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Acclaimed taiko ensemble Unit Souzou will bring their powerful blend of traditional Japanese drumming, dance, and storytelling to Petersburg next week as part of the "sunset tour" for their production "Constant State of Otherness." The Portland, Oregon-based group will perform Tuesday, March 18, at the Sons of Norway hall. Tickets are available online and at Lee's Clothing. Unit Souzou, founded in 2014 by co-directors Michelle Fujii and Toru Watanabe, has built a reputation for innovative...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voiced serious concerns that potential federal funding cuts could devastate essential services and potentially threaten the town's viability by approving a strongly worded letter to Alaska's congressional delegation during Monday’s assembly meeting. The letter, approved by all six assembly members present, details how the rural Southeast Alaska fishing community of approximately 3,000 residents could face an existential crisis if federal support is significantly reduced. “Indiscriminate and across the board red...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted 6-0 Monday to adopt a resolution formally approving a comprehensive Visitor Industry Management Plan developed by a local working group in 2019-2020 and updated in early 2025. The plan, created by 17 Petersburg residents including business owners and borough staff, aims to address visitor industry growth while “maintaining the balance between Petersburg's quality of life and the visitor economy while preserving Petersburg's authenticity and sense of place,” states the resolution. Petersburg Har...
When Victoria Moore's son Alex was first diagnosed with autism, she found herself overwhelmed by the volume of information available and the challenge of finding practical, actionable guidance. Now, she's written and published the book she wishes she'd had during those crucial early days – "Parenting Children with Autism Unlocked." "It would have been nice to have that one go-to book that kind of helped at that beginning, crucial stage of early intervention," Moore says of her motivation to w...
The first-of-its-kind event was an all-male pageant where dance dads of Mitkof Dance Troupe (MDT) students bravely entertained a sold out crowd at the Elks Ballroom. After several uproarious rounds of competition, high school teacher Dustin Crump was crowned Mr. MDT and celebrated his win with an encore rendition of "the Dougie." Thousands were raised to upgrade the dance studio's facilities....
Last week’s federal budget resolution — which narrowly passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a 217-215 vote — has sparked serious concerns about healthcare funding for Alaska’s most vulnerable. The resolution directs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to cut $880 billion over 10 years from the section of the federal budget that oversees Medicare and Medicaid. Petersburg Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter, Jared Kosin with the Alaska Hospital and Healthcare Association, and Brandy Boggs PMC Patient Navigator joined Hannah... Full story
A damaged undersea communications cable disrupted cell phone service in Petersburg on Saturday and other Southeast Alaska communities since Thursday – the damaged Alaska Communications (ACS) subsea cable system serves as a carrier for multiple cell providers, including AT&T. The broader regional outage began around 9:15 p.m. Thursday, with ACS and AT&T customers in Juneau, Haines, Skagway and Gustavus reporting limited or no service. Alaska Communications confirmed Friday that damage to their subsea cable system was the cause. The cell phone o...
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... Full story
The Alaska Board of Fisheries has approved significant changes to the Wrangell Narrows-Blind Slough Terminal Harvest Area Salmon Management Plan, creating new king salmon sportfishing opportunities for resident anglers while working to protect crucial hatchery broodstock. Last year’s controversial closure of freshwater fishing for king salmon in Blind Slough prompted a community driven effort to change the area’s salmon management plan. Proposal 159, developed by the Petersburg Fish and Game Advisory Committee with input from community mem...
This month the Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) was honored at the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet with the Community Impact Award — for transforming local transportation infrastructure through decades of partnerships, generosity, and community engagement. Glowing with pride as she presented the award, Petersburg Parks and Recreation Director Stephanie Payne described the partnership between the borough and PIA “in creating and maintaining trails for the community, along with ro...
Six fathers of Mitkof Dance Troupe students will bravely step into the spotlight this Saturday competing to be crowned Mr. MDT in a male pageant fundraiser to raise money for updates to the dance studio’s facilities. The event, taking place at the Elks Ballroom, features dads who answered the call after some persistent recruitment tactics from the dance teachers. “We literally begged them,” said Kelsey Lambe, MDT dance teacher. “We wrote them letters,” said fellow MDT teacher Olivia Reid. A few seemed willing, but mostly the letters went unan...
Ashley Kawashima - pictured above (right) volunteering alongside Everett Bennett at Humanity in Progress a local nonprofit they both co-founded - was named Young Leader of the year at the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce banquet on Feb. 15. James Valentine presented the award and said "I've known Ashley for a long time ... she has always been a person who puts others before herself and works hard to help people in need. I feel it was time she be recognized for what she has done for the community...
Petersburg Police Chief James Kerr presented the department’s annual report to the Petersburg Borough Assembly at last week’s assembly meeting, offering a summary of the department’s past year. Assembly Member Jeigh Stanton Gregor thanked Chief Kerr and Fire/EMS Director Aaron Hankins for “for taking the time to put those [reports] together for us.” And Stanton Gregor encouraged to the public to read through the reports which are included in the 2/18/25 meeting packet on the borough’s website. The Petersburg Police Department reported an increa...
