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Several readers have queried if our platemaking machine has been repaired. It has been and has allowed us to once again produce aluminum printing plates as of the May 5 edition. We were unable to produce plates after the machine that processes them broke down. The Ketchikan Daily News has similar equipment to ours and produced the plates for the Petersburg Pilot, Wrangell Sentinel and Chilkat Valley News for seven weeks, while we waited first for replacement parts and then for a repair technician to troubleshoot and repair the malfunctioning...
Petersburg High School LeConte Glacier student surveyors returned from the annual trip measuring the tidewater glacier. Six juniors and one senior spent each Wednesday's lunch hour this school year measuring various points outside around school with their theodolites in preparation for the trip. PHS science teacher Victor Trautman praised the students on their commitment to the task. "When they get there you don't go 'How do I work this?'" Trautman said. "No, no, no. They can do that in their...
After the Petersburg Borough Assembly shot down member Kurt Wohlhueter’s proposal to put a retail marijuana opt out measure on October’s ballot, Wohlhueter is still exploring what options the borough has to restrict a retail market and is inquiring at the state level on how to do so. In an email written from his Petersburg Borough Assembly email account to Alaska’s Marijuana Control Board (MCB) Wohlhueter wrote, “…I know our town is heavily divided over the issue of opting out or just to run with it (retail marijuana.)” He also asked if th...
The annual pedometer challenge took place over the Mayfest weekend, and Katie Yeckley, Tobacco Prevention & Control Grant coordinator for the Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) ran the event this year. "This is my first year doing this," she said. "The children were so excited to get a pedometer, but even if they didn't do the challenge they were so excited." The competition started last Thursday and ended Sunday night, and logs were accepted through Monday. PIA used grant money to put on the...
A representative from Southeast Senior Services will come to town June 2 to talk to local home senior caregivers regarding potential grant and support options. Shelly Smith, family caregiver resource specialist, wants to inform Petersburg residents who provide care to seniors what their options are as far as financial assistance and other support services. “We provide support to communities throughout southeast Alaska and I spend a lot of time on the telephone talking to caregivers and listening to their stories,” Smith said. “Sometimes they...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly heard more than an hour of public comment regarding Assembly member Kurt Wohlhueter’s plan to propose a retail marijuana opt out measure on October’s ballot. The Borough Assembly is in the process of adopting a marijuana ordinance that sets guidelines for retail marijuana businesses that largely mirrors the borough’s alcohol ordinance. There was a mixed response of those for and against an opt out, and others who just didn’t want to see a retail marijuana store downtown. Gary Morgan recently applied for a limit... Full story
Kåre R. Aas, the Norwegian ambassador to the United States, is in town for Mayfest, and he cannot wait to meet and speak with locals. "I'm looking to really getting to know the Norwegian-Americans and Norwegian's living here and who have been living here for many, many years," he said. "I've wanted to come here for a very, very long time." Aas is well-aware of Petersburg's history and how influential so many Norwegian families were in creating the small, Southeast fishing town. And people in... Full story
An interisland ferry service startup has stopped again, after reporting trouble with its landing craft. After discovering water in the stern of the Rainforest Islander, operator Rainforest Islands Ferry contacted its customers last week to cancel reservations for the foreseeable future. On May 11, the ferry’s crew discovered water inside the hull. Closer inspection identified stress cracks on welds to the hull plating. Baker explained the engine’s shaft is slightly out of alignment, leading to the vibrations which may have caused the pla... Full story
The Alaska National Guard (ANG) armories in Petersburg and Wrangell are set to be repurposed. Steps are already being taken to achieve the repurposing effort in Wrangell and the process is slated to start next year in Petersburg, according to Kalei Rupp, director of communications for the Alaska Department of Military & Veterans’ Affairs (DMVA). “Repurposing is the transfer of sites the Alaska Army National Guard no longer needs to other qualifying entities, such as municipal governments,” Rupp...
Abatement has begun on the building project. New curb in front of the building has been poured, and Power & Light got the underground conduit put in place prior to the concrete pour. An attempted suicide in the jail was prevented by staff on April 30. Overall statistics in the Police Department are trending slightly higher this year. Total cases FY 16 through Feb were 3235 – total FY 15 through Feb were 2848. Arrests FY16 through Feb were 48 - Arrests FY 15 through Feb were 26. Jail days are down, however, for the same periods, 343 versus 407.5...
Bob Dolan loves to travel and will go on vacation just about anywhere, but wherever he goes, it's all about the music. He loves going to Mexico, especially Xalapa the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz. Thirteen years ago, when he visited the city he was in his hotel deciding what musical event he would attend later that day. While looking though the newspaper, he came across a listing for a harp recital. The venue was about the size of the Wright Auditorium, with people packed in...
Ten new Petersburg High School National Honor Society students were inducted this year and the school held a ceremony in the Wright Auditorium Tuesday morning. Van Abbott, Katie Brock, Abbey Hardie, Ethan Kludt-Painter, Helen Martin, Julia Murph, Alice Neidiffer, Marissa Nilsen, Madisyn Parker and Erin Pfundt were among the newest inductees. NHS student Chauncy Sandhofer provided the audience with a background of the program. "The National Honor Society was established to recognize students who...
