Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 89
Jill Lenhard moved to Ketchikan last August to take a teaching job at Ketchikan High School, but she – and her husband, music teacher Matt Lenhard – both got caught up in this year's teacher layoffs that impacted public school districts across the state. Fortunately for Petersburg, this meant the perfect candidate was unexpectedly available to fill a new teaching vacancy at Mitkof Middle School. Lenhard had spent over 20 years in Petersburg as a vital component of the school district's Eng...
10 volunteers pulled on their rubber boots and rain jackets last Friday to search Petersburg's beaches for suspicious crab carapaces in observation of European Green Crab Awareness Day. After breaking into four groups, the volunteers combed the waterfronts of the Wilson Creek camp area, Crescent Beach, Greens Camp, and Woodpecker Cove; they found 33 carapaces in total, none of which were green crab. "I think it went well. I think it's good we didn't find any green crab," said organizer and...
After days of heavier-than-normal rain in Petersburg, the Rainforest Festival is taking advantage of a potential reprieve from the weather over the weekend to bring wildflowers into the spotlight with their Mountain Meadow Wildflower Walk at the Twin Creek this Sunday. Hosted by Mary Clemens, the event will bring participants on a "slow meander" through the muskeg in front of the Twin Creek Shelter with Clemens pointing out local flora and answering questions along the way. "It's not going to...
The St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church applied for two conditional use permits during the Petersburg Borough Planning Commission's regular meeting on Tuesday. Spearheaded by Juneau architect Rich Conneen - who attended the meeting remotely - both permits were approved by the Planning Commission, giving the church approval to construct a church in the same single-family residential lot it previously occupied, as well as allowing use of the parking lot at 306 N 3rd St. for required off-street...
Several large derelict vessels moored in Petersburg's harbors, have reached a point where they might not survive another winter. Harbormaster Glo Wollen is working with Borough Attorney Sara Heideman to adapt Petersburg's municipal code concerning derelict vessels, before it's too late. Currently, Petersburg's municipal code includes a set of procedures that direct the harbor to impound or auction abandoned or potentially dangerous derelict vessels. The new procedure being developed will...
Educator, psychologist, and international advocate Dr. Paloma Pavel will be hosting her workshop "Resilience for Community Builders" on Tuesday, July 9 at 2PM at the public library, Based on her experience as the coauthor of "Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty" and editor of "Breakthrough Communities," Pavel invites attendees to learn how communities like Petersburg can build more personal and community resilience. "Part of what we'll be looking at is how [we can] face the challenges...
Earlier this month the Alaska Department of Fish and Game notified the public of the verified expansion of invasive European green crab distribution in Alaska waters after finding 11 molted carapaces on the shore of Bostwick Inlet, Gravina Island on June 13. First found in Alaskan waters in July 2022, green crab are considered one of the top 100 worst invasive species globally by the International Union for Conservation and Nature due to their predatory tendencies and their rampant destruction...
In the middle of her voyage from Sitka to Pelican, Alaska State Rep. Rebecca Himschoot called into the Pilot from West Chichagof Island to talk about her first term and her upcoming repeat bid where she is running unopposed. With the weight of the campaign off her shoulders, while the legislature is out of session, Himschoot is boating through the district – visiting each of the 21 communities she represents in the State House including Petersburg – with fresh eyes, as she reflects on the hig...
Dozens of black and white photos showcasing familiar faces in local commercial fishing have long adorned the walls of Common Grounds, a coffee shop in downtown Petersburg, and recently a very large, brightly colorful photo print – one that has special meaning for many in town – has joined the photos on the wall specifically dedicated those who were lost too soon. After a five-year journey, this 1987 photo print featuring the late Petersburg fisherman Kevin Kivisto has made its way from the Sea...
In the past week, four informational signs were installed on a newly constructed plaza at Sandy Beach Park - bringing to life the first phase of the Hutli Project. The Hutli Project -a collaboration between the Petersburg Indian Association and an advisory committee including members from PIA, the Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition, Petersburg Parks & Recreation, the US Forest Service, and others- aims to tell the story of Petersburg's Indigenous population through the further development of...
While Petersburg residents are hoping to trade rainy days for sun, the public library is encouraging kids and readers of all ages to trade in pages for prizes with their annual summer reading programs. Baby Shrimp - the library's playful parenting program for kids ages 0-3 - and Summer Stream - their flagship program for kids ages 3-12 - have both gone through major restructuring this year, while the Go Wild program is continuing to invite teens and adults to join in on the activities. "There's...
On a much needed sunny Saturday last weekend, the Petersburg Market – an outdoor market for homegrown and handmade local goods - kicked off its summer season, welcoming shoppers in a new location and under new leadership. With several new changes in the works by freshly appointed market manager Rebekah Gumz, the 2024 market is slowly growing into its new location between Kito's Kave and The Salty Pantry, as both new and old stalls, vendors, and attractions pop up to serve the public every other...
