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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A Coast Guardsman is charged with murder in the January death of a 19-year-old seaman who was found unresponsive along the shore of an Alaska island, Coast Guard officials said Thursday. Ethan Tucker was charged Wednesday with seven violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Charges include murder and involuntary manslaughter in the death of Ethan Kelch of Virginia Beach, Virginia. The charging document says Tucker showed a wanton disregard for human life when he caused blunt force trauma to Kelch’s head and pl...
A Petersburg High School graduate broke two 50-year-old school records at the United States Coast Guard Academy this spring. Ben Zarlengo set a new school record in the discus and hammer, throwing 49.7 meters and 56.4 meters respectively. Zarlengo said the two previous school records were about 50-years-old. Both records were broken in April when Zarlengo was competing at an invitational at Connecticut College. In February, Zarlengo broke a weight throw record with his distance of 18.71 meters....
Voters will decide if they want the borough to take out loans to fund eight utility projects totaling no more than $8 million after the assembly passed ordinance #2019-05 in its third reading last week. The loans will be through the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and will be paid back over a 20-year period at 1.5 percent interest. The responsibility of the repayment of the loans would fall on water and wastewater rate payers. The wastewater department has five projects planned...
The Petersburg School District maintains a higher percentage of students scoring proficient or higher in English language arts (ELA), math and science in statewide testing. The Performance Evaluation for Alaska's Schools test is given to students between 3rd and 10th grade each spring. The ELA and math tests are given to all students from 3rd to 9th grade, and the science test is only given to 4th, 8th and 10th graders. According to PSD Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter, the PEAKS tests are...
An ordinance that would have added language to borough code outlining a procedure for addressing the assembly by written comment was stricken down at an assembly meeting last week. Ordinance #2019-07 would have clearly stated how members of the public could submit written comment to the assembly, but in its first reading, an amendment was made that prevented assembly members from reading written statements by members of the public out loud at assembly meetings. "I think that there needs be a...
Petersburg has found its next magistrate judge and since her arrival earlier this month, she has been getting to know her job and her new home. Debra O'Gara first arrived in Petersburg on Aug. 1 and is replacing the previous magistrate judge, Desi Burrell, who retired in May. O'Gara has been practicing law for over 26 years and was previously serving as presiding judge for the Tlingit & Haida Tribal Court in Juneau. The new position has her tackling a full range of cases, such as civil and...
Phil Hofstetter has begun blogging and holding daily morning safety briefings to improve the communication of Petersburg Medical Center staff. The morning meetings allow department managers to discuss what has happened during the previous 24 hours. They also identify stress within the organization. According Hofstetter stress can lead to errors in care and safety issues for staff and patients. Stress can come from above average emergency room visits, or more inpatients. "If there's a larger than...
Petersburg Medical Center introduced the early findings of its master plan to renovate the current hospital or build a new facility at a public meeting last week. NAC Architecture was awarded the request for proposal by the PMC board of directors at a special meeting in May for a master plan proposal not to exceed $220,000. The firm's project leader, Dan Jardine, gave a presentation updating PMC and the public on their findings so far and what is to come in the future. A seismic analysis of the...
The Diocese of Juneau released a letter and report last Wednesday, Aug. 21, naming seven people with allegations of sexual misconduct against minors and/or vulnerable adults. The letter, signed by Bishop Andrew Bellisario, states that these seven names have been released upon the conclusion of an independent review of the diocese's personnel files from 1951 to the present. The Independent Commission which led this review was established last December, according to the letter, and was staffed by...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — In a story Aug. 15 about Alaska salmon hatcheries, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Alaska salmon hatcheries release 1.8 billion pink salmon fry annually. Total Alaska hatchery releases of all salmon and rainbow trout in 2018 was 1.8 billion fish, with pink salmon accounting for more than 1.05 billion....
