Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 501
September 22, 1922 – The first flying machine to ever land in Petersburg did so Monday when the hydro-plane Northbird arrived here from Wrangell. The Northbird took twenty-one minutes of actual flying time to make the trip. Dr. A. B. Jones came over as a passenger on the machine and has the distinction of being the first passenger to travel by air between two Alaska towns. The Northbird is owned by Roy Jones, of Ketchikan, and is used for commercial purposes in Southeastern Alaska. The machine will be here for several days and those who d...
Some new and some returning faces have joined the ranks of the Petersburg School District staff in preparation for the upcoming school year. Elsa Wintersteen will teach English language arts and a drama class at Petersburg High School. She completed her undergraduate studies at Montana State University, earning a literature degree and an interdisciplinary degree, and for a short time studied theater at the University of Montana. Wintersteen is originally from Montana, but her mother's family is...
*To register a new student, please stop by the office at 303 Dolphin Street by August 29th *You will need to bring current immunization record and birth certificate (legible copy ok) *If you have any questions, please call the office at 907-302-2385 or 877-526-7656 ext. 400 Mrs. Willis, Kindergarten Erik Adams, Emma Aikins, Annika Barosy Flor, Ryder Bradford, Ole Buotte, Sawyer Cole, Cora Corrao, Brynnleigh Hudson, Henry Kandoll, Mateo Maldonado, Hayden McCay, Lawson Mullen, Amalia Norheim, Heidi Versteeg, Madalina Ward, Amara Westhoff Ms....
Some new and some returning faces have joined the ranks of the Petersburg School District staff in preparation for the upcoming school year. Erin Hofacre will be starting her first year of teaching in one of Stedman Elementary School's two first grade classrooms. She earned her bachelor's degree at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington where she received endorsements for elementary, reading, and special education. "I was able to go to a great program with lots of practical work so I feel l...
The Petersburg School Board updated its COVID-19 mitigation plan for the upcoming school year during its meeting last week. The school district is required to update its plan by the Alaska Department of Education and under the American Rescue Plan funding. The new guidelines resemble those the district had at the end of the previous school year but with a couple of changes. Masking will remain optional for students, staff, and visitors and there will be no trigger for universal masking or...
8,832 passengers and 2,515 vehicles boarded the ferry in Petersburg in 2011, and 9046 passengers and 2,434 vehicles arrived in town. In 2021, the ridership into Petersburg was 829 passengers, a decrease of about 90 percent from a decade before. Vehicles dropped 75 percent to 595, according to statistics provided by the Alaska Marine Highway System. And 2021's numbers are up from the pandemic-worst travel year. In 2020, just 409 passengers and 313 vehicles disembarked in Petersburg. But...
Special General Election: In Petersburg 725, or 24.22%, of the precinct’s 2,993 registered voters turned out. The preliminary numbers for Petersburg show Sarah Palin in the lead by a single vote. Sarah Palin: 256 Mary Peltola: 255 Nick Begich: 192 Absentee ballots postmarked by election day will still be counted until August 31st, at which time the ranked choice tabulations will determine the winner of the US House seat. Primary Election results in Petersburg U.S. Senate Lisa Murkowski: 312 votes (44.44%) Kelly Tshibaka: 258 (36.75%) U.S. H...
Alaska voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, August 16 to mark their ballots in a couple of firsts: The first election under the state's new ranked-choice voting system and the election of Alaska's first new member of the U.S. House in 49 years. The three finalists for Congress selected in the July special primary election are Republicans Nick Begich, a Chugiak businessman, and former Gov. Sarah Palin, and former Bethel state legislator Democrat Mary Peltola. At a recent candidate forum in...
July 28, 1922 Candy Men Spend Day Southbound – The steamer Spokane, with a Confectioners Convention on board, was in Petersburg from early Monday morning until late that night. During the evening a ball game was played between the team on board and the town boys which resulted in a 12 to 3 score for the locals. In the evening a dance was enjoyed at the Pioneers Hall. The Spokane arrived at an early morning hour and landed at the Mitkof Cannery where several thousand cases of salmon were loaded. The visitors on board had ample opportunity to i...
A press release Wednesday announced that starting this fall, the Kinder Skog Nature Program will be transitioning from a program under the umbrella of the Petersburg Lutheran Church to a program housed under the Petersburg Medical Center Community Wellness Department. Results from a 2021 local childcare needs assessment and Community Café in January 2022 funded by the Petersburg Community Foundation highlighted the systemic industry challenges facing childcare and early childhood education. In...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously to add 14 projects to its capital project requests list during Monday’s meeting. The requests list is comprised of capital projects that are listed in the state of Alaska’s CAPSIS system used by the state legislature, the congressionally directed spending requests list, and the Alaska Department of Transportation needs list. Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht said during the meeting that the requests list is being updated much earlier in the year than usual because of increased funding opp...
