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PETERSBURG - The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced that the summer season for the commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Registration Area A (Southeast) will close by regulation at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, August 15, 2019, consistent with 5 AAC 32.110. Reporting of lost pots, or pots left in a closed area in fishing condition, should be directed to Alaska Wildlife Troopers (AWT) offices in Juneau or Ketchikan....
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Biological oceanographer Sonia Batten experienced her lightbulb moment on the perils of too many salmon three years ago as she prepared a talk on the most important North Pacific seafood you'll never see on a plate - zooplankton. Zooplanktons nourish everything from juvenile salmon to seabirds to giant whales. But as Batten examined 15 years of data collected by instruments on container ships near the Aleutian Islands, she noticed a trend: zooplankton was abundant in...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A southeast Alaskan pilot had told family members the weather might be bad before his single-engine plane was found crashed, a report said. An investigation began after the July 11 crash killed 68-year-old Wrangell pilot and attorney Michael Nash, the Anchorage Daily News reported Friday. Nash was headed to Wrangell, Alaska, from Friday Harbor, Washington, after an annual inspection of his PA-24 Comanche aircraft, the National Transportation Safety Board said. Nash told family members he had six hours of fuel and was pl...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Leaders of two Alaska groups fighting for a full Permanent Fund Dividend are arguing Gov. Mike Dunleavy should not veto the Legislature’s dividend payment, a report said. The Permanent Fund Defenders are asking the Republican governor to view a PFD — or oil wealth check — of roughly $1,600 as a “down payment,” The Anchorage Daily News reported Monday. Mark Fish, director of a newer group called Save the PFD, said Monday he believes it is time for the governor to go with the current dividend and resume the fight for a...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska’s governor is seeking to tighten the rules for food stamp recipients. The Anchorage Daily News reported Sunday that Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration wants to implement federal work requirements for low-income adults who receive food assistance. The change would affect recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in a state that has long had a waiver from work or employment program requirements. The Republican governor’s spokesman says the administration wants the change in order “to com...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Gov. Mike Dunleavy says he will not veto funding for Head Start and other early childhood learning programs from the budget recently sent to him by lawmakers. Dunleavy in June vetoed about $8.8 million for early childhood programs, including about $6.8 million for Head Start. Lawmakers, unable to override those and other vetoes, instead passed legislation restoring much of the vetoed funds. Dunleavy’s office has said he considers much of the budget settled but is willing to look at allowing funding to go forward for cer...
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — The newly appointed director of Kodiak College has resigned due to budget cuts to Alaska’s public universities, officials said. Jessica Paugh informed the college pn July 31 that she would not fill the post because of the state funding reduction, The Kodiak Daily Mirror reported Wednesday. Paugh was selected in May after a months-long search and was scheduled to begin her appointment Aug. 12 at the college, which is an extension of the University of Alaska Anchorage. “I have spent days agonizing over this decision and,...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it has reached a settlement with the operator of a gold mine near Juneau over alleged discharge and reporting violations. Coeur Mining, which controls the Kensington Mine through Coeur Alaska, in a statement Tuesday said it had been cooperative in working with the EPA to resolve citations it characterized as related to “mostly old and technical compliance matters” and contended the EPA had painted the mine in an “inaccurate light.” Terms of the agreements call for Coeur Ala...
A call was placed to the Petersburg Fire Department at 7:40 P.M. Monday night after residents reported seeing dark, black smoke coming from the Public Works Department lot on 2nd St. Flames were coming from a shed that was filled with large, spare tires for the borough’s vehicles. Nearby residents stated they also heard loud popping noises. The fire was contained by about 8 P.M., but firefighters didn’t leave until around 9:30 P.M, said Assistant Fire Chief Dave Berg. The cause of the fire is... Full story
There was tension in the room Friday afternoon, August 2 as around 20 Petersburg Parks and Recreation (P&R) users and parents met with Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht, newly hired Facilities Supervisor Stephanie Payne and Parks and Rec. Director Chandra Thornburg regarding some of the proposed changes to the P&R operating rules. The meeting came about after Kellii Schurb Wood posted online about the changes P&R is thinking of adopting at the start of the new school year. The number one concern...
As the dry weather persists though the summer, Tyee Lake water levels continue to be below the normal levels for early August. As part of the Southeast Alaska Power Agency, Tyee Lake dedicates its power to Petersburg and Wrangell, while Swan Lake produces power for Ketchikan. Water in Tyee Lake reached 1,313 feet Monday morning. The water level is lower than the norm for Tyee Lake this time of year, but it is higher than the water level this time last year, said Utility Director Karl Hagerman....
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration held an online press conference last Friday, Aug. 2, to announce the release of their annual report to Congress on the state of the country's fisheries. This report, for the year 2018, looks at 479 federally managed fish stocks across the United States. Alan Risenhoover, director of the office of sustainable fisheries, said that the report was designed to give Congressmen and the wider public more insight into the state of American fish stocks....
