Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 121
If you spend lots of time out on the water, you may, sooner than later, be seeing dolphins and porpoises you wouldn’t normally see this far north. Marine Mammal Specialist Kate Wynne, with the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program, went over common and upcoming cetacean species in Southeast Alaskan waters during the Petersburg Science Series Tuesday evening at the Public Library, speaking to a crowd of about 15. “Things are changing so much out in the ocean that I want to get you alerted to the fact that there are these other species tha...
The Vikings and Valkyries of Petersburg will soon be wandering the streets again, participating in the Little Norway Festival’s biggest schedule yet. This year’s celebration of Norwegian heritage, Syttende Mai (May 17, the day Norway’s Constitution was signed in 1814), Armed Forces Day, the upcoming fishing season and spring will feature a couple of new events, Little Norway Festival Committee Chair Janet Holten said. The Devil’s Thumb Shooters Petersburg Rod and Gun Club will be holding a raffle to support students headed to the state shoot i... Full story
It’s been a concern since budget talks began: the Alaska Marine Highway System’s summer ferry service will remain as scheduled — with the exception of the MV Taku. That ferry won’t be returning until October as maintenance to other vessels has delayed its annual overhaul, according to Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. The MV Taku was originally slated to begin sailing again in July. With the Taku out, sailings to and from Prince Rupert, British Columbia, will be cut from four to two trips a week. Those include stops in... Full story
With Petersburg joining the rest of the state in bracing for future budget cuts, the consultants working on the borough’s comprehensive plan said they’ve already taken a “head on” approach when setting goals. Much of Wednesday evening’s assembly work session with representatives from Agnew Beck Consulting Firm honed in on challenges. “We’re not going to have the money in the future we have now,” assembly member Bob Lynn said, adding he doesn’t want the borough to set expectations it can’t meet. Consultant Shelly Wade said the reality is that... Full story
After a nine month process, the Tongass Advisory Committee (TAC) has approved its recommendations for a transition to young-growth timber in the Tongass National Forest. “It’s a pretty complex set of recommendations, but there were two important pieces, I think,” TAC Co-Chair Lynn Jungwirth said: agreement on the timberland base and what to do with it. She added that TAC agreed to a no-net-loss of the existing young-growth land base last week, and to “a different kind of forestry” in which timber comes out as habitat, recreational and touri...
Taking more than a million steps in six weeks' time, Mary Meucci topped this year's pedometer challenge, earning herself a $350 gift certificate and iPad mini. Meucci logged 1,090,486 steps and got first pick during an awards ceremony Tuesday evening at the Petersburg Public Library. Following her was Gail Herlick-Aho with 1,058,481 steps and Mark Tuccillo with 870,958. Sponsored by the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department, Petersburg Mental Health Services and the Petersburg School District, Pe...
Alaska’s legislature has yet to formally reconvene in special session as it was expected to do Tuesday. Instead, hearings are being held and it’s unclear when things will move forward, Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (D-Sitka) said Tuesday afternoon. “There’s not a clear path ahead,” he said. Kreiss-Tomkins and many others aren’t “thrilled with the lack of a fully funded budget.” He added that the hearings are “more for show than it is for substance” as people try to get their points across. “In my mind, we need to create a compromised budget, p...
Petersburg High School is examining the possibility of altering requirements for valedictorian status, among other potential changes for next year. Principal Rick Dormer presented a “very draft” version of grade and graduation proposals during the school board’s meeting Tuesday evening in assembly chambers. The process began last fall with former superintendent Lisa Stroh. Dormer said he’s received some parent feedback, but no student input yet. The goal is to have changes in place for the new school year. Right now, the school takes academi...
The Petersburg Borough Public Works Department has met a 48 hour nuisance abatement order issued by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for a spillage of waste, but an investigation continues. The Wastewater Utility transports and buries piles of solid waste at the borough's landfill about once a week. Last week, while digging a hole with an excavator, Public Works Director Karl Hagerman said, sludge sitting to the side to be buried slid down a hill to a stream that runs to the... Full story
The City of Kupreanof has asked the state to reconsider its proposed Southeast State Forest Management Plan. City Councilor David Beebe wrote a letter on the city’s behalf and submitted it during a public comment period that ended April 30. Representatives from the Division of Forestry traveled across Southeast Alaska to collect feedback and provide information on the plan during public meetings last month. It would affect over 3,800 acres on Mitkof Island. Beebe wrote that the plan “relegates the Southern Southeast State Forest to that of an i...
It's got humor, romance, revenge and redemption. The Mitkof Mummers Theater Company's "Shipwreck on Cannery Island" hits the stage next week during the Little Norway Festival. It's writer/director Orin Pierson and co-writer Mary Koppes' first play, and a portion of proceeds will go toward the Mummers' newly founded Vara Wright Memorial Scholarship for high school students who plan to continue performing arts in college. Wright, a Mitkof Mummers founder who wrote and directed their plays for... Full story
Looking to start up a business or expand one? Have ideas that are full of planet, people and profit possibilities? There’s a contest going on right now that could benefit someone just like that. For the third year, the Haa Aani Community Development Fund, Inc. and Nature Conservancy are holding the Southeast Alaska Path to Prosperity (P2P) contest. Haa Aani Office Administrator Shawn Blumenshine said they work with both existing small businesses and new startups during the entrepreneurial competition. Two winners receive $40,000 each to go t...
