Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 596
A state finance legislative subcommittee's proposal to cut 100 percent of state operating grants to public radio would mean job and service losses for KFSK. According to a House Finance Budget Subcommittee narrative report, chaired by Rep. Lynn Gattis, "Between fundraising, federal revenues, advertising, and donations, the public broadcast budget approaches $13-$14 million annually, making this approximately a 20 percent reduction to the system," the report states. "I believe her (Gattis')...
Petersburg Borough Finance Director Jody Tow presented the borough's FY 2017 budget proposal before the Petersburg Borough Assembly and members of the public. On Tuesday, March 1 Tow went over several of the significant changes in expenditures and revenues this fiscal year. "There are three threats that I see affecting the future of the general fund budget," Tow said. "It's the state funding cuts and possible federal funding cuts and the increase in the senior citizen population and how it's...
As Petersburg Borough administrators draft a local marijuana ordinance, borough manager Steve Giesbrecht asked questions for the Borough Assembly, and the community, to answer regarding commercial marijuana regulations in the borough. “What you have also is a list of six questions that we need some guidance on to fill in the blanks on this ordinance before we finalize it enough to bring it back to the assembly for a vote,” Giesbrecht said. Giesbrecht and other staff have been creating a draft ordinance and found it most helpful to copy and pas... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly tabled a discussion regarding the takeover from the state of several dock facilities within the borough. In a January 21 letter, the Assembly wrote the state to request the transfer of state owned facilities Papke’s Landing, Kupreanof and Entrance Island docks to the Petersburg Borough. In a February 11 letter from the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Commissioner Marc Luiken, the commissioner said he applauds the borough’s willingness to accept responsibility and stewardship for the har... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly advanced the borough’s comprehensive plan Monday evening. The plan outlines and recommends strategies for borough management and the development of transportation, economy, recreation and tourism over the next two decades. The plan is several years in the making. A consulting firm in Anchorage, hired to update the borough’s plan, met with community members during that time, took surveys, interviewed citizens and received public comment. Planning and Zoning (P&Z) member Dave Kensinger attended the ass... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved a Petersburg Planning Commission letter regarding a proposed amendment to the Tongass Land and Resource Management Plan. On its website, the U.S. Forest Service stated an amendment was needed after U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack directed the Tongass to transition its management plan to be more ecologically, socially and economically sustainable. “An amendment is needed to accelerate the transition to a young-growth forest management program, and to do so in a way that preserves a vi...
Petersburg Police apprehended Jacob Sturgeon Friday afternoon, Feb. 12, after he escaped custody earlier that morning. Sturgeon was arrested earlier this month on a charge of domestic violence assault. During that investigation Sturgeon fled from PPD Officer John Dodson after the officer approached the suspect in the backroom of a residence on Lumber Street. "After Officer Dodson advised Sturgeon that he was under arrest, Officer Dodson took hold of his arm and told him to standup," charging doc... Full story
Petersburg entrepreneur Mindy Anderson won $40,000 in the Path to Prosperity competition that aims to promote local business and sustainability across Southeast Alaska. Anderson, who's been operating The Salty Pantry out of her home selling homemade artisan breads, sea salts and other dry goods, will soon open a restaurant cafe and is currently looking at a commercial space downtown. Anderson, along with 11 other Southeast Alaskans, participated in a "business boot camp" last September in... Full story
State Sen. Bert Stedman talked about how well the community would weather the state budget deficit during Petersburg’s annual Chamber of Commerce Dinner Saturday night. He said the community’s already endured difficult times, citing several wars and economic downturns, and has come out of it unscathed. “We’ve had these austere moments where we’ve had to pull together and this is just another one,” Stedman said. “I don’t sit in my office and eat a lot of Rolaids over it.” Stedman went on to discuss the legislative climate in Juneau and what h...
Petersburg Chamber of Commerce members sat down at their annual banquet last Saturday evening at the Sons of Norway Hall. Halibut and prime rib were on the menu and chamber members bid on deserts and won raffle prices such as gift certificates and even 49,000 Alaska Air miles. Alaska Airlines Director of Sales and Marketing Scott Habberstad was one of the banquet speakers. He gave a brief history of the company, which began in 1952, and discussed its present and future. “It’s a great time for the company,” Habberstad said. “We had a great y...
When I was told I better write a story about Ruth Sandvik turning 100 years old the first thing I thought was, Who is Ruth Sandvik? I knew of her of course. Her name is synonymous with art, books and a general zeal for life, one of the cornerstones of cultural life in Petersburg. But I didn't know who she was. I certainly didn't know how to encapsulate her, 100 years of her, in one newspaper story. I can try though to glean a few clues, and perhaps pick out a pattern, from the collection of... Full story
The Petersburg School Board unanimously approved an $80,037 software program for the Petersburg School District’s finance office. PSD Finance Director Karen Quitslund said the current software is 35 years old and that she has been looking at new programs for several years. “The current system is really outdated. It’s inefficient,” Quitslund said. “All the processes are done manually and of course the more manual processes that you have the more the margin of error is greater.” The district’s current software doesn’t interface with other prog... Full story
Despite flat or decreased sales tax contributions from some of the largest local businesses, the Petersburg economy saw a 3.7 percent increase in overall consumption from 2014 to 2015 according to Petersburg Borough sales tax revenue data. In 2015 the borough brought in $3,128,549 in sales tax revenue compared to $3,011,968 in 2014. Local grocery and hardware businesses, the largest contributors in sales tax revenues to the Petersburg Borough, remained steady paying around $1 million in local...