Petersburg’s Emergency Services Director Aaron Hankins presented the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department’s 2024 annual report to the assembly last week. Hankins writes in the report, “2024 gave us a few hurdles to overcome with the resignation of our EMS Coordinator, changes within the officer corps, new regulations and aging equipment. Thankfully, with new leadership and staff in place, new recruits, and with help from the Title 3 USFS receipts we are looking like we are in a little better shape going into 2025.” “Response times remain on...
In a time of healthcare uncertainty and looming federal budget cuts, Petersburg Medical Center's Patient Navigator Brandy Boggs is working to empower community members to take control of what they can – their long-term care planning. This week, Boggs, who has served as PMC's Patient Navigator for four years, is offering a series of workshops focusing on Medicaid-compliant trusts, aimed at helping Petersburg residents protect their assets while planning for future care needs. These sessions are part of a longer series of workshops led by B...
A damaged undersea communications cable has disrupted cell phone service in Petersburg and other Southeast Alaska communities – the Alaska Communications (ACS) subsea cable system serves as a carrier for multiple cell providers, including AT&T. The broader regional outage began around 9:15 p.m. Thursday, with ACS and AT&T customers in Juneau, Haines, Skagway and Gustavus reporting limited or no service. Alaska Communications confirmed Friday that damage to their subsea cable system was the c... Full story
Federal employees across Southeast Alaska's Tongass National Forest received termination notices over Presidents Day weekend, part of what union leaders are calling an "intentionally dishonest" nationwide purge of civil service workers that has hit Alaska's rural communities particularly hard. In Petersburg, as of Sunday evening, at least nine Forest Service probationary employees were terminated, with seven more terminated in Wrangell. Most of those affected were early-career professionals... Full story
Three properties on Sing Lee Alley were damaged during a series of break-in attempts late Monday night or early Tuesday morning. Marina LeBlanc was home when she heard someone breaking in through the front door of Sew What, her sewing and upholstery shop on Sing Lee Alley. She turned on lights, and reportedly saw someone flee from the property. LeBlanc called police, who responded within minutes. Unable to secure her damaged door frame, she wedged it closed with a table and, understandably...
A vintage briefcase sits against a wall in the Clausen Memorial Museum, displayed alongside weathered timesheets from bridge inspections conducted decades ago. The well-worn leather case, donated by Tom Laurent, carries a family history of Forest Service dedication – passed down from his father, who himself was a second-generation Forest Service scientist, Tom continued using the leather case for bridge inspections until just last year. This simple briefcase, representing three generations of s...
Petersburg's local DMV office has moved into the historic Thompson Building on South Second Street, which is something local residents may need to know as the federal deadline to obtain a REAL ID quickly approaches. Starting on May 7, 2025, to fly within the United States every traveler 18 and older will be required to have a state-issued REAL ID or another acceptable form of identification like a U.S. Passport. But your regular state issued driver's license will no longer be enough. "It's not...
When Ravenstail and Chilkat weaving nearly disappeared, it was saved by a small handful of dedicated artisans. Now, a Petersburg weaver has won a $20,000 business grant to help revive this traditional artform. Dzijúksuk (Debra O'Gara), a raven frog from the cedar bark house of the Teeyhittaan clan, was selected as one of two winners in Spruce Root's 2024 Path to Prosperity competition. The artist's business, Raven's Nest Regalia and Arts, will focus on creating traditional regalia for sale, teac...
A proposal to establish a Petersburg police K9 unit was rejected by the borough assembly Monday in a 4-2 vote, with members citing budget uncertainties despite strong support for the program's anti-drug objectives. The Petersburg Police Department had requested approval for a dual-purpose police service dog that would be trained in both patrol work and narcotics detection. The department highlighted an urgent need, pointing to "multiple search warrants for illegal narcotics" executed over the...
While many economic indicators in Alaska draw concern, outdoor recreation stands as a bright spot, generating $3.1 billion in economic output in 2023. That's according to Mariyam Medovaya, who is coming to Petersburg next week to discuss the growing potential of adventure tourism as the guest speaker at the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet on Feb. 15. "Outdoor recreation is kind of an underappreciated giant of American economy," says Medovaya, noting that Alaska ranked first among...
Mitkof Middle School students put their engineering skills to the test Tuesday in an underwater robotics competition, marking the culmination of a project that brought together students, parents, and community volunteers. Science teacher Hannah Smith's sixth and seventh-grade students assembled remote operated vehicles (ROVs) nearly from scratch before competing in events including speed races, obstacle challenges, and debris cleanup at the Petersburg Community Pool. "Everyone had three class pe...
Jake Slaven, president of the Petersburg Rod and Gun Club, presented a report to the Petersburg Borough Assembly on Feb. 3 to provide updates on the activities of the club and improvements at the Petersburg Shooting range. The club has installed new security cameras at the range through $8,000 in funding contributed by club members and a matching grant from Petersburg Mental Health Services. The facility has also added a new shelter at the pistol range, funded by an NRA Foundation grant, and the...
