Articles written by brian varela


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  • 20 residents to serve as election officials

    Brian Varela|Sep 24, 2020

    The Borough Assembly approved 20 members of the public to serve as election officials during the municipal election on Oct. 6. at their assembly meeting on Monday. The names of 19 election officials went before the assembly, but a 20th name, Stephanie Payne, was added to the list. Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson said with the addition of Payne, she had enough election officials to serve on Election Day. Assembly Member Jeff Meucci requested Thompson explain the process for someone to run in the...

  • Rainforest run raises $225 for PHS cross country

    Brian Varela|Sep 24, 2020

    Petersburg Medical Center's sixth annual Rainforest Run raised $225 for the Petersburg High School cross country team on Saturday, according to PMC Public Relations Coordinator Kelsey Lambe. The course began at Sandy Beach and continued down Cabin Creek Rd. Runners and walkers continued on to their turnaround point and then headed back to Sandy Beach. Participants had the choice of running or walking a 10k or half marathon. While the race was free to participants, donations were accepted on beha...

  • Officials explain emergency ordinance in town hall

    Brian Varela|Sep 17, 2020

    The Petersburg Borough held a virtual town hall on Sept. 10 to inform the public on the civil emergency provisions ordinance, which is set to go before the assembly in its third and final reading on Monday. The meeting was split into two parts and moderated by attorney Sarah F. Fine. Borough officials gave presentations on the Incident Command System (ICS), the reason for a more expansive emergency ordinance and the need for an emergency ordinance. The second half of the meeting was dedicated...

  • Salmon disaster: pink salmon run lowest since 1976

    Brian Varela|Sep 17, 2020

    This year's pink salmon harvest came in at around 7 million, which is considerably down from the 35 million ten year average. Troy Thynes, regional management coordinator for commercial fisheries with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said the pink salmon run in Southeast Alaska hasn't been this low since 1976. There are several causes for this year's poor salmon run. In 2018, the parent year for this year's pink salmon, escapement was poor in Northern Southeast Alaska, said Thynes. In...

  • Voluntary COVID-19 plan coming soon

    Brian Varela|Sep 17, 2020

    On Friday, Sept. 11, Incident Commander Karl Hagerman said his voluntary community plan for preventing the spread of COVID-19 will be released soon after weeks of drafting and editing. "Thankfully the virus situation in Petersburg has been well under control, but as we enter into flu season, we just don't know what's going to happen," said Hagerman at the COVID-19 community update last week. The document, which includes recommendations and best practices to limit the spread of the virus, was rev...

  • Residents express contempt for emergency provisions

    Brian Varela|Sep 17, 2020

    The community had the opportunity to speak out in support or against a permanent civil emergency provisions ordinance at a virtual town hall on Sept. 10, though the feedback the Borough Assembly received was mostly negative. The Petersburg Borough requested those who wanted to ask questions during the town hall to submit them about a week in advance to allow borough staff time to answer the questions. The public could still ask questions at the end of the town hall, which began with... Full story

  • Most of Crystal Lake Hatchery funding to continue

    Brian Varela|Sep 17, 2020

    Following the announcement last week that the Alaska Department of Fish & Game will be shutting down its Southeast Alaska enhancement program due to an absence of funding, F&G Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang said the state and federal government is committed to provide Crystal Lake Hatchery (CLH) with $317,300 annually. Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association operates CLH under a contract with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Sport Fishing for an annual total of...

  • A young team joins Petersburg high school swim & dive

    Brian Varela|Sep 17, 2020

    At about two and a half weeks into the Petersburg High School swim season, Head Coach Andy Carlisle said the young team is showing great potential. There are 12 boys and one girl on the team, but two more girls are expected to join soon. One of the girls that is expected to join is a senior, but a good portion of the swimmers currently on the team are freshmen. Carlisle said the team is starting from a beginner level together. Even the swimmers who are in Viking Swim Club hadn't been in the...

  • Viking runners take second in virtual meet

    Brian Varela|Sep 17, 2020

    The Petersburg High School cross country team ran a 5k course near Greens Camp after school on Friday as part of a virtual meet with high schools throughout the region. The boys team ended up taking second place among the seven teams that competed with each other remotely. The girls team still does not have enough runners to score for their team, but Head Coach Tom Thompson said the girls still had a strong showing. Each of the seven high schools, Haines, Petersburg, Craig, Wrangell, Unalaska, M...

