Sorted by date Results 1751 - 1775 of 6799
In the story about Little Norway Festival in the May 6 edition of the Pilot, it was stated that Alaska Department of Fish and Game would be present to teach fundamentals of fishing at the Lil’ Fisk Derby. ADF&G will not be in attendance at the derby....
The Petersburg School Board approved a two percent salary increase over the 2020-2021 school year for classified staff returning for the 2021-2022 school year at their meeting on Tuesday. "It's been a hard year I'm sure for some of them, and we're appreciative of the hard work that they've done this year and as well as the anticipation of them returning in the fall, " said School Board President Sarah Holmgrain. Talks between the Petersburg School District and the Petersburg District Support...
"Ephemeral," an award winning documentary by local filmmaker Kelly Bakos, will be making its television debut on KTOO 360TV over a four day period next week. The film will first air on May 20 at 8:22 P.M., then on May 22 at 10:22 P.M. and on May 23 at 9:22 P.M., according to a press release. KTOO 360TV, which can be viewed on GCI's PBS channel 15, can reach over one million viewers in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and beyond. Bakos' film, "Ephemeral," documents the creation and lifespan of natural ar...
Walkers, runners and bikers now have a new bench to stop and catch their breath on as they make their way along the 1.7 mile long Scow Bay Bike Path. The original blue bench was set up in 2007 by Mel Stockton in remembrance of his son, Sam, and his mother, Helen. The bench had been aged quite a bit by the weather of Southeast, but when Stockton decided to have it repainted, he realized the bench would have to be sent to Washington due to the specialized paint used. So instead, he commissioned...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska public health officials hope to begin vaccinating children 12 and up against COVID-19 as early as Wednesday. Parents were permitted Monday to sign up their children for appointments after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted an emergency use authorization to drug company Pfizer to provide its COVID-19 vaccine for people 12 through 15. Prior to the emergency authorization, the vaccine was approved for people 16 and older. The state was still awaiting final recommendations from the CDC, which are e...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A COVID-19 outbreak at a high school wrestling tournament held in April is linked to more than 20 infections in five communities across southeast Alaska, according to health officials. Ketchikan High School hosted the regional wrestling tournament, an annual event that this year attracted athletes from seven different schools, Anchorage Daily News reported. Officials from the regional school activities association issued a warning to the school last week on accusations of failing to test competitors and enforce mask o...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska public health officials hope to begin vaccinating children 12 and up against COVID-19 as early as Wednesday. Parents were permitted Monday to sign up their children for appointments after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted an emergency use authorization to drug company Pfizer to provide its COVID-19 vaccine for people 12 through 15. Prior to the emergency authorization, the vaccine was approved for people 16 and older. The state was still awaiting final recommendations from the CDC, which are e...
The Borough Assembly approved an ordinance in its second reading that would let voters decide whether or not to remove the Frederick Point East Subdivision from the boundaries of service area one. Should ordinance #2021-08 pass in all three readings, it would put proposition #1 on the municipal election ballot in October, and the voters would have to decide whether the subdivision should be removed from service area one. According to the ordinance, a majority of voters within service area one...
A cracked, porcelain insulator on a utility pole in the Scow Bay Turnaround area caused two power outages on May 1, which left parts of the community in the dark for a total of about 4 hours. Petersburg Municipal Power & Light first responded to a power outage on circuit 62, which powers most of the downtown area, at 10:23 A.M. on Saturday, said Utility Director Karl Hagerman in a press release. A PMP&L line crew patrolled the line on circuit 62 for damage that would have caused a fault, but no damage was found; however, the crew did find that...
The Borough Assembly passed an ordinance in its first reading on Monday that would adopt the borough's proposed fiscal year 2022 operating budget. The General Fund's revenues and expenditures equal $9,741,364 and is an overall increase of .39 percent from the 2021 fiscal year adopted budget. The assembly unanimously passed two amendments to the proposed budget that prevents a millage rate increase and honors KFSK's full community service funding request. The millage rate is the amount per...
An ordinance that would ask the voters in the next municipal election whether term limits should be placed on the Borough Assembly will go before the assembly at their meeting on May 17. At the request of Assembly Member Taylor Norheim, the assembly discussed instituting term limits at the end of their meeting on Monday. He said he will be adding an ordinance to the agenda of their next assembly meeting that would let the voters decide whether to place term limits on the assembly. According to...
The Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department donated a total of 987 person hours during the first quarter of 2021, according to the Fire Chief Jim Stolpe at the Borough Assembly meeting on Monday. "As always, we stand ready to help the citizens in their hour of need," said Stolpe. "Whether their issue is big or small, we're still here." Between Jan. and March 31, the fire branch of PVFD donated 516 person hours, the EMS branch donated 355 person hours and the search and rescue branch donated 116...
After last year's festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 62nd annual Little Norway Festival is slated to begin May 13. "I think everyone can't wait for it to happen," said Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Administrator Mindy Lopez. "There's some excitement in the air." Prior to the festival, free transportation across the Wrangell Narrows will be provided on May 8 for the City of Kupreanof Celebration Day from 8 A.M. to 4 P.M. The United States Forest Service is also hosting a...
