Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 301
Since the Petersburg Borough is a 6% partner with every business within their jurisdiction, it seems intuitive that their best interests would be served by working with those businesses to expand the economy with the use of tax-free shopping incentives for local shoppers. Since the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce had worked with the body to create Ordinance 954 and voters approved the ordinance allowing up to two tax free days per year, the effort was making inroads to give shoppers yet another reason to shop at home… not in Juneau, not in S...
In recognition of the 50th Anniversary of the Alaska Marine Highway System, we present these pages with news reports from the archives of the Petersburg Press in 1962 and 1963. The historic timeline information was provided by the AMHS. The arrival of MV Malaspina in 1963 was big news for the city, the region and the State of Alaska. The new transportation service connected Southeast communities as they had never been before, and it changed the way passengers and freight were transported to and from the towns that made up Southeast Alaska. We...
Tonka Seafoods has purchased Mitkof Cannery on Libby Straight from Trident Seafoods according to partners Seth Scrimsher and Wendel Gilbert. The company’s processing space will increase from 3,000 sq. ft. at its Sing Lee Alley location to 30,000 square feet at Libby Straight. Tonka will acquire 2.08 acres of waterfront along Wrangell Narrows, the cannery and the cookhouse. Trident will retain the warehouse, bunkhouse and loading dock and 1.92 acres of uplands. The larger space will allow T... Full story
Mild winter weather has allowed Rock-n-Road Construction to begin the rebuild of the Blaquiere Point boat launch ramp at Mile 30 Mitkof Highway on the southeast side of Mitkof Island. The project will include the rebuild and extension of the launch ramp, construction of a level parking pad for 19 vehicles with trailers and a new vault toilet. Sig Burrell of Rock-n-Road said they will add four picnic tables at the far end of the parking lot on an elevated pad. The 224-foot x 20-foot wide... Full story
Mild winter weather has allowed Rock-n-Road Construction to begin the rebuild of the Blaquiere Point boat launch ramp at Mile 30 Mitkof Highway on the southeast side of Mitkof Island. The project will include the rebuild and extension of the launch ramp, construction of a level parking pad for 19 vehicles with trailers and a new vault toilet. Sig Burrell of Rock-n-Road said they will add four picnic tables at the far end of the parking lot on an elevated pad. The 224-foot x 20-foot wide... Full story
The season of silence between the borough vote in December 2012, and the formation of assemblies, commissions, boards and committees suggested that those opposed to the formation of the Petersburg Borough might accept the election results. We hoped all would prepare to work together under the new borough. After all, many of the more vocal borough opponents drafted the very charter that provided the outline for the new government entity. Instead, this week the assembly is lambasted for the appointments they made to the assembly, filling vacant...
We were surprised to hear that 337 mail-in ballots remain to be counted by the Division of Elections. We guessed that 100 to 150 more ballots would be the likely number of late returns for the borough election whose deadline was Dec. 18. We doubt the election outcome will change, as approximately two-thirds of the final ballots would have to be cast against borough formation, to alter the outcome. — George and Florabelle Rice stopped by to show us their White House Christmas card. They supported President Obama’s re-election and received the...
As of Wednesday afternoon the Alaska Division of Elections has received 337 additional Petersburg Borough election ballots, which will be tallied on Friday, Dec. 28 beginning at 11 a.m. according to Gail Fenumiai, Director. Fenumiai said 1,391 ballots have been received and approved by the absentee board. Forty ballots were received and rejected. Deadline for mailing ballots was Dec. 18 at 5 p.m. for the mail in election conducted by the State of Alaska. Participation in the borough election to date stands at 53%, well above November’s p...
With the formation of the Petersburg Borough as a home rule entity, the City of Petersburg will dissolve once the election results are certified. The City of Kupreanof will continue to exist within the borough and will continue to enact and enforce its own regulations as they do now. All existing powers of the City of Petersburg will become areawide borough powers. However, little will change in the outlying areas of the borough. Borough ordinances and resolutions of the former city will continue in force within the former city limits only.... Full story
While we’re elated that the initial election results favor the formation of the new Petersburg Borough, we will enjoy even more the silenced debate over the divisive topic. Those on both sides of the issue expressed passionate positions on the proposed borough. As we await final ballot tallies, we hope all residents of the borough will contemplate the new possibilities Tuesday’s election has brought forth. The formation of a borough government will take time, as administrators transition from a city to a borough, as vacant elected pos...
