Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 596
The Rasmuson Foundation has chosen a collection of Petersburg artists’ works to put in its newly renovated office space in Anchorage. In its promotion of the arts, the Rasmuson Foundation awards funds through the ‘art acquisition fund’—grants to museums across the state so they can purchase local art to display. Kelsey Potdivan, Rasmuson Foundation program fellow, said about 28 museums across the state are involved in the program and those museums then provide several pieces to Rasmuson to display for 18 months. “The museums that we’ve original...
The Petersburg School Board approved the employment of two new teachers within the district. Eliza Warmack will join staff as a 5th grade teacher beginning in the 2016-17 school year and Rowan Beraza will be a secondary language arts and Spanish teacher beginning the same time. The School Board also approved the principal contracts for another year. Middle and high school principal Rick Dormer will receive a salary of $97,116 and elementary principal Teri Toland will receive a salary of $88,773. They also approved exempt contracts for finance... Full story
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is looking for citizen scientists to track bat local bats in an effort to track the development of a deadly fungus affecting bats known as 'white nose syndrome.' ADFG's Fish and Wildlife technician Steve Lewis gave a talk at the Petersburg Public Library Saturday where he provided a bat primer and informed locals on how they can help ADFG better understand local bat populations. Lewis said no one knows where white nose syndrome came from but that it's prese... Full story
A little more than a year ago on a cold winter morning, not unlike many Petersburg couples, Meggan and Donnie Hayes were eating breakfast. Out of all those couples, the Hayes may have had the most honest, albeit brutally honest, conversation shared in that moment. In-between slurps of cereal, Meggan told Donnie she didn't love him anymore. Not only did she not love him, she told Donnie, she didn't even like him. "We had been through such a time in our marriage where I just said that because that... Full story
The State of Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (ADEED) cancelled statewide testing assessments last Friday. Multiple interruptions and glitches affected testing in Petersburg schools. According to a department press release, the computer based Alaska Measures of Progress (AMP) tests were interrupted beginning Tuesday when a construction worker accidentally severed a fiber optic cable at the University of Kansas. “The university houses the state’s testing vendor, the Achievement & Assessment Institute,” the release state... Full story
The Community Health Fair is kicking off this Saturday, April 9 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m at the Petersburg Community Gym. Around 30 vendors will set up information booths where you can check your hearing and blood pressure and receive vaccines. Public Health Nurse Erin Michael will give TDAP (Tetanus, Diptheria, Pertussis) boosters, but make sure you bring a copy of your shot records. Other vendors will present information about exercise, boat safety and independent living for older adults. Petersburg Medical Clinic Lab and Imaging director Liz... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly will begin approving a draft version of a marijuana ordinance at its first meeting in May after Assembly Member Eric Castro suggested they get going with the process. “In order to allow the entrepreneurs in town to give them the time before the state really starts to accept the permits I feel it’s our due diligence to get this ordinance passed however we see fit after the three readings to give the public the amount of time they need to come up with their business models,” Castro said. The assembly has been solic...
Petersburg Medical Center long-term care residents last month expressed an interest in increasing gardening opportunities, and possibly forming a gardening club. PMC activities coordinator Janna Machalek said residents have two tables in the solarium dedicated to gardening and several planters full of dirt. "The residents have planted kale, peppers, tomatoes, and radishes so far," Machalek said. "They have transplanted some mint and basil starts. Residents who are interested keep an eye on the...
Petersburg Borough Assembly members face tough decisions when it comes to funding local community service organizations, especially amid concerns over decreased state funding. The decrease in revenue from the state along with the possibility of an increase in public employee retirement (PERS) contributions dominated much of the discussion Monday as the Borough Assembly advanced the budget in its second reading. The Senate Finance Committee proposed a bill last week that would increase local PERS contributions from its current 22 percent to...
The Senate Finance Committee introduced a bill, SB 209, that would raise local government and school retirement contributions from 22 percent to 26.5 percent by 2018 and would likely translate to cuts in services and or tax increases locally. PERS, or Public Employee Retirement System, is the state’s retirement benefit plan. Every public employee has a certain tier of benefits and each municipality annually chips in a portion of those benefits. SB 209 increases those municipal contributions incrementally and means local government would i... Full story
A group of Petersburg High School students organized a protest last Friday and started a petition this week to modify the PHS dress code policy to allow leggings and yoga pants without the added requirement of shorts or a long shirt. More than 20 PHS girls wore yoga pants to school last Friday to protest the school's policy that requires a student to wear clothing such as shorts or skirts over yoga pants or other tight fitting leggings. "Tight-fitting leggings, leotards and spandex bottoms,... Full story
Petersburg High School senior Kylie Wallace won a top spot in the region and went on to place in the top four in the state's Poetry Out Loud competition, earning her a performance in the final round. Nine finalists from schools across the state were selected and went to Juneau to compete. "They gave us a tour around the capitol building and we got to see the governor's house and later that night we got to compete against each other." Wallace said. Wallace had to memorize three poems for three...
