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Clare Painter has always liked a little adventure in her life, and she recently undertook a challenge she never saw coming–reality TV. She will appear on Fox Network's new reality show "American Grit" on Thursday, April 14, at 5 p.m. local time. Painter moved to Petersburg in 1986, and spent two summers working salmon and black cod at Cold Storage, then spent the next 20 years working on fishing boats. "Fishing was always challenging, it was always changing," Painter says. One of the biggest p...
JUNEAU (AP) — Delta Airlines says it will no longer offer flights from Juneau in the fall and winter months because demand from Alaska residents at those times is low. Mike Medeiros, Delta's vice president in Seattle, said the flights will end this year on Aug. 31. The airline will still offer flights in the spring and fall, The Juneau Empire reports. The Atlanta-based airline started flying between Juneau and Seattle during the spring and summer of 2014. The flights created competition, marking the first time in nearly 20 years that Alaska Air...
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) — Commercial fishermen in Alaska are expected to harvest fewer salmon this year. The Ketchikan Daily News reports that according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's run forecast and harvest projections, this year's salmon harvest is expected to catch about 161 million statewide, more than 100 million less than in 2015. Fish and Game officials say the decline is due to fewer pink salmon, which are the backbone of Southeast Alaska's annual commercial salmon landings. Southeast Alaska's commercial fleets, mostly p...
JUNEAU (AP) — Gov. Bill Walker said Tuesday that as much of an optimist as he is, he doesn't see state legislators wrapping up work on all the pieces needed for a fiscal plan by the scheduled end of the regular legislative session Sunday. Walker wants lawmakers to approve a fiscal package to help dig the state out of a multibillion-dollar budget deficit exacerbated by low oil prices. He sees as key elements reduced state spending, a restructuring of Alaska Permanent Fund earnings and the dividend program, and new revenues that include a b...
The State of Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (ADEED) cancelled statewide testing assessments last Friday. Multiple interruptions and glitches affected testing in Petersburg schools. According to a department press release, the computer based Alaska Measures of Progress (AMP) tests were interrupted beginning Tuesday when a construction worker accidentally severed a fiber optic cable at the University of Kansas. “The university houses the state’s testing vendor, the Achievement & Assessment Institute,” the release state... Full story
(Story updated at 5 p.m. Friday, April 8) A Cessna 206 crashed on southern Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska on Friday morning. The Cessna is registered to Wrangell air service Sunrise Aviation, and had departed from Wrangell Friday morning. U.S. Coast Guard rescue controller Nick Meyer reported that the Cessna 206’s satellite distress signal went off at 9:28 a.m., and that the crashed plane was spotted at 11:25 a.m. about 20 miles southeast of Angoon. Petty Officer 1st Class Shawn Eggert with the USCG Public Affairs Detachment was able t... Full story
The Community Health Fair is kicking off this Saturday, April 9 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m at the Petersburg Community Gym. Around 30 vendors will set up information booths where you can check your hearing and blood pressure and receive vaccines. Public Health Nurse Erin Michael will give TDAP (Tetanus, Diptheria, Pertussis) boosters, but make sure you bring a copy of your shot records. Other vendors will present information about exercise, boat safety and independent living for older adults. Petersburg Medical Clinic Lab and Imaging director Liz... Full story
Last week’s story about the state budget stated that municipalities across Alaska are already facing decreased revenue sharing from the state. In Petersburg that amounts to a loss of $30 million from the normal $60 million it receives in revenue sharing. Those numbers reflect statewide cuts, not local cuts. Locally, the Petersburg Borough is facing roughly $170,000 less in revenue sharing. The Pilot regrets the error....
The Petersburg Borough Assembly will begin approving a draft version of a marijuana ordinance at its first meeting in May after Assembly Member Eric Castro suggested they get going with the process. “In order to allow the entrepreneurs in town to give them the time before the state really starts to accept the permits I feel it’s our due diligence to get this ordinance passed however we see fit after the three readings to give the public the amount of time they need to come up with their business models,” Castro said. The assembly has been solic...
Petersburg Medical Center long-term care residents last month expressed an interest in increasing gardening opportunities, and possibly forming a gardening club. PMC activities coordinator Janna Machalek said residents have two tables in the solarium dedicated to gardening and several planters full of dirt. "The residents have planted kale, peppers, tomatoes, and radishes so far," Machalek said. "They have transplanted some mint and basil starts. Residents who are interested keep an eye on the...
Juneau — The Juneau Community Foundation announces that the Douglas-Dornan Foundation Fund is seeking 2016 grant applications. The Douglas- Dornan Foundation awards financial grants one time each year to non-profit organizations and their employees that benefit and enhance the health, education and welfare of individuals in Southeast Alaska. Examples of possible Foundation financial support include, but are not limited to: • Non-profit charitable organizations, social service agencies, childcare institutions, foster parent programs and ear...
Petersburg Borough Assembly members face tough decisions when it comes to funding local community service organizations, especially amid concerns over decreased state funding. The decrease in revenue from the state along with the possibility of an increase in public employee retirement (PERS) contributions dominated much of the discussion Monday as the Borough Assembly advanced the budget in its second reading. The Senate Finance Committee proposed a bill last week that would increase local PERS contributions from its current 22 percent to...
