Sorted by date Results 3683 - 3707 of 5678
Brian Mattson and Doug Corl are no strangers to catching fish, the pair have fished together for almost two decades, and last weekend was no exception. Around 10 p.m. on Saturday the local fishermen hooked a monster. They made a quick trip on the F/V Day Spring to Thomas Bay, rather than going south of town, because they drew a NOAA observer. Two sets later they had a nearly 400-pound halibut aboard. They caught the fish "right where everybody goes tanner crabbing," Mattson says. "Normally we... Full story
The pink salmon season is starting to hit its peak, but the numbers are looking below recent averages, according to Troy Thynes, area management biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. “Going into the season our preseason forecast was for a harvest of 34 million, which is below the recent 10 year average of 38 million,” he says. “Currently our harvest estimate is right around 11 million.” Pink salmon are the largest harvest in Southeast, and this year the strongest run is showing up south of Petersburg, with limited opening... Full story
The school board met in the high school library Tuesday night, after taking July off. The board also took a tour of summer improvements with director of maintenance Dan Tate before the meeting. Tate showed off and talked about the school’s new carpet, changes to a few classrooms and projects still in the works. School board members were excited about the improvements done over the summer, especially the new LED lighting installed in the school’s shop. The tour ended at the elementary school with Tate talking about the new rock garden and caf... Full story
Petersburg Parks and Rec. director Chandra Thornburg quickly fell in love with the community after recently moving here from Seattle, Washington. She appreciates the strong work ethic and unwavering civic pride locals showcase on a daily basis. "Petersburg overall is amazing, the amount of community support I've received is incredible," she says. "Everybody is very caring and kind, from the little kids on up." For Thornburg, moving to such a small town has a lot of perks, including the fact...
If you ask Wayne Short what his profession was he'll most likely respond with acute, warm laughter. The Petersburg resident will be turning 90 next week, and his resume includes veteran, carpenter, hunter, trapper, fisherman and author. Short's first book The Cheechakoes, published in 1964, became popular in Europe, and it bought him his first big boat, the F/V Denny M, a 45-footer that allowed him to start making "real money." The story of Short's life strongly follows the footsteps of his...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Juneau police say they were able to arrest a robbery suspect with the help of a witness who chased the man down and detained him until officers arrived. The Juneau Empire reports that officers had responded Sunday night to a report that 38-year-old Michael Hoyt had taken a cellphone from another man. A 45-year-old Juneau man who had been nearby then stepped in to stop Hoyt. Juneau police Lt. David Campbell says the witness was able to keep Hoyt restrained by resting his body on him until police arrived. Hoyt was treated f...
WRANGELL – A sewer main broke early Monday morning, necessitating a temporary shutdown of nearby pump stations and causing an overflow of untreated water into Inner Harbor. The main line connecting town to the sewage treatment plant ruptured near the Sea Level Seafoods processing facility at 1204 Zimovia Highway. City crews responded to the scene, shutting down pump stations near the Public Works Department building and City Park in order to repair the break. Eighty-five percent of Wrangell households are connected to the municipal sewage s...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Below the gangway leading down to Harris Harbor, 25-year-old medical student Austin Jones split open his foldable kayak, revealing among water bottles, camping and survival gear two canisters: one of Nutella and one of peanut butter. “Peanut butter and Nutella are pretty much the best foods you can pack in terms of caloric intake,’’ he said, standing above what looked like the plastic innards of a kayak-shaped beast. “Plus, they taste good.’’ Jones should know something about caloric intake: He just spent 59 days paddling...
BETHEL, Alaska (AP) _ Bethel officials are mulling over applications for a new city manager. The search comes after City Manager Ann Capela filed a notice to leave her three-year contract early at the end of June, citing struggles with the Arctic climate. The city agreed to let her leave without penalty, and she will step down Sept. 23. So far, the City Council has received nine applications for the job. Councilors are holding weekly meetings, which are open to the public, to discuss potential candidates until they select a person for the job....
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) – State officials and leaders are criticizing the federal government’s plan to open one-quarter of the land it manages in eastern Alaska to mining and oil development, saying it restricts development in the state. The Bureau of Land Management’s plan released in July designates 1.7 million acres for possible resource extraction, while recommending the other 4.8 acres of federal land remain closed to mining. It is scheduled to take effect after a 30-day appeal period, The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. The plan...
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) – A new report examining the impacts of a proposal calling for the University of Alaska's three campuses to drop their independent accreditations for system-wide accreditation ultimately argues against the change. The study released Wednesday found that single accreditation “is neither necessary nor sufficient'' to reduce costs or improve the student experience, The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. “In addition, the process to merge UA's institutions would be disruptive, take at least two years, and might not be ap...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she does not know if she will vote for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump this fall. But the moderate Alaska Republican told The Associated Press she knows who she won’t vote for, and that’s Democrat Hillary Clinton. Murkowski is concerned that Clinton’s policy positions would be harmful to a resource-producing state like Alaska. Murkowski said she has not endorsed Trump and will continue to speak out on issues where they disagree. She said that she has time to decide how she wil...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Federal wildlife officials are implementing a rule prohibiting predator control on national wildlife refuges in Alaska, more than 73 million acres of land, with some exceptions. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may still allow predator control the hunting of predators, such as wolves, to boost moose and caribou populations if the agency determines the effort is in response to conservation concerns, KTUU-TV reported. “Alaska’s national wildlife refuges are incredible landscapes with wildlife populations that suppo...
