Articles written by Orin Pierson


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  • Petersburg's Kaili Watkins named Afterschool Superhero

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Apr 24, 2025

    Kinder Skog mentor and Mitkof Dance Troupe teacher Kaili Watkins has been named an Alaska Afterschool Superhero, one of five educators recognized across the state this year by the Alaska Afterschool Network. The press release on Monday described the recognition as "a highly competitive, statewide award that recognizes spectacular afterschool professionals ... Kaili has gone above and beyond in her role, building relationships and learning about the individual needs of youth." Watkins was...

  • Assembly approves new sale of nine borough-owned lots

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Apr 24, 2025

    The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted Monday to direct Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht to enter into negotiations with Greg and Heidi Johnson for the sale of nine borough-owned lots intended for residential property development, effectively overriding a recommendation from the Petersburg Planning Commission. The properties in question include lots six through ten in block 255 of the Northeast Subdivision and lots two through five of the unrecorded Scenic View Subdivision. The Johnsons...

  • "No Kings" day of action

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Apr 24, 2025

    More than 60 Petersburg community members gathered at Buschmann Park in the rain on Saturday, April 19 to participate in a nationwide "No Kings" day of action. Signs at the rally denounced the Trump administration's defiance of court orders regarding the illegal deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the Supreme Court of the United States, in a decision earlier this month, described as having "been improperly sent to El Salvador." The Supreme Court ruling states, "to this day, the Government...

  • New ramp improves beach access near Hungry Point

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Apr 24, 2025

    Three sets of stairs have provided access from North Nordic Drive down to the beach near Hungry Point. A few years ago, the wooden stairs closest to town were replaced with new treated lumber. The middle set of stairs was blocked off to discourage use. And the third set of stairs, closest to Hungry Point, was determined to be hazardous and in need of removal or replacement. "We decided to do both!" Aaron Marohl, Petersburg's Assistant Public Works Director told the Pilot. The existing concrete s...

  • Annual Beat the Odds 5K Walk/Run

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Apr 24, 2025

    Friends gather for a photo after completing the 26th annual Beat the Odds – A Race Against Cancer 5K on Saturday at Sandy Beach. Proceeds from registration and donations all go to support Beat the Odds' local cancer related programs including treatment travel, equipment training, and other support for patients and their families. This year, Petersburg Mental Health Services provided a matching grant of $10,000 to encourage and amplify local giving. Over the 26 years that the Beat the Odds e...

  • Southeast Alaska golden king crab fishery sets value record, while Tanner crab maintains strong price

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Apr 17, 2025

    Southeast Alaska's golden king crab fishery reached an all-time high value of $5 million in 2025, marking an impressive recovery for a fishery that was struggling just a few years ago. The East Central management area, which includes waters around Petersburg, led the record-breaking season with a harvest value of $2.97 million, according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game data. The unprecedented value comes despite lower harvest volumes than last year. Fishermen landed 177,060 pounds from...

  • Petersburg police seize drugs, cash, and gun in search warrant operation

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Apr 17, 2025

    Petersburg Police Department officers executed a search warrant Monday evening in an operation that yielded multiple drugs, cash, and a firearm. The April 14 search on South Second Street resulted in the seizure of approximately 80 grams of methamphetamine packaged for sale, along with heroin, cocaine, prescription medications including methadone, oxycodone and suboxone, approximately $3,800 in cash, and one firearm. The seizure also included drug paraphernalia such as a digital scale, numerous...

  • Schools officials respond to governor vow to veto education funding bill

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Apr 17, 2025

    "The Senate's new education bill is a joke!" declared Governor Mike Dunleavy in a social media post last week. "It does absolutely nothing to improve educational achievement... Welcome to Alaska: 51st in the nation in educational outcomes. In what world does one write a blank check with no expectations?" The governor's comments came as the Alaska Legislature passed House Bill 69 on Friday, April 11, which would increase the Base Student Allocation (BSA) by $1,000 per student. Dunleavy...

  • Petersburg School District presents draft budget amid state funding uncertainty

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Apr 17, 2025

    The Petersburg School District presented its draft budget for the 2026 fiscal year at Tuesday's school board meeting, April 15, revealing a major budget deficit and the strategic use of the fund balance to maintain educational services amid uncertain state funding. PSD Finance Director Shannon Baird presented a draft budget projecting total revenue of $9,876,947 against expenditures of $11,426,685, creating a deficit of approximately $1.5 million. This shortfall would be covered by spending...