The Petersburg Borough held a community meet and greet for two Parks and Recreation director applicants at the community gym Tuesday evening. Chandra Thornburg from Seattle, Wash. and Melanie McElroy from Atlanta, Ga. were the two finalists. Petersburg Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht toured the two around town Tuesday and conducted interviews Wednesday afternoon. The position was ultimately offered to Thornburg and she accepted. Thornburg, 35, works for a city in Washington and has been...
A mock car crash staged in the parking lot behind the community gym kept local emergency crews and students busy for a good part of the morning last Thursday. Students from the eighth grade up to seniors in high school witnessed a drunk driver, played by Kyle Clayton, getting arrested after causing an accident. Clayton's fictional disregard for the law and safety of others injured two occupants of the vehicle he hit, and killed one. The carnage required the top of the car he hit to be removed...
One of the red doors at Sons of Norway Hall was cracked open on Monday morning to make sure anyone wanting to see and hear the singing group known as Sacred Harp could enter. The voices and spirit of the traveling A Cappella gospel group was noticeable from the boardwalk. The event was open to the public, and a few locals even joined the group to sing. The group sings traditional four-part hymns and anthems while sitting in a square. Group members took turns leading songs, and the song leader...
Cooke Aquaculture announced the signing of a definitive agreement to purchase Icicle Seafoods earlier this week. The purchase will mean new ownership for one of the largest seafood processors operating in Alaska now owned by Paine and Partners, a California-based investment group. Paine acquired Icicle in 2007. The announcement came through a Cooke Seafood news release and means one of the largest Atlantic salmon farming companies on the Canadian east coast will now become a player in the... Full story
Petersburg Borough Assembly member Kurt Wohlhueter wants to let the people of Petersburg choose whether or not retail marijuana will be allowed in town and will propose such an idea at the May 16 Borough Assembly meeting. Wohlhueter said the assembly has not discussed the opt out option allowed by state regulations, which some communities in Alaska have already done. “I want to see if we can get it (opt out option) on the ballot in October and let the people of Petersburg decide whether we want it because that was always one of the things (... Full story
The Petersburg Chamber of Commerce board of directors knew exactly what to do when faced with finding a new administrative manager. They contacted Mara Lutomski. She had shown prior interest in the position and the board thought of her as a qualified replacement for John Havrilek, who recently retired from the position. "We had about three days together," she says laughing of training with Havrilek. "He showed me the ropes. It is basically a self-starter position." Lutomski is currently in her... Full story
Petersburg Medical Center staff and board members face tough decisions and an even tougher fiscal climate as they continue discussion on how to improve or replace their inadequate facility. PMC board, staff members and architect Joann Lott from Jensen Yorba Lott Architects met last Friday, May 6 to discuss the pros and cons of different options. Lott met with the PMC board last October when it presented a facility assessment. Many of the building’s issues include but are not limited to several mechanical and electrical systems in the L...
The Borough Assembly and taxpayers spend too much time discussing the question of equitable millage rates for differing sections of the borough. Many property owners say their millage rate should be determined by the quantity and quality of services provided to residents in a given area. We believe the 4-mill rate for folks outside Service area 1 is reasonable and should not be subject to adjustment based on services provided, since there are virtually no services provided to those areas by the Borough. The late Louie Severson was a member of t...
City of Kupreanof residents are celebrating their city’s 40th anniversary this Saturday, May 14. Current Kupreanof Mayor Tom Reinarts said activities are planned and he hopes people will head across the Narrows to enjoy the Kupreanof experience. “We’d like everybody to come over and visit us and join us in celebrating the 40th anniversary of our incorporation,” Reinarts said. Kupreanof, which was officially incorporated in October 1975, is one of the lowest populated cities in the state—24 residents, according to Reinarts. The area wasn’t al...
A Haines puppeteer performing arts group, Geppetto's Junkyard, will be performing in the Wright Auditorium during this year's Mayfest activities. Debi Knight Kennedy, a puppeteer in the group, said they perform one to two shows a year and, this time around, the troupe has specifically tailored its performance for Petersburg audiences. "A Viking from Petersburg named Inar goes off in search of adventure and gets swallowed by a whale and then we see what happens next," Knight Kennedy said....
Thirteen track and field athletes competed at a Thunder Mountain High School meet in Juneau last weekend, and a couple accomplished new personal and school records despite bad weather. “It was miserable,” says head coach Brad Taylor. “It was rainy, windy, yeah, it was not very nice.” Taylor says the team took a small crew to the meet because the majority of the athletes stayed home for AP and SAT exams. The girls still managed to take fourth place and the boys tied for sixth place with Thorne Bay High School. The girls would have been in the...
When the Mitkof Middle School started a robotics class nearly 10 years ago only a couple students took the course. This quarter, there are 14 sixth-graders taking part and learning problem solving skills through hands-on experience. Rick Brock is responsible for bringing the program to Petersburg after seeing how well it worked at another school. Brock researched the program and thought it would be a good addition to the middle school's Exploratory Program, and asked the school to invest in sett...
The Petersburg Borough Planning and Zoning Commission held three public hearings at their meeting Tuesday morning, and declined to approve a rezoning application for Pat Magill-Stevens. The application sought to rezone Lot 14, Skylark Addition from public use to mobile home park. The proposed mobile home park would be between Vesta St. and Skylark Way. Multiple residents living in the area spoke against the rezoning effort, some attended the meeting and others sent letters to be read into the record. The residents all live in the area, and...