  • PHS volleyball begins season under protocols

    Brian Varela|Sep 17, 2020

    This year's Petersburg High School volleyball team is about one week into their season, and like other sports this year, the team is playing under COVID-19 protocols; however, the girls are just glad to be back in the gym, practicing the sport, said Head Coach Jaime Cabral. A core group of seniors graduated last year, which caused positions on the team to have to be rearranged this season. There are only three seniors on the team out of the 25 players. Most of the students are young, but are a...

  • Moose season open until Oct. 15

    Brian Varela|Sep 17, 2020

    Moose season opened Tuesday, Sept. 15 and according to Alaska hunting regulations for the area, the season will run until Oct. 15. Wrangell, Petersburg, the surrounding islands and nearby stretch of mainland are covered under RM038. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website, this hunt is available to nonresidents and residents alike, with the proper permits. Before going out hunting, those wanting to bag a moose should be aware of the regulations in place. According to the...

  • Sidewalk to remove foot traffic from roadway

    Brian Varela|Sep 10, 2020

    Instead of dodging traffic while walking to the grocery store or bus stop, residents and students will be able to walk safely on a sidewalk Petersburg Indian Association is building on N. 12th St. and Howkan St. "With no sidewalks on either side, it gets a little tight there for traffic," said PIA Tribal Administrator Tracy Welsh. "It's a safety issue for all around." The sidewalk begins at N. 12 St. and Haugen Dr., runs along the north side of N. 12th St. and continues on the north side of Howk...

  • Crystal Lake Hatchery funding in peril

    Brian Varela|Sep 10, 2020

    The Alaska Department of Fish & Game will be shutting down its Southeast Alaska enhancement program due to an absence of funding, leaving the future of Crystal Lake Hatchery (CLH) in jeopardy, said David Landis, Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association general manager, in a prepared statement. SSRAA operates CLH under a contract with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Sport Fishing for a total of $517,300. A portion of the funding that the hatchery receives, $200,000,... Full story

  • School begins under split schedules

    Brian Varela|Sep 10, 2020

    Petersburg School District students are glad to be back at school, despite COVID-19 protocols in place, and have been adapting to the new split schedules, said PSD principals Heather Conn and Rick Dormer at a school board meeting on Tuesday. At Rae C. Stedman Elementary School, one group of students attends class physically in the morning while the second group attends virtually from home. Then in the afternoon, the two groups switch. The group that attended class in-person in the morning is...

  • No new cases of COVID-19 in 20 days

    Brian Varela|Sep 10, 2020

    Twenty days have gone by since Petersburg has had a positive case of COVID-19 in the community as of Wednesday, Sept. 9. The last confirmed case of the virus was a non-resident who tested positive for COVID-19 on Aug. 14 and recovered on Aug. 21. Petersburg Medical Center has collected a total of 3,456 test samples to be tested for COVID-19 onsite or at outside laboratories as of Wednesday, Sept. 9. Of those test samples collected, 25 are still pending and about 3,418 have returned negative. Jus...

  • Assembly requests action due to poor salmon run

    Brian Varela|Sep 10, 2020

    A letter asking state officials to declare Southeast Alaska an area impacted by an economic disaster due to fishery losses was approved by the borough assembly at their meeting on Tuesday. The letter, addressed to Gov. Mike Dunleavy and Julie Anderson, commissioner of the department of commerce, community, and economic development, requests that they take steps to secure relief funding for fishermen in Southeast Alaska. The assembly also requested Dunleavy direct the Alaska Department of Fish...

  • Borough releases $565,000 in CARES Act funding

    Brian Varela|Sep 10, 2020

    The borough assembly approved $565,000 from its Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act special revenue fund at their meeting on Tuesday for businesses and families who are struggling financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding was released with the approval of two resolutions by the assembly. Resolution #2020-16 allocates $500,000 in grants for local businesses that have experienced a loss in gross revenue by 20 percent or $10,000 over 2019. Resolution #2020-17 offers...