  • PIA distributes herring eggs

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Apr 10, 2025

    Petersburg Indian Association Council President Carol Martinez portions out frozen Sitka herring eggs on branches into gallon bags for Petersburg's tribal citizens. A fisherman volunteer collected and provided these eggs for free distribution by PIA. Herring roe on branches is not something that can be bought or sold, so PIA appreciates those volunteers who help to gather the subsistence foods. In recent years, the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Tribes purchased herring roe on kelp - which...

  • Borough Assembly rejects K9 unit despite surge of community support, donations

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Apr 10, 2025

    The Petersburg Borough Assembly has once again rejected a proposal to establish a police K9 unit, voting against the request by a 5-1 margin despite grassroots advocacy efforts and significant financial pledges. The proposal, which returned for reconsideration at Monday's assembly meeting after being initially rejected in February, failed to gain approval even with new funding commitments from the Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) and local businesses. Perspectives on the drug dog proposal...

  • Petersburg assembly advances Marine Industrial Overlay ordinance

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Apr 10, 2025

    The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously passed the first reading of Ordinance #2025-04 on April 7, moving forward the plans to establish a Marine Industrial Overlay (MIO) zone to preserve waterfront areas for maritime uses. The ordinance would create special zoning restrictions to ensure specific tidelands in the Port Dock and Scow Bay areas remain dedicated to commercial fishing and maritime operations. "Harbor board and staff has been working hard on this for over a year," Harbor Master...

  • Assembly urges Alaska Legislature to increase education funding

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Apr 10, 2025

    The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously Monday to approve a resolution calling on state lawmakers to increase education funding and create a sustainable formula for Alaska's schools. Resolution #2025-07, which passed 6-0, urges the Alaska Legislature to "significantly increase the Base Student Allocation" and develop a long-term bipartisan solution for education funding beginning in fiscal year 2026. Assembly members cited the strain on local resources - the borough currently provides...

  • Quality over quantity:

    Orin Pierson, Pilot Writer|Apr 3, 2025

    While the total number of cruise ship visits to Petersburg will decline this summer, local tourism experts say the quality of port calls should actually increase. "I think after looking at the schedule, the numbers of port calls are down, however, the quality of port calls are high," said James Valentine, co-owner of Viking Travel. Petersburg will welcome 87 cruise ship visits in 2025, down from 104 the previous year. However, Valentine notes that many of last year's visits came at times when to...

  • Preserving a legacy: New owners carry on spirit of Kinder Komfort

    Orin Pierson, Petersburg Pilot|Mar 27, 2025

    The bell jingles as the door to Kinder Komfort opens, and a customer slips in with a hopeful smile. "Did you find it?" he asks Jenny Cisney, who lights up behind the counter. "I did!" she cheers, retrieving a copy of Code Names, a board game the customer had hoped to special order but couldn't quite remember the name of days earlier. Jenny had put together the clues and figured out the name, found the game and even had her visiting mother bring it from Washington with her luggage rather than... Full story

  • Petersburg School District, support staff reach 3-year contract agreement

    Orin Pierson, Petersburg Pilot|Mar 27, 2025

    The Petersburg School District and its support personnel union reached a tentative three-year contract agreement in less than a day of negotiations, school officials announced Tuesday. The agreement includes a $2.50 per hour wage increase across the board in the first year, followed by 1.5% increases in each of the following two years, according to Finance Director Shannon Baird. Support staff will also receive a $500 matching contribution to a 403(b) retirement plan. This matches a similar...

  • Petersburg property values show modest 4% growth in 2025 assessment

    Orin Pierson, Petersburg Pilot|Mar 27, 2025

    Total property values in Petersburg Borough increased by more than $30.7 million in the latest assessment cycle, representing roughly 4% growth from last year, with borough-wide assessments reaching $795.5 million, according to a recent report from the borough's assessors. The annual assessment, required by state law, indicates that "the overall market continues to grow despite the high cost of living and rising interest rates," wrote assessors Mike Renfro and Martins Onskulis of the Appraisal...

