Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 304
Runners and walkers turned out en masse for the 15th Annual Beat the Odds Race for a Cure on a drizzly Saturday morning. Marlene Cushing, co-chair of the Beat the Odds committee, said she estimates 160-200 people participated. The race is one of two main events held each year as a remembrance of friends and family members who have passed from cancer as well as a celebration of those who've beat it. It's also a major fundraiser. "Over the years we've raised over $116,000," Cushing said, adding... Full story
While political hopefuls for the statewide election in November were addressing residents and ANB/ANS delegates last Friday, Borough Assembly members met in a special session to canvass and certify the municipal election held Oct. 7. Of ten absentee ballots that were sent in, eight were qualified to be counted during the meeting. The other two ballots were sent in by individuals not yet registered to vote, though the reception of the ballots will register those individuals to vote in future elections. The eight new voters were not enough to...
A host of politicians and political hopefuls were in town last week to speak at the ANB/ANS Grand Camp and many arranged meet-and-greets with community members as well. Among them was Republican Governor Sean Parnell who's fighting to defend his position in November's election against Independent candidate Bill Walker who has teamed up with Democrat Byron Mallott. Petersburg was not a campaign stop for Parnell, rather he used his time here to discuss what he's done in his term so far. His two...
Though local public officials have been exempt from doing so in the past, they will now have to file financial disclosure statements in accordance with state statute. According to the preliminary results released by the borough, just 31 votes separated proponents and opponents of the proposition in Tuesday's municipal election. The issue came up for reconsideration due to the municipality's incorporation as a borough last year. In the past proponents of the exemption have argued that requiring financial disclosure, which includes income... Full story
Long-time Petersburg residents Joey Doyle and Beth Richards were small-town strangers before an unlikely event brought them together last year. "I kind of knew who she was, but we had never really socialized or anything like that," Doyle said. "We're sisters now." Not unlike twins, they solidified their sisterhood in a hospital room. But Doyle and Richards don't share a mother, they share an organ. It was a kidney transplant that brought them together. Joey has polycystic kidney disease (PKD),... Full story
Petersburg voters will head to the polls Oct. 7 to weigh in on seven propositions, the majority of which would impose stricter limitations on the senior sales tax exemption currently in place. The current municipal code exempts individuals 65 years and older from paying Borough sales tax on all items except for alcohol and tobacco, business purchases and purchases made for others not qualifying for the exemption. Proposition 2, if passed, would establish a sunset date, Dec. 31, 2019, after which no new exemption cards would be issued. Seniors... Full story
Petersburg resident Dennis D. Moore, 32, was found dead by an apparent gunshot wound in his Second Street apartment last Saturday afternoon. Police showed up to Moore's apartment in response to a 911 caller requesting a welfare check, said Police Chief Kelly Swihart. The case is still under investigation, but "at this time, police believe Moore was alone when he died," according to a police press release. Moore's body has been transported to the Medical Examiner's office in Anchorage for...
Petersburg Indian Association’s first-ever e-waste program sent 15,000 pounds – a full 40-foot shipping container – of electronics to Seattle to be recycled. The program ran June 30 to Aug. 30 and offered locals free disposal of unwanted electronics in an effort to keep harmful elements found in electronics, like lead and mercury, from contaminating the environment. PIA Tribal Resource Director Jason Wilson said community members brought home electronics like televisions, boat electronics like radios and sonar equipment, and office equip...
The Tongass Advisory Committee (TAC) heard presentations from Forest Service and Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials and discussed the challenges and opportunities associated with an impending transition to young-growth forest management at their meeting this month in Juneau. The presentations given by the Forest Service and DNR officials helped give committee members a better sense of how difficult the transition process can be, Lynn Jungwirth, committee co-chair, said via e-mail. “You can’t ‘speed up’ young growth sustainable mana...
Marine mammal expert Kate Wynne presented at Rainforest Festival in Petersburg Sept. 6 on a topic that affects all coastal Alaskan communities: sea lions and harbor seals. Wynne works with the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program and studies pinnipeds, the classification for seals and sea lions, as well as other marine mammals like whales. Most of the Steller sea lions in Alaska, those found north of Cape Suckling, are part of what is called the Western stock, Wynne said. This stock extends...
Twenty-six moose were reported taken in the first week of the season that opened on Sept. 15. The numbers from the first week are higher than average. ADFG biologist Rich Lowell said that on average 21 moose are taken in the first week and last year 19 were taken in the first week. He said that this season started off slow for most areas except for the Stikine where 14 moose have been reported so far. That’s double the number of moose taken in the first week last year. Lowell also said hunting areas outside the Stikine are starting to pick u...
Just behind Rae C. Stedman Elementary School a large garden teeming with life offers students and community members a new classroom for learning. The School + Community Garden is comprised of a greenhouse, rows of raised beds that convert into hoop houses, a tool shed and planters fashioned from tires, crab pots and gutters now used to grow perennials, pole beans and strawberries. The children's touches abound in the garden from hand-painted signs to the dinosaur figurines poured into round...
The School + Community Garden that thrives behind the Rae C. Stedman Elementary School does so this year thanks in part to the first-ever Sprouts program. Five high-energy youngsters participated in this summer's 10-week program, which was open to third through sixth graders and led by Christina Sargent. Garden organizer Mindy Anderson said she hopes to double the number of participants in next summer's program. "Mostly the idea about the program was to get kids interested and excited about...
