Sorted by date Results 4590 - 4614 of 5678
There’s a wealth of options when it comes to scholarships for Petersburg students, provided they get up early enough in their academic careers to make themselves suitable. Oftentimes that’s nothing more than maintaining their grades, test scores and keeping with what they’re already doing — local youth remain very active in extracurricular events — but it’s still well worth the trouble for students to do their research or having a good talk with Rachel Etcher, counselor for the high school. For students dedicated to making the most of the mone...
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities announced Friday it will be delaying the implementation of its upcoming unaccompanied minor policy for Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) services. The new policy would no longer allow children under the age of 18 to travel unaccompanied on the ferry system. Currently, travelers aged 12 to 15 can show a note from their parents or legal guardians allowing them to travel alone, and no restrictions are in place for those aged 16 and older. Exemptions to the new policy include...
Petersburg schools had, overall, a clean audit on a good fiscal year, which ended June 30. The school was able to set aside a healthy amount, budgeting for future maintenance around a law that capped reserve limits at 10 percent of schools’ expenses. “In our opinion, the financial statements are fairly stated in all material respects,” said Eric Campbell, a partner in the international services firm BDO, which completed the school’s audit. “That’s a clean or unmodified opinion. That’s what you want. (Finance Director Karen Quitslund) does a gre...
Interim CFO Doran Hammett told the Petersburg Medical Center board at a special meeting Monday that a draft cost report revealed some $928,000 was due to Medicare. Though PMC still has $380,000 on hand from a mid-year overpayment by Medicare to pay the bill, the amount due was unexpectedly high and prompted further investigation by Hammett and the consultant who prepares the reports, Martin Michiels of Health Care Consulting Services, LLC. Hammett told the Pilot on Wednesday that after recalculations by Michiels, the hospital now expects to... Full story
As Christmas draws ever closer, people are shopping for friends, families and strangers as another season of Operation Christmas Child closes, set to send shoeboxes of sundries across the world. The program, operated under the international auspices of Samaritan’s Purse, a non-denominational evangelical Christian organization, has been running since 1993, aiming to deliver boxes of toys and essentials to children of impoverished nations around the globe — since its inception, the group has reported more than 113 million shoeboxes sent to famili... Full story
Don Spigelmyre just finished his first salmon season as Icicle Seafood's new Fleet Manager for Southeast Alaska. A native Michigander, Spigelmyre brings 22.5 years of experience with the Coast Guard to his new post. "I was a damage controlman (with the Coast Guard). That was my primary job. Basically firefighting underway, teaching people how to patch their boats up if they're sinking," he said. He was stationed in Petersburg with the Coast Guard from 1999-2003. It was at that time he and his...
It’s the most wonderful time of the year or at least the officers and volunteers at the Salvation Army are working to ensure that’s so for local families who may not be able to afford food and gifts this holiday season. Lieutenants John Birks and Mysti Birks will be working with board members and volunteers to assemble Thanksgiving food boxes for 62 households representing 154 individuals this year. The boxes will be distributed Nov. 25 in time for families to make preparations for the big meal on Thanksgiving Day. Sign-ups for Christmas foo...
Many residents in Petersburg woke up on Nov. 6 to discover a power outage, following damage caused by a storm to Ketchikan’s Bailey Substation the previous evening. Power across the entire transmission system was down, affecting Ketchikan and Wrangell for most of the morning as well. A storm the previous evening featured winds between 43 and 61 miles per hour by 7 p.m. Gusts topping 90 mph were also reported at Ketchikan International Airport. “We started getting calls in,” recounted Andy Donato, electric division director of Ketchikan Publi...
Veterans were honored for their service around town Tuesday, Nov. 11 in celebration of Veterans Day. Students from the elementary, middle and high schools as well as many community members attended an assembly at the high school Tuesday morning. Honored veterans sat front and center with family members to listen to speeches and music performed by students of all ages. The audience was treated to information ranging from the historical background of the holiday given by the high schoolers to... Full story
Teleconferencing from the Wrangell and Petersburg assembly chambers last Thursday, members of the Thomas Bay Power Commission (TBPC) decided to call it a year. The TPBC was the acting body for the Thomas Bay Power Authority, operating Tyee Hydroelectric Plant until the operations were transferred this summer to Southeast Alaska Power Authority. Since then, the TBPC has found itself with little to do beyond facilitating that change. But because of the unique connection the commission presents for the communities of Wrangell and Petersburg,...
The Petersburg Public Library was given a four-star rating this month by the Library Journal. The library was one of eight that ranked in the state. Borough librarian Tara Alcock said the library has received a star rating five times since the system was introduced in 2008, but this is their first four-star rating. In previous years, they’ve received three stars. "It’s exciting to see we’re one of the top eight libraries in the state and that we went from three to four stars. I was really excited to see that," Alcock said. The Library Journ...
With a number of closely-contested initial results for the general elections on Nov. 4, voters and candidates alike may be holding their breath as Alaska's Division of Elections began counting absentee and early votes Tuesday. The margins for several races remain slim. For a seat in the Senate, initial polling saw Republican challenger Dan Sullivan hold an 8,149-vote lead over Democratic incumbent Sen. Mark Begich. In the gubernatorial race, a mere 3,165 votes separate incumbent Gov. Sean Parnell from Independent challenger Bill Walker, whose...
