Week of January 16, 2025
Week of January 16, 2025
Word arrived last week that Petersburg has finally secured funding for the Scow Bay Haul-out and Washdown Pad project. $8.8 million is coming through the Department of Transportation's Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program, part of more than $47 million for Alaska in federal transportation grants announced by U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan. The funding breakthrough came after eight consecutive applications submitted by the...
Subscribers log in for access to this week's PDF .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Subscribers, click here for the Full PDF of this week's Petersburg...
Rural schools, mostly in Southeast Alaska, are facing a major funding shortfall this year after the U.S. House of Representatives failed to reauthorize a bill aimed at funding communities alongside national forests and lands. The bipartisan Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act was first passed in 2000, and enacted to assist communities impacted by the declining timber industry. It provided funds for schools, as well as for roads, emergency services and wildfire prevention....
A Petersburg home was destroyed in a fire on Jan. 13. Just after noon, Petersburg's volunteer fire department, police and Alaska State Troopers responded to the residential fire - located about two miles out of town along Frederick Point Drive. Petersburg's Fire Chief Dan Bird said the house was "completely engulfed in flames" when firefighters arrived on scene. No one was home at the time of the fire; neighbors said the owners are on vacation. The fire was contained by midafternoon. "It's...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved a wishlist of community projects during their first meeting of the year on Jan. 6. Every year, the Alaska Legislature puts together a capital budget - money to fund big ticket projects around the state. And every year, the Petersburg Borough requests some of that money for local projects, and names its top ten priorities. Assembly member Jeigh Stanton Gregor said he isn't very optimistic the projects will receive large amounts of funding, but he likes...
Part of Petersburg's downtown was closed for nearly an hour on Jan. 9. Just after 7 p.m., George Marlow was waiting for a ride home from work at the IGA grocery store when he witnessed a black truck make a U-turn at the north end of Main Street. That's when, he said, the truck rammed into a trash can on the sidewalk. "Nearly got me right there," Marlow said. "He hit the garbage can, he seen me standing there and he just got on it ... way too fast." Heading south, the truck smashed into a parked...
A Petersburg man has pleaded not guilty for allegedly sharing child sexual abuse material. Alejandro “Alex” Melendez Aguilar, 45, was indicted last month on 10 felony charges for possession and distribution of child pornography. He was arraigned remotely from jail in Juneau through the Petersburg Courthouse on Jan. 6. Last year, law enforcement officers said they received a tip from Kik, a social networking app, reporting Aguilar’s account shared explicit sexual content of children....
Petersburg's tribal members picked a new council president on Monday, January 6. Voters elected Carol Martinez president of the Petersburg Indian Association Tribal Council, ending Debra O'Gara's term in the role after just one year. Brenda Norheim also ran for council president as a write-in candidate. Three two-year terms were open on the tribal council. The two incumbents running, Brandon Ware and Jaclyn Eide, both kept their seats. Adam Ware won the third seat. Marc Martinsen and Cina...
The Alaska Marine Highway System has added Wi-Fi service for passengers aboard the state ferry Columbia - with other ships in the fleet to follow. The service, which initially will be free on the Columbia, started last month when the ship came out of a yearlong layup to take over the weekly run between Bellingham, Washington, and Southeast Alaska when the Kennicott was pulled for its own yearlong layup for new generators. It's the first Alaska Marine Highway vessel "to provide free Wi-Fi access...
The Petersburg cheer squad had their first big performance this past homecoming weekend, as they hyped up the home crowd throughout the boys and girls basketball games against rival Wrangell. "I think it was a big eye-opener for some that have never cheered ... they did well," head coach Becky Turland said. "They also had to set up for the homecoming dance in the morning and Sunday morning had to meet to clean up because cheer is in charge of the homecoming dance, so they had a very long...
The Petersburg Vikings were host to their rival the Wrangell Wolves during homecoming weekend. The Vikings started faster in game one, feeding off the home crowd's energy. With 2:10 left in the first, the Vikings had an early 10-7 lead. Then, the Wolves ended the quarter on a 5-1 run to take a 12-11 lead. The game would continue to go back and forth in the second until multiple Vikings turnovers turned into a 7-0 Wolves run to take a 21-15 lead with 3:53 left until halftime. The Vikings were...
The Petersburg Lady Vikings looked for improvement against their rival the Wrangell Lady Wolves. However, game one didn't start the way they wanted to. At the end of the first, the Lady Vikings were down 15-6. "We had started in our 1-3-1 and [the Lady Wolves] were having quite a bit of success against it so that's something as a coach, I'll need to go figure out," head coach Matt Pawuk said. During the second quarter, the Lady Vikings switched to a box-and-one defense, focusing on Wrangell...
New Year, new ideas To the Editor: It’s a new year, and it’s time for some new ideas. I’m an artist so I always have ideas. I love Petersburg – but sometimes I think there is a tendency to dwell in the past. Japanese buyers are no longer paying a premium for everything we catch. Maximizing fish production is not the golden ticket anymore. As a remote Alaskan community, we should be thinking hard about how we can offer value to the world. Official charts predict population decline here. It’s not hard to become a ghost town (hint:...
Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s transition report to the Trump administration accuses the Biden administration of carrying out a four-year assault on Alaska’s economy and that the Trump administration needs to repair the damage. Somehow in the equation for what constitutes creating economic opportunity and being pro-Alaska, the massive Willow project doesn’t count. Nor does the $10.1 billion in public investments in clean energy, infrastructure, and manufacturing. Nor does aiding Alaska’s visitor industry in a time of post-pandemic need. What...
Proud fathers Ben Case and Beau Ward each crown their kids, Iris Case and Elias Ward - this year's homecoming queen and king - during the festivities between Saturday's varsity games against...
January 16, 1925 – The bachelors are going to entertain the people of Petersburg at the Sons of Norway Hall on Saturday, January 17th. There will be entertainment, a big dinner and dancing. Everyone is cordially invited to attend. The bachelors are to be hosts and wish everyone to know that there will be no admittance or other charges. January 13, 1950 – With memories of last winter’s dry spell still fresh in their minds, citizens of Petersburg are watching the city’s water supply dwindle away to almost nothing this week. With her...
January 8 – Dispatch assisted in contacting the owner of a vehicle to be moved after a parking complaint was received. An officer spoke with a complainant concerning a civil issue. January 9 – A report was received of a possible downed communication line, Power and Light responded. A driver on North Nordic Drive was educated on helmet requirements for passengers of an ATV. On Sandy Beach Road a driver was issued a warning for speed and tag display requirements. Five calls were received regarding a motor vehicle incident in downtown...
The Rural Alaska Honors Institute is accepting applications for its summer 2025 session. The session will run from May 27 to July 11. Applications are due by Saturday, March 1. RAHI is a competitive college preparation program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. It is open to Alaska Native and rural Alaska students with at least a 3.0 GPA following the completion of their junior or senior year of high school. The program aims to help students thrive academically by exposing them to life on campus, enhancing their self-confidence and...
The Southeast Alaska Landslide Information and Preparedness Conference will take place on March 11 and 12 in Sitka, Alaska. This two day SLIP conference will focus on sharing information, tools and resources that support Southeast Alaskan communities to plan for, respond to, and mitigate risks of landslides in Southeast Alaska. The conference is appropriate for planners, first responders, Tribal natural resources personnel, and anyone who wants information on the state of landslide work in our region. Room rates are available now at Westmark...
Petersburg Pilot... Full story
Petersburg Pilot... Full story