Petersburg building overall project valuation decreased slightly in 2015 compared to 2104. However residential and commercial building construction increased, according to a Petersburg Borough 2015 Building Permit Report. In 2015, building valuation was $4 million compared to $5.3 million in 2014. The increase in local residential construction equated to around $2.7 million in 2015, an increase of more than $800,000 compared to 2014. Commercial construction saw a slight downturn from $1.3 million to$1.1 million. Overall project valuation...
Two Petersburg students participated in this year's Scripps Spelling Bee at the performing arts center in Anchorage. The national spelling program held March 22 pit 142 elementary and middle school youngsters from across the state in the contest. Fourth grader Aidan Cotta participated as a winner from Stedman Elementary School and eighth grader Brooklyn Dormer represented Mitkof Middle School. "Being at the performing arts center was exciting and overwhelming at the same time," Aidan Cotta...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously voted to approve this year’s budget in its first reading including a change to its community services budget, which awards grants to various local organizations and non-profits. Domestic violence prevention non-profit Working Against Violence for Everyone (WAVE) for the first time requested $45,000 from the Borough Assembly earlier this month. In light of decreased state funding and widespread tight financial times, Petersburg Mayor Mark Jensen asked community organizations to provide balance s...
Petersburg Parks and Recreation Director Donnie Hayes helped save Petersburg shoppers’ money this year after voicing his opinion during this week’s borough assembly meeting where the assembly appeared set to vote against allowing two sales-tax free days. Before Hayes interjected, Assembly member Cindi Lagoudakis said approving sales tax free days in light of the state’s fiscal challenges would send the wrong message. “I understand merchants have said that it’s some of their best sales days of the year. It’s really unclear to me whether tha...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly rescinded an amendment made by assembly member Bob Lynn earlier this month that would provide an advisory vote to people living outside service area one when any proposals to implement a land use code for areas outside of service area one occurred. The assembly initially approved that amendment at its March 7 meeting after a significant number of the public spoke out against language in the borough’s new comprehensive plan citing a desire for potential minimal zoning outside of service area one. After review o...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved a $6,639,300 municipal building remodel project bid award to McG Constructors/DCI Joint Venture. The bid included one alternate, a $213,000 south parking lot, that the Borough Assembly removed from the project with the understanding they could include it later. MRV Architects’ Corey Wall answered questions regarding the need for the parking. “The main reason for the south parking lot alternate was to reorient the exit out onto Nordic Drive further south so that it lines directly up with Bir... Full story
The Cole memo is a memorandum written by U.S. Deputy Attorney General James Cole and it provides guidance regarding federal marijuana enforcement. It’s a document state regulators and Petersburg borough officials have used to support the possibility of a viable marijuana industry in Alaskan communities off the road system. “I think there’s been a lot of fears as to how the federal government would impose or not impose existing laws and Cynthia Franklin, a former prosecuting attorney, had a really, I found, interesting perspective,” Assembl...
Petersburg Indian Association’s tobacco prevention specialist asked the Petersburg Borough Assembly March 7 to ban electronic cigarettes and vapor products from bars and increase the smoke free distance from five feet to 20 feet. PIA’s Katie Yeckley said vapor products may expose non-smokers to harmful chemicals and that the products are not FDA approved. She also said the five-feet distance from building entrances is too short, allowing smoke to still enter public spaces. “As a non-smoker and a mother of young children I find it very diffi...
Petersburg Republicans couldn’t vote in town last week during the Presidential Preference Poll because no one volunteered to run the caucus. The Petersburg Pilot fielded multiple calls and received emails asking why Petersburg didn’t have a poll. Chair of the Alaska Republican Party Peter Goldberg summed it up. “An effort was made to find people around the state,” Goldberg said. “Some districts had multiple places but there were several communities that had no one. If there is someone to blame, and you’re a Republican, look in the mirror and... Full story
A flood of public criticism washed through the Petersburg Borough Assembly chamber Monday afternoon regarding zoning language in the soon to be adopted Borough Comprehensive Plan, but the nature of the comments in some ways highlighted misunderstanding of and the lack of involvement in the public process. Mandated by the state, a comprehensive plan is "a compilation of policy statements, goals, standards and maps for guiding the physical, social and economic development, both private and... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly is asking for an increase in financial information from organizations requesting community service grants from the borough during this year’s budget hearings. “One thing I would like to ask that be added to all of the people that are applying for these grants is to put a detailed financial statement like if you have holdings on property or bank accounts,” Mayor Mark Jensen said during Monday’s meeting. “It’s going to be tough times financially and if some people have a better wherewithal to take a little bit of a...
The state is closing out the Kake Access road project and will be looking for other ways to improve access to the village. Residents from Kake, Petersburg and the City of Kupreanof have criticized the project that would have linked Kake to Petersburg by way of road and ferry. In September 2015 public comment documents from the Office of Federal Lands Highway (OFLH), some Kake residents supported the road for the employment opportunities the construction would offer Kake workers. Others criticized the project and said they’d rather have b... Full story
Petersburg High School sophomore Helen Martin returned from a trip to the legislature last month after participating in a program created by Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins to engage young people in local and state politics. "It will be four days in Juneau in our office; total immersion, tracking legislation, sitting in on committee hearings, staffing the house floor and we're really excited and Helen is a beacon of enthusiastic energy," Kreiss-Tomkins said of the program and Martin. Martin was... Full story
