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  • Public lands sell off removed from reconciliation bill; revamped proposal likely

    Jacob Fischler, Alaska Beacon|Jun 26, 2025

    U.S. Sen. Mike Lee says he will revamp his controversial proposal to require the sales of vast acres of federal lands in the West so it can be included in Senate Republicans' sweeping tax and spending cut package. Lee will be seeking approval for his revised plan from the Senate parliamentarian, who will decide if the provision complies with the chamber's strict rules for the fast-track procedure Republicans are using to pass their bill. An earlier version of Lee's plan was dropped from the... Full story

  • The Full PDF of this week's Petersburg Pilot

    Jun 26, 2025

    Subscribers log in for access to this week's PDF .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Subscribers, click here for the Full PDF of this week's Petersburg Pilot...

  • Forest Service plans to repeal Roadless Rule

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Jun 26, 2025

    The U.S. Forest Service will seek to repeal a rule that has effectively blocked the logging of almost a third of America's national forests, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins told a meeting of Western governors on Monday in New Mexico. The "Roadless Rule" has blocked the construction of new roads in wild areas of most states' national forests since 2001, when it was imposed in the closing days of President Bill Clinton's presidency. "In this administration, we are taking a look under the... Full story

  • Local laundromat changes hands

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Jun 26, 2025

    Last month, after nearly 25 years of running Glacier Laundry, Carrie Peterson handed the laundromat keys to new owner Laura "Lu" Holder – who has renamed the business Viking Laundry. Holder realizes that she is taking on more than just a place to do laundry – Peterson is passing along relationships, routines, and a community institution that has served Petersburg well. "Today I helped somebody, and I was telling her like, where to put the soap," said Holder, "she turned to me and said, 'I'...

  • U.S. Senate votes to resume Secure Rural Schools program; Alaska delegation hopes House will pass the legislation

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Jun 26, 2025

    The U.S. Senate voted unanimously on June 18 to resume the federal Secure Rural Schools program, which sent millions of dollars to small Alaska schools each year until Congress failed to reauthorize it in 2023. Congress passed the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act in 2000, which launched the program as a way to help logging towns cope with the loss of revenue caused by a slowdown in logging on nearby federal land. In 2023, it directed more than $250 million to... Full story

  • Alaska opens public comment on proposal to limit local contributions to schools

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Jun 26, 2025

    The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development has opened public comment on a proposal that would reduce municipal governments' ability to assist local public schools. The draft regulation, published Friday, would state that services - such as parking-lot plowing, or the use of public pools or libraries for school functions - would count toward the maximum limit of local aid that school districts may receive from the local government. The education department said it proposed the... Full story

  • Petersburg prepares for inaugural Amy Hallingstad Day celebration

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Jun 26, 2025

    This Saturday marks a historic milestone for Petersburg as the community celebrates the first-ever Amy Hallingstad Day, honoring the Tlingit civil rights pioneer who transformed education and social justice for Alaska Natives. "This is the first year we are having Amy Hallingstad Day. We had it formally proclaimed by the borough as an annual holiday now, and it's to commemorate Amy Hallingstad, who lived in Petersburg most of her life and was a huge proponent in a lot of civil rights matters,...

  • After Dunleavy veto, Petersburg School District spends over half a million from reserves

    Taylor Heckart, KFSK Radio|Jun 26, 2025

    Petersburg’s school district approved a budget last week that will draw down nearly $700,000 dollars from its reserves to make up for school funding vetoed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Dunleavy reduced education funding for school districts statewide with a line-item veto on June 12, just weeks before districts start their next fiscal years. The Legislature originally approved a $700 increase in per-student funding, known as the base student allocation (BSA). It was the first substantial increase since 2017. Dunleavy didn’t approve enough money to fu...

  • Hydroelectric lake near Petersburg spills, highlighting "balancing act" between hydro plant and hatchery

    Hannah Weaver, KFSK Radio|Jun 26, 2025

    Southeast Alaska broke records for rainfall this spring. And for the Blind Slough hydroelectric plant near Petersburg, more rain means more power. Sometimes, however, there is such a thing as too much rain, according to Petersburg Borough Utility Director Karl Hagerman. "This year, there was just too much water to deal with," he said. The hydro plant uses water from a dam at Crystal Lake to generate power. But the record-breaking precipitation Mitkof Island got in May caused Crystal Lake to...

