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Petersburg Mayor Mark Jensen announced during Monday's borough assembly meeting that he will not run for reelection in October, ending what will be an 18-year tenure as an elected official in Petersburg. "I thought it was time to announce that I don't intend to run for mayor in October," Jensen said during the meeting. "That's four months from now. That gives people that are interested in the mayor's position [time] to put their name in." Jensen was first elected to the Petersburg City Council...
Petersburg, Ketchikan, Haines, and Skagway all received record amounts of rainfall in May. Across the panhandle, many communities saw double or triple the amount of rainfall they normally get during the month. Most communities also experienced colder-than-average temperatures. National Weather Service Meteorologist Zoe Kaplan said that this kind of weather is unusual in spring. "This whole event is pretty anomalous, because these are totals that we would normally see in the fall. But I guess...
A bell recovered from a Southeast Alaska shipwreck that claimed 112 lives more than a century ago rang Thursday, May 29, for the first time in 117 years, signaling its future role in a Wrangell maritime tradition. Jeanie Arnold, director of the Nolan Center, struck the bell at the close of a community presentation, marking a significant moment for the artifact. If the bell can be restored in time, it will be used to ring out names at the community's annual blessing of the fleet in 2026. The...
WRANGELL — The Wrangell Borough Assembly has approved a $2.296 million contract to construct gravel streets and install buried utility lines at the Alder Top Village (Keishangita.’aan) subdivision near Shoemaker Bay, almost $400,000 more than the engineers estimate of $1.9 million. The contract with Petersburg-based Rock-N-Road Construction, which was the only bidder on the job, will push total development costs for the 20 residential lots to about $4.1 million, more than double what the borough hopes to recover from the land sale. The bor...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved a letter to Alaska’s congressional delegation urging cleanup of an abandoned mine that has been polluting a major salmon river for nearly seven decades. The Tulsequah Chief mine in British Columbia has discharged toxic wastewater into the headwaters of the Taku River since its abandonment in 1957, according to the letter signed by Mayor Mark Jensen on behalf of the assembly. “The Taku is a crucial ecological and economic resource for Southeast Alaska, not to mention its importance to loc...
The tables were decorated with the red, white and blue bouquets, the eggs Benedict were perfect, the hollandaise sauce homemade, and the mimosas were flowing at Kito's Kave last Sunday, as members of American Legion Edward Locken Post 14 served a special thank you brunch to their 16 specials guests – the local quilters responsible for the Quilts of Valor program who have spent nearly a decade making quilts for Petersburg's veterans. Since 2016, these volunteers have created nearly 140 h...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance last week that would limit Petersburg's sales tax exemption for seniors to only those with low incomes. Currently, all Petersburg residents aged 65 and older who have lived in the borough for at least one year qualify for sales tax exemption, regardless of income. According to the borough, there are 477 senior exemption cards currently issued. In 2024, senior tax exemptions applied to more than $7.4 million...
The Alaska News Coalition, an all-volunteer group of newspaper publishers and supporters formed to address the economic challenges of news publishing, has launched a new website as a one-stop clearinghouse of public notices from across Alaska. The website has dual benefits: It will provide added value — at no charge — for government agencies and private individuals required to post public notices, while improving and expanding access to the notices for people wanting to learn about government meetings and actions. The site is now live at www...
Community members and visiting dignitaries attended the Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting on Monday, May 19 to witness Mayor Mark Jensen proclaim June 28th as Amy Hallingstad Day, honoring the Tlingit civil rights pioneer whose work transformed education and social justice for Alaska Natives. The mayor's proclamation drew representatives from the Alaska Native Brotherhood (ANB) and Alaska Native Sisterhood (ANS), including several who offered emotional testimony about Hallingstad's lasting...
Alaska’s public schools may see the largest permanent funding boost in well over a decade, after the Alaska Legislature voted for the first time since 2002 to override a sitting governor’s veto. With a 46-14 vote, lawmakers significantly increased Alaska’s per-student public funding formula, overriding Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s decision to reject House Bill 57. Forty votes were needed for an override. “This was a truly bipartisan vote reflective of everyone in Alaska,” said Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham. While the new law changes s... Full story
On Saturday, the Petersburg Community Foundation awarded $37,125 in grants to seven local organizations during its annual awards ceremony and honored one community volunteer with its prestigious Volunteer of the Year recognition. The foundation, which began 17 years ago with support from the Alaska Community Foundation and the Rasmuson Foundation, has seen accelerated growth in recent years. It took the organization around a decade to award $100,000 in local grants, but it has matched that...
May 17 is Norway's Constitution Day, and in "Alaska's Little Norway," it's a big deal. Every year around this time, Petersburg holds a week-long festival to celebrate its Norwegian heritage. Hundreds of people flock to the Southeast island town for the experience. Festival celebrations date back to the late 1950s. Some traditions have grown and morphed over the decades, with new ones entering the mix as well. But the Norwegian Dancers have always been a fixture. Brandi Thynes is a volunteer on...
At the Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting on May 5, the results of recently completed five-year utility rate study were presented, and borough residents can expect utility rate increases in the coming fiscal year as officials adjust for rising operating expenses and debt service for capital projects across water, wastewater, and electric departments. The suggestions based on the rate study include: Water: 3% annual increases from FY2026 through FY2030 Wastewater: 25% increase for FY2026, then...
