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There are new species of squid near Petersburg, and determining their population is like measuring fog, according to one researcher who has defied Alaska squid assumptions for years. In a presentation at the Public Library on Tuesday, Stephanie Hayes, a PhD student in Marine Biology, which she has refined to squid research, described the Armhook species. New to the Petersburg area, the Armhook Squid has increased in prevalence, despite being told that it hadn't been the case, Hayes said....
WRANGELL - Women from the local American Legion Auxiliary took part in the national organization's 97th annual convention last week. Three members from Merlin Elmer Palmer, Auxiliary Unit 6, joined 1,500 other delegates, as well as alternates and guests from around the United States in Reno, Nevada. Accompanied by Barbara Hommel and Zona Gregg, respectively the chapter's vice president and treasurer, president Marilyn Mork was recognized as Alaska's Woman of the Year. "I was kind of surprised...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) _ The Alaska Supreme Court has ruled that Gov. Bill Walker acted within his authority last year in reducing the amount set aside for checks from Alaska’s oil-wealth fund to state residents. The decision released Friday sided with the state, as a lower court had, in the dispute over Alaska Permanent Fund dividends. The case was brought by Democratic state Sen. Bill Wielechowski and two former legislators, who argued that the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. last year was required by law to make available nearly $1.4 billion f...
WRANGELL - Improvements to the observatory at Anan Creek are complete, improving access and security for one of Wrangell's top visitor attractions. Managed by the Forest Service, Anan Wildlife Observatory is best known for its bear population, one of the few where brown and black bears can be observed feeding together nonconfrontationally. Along with LeConte Glacier and the Stikine River, the sites brought in half of Wrangell's total tourism earnings in 2014, or $2 million, according to a study...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A federal bankruptcy judge has approved a $1 million loan for the Alaska Dispatch News to keep it operating as negotiations continue with potential buyers. The newspaper will use the loan from potential buyers approved Monday to continue paying insurance premiums and employees, KTUU-TV reported. Without the loan, Alaska Dispatch News could not afford its ongoing expenses and would have to fold, said Cabot Christianson, the newspaper’s lawyer. The Anchorage-based newspaper filed for bankruptcy on Aug. 12. Last week, a j...
SEATTLE (AP) — Investigators are weighing icy conditions and heavy crab pots as they probe what caused a Seattle-based crab boat with six people aboard to sink in the Bering Sea. The U.S. Coast Guard Marine board heard testimony from more than 30 people this month in Seattle as it determines a probable cause of the Feb. 11 sinking. The Seattle Times says it will eventually develop a report including recommendations to reduce the risks of such accidents. The vessel Destination went missing off a remote Alaska island. Searchers found the s...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska master hunting guide has been charged with using assistants on snowmobiles to herd grizzly bears toward clients, making it easier for hunters to shoot the animals. Brian Simpson, 55, of Fairbanks, also is charged with guiding on a national preserve without a permit. Simpson’s company is Wittrock Outfitters-Alaska. Messages left with the business Thursday and Friday were not returned. Online court documents do not list his attorney. Simpson is charged with two counts of aiding in the commission of a state gam...
PETERSBURG, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Mental Health Trust and federal government have a bunch of work that needs to be done before a land swap approved last year can happen_ work that has to be completed within the next two years. KFSK-FM reported Thursday that the legislation set a two-year deadline on completing surveys, appraisals and other studies of the land. The federal government is giving the mental health trust about 31.3 square miles (81 square kilometers) of the Tongass National Forest near Ketchikan on Prince of Wales Island. W...
The race for mayor on October 3 is between the former mayor who resigned a few months ago and his replacement, who had previously hinted strongly she wouldn’t run but was asked to reconsider by a “number of people.” Mark Jensen is running for the mayor post after an abrupt exit in May. He will contend with Cindi Lagoudakis, the interim mayor and previous Assembly member, said Debra Thompson, the Borough Clerk. Jensen had resigned after expressing contempt for the actions taken by the Assembly and Borough. He left on the heels of a decis...
Rain is expected for the next week in Petersburg, along with the start of school. From elementary on up about 475 students will funnel into classrooms Monday morning. The Petersburg High School and Mitkof Middle School will have a projected 148 and 97 students, respectively, said Principal Richard Dormer. The elementary school will enroll a projected 230. There will be four new teachers this year. Ryan Hayes will teach high school math; Alenna Nilsen will teach social studies in the middle...
There will be eleven candidates running for Borough leadership on the ballot in October, including a contentious run for the mayor post, and a six-person race for two Assembly seats. The folks running for a seat on the Assembly -- there will be two -- include: Bob Lynn, Richard Burke, Ken Hamilton, Brandi Marohl, Jeff Meucci and William Ware. Cindi Lagoudakis will be running against Mark Jensen for the mayor post. The Petersburg School Board is looking to fill two seats in the election but received one submission for candidacy from Sarah Pawuk...
Mayor Cindi Lagoudakis in an Assembly meeting on Monday said the governor is hoping to visit Petersburg to sign a land selection bill and perhaps stay overnight to view ongoing projects in the community. Mayor Cindi Lagoudakis said in a report that she met with Gov. Bill Walker to discuss Senate Bill 28, which if signed would increase the Borough state land grant from 1,400 acres to more than 14,600. The bill passed the House and Senate on the last day of session in May largely due to the joint...