Petersburg Indian Association recapped nearly a decade of work on roads and trails across Mitkof Island at the Nov. 3 assembly meeting, with Transportation Director Susan Harai presenting a video detailing the tribe’s works. Since 2006, PIA has received more than $10.2 million for the tribal transportation program, working along a master guideline scoped 20 years ahead and more specifically revised for the next five in a Tribal Transportation Improvement Plan. Money is granted through federal transportation allocations divided amongst the t...
After much discussion, the assembly unanimously approved a resolution to establish a new budget policy that will help guide management of Borough funds. Giesbrecht introduced a document he and Finance Director Jody Tow have been working on to help department heads more easily formulate their budgets and to help explain the budget process more simply to the public. The resolution was approved with one change introduced by member Nancy Strand, which moved tobacco excise tax funds from a special fund into the general fund. The excise tax was... Full story
By and large local voters aligned with state results. In two races, Petersburg voters diverged with the state, the race for governor and the State House District 35 seat. Local resident Steven Samuelson was vying for the State House seat against Sitka-based incumbent Jonathan Kreiss Tomkins. Local supporters turned out to show their support for the home-town candidate who was a clear win among Petersburg voters. It wasn't enough, though, to give him the win districtwide. Kreiss Tomkins took the... Full story
A thorough discussion of public services under the Borough charter was had at Monday's regular Assembly meeting. Member John Havrilek broached the matter at the last meeting and asked for a public comment period wherein discussion and clarification of services for outlying areas would be addressed. Since then, Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht worked with department heads to assemble a matrix outlining services offered before and after Borough formation. According to that matrix, no services have been discontinued due to Borough formation. That'...
Having failed twice in 2000 and again in 2004, we didn’t imagine Alaskans would legalize pot in 2014. But they did. Alaska will now be headed down the road followed by Colorado and Washington State, which approved legalizing recreational marijuana in 2012. In a nutshell officials will find that intended provisions to regulate pot sales are much less restrictive than those in place for alcohol. Furthermore, retailers in Colorado have successfully evaded tax collectors and the $130 million in anticipated tax revenue has panned out to about $20 m...
Four local hikers on their way to Raven’s Roost cabin on Sunday got much more than they bargained for, returning by helicopter after an unanticipated night outdoors. “They got caught in darkness and a little turned around, so we helped them make it through the night and were able to helicopter them early, early with the breaking dawn of Monday morning,” S&R Captain Bob Carter said. “One of them … got ahold of Search and Rescue and we made a decision that they could survive the night – we really don’t want to send people up the mountain at n...
Alaskan opponents of a series of proposed Canadian mines paid a visit to Petersburg on Oct. 29, presenting information and action options to a crowd of 28 in the Wright Auditorium. The group, Salmon Beyond Borders, intends to gather signatures and support for Secretary of State John Kerry to act under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, a document that sets forth mutual water use, flow and quality standards between Canada and the U.S. – and SBB's proposal hinges upon a single sentence in A...
Robert Davis Hoffman is coming to town this weekend to teach a formline design workshop at the library. Formline design is the characteristic element in Tlingit art. "It describes the basic shapes that are used. It's a very sophisticated art form, but once you understand some basic rules, almost anybody can find a starting point to understand it," Hoffman said. The historical use of the Native design is important to Tlingit, Haidi and Tsimshian clans. "It's the clan crest art form. I'd say...
The Viking wrestlers went north with the expectation of competition, some familiar and some new, and were not disappointed on any count. New faces, moves and losses were a shock to some of the boys, but by Monday they were hitting the mats hard again, preparing for the next round. “A couple guys, they ran into some tough competition, but overall it was great for everybody,” Coach Dan Van Swearengen said. “Those guys from up north – they’re strong up there.” It wasn’t just sheer strength that played into the uphill battles, he added, noting...
Summer is a long way off as Petersburg heads into winter, but it’s still on the minds of a number of volunteers looking to bring New Old Time Chautauqua to town when the snow is gone. The show, represented by Paul Magid in recent visits to test the waters, “is a way to bring community out,” he said. “It’s an amplification of each community ― you get out of it, as a community, what you put into it. We’re going to come in, have a great time and bring performers that might not otherwise be here ― we’re going to do our part but, really, what make...
Petersburg’s improved crane dock is open again for business, but the improved facility will be running at diminished crane capacity through the winter after new safety regulations rendered the smaller lifter uncertifiable. “This is a common thing that happens in the industry,” Harbormaster Glo Wollen said. “Standards change, and she’s been working for us since the ‘90s, so it might be time to change her out. You just have to weigh the costs of revamping a 30 year old crane versus buying brand new. Crane one can work for everything, but the pro...
The main topics at Monday's regular assembly meeting were service areas and a new budgeting tool for use in the Borough. The following is a list of other business discussed: Don Nelson and Janet Holten submitted letters of interests to serve on the Historic Preservation Committee. Nelson was appointed as the committee historian. Holten was appointed as an additional member at large, replacing the code-suggested archeologist position. Due to recent travels, Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht did not prepare his usual report for the assembly. He...
With a crew working six days a week, construction at the Crystal Lake Hatchery facility is moving along on schedule. "We're basically on schedule, which is a little bit surprising for a construction project," Bill Gass said with a laugh. Gass is the production manager for Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association (SSRAA), which is contracted to operate the Crystal Lake facility by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's Sport Fish Division. The incubation building and generator shed a... Full story