Petersburg’s Market received a big boost in the form of an U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farmers Market Promotion Program Grant. “It’s a really awesome opportunity for us to support as many businesses as possible,” Market Manager Chelsea Tremblay said. The Market will use a portion of the roughly $26,000 two-year grant to help those interested in selling items locally get started, along with assisting micro businesses in growing. The grant’s purpose, according to the USDA, is to develop and improve outreach, training and technical...
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Division of Water has issued a nuisance abatement order giving the Petersburg Borough Public Works Department 48 hours to clean up a spillage of waste. The Wastewater Utility transports and buries piles of solid waste at the borough’s landfill. This week, while digging a hole with an excavator, Public Works Director Karl Hagerman said, sludge sitting to the side to be buried slid down a hill to a creek that runs to the Sandy Beach Park a...
A 22-year-old Juneau woman was indicted in a residential burglary and is a suspect in other cases, police say. A grand jury indicted Brittany Lynn Martin on a Class B felony charge of burglary in the first degree on April 24. An arrest warrant was issued for her on April 16. According to the indictment, Martin allegedly entered a residence in mid-February with the intent to commit the crime of theft. Petersburg Police Chief Kelly Swihart said there was video surveillance in that case and, according to court documents, Martin was identified in... Full story
Mara Lutomski became "fired up" to get involved with the community through the school board during talks surrounding the state's budget shortfall and local impacts. "I am impressed at the responsible fiscal choices that this district has made and I want to be a part of that decision making process," she wrote in her letter of interest. The Petersburg School Board approved her as its new member during a special meeting Monday evening at the District Office. Former board president Jean Ellis'... Full story
They’re everywhere in Alaska and they’re useful in sometimes surprising ways. Karen Dillman, a botanist with the U.S. Forest Service, spoke to a crowd of about 10 at the Petersburg Public Library on Thursday, April 23, about coastal lichens. For these particular lichens, “the beach has created a niche so they can be successful,” she said. Some thrive in areas of ocean spray or right along the water. Dillman went over several different types during the Petersburg Science Series presentation, such as the verrucaria maura she named her daughte...
The Petersburg Medical Center (PMC) has moved to protect patients and itself against any potential cyber attacks. The hospital’s Board of Directors approved the purchase of CPM (cyber, privacy and media) liability insurance, underwritten by Lloyds of London CFC Syndicate, in the amount of $6,666.45 per year, including taxes and fees, during its regular board meeting Thursday, April 23. The $2 million policy will cover the hospital if there’s a breach of information, or an accusation of one, said IT Specialist Don Bieber. “The risk we have...
The Petersburg School District has found a new way to assist its students in becoming better readers in a short amount of time. For the second year, the district is using Fast Forward, a computer delivered brain fitness program that not only improves reading, but concentration, processing and even math skills. Each student's time with the program varies, but many finish an assignment, such as reading or literacy, in about nine weeks, and 90 percent of them improve, Activities Director Jaime...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) has announced further openings for the spring troll fishery. The following Terminal Harvest Areas (THA) will again open at 12:01 a.m. Friday and remain so until further notice: Neets Bay, Anita Bay, Port Armstrong and Hidden Falls. Frederick Sound, which initially opened April 16 and closed today, Thursday, will reopen on Friday and remain so until May 7, along with all of the Ketchikan area, the Icy Strait/North Chatham areas, Ernest Sound in the Wrangell/Prince of Wales area and Stag Bay in the...
Petersburg hosted and won the state's first co-ed vs. co-ed roller derby bout Saturday night, and "oh my gosh, it was so great," Devil's Club Co-Captain Rebecca Anderson said of the experience. The Southeast team, comprised of Petersburg and Wrangell skaters, defeated Fairbanks' Frozen Chosen 182-165 in the Petersburg High School gym. Devil's Co-Captain Shawna Buness, of Wrangell, said the co-ed bout "was really exciting for how new derby is in Southeast." The men who normally referee the game... Full story
The zoning subcommittee of the Local Marijuana Regulation Advisory Committee met for the first time Wednesday to begin the process of determining where marijuana retailers can open business. Committee member Mitch Eide said he figured zoning would be similar to that for liquor stores in town. Places that sell or serve alcohol sit at or beyond 500 feet of the city’s schools in commercial zones. Eide added, though, that the committee is “spinning our wheels” until the state comes up with its regulations. “I think it’s important that we try to id...
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has proposed removing the majority of humpback whale populations from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing. The announcement came Monday when NOAA officials stated protection and restoration efforts over the past 40 years have led to an increase in numbers and growth rates for the mammals in many areas. The animal was first listed as endangered in 1970. "I'm extremely excited about it," said Fred Sharpe, a scientist for the Alaska...
Comments are still being accepted for the proposed Southeast State Forest Management Plan that has raised some concerns among Petersburg residents. The plan applies to lands designated by the Legislature in 2010 and 2011 as the Southeast State Forest, which has the primary purpose of timber management. It’s meant to guide long term management of the lands and identify policies to be followed. The plan includes a total of 4,467 acres in the Petersburg Management Area: 664 in the Rowan Bay Unit on Kuiu Island, 890 in the Frederick Point Unit, 1...
The Petersburg Trident plant is working to double production this summer with new processing equipment and upgrades. Southeast Manager John Webby said the processing plant building is being gutted to put in new floor joists and processing equipment. He said they’re looking to streamline production and cut back on labor to “make it (the plant) more efficient.” “We’re also making it so we can expand in the future if the need arises,” he said. Right now there’s no expansion going on and the number of employees will remain the same. “It’s not a h...
