Sorted by date Results 901 - 925 of 947
Thank you during our time of loss To the Editor: I would like to thank the town of Kake for their unbelievable support during our time of loss and to everyone from Kake that showed up at the ferry terminal in Kake with my auntie Kathy Friday. My mom Charlene Jackson didn’t know her mom had passed away shortly after she had left Petersburg to get her older sister Kathy to go be with their mom Martha Jackson. Thank you Kake for being there for my mom and my auntie, and thank you to all that attended the services in Juneau and Kake and traveled t...
Thanks for the new sidewalks To the Editor: I want to thank the young men who built the sidewalk on the ANB Hall blocks. They did a beautiful job and in such a short period of time, and deserve recognition for the good job they did. Thanks guys. Merry Armin Dog Variety Show a success To the Editor: A big thank you to the folks who walked dogs in the parade with our banner and entered them in the Dog Variety Show afterward. The costumes were adorable. Thanks to our intrepid panel of judges, Sean, Jacob, Mary and Sarah, who agreed to take on the...
The perspective of fairness To the Editor: Recently, several city residents in support of the borough made an acrid accusation that my husband and I are free loaders in regard to city services. For the benefit of other like-minded individuals, I wish to put this issue in perspective as it applies to our situation as residents of Farragut Bay. We are probably the most remote of those who live outside city limits in the proposed borough. Our house is approximately a 60-mile roundtrip to Petersburg over often very rough water in Frederick Sound....
We like to hear from our readers. Some people write letters. Some people drop by the office. A recent visitor questioned why the Pilot carried two pages of news on the recall of the Wrangell hospital board and the subsequent firing of the hospital administrator (June 21, 2012 edition). “Didn’t you have any Petersburg news?” the reader queried. Certainly, we had Petersburg news, but nothing quite as important as the goings-on in Wrangell. The news generated by the recall of all but one member of the Wrangell hospital board and the firing by th...
Is music harassment? To the Editor: I am writing this letter concerning how a neighbor could be so eager to call the police on such petty things, including but not limited to the loudness of my music at 7 p.m. while I was in my yard filleting halibut. When an officer came to my house, the officer said my music was not that loud, but as a favor to them could I please turn down my music so that they did not have to deal with another call from my neighbors. This particular neighbor has been known to call the police so often, that when my neighbor...
Because of the alleged antics of a few bad apples, city ordinance 961 has been created, revised and discussed and will soon go before the city council. The ordinance revises the chain of command in the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department (PVFD) along with other functions. The ordinance was due for a revision because a lot has changed since current volunteer Sam Bunge assumed control of the department as a paid chief during his tenure (1998-2008). Any leader of a volunteer organization will readily admit that it is difficult to maintain...
Made my day To the Editor: A heartfelt thank you to the person who found my wallet on Hungry Point Trail and turned it in to the police. Many thanks, you made my day. Andrea Turner Mounds View, MN Correct title To the Editor: Regarding an article, "Flames claim home Sunday evening," published in the May 31 edition of the Petersburg Pilot, I noticed the reporter referred to the responders as Petersburg Fire Department. The name of that organization is Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department. While it may have been a simple writing-on-deadline...
Softball tourney success To the Editor: I would like to take a moment and thank everyone involved with making the Eric Corl Memorial Softball Tournament a success. Mamie Nilson for doing most, and I mean practically everything in organizing this great event; Parks and Rec for getting the field ready for us; Little League for running concessions and selling our sweatshirts; Duane Bell for umping the games. Without Duane’s volunteering his time and his skill we would really be scrambling for good umps. Last to all the teams that showed up to play...
Hello again. After a short break to visit family, I wanted to report, from my Corner of the House, on all the latest news. Between budgets, a special session, and redistricting, there’s a lot going on. The best news is how well the Capital Budget came out. Because the legislature worked so carefully with the governor to keep expenditures at a reasonable level, there were very few vetoes. All the projects that are so critically needed in our District 2 communities can expect to get started, or at least be put out for bids, very soon. The recent...
We welcome members of the Local Boundary Commission to Petersburg. The long awaited public hearing on Petersburg’s proposal to dissolve the City of Petersburg and form a new borough government is underway. Testimony on Petersburg’s borough petition started on Wednesday and will continue through Friday with the culmination of the LBC’s decision on the city’s borough formation effort being presented on Friday at 3 p.m. according to the proposed agenda. The chair has ultimate control of the agenda. Meetings are held at the city council chamber...
Sense of irony noted To the Editor: I noted with a sense of irony the listing of several of the City of Petersburg’s witnesses to be called at the upcoming Local Boundary Commission hearing to testify on behalf of forming a borough. Their special area of expertise is listed as the history of the City of Petersburg and its Norwegian heritage. I wonder if they realize they are advocating for the demise of the City of Petersburg. If the borough goes through, the current City of Petersburg will vanish. From the day the borough is formed, they w...
Let us be teenagers To the Editor: This year Petersburg High School worked toward hosting a successful, safe and enjoyable Promenade. “Prom” is a classy event where students have the opportunity to dress formally and enjoy an evening with friends in a highly decorated special venue. We were a few of the students who attended Petersburg High School’s 2012 Prom: A Black Tie Affair. The junior class did an excellent job of decorating, and supplying tasty food and drinks. However, if you talk to the students who went, the majority of them will...
