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  • Vakker Sted apartments near completion

    Chris Basinger|Mar 17, 2022

    Vakker Sted, the income-based apartment building across the street from the Petersburg Medical Center, is finishing up construction and is expected to begin welcoming tenants on April 1 according to Glenn Gellert of Swell, LLC. The 15-unit building's opening date has been pushed back a few times because of the COVID-19 pandemic and winter weather but its completion appears to be in sight. "It's all just kind of coming together here. Everything is on schedule for this final push," Gellert said....

  • The Small Glories look to bring folk melodies to Alaska

    Chris Basinger|Mar 17, 2022

    Folk duo The Small Glories will be coming to Petersburg next week to perform at the Wright Auditorium, bringing with them a Canadian flavor of Americana music. Members JD Edwards and Cara Luft first met at the West End Cultural Centre's 25th anniversary celebration in Winnipeg when they were paired up to perform at the event along with other artists from across the province. Both were raised by the charm of folk music-Luft's parents were folk musicians and Edwards listened to a Bob Dylan record...

  • Lady Vikings end season at regionals

    Chris Basinger|Mar 17, 2022

    Though the Petersburg High School girls basketball team's season ended at the hands of Haines last Friday, they did not go down without a fight. The Lady Vikings put up 21 points in the fourth quarter to tie it after trailing the entire game following Ines Larson's early ankle injury but lost in overtime. "I told the girls I was so proud of their effort and the fact that we kept competing and gave ourselves an opportunity to be successful," Head Coach Dino Brock said. Petersburg took the ferry...

  • Lori Roberts retires from OBI

    Chris Basinger|Mar 17, 2022

    Lori Roberts celebrated her last day of work at OBI Seafoods on December 10 after a 42 year career which saw her work in pretty much every spot in the plant. Roberts began with what was then Petersburg Fisheries in 1974 after being talked into coming up to Petersburg by a few friends. She attended Highline Community College in Washington and worked at the plant during the summers until she eventually decided to stick around. "I was downstairs for 16 years," Roberts said. "I did herring, I did...

  • New Southeast Alaska Power Agency rate increases expected

    Chris Basinger|Mar 17, 2022

    Assembly Member Bob Lynn and Utility Director Karl Hagerman provided a report on SEAPA activities during the Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting on March 7 including details on the Southeast Alaska Power Agency’s updated website and the likelihood of further rate increases. Lynn reported that SEAPA CEO Trey Acteson told the SEAPA board during its February 28 meeting that a 3/4 of a cent rate increase over time is needed to make up for the costs of the debt service for the submarine cable, the 4R improvement plan, the vegetation management p...

  • Western Mariner runs aground in Neva Strait

    Chris Basinger|Mar 17, 2022

    The tugboat Western Mariner ran aground Monday morning while towing the Chichagof Provider through the Neva Strait according to the U.S. Coast Guard. At 2:55 a.m. watchstanders in the Sector Juneau command center received a radio call from the Western Mariner stating that the 286-foot containerized barge in tow had collided with the tug, causing the tug to run aground. The Coast Guard has reported no injuries and all four crew members were safely transported from the Western Mariner to a nearby... Full story

  • School board approves optional masking

    Chris Basinger|Mar 10, 2022

    The Petersburg School Board unanimously approved a move to optional masking in all buildings during its board meeting Tuesday night as case counts decrease and vaccinations and tests become more accessible. The new protocols will be implemented when staff and students return from spring break on March 21 and while masking will be optional, all other mitigation strategies including quarantine and testing protocols will remain in place. The Petersburg School District has required universal...

  • PHS students prepare for upcoming LeConte Glacier survey

    Chris Basinger|Mar 10, 2022

    While most high schools may take a field trip to the local museum or zoo, a select group of Petersburg High School students get to go somewhere a little bit cooler-LeConte Glacier. Each year, students set out to survey the glacier and record how it has moved over time. They're taking what they have learned in the classroom and are applying it in the field. The survey began in 1983 with high school teacher Paul Bowen's surveying class as an opportunity for the top students to get real world... Full story

  • Assembly hopes to attract dispatchers, officers with approval of wage increase

    Chris Basinger|Mar 10, 2022

    The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted to approve an amended proposal increasing the starting pay of police officers and dispatchers in a 5-2 vote with Mayor Mark Jensen and Assembly Member Thomas Fine-Walsh opposed during Monday's meeting. The proposal passed by the assembly aims to improve both recruitment and retention of employees to combat the police department's continued staffing issues which have led to increased overtime and strain on staff. Changes included in the proposals were drawn...

