Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 172
The Petersburg Police Department's previously rejected K9 unit proposal has gained significant momentum through community financial support and grassroots advocacy efforts. Reconsideration of the proposal is anticipated at the Borough Assembly's first meeting in April. The Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) has emerged as a major supporter, pledging $14,000 from opioid settlement funds to help cover the unit's maintenance costs. "We received opioid settlement funds from class action lawsuits...
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Wednesday ordered all federal departments and agencies to submit reorganization plans outlining how they would implement large-scale layoffs before March 13. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought and Office of Personnel Management Acting Director Charles Ezell wrote in a seven-page memo the reason for the expected layoffs is that the “federal government is costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt.” “At the same time, it is not producing results for the American public,” they wrote. “I... Full story
Petersburg Police Chief James Kerr presented the department’s annual report to the Petersburg Borough Assembly at last week’s assembly meeting, offering a summary of the department’s past year. Assembly Member Jeigh Stanton Gregor thanked Chief Kerr and Fire/EMS Director Aaron Hankins for “for taking the time to put those [reports] together for us.” And Stanton Gregor encouraged to the public to read through the reports which are included in the 2/18/25 meeting packet on the borough’s website. The Petersburg Police Department reported an increa...
Weeks after returning from her home state of North Carolina, aiding communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, Petersburg nurse Laura Holder still feels a tightness in her chest — not only from processing the experience, but from the week of breathing toxic dust and mold at the scene. Based out of West Yancey County Fire Department, an ad hoc hub for rescue operations in the region, she spent the week working alongside hundreds of emergency responders, volunteers, and good Samaritans from near a... Full story
COVID-19 cases have dropped at the Petersburg Medical Center's Long-Term Care facility after it faced its biggest outbreak of the pandemic last week. During the PMC Board meeting on Feb. 23, LTC Manager Helen Boggs reported that the facility had seen eight positive cases among residents as well as a few staff members. She also said residents had all been treated prophylactically with either Paxlovid or Remdesivir and were doing fairly well. On Wednesday, Boggs wrote that all of the COVID...
March 2, 1923 – Our small but busy little town is some burg. We own our own water works and light plant. We have one of the largest salmon canneries in Southeastern Alaska. This cannery has for the past five years had an average pack of 100,000 cases. We also have two shrimp canneries, employing six boats and 120 people. We have one crab cannery employing six boats and about 20 people. We have three machine shops and two public docks. The Standard Oil Company has one of its largest stations here with a dock of their own. We have three large m...
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...
Petersburg Police Department Chief Jim Kerr has filed a lawsuit against the Petersburg Borough. The suit, filed Nov. 3 with the Juneau Civil Superior Court, alleges that the borough defamed Kerr and portrayed him in a false light, according to court records obtained by the Pilot. On June 27, 2022 the borough responded to a public records request filed by KFSK with a statement saying the borough's HR department had received a complaint in the form of a timeline from Kerr alleging that he had... Full story
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...
The Petersburg Medical Center has reported two positive cases of COVID-19 among Long Term Care residents over the past week. The first case was reported on July 8 and an additional case was identified on Tuesday after a second round of testing. According to PMC, both positive residents have mild symptoms and are being isolated. The hospital reported that it has been in contact with State of Alaska Epidemiology and is currently checking residents for symptoms twice a day and testing residents and staff twice a week. Residents and staff are also...
A ship named for one of Norway's most famed explorers has been visiting Petersburg for the first time this summer. The MS Roald Amundsen operated by Hurtigruten is the world's first hybrid powered expedition ship and is currently traversing through Alaska, offering passengers a chance to participate in experiments and research among the state's natural environments. Though unable to mark the Amundsen's very first visit to Petersburg in May, representatives from the community including Sally Dwye...
Ocean Rangers To the Editor: If you were disappointed in the Senate Resource Committee’s decision last week and want to stop SB 180 please speak up now. As constituents of Senator Bert Stedman, it is very important he hear our concerns on this bill introduced by Governor Dunleavy that will eliminate Ocean Rangers on cruise ships. We need to ask him to hold SB 180, to not schedule a hearing this session, and urge him to reinstate funding for the Ocean Rangers on most ships, most of the time. Ask Senator Stedman directly what he is planning to d...
The Petersburg Medical Center is reporting a "significant increase" of COVID-19 cases in both the hospital and the Petersburg School District within the past week. "The community should assume COVID-19 is spreading quickly, impacting schools, daycares, and local business," the release read. The hospital also reported that the PMC Dashboard's case count is not an accurate reflection of cases in the community as it does not include the results of at-home antigen tests. At-home tests and KN95...