As part of a plea deal, the state dismissed two drug distribution charges against Lars Christensen after his brother, Lawrence Christensen, entered guilty pleas to two counts, one of which was reduced. Both men were facing charges of two counts of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 2nd and 3rd degrees. Lawrence entered guilty pleas Feb. 4 to attempted misconduct involving a controlled substance in the 2nd degree and misconduct involving a controlled substance in the 3rd degree, both Class B felonies. Federal and local...
One could hear the proverbial crickets chirping after Petersburg Mayor Mark Jensen brought up the assembly’s previous request to have a discussion about the possibility of re-appropriating money from the Kake access road project. During its last Borough Assembly meeting in January, several assembly members were in support of such a reallocation and suggested a bulk of the money go to projects for Kake and Petersburg. State Senator Bert Stedman appropriated the $40 million in 2012 for the project that would build a road and ferry connection from... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly is a short step closer to drafting a complete marijuana ordinance. Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht discussed the draft with the Borough Assembly at its February 1 meeting. “In a sense what you’ve got in front of you is a framework,” Giesbrecht said. “I hate to call it anything other than that because it’s still definitely a work in progress.” Borough Assembly member Jeigh Stanton Gregor and Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson are assisting in writing a skeleton of the ordinance that so far defines public spaces— whe...
The state’s case against Lars Christensen, who was facing charges of two counts of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 2nd and 3rd degrees, was dismissed yesterday, Feb. 3. Federal and local authorities arrested Lars and his brother Lawrence Christensen last month for receiving and handling a package containing 25 grams of heroin and 36 grams of methamphetamine from the post office. According to the criminal complaint, Lars told police he didn’t know what was in the package but “…knew it was probably illegal. Lars admitte...
Charlie Christensen's boat, the Angela Marie, sank on February 15, 1994. After hearing a recording of the mayday call, Christensen took to the podium. "That still leaves me a little shaky," Christensen said. His boat started sinking stern first and towards the door to the port side. "I firewalled the engine and turned the boat hard over so it would lay over the other way so the door would be up," Christensen said. "I went out the door on and top of it was where the survival suits were. I...
After watching a U.S. Coast Guard video clip of their rescue, skipper Steve Berry recounted his experience last summer when the Kupreanof sank off Cape Fairweather. "I wake up every morning and I have to realize the boat went down but my crew didn't," Berry said. Berry noticed a slight list and thought he should change the fuel tanks to counter balance the vessel but it didn't help. He soon called a nearby Icicle vessel, the Gordon Jensen and the U.S. Coast Guard. Berry said it was around 3:30 a...
State Rep. Jonathan Kreiss Tomkins and Alaska Department of Revenue Director Ken Alper gave a state budget crisis presentation for community members two weeks ago. They used colored blocks of wood representing different revenues and expenditures balanced on a large scale to provide a visual representation of the state's budget deficit and the continued gutting of our state's savings should the legislature not create a more sustainable budget for the state. On the revenue side of the scale sat a... Full story
Petersburg High School sophomore Helen Martin, 15, will take a trip to the state capitol in early March and spend four days sitting in on the legislative session. Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins selected Martin to participate in his Legislative Externship Program after her world history teacher talked to her class about the program. Martin, who is the vice president of her sophomore class, talked it over with her mom and they both thought it would be a good idea. "I'm pretty excited to sit in and... Full story
A Local Marijuana Regulation Advisory subcommittee met and discussed issues related to the permitting and taxation of marijuana in the borough. The permitting and taxation subcommittee discussed a variety of problems associated with what it considered too restrictive state regulations regarding the testing of marijuana and how the multiple permits required would impede a successful marijuana industry in a rural island community. According to the Marijuana Control Board’s adopted regulations, separate permits are needed for the industry i...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly will discuss at its next meeting in February a request to the state asking the legislature to reallocate funding from the $40 million Kake Access Road project. Many Petersburg residents have expressed criticism and concerns regarding the road that would connect Kake to northwest Kupreanof Island, where a proposed ferry would increase traffic in between the two communities, and think the project isn’t sustainable and won’t serve its expressed need. The assembly discussed the idea of reallocating the funds dur... Full story
In less than a week authorities arrested three individuals on drug distribution charges. On Monday, January 18, after obtaining a search warrant, officers seized Marvin Jackson, 27, and his belongings after arriving in town on an Alaska Airlines flight. "After a search of his belongings a black/brown substance was found wrapped with tape inside a shampoo bottle," the probable cause statement states. "A field test of the substance resulted in a positive reading for heroin." The heroin weighed 22... Full story
A handful of citizens applied for a referendum earlier this week that would have allowed voters to choose whether or not the $9.9 million police and municipal building remodel project should move forward. Gerry Whitethorn and Don Koenigs spearheaded the effort and turned in the referendum for certification on January 19, which included 16 of the required 10 signatures needed in order to apply. It would require 125 total signatures if the referendum was approved. The application, in part, states, “information regarding the long-term operation an... Full story