President Donald Trump’s budget proposal would cut funding by more than half for the Essential Air Service program, which has ensured daily jet service to Wrangell, Petersburg, Yakutat and Cordova for almost 50 years. The program covers 65 small communities in Alaska — which includes 11 in Southeast — and 112 communities in the Lower 48, Hawaii and Puerto Rico as of late last year. Congress created the Essential Air Service subsidy in 1978 to ensure a minimum level of service for communities that otherwise might receive no regularly scheduled f...
Outside the brand-new facility on South Nordic Drive, the scent of grilling burgers and hotdogs lingers in the air as community members stream through the 16-foot bay doors of High Tide Auto. Close to two hundred people dropped by to congratulate Wes and Angie Davis and have a look inside their brand-new NAPA auto service center, according to Kimberly Simbahon who was dropping visitors' names into a blue bucket for the door prize drawings. "It's been a little stressful," Angie admitted,... Full story
A Mayfest favorite is back! The Mitkof Mummers will present a villain, a hero and a heroine for the audience to admonish with boos, admire with harrahs or adore with ahs when they take to the Wright Auditorium stage Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings for a fun-filled production of the melodrama "The Treasure of Huckleberry Ridge... or Hey Jude." Longtime director Irene Jo Littleton is working alongside current director Tiffany Glass with a star-studded Petersburg cast, a 10-person chorus...
Rare entertainment opportunity alert - on Tuesday, May 20, Petersburg Arts Council is bringing a full-time professional ventriloquist to Petersburg for a performance in Wright Auditorium. Michael Harrison, of Vancouver B.C., who appeared on NBC's "America's Got Talent" and has performed over 3,500 shows in more than 40 countries, will be en route to Alaska soon to share his twist on the classic art form of ventriloquism. "The show that I do is sort of multi-disciplinary ... with a combination...
After losing more than $500,000 in federal funding, the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska has put on hold this year’s community food distribution of herring roe and salmon. The Southeast tribal nonprofit’s Traditional Foods Security Department had planned to use the money to continue the program, which over the past three years has distributed more than 52,000 pounds of herring roe on kelp, 120,000 pounds of salmon and 31,000 pounds of black cod to the tribe’s 21 recognized communities. Wrangell is among the commu...
The public hearing for the Petersburg Borough's FY26 budget is coming up on Monday, May 19. The borough presented a balanced budget draft on May 5 that projects $13.54 million in general fund revenues and $13.51 million in expenditures - a small surplus of $24,168 compared to the last year's $42,271 shortfall. Revenue from property taxes is expected to grow by more than $570,0000 reaching a total of $4.76 million. Property taxes now account for more than one-third of general fund revenue. Other...
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House panel in charge of overhauling Medicaid by cutting hundreds of billions in federal spending wrapped up debate on its bill Wednesday, following a 25-hour session. The Energy and Commerce Committee voted 30-24 along party lines to sign off on the legislation, sending it to the Budget panel, which is expected to bundle it together with the other 10 measures Friday to create Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill.” The full House is set to vote on that package next week, though GOP leaders need to make sure nearly all of...
This past weekend, the Mitkof middle school and Petersburg high school had an opportunity to come together for an intersquad track and field meet. Historically, Petersburg's track program has lagged behind when it comes to track facility and equipment. From a gravel oval space for running to a rigid, old boardwalk connecting with a rough sandpit for long jumpers, the conditions have not been ideal. But some improvements have been made in recent years. "We brought in some new rock two years ago...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved Resolution #2025-08 on April 21, formalizing the expansion of the Airport Addition Subdivision that will double the project to 22 borough-owned lots to be developed in partnership with the Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority (THRHA). The amendment to the January 7 agreement adds 11 additional lots to the project, bringing the total development to 22 residential parcels. In exchange for financing and constructing the infrastructure...
Petersburg's police chief is suing his employer, the Petersburg Borough, and a federal court in Juneau has dismissed two of the three claims. The remaining claim, which may go to trial this summer, concerns the police chief's First Amendment rights. How it started In the midst of the pandemic, Petersburg Police Chief Jim Kerr criticized a masking mandate during a borough assembly meeting on Nov. 17, 2021. Kerr began his virtual testimony by saying, "This is my personal statement, and not the...
May Day, also known as International Workers Day, recognizes the historic movement for labor rights around the globe. But this May 1, people in Petersburg joined thousands nationwide to stand not only in support of the working class, but also against what they say is responsible for terminating jobs, funding and uprooting the lives of their colleagues and neighbors: the Trump Administration. About 60 locals rallied in the pouring rain at Buschmann Park in downtown Petersburg. Among the...
Six talented Petersburg chefs are coming together next Wednesday for a unique culinary event that aligns with the Little Norway Festival, celebrates local foods, and helps raise funds to revitalize the Rainforest Festival which aims to return to its former glory this fall. "Forest to Sea: A Local Culinary Journey," scheduled for May 14 at the Elks Lodge, will feature a six-course Norwegian-inspired meal showcasing locally harvested ingredients-from foraged foods to fresh seafood. The event... Full story