  • Petersburg teachers state finalists for excellence

    Lizzie Thompson, Pilot writer|Jun 19, 2025

    Three teachers from the Petersburg School District are state finalists for awards in excellence – Hannah Smith and Alice Cumps, math and science teachers at the middle and high schools respectively, are two of the finalists for a Presidential Excellence Award, and Becky Martin, a third grade teacher, for the Alaska Teacher of the Year Award. The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) is the highest honor a K – 12 math or science teacher in the U.S. can...

  • Budget reconciliation bill would sell public lands to offset tax cuts

    Alex DeMarban, Anchorage Daily News|Jun 19, 2025

    A U.S. Senate committee has proposed selling more than 3 million acres of public lands in Alaska and several other Western states to support new housing development. The idea has alarmed conservation groups and others in Alaska who fear portions of, say, the Chugach or Tongass national forests, and other treasured areas would be auctioned off to developers. The proposed language in the budget reconciliation bill was released last week by the Republican leader of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. The...

  • Borough voters to decide on low-income limit for senior sales tax exemption

    Olivia Rose, KFSK Radio|Jun 19, 2025

    In an effort to generate money for essential services, Petersburg voters will be asked this fall whether to impose income limits for the community's senior sales tax exemption. That's after the Petersburg Borough Assembly approved the proposal on Monday, June 16. The change would limit the decades-old exemption to only low-income seniors who qualify for the state's Senior Benefits Payment Program, with annual incomes below $34,213 for individuals or $46,253 for couples. Revenue from...

  • Parks and Rec two-week shutdown tackles gym floors, pool systems, and facility-wide upgrades

    Jun 19, 2025

    The Petersburg Parks and Recreation facility reopened Monday after completing its annual two-week maintenance shutdown, with Parks and Recreation Director Stephanie Payne describing the closure as highly successful. "We did a lot of work that we've been wanting to get done for a long time," Payne said of the annual maintenance period that began in late May. The closure began with the facility's perennially complex project: coordinating the resurfacing of the gym floors. "Gym and racquetball...

  • An eagle crashes through a living room window in Petersburg

    Taylor Heckart, KFSK Radio|Jun 19, 2025

    Teri Toland was preparing breakfast one morning when she heard a loud crash. When she walked out of her kitchen, she found a full-grown eagle in her living room. The eagle had crashed through a nearby double-paned window, shattering the glass. Toland was used to seeing eagles fly around her house; she even enjoyed watching them race through the nearby trees, but they'd never come inside before. This eagle had also brought something extra: an orange rockfish that it left on the carpet alongside...

  • Petersburg School District enhances safety with summer construction

    Taylor Heckart, KFSK Radio|Jun 19, 2025

    Construction will be happening all summer long at the Petersburg School District. Two major projects are underway to increase safety at the schools, inside and out. The first project is a complete remodel of the high school office. The office has been entirely gutted, and will be rebuilt for visibility and safety. "The office area was such that the folks working in the office really didn't have a good, clear view of who was coming to the door," said Superintendent Robyn Taylor. In 2023, threats...

  • Scammers target planning commission applicants with fake invoices

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Jun 19, 2025

    Scammers posing as Petersburg Borough Planning and Zoning Director Liz Cabrera sent official-looking emails soliciting payment of nearly $5,000 to at least two individuals with pending applications before the planning commission this month, prompting borough staff to change how they handle applicant information. The fraudulent emails, which included detailed invoices, were sophisticated enough to alarm local officials despite both targeted applicants recognizing the scam before losing money....

  • Limited number of Anan permits available for non-guided visitors

    Wrangell Sentinel Staff|Jun 19, 2025

    Visitors to the U.S. Forest Service Anan Wildlife Observatory are limited July 5 to Aug. 25, with 60 permits each day set aside for guided tours, while four other slots each day are designated for last-minute, independent visitors. "These permits are for people with their own means of transportation (without a hired service) and must be requested in person at the Wrangell Ranger District, up to one week in advance," the Forest Service reminded the public in an announcement on June 13....

