Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 6903
Early Sunday morning, Sasha Calvey awoke to a roar. "I look out of the tent, and then I see a massive wave coming, like, inches away," Calvey said. Calvey was camped with two friends, Billy White and Nick Heilgeist, on Harbor Island, an uninhabited islet in Holkham Bay. It's at the convergence of two of Southeast Alaska's most-visited fjords, Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm. Calvey, White and Heilgeist had spent the past 78 days kayaking the Inside Passage from Washington. The three hoped to spend th... Full story
Hatchery managers had hoped that June's steady rainfall would spare them from having to intervene in this year's king salmon run, allowing fish to reach Crystal Lake Hatchery naturally without the stress of human handling. Those hopes evaporated in late July when a few hot days right at the wrong time caused a significant mortality event for king salmon transiting the shallow waters between Blind River Rapids and Crystal Lake Hatchery. On July 20, after observing a hundred or more king salmon...
After 17 years of shaping Petersburg's infrastructure, this has been the final week on the job for Public Works Director Chris Cotta before relocating to Florida, where he'll serve as Public Works Director in Tarpon Springs, a city on the Gulf Coast around the size of Juneau. As Cotta wraps up his tenure, Aaron Marohl-who has deep roots in the community-steps into the director role, inheriting an experienced crew and a long list of ongoing projects. From Florida to Petersburg and back Before...
Petersburg Borough Assembly Member Scott Newman has filed to run for mayor, making him the first declared candidate to replace Mark Jensen, who announced in June he would not seek reelection after 18 years in elected office. Ten candidates have submitted paperwork so far to Borough Clerk Rebecca Regula since the filing window opened July 29. Candidates have until 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 26 to file for positions on the Oct. 7 ballot. Raliegh Cook has filed to run for borough assembly. Two assembly...
A Juneau jury convicted 21-year-old John Bisset of Petersburg of two counts of sexual assault in the first degree on July 29 at the Dimond Courthouse. The verdict followed a two-week-long trial presided over by Superior Court Judge Amy Mead. Jurors acquitted Bisset of two other counts of sexual assault. The case goes back four years, when Bisset was 18 years old and the victim was 14. The case was investigated by the Petersburg Police Department and prosecuted by the state. The trial was...
When the peak of the annual glacial outburst flood hit early Wednesday morning in Juneau, newly installed flood barriers stacked along the Mendenhall River largely prevented flooding of the nearby residential area. The flooding reached a record-breaking 16.65 feet at 7:15 a.m., but nearby homes, businesses and three schools were mostly spared. On Wednesday afternoon, Juneau officials announced the flood threat was over. Officials reported there were no rescues overnight or emergency evacuations... Full story
WRANGELL - A petroglyph rock was found split in half last month, apparently damaged by someone attempting to remove the ancient carving, according to borough and U.S. Forest Service officials. "Petroglyph Beach is more than a scenic destination. It is a sacred site and irreplaceable cultural resource," the borough said in its report to the public on July 28. "The carvings found here are among the most significant archaeological artifacts in Alaska, reflecting the lifeways and histories of the Tl...
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Subscribers can use the link below to access this week's PDF Edition, or use the E-Editions button on the homepage for all of our current and archived PDFs. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly narrowly rejected a resolution Monday that would have authorized police to dispatch approximately four black bears that Petersburg Police Chief James Kerr says his officers have identified through repeated unsuccessful attempts at non-lethal deterrence. The resolution failed by a single vote after Kerr presented evidence of what he described as "learned behavior" by specific bears. "We've tried paintballs, pepper balls," Kerr told the Pilot. "Pepper balls is like...
The Alaska Legislature, meeting in special session, has overridden Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of more than $50 million in public school funding. The vote was 45-14. At least 45 of 60 legislators are needed to override an Alaska governor’s budget veto. The override eliminates a 5.6% year-over-year cut to public school funding, leaving districts with a small funding increase. Since July 1, the start of the state’s fiscal year, oil prices have significantly exceeded the state’s spring forecast, and if that trend continues, the state would have mo... Full story
The Alaska Legislature overrode Governor Mike Dunleavy’s veto of state education funding at a special session on Saturday. Earlier this year, lawmakers approved a $700 increase in the per-student funding formula known as the base student allocation (BSA). Using his line-item veto power, the governor reduced that increase by $200. The override undoes the governor’s veto. Both of Petersburg’s state lawmakers, Senator Bert Stedman (R-Sitka) and Representative Rebecca Himschoot (I-Sitka) voted in favor of the override. Petersburg Super...
In a new administrative action, Gov. Mike Dunleavy is ordering “efficiency reviews” of state agencies and asking departments to use artificial intelligence software as part of an effort to identify budget cuts. The reviews will take place annually, according to Dunleavy’s new administrative order, published Monday, and would become part of the state’s annual budget process. The reviews will initially focus on “grants to non-State of Alaska entities” and “accounts payable,” according to a copy of the text available online. The reviews are int... Full story
To better understand the hydrology of their neighboring island, Petersburg middle schoolers mapped Coho Creek on July 30. The trip to Kupreanof Island was part of the summertime Wonder Camp series facilitated by the Petersburg Public Library and Alaska Sea Grant, a marine science education organization. The camp provides opportunities for middle schoolers to learn more about the environment around them, with the help of experts. This trip's expert was Emil Tucker, a hydrologist for the U.S....