Harbormaster Glo Wollen addressed the borough assembly at its meeting Monday about an issue South Harbor is facing and what options are available to help maintain a productive harbor. “We’ve had an ongoing, kind of, an increasing issue with boats grounding in the South Harbor. Whether it’s isostatic rebound, glacial rebound or siltation, we’ve realized over probably the last 10 years the bottom of the harbor is getting higher,” Wollen said. “And so, I’m having more and more of our boats going aground on certain stages of the tide.” For Pe... Full story
An accidental discharge of a firearm happened Monday at the Tree’s RV Park general store, but only a couple beer cans were harmed, according to owner Larry Dunham. “Shot a hole in a couple of cans of beer, and then went into the floor, so it was just accidental,” he said. “No terrorists. Nobody was trying to shoot anybody.” Dunham said the Alaska State Troopers were immediately notified and would be dealing with any repercussions of the incident. Dunham didn’t know whether there would even be a citation involved or not. He wasn’t there when the... Full story
The weather might have forced a couple participants to drop out of the postponed 3rd Annual Paddle Battle, but the number of paddlers undertaking the activity continues to increase. Last weekend, 28 paddlers participated in the event, a fundraiser hosted by the Petersburg Medical Center Foundation, beginning at Papke's Landing and ending at Sandy Beach. "We ended up losing five people just because of the date change," said Sarah Holmgrain, community education assistant for PMC. "But I really... Full story
Public Works director Karl Hagerman updated the assembly about the ongoing municipal building renovation project at its meeting Monday. Phase 1 of the project began earlier this spring, and the main focus so far has been demolition. “A lot of demo had to happen in the building,” Hagerman said. “Floor slabs came out. Interior and exterior demo has been going pretty much the whole time. They are almost completed with everything they needed to take out, and they’ve started putting things back in.” Hagerman said contractors have completed some unde...
A 28-year-old Seattle man working aboard the F/V Odin was found deceased in his bunk by a fellow crew member Saturday morning. The cause of death is unknown, according to Tim Buness, Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department chief and Search and Rescue coordinator. The vessel, owned by Mark Severson of Petersburg, was located in Anita Bay near Wrangell, when the unresponsive Charles "Rhett" Richards was discovered. According to Buness, the U.S. Coast Guard and Wrangell Search and Rescue were in...
The Planning and Zoning Commission didn’t meet last month due to lack of quorum, and they might not meet this month after recently realizing the target date of an Aug. 15 make-up meeting wouldn’t work. However, the commission lacking a quorum during typically busy summer or winter months is nothing new. Since August of 2013, the commission averages one or two missed meetings a year due to lack of member participation. The commission had its April and July meetings canceled this year for lack of quorum, and its July meeting last year was als...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – It’s an election night tradition in Alaska: jubilant candidates followed by chanting, sign-waving supporters parade into a cavernous convention hall, shaking hands and taking their turn at the makeshift TV sets dotting what is known as “Election Central.’’ Republicans mill about with Democrats as race results are projected onto a bare wall by state election workers. Campaign staff line up interviews for their candidates as they cycle in and out of the room. But this longstanding event an outlier during a divisive...
SITKA, Alaska (AP) – The city of Sitka has announced that construction will start on the second phase of an oceanside sidewalk project thanks to more than $1.3 million in state funding. The money awarded through the Alaska Transportation Alternatives Program will help cover the cost of extending the walkway. The Sitka Sea Walk project is one of 12 projects funded statewide in the program under the state’s transportation department, The Sitka Sentinel reported. City Engineer Dan Tadic said the next phase of construction will extend the sea wal...
King salmon might not have been as abundant as gillnetters hoped for earlier this season, but the sockeye fishery on the Stikine starting in mid-June is coming in above predictions, according to Troy Thynes, area management biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. “For the Stikine sockeye, our preseason forecast was 223,000 sockeye,” Thynes said. “Which is an above average run forecast. The average run over the last 10 years is about 180,000.” After a week or so into the season, it became apparent based on strength of catches...
SITKA, Alaska (AP) – Efforts to advance bulk water sales in Sitka have stalled amid missed payments. Members of the Gary Paxton Industrial Park Board of Directors this week expressed frustration with the delays, but left open the possibility for the interested groups to buy water rights if they come up with the required money. Alaska Bulk Water Inc. had held water rights to Blue Lake for nearly 10 years. The Daily Sitka Sentinel reports the company’s last contract ended in December and a renewal attempt failed. A more recent proposal inv...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – An Alaska whale-watching cruise turned into a rescue mission for an unusual aquatic species a distressed, swimming deer. The 18-passenger tour vessel from Gastineau Guiding Co. lassoed the struggling deer on Wednesday, pulled it on board and gave it a ride to an island, Juneau radio station KTOO reported. Naturalist Audrey Benson said visitors and crew were watching whales when the boat received a radio transmission that deer were swimming in the saltwater on the west side of Shelter Island. “We heard that there were two...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The former chairman of the board tasked with regulating Alaska’s nascent marijuana industry has been removed by Gov. Bill Walker. Bruce Schulte was ousted from the Marijuana Control Board on Friday. Grace Jang, a Walker spokeswoman, said Tuesday that board members serve at the governor’s discretion and Walker decided it was time for a change. She said Schulte’s approach to staff and the administrative process was “less than satisfactory.’’ She said she could not elaborate. Schulte was appointed to the board in July 2015...
