Sorted by date Results 278 - 302 of 5694
Just before the winter storm rolled into Petersburg Saturday night, business owners and members of the community gathered upstairs at Elks Lodge for the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet. During the banquet, the chamber named Rocky's Marine as Petersburg's 2024 Business of the Year. Rocky's Marine is a family owned boat dealership specializing in Yamaha Outboards, serving Southeast since first opening in Petersburg in 1980. Announcing the award from the stage, chamber president Jim...
Tonight at the Sid and Vera Wright Auditorium, Petersburg High School's theater program will debut its production of "Peter and the Starcatcher," directed by Elsa Wintersteen. She described the play as "an exciting show full of heart, humor and a sprinkle of whimsy." The Tony Award winning play is based on the 2004 novel "Peter and the Starcatchers" by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. Adapted for the stage by Rick Elice, the play serves as a prequel to J. M. Barrie's classic tale, "Peter and Wendy...
When the Petersburg Borough Assembly approved the landmark property sale of borough-owned tidelands to Wikan Enterprises last year, it was said that decision opened Pandora’s box. For decades, rather than sell its tideland properties, the borough selectively leased them to businesses involved in waterfront commercial/ industrial uses, with a priority placed on supporting the commercial fishing industry. About 12 years ago, the borough started directing the revenues generated by leased tidelands to the harbor department’s enterprise fund. Wit...
Petersburg became the 19th organized borough in Alaska on Jan. 3, 2013 after the town’s borough vote was certified. In the early 2000s, the City of Petersburg tried to annex all of Mitkof Island after receiving public pushback on forming a borough. This caused an upset outside of city limits for residents who did not want to pay the same taxes as residents inside the city limits. Eventually, after years of mediation and piles of paperwork, a compromise was made and the Petersburg Borough, which encompasses 3,829 square miles of land and w...
The Associated Teachers of Petersburg (ATP) and Petersburg School District are negotiating the next labor agreement that will take effect in the fall of 2024 and span three school years through spring 2027. Past negotiations between the teachers union and the district, which occur every three years, have largely focused on updating the contract language. This year, however, ATP and PSD are focusing more on when, where and how to allocate what limited money the district has to work with. ATP is...
The fresh waters of Blind Slough will be closed to sport fishing for king salmon this summer, from June 1 through July 31, according to the sport fishing regulations for the Wrangell Narrows and Blind Slough terminal harvest released this week by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG). However, in the salt waters of the Wrangell Narrows, king salmon fishing will be open. Both residents and nonresidents will have a bag and possession limit of two king salmon greater than 28 inches long and two less than 28 inches from the salt waters of...
An ordinance amending Petersburg municipal code to allow borough land to be disposed of for less than assessed or appraised value when deemed for a “public benefit purpose” passed in its first reading Feb. 5 at a Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting. Amending the code will allow the assembly to dispose of borough land at a lower price for projects deemed more valuable to the community than revenues from a sale at full-value. The municipal code currently has a mechanism for disposal of borough real property for less than the assessed value to...
IGA President John Ross presents Hammer & Wikan General Manager and CEO Jim Floyd with the USA Retailers of the Year award in Hammer & Wikan grocery store on Feb. 8, as board members and staff look on proudly. Pictured, left to right, are Jennifer Toyomura, Terri Faulter, Bruce Westre, Laron Martin, Sharon Wikan, Gainhart Samuelson, Katrina Miller, Audrey Samuelson, Jim Floyd and John Ross....
An ordinance amending Petersburg municipal code was passed in its first reading by the Petersburg Borough Assembly last week. At its second reading during the next assembly meeting a public hearing on the ordinance will take place. The ordinance would amend borough code to increase the assessed property value requirement for disposal of borough property from $500 thousand to $2 million. Currently, voters must approve of any sale or trade of borough property with an assessed value $500 thousand or higher. The ordinance seeks to change that requi...
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) selected the Blind Slough Hydroelectric Project to receive up to $2.9 million in Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentives which will complete funding for the hydro project, support the facility improvements, and enable the borough to shift money to the Scow Bay Generation Project. "The whole energy efficiency grant is set up to help projects that will increase energy efficiency and small hydro," Utility Director Karl Hagerman told the Pilot. Hagerman...
The Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) named Hammer and Wikan Grocery - represented by CEO General Manager Jim Floyd, Board President Gainhart Samuelson and Vice President Bruce Westre - 2023 USA Retailers of the Year. Representatives from nine stores were chosen for the honor. Nominations were made by their wholesalers "for providing leadership and excellence in their community," out of a network of 30,000 independent grocers in the U.S, according to a press release sent out by IGA. "It was a...
The seventh annual Project Connect Resource Fair was held in Petersburg on Jan. 30. Organized under the umbrella of nonprofit Humanity In Progress (HIP), the event provided access to free basic necessities and local resources for people in Petersburg who are experiencing housing insecurity - and was an opportunity to survey attendees about their present housing situation for a Point-In-Time count that records the status of homelessness and housing insecurity in Petersburg. When the doors to...
Concert pianist Tony Lu, 26, arrived in Petersburg on Tuesday for a week of piano performances and inspiring the community to think about music differently. He will perform live at the Lutheran Church on Sunday, Feb. 11. Originally from Wuhan, China, Tony moved to the United States when he was 16 years old, completing high school in St. Louis, Missouri. "It was a really good experience ... getting to know the culture, getting to know the language," he said. He first started teaching piano to...