JUNEAU (AP) — The Alaska education department announced Friday that it is canceling its computer-based statewide student assessments this year, citing technical disruptions and concerns with the validity of the results. Federal rules call for state education departments to administer standards-based tests for students in grades three through eight and once in high school, but they also say the tests are to be high quality, valid and reliable and of adequate technical quality, interim Commissioner Susan McCauley said. “I do not believe at this p...
JUNEAU (AP) — State officials in Alaska are proposing a program to address high-cost health insurance claims in hopes of stabilizing rising rates on the individual policy market. Just two companies — Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield and Moda Health Plan Inc. — serve the individual market in Alaska and have filed for double-digit rate increases each of the past two years. State officials say that's not sustainable. They hope that reviving a high-risk pool to handle claims for the costliest conditions will bring some relief. The idea is to sprea...
JUNEAU (AP) — A House fisheries committee advanced a rewrite of Gov. Bill Walker's fisheries tax bill on Tuesday, diverting half of the potential revenue into a seafood marketing fund. The bill, one of six proposed taxes on industries from Walker, could raise an additional $18 million in revenue by adding a one percent tax increase to portions of the commercial fishing industry. The new language requires that one-half of the tax increase to be deposited into a newly created Alaska Seafood Marketing Fund. The legislature is also given the o...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Oil and Gas Association has announced that the state had its first year-over-year increase in oil production in more than a decade. KTUU-TV reports that the figures provided by the Alaska Department of Revenue show that oil production between April 2015 and March 2016 was nearly one percent higher from the previous year. The state has not seen a yearly increase in oil production since 2002. A spokeswoman for the associatoin, Sarah Erkmann, says the growth can be attributed to tax changes approved by the s...
ANCHORAGE (AP) — A Wasilla man fleeing Alaska State Troopers was taken into custody after he was shot by a homeowner. The 24-year-old man was treated and released for a non-life-threatening injury and remained jailed Thursday. Troopers forwarded details of the shooting to the district attorney's office for review. The incident began when an officer just before 4 p.m. Wednesday tried to stop a pickup for an equipment violation in Wasilla. The driver sped off and passed a school bus with red lights activated. The man jumped out, ran through y...
JUNEAU (AP) — The Alaska House has rejected Senate changes to a marijuana bill and voted to have House and Senate negotiators work on a compromise. The version of HB 75 that passed the House last year is different from what passed the Senate in February. The Senate version incorporates provisions sought by the Marijuana Control Board to allow for national criminal history checks for marijuana business applicants. It lowers from the House bill the household limit for marijuana plants and would prohibit pot businesses from operating in u...
The 6th Annual Circle of Life Run/Walk will take place April 23 at Sandy Beach, and the entire community is invited to participate. The event offers the opportunity to celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer and remember loved ones lost. “It is a time to grieve, a time to find healing and a time to celebrate,” says Michele Parker. “It really is a community event where people can bring their kids, strollers, dogs. It's for everyone.” Parker says the event represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten. It also...
WRANGELL - In an agreement reached March 24, the University of Alaska will be cooperating with Petersburg High School and the Wrangell Ranger District to conduct research at LeConte Glacier. Under the arrangement, the project will be undertaken by university researchers making third-party use of the high school's special use permit issued by USFS' Alaska regional office. The university's study will monitor the dynamics, glacial runoff and subglacial discharge of LeConte Glacier. It discharges...
The Senate Finance Committee introduced a bill, SB 209, that would raise local government and school retirement contributions from 22 percent to 26.5 percent by 2018 and would likely translate to cuts in services and or tax increases locally. PERS, or Public Employee Retirement System, is the state’s retirement benefit plan. Every public employee has a certain tier of benefits and each municipality annually chips in a portion of those benefits. SB 209 increases those municipal contributions incrementally and means local government would i... Full story
A group of Petersburg High School students organized a protest last Friday and started a petition this week to modify the PHS dress code policy to allow leggings and yoga pants without the added requirement of shorts or a long shirt. More than 20 PHS girls wore yoga pants to school last Friday to protest the school's policy that requires a student to wear clothing such as shorts or skirts over yoga pants or other tight fitting leggings. "Tight-fitting leggings, leotards and spandex bottoms,... Full story
Petersburg Children's Center (PCC) teacher Theressa Phillips received the Southeast Alaska Infant Toddler Teacher of the Year award given by the Association for Education of Young Children (AEYC) at its annual conference March 17-19 in Juneau. PCC director Brandi Heppe nominated Phillips for the award, and PCC staff and parents wrote letters of support detailing the great work Phillips does and why she deserved the recognition. "Toddlers is a tough job to do because it's a lot to juggle and... Full story
Petersburg High School senior Kylie Wallace won a top spot in the region and went on to place in the top four in the state's Poetry Out Loud competition, earning her a performance in the final round. Nine finalists from schools across the state were selected and went to Juneau to compete. "They gave us a tour around the capitol building and we got to see the governor's house and later that night we got to compete against each other." Wallace said. Wallace had to memorize three poems for three...
Petersburg building overall project valuation decreased slightly in 2015 compared to 2104. However residential and commercial building construction increased, according to a Petersburg Borough 2015 Building Permit Report. In 2015, building valuation was $4 million compared to $5.3 million in 2014. The increase in local residential construction equated to around $2.7 million in 2015, an increase of more than $800,000 compared to 2014. Commercial construction saw a slight downturn from $1.3 million to$1.1 million. Overall project valuation...