If oil prices stay above $100 a barrel for the next 12 months, the state could end the fiscal year in June 2023 with about $2.3 billion in its savings accounts, not counting the Permanent Fund. It hasn’t had that much in savings since 2018. “That’s not enough cash,” Senator Bert Stedman, co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee, said last Friday. The state treasury needs a healthier shock absorber to cushion against the inevitable periods of low oil prices, he said. It all depends on oil markets and prices. Alaska North Slope crude has average...
The Petersburg Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Alaska Community Foundation, announced on Saturday the 10 organizations receiving grants this year. The event, hosted by Glo Wollen, saw volunteers, politicians, business owners, and other prominent community members gather to support local programs. Before the grant awards, the foundation announced a new annual award-Petersburg Community Volunteer of the Year. Dave Berg was chosen as the award's first recipient which also comes with...
Three minutes before 11 p.m. on the last day of its regular session, the Alaska Legislature finalized a state budget that will pay each eligible Alaskan about $3,200 later this year. As late as Saturday, it appeared possible that the House and Senate would agree on a $5,500 payment, but lawmakers settled on a lower amount after days of negotiations and a failed vote to spend from savings. "For the four years I've been down here, we've practiced fiscal restraint and tried to keep money in... Full story
Homer artist Kim McNett taught children and adults in Petersburg how to create a "nature journal" last week, giving them a new perspective on the world around them. McNett's journals feature a collection of sketches, written observations, and places names and dates that illustrate scenes and objects found "in the field." Molly Taiber and the Partners in Education received grant funding through the Alaska State Council on the Arts to bring McNett to the elementary school as part of the Artist in...
The Stedman Elementary foursquare club ended on May 3 with a large tournament, music, and excited spectators. The first-time club met every Tuesday after school to play foursquare and ninesquare since September. Amy Wilkes wrote that the kids also want to thank the Stedman PIE (Partners in Education) for the donated jerseys. Back row, from left: Rebel McGrath, Declan Olsen, Coach Kowalski, Thomas Slaven, Derek Allison, Jamari Tate, Evin Olsen, and Coach Wilkes. Middle row: Gillian O'Soup,...
Alaska property owners have paid more than four times as much in premiums than they received back in claims under the National Flood Insurance Program going back to 1980. “It’s kind of ugly,” Lori Wing-Heier, the state’s insurance division director, told legislators this spring. “We don’t have the storms they get in Texas or Louisiana.” The nationwide program, which is voluntary for states and communities, has been around for more than half a century. It pools together property owners from all the states and territories, much like group he...
WRANGELL — Anyone who wants to get a pizza midweek at the Marine Bar or a steak or burger at the Elks Lodge knows that worker shortages have forced employers to reduce their days and cut back on offerings. “This worker shortage is real, and it’s not going away anytime soon,” Dan Robinson, research chief at the Alaska Department of Labor, told legislators last month. “For nine years in a row, more people have left the state than have come here,” he told the Senate Finance Committee. The population has been stable as births have outpaced de...
Update on Landless Efforts To the Editor: Hello folks, this is a quick update on the efforts of the Landless group for the benefit of Petersburg. Who are the Landless? They are 5 communities that got left out of ANCSA in 1971 and should have gotten land under that legislation 50 years ago: Petersburg, Wrangell, Ketchikan, Haines and Tenakee Springs. Together we are Alaska Natives Without Land. Our goal is to amend ANCSA to reunite our five SE Alaska Native communities with their lands, to grow and succeed with their rightful land base as their...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska lawmakers are considering a request by Gov. Mike Dunleavy's administration that the state take over part of a federal environmental permitting program, though some members of the Senate's budget-writing committee have expressed concerns with the potential costs. Administration officials have said the idea behind the proposal is to speed the construction of roads, bridges, mines and drilling projects, the Anchorage Daily News reported. While the state would have to follow federal standards, critics of the proposal sa...
Legislation to restore and increase the state licensing fee on sportfishing guides and operators ran into problems in the Senate Finance Committee last week, as lawmakers questioned why out-of-state boat owners who bring up guests are not required to get a license and pay the fee. “My district has got to be one of the top guided areas in the state,” said Committee Co-Chair Sen. Bert Stedman, whose district stretches from Sitka to Prince of Wales Island, including Petersburg. And while that means a lot of non-residents pay local operators for...
The US Coast Guard Cutter Anacapa invited the community on board for tours on Monday. The occasion was to bid thank you and farewell to Petersburg, which has been home port to the USCGC Anacapa for the entirety of her 32-year career. Commissioned to serve as an Island-class patrol boat on January 13, 1990, the Anacapa has carried out her mission of law enforcement, safety and fisheries law enforcement, search and rescue, and maritime defense with a crew of sixteen on board and their families living in the Petersburg community. Captain Darwin Je...