  • Silver Bay CEO says OBI transition is 'fully up and running'

    Olivia Rose, KFSK Radio|Jun 12, 2025

    Silver Bay Seafoods President and CEO Cora Campbell returned to her Southeast Alaska hometown of Petersburg recently to meet with the fleet. Local fishermen, processing plant staff and community members who gathered for a Silver Bay social hour in Petersburg's Sons of Norway Hall directed their attention to Campbell at front of the room. "If you find a member of the Silver Bay Leadership team, there's a very good chance that that girl grew up in Petersburg," she said. Campbell's family has...

  • Local mill owner's airplane conversation with Juneau artist leads to community cedar bark harvest

    Orin Pierson|Jun 12, 2025

    What started as casual airplane conversation between strangers last fall blossomed into a community harvest this week that supplied Petersburg's traditional weavers with a year's supply of yellow cedar bark. Juneau-based Alaska Native artist Lily Hope was flying from Seattle to Juneau in November when she struck up a conversation with her seatmate, Brett Martin, co-owner of Alaska Timber and Truss, the Petersburg sawmill located on Falls Creek Road. Hope recalled, "He said, 'Oh, you use yellow...

  • Advisory board recommends ending Matanuska's career

    Larry Persily, Wrangell Sentinel writer|Jun 12, 2025

    The public advisory board for the Alaska Marine Highway System has recommended that the state call an end to the Matanuska's 53-year career in the fleet. The final decision whether to sell the unseaworthy ferry rests with the governor and his Department of Transportation commissioner. "There is currently no set timeline for action," said Sam Dapcevich, the department's spokesman. The 408-foot-long, 499-passenger ferry has been out of service since the fall of 2022, when it went into the...

  • Pair of alleged scammers arrested in Petersburg operation

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Jun 12, 2025

    Two Indian nationals were arrested Monday in Petersburg in connection with an elaborate scam that defrauded a Petersburg resident of nearly $200,000, authorities said. Shubham Patel, 24, and Harshilkumar J. Patel, 22, both face charges of Scheme to Defraud and Theft in the First Degree, Class B felonies carrying penalties of up to $100,000 in fines and up to 10 years in prison. The arrests resulted from an investigation that began June 2 when a local resident reported being targeted by callers...

  • Aging infrastructure complicates hospital water system repair

    Orin Pierson|Jun 12, 2025

    Petersburg Medical Center (PMC) completed a complex water system repair project last week that highlights both the ingenuity of local maintenance crews and the mounting infrastructure challenges facing the community's critical access hospital. The project began February 5 when the six-inch sprinkler main suddenly developed a hole. "We threw a patch on it that we got from the city, and that actually stopped the leak," explained Wolf Brooks, PMC's Facilities Engineer. But this leak revealed a... Full story

  • Borough raises property tax rate to balance budget, begin repayment of school maintenance bond debt

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Jun 5, 2025

    On Monday, Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved the resolution to set the property tax rate for the coming year, raising the millage rate from 10.0 to 10.8 mills. The new 0.8-mill increase means property owners in Service Area 1 will pay $10.80 per $1,000 of assessed property value, up from $10 last year. For a home assessed at $300,000, the annual increase would be $240. While an increase from last year, the new rate is still lower than the tax rate from the four preceding years:...

  • Dunleavy administration rushes "emergency regulation" to reduce local government contributions to school districts; state board postpones vote

    Jun 5, 2025

    Alaska is required by law to fund public education equitably across all school districts through its Base Student Allocation formula. Each student generates a set amount of state funding, with adjustments for factors like special needs, district size, and geographic isolation. The federal government also sends Alaska over $100 million annually in “impact aid” – money meant to compensate certain school districts for lost property tax revenue from federal and Alaska Native lands that cannot be ta...

  • Borough budget accounts for potential cruise dock project

    Olivia Rose, KFSK Radio|Jun 5, 2025

    Petersburg's borough assembly passed its overall budget for the next fiscal year on June 2. But the option to allocate a million dollars from the harbor reserves for a potential cruise dock project caused friction for the final vote. The Petersburg Borough's general fund was nearly $400,000 in the red for the last fiscal year, but that's not the case this time. The borough's next budget is in the black, despite state and federal funding reductions and inflationary costs in all departments....

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