Sorted by date Results 176 - 200 of 208
As of Oct. 3, hunters have harvested a total of 70 moose in the 2023 RM038 moose hunt, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Six of the 70 harvested were illegal, with the remaining 64 considered legal game. The total number of moose harvested at this point falls slightly short of the 77 moose harvested last year by Oct. 5 2022. Hunters have harvested 29 legal moose —and two illegal moose— on Kupreanof Island, more than any other area Fish and Game tracks. The Stikine River has seen 14 legal moose harvested so far. The hig...
In the final moments of Dave Kensinger's last Borough Assembly meeting Monday, September 18, lighthearted joking capped the session just before adjourning. It was time for assembly member comments when vice-mayor Bob Lynn spoke up to address something very important: "Well, since this is member Kensinger's last meeting, I gotta thank him for everything he's done. But the one area he hasn't really done a really good job - I think he was our representative with the Alaska Ferry System," a light la...
During the recent Hospital Board meeting Sept. 28, Petersburg Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter shared news of receiving the "verbal greenlight" for a $20 million treasury grant earlier that day. The verbal greenlight came from PMC's liaison with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at the state governor's office, which is the agency that is working with the Department of the Treasury, Hoffstetter explained to the Pilot in an interview. This $20 million grant will be used to develop the... Full story
If you thought it seemed awfully rainy last Thursday, you'd be right. An atmospheric river saturated Petersburg last week with heavy rain and windy conditions. A record breaking 4.47 inches of rain fell on Petersburg on Thursday, Sept. 21, which resulted in landslides in remote areas, reservoir spillover at Crystal Lake, and some hazards across all three harbors. A flood advisory was put into effect for Falls Creek Thursday morning due to excessive rainfall. Mariners were advised to check the...
The Petersburg Police Department notified the Petersburg School District of a threat made by a high school student directed at the secondary school. PSD Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter told the Pilot that the threat made on Tuesday is a completely different, separate incident from the threat made in the district less than two weeks ago. The student was not on school premises when the threat was made and “will not be on campus for the foreseeable future,” Kludt-Painter told the Pilot. When made aware of the threat, PPD notified the dis...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved the sale of a borough-owned lot at the corner of Haugen Drive and North 12th Street to the Petersburg Indian Association for a price of $45,000 following negotiations with Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht. The sale comes on the heels of an Aug. 7 decision by the assembly to move forward with PIA’s application to purchase the property located at 10 N. 12th Street, and an Aug. 20 approval to sell the lot directly to PIA, instead of through a public bid. Cris Morrison, President of the Tribal Co...
After 23 years, Brandy Boggs moved away from Petersburg. Although she may no longer be here in person, her substantial contributions to the community will continue as she remains Petersburg Medical Center's patient navigator - now working in a hybrid role. Over the years, Brandy has held various roles serving rural Alaskan communities. She worked for the state doing child protection with the Office of Children's Services for a number of years before transitioning to her role in the court, where...
Three Alaska Public Entity Insurance (APEI) staff members from Juneau presented the findings and recommendations from their recent review of safety and human resources of the Petersburg Borough to the Assembly on Sept. 18. Earlier this year, the borough agreed to engage an outside organization, later selecting APEI, to help evaluate and make improvement recommendations regarding the safety and human resources practices of the borough, the review arose from a community demand that an effort be made to prevent a situation like the fatal 2016 car...
During a regular meeting on Sept. 12, the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a recommendation to change the zoning of Government Lot 14, which is owned by Skylark Park LLC. The property is currently zoned as public use. However, owner Ambre Burrell proposed a rezoning to single-family mobile home, citing the intention to subdivide the 5-acre parcel into lots for placement of manufactured homes. The proposal asks to make this amendment because the property area is "mis zoned."...
The Petersburg School District said they are confident in the safety of students and staff at school, following a credible threat made by a student last Thursday. The school responded to the threat with an investigation in cooperation with law enforcement. The Petersburg Police Department told the Pilot there is no present danger to the school. “We evaluated the threat and … we don’t see it as a threat to the students or to the public,” said PPD Chief Jim Kerr. Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter told the Pilot that the situation began when a...
The Petersburg Medical Center is introducing a new program for psychiatric care under the behavioral health department, with the support of a $300 thousand federal grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) is a one-year grant that HRSA awarded PMC to “address immediate needs in rural areas through improving access, capacity and sustainability of prevention, treatment, and recovery services for substance use disorder,” according to the language of the grant. PMC is...
The numbers are in from the summer season of the Southeast Alaska commercial Dungeness crab fishery which closed in mid-August. Over the two months that the season was open, 2.58 million pounds of Dungeness crab was harvested in Registration Area A, with 148 permit holders reporting landings. Joseph Stratman of the Department of Fish and Game says the department estimates another 1.3 million pounds will be harvested once the fall season opens Oct. 1. The Department of Fish and Game does not conduct surveys for Dungeness crab stock, instead the...