Over 2500 ballots arrived in the mail Wednesday, Nov. 28 asking voters in the proposed Petersburg Borough boundaries if the City of Petersburg shall be dissolved and a Petersburg Borough shall be incorporated. Ballots were mailed to voters who were registered to vote by August 22, 2012. According to Alyce Houston, Regional Election Supervisor, the ballots need to be returned to the state in the return envelope and the voter must sign the ballot and include an identifying mark such as date of birth or the last four digits of their social securit... Full story
With the establishment of the State’s borough formation election in December, people are asking questions and the city is working to provide factual information as they answer those queries. One person this week commented that some don’t realize the City of Petersburg will go out of existence if and when the borough is formed. There will be no more city government. The only remaining city within the borough will be the City of Kupreanof. Were the City of Petersburg to remain in existence, we would not favor borough formation. Having lived in...
Using a $245,000 grant from the Alaska Energy Authority, the City of Petersburg improved the energy efficiency of their city shop building, harbor office, Scow Bay fire hall and the community gym. According to Community Development Director Leo Luczak, the city kicked in an additional $50,000 from the city’s building maintenance fund to complete additional work on some of their buildings. Luczak said $85,000 of the funds were used for weatherization and insulation upgrades to buildings and the balance went to upgrading light fixtures in each o...
It’s no wonder borough formation efforts have taken more than 10 years to culminate in a determining vote in December. Initial council discussions over borough formation began about 2002 as the body debated whether to annex land into the city’s corporate limits or to establish borough boundaries. This week a letter writer charges that this newspaper and the city failed to correct information that was printed, challenged and corrected over two years ago. There is certainly enough information in the city’s borough petition that provides fodde...
After only 2-1/2 months on the job, Bruce Jones, Petersburg Indian Association Tribal Administrator was fired by a 4-2 vote of the tribal council on Tuesday night. Jones was hired on August 1 of this year. Jones did not give a reason for his firing and referred questions to his attorney John Hoag. Tribal member Ronelle Beardslee told the Pilot she and other tribal members will be seeking legal council to determine their next move. “I’m very disappointed the board didn’t support their triba... Full story
Once again, incorrect information was cited to justify opposition to the formation of a Petersburg Borough. Tom Reinarts wrote in a published letter that Wrangell’s borough government had added 29 employees since its formation. In two letters in this week’s Pilot, both Reinarts and Wrangell’s Borough Manager correct the information stated in last week’s letters column. In September, letter writer George Cole apologized for an error where he stated the Petersburg Borough could raise sales taxes without a vote of the people. The Pilot has a f...
Remember to vote on Tuesday, October 2 at the municipal election. Your vote can influence the course of future events in Petersburg from taxes to industrial services for the local fishing fleet. The only competition for public service positions happens to be for three persons seeking seats on the harbor and ports advisory board. This year the propositions will be the topics of interest for voters since two of them involve money. Proposition #1 asks if Petersburg should withdraw from the Inter-Is...
Dave Ohmer presented his annual end of the season fishing report to the Petersburg Rotary Club last week and his comments mirrored statewide reports and comments made by Gunnar Knapp, longtime fishing economist at the University of Alaska. Ohmer, like Knapp cited that huge volumes of cheaper farmed salmon has driven prices for salmon, halibut and black cod lower. Chile, the world’s number two producer of salmon had to get back into the market after killing off their farmed fish stocks due to d... Full story
Police Chief Jim Agner told the Petersburg Rotary Club Wednesday that he believed cases involving persons on the lower socio-economic level are not being prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Office in Juneau. Without going into specifics, Agner said the home of a person being detained by the State was broken into and a flat screen television was stolen. The Petersburg Police Department spent about $5,000 investigating the case and was able to interview a witness and the suspects alleged to have taken the property. They even recovered the t... Full story
After only one month on the job, Petersburg’s newly appointed Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Polasky is already facing criticism from Petersburg Police Chief Jim Agner for failing to prosecute a case of a stolen television. Since the case involves parties with criminal records it’s easy to see why the D.A.’s office would rather not prosecute the case. Neither the victims of the crime, the witnesses to the crime, nor the suspects were very credible witnesses. Parties interviewed by the police disagreed on how the transaction to sell the s...
Flocks of gulls surround a lunge-feeding humpback as he turns on his side, exposing his pectoral fin....
Two mature bald eagles rest upon a rocky reef just south of the Five Fingers Lighthouse on Tuesday....
A large pod of up to a dozen Orca Whales fished the shoreline of Cape Strait on Tuesday....
Bergie-bits and ice bergs float out of LeConte Bay behind Camp Island last Sunday in this view from LeConte Outlook on the Three Lakes Loop Road....
We like to hear from our readers. Some people write letters. Some people drop by the office. A recent visitor questioned why the Pilot carried two pages of news on the recall of the Wrangell hospital board and the subsequent firing of the hospital administrator (June 21, 2012 edition). “Didn’t you have any Petersburg news?” the reader queried. Certainly, we had Petersburg news, but nothing quite as important as the goings-on in Wrangell. The news generated by the recall of all but one member of the Wrangell hospital board and the firing by th...