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska authorities say two middle school students have been arrested after another student overheard their plans to carry out a school shooting, officials said. The Juneau Police Department arrested two 13-year-old students Thursday at Floyd Dryden Middle School after receiving a phone call from a parent of the classmate who overheard plans, the Juneau Empire reported Thursday. Police officers located the implicated students and held them in custody before school Thursday, authorities said. Following an investigation, t...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska’s governor has vetoed additional funding for the state’s ferry service that was placed in the budget by the Legislature, a report said. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed $5 million Monday that was added to the Alaska Marine Highway System budget by the Legislature, CoastAlaska reported Monday. The Legislature previously cut $43 million from the ferry system’s budget. A fiscal note attached by the governor’s office called the budget item “premature” ahead of a $250,000 study commissioned to reshape the ferry sys...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska health insurance officials have announced the state’s plan to weaken air ambulance membership plan regulations, officials said. The Alaska Division of Insurance will no longer review and pre-approve consumer membership plans, CoastAlaska reported Thursday. Health insurance does not cover the full cost of a flight, so there are three air ambulance companies that offer membership agreements, department officials said. Households pay a flat rate fee between $49 and $125, depending on the carrier, to ensure they are...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The state says a second company will offer health insurance plans on Alaska’s individual marketplace next year. Division of Insurance Director Lori Wing-Heier says Moda Assurance Co. will join Premera in offering plans through the federally-facilitated marketplace. Moda was suspended briefly in 2016 from offering health insurance policies in Alaska over concerns with its financial condition. Moda left the Alaska individual marketplace beginning in 2017. Wing-Heier says an agreement between Moda and Delta Dental of Cal...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Add salmon to the list of species affected by Alaska’s blistering summer temperatures, including the hottest July on record. Dead salmon have shown up in river systems throughout Alaska, and the mortalities are probably connected to warm water or low river water levels, said Sam Rabung, director of commercial fisheries for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The department has not quantified past heat-related fish deaths because they tended to be sporadic and inconsistent, Rabung said. But department scientists thi...
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...
Parks and Recreation will be taking into consideration community feedback on changes to the department, including an increased age requirement for unattended children, as it moves forward following public outcry about the changes. At the Aug. 16 assembly meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Chandra Thornburg answered questions and took comments from assembly members about the community's concerns over proposed changes to the community center. Over 15 letters from residents were submitted to th...
A fully automated camera would allow Petersburg School District to broadcast sporting events and other activities in the gymnasium through the National Federation of State High School Associations. The cameras can be programmed to turn on at specific times and begin streaming on the online NFHS Network. PSD can purchase two cameras for a one-time fee of $5,000, plus an additional $1,000 for shipping, said Activity Director Jaime Cabral. One camera would be placed in the gymnasium and the other...
In the past year, at least four citizens from Petersburg and Wrangell have sought and gained their U.S. citizenship to be with their families and for peace of mind. Elisa Teodori originates from Italy, but moved to Petersburg after she met her husband, Tor Benson, while working in Ecuador. Laura Davies first came to the US from Canada to work as a recreation therapist in Georgia, but eventually moved to Wrangell to take a job working with Alaska Crossings and met her husband. Gilda Barkfelt...
A new ordinance would prevent assembly members and the borough clerk from reading letters submitted to the borough assembly out loud during assembly meetings. Ordinance #2019-07 was passed as amended in its first reading at an assembly meeting on Friday. It adds language to the borough's code regarding the procedure for addressing the assembly by written comment at a public meeting. The new wording states that a person can submit a letter to the borough clerk to be transferred to the borough...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly will hold their second meeting of August tonight at 6 P.M. to vote on four ordinances, two of which are in their final reading, and the Kiseno St. sewer replacement project. If Ordinance #2019-05 passes in its third reading, then voters in the 2019 municipal election will have the opportunity to decide whether or not to allow the water and wastewater departments to take out loans not to exceed a total of $8 million for capital improvement projects. Ordinance...
Petersburg will hold its annual municipal election on Oct. 1 from 8 A.M. through 8 P.M. in the activity room of the community center. Residents will vote on who will fill 17 public office seats up for reelection, including the mayor's seat, as well as one proposition. The first day that residents could apply for candidacy was July 23, and the last day to file was Aug. 20. The borough will submit voter registration forms to the Alaska Division of Elections for community members up until the...
Ongoing concern about cruise ships dumping their grey water and sewage into Petersburg's harbors and nearby waters caused assembly members to agree on Friday that the borough needs to take some form of action. "I was at the harbor on Tuesday and that was all I could think about," said Assembly Member Jeff Meucci. "'Oh that's great. There's stuff in there.' I think we need to sort it out with [the cruise ship industry] and let them know it's not acceptable here." At the start of the assembly...
The city of Haines hosted the 51st annual Southeast Alaska State Fair earlier this summer. Communities from all across Southeast Alaska attend the event, and also enter into various contests and exhibits. From baked goods to woodworking, the fair gives people the opportunity to show off their talents in a wide variety of areas. These departments are further divided into separate divisions, explained Wrangell resident and artist Michael Bania. Within the "crochet arts" department, she gave as an...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska wildfire officials are reviewing their initial assessment of the cause of a weekend fire that burned at least 50 structures along the main highway between Anchorage and Fairbanks. The fire began Saturday in high wind and was initially attributed to a tree toppling onto a power line. The cause of the fire is now under investigation, Tim Mowry, spokesman for the Alaska Division of Forestry, said Tuesday. The fire covers 4.7 square miles (12.2 sq. kilometers). The number of people displaced by the fire and the n...