Moose hunting aims to begin on September 15. For this hunt, Alaska Wildlife Troopers Sgt. Cody Litster says hunters should acquire a RM038 permit, verse themselves thoroughly on what distinguishes legal game, submit their hunting reports and report their mistakes without hesitation. As far as antler configuration goes, Sgt. Litster says "it's the same as it has been." According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), antler restrictions protect a portion of the bull population by...
"Looking for ways to meet new people while also making a difference in Petersburg?" On September 22, 15 local organizations and nonprofits will gather at Sons of Norway Hall for a volunteer fair -Reconnect Petersburg- from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Anyone interested in learning more about what is happening in the Petersburg community is invited to join that Friday for free appetizers, door prizes, and a community gathering where they can discover specific ways to become more involved. While the...
Anyone interested in the sudden surge of mushrooms or the bellowing cry of the Sand Hill Cranes passing over town can stoke their curiosity at the Petersburg Rainforest Festival events during the days to come. The official goal of the rainforest festival is, "connecting people to the natural world through education, exploration, and the arts." Since 2008, this festival has typically taken place after Labor Day weekend. However, that changed a few years ago. "For the last couple of years, we've...
Petersburg can expect the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enforce a higher standard for wastewater discharge in a forthcoming permit that would call for expansion, testing, disinfection and treatment upgrades to meet criteria defined by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The price tag for the system to disinfect the wastewater discharge is currently estimated to be around $10 million - making it "the largest wastewater project that we've ever seen" if, or wh...
The 2023 summer reading programs at the Petersburg Public Library ended in July after six weeks of participants flipping pages, learning instruments, and math-ing their way through an escape room. Across three programs, 270 people of all ages took part in this story, with 65 completing their program cover to cover. Kari Peterson, Program Coordinator for the Petersburg Public Library, said "It went really well, this summer." Back in spring, the library had this year's prizes out on display....
The Alaska Public Entity Insurance (APEI) has completed its review of safety and human resources for the Petersburg Borough. Though it was prompted by community concerns following the car crash in 2016 involving a borough vehicle that resulted in two employee fatalities, APEI’s review was not an investigation of the crash. Their goal was to understand current practices and make recommendations to enhance the safety of borough employees and the public, as outlined in the report’s executive summary. The report noted “a number of areas where...
Dredging is expected to resume at South Harbor this October to finish the maintenance project that was suspended earlier this year. Harbormaster Glo Wollen says Western Marine, who has undertaken the South Harbor dredge project, is "here, poised, ready to go" but must wait to resume in-water work due to environmental regulations. "Because of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, we can't do any in-water work until October 1," she said. "We'll see them start to fire up and get things ready, and then...
At the office of Petersburg nonprofit Humanity In Progress, anyone experiencing food insecurity can pick up a grab-and-go bag from the storage container just outside the door. Inside, a thoughtful collection of products to meet a person's basic needs are stacked against the walls. Humanity in Progress, also called HIP, is a small local nonprofit organization that aims to address the present humanitarian needs for shelter and sustenance in Petersburg. There is currently a housing shortage in...
The Petersburg School District approved the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) six-year plan at the first meeting of the academic year August 15. It is a long term plan that is vital to secure state funding for major maintenance and building capital projects. The facility committee met with Borough Building Official and Code Enforcement Officer Ray Wesebaum, Southeast Regional Resource Center representative David Landis, and school board member Jay Lister to review and discern priorities for a six-year plan. So far, there are five projects on the...
The filing window for candidacy in the 2023 Petersburg Borough Municipal Election officially closed Tuesday afternoon. Thirty candidates filed for the 20 seats up for election, and there will be 11 contested positions on this year’s ballot. The two contested seats on the assembly are now a race between Jeigh Stanton Gregor, Rob Schwartz, Rick Perkins, and incumbent Jeff Meucci. Both positions will be three-year terms. Dave Kensinger will not run for reelection in this year’s race. Both of the three-year terms on the hospital board are a con...
At the first board meeting of the academic year last week, the Petersburg School District board decided that school meal prices will increase by at least $0.25 this school year. This decision was approved in order to maintain the financial sustainability of the school food service program and comply with the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Paid Lunch Equity Policy. The policy says that schools serving lunch need to have enough money to pay for meals that students buy at the regular price, not the discounted price; some s...
Students in Petersburg School District are set to start the school year on August 29, alongside several upcoming additions to faculty staff. New to the district is Thomas Hambley, who will teach fourth grade at Stedman Elementary this fall. "I am excited about joining the team at Stedman Elementary and becoming part of the Petersburg community," he shared. Hambley moved to Petersburg earlier this summer from Glennallen, where he taught fourth grade. He specializes in elementary level teaching...
As the first practical measure taken by Petersburg’s Early Childhood Education Task Force, the PIECE program is nearing the mark of its first year in action. So far, eight childcare provider employees across three services in Petersburg have received a first round of fiscal incentives under the program. For some, the extra benefits have given them a positive boost toward higher education; for others, the bonus check has not provided enough of a platform to launch from. PIECE, short for Petersburg Incentive Education for Childhood Employees, i...
