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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...
Having tough conversations at work is part of what Ashley Kawashima signed up for when she became a behavioral health clinician at the local hospital. But some of the hardest days come when she has to be honest with a person, looking to her for assistance, about the limited number of resources available. Just imagine, someone seeking shelter and all Kawashima can offer them is a tarp or tent. "That can be very soul-crushing," she says. "And that was a big part of why we wanted to start Humanity... Full story
The Supporting Health Awareness and Resiliency Education (SHARE) Coalition hosted a Community Café Saturday afternoon on Zoom which centered on the future of child care in Petersburg. The meeting gave members of the community, including representatives from the Petersburg Borough Assembly, Petersburg Medical Center, and the Petersburg School Board, an opportunity to hear about the challenges facing local child care providers and to discuss ways to support children, providers, and parents who...
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...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly presented a draft agenda of its upcoming American Rescue Plan Act funding work session and discussed the items it included during Tuesday's meeting. The assembly is hosting the work session to give members an opportunity to discuss opportunities to allocate their ARPA funds and determine what local organizations or groups are in need of relief. The borough was awarded with $634,382 in ARPA funds that must be obligated by December 31, 2024 and expended by December...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly heard from staff on the borough's procedures when hiring employees and examined documents included in the application process for general employees and for police officers during Tuesday's meeting. The review of the hiring practices followed the firing of Johnny Duane Pickle who began working as a police officer in probationary status with the borough on June 22, 2021 until his employment was terminated on January 3, 2022. Pickle's termination came after an...
Applications for relief funding opportunities which could help local businesses struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic are set to open soon according to Community and Economic Development Director Liz Cabrera. In a recent email sent out by Cabrera, she reported that additional funding will be coming through Round 2 of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration CARES Act Fisheries Relief, Phase 2 of Child Care Provider Stabilization Grants, and Round 2 of ARPA Nonprofit Recovery Fund...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly passed Ordinance #2021-22 in its third and final reading Tuesday evening, increasing the FY22 budget. Passing unanimously in its first two readings, the ordinance sets out to increase the budget for dredging the South Boat Harbor by $271,600. The ordinance also accepts an additional $553,081 in Fisheries business Tax Revenue and transfers $353,081 of that to the Harbor Fish Tax revenue fund. The ordinance would also see the borough accept $1,222,750 from the...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Political parties “have no right to be gatekeepers to the ballot,’’ an attorney argued Tuesday in urging the Alaska Supreme Court to uphold a voter-approved electoral system that would end party primaries in the state and institute ranked-choice voting in general elections. Scott Kendall, who helped write the ballot measure, argued on behalf of the group behind the initiative, which narrowly passed in 2020. Laura Fox, an attorney for the state, joined Kendall in asking that the court uphold a lower court ruling in favor of...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The former head of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. claims her firing was “political retribution” by board members appointed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Dunleavy, a Republican seeking reelection, denied any involvement in Angela Rodell’s removal last month, the Anchorage Daily News reported. The corporation’s board has provided no explanation for Rodell’s Dec. 9 dismissal. The vote was 5-1, with the lone dissenting vote cast by the only board member not appointed or reappointed by Dunleavy. Rodell was a commissione...
WRANGELL - SEARHC's announcement last week that it was shuttering the 21-year-old Alaska Crossings program in Wrangell, a wilderness therapy program for at-risk children that the health care provider took over in 2017, disappointed much of the community. The news release cited rising costs. Spokesperson Maegan Bosak, senior director of lands and property management at SEARHC offices in Sitka, said Friday she didn't have an operating cost for Crossings but would ask the finance department for the information. "Health care systems throughout the...
WRANGELL – The Alaska Department of Transportation is contracting with Allen Marine to run one of its vessels “as needed” between Ketchikan, Wrangell and Petersburg this winter, though no runs are scheduled and any operations likely would depend on whether the state ferry Matanuska finally comes out of winter overhaul as now expected on Jan. 31. Delays caused by extensive repair work to the 58-year-old ferry forced the Alaska Marine Highway System to cancel several sailings between the three communities in December and January. The Matanu...
Southeast Alaska was covered in a fresh layer of snow last weekend followed by rainfall which caused frozen roads, flooding, and damage to buildings across the region. The NWS issued a winter storm warning in anticipation of last weekend's weather with the expectation of total snow accumulations of 3 to 13 inches and wind gusts up to 45 mph for cities in Southeast including Petersburg, Wrangell, and Ketchikan. Petersburg recorded 7.5 inches of snowfall on Saturday which brought the total snow de... Full story
An officer at the Petersburg Police Department, who was hired on June 22, 2021 as a Police Officer II in probationary status, is no longer employed by the Petersburg Borough after an internal investigation was conducted following a complaint according to Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson, who is also the borough's human resources director. In an interview with the Pilot, Pickle confirmed that his employment with the borough was terminated on January 3, 2022. First reported by the Juneau Empire on Ja... Full story
Petersburg has reached 27 active cases of COVID-19 according to the Petersburg Medical Center's COVID-19 Dashboard which was last updated Tuesday. The Petersburg School District has also begun reporting cases after students returned to school this week. As of Wednesday, Rae C. Stedman Elementary School had three active cases and four on quarantine, Mitkof Middle School had two active cases and one on quarantine, and Petersburg high school had three active cases and four on quarantine. According...