A dozen teenagers returned to Petersburg on July 22 after a weeklong kayak trip learning how to paddle, fly-fish and lead as a team. The group kayaked and camped along the southern coast of Mitkof Island, exploring from Woodpecker Cove to Point Alexander. They were led by certified instructors from Petersburg Medical Center and the outdoor education group Onward & Upward as their guides, teaching outdoor safety skills. "Adventure wilderness expeditions changed who I am as a person, honestly...
King salmon fishing is back on for nonresident sport anglers in Southeast Alaska, effective Monday, Aug. 4, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has announced. Chinook retention has been closed since July 7 for nonresidents fishing in Southeast. Fish and Game said at the beginning of July that it would be putting an indefinite pause on out-of-state residents’ harvest because the sport sector was on track to exceed the regionwide sport harvest target for Chinook. The July 7 closure was geared at providing uninterrupted harvest opportunity f...
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced his policy priorities for the Alaska State Legislature for when they reconvene for a special session scheduled to start on Saturday. On Monday, the governor called for legislators to address what he called "Alaska's chronic education outcome crisis" and to reconsider his executive order they had previously voted down, creating a new Department of Agriculture that he said would strengthen food security in Alaska. Separately, the Alaska State Legislature... Full story
In recent weeks, users of the popular Hungry Point Trail system have noticed with some alarm trees coming down, a road being built, and the closure of the trail's Sandy Beach Road trailhead – all necessary for the wastewater utility's Pump Station 4 replacement project. "Folks need to be aware that [the trailhead] is going to be probably closed more than it's going to be open for the next few months," Public Works Director Chris Cotta told the Pilot. "We won't be opening things back up permanent...
The federal government will be releasing billions of dollars in education funding this week, including $46 million in Alaska, after freezing the funds last month. The Trump administration announced in late June that the funding was being withheld pending a review. Multiple advocacy groups and school districts sued the Trump Administration, including some in Alaska. Last week, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it would be releasing the frozen funding. Part of that funding is Title I-C funding for migrant education. A quarter of...
Petersburg electric customers will see a 1.4-cent per kilowatt hour fuel adjustment charge on their July bills to account for seven days of around the clock diesel generator use during Southeast Alaska Power Agency’s hydro maintenance shutdown in June. For a typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours monthly, the adjustment would add about $14 to their bill, according to Petersburg Borough Utility Director Karl Hagerman. Petersburg consumed more electricity during this year’s shutdown period than during the 2024 shutdown. With the...
The Right Reverend Mark Lattime, Episcopal Bishop of Alaska, was in Petersburg last Friday to hold the final service at St. Andrew's church on the corner of Excel and Third Streets, familiar to many as the longtime home of the Mitkof Dance Troupe, a non-profit dance program for children from pre-school through high school. St. Andrew's, established in 1949, has always had a small congregation and has for many years relied on Rector Dawn Allen-Herron's traveling from Ketchikan to Petersburg once...
Petersburg Medical Center will lose nearly $1 million in expected federal tax credits after the federal reconciliation bill retroactively eliminated a one-third portion of the delayed COVID-era employee assistance funding the hospital was eligible to receive. The hospital had applied for around $3 million through the Employee Retention Tax Credit program but will now receive only two-thirds of that amount due to passage of “the one big, beautiful bill,” Chief Financial Officer Jason McCormick told the hospital board Thursday. The leg...
The administration of Gov. Mike Dunleavy has signed a $28.5 million contract for work on a new ferry terminal north of Juneau, days after an oversight board said the state had not proved that the project is economically viable. Dunleavy administration officials say the new terminal at Cascade Point, located 30 miles north of an existing terminal in Auke Bay, will cut ferry time from Juneau to Haines and Skagway by two hours. But the chair of the Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board — which was created by Dunleavy four years ago — says the...
An application by Dave Ohmer to purchase two borough-owned lots and develop them into rental duplexes came before the Petersburg Borough Assembly on Monday evening, after being unanimously recommended for approval by the Planning Commission earlier this month. The application needed four votes to be approved. Assembly Member Rob Schwartz and Mayor Mark Jensen were absent from the meeting. Assembly Members Bob Lynn, Jeigh Stanton Gregor and James Valentine voted in favor of the land sale. Vice...
The Petersburg Borough will seek state funding for a potential float replacement project in the town’s biggest harbor. Some of “C” Float’s 50-foot fingers are several decades old. “These are circa 1970 original Middle Harbor finger floats that were repurposed in 1985 when the South Harbor was built,” Harbormaster Glorianne Wollen said. “So they saved a little bit of money, and now we get to pay for it.” At a meeting on July 21, Petersburg’s assembly agreed the borough should apply for the $617,000 state grant to help fund the float replacement...
The Petersburg Medical Center celebrated their 11th annual Pedal/Paddle Battle, raising a new high $24,201 with $15,000 from corporate sponsors and $8,501 by participants, to go towards scholarships and education. In previous years, the event has raised between $17,000-20,000. "[The corporate sponsors] led to why we got so much money this year. Participants raised over $8,000 just from family and friends, so that's significant too," Community Wellness and Public Relations Manager Julie Walker sa...