  • $608,348 set aside for Medical Center

    Brian Varela|Sep 10, 2020

    The Petersburg Borough Assembly agreed to set aside $608,345 at their meeting on Tuesday from its Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act special revenue fund for COVID-19 related costs at Petersburg Medical Center. According to PMC Controller Rocio Tejera, the funds won't immediately be transferred to the hospital. The borough will set the money aside in case PMC needs the funding in the future. While PMC is actively looking for grants and other sources of revenue to cover the costs...

  • Vikings take #1 spots in cross country meet

    Brian Varela|Sep 10, 2020

    The Petersburg High School runners took first place in both the boys and girls races in the first cross country meet of the season at Klawock on Saturday, Sept. 5. On the boys team, junior Uriah Lucas took first place with a time of 17:32, and sophomore Alexus Sakamoto-Quezon came in first place in the girls race with a time of 24:08. Petersburg, Craig and Klawock were the only teams to compete in the race. The number of runners allowed on the course were limited to prevent the spread of COVID-1...

  • Petersburg sets new record for wettest summer

    Brian Varela|Sep 3, 2020

    This summer's wet weather set a record for the most summer rainfall ever in Petersburg with 31.6 inches of rain, just barely surpassing the previous record of 31.06 inches of rain in the summer of 2015, according to data from the National Weather Service in Juneau. NWS measures summer rainfall from June 1 through August 31. In June, Petersburg saw 8.15 inches of rain. July had 8.33 inches of rain. August saw another record shattered when 15.12 inches of rain fell in Petersburg, the fourth...

  • Limited visitors allowed at MVM

    Brian Varela|Sep 3, 2020

    Mountain View Manor Assisted Living has begun allowing visitors into the facility under a limited basis, according to acting Incident Commander Sandy Dixson at the COVID-19 community update on Friday. Visitation resumed on Thursday, Aug. 27, and Dixson said the public was eager to see residents at the manor in person again. Apartments are limited to four visitors per visit, and only three apartments can have visitors at one time, said Dixson. Visitors are also screened before entering the...

  • Lifelong swimmer takes over VSC

    Brian Varela|Sep 3, 2020

    Scott Burt began his role as the new head coach of the Viking Swim Club this week and brought his passion and dedication for the sport along with him. "Swimming is in my DNA," said Burt. "It's just who I am." He replaces previous VSC Head Coach Andy Carlisle who said he decided to retire from the position after 12 years of coaching the club. He will still continue coaching the Petersburg High School swim team, however. In his retirement, Carlisle leaves behind a strong swim club that Burt said...

  • $600,000 needed by PMC for virus response

    Brian Varela|Sep 3, 2020

    The Petersburg Medical Center Board of Directors agreed at their Aug. 27 board meeting to ask the Petersburg Borough to set aside $608,345.25 from its COVID-19 fund in the event the hospital can't secure additional funding. The money would go towards payroll, emergency personnel hire, a Cepheid testing machine, an elliptical machine and 10 COVID-19 in home mentoring units. PMC had previously requested $1,004,638.50 from the borough for COVID-19 related expenses, but the state ended up directly...

  • PMC net income over $310,000

    Brian Varela|Sep 3, 2020

    Petersburg Medical Center started off the 2021 fiscal year by exceeding financial expectations, according to a financial report PMC Controller Rocio Tejera gave to the Board of Directors at their meeting on Aug. 27. The hospital ended July, the first month of the fiscal year, with a total operating revenue of $1,859,444, which was 12 percent higher than expected, had a positive income from operations and a bottom line of $310,973. PMC had originally planned on earning $1,660,797 in total...

  • Years in the making: Private hydro project to begin construction

    Brian Varela|Sep 3, 2020

    After over a decade of filing applications, Doug Leen can begin building a micro hydro project this month on both private and federal property. The micro hydro project's turbine and powerhouse will be placed on Leen's property, but a six inch wide, 458 foot long plastic pipe will run from the powerhouse to an unnamed stream on U.S. Forest Service land. The stream forks into an east and west branch where intake boxes will feed water to the powerhouse to turn the turbine. Leen said the turbine...

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