Second COVID-19 vaccine booster doses are available in Petersburg and are primarily being administered at Public Health according to Petersburg Medical Center Chief Nursing Officer Jennifer Bryner. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a second booster dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine last month for those aged 50 or older and for immunocompromised individuals who received their first booster shot at least four months earlier. Though Public Health has taken the primary role of...
The Petersburg School Board unanimously approved a move to optional masking in all buildings during its board meeting Tuesday night as case counts decrease and vaccinations and tests become more accessible. The new protocols will be implemented when staff and students return from spring break on March 21 and while masking will be optional, all other mitigation strategies including quarantine and testing protocols will remain in place. The Petersburg School District has required universal...
The Mountain View Manor Assisted Living Facility is reporting one active case of COVID-19 as of Wednesday according to Mountain View Manor administrator Shelyn Bell. Since February 10, 14 cases have been identified at the manor, two of which were in the past week, and there has been one fatality where COVID-19 may have been a contributing factor. Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht briefed the Petersburg Borough Assembly on the state of the outbreak during Tuesday night’s assembly meeting According to Giesbrecht, all staff are wearing full PPE i...
A COVID-19 outbreak at the Mountain View Manor Assisted Living Facility has resulted in at least 12 positive cases as of Wednesday afternoon according to Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht. Of the 12 cases, four are unvaccinated and eight are vaccinated according to Mountain View Manor administrator Shelyn Bell. There has also been one fatality where COVID-19 may have been a contributing factor. The large outbreak, which has affected both residents and staff, has prompted testing and other...
The Petersburg School Board voted unanimously to amend its COVID-19 mitigation plan Tuesday night which now allows for limited optional masking in yellow status depending on cases within each building. Some parents and teachers spoke at the beginning of the meeting against the continuation of the mitigation plan approved in January, which required universal masking and had no provisions for optional masking, saying universal masking was counterproductive and inhibited learning. During last...
A COVID-19 outbreak at the Mountain View Manor Assisted Living Facility has resulted in at least 10 positive cases and one fatality that had COVID-19 as a contributing factor as of Monday evening according to Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht. The large outbreak, which has affected both residents and staff, has prompted testing and other mitigation protocols as well as a suspension of all congregate gatherings until further notice. According to Giesbrecht, Administrator Shelyn Bell and the staff... Full story
As of Tuesday night, the Petersburg Medical Center's COVID-19 Dashboard reported 10 active cases in Petersburg with 16 new cases in the previous seven days. The Petersburg School District recorded seven total cases among staff and students Wednesday afternoon. Rae C. Stedman Elementary School numbered the most with five followed by one at Mitkof Middle School and one at Petersburg High School. According to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, the state recorded 4,147 new cases...
Superior Court Judge William Carey is set to retire later this month after finishing his final trials in Petersburg and Ketchikan. Carey has served as a superior court judge for the area since 2009 after being appointed to the position by Governor Sarah Palin and in that time has presided over trials across Southeast Alaska. Originally from Massachusetts, Carey earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Brown University in 1976 and a law degree from the University of Denver in 1980....
The Petersburg Medical Center Hospital Board discussed the hospital's current staffing situation and turnover as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect its operations during its meeting on January 27. The meeting packet featured a report provided by Human Resources Director Cynthia Newman which included a list of new hires, terminations, and the numbers of other employee statuses at the hospital in 2021. During the previous year, PMC welcomed 26 new employees but had 37 terminations. The... Full story
According to the Petersburg Medical Center's COVID-19 Dashboard, Petersburg had an active case count of 11 as of Wednesday evening with 20 new positives within the previous seven days. PMC is asking residents to notify the hospital if they test positive with an at-home COVID-19 test so they can keep an accurate count of cases in the community. The hospital is also urging people to receive their booster vaccination as soon as possible in order to significantly decrease the chances of serious...
The Petersburg School Board voted to continue universal masking throughout the district as part of its COVID-19 mitigation plan Tuesday night. At the beginning of Tuesday's meeting, teachers and parents spoke to the board both in support and against the continuation of universal masking. Those who supported universal masking cited the high number of positive cases nationwide with the spread of the highly infectious omicron variant and their belief that remote learning is more harmful to...
The Petersburg Medical Center's COVID-19 Dashboard reported 20 active cases Wednesday evening and a positivity rate of 24.7% during the previous week. The Petersburg School District reported one case at each school among staff and students Wednesday. PSD is no longer posting the number of people in quarantine. The Petersburg School Board also voted to continue universal masking at all schools during its board meeting Tuesday night. According to the Alaska Department of Health and Social...