  • Two Sandy Beach Road properties go to outcry auction

    Chris Basinger|Mar 10, 2022

    The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted during Monday's meeting to send two properties owned by the borough along Sandy Beach Road to an outcry auction following a recommendation of sale from the Planning Commission. The two lots, 700 and 1015 Sandy Beach Road, are zoned single-family residential and are neighbored by privately-owned lots with houses. Marc Taylor was listed as the applicant for the 84,942 square foot lot at 700 Sandy Beach Road and Linda Millard and Samuel Bergeron were listed as...

  • Harbor rates increase passes second reading

    Chris Basinger|Mar 10, 2022

    An ordinance which would increase rates at Petersburg's municipal harbors was unanimously approved by the Petersburg Borough Assembly in its second reading during Monday's meeting. Ordinance #2022-03, which also passed unanimously in its first reading, would be the first rate increase since 2018 and would increase harbor moorage fees by around 5% among other changes. The ordinance also has the support of the Harbor and Ports Advisory Board and Harbormaster Glo Wollen who said the increase is...

  • Champion at the 46th Tanana Invitational

    Chris Basinger|Mar 10, 2022

    Seventh grader Abby Worhatch stands between DD Toyomura and Head Coach Mike Corl after winning her bracket at the 46th Tanana Invitational in Fairbanks on February 26. Nine students from Mitkof Middle School attended the tournament which saw 513 middle school students, including a record 107 girls, from all sizes of schools enter the ring. Worhatch wrestled in four matches and managed to pin each of her opponents in less than four minutes. After beating the second-ranked wrestler in her bracket...

  • Lady Vikings rack up two road wins in Craig

    Chris Basinger|Mar 10, 2022

    After a long trip south to Craig, the Petersburg High School girls basketball ended their regular season with back to back conference wins against the Lady Panthers. The team did not have much time to prepare for the midweek games after playing Wrangell only three days earlier, but after a slow start Tuesday evening Petersburg found its footing. The Lady Vikings edged out the hosts 37-35 in the first game after a strong second half performance. Craig was aggressive in the first half, outscoring Petersburg in the first and second quarters, and...

  • Vikings conquer Panthers in final conference games

    Chris Basinger|Mar 10, 2022

    The Petersburg High School boys basketball team beat the Craig Panthers twice in two of their most dominant performances of the season last Tuesday and Wednesday after having played the Wrangell Wolves at home the previous weekend. “I was a little concerned about…the lack of rest,” Head Coach Rick Brock said. But Petersburg opened the midweek matches by scoring their highest in a conference game yet this season on Tuesday, beating Craig 58-31. The Vikings took an early lead with 17 points in the first quarter as they got comfortable with the q...

  • SEARHC to present at PMC board meeting on March 24

    Chris Basinger|Mar 3, 2022

    Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium leadership will give a presentation at the next Petersburg Medical Center Hospital Board meeting on March 24 according to PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter. The board voted in September to invite SEARHC leadership to speak at a future meeting to give the public an opportunity to hear more information on SEARHC's vision for local health care and discuss Petersburg's need for a new medical facility. Questions from board members and staff at the hospital were...

  • Petersburg likely to receive USCGC Elderberry replacement

    Chris Basinger|Mar 3, 2022

    During the February 21 Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting, Assembly Member Dave Kensinger gave a report on his attendance at the 2022 Southeast Conference Mid-Session Summit which included an update on the U.S. Coast Guard's interest in Petersburg, federal funding in Alaska, and other important matters to the assembly. The future of the Coast Guard's presence in Petersburg has been in question since it was announced that only three of the four coastal buoy tenders, the class of ships that the...

  • IPHC increases halibut limit by over two million pounds

    Chris Basinger|Mar 3, 2022

    The commercial Pacific halibut fishing period is set to begin on March 6 as determined during the 98th session of the International Pacific Halibut Commission and will last until December 7, 2022. This season, the overall Total Constant Exploitation Yield (TCEY) limit was increased by 5.7% compared to last year, bringing the 2022 limit to 41.22 million pounds. For all areas in the United States, the total 2022 limit of 33.66 million pounds is up 5.2% from 2021. The largest percentage increase...