  • Sea shanty singer invites Petersburg to join the chorus

    Orin Pierson, Pilot Writer|Mar 27, 2025

    Musician Seán Dagher will bring his interactive sea shanty performance to Petersburg next week, inviting locals to join in the maritime musical tradition that has experienced a surge of recent popularity. The performance will be "pretty participatory," Dagher told the Pilot it will be fun and easy to take part. "The shanties are like call and response songs, so I'll sing the call part, and people sing the responses," Dagher explained. Dagher's performance, being presented by the Petersburg... Full story

  • Silver Bay Seafoods acquires Icicle's 50% ownership stake in OBI

    Orin Pierson|Mar 20, 2025

    Silver Bay Seafoods and Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation (BBEDC) jointly announced Tuesday a partnership they say "will increase stability for Alaskan fishermen and communities reliant on seafoods processing operations," with Silver Bay acquiring Icicle Seafoods' 50% ownership stake in OBI Seafoods. The acquisition affects many processing facilities throughout Alaska, including Petersburg's OBI plant, one of the community's largest employers. According to the March 18 announcement, S... Full story

  • Police K9 unit coming back for reconsideration by Assembly

    Orin Pierson|Mar 20, 2025

    The Petersburg Police Department's previously rejected K9 unit proposal has gained significant momentum through community financial support and grassroots advocacy efforts. Reconsideration of the proposal is anticipated at the Borough Assembly's first meeting in April. The Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) has emerged as a major supporter, pledging $14,000 from opioid settlement funds to help cover the unit's maintenance costs. "We received opioid settlement funds from class action lawsuits...

  • Borough discovers broken wastewater outfall in Frederick Sound

    Orin Pierson|Mar 20, 2025

    A recent inspection revealed significant damage to Petersburg's wastewater outfall pipe in Frederick Sound, potentially causing the borough to face unexpected repair costs and regulatory challenges. Borough officials discovered that the approximately 65-foot diffuser section of the outfall pipe, which disperses treated effluent from the wastewater treatment plant into Frederick Sound - located around 800 feet offshore at a depth of 60 feet - has become completely detached from the main line. It...

  • Don't take the bait: How to spot and avoid scammers

    Orin Pierson|Mar 20, 2025

    Last month, Petersburg resident Lila Trask's friends received an email saying, "Good Morning, I hope you're doing well. Unfortunately, I'm currently dealing with a serious throat infection that's making it difficult for me to communicate over the phone. Do you shop Amazon? Lila." She was completely unaware that her no-longer-used GCI email account had been hijacked, meanwhile two of her friends, a couple, fell for the scam, at least initially, and responded to the email. "Glad to hear from...

  • Petersburg couple celebrates 75 years together

    Orin Pierson|Mar 20, 2025

    A glass cabinet gleams near a big window in the Mountain View Manor Assisted Living apartment of George and Florabelle Rice. The display case is brimming with collected mementos: two small ceramic cats - prizes from a Quaker Oats container - given to Florabelle ninety years ago by her mother, souvenirs from the couple's travels, family photographs, keepsakes spanning nearly a century of memories. "I love this stuff that has a happy memory," says Florabelle, her eyes lighting up. "I get such a... Full story

  • Petersburg fishing vessel Spicy Lady catches fire in Chatham Strait

    Orin Pierson, Pilot writer|Mar 13, 2025

    A Petersburg-based fishing commercial vessel caught fire Thursday near Point Gardner in Chatham Strait where it had been participating in the golden king crab fishery. The fire prompted a coordinated response from nearby Samaritan vessels, the Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department, and the U.S. Coast Guard. The U.S. Coast Guard received a distress call at 1:49 p.m. reporting that the F/V Spicy Lady, a 58-foot steel vessel, was on fire and crew members were preparing to abandon ship into a life...

  • Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" coming to the PHS stage

    Orin Pierson|Mar 13, 2025

    In Wright Auditorium, tubes of cardboard are being transformed into marble columns. Costumes salvaged from thrift stores are repurposed into Elizabethan finery. And students are grappling with language written over 400 years ago learning how to bring it to life. Petersburg High School's drama program, under the direction of Elsa Wintersteen, is tackling William Shakespeare's comedy "Much Ado About Nothing" this spring, with performances scheduled for March 27-29, including a Saturday matinee....

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