This week, nine Mitkof Middle School students are participating in a summer science camp through the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center that introduces them to science related jobs in the community, while getting them to experience the outdoors. Monday began with an introduction to the camp and safety procedures. Bjorn Stolpe with Petersburg Search and Rescue spoke to the students on how to prevent getting lost in the forest and what to do if they should get lost. A wildlife biologist with the...
As this summer's intern at the Petersburg Public Library, Amy Poe is focusing on a project that improves the user experience at the library. She first arrived in Petersburg on July 6 from northern Virginia and will remain in town through the end of August. During her stay, she will be making short and long term recommendations to library staff on how to improve the experience for visitors to the library from the time they enter through the doors until they exit. "When you come into the library,...
Evelyn Anderson has returned from Italy after a month long exchange program sponsored by the Petersburg Rotary Club, and with her is her Italian host sister Sofia Pollastrini. While the longer exchange programs through the Rotary Club involve the students attending school as well as living with a host family, Anderson, 15, spent her summer exploring the city of Milan, a city northwest of Florence, and admiring its architecture. She remembers being able to stand on the roof of a cathedral in...
WRANGELL - It was a perfect day to be outdoors last Sunday, Aug. 4. The sun was shining, the water was smooth, and the temperature was warm. Besides the nice weather, concerned locals also spent the day outdoors to raise awareness for another issue: Mining along the Stikine River. The Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission, SEITC, held a rally upriver last Sunday. Tis Peterman, CEO of the commission, said that the Stikine was recently listed among the top 10 endangered rivers in...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A tentative agreement has been reached between ferry workers and the state of Alaska that could end a week-old strike that left some passengers and vehicles stranded. Robb Arnold, a spokesman for the Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific, tells the Anchorage Daily News that an agreement was reached Thursday night in its employment contract negotiations with the state. Arnold would not disclose terms of the agreement which still needs to be approved by union members. Neither Arnold nor state officials immediately ret... Full story
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The special Alaska legislative session that began cloaked in drama is ending quietly. Tuesday marks the 30-day session limit. No floor sessions were planned to mark the official end, which comes more than a week after lawmakers finished their work on issues Gov. Mike Dunleavy asked them to consider. The Legislature approved restoring much of the operating budget money Dunleavy vetoed. The level of support needed for that was far less than what was needed to override the vetoes, which lawmakers failed to do amid a d... Full story
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Attorneys for a Utah man accused of killing his wife on a cruise to Alaska in 2017 have filed a notice of intent to change his plea. Kenneth Manzanares was charged with murder in the death of his wife, Kristy. He pleaded not guilty to the charge. His attorneys, in a filing with a federal court, said the parties involved in the case are working to finalize the details of a plea agreement. They asked for a court date in November. A message seeking comment was left for Rich Curtner, one of Manzanares’ attorneys. Ass... Full story
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - A program that monitors Alaska's cruise ships could be restructured by the governor's administration, officials said. The future remains uncertain for the Ocean Rangers program, CoastAlaska reported Thursday. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed line items equaling $444 million in reductions to Alaska's operating budget in June. The cuts included the Ocean Rangers budget. The state Legislature restored the program's $3.4 million in passenger fee funding, but another veto...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska has extended a no-bid contract awarded to a relative of a major financial supporter of the governor. The Anchorage Daily News reported Saturday that the one-year contract extension was given July 1 to Clark Penney for economic development consulting services for the administration of Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy. The 34-year-old owns Penney Capital Inc., which the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority pays $8,000 monthly, with a monthly travel allowance. Clark Penney’s grandfather, Bob Penney, con...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) —State health department officials want to take another look at options for running Alaska’s state-owned psychiatric facility, including privatization. The request for proposals was released Monday, the same day Gov. Mike Dunleavy and department officials touted progress at the Alaska Psychiatric Institute. The state Department of Health and Social Services has been under contract with Wellpath Recovery Solutions to stabilize the facility and take steps to bring it to full operation. The contract is set to run through 201...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The governor of Alaska is moving ahead with a plan to increase in prices at assisted living homes, a report said. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy proposed increasing Alaska Pioneer Home rates between 40% and 140% by Sept. 1, The Anchorage Daily News reported Friday. The Dunleavy administration submitted the proposal to offset the state budget’s $12.3 million cut to funding for the homes, state officials said. There are currently three levels of service ranging from about $2,500 a month to $6,800 a month depending on the lev...
With approximately 400 members of the Inlandboatmen's Union going on strike last Wednesday, July 24, operations of the Alaska Marine Highway System have come to a halt. Without ferry services, many people across the state, especially in Southeast Alaska, found themselves stranded. In the communities of Wrangell and Petersburg, many people are facing disruptions to their schedules, families, and work. WRANGELL: Several of Wrangell's children and adults attending a church camp in Juneau were...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - The first strike by Alaska ferry workers in over 40 years has snarled travel plans for thousands of people during the busy tourist and fishing season, leaving some stranded and catching the attention of a Democratic presidential candidate. Members of the Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific went on strike Wednesday after failing to reach agreement with the state on contract terms, bringing Alaska's ferry system to a halt. State transportation Commissioner John MacKinnon...