At a joint work session last week, the Hospital Board and Petersburg Borough Assembly discussed the estimated time, cost and progress of the Petersburg Medical Center replacement project. Much of the information was echoed the following day at the PMC Open House event where the public attended presentations about the new hospital project by Roy Roundtree with Bettisworth North Architects, Ben Coon with Dawson Construction, and PMC CFO Jason McCormick in the Assembly Chambers. With sizable...
The Medicare reimbursement program for Critical Access Hospitals was a key topic at the Petersburg Medical Center Hospital Board and Petersburg Borough Assembly annual work session on Jan. 30. PMC is a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) - the designation was created by Congress in the late 1990s to reduce the financial vulnerability of smaller hospitals in isolated rural communities. Facilities that are recognized as critical access hospitals must meet certain qualifying criteria, and they get to... Full story
In January, a newly-installed barbershop pole light turned on outside of Spruce Frisør, a walk-in barbershop that opened for business in downtown Petersburg. Carrie Martinsen, the owner and sole barber at Spruce Frisør, intends to keep her barbering business simple for both herself and clients in the community. "I've been doing this long enough that ... I just want simple and fun," she said. Martinsen has worked with hair "in some capacity or another" for nearly 30 years. "When I went to hair s...
In 2015, a deadly landslide occurred in Sitka. Anxiety swept the community as a result, and the frequent heavy rainfall typical for Southeast Alaska became a source of fear for many Sitkans left questioning when the next disaster would strike - and wondering what they could do to keep the citizens of the city safe. In response to the concerns, the Sitka Sound Science Center organized a volunteer team of geologic and climate experts from across the country. For over a year, the group met...
The Petersburg Indian Association is seeking to hire a tribal administrator after Chad Wright stepped down from the role last week. Wright submitted his resignation on Jan. 10, the date when the PIA annual tribal council election was canvassed, electing four challengers running on a united ticket. During the election campaign, policy decisions made by Wright became a subject of criticism. The four challengers campaigned to improve communication and transparency in the tribal government and won...
The U.S. Forest Service approved six new recreational cabin sites in the Petersburg and Wrangell Ranger Districts for development in a final decision notice signed on Jan. 17, 2024. Out of eight potential sites proposed in the October 2023 draft decision, the final decision approved all three sites in the Petersburg district -Keex' Kwáan, Blind Slough and Woodpecker Cove Road- and three of five sites in Wrangell district - Fools Pass, Little Lakes and Mustang Lake. The USFS has already...
Western Marine's dredging operations in South Harbor are expected to reach completion this week. Access for harbor users has been partially blocked as crews push through the winter weather to dig the final shoreline areas. The next step will be a survey of the most recently dredged areas, and if all looks good Petersburg Harbormaster Glo Wollen can sign off on the work and the US Army Corps of Engineers can close out the administrative details of the project. The dredge work began in early...
The Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA) will offer a Fishing Vessel Drill Conductor Course in Petersburg, Alaska, on February 10, 2024, 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., in the Petersburg Parks and Recreation Activity Room. The cost for the class is $125.00 for commercial fishermen and $225.00 for all others. Interested mariners may register online at www.amsea.org or call (907) 747-3287. The class will cover cold-water survival skills; EPIRBs, signal flares, and mayday calls; man-overboard recovery; firefighting; flooding and damage c...
The Medicare reimbursement program for Critical Access Hospitals was a key topic at the Petersburg Medical Center Hospital Board and Petersburg Borough Assembly annual work session on Jan. 30. PMC is a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) — the designation was created by Congress in the late 1990s to reduce the financial vulnerability of smaller hospitals in isolated rural communities. Facilities that are recognized as critical access hospitals must meet certain qualifying criteria, and they get to participate in a beneficial Medicare r...
Robyn Taylor spent the first six years of her career in the Alaska education system teaching in Petersburg, and the next 18 years elsewhere in the state as an administrator. Currently on year 24, Taylor is excited to return to the Petersburg School District as the next superintendent, in place of Erica Klut-Painter who will depart from the role at the end of this school year. "I'm just so appreciative of the opportunity," Taylor said. "Right timing, right place." Originally from Idaho, Taylor...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved to send a letter to Gov. Dunleavy asking that a fisheries disaster be declared for four fisheries in Southeast Alaska, citing low abundance and financial hardship. If a disaster is declared, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission would distribute funds to applicants to provide relief. For fishing seasons from 2018 through 2022, disaster declarations were issued for 14 fisheries off the interior coast for salmon, red king crab, Tanner crab and cod, according to the letter. Now, the...
Elsie Marie Broschat was born in Sitka on January 5, 2024 at 3:30 a.m. Her parents are Andrew Broschat, a police officer with the Petersburg Police Department, and Elle Broschat, bookkeeper and owner of Southeast Bookkeeping. Being confirmed as the first baby of 2024 born to Petersburg residents, the family are entitled to receive the many gifts from local businesses published in the January 4th edition of the Pilot. The Broschat family moved back to Petersburg from Sitka in November 2023. They...
