Sorted by date Results 1325 - 1349 of 6799
A small electrical fire was reported Friday at about 3 p.m. in the South Boat Harbor after smoke was seen on a boat according to Assistant Fire Chief David Berg. A passerby called 911 when they saw smoke coming from the Seniavin Sunset owned by Greg Birchell. Harbor staff worked fast and knocked down the fire with a fire extinguisher. The Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department sent two fire engines to the South Boat Harbor where the squad turned off the shore power and put out the remaining...
Claira Sallenbach had talked with friends about making her first hunting trip to caribou country this fall, but when her long-lining season continued into November she thought the opportunity had passed. Then a second chance arose when a friend and her friend's husband, Mark, invited Sallenbach to come for Thanksgiving and try to chase caribou in Cold Bay. A couple weeks prior, Mark had gotten into a small herd and had taken a nice bull. Okay, that's an understatement, the bull's antlers were bi... Full story
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
Attendees to the upcoming Séet Ká Festival in town should leave with a wealth of knowledge because the goal of the event is to increase cultural awareness for, and uplift, the Indigenous people of Séet Ká Kwáan. The event spans five days, Feb. 10-14, and the idea for it came largely from Avery Sakamoto, a busy, local Lingít advocate. Last spring, Sakamoto was invited to join the Rainforest Festival Committee, and it only took a couple days after the first meeting for inspiration to strik...
Chad Wright is set to become the new tribal administrator of the Petersburg Indian Association next week according to PIA Council President Cris Morrison. His hiring follows Tracy Welch's departure from the position after two and a half years to become the executive director of the United Fishermen of Alaska. "He possesses the necessary skills as outlined in the job description, and he has a breadth of experience that we feel he would be able to perform the essential job functions as the tribal...
Humanity In Progress held its fifth annual Project Connect event at the John Hanson Sr. Community Hall on January 26 which saw donated clothes and resources available for people experiencing housing insecurity. This year's event was a "huge success" according to HIP Co-Founder and Board Chair Ashley Kawashima. She wrote that approximately 106 participants, 30 more than last year, were able to access many local resources and free basic needs with some of the most popular items including sleeping...
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...
The borough's contract with the State of Alaska to provide funding for COVID-19 travel testing expired at the beginning of February. But, for now, the Petersburg Medical Center plans to continue free testing for travelers arriving to Petersburg according to PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter. The state allowed PMC to purchase antigen test kits with the remaining funds before the contract expired which Hofstetter said will be made available to travelers. PMC ordered 80 boxes of kits which contain 48 tests... Full story
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....
Two and a half years after a fire damaged the motor pool shop at Public Works, the project to restore the facility has reached final completion according to Public Works Director Chris Cotta. The last items are still being moved into the new shop, but Public Works is now able to use the building as intended. The cause of the fire on August 19, 2019 was never conclusively decided. The forensic fire investigator from the borough's insurance company believed it was caused by a faulty extension...
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
The Alaska Power & Telephone Company's SEALink submarine fiber optic cable project is nearing the development phase on Mitkof Island after the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utility Services gave the project environment clearance according to a recent press release. The project, which is moving two years ahead of it's original schedule, will see the creation of a 214-mile fiber optic cable running from Prince of Wales Island to Juneau with an overland crossing through Petersburg. The...
The state is working through a couple of challenges in its plan to distribute tens of millions of dollars of federal relief funds to municipalities and businesses. Applications for grants to local governments far exceeded the available funds, while grant applications from eligible tourism-related businesses and others fell far short. The Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development is looking for answers to both questions: How to decide which cities and boroughs will receive how much of the limited money to replace their lost tax...
This year's mature herring biomass in the Sitka Sound is expected to be the largest ever with a forecasted 225,820 tons according to Sitka Area Management Biologist Aaron Dupuis of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The high forecast has also resulted in the highest guideline harvest level (GHL) ever set for the annual sac roe herring fishery of 45,164 tons or 20% of the sound's total mature herring biomass. Dupuis said the biggest factor impacting the forecast is the "very large" class of...
The Mitkof Middle School robotics team is making their final preparations for the upcoming robotics state tournament after placing first in the innovative project category at the regional competition in December. The team claimed first after wowing the judges with their concept to streamline loading and unloading at the Alaska Marine Lines facility in Petersburg. The students first got the idea of doing their project with AML after Kurt Kivisto gave them a tour of AML's local warehouses and...
Though they say the level of funding for the state ferry system in Gov. Mike Dunleavy's budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 is adequate, coastal legislators don't like that the governor wants to use one-time federal money to pay the bills, eliminating almost 95% of state funding. Their fear is that when the federal dollars from last year's $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending plan run out, so too will adequate ferry service. "Those federal dollars were meant to augment state money, no...
Rae C. Stedman Elementary School called for aid, and Petersburg answered. The school was threatened with the closure of four classrooms in February and March as some teachers were set to take leave while there were no available substitute teachers before four Petersburg residents stepped up to fill the need. Casey Knight will fill in for Hillary Mullen's Kindergarten class on February 3-4, Erin Streuli will step in for Erin Willis' Kindergarten class from February 28 to March 9, and two classes...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly held a work session Monday afternoon to brainstorm ideas for how funds received through the American Rescue Plan Act can be used. The assembly invited representatives of various community organizations to discuss their needs and ideas for how the $634,382 can be distributed. The work session came as a result of numerous discussions at regular assembly meetings on the desire to find ways to spend the money received through ARPA and members of the community reaching...
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 scholarship fund created to honor the memory of Helen and Sig Decker is a little different from most. In addition to the usual requirements of being a graduating high school senior who is going on to postsecondary schooling, applicants must have worked in commercial fishing or seafood processing. It's recognition that the Deckers worked in the industry for years before they died in a car accident in Petersburg on July 28, 2020, at 19 and 21 years old, respectively. The family made...
Hammer & Wikan Grocery is set to welcome four self-checkout stands in early February according to Grocery Store Manager Todd Hampton. The self-checkouts will replace registers two and three following a remodeling of the checkout lanes with the hope of adding convenience to the shopping experience according to Hampton. "We're just trying to bring Hammer & Wikan up with the times and try to match what other places are doing in the lower 48," Hampton said. Though the recent nationwide staffing...
About 50 people, some holding anti-abortion signs, marched along Nordic Drive on Sunday afternoon in observance of National Sanctity of Human Life Day. The marchers began gathering at the corner of Nordic Drive and Dolphin Street for the annual March for Life just before 1 p.m. and marked the beginning of the march with a prayer. Pastor Lee Corrao, who organized this year's march and invited local churches to participate, said people came out to make a statement of their pro-life beliefs. "We...
WRANGELL – The kids gathered atop the sledding hill across from Evergreen Elementary, next to a small fire in which they burned face masks. They carried signs reading "Unmask Wrangell Youth!!" and "Unmask our children! Let them be kids!" They chanted, "Burn the masks!" It was part of a walkout in which children and parents frustrated over wearing masks during school hours voiced their opposition to the districtwide rule. About 14 elementary and middle school students left the grounds at 10:30 a...
WRANGELL– In a break from past practice, the Alaska Department of Revenue this year will provide monthly updates to legislators whenever projected oil prices — and state revenues — move up or down more than 10%. Several legislators worry that could confuse budget deliberations this session. Revenue staff has updated the state’s twice-yearly oil-price forecasts internally but not released the numbers to the public, the department’s chief economist Dan Stickel told the Senate Finance Committee on Jan. 20. “We’ve decided to go ahead and star...
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...