When Father Thomas Weise returned to his apartment at Saint Catherine of Siena Catholic Church after a trip to Wrangell last winter, he was greeted by a chilly sight. "I came home from Wrangell and the water in my tub had frozen," Weise said. "I'm like 'why is my tub frozen?'" To find out Weise took a look underneath the building. That's when he first saw the bare joists supporting the floor and decided it was time to improve the building's insulation, starting from the bottom up. Instead of...
More Petersburg homes than ever will be warmed by heat pumps this winter. These appliances have been gaining popularity as rising crude oil prices in the past five years have motivated home and business owners to look for cheaper heating alternatives. Though some residents have made the switch from oil to electric boilers, an increasing number are installing electric heat pumps instead. In the past two years especially there's been a rise in the number of heat-pump installations in Petersburg....
A Kake-Petersburg Intertie (KPI) project update was given during this week's Southeast Conference held in Wrangell. The KPI includes a proposed electrical transmission line that would connect Kake to a SEAPA (Southeast Alaska Power Agency) substation in Petersburg. Kake, a community of just over 550 people, is situated on the northwest coast of Kupreanof Island and is working to find cheaper alternatives to costly diesel, which provides the bulk of their power currently. “The Kake-Petersburg Intertie would transmit power at either 69 or 130 kil... Full story
Fishermen are ending this summer's pink salmon season 10 million over the projected harvest. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game's (ADFG) harvest forecast was 22 million pinks and fishermen hauled in 32 million. Sitka-based ADFG biologist Dan Gray said, “Just in terms of straight numbers, we had a pretty good year.” This year's harvest pales in comparison to last year's record-breaking pink harvest where fishermen brought in some 85.5 million pinks. But a more apt comparison would be to past even-year harvests, since harvests have his... Full story
While one Main Street business closed its doors this month, two other businesses celebrated a small-business merger of sorts just down the road. Main Street shoppers said goodbye to Brenda Norheim's Wild Celery framing studio and gallery on Sept. 6. One week later and just down the road, shoppers celebrated the re-opening of Skate of Gear in Sea Monster Video's former storefront. In addition to the existing merchandise, Skate of Gear now offers new release films for rent as the owners Lisa...
The Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) will be $1,884 this year, more than double last year's amount. According to a press release issued by Gov. Sean Parnell, 510,721 Alaskan's will have the funds deposited directly into their bank accounts and another 88,186 will receive the funds via a paper check. Both will be distributed Oct. 2. In total $1.1 billion will be paid to Alaskans this year, reflecting a fund balance that has increased some 71 percent since 2009, the year of the Great Recession. That increase represents a recovery from the losses...
In their first regular board meeting since the school year kicked off, Petersburg school board members on Tuesday discussed new state-required college assessment testing, changes to the advanced placement (AP) grading scale at the high school, and this year's increased student enrollment. New this year, all juniors at Petersburg High School will be required and funded by the state to take a college or career readiness assessment. The state endorses the ACT, SAT and WorkKeys assessment. Principal Rick Dormer said that the implementation of the...
At their regular board meeting last week in Ketchikan, Southeast Alaska Power Agency (SEAPA) approved rebates to member utilities, discussed the progress of the Swan Lake expansion project and approved the Whitman Lake True Up Agreement. “We did approve a rebate to the member utilities based on last year’s financial performance,” said Joe Nelson, Petersburg Municipal Power and Light (PMPL) superintendent. SEAPA Secretary and Treasurer Andy Donato said SEAPA saw record revenues last year, with 183 million kilowatt hours produced for its membe... Full story
The Petersburg Humane Association (PHA) is doing a big push to raise funds for its first stand-alone animal shelter. The organization was established 15 years ago in Petersburg to shelter stray cats and dogs and find permanent homes for them. They also provide scholarships to help offset the cost of spaying and neutering and work to educate the public on issues related to companion animals. To date the PHA and its volunteers have been sheltering homeless cats (and more rarely dogs) in makeshift... Full story
The Hammer and Wikan grocery store is undergoing a remodel that will open up the front of the store and add more organic produce and natural and Asian food products. General Manager Larry Martin said that the remodel is a continuation of work they did last year at the store. "This is basically an extension of last year when we came in and replaced all the refrigeration in the store," Martin said. "What we're doing now is finishing the center store (dry goods). We're also adding another 12-foot... Full story
A case of head lice was reported at the elementary school last week. “It is likely that this is an isolated incident,” Elementary School Principal Erica Kludt Painter said in a districtwide email. Kludt Painter asked parents to do their part to prevent the spread of lice by checking their children daily for the next few weeks. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) head lice, “are found almost exclusively on the scalp, particularly around and behind the ears and near the neckline at the back of the head.” The CDC adv...
Petersburg High School's volleyball girls continued to hone their skills against 4A Juneau-Douglas at home last Friday and Saturday. After losing two star varsity players from last year, Kylie Wallace and Kyla Willis, and graduating two seniors, the Vikings have been working to fill those roles through vigorous practice. The varsity team lost in three games to Juneau-Douglas on Friday night, though two of those games ended with the Vikings within three points, 22-25. The other game finished at...