Alaska department of Fish & Game trapped a black bear on Howkan Street Monday evening, which comes as officials are ratcheting-up outreach to residents about securing garbage cans in residential areas. The Police Department retrieved the trap at about 11:00 p.m. on Monday. Inside the cylinder cage was a roughly 175-pound, "medium-sized" bear, said Captain John Hamilton. The bear will be transported to mainland Alaska and released at the north side of Thomas Bay, he said. This appears to be one...
The highly anticipated total eclipse that swept across much of the country on Monday went viral, prompting some analysts to revel in the moment and others to seemingly mock its brevity as bombastic and uneventful. In Petersburg, minutes before the eclipse began Monday morning, about 100 people viewed the NASA live stream in the library. Some young onlookers adorned eclipse glasses, ready to gaze into the projector, as the moon was about to shade the sun. "It was so nice of the library," said...
The Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department responded to a vehicle fire at 503 Ira II St. at 2:40 a.m. on August 18. Fire personnel cut the hood off the vehicle to gain access to the fire, which started under the vehicle, not inside it. Dave Berg with the PVFD said the fire is suspicious in nature and is under investigation. According to the police, the vehicle is owned by Randal K. Long who is currently in jail awaiting trial on Federal Drug Charges....
WRANGELL - Wrangell emergency responders took part in a search for a missing canoer on the Stikine River earlier this month. Fire Chief Tim Buness reported a call had been received for assistance at around 5 p.m. on August 3. "We had a couple of canoers canoing by the Great Glacier," he said, on the Canadian side of the river about 10 miles from the border. The craft had turned over in the fast-moving water at around 3 p.m., spilling two men into the river. "One of the guys made it up to the...
District Governor Harry Kieling visited the Petersburg Rotary Club this week and commended the club for its work in the community and at the international level. "You are doing a great job with Youth Exchange and all the civic projects that make your community better," Kieling told the club at its Wednesday luncheon meeting. The Petersburg Club sends local students to the Rotary Youth Leadership program, hosts inbound and outbound students, provides high school student scholarships and...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Hundreds of Pacific walruses came ashore to a barrier island on Alaska’s northwest coast, the earliest appearance of the animals in a phenomenon tied to climate warming and diminished Arctic Ocean sea ice. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday that several hundred walruses were spotted during the first week of August near the village of Point Lay on the Chukchi Sea. Last week, the number had grown to 2,000, said spokeswoman Andrea Medeiros in an email response to questions. It’s the earliest date for t...
WRANGELL - Project heads for a contaminated site reclamation met with townspeople Monday evening to address concerns with a proposed monofill. The monofill – a landfill meant for only one substance, in this case treated, lead-contaminated soil – would be the second phase of the Byford junkyard cleanup, an operation which was undertaken last year by Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Environmental Protection Agency and various contractors. In use as a private landfill and junkyard s...
WRANGELL — One of Wrangell’s two seafood processors has drawn down production early for the season due to lower than expected returns this summer. Updated twice daily, on Tuesday the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Blue Sheet reported just over 143 million salmon have been harvested statewide, though numbers were not available for the Bristol Bay, Kuskokwim and Aleutian Islands districts. Seventy-four percent of these are pink salmon, with over 106 million already reported in. Coming off of last year’s season – declared a “disaster...
A Petersburg woman who owns a retail marijuana shop appears to be in the early stages of expanding her operation into a growing facility as well. Susan J. Burrell, owner of The 420, a cannabis shop located behind The Fisherman's Net Cafe, has officially applied for three marijuana licenses, according to the Alcohol & Marijuana Control Office. The applications focus on growing marijuana near or above her shops on North Nordic Drive. Burrell is applying for a Standard Marijuana Cultivation...
WRANGELL - A Wrangellite had a unique opportunity to take part in some Alaskan history this year, while revisiting her own family history in the process. Johanna Joseph and her sister, Ann Conatser a Walla Walla resident, were invited by the Ounalashka Corporation to attend an event in Unalaska commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Dutch Harbor. The town had been the birthplace of their mother, Theadosia Stepitan Nauska, known as Fanny to friends and family. The battle itself was...
WRANGELL – Public Works changed its summertime water management conservation level back to normal last week, ending a month of minor restrictions. Up until last Friday, users of Wrangell’s water utility have been advised to use less water starting in mid-July, when the city entered the first of a three-stage response status. Better water management has been a key issue with the city this year, with an emergency response plan formally adopted in April. Last summer demand outpaced the water treatment plant’s ability to supply, prompting the b...
Women, 29 years old and under, with limited or no access to health care can get exams and reproductive health services on a sliding scale at the Petersburg Public Health Center’s Women’s Health Clinic August 28-30. The clinic will offer exams and reproductive health services, as well as STD testing. All services will be provided by a nurse practitioner with Public Health Nursing, the Alaska Division of Public Health. Appointments are required. No one will be refused service if unable to pay. Screenings for chlamydia and gonorrhea, as well as...
State representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins will be here Fri. August 25, holding public office hours from 9-10 am at the Salty Pantry and 10-11 am at Java Hus. No appointment necessary, just stop on by. If you have any questions or can’t make it to office hours, email rep.jonathan.kreiss-tomkins@akleg.gov or call the Representative’s office at 747-4665....
