Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 85
Petersburg Indian Association recapped nearly a decade of work on roads and trails across Mitkof Island at the Nov. 3 assembly meeting, with Transportation Director Susan Harai presenting a video detailing the tribe’s works. Since 2006, PIA has received more than $10.2 million for the tribal transportation program, working along a master guideline scoped 20 years ahead and more specifically revised for the next five in a Tribal Transportation Improvement Plan. Money is granted through federal transportation allocations divided amongst the t...
The Petersburg Vikings swim because they're too fast for sports that require clothes, the banners at the aquatic center proudly proclaimed, backed by dozens of individual posters cheering on particular players with a mixture of confidence and teasing. The town came out to support its own at home, and swimmers continued to give their fans reasons to cheer as the boys team brought in another win ahead of the upcoming state meet, where nine Viking swimmers will take on the best aquatic youth of Ala... Full story
Four local hikers on their way to Raven’s Roost cabin on Sunday got much more than they bargained for, returning by helicopter after an unanticipated night outdoors. “They got caught in darkness and a little turned around, so we helped them make it through the night and were able to helicopter them early, early with the breaking dawn of Monday morning,” S&R Captain Bob Carter said. “One of them … got ahold of Search and Rescue and we made a decision that they could survive the night – we really don’t want to send people up the mountain at n...
Alaskan opponents of a series of proposed Canadian mines paid a visit to Petersburg on Oct. 29, presenting information and action options to a crowd of 28 in the Wright Auditorium. The group, Salmon Beyond Borders, intends to gather signatures and support for Secretary of State John Kerry to act under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, a document that sets forth mutual water use, flow and quality standards between Canada and the U.S. – and SBB's proposal hinges upon a single sentence in A...
The Viking wrestlers went north with the expectation of competition, some familiar and some new, and were not disappointed on any count. New faces, moves and losses were a shock to some of the boys, but by Monday they were hitting the mats hard again, preparing for the next round. “A couple guys, they ran into some tough competition, but overall it was great for everybody,” Coach Dan Van Swearengen said. “Those guys from up north – they’re strong up there.” It wasn’t just sheer strength that played into the uphill battles, he added, noting...
Summer is a long way off as Petersburg heads into winter, but it’s still on the minds of a number of volunteers looking to bring New Old Time Chautauqua to town when the snow is gone. The show, represented by Paul Magid in recent visits to test the waters, “is a way to bring community out,” he said. “It’s an amplification of each community ― you get out of it, as a community, what you put into it. We’re going to come in, have a great time and bring performers that might not otherwise be here ― we’re going to do our part but, really, what make...
Petersburg’s improved crane dock is open again for business, but the improved facility will be running at diminished crane capacity through the winter after new safety regulations rendered the smaller lifter uncertifiable. “This is a common thing that happens in the industry,” Harbormaster Glo Wollen said. “Standards change, and she’s been working for us since the ‘90s, so it might be time to change her out. You just have to weigh the costs of revamping a 30 year old crane versus buying brand new. Crane one can work for everything, but the pro...
Rarely seen avian visitors drew at least four visitors to Petersburg last week, as birders from several parts of Alaska came in hopes of catching a sighting of a pair of Cattle Egrets. The birds, regularly spotted along lawns in town for more than a week, are not a native resident to Alaska, or to the American continents, hailing originally from Africa. They arrived in Florida around 1953, hopping across the continent to California by 1964 and were first seen in southeast Alaskan in 1981, when...
A pair of Cattle Egrets, or "fathers of all ticks" as they are known in their native home, were cause for much stir in Petersburg, landing hundreds of miles north of their typical habitat and luring one birding enthusiast, James Levison, to fly from Fairbanks to catch a glimpse for his personal records. The birds, originating in Africa, came to America in 1953, spreading to California in 1964 and were first recorded in Ketchikan in 1981, and have been sighted very rarely in other parts of...
Petersburg Medical Center's board of directors will be looking to fill some holes in its ranks left vacant after recent municipal elections. PMC CEO Liz Woodyard said the board can advertise for the positions, making appointments as those interested in serving appear, but more dramatic changes will require voter input. "Since we are, officially, a seven member board, we still have to have a quorum of four," she added. "Should you ever want to go to a five member board, because some boards are...
The hospital’s debts took a dive after a large payment went out to pay off the cost for improvements to the electronic health records (EHR) systems ― down to $643,576 owed from a former $1.2 million. “We have made a significant payment on that with the money we received from the Meaningful Use (EHR incentive program),” CFO Doran Hammett reported, with CEO Liz Woodyard adding in that the debt was incurred previously, but payments were not required until funds began arriving from the incenti...
While the Vikings Varsity volleyball team is away, the JV girls went to play in Sitka — and they played hard, winning the majority of their matches with Assistant Coach Arlana Corl. “It was an exciting weekend,” she said. “We went to a tournament with small schools, and the larger schools had their JV teams. There were, I believe, nine schools represented with 18 teams total. We had two. Most schools send their JV (teams) to the tournament.” Starting out with pool play, Corl said the Vikings were divided up into the mostly sophomore team one...