Between Feb. 1 and March 31, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services identified 152 positive cases of COVID-19 among people in the state who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a report from DHSS. About 74 percent of the vaccine breakthrough cases, or 112 individuals, were among people who had received the Pfizer vaccine, according to the report. Thirty-eight percent of the breakthrough cases had received the Moderna vaccine, and one person had received the Johnson &...
Three cases of COVID-19 were identified within a single household over the course of two days this week, according to a joint press release from the Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center. The first two cases were identified on Tuesday by PMC within a single household. According to a joint press release, the two cases were travel related. Then on Wednesday, a third case was identified within the same household as the previous two cases. All three individuals have been directed to...
The Petersburg Pilot earned two awards presented by the Alaska Press Club this weekend. John Havrilek was awarded third place for his photo of a Bald Eagle perched against the backdrop of Petersburg Mountain. The Pilot staff was awarded third place for best weekly newspaper. Judges commented: "Good mix of pure news and advertiser-driven information for a very specific audience (yours). Nicely put together." The judges evaluated the work from three editions submitted from March, July and...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska lawmakers have agreed to retroactively extend the state’s COVID-19 disaster emergency declaration as part of an effort to maintain state eligibility for food assistance benefits and other federal aid dollars. The measure, which would extend the declaration through 2021, was passed by the Senate and House Wednesday and sent to Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Adam Crum, the state health commissioner, had told legislative leaders action on the bill was needed by Friday to ensure the state could access additional food assistance be...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Friday ended the state’s COVID-19 disaster declaration, saying the state is in such a good position he doesn’t need emergency powers bestowed by the Legislature. “Alaska is in the recovery phase where an emergency declaration is no longer necessary,’’ Dunleavy said in a statement. “Our systems are fully functioning with vaccine distribution, adequate testing, and health care capacity. It is important our focus remains on getting Alaska’s economy back on track and welcoming summer tourism...
JUNEAU (AP) - The Alaska Court System has temporarily disconnected most of its operations from the internet after a cybersecurity threat on Saturday, including shutting down its website and removing the ability to look up court records. The threat blocked electronic court filings, disrupted online payments and prevented hearings from taking place by videoconference for several days, officials said. “I think for a few days, there may be some inconveniences, there may be some hearings that are canceled, or some judges who decide to shift from v...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A derelict tugboat that the U.S. Coast Guard says had been abandoned has been sunk in waters off southeast Alaska. The Coast Guard, in a news release, said the 107-foot tugboat called the Lumberman was sunk in more than 8,400 feet of water on Sunday. Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Janessa Warschkow said Tuesday that scuttling of the tugboat, about 145 miles west of Juneau, included flooding by opening water valves on the tug and rounds fired from the Coast Guard Cutter John McCormick to help speed the process. The C...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An advocacy group is evaluating the use of tiny homes to provide housing for people who are homeless in the southeast Alaska city of Sitka. Gayle Young, co-founder of the Sitka Homeless Coalition, said there are few services in Sitka for those who are homeless and that over the years, a number of groups have worked on ideas to fill in the gaps. A project her group is working on involves building a tiny home community to help provide a safe place to stay. Young estimates between 15 and 25 people in the city of about 8...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Federal agents served a search warrant at a boutique resort in Homer, Alaska, saying they were looking for a laptop stolen from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, one of the Homer Inn and Spa owners said. Agents on Wednesday confiscated laptop computers and a cellphone, owner Marilyn Hueper said. A cellphone belonging to her husband, Paul Hueper, was also forensically audited by agents but not confiscated, she said. Marilyn Hueper said agents also claimed there was pho...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska’s population grew by 23,160 people, or 3.3%, in the last decade, according to the first numbers released Monday for the 2020 Census. Overall, the U.S. had a 7.4% growth over that same time, which the U.S. Census Bureau called the second slowest in the nation’s history. The U.S. Census kicked off in Alaska in January 2020 when Lizzie Chimiugak of Toksook Bay was the first person to be counted in the decennial census. The Census said the 2020 population count for the U.S. was 331,449,281 people. In Alaska, the s...
NENANA, Alaska (AP) — The ice has gone out on the Tanana River, ending the annual Nenana Ice Classic, one of Alaska’s most famous guessing games. Ice classic manager Cherrie Forness said the game ended at 12:50 p.m. Friday when the ice shifted and the clock inside a tripod set up on the river ice tripped. And in this pandemic year, it’s probably no surprise that it all happened backwards, she said. When the ice goes out, the tripod usually starts going downriver or toward the south bank. This year, it went the other direction, upriver, apparent...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A bill moving through the Legislature would require state recognition of Alaska’s 229 federally recognized tribes. Supporters say the measure is needed to encourage better collaboration and consultation between the state and tribes; formally acknowledge Alaska tribes’ sovereignty, history, culture and contributions; and potentially allow them to access additional resources, Indian Country Today reported. “By supporting this bill, you are uplifting these unique and resilient people that have been here for 10,000 years,...
