph, Capt. Will Marsha, from Ketchikan, arrived in Petersburg for a few days with three mem...
Yesterday’s News May 20, 1916 – A request was received from the Petersburg Packing Company that water be turned on at the cannery June 1 and that the council fix the price for water service for the season. After considerable discussion and motions to make the price $2.50 per day, $50 per month for four months, and $300 for the season of four months, the rate was finally set at $75 per month for not less than four months. May 23, 1941 – The 42-foot C. G. R. Primrose II arrived in port Tuesday night to make her headquarters in Petersburg. Aboar...
A mock car crash staged in the parking lot behind the community gym kept local emergency crews and students busy for a good part of the morning last Thursday. Students from the eighth grade up to seniors in high school witnessed a drunk driver, played by Kyle Clayton, getting arrested after causing an accident. Clayton's fictional disregard for the law and safety of others injured two occupants of the vehicle he hit, and killed one. The carnage required the top of the car he hit to be removed...
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...
Incoming Petersburg School District teacher Rowan Beraza is headed to town this June to teach Spanish and English in the high school and middle school. Beraza, a Fairbanks native, taught for the past year in Metlakatla after earning her teaching license and master's degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She also taught oversees in Southeast Asia after teaching Spanish as an adjunct professor at UAF. "I decided to try teaching English as a foreign language overseas," Beraza said. "I...
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
The State of Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (ADEED) cancelled statewide testing assessments last Friday. Multiple interruptions and glitches affected testing in Petersburg schools. According to a department press release, the computer based Alaska Measures of Progress (AMP) tests were interrupted beginning Tuesday when a construction worker accidentally severed a fiber optic cable at the University of Kansas. “The university houses the state’s testing vendor, the Achievement & Assessment Institute,” the release state... Full story
JUNEAU (AP) — The Alaska education department announced Friday that it is canceling its computer-based statewide student assessments this year, citing technical disruptions and concerns with the validity of the results. Federal rules call for state education departments to administer standards-based tests for students in grades three through eight and once in high school, but they also say the tests are to be high quality, valid and reliable and of adequate technical quality, interim Commissioner Susan McCauley said. “I do not believe at this p...
ANCHORAGE (AP) — A Wasilla man fleeing Alaska State Troopers was taken into custody after he was shot by a homeowner. The 24-year-old man was treated and released for a non-life-threatening injury and remained jailed Thursday. Troopers forwarded details of the shooting to the district attorney's office for review. The incident began when an officer just before 4 p.m. Wednesday tried to stop a pickup for an equipment violation in Wasilla. The driver sped off and passed a school bus with red lights activated. The man jumped out, ran through y...
WRANGELL - In an agreement reached March 24, the University of Alaska will be cooperating with Petersburg High School and the Wrangell Ranger District to conduct research at LeConte Glacier. Under the arrangement, the project will be undertaken by university researchers making third-party use of the high school's special use permit issued by USFS' Alaska regional office. The university's study will monitor the dynamics, glacial runoff and subglacial discharge of LeConte Glacier. It discharges...
The Senate Finance Committee introduced a bill, SB 209, that would raise local government and school retirement contributions from 22 percent to 26.5 percent by 2018 and would likely translate to cuts in services and or tax increases locally. PERS, or Public Employee Retirement System, is the state’s retirement benefit plan. Every public employee has a certain tier of benefits and each municipality annually chips in a portion of those benefits. SB 209 increases those municipal contributions incrementally and means local government would i... Full story
A group of Petersburg High School students organized a protest last Friday and started a petition this week to modify the PHS dress code policy to allow leggings and yoga pants without the added requirement of shorts or a long shirt. More than 20 PHS girls wore yoga pants to school last Friday to protest the school's policy that requires a student to wear clothing such as shorts or skirts over yoga pants or other tight fitting leggings. "Tight-fitting leggings, leotards and spandex bottoms,... Full story
Petersburg High School shop teacher Dave Owens traveled to Sitka earlier this month for training on how to better use design software and manufacturing tools. This year is the first for Owens teaching the industrial arts program at PHS, but he spent well over 10 years heading up elementary school classrooms. "It was the best teachers training I have ever been to," Owens says with a big smile. "Hands on is fun, and that's where the most learning takes place." Owens also took a student with him,... Full story
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,...
Five years ago, when Carlee Johnson was offered a meal at the Petersburg school, it did not go well. Johnson was applying for the food service director position at the time, and believes it was some sort of pizza dish. "When I walked in for my interview, and they gave me a lunch that day," says Johnson, food service director with the Petersburg School District. "I told them, 'I will not keep this menu the same way. So if you want someone to come in here and do it the same way, you're asking the... Full story
State Sen. Bert Stedman talked about how well the community would weather the state budget deficit during Petersburg’s annual Chamber of Commerce Dinner Saturday night. He said the community’s already endured difficult times, citing several wars and economic downturns, and has come out of it unscathed. “We’ve had these austere moments where we’ve had to pull together and this is just another one,” Stedman said. “I don’t sit in my office and eat a lot of Rolaids over it.” Stedman went on to discuss the legislative climate in Juneau and what h...
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