  • Petersburg teen arrested for alleged sexual assault

    Chris Basinger|Mar 3, 2022

    John Bisset, 18, was arrested on multiple charges of alleged sexual assault on February 19 according to the Petersburg Police Department. The charges include four counts of first degree sexual assault and one count of second degree sexual assault which all allegedly occurred on December 4, 2021. According to a press release from the Alaska Wildlife Troopers, the AWT Patrol Vessel Compliance conducted a commercial fishing boarding on February 19 near Hobart Bay when law enforcement discovered that Bisset, who was aboard, had an active felony...

  • Dual office holding ordinance fails

    Chris Basinger|Mar 3, 2022

    The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted 6-1 against Ordinance #2022-02, which would have required sitting assembly members to resign in order to run for mayor, with only Mayor Mark Jensen in support. The ordinance, which failed in its first reading, would have amended the municipal code to require sitting assembly members to tender a letter of resignation prior to filing a declaration of candidacy for mayor unless their term expired in the same election year as the mayoral election. Currently, if...

  • PMC Health Fair to return this spring

    Chris Basinger|Mar 3, 2022

    Laboratory Manager Violet Shimek announced during last week's Petersburg Medical Center Hospital Board meeting that the hospital will be bringing back its Community Health and Safety Fair this spring. The fair, which is usually held every two years, was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so the theme of this year's event is "Getting Back on Track." The fair's in-person event is scheduled for June and an exact date will be released by the hospital soon. Leading up to the in-person...

  • Lady Vikings drop two at home to Lady Wolves

    Chris Basinger|Mar 3, 2022

    The Lady Vikings faced the Lady Wolves in their homecoming games last weekend in a rematch of the previous weekend's trip to Wrangell. Though Petersburg ultimately fell short in both games, Head Coach Dino Brock was pleased with his team's defensive performances and hopes that the intensity of the two matches will prepare them for the upcoming regional tournament. "We struggled to keep the basketball at times and that's something we'll work on this week, but overall it was a very good weekend...

  • Vikings trade wins with Wolves over homecoming weekend

    Chris Basinger|Mar 3, 2022

    The Petersburg High School boys basketball team took the court last weekend to battle Wrangell in a homecoming series which saw the Vikings win one and lose one. The margin of victory in both matchups was a single possession which made for two entertaining games in front of an electrified home crowd. Petersburg kicked off homecoming weekend with a tight win Friday night, beating the Wolves 29-26. The game got off to a slow start with both teams struggling to put up points until Kyle Biggers...

  • 5% increase to harbor rates approved in first reading

    Chris Basinger|Feb 24, 2022

    During Tuesday's meeting, the Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously, 7-0, in support of Ordinance #2022-03 in its first reading which would increase harbor moorage fees by approximately 5%. The proposed fee increase was first presented to the Harbor and Ports Advisory Board during a meeting on February 1 where Harbormaster Glo Wollen said the increase was necessary to keep up with inflation and that fees have not increased since 2018. During that meeting, the harbor board approved a...

  • Alaska Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Estate of Molly Parks v. Petersburg Borough, et al.

    Chris Basinger|Feb 24, 2022

    The Estate of Molly Parks v. Petersburg Borough, et al. went before the Alaska Supreme Court for oral arguments earlier this month in an effort to overturn the Superior Court's decision to dismiss the case and reopen the lawsuit against the borough and Allen. The wrongful death claim stems from a van crash in 2016 which killed Molly Parks and argued that the borough should be held civilly liable for her death while the borough argued that workers compensation is the sole source remedy since the...

  • Mountain View Manor down to one active COVID-19 case

    Chris Basinger|Feb 24, 2022

    The Mountain View Manor Assisted Living Facility is reporting one active case of COVID-19 as of Wednesday according to Mountain View Manor administrator Shelyn Bell. Since February 10, 14 cases have been identified at the manor, two of which were in the past week, and there has been one fatality where COVID-19 may have been a contributing factor. Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht briefed the Petersburg Borough Assembly on the state of the outbreak during Tuesday night’s assembly meeting According to Giesbrecht, all staff are wearing full PPE i...

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