Sorted by date Results 1801 - 1825 of 6799
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The state health department Tuesday said upcoming appointments for the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in Alaska are being canceled or delayed after federal agencies recommended a “pause” to review reports of rare but potentially dangerous blood clots. State health officials told reporters the federal recommendation shows that safety checks are working and they hope this bolsters rather than hinders confidence in the vaccine rollout. Dr. Joe McLaughlin, the state epidemiologist, said people with appoi...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A preliminary report from the federal agency investigating the fatal helicopter crash in Alaska that killed five people, including the richest man in the Czech Republic, sheds little light on the cause. The Tuesday report from the National Transportation Safety Board said the helicopter involved in a heli-ski operation in the Chugach Mountains just north of Anchorage flew multiple legs on March 27, transporting the skiers to several starting points near Knik Glacier. Data obtained from a handheld GPS unit shows the h...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Federal regulators have ordered Hilcorp Alaska to replace a 7-mile (11-kilometer) undersea pipeline after a helicopter pilot spotted a natural gas leak bubbling to the surface last week. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration on Tuesday said the company must also submit and the agency must approve a restart plan before the line in Cook Inlet can resume operations. The leak is the fifth one for the line since 2014, the Anchorage Daily News reported. The line must be temporarily repaired by April 17 a...
The Emergency Operations Center reported four new cases of COVID-19 in Petersburg on Thursday, according to a joint press release between the Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center. Three of the cases are limited to one household and are travel related, and the fourth case is still under investigation. All four individuals have been directed to isolate themselves. The four active cases are the first to be reported in the community in over two weeks. According to the press release, the... Full story
A motion to support the 2020 Tongass Exemption Rule failed to gain a second at a Borough Assembly meeting on Monday. Mayor Mark Jensen requested the action item be added to the assembly's agenda as a result of a March 23 press release from the Gov. Mike Dunleavy who asked for support of the 2020 Tongass Exemption Rule from Southeast Alaska communities. Assembly Member Bob Lynn made a motion to support the legislation, but his motion failed to gain a second. Because the motion wasn't seconded, th...
Just two weeks into the season, the Petersburg High School wrestling team has already competed in their first tournament this past weekend and will be competing in another tournament this weekend. The team took sixth place in the Brandon Pilot Invitational at Thunder Mountain High School, scoring 26 points over the course of the tournament. PHS wrestled against Mt. Edgecumbe, Ketchikan, Sitka, Wrangell and Thunder Mountain, who took first place in the tournament. The standouts for the Vikings...
The Borough Assembly on Monday determined that two parcels on Kupreanof Island obtained by the Petersburg Borough through tax foreclosure proceedings will be sold. Ordinance #2021-06 determines that parcel number 03-213-040 on Kupreanof Island is not needed by the borough for public purposes and shall be sold. Similarly, Ordinance #2021-07 identifies parcel number 03-210-310 on Kupreanof Island as not being needed by the borough and shall also be sold. Both properties were acquired by the boroug...
Due to a production error, photos appearing on pages 2, 5 and 8 in last week’s paper were incorrectly processed and appeared as single color images....
A case of COVID-19 was identified through testing at the James A. Johnson Airport on April 1 and reported on April 2, according to a joint press release from the Petersburg Borough and the Petersburg Medical Center. The incoming traveler was the eighth person to test positive for COVID-19 in about the last two weeks, though no new cases have been reported in the last seven days. According to the borough's COVID-19 Dashboard, Petersburg was reporting two active cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday....
At the April 2 COVID-19 community update, Petersburg Medical Center Director of Nursing Jennifer Bryner said following the upcoming COVID-19 vaccination clinic in the Parks and Recreation community gym on April 9, PMC will be holding smaller vaccine clinics in the hospital as more vaccines become available. She said the state has increased Petersburg's allocation of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine by 50 doses, ahead of the April 9 clinic, where both the Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines...
The Borough Assembly approved an ordinance in its first reading on Monday that would make adjustments to the borough's fiscal year 2021 budget for known changes. If ordinance #2021-05 passes in three readings, it would transfer funds to the Property Development Fund and allocate money for a new E991 system, the Motor Pool Shop, and a wastewater project on Ira II St. Earlier this year, Finance Director Jody Tow identified a surplus in the borough's General Fund and suggested the assembly...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A plan to upgrade an Alaska airport has faced criticism from residents as contractors plan to begin construction on the $20 million federally funded project this month. Residents and organizations such as the Gustavus PFAS Action Coalition want more state accountability after toxic chemicals were found at the Gustavus airport in 2018, Alaska’s Energy Desk reported Monday. The contaminants found are known as PFAS, a group of toxic chemicals found in firefighting foam that used to be required at airports and defense sit...
The Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department responded to a vessel fire in Petersburg Marine's shipyard on Sunday at about 1 P.M., which likely left the boat totaled, said Assistant Fire Chief Dave Berg. Berg, who was one of the first responders on the scene, said he saw the F/V Nitty Gritty, owned by Denny Heimdahl of Petersburg, engulfed with smoke and flames when he arrived. Two fire engines responded to the fire, along with 10 firefighters. They quickly began dousing the flames with water, and...