How Was Prom? To the Editor: “How was Prom?” This was the primary question asked of me in the days following the Prom (held Saturday night, May 5, 2012). The vast majority of Petersburg High School students and guests rose to the published expectations of the occasion and enjoyed an evening of fun and appropriate dance. Did some individuals need reminding? Yes. Were they respectful when reminded of the expectations? Absolutely. A big thank you and congratulations to our great PHS students for their help in making this a successful Prom. A spe...
Keep it classy To the Editor: As we approach the end of the 2011-2012 school year, our annual Prom dance is almost upon us. As a staff, we enjoy the yearly transformation of our students dressing up and becoming “proper” ladies and gentlemen for a night. Especially in Southeast, devoid of malls and high-priced fashion stores (thank goodness), investing the time and money to dress formally is a major commitment and, coupled with the forever memories of prom night, should be a special night of friendship, festivity and laughter. Petersburg Hig...
PIA changes To the Editor: Out of respect to the many relationships that the Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) provides to the Petersburg School District, City of Petersburg, Roads Programs, and businesses in the community, the PIA Board of Directors would like to reassure the community of the strength and stability of our organization. PIA has undergone many organizational changes within the last year with the addition of new board members and changes in leadership. Change is always a challenge however be reassured that PIA is moving...
Hello once more from Alaska’s capitol. Well, the 90 day session Legislature came to an end shortly after midnight on Sunday. It was a mad dash the last few days, with dozens of bills being passed in both bodies after weeks of deliberation in committees. There was also a rush of creative bill drafting during the last half day that helped both bodies pass some important legislation. One of the great things about working on the budgets this year is that for every dollar spent in the Capital B...
Apparently we’re wealthy? To the Editor: It should give us all a comforting feeling to know that we live in a community so wealthy that we can pay someone $20,000 to totally destroy and haul away to be burned or dumped a building worth in excess of $500,000. If we tore down every building on the island 29 years old or older there wouldn’t be much left, especially on main street. Mike Schwartz...
We like Skookum To the Editor: Last week’s letter about our town’s vet really bothered me. I understand that letters are people’s opinions and everybody has one, so I thought I would write an opinion of my own. I don’t care that Dr. Hill bought a house in town, or that he bought the clinic. I will not take my pets to him. I tried that once and was turned away. He told me, very rudely, to go home and give her some water. Well I had already tried that and a vet was my last resort, she was not eating or drinking and I wanted someone to help. S...
Hello again from Juneau. We're down to crunch time now, with the major focus being on the budgets, education funding, and oil taxes. The House is now primarily hearing Senate bills. The Senate is doing the same, by hearing House bills during the last week and a half of the session. There will be hundreds of bills that will die at the end of this session. Less than ten bills have passed both houses. The Senate passed their version of the Operating Budget, changing the House version in hundreds...
Fundraising drive a success To the Editor: Rae C. Stedman Elementary recognizes the combined efforts of many toward the success of our fundraising drive entitled, “Reading with a Meaning.” From local businesses to community members, from parents to students, we linked efforts and stood as one to give the gift of a lifetime to the children of Wondo Genet, Ethiopia--an education. Our brightly decorated little yellow donation boxes were accepted and displayed at local businesses. Many businesses then showed their support with a generous don...
Last year the Sons of Norway Fedrelandet Lodge #23 celebrated their 100th birthday as an organization. This year, the SONs celebrate the 100th year of their hall’s construction. The amazing thing about the Sons of Norway Hall is that it was built in just three months. That is an incredible feat given the state of construction technology in 1912. Given the size of the structure, an incredible number of volunteers must have showed up for the work party to get such a project completed in such a short time. Today, the same can-do attitude prevails...
Hello again from the Legislature. Now that we’re down to the last two weeks of session, the pace is really picking up and the hours getting longer. I was very pleased that my resolution to recreate the state’s dedicated transportation fund received approval of the House on Friday. House Joint Resolution 4 would put a constitutional amendment before the voters in November to amend the Alaska Constitution - reinstating a dedicated Alaska Transportation Infrastructure Fund (ATIF). As the state’s po...
A spring time thank you To the Editor: With spring just around the corner I would like to thank the City of Petersburg, especially Jesse O’Connor and his crew for the way they have been taking care of the cemetery these past years. I have loved ones up there and when I spend time there, it seems more like a park then a cemetery. Also I would like to give a big thanks for the flowers and hanging baskets all over town. This really beautifies Petersburg during the summer months. Jim Stromdahl Requesting information To the Editor: My name is E...
Plans for making construction improvements to the Blaquiere Point boat launch ramp will be met with outright glee by those who have used the largely unimproved site. Getting onto the Stikine River via the Blaquiere Point launch site defied the oft quoted phrase, “getting there is half the fun.” Likewise, retrieving your boat, particularly at low tide, was an adventure. Finding pickup trucks stuck in the mud as the tide rolled in; seeing broken down vehicles and boat trailers abandoned on the rocky slope; removing beached deadheads prior to usi...
Hello again from Juneau. By the time you read this report we’ll be entering the last 22 days of the session, during which we will be focusing on passage of the bills that we really feel are the most important. The House has passed the Operating Budget, which is our only constitutional duty. Now we’re waiting for the Senate to share the Capital Budget with us, so that we can carefully review and hopefully add to it before adjournment. There’s been a lot of discussion lately about Energy. With...