Petersburg High School's baseball team capped off a historic season last weekend, taking fourth place at the Alaska State Tournament in Wasilla. After losing their first game against Kenai Central Kardinals, the Vikings fought through their loser's bracket games without taking another loss, with the team's freshman and sophomore pitchers stepping up to carry them to victory. "We were 9-11 for the season... For our baseball program three or four wins in a season is actually considered to be a...
Petersburg High School's track team's seven qualifying athletes wrapped up their season last weekend competing against Alaska's best at the state championships in Anchorage. Several athletes earned podium finishes and final placements across the two-day event by excelling in running, jumping, and throwing, but they were still left with a drive to improve and reach the top in their fields. "Everybody felt good, it was good for the most part. A couple guys didn't do as well as they wanted to, but...
With a full season of running, throwing, and jumping under their belts, Petersburg High School's track and field team returned to Ketchikan to compete in the Region V Championships last weekend. Three Petersburg athletes won Region V titles in their events and many more ended up on the podium across the two-day event, with seven students qualifying for this week's state championships in Anchorage. "They were pretty excited [heading into the event]. They were feeling good, feeling excited, lots...
Petersburg High School's baseball team finished off their regular season games with a bang last weekend taking down Wasilla's Redington High School in a clean 3-0 series. This year's young roster of Vikings rounded out their monumental season with two blowout games, featuring highlight performances from the team's seniors who were honored during senior appreciation on Saturday, as well as all-around success on offense and defense from the team's rookies. "This has been a historic season. We got...
Petersburg High School’s track and field team is already heading into the final few weeks of their season, coming off an exciting meet in Juneau and moving towards the Region 5 Championships in Ketchikan this weekend. After competing in their first meet with a reduced squad, PHS were able to bring their full team of 28 kids to Juneau to compete in 112 total events, giving them a great chance to prepare for their last few meets. “It’s so hard to look at a track meet as a whole because there...
Petersburg High School's baseball team achieved a program first last weekend as they picked up their first ever winning series against Ketchikan. Facing a team they hadn't won a game against in a decade, the series also served as the Vikings' first winning series of the season, making the weekend's achievements an even sweeter success. "All in all it was a really good outing, doing to them what they do to us quite often. It was nice to win the doubleheader, it's hard to do," said head coach Jim...
Petersburg High School’s track team are off to the races this season as they prepare for their second meet in Juneau, with their first meet already under their belts. Many of the younger Viking athletes ran on a full track for the first time ever in Ketchikan on April 19 and 20, as the team competed in running, throwing, and jumping events across the two-day meet. “The athletes who have been around knew what to expect, but we have a fair amount of young athletes who haven’t really been around so they were a little bit nervous. Overall, I think...
Petersburg's Viking Swim Club's small team made a big showing last weekend at the Alaska Swimming State Championships in Anchorage. In their last major event of the short course season, Petersburg's 13 swimmers competed against the best in the state, coming out of the weekend with championship titles in 12 separate events and winning the Highest Points Per Swimmer title as a team. "It's incredibly exciting to see our growth, to see our swimmers going toe to toe with the best in the state and...
Petersburg High School’s baseball team fought their way through a series full of action during their three games against Juneau-Douglas High School last weekend. Each game had a wildly different story, but the Vikings were able to find a burst of consistency in their first game on Sunday, allowing them to pick up their first win of the season. “We’ve been saying it all year to the boys that if you play a clean game of baseball, you’re going to give yourself a really good chance of winning the game. It showed and they were dialed in,” said head...
Petersburg High School's baseball team stepped up to the plate on their home field last weekend, taking on Thunder Mountain High School in a series of difficult games that resulted in three losses for the Vikings. Although Friday's game and Saturday's doubleheader all finished in a similar fashion-with fielding errors creating a bottleneck with the team's limited pitching roster-the team has felt a noticeable shift in momentum during practices this week, hinting towards an upwards trajectory...
Petersburg High School's musical ensembles traveled to Stika last weekend for 2024's Southeast Alaska Music Fest where their hard work was commended by audiences and judges alike. Over the course of the three-day event, PHS's choir, concert band, and jazz band performed in solo and group ensembles, viewed performances from schools across Southeast, and attended music clinics with other students, soaking in as much of the experience as possible after preparing their setlists for months. "Last yea...
Petersburg's Viking Swim Club competed against teams from eight Southeast communities at the Southeast Championships in Juneau last weekend. The 34 kids traveled up to swim in multiple events across two days where the VSC claimed second place overall for the second year in a row, showing great improvement and shrinking the gap towards their first-place competitors in Juneau's Glacier Swim Club. "Every year that we go we score a little bit more points than we did the year before, so I'm really ha...
Petersburg High School's Baseball team started their season off with a challenging series of games in Sitka this last weekend. This year's young roster faced off against several opponents over the course of three days, starting off strong with a win up against Thunder Mountain before struggling against tough competition from West Valley High School and Sitka. "[We] were excited to be playing," said head coach Jim Engell. "It's always nice to get on and see in a game situation the things you...