The wrestling Vikings are continuing to bring in wins, mixing up their rosters and rankings over the weekend at Juneau. "It was a pretty big meet, but we only brought seven guys - our two captains, John (Brooks) and Bill (Ware), they stayed here," Coach Dan van Swearengen said. To fill those empty slots, he brought along "a couple of the younger guys," who had been waiting, with varying amounts of patience, for a chance to wrestle more outside competition - and they performed surprisingly well....
It has been a warm start to winter inside Petersburg Elementary schools, and the comfort and cost-saving benefits of the building's remodel continue to be realized as the first round of bills roll in well under budget as work wraps up on the building's renovation. The project began in April of this year at a cost of $2.3 million. It was designed by Juneau architectural firm, Jensen Yorba Lott and installed by Alaska Community Contractors. "They're in the final stages of the punch list for things... Full story
Elks Member Matt Pawuk passed out awards to young competitors at the hoop shoot, starting with Charlotte Martin, holding Savina Pawuk, who took second in the girls 8-9 division....
Alaska Department of Fish and Game workers are on the trail of a persistent raider of trash cans in the Severson subdivision. For a few weeks now, residents in that area and surroundings have complained of a bear in the area upsetting garbage cans and spreading refuse in its search for a meal, reported Rich Lowell, ADFG wildlife biologist. Unfortunately, the abundance of food items in the area have made trapping, accomplished by enticing the ursine in question into a cage, difficult, as there appears to much tastier fare readily available in...
Petersburg youths wishing to spend a year overseas should begin looking to filling out an application with the borough’s Rotary Club soon. “We are looking for high school students who are freshmen or sophomores to apply to be a Rotary exchange student and go for their sophomore or junior year,” said Dave Berg, Rotary member. “These kids will be selected here soon and go out on exchange August of 2015 for approximately 10 months to one of 20,220 different countries we exchange with.” While many y...
Phone lines to listen in at the Medicaid Reform Advisory Group’s final public input session were overwhelmed on Wednesday, as about 88 callers from across the state attempted to dial in to the Anchorage meeting. The meeting is the final in a series soliciting public input for the recently formed group. Gov. Sean Parnell named nine Alaskans to the board on March 7, with the expressed goal of crafting a “meaningful proposal to the state’s Medicaid program.” Cathy Stadem, public information officer of Alaska Department of Health and Human Service...
Petersburg Medical Center Board members were apprised of the hospital's ongoing measures to stay current and protected against Ebola and other infectious agents on Wednesday in a report by Elizabeth Bacom, infection control and lab director for the hospital. Though the hemorrhagic fever is unlikely to ever arrive on the island, Bacom said it remained sound practice to be prepared for anything, and continually updated measures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) applied to several diseases. “Ebola is not the only disease t...
October was Fire Prevention Month for Alaska, following a decree from Gov. Sean Parnell, and Petersburg has stayed on track, with the police department reporting no stray fires, aside from a campfire in the wrong location, during October. The total number of structure fires can vary dramatically, year to year, ranging from about two to more than ten in his experience, Fire Marshal Ryan Welde said. “Sometimes, I’m sure, there were years we had more, but there are fewer nowadays.” Last year was ab...
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus has cropped up again in Petersburg, diagnosed in a feral cat trapped on the south end of Haugen Drive in the South Third Street area on Oct. 17. The incurable disease, while not transmissible to humans or other animals, bears many symptomatic similarities to the like-named human scourge of HIV, suppressing the cats’ immune responses to infections and stymying their ability to recover – providing the only readily visible symptoms in the form of festering, unhealing wounds and general malaise. “That’s one of the clu... Full story
Petersburg schools' aging kitchen continues to cook up new headaches for administrators as they continue to work towards securing funding for a much needed complete remodel. This time, it was the refrigeration unit, a free-standing near-antique of more than 30 years that bit the dust for good on Friday, necessitating the premature purchase of two other free-standing units to ensure the school continues to serve quality food to students. "We knew it was a matter of time to when our refrigeration...
Swimming Viking boys continue to carve themselves a place ahead of their competitors, though that margin remains slim as competitors kick hard to catch up. The team took first place at their recent invitational at Sitka both Friday and Saturday, with Thunder Mountain and Sitka right behind, 116 to 112 (Sitka) on Friday and a larger gap of 128 to 84 (Thunder Mountain and Sitka both) the day after. That’s with everyone dragging one or two seconds behind typical times to boot, Coach Andy Carlisle said. “We didn’t swim very fast, but we still...
Both candidates to represent Petersburg and other communities in House District 35, Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tompkins and Republican Steven Samuelson, had an easy time arriving at the ballot box this year. Both candidates ran through the primaries unopposed in their respective parties and both are veteran campaigners, with Samuelson making another run at a legislative seat after a defeat in 2010's Republican Primary to Peggy Wilson. Kreiss-Tompkins is the closest to an incumbent, prior to...
Little Norway continues to be a welcoming haven for visitors, recently hosting the Alaska Sea Grant conference over Thursday and Friday, where participants convened for an annual meeting of the minds on all matters maritime. More specifically to the local setting, the second day of the conference was a chance for a panel of knowledgeable residents to discuss retaining youth and growing the maritime industries with the full cadre of Sea Grant staff. “That fed into our workforce development plan for the maritime industries,” said Sunny Rice, the...