The construction of a new Raven's Roost Cabin is expected to begin this spring and be completed by the fall, according to Paul Olson, cabin and trails manager with the United States Forest Service. The current Raven's Roost Cabin sits at the end of the 4.2 mile long Raven's Roost Trail, but the new cabin will be built at about the three mile mark of the trail. Olson said in a presentation to the Petersburg Rotary Club on March 24 that by moving the cabin closer to the trailhead, the USFS hopes...
The Emergency Operations Center will be scheduling a risk assessment meeting to discuss whether or not to increase the local risk level for COVID-19 from yellow to orange after seven cases of the virus were identified locally over the course of two days, according to a joint press release from the Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center. Six individuals tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, five of whom were identified through PMC's symptomatic testing, and one case was identified...
Petersburg Medical Center will be having its next COVID-19 vaccination clinic on April 9 at the Parks and Recreation Center's community gym. PMC Director of Nursing Jennifer Bryner said at the COVID-19 community update on March 26 that April 9's clinic will likely be the last large vaccine clinic as more and more residents become fully vaccinated. On April 9, PMC staff will be administering second doses of the Moderna vaccine and some first doses of that vaccine. PMC will also have 150 doses of...
Petersburg Medical Center has spent $1,950,159 in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 through Feb. 28, 2021, according to documents presented to the PMC Board of Directors at their meeting on March 25. At the onset of the pandemic, PMC created a new department in the facility to track its spending and income related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to PMC Controller Rocio Tejera. While the hospital has spent $1,950,159 on the pandemic, it has only been able to bring in...
Petersburg Medical Center has switched its billing operations over to Healthcare Research Group, Inc in an effort to improve its revenue cycle and elements of its billing services. PMC has been working with Healthcare Research Group, Inc. since March 23. The organization is based out of Washington, but is well-known in Alaska, said PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter. They specialize in the specific billing procedures required for critical access hospitals in Alaska. Previously TruBridge, which is based...
The Sitka Sound herring sac roe fishery opened for a 5th time at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday March 31. On Tuesday's herring survey, ADF&G vessels located numerous large schools of herring extending from Sandy Beach to Starrigavin Gay, from Lisianski Point to Dog Point in Hayward Strait and near Deep Inlet. A large biomass of herring was observed from Crescent Harbor to Thimbleberry Bay. Harvest from the fishery conducted on March 29 totaled approximately 1,500-tons of herring and the cumulative...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska lawmakers are contemplating sinking a ferry to save money. Members of the Alaska Legislature have considered turning the ferry Malaspina into an artificial reef, the Anchorage Daily News reported Wednesday. The ship is one of the oldest of the state's eight ferries. The Malaspina has been tied down since 2019 because of a lack of funding, but it still costs the state about $450,000 in maintenance per year. Sinking the ship as an artificial reef could cost between $500,000 and $1 million, but may make long-term f...
A case of COVID-19 was identified through testing at the James A. Johnson Airport on April 1, according to a joint press release from the Petersburg Borough and the Petersburg Medical Center. The incoming traveler is the eighth person to test positive for COVID-19 in the last seven days. According to the borough's COVID-19 Dashboard, Petersburg was reporting eight active cases of the virus as of Friday morning. The local positivity rate for COVID-19 is 3.5 percent. "That is higher than it... Full story
The Borough Assembly created a list of its top three capital project priorities for the 2022 fiscal year at their meeting on Monday that could potentially be funded by the federal government. In no particular order, the Borough Assembly chose a $16.2 million priority that would finalize the planning for a new Petersburg Medical Center facility, a project that would add ramps to South Boat Harbor totaling $1.7 million and the expansion and improvement of remote access facilities for a total of...
Petersburg Mental Health Services will be shifting its services and staff over to Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium beginning April 1. The decision to transfer services to SEARHC is a result of a series of funding cuts, according to Susan Ohmer, executive director and founder of PMHS, in a letter to the public. Although SEARHC will be taking over PMHS' services, SEARHC will maintain the same office and has offered PMHS providers the opportunity to keep working for the organization. "I...
The Petersburg Chamber of Commerce has announced that it will be hosting the Little Norway Festival this year, but it will be taking precautions to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19. Chamber administrator Mindy Lopez said the Little Norway Festival Committee has been planning for the festival since January but has only recently made the commitment to hold Mayfest this year. The Little Norway Festival will be held from May 13 through May 16 and is going to look a bit different from past...
The Borough Assembly set April 28 as a potential date to hold a work session with the Petersburg Medical Center Board of Directors to discuss a new hospital facility at their Monday night meeting. The Borough Assembly was unanimously in its support of the meeting between the two entities, which is supposed to happen at least once a year. Assembly Member Bob Lynn, who is the assembly's liaison to the hospital board, said the work session would allow the assembly to ask questions about the new fac...
