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If you've got to ride-out a worldwide pandemic, there's no better place than in Petersburg. We're isolated on an island along the edge of the Pacific Ocean, giving us a lot of protection from the spread of COVID-19. With appropriate precautions, followed by all of us, we can get through this. Store managers tell us that shoppers have been respectful of social distancing while in the stores. More and more shoppers are phoning in orders and having them delivered to their homes, avoiding the...
In just two weeks the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world in which we live. Sheltering in place and social distancing are the new means of protecting us, and others, from person-to-person contact with the virus, which for the elderly could be fatal. With this in mind, we are taking action to protect our employees, and our customers from potential COVID-19 transmission. Our office supply store and newspaper office will be closed to walk-in customers effective today (Thursday) at 1 p.m. Orders for office supplies can be taken over the phone,...
We hope the Petersburg Borough Assembly doesn't re-establish the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. According to Borough Clerk Debra Thompson the board was abolished in late 2014. When the Petersburg Borough was formed, the assembly voted on the continuation of each board and commission in place under the auspices of the City of Petersburg. The borough assembly never established the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. The mere fact that the Parks and Recreation Department has survived for...
During these times of limited capital project spending around the state, the proposed Kake to Petersburg road should not be a priority. Funding for the project was allocated in 2012 by Senator Bert Stedman (R-Sitka) under a "Roads to Resources" program. Ignoring the fact that the project has taken nearly 8 years to develop, much has changed since the project was funded. Biggest among them is the state's realization that they have to live within their means. Next is the fact that the...
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration held a public hearing in Petersburg Monday night on their proposal to establish critical habitat areas for humpback whales in Southeast Alaska including areas from the Alaska Peninsula down the coastline to Southern California. Over 80 persons, mostly fishermen attended the standing-room-only meeting at the Assembly Chambers. NOAA's fisheries division, the National Marine Fisheries Service proposes to protect the feeding areas of three...
The establishment of critical habitat areas running from western Alaska to southern California is a prime example of federal agency overkill and overreach. We don't see a logical pathway whereby NOAA's proposed rule will bring numbers of the three distinct population segments (DPS) of humpbacks back to historic levels. Unanswered by NOAA officials is an explanation of why the Hawaiian population is thriving as seen by population counts in both Alaska and Hawaii, and the three segments of the...
The Borough Assembly members acted correctly Monday evening by voting down a proposed ordinance to permit off-road vehicles to operate on borough roadways. The voters spoke against the idea in a 60%-40% decision in 2017. It's not the place of the assembly to override the clear wishes of the electorate just 2 years later. Further, the discussion reminds us of a solution in search of a problem. All manner of off-road vehicles including forklifts, 4-wheelers with plows, tractors and backhoes...
Icicle Seafoods executives and workers rallied around the family and friends of Ken Hicks who passed away last week. Ken was the cannery foreman and was employed by the company for 33 years. Workers and friends worked hand in hand with his daughter Erin to sort and pack up his belongings. Their all-in efforts reflect the love and appreciation everyone had for Ken's long-time contributions to the company. May such acts of kindness continue beyond this Christmas season and throughout the New...
In last week's page one story about Superior Court Judge Carey's order releasing both the Petersburg Borough and defendant Chris Allen from the liability suit brought by the Estate of Molly Parks, we incorrectly stated the court wrote the motion to dismiss. In fact, defense attorneys drafted the motions to dismiss, and the court granted the requested dismissal in an "Order Granting Motion to Dismiss." In its order, the court made repeated references to the dismissal motion as it explained the...
Both the Petersburg Borough and former Parks and Recreation Department employee Chris Allen have been dropped as defendants in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the Estate of Molly Parks, one of two women killed in a July 4, 2016 crash on South Nordic Drive. Allen was the driver of the parks and recreation van, which crashed after Allen suffered a seizure while driving with three other persons in the vehicle. Allen is serving a 7-year sentence after entering a guilty plea to a single...
One of Alaska's oldest retailers is proposing bold changes in its quest to provide Petersburg customers with what they need. Barry Morrison, general manager of The Trading Union, Inc. said the hardware store inventory will be liquidated and its space will be filled with specialty foods and Costco products. "The biggest complaint I get is the cost of food and requests for specialty foods," Morrison said. The town needs greater access to specialty foods, Morrison added. Products offered in the...
Southeast Alaskans have been given the opportunity to lift the onerous roadless designation from the Tongass National Forest, and yet many have testified to leave it in place. We're astonished. That's not the Alaskan way. Why do we want the federal government to maintain continued control of the Tongass? The roadless designation was put in place as yet another padlock on national forests that were already protected and commercial activity was eliminated or severely stymied. Half of the Tongass...
The public should be given the maximum opportunities to make public comments at any gathering of the borough assembly. Written comments can be read by the city clerk, when requested, and the writer cannot be present. This has happened often in the 43 years we have observed gatherings of both the city council and now the assembly. Members of the assembly and other administration staff have read comments when the clerk needed a break. What's wrong with that? Given that assembly meetings rotate...
Frustration is mounting at both the police and fire department over funding for a police sergeant position and an EMS coordinator. The 2020 borough budget includes line items of $127,224 to fill a vacant sergeant position and $96,147 to fill the EMS coordinator post. Repeatedly the police chief and fire department volunteers have spoken to the need for filling the two vacancies The topic has been thoroughly covered both during the borough's annual budget deliberations and at many regular...
The strike called for by the Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific (IBU) this week defies all logic. Talk about giving the governor exactly what he wants at a most expeditious time - the script couldn't be more perfect. Instead of shutting down the ferries in October, the IBU now insures the ferries shut down in mid-summer. And in summer, visitors are impacted rather than state residents who are busy working seasonal jobs like construction and fishing. Of course, this will not endear members of...
While last week's unfounded account that the visiting cruise ship Le Soleal discharged sewage into Frederick Sound gave anti-cruise ship groups a reason to oust the ships from Borough area waterways, Petersburg needs to make sure they are a part of the solution for keeping our waterways clean. We hope the assembly will discuss and plan to construct a waterfront pumping station that will allow boats of all sizes to discharge sewage into the Petersburg's wastewater system. It would be a good use...
KFSK radio in Petersburg has a scheduled spring and fall fundraiser, and often an impromptu solicitation each June when the state budget is announced. They've salvaged their state grant from the jaws of budget slashers for many years, but not this year. This week they've announced they intend to make up the $80,000 state grant (or 18% of their total budget of $450,000) that was cut by Governor Dunleavy. It's a mighty task. If they're successful this year, what about next? This year's cuts are...
Petersburg’s Alaska Airline terminal is a busy place. Since 1998 departures from the facility have increased by 31 percent, from 34,376 to 49,521 in 2018. Even infrequent travelers take note of the crowded terminal on heavy travel days. Parking spaces expand along both sides of Haugen Drive and passengers and those transporting their guests move outside to escape the packed terminal. The trek between available parking spaces to the terminal grows longer. While Alaska Airlines has expanded terminals in Kodiak, Cordova, Yakutat and Kotzebue, f...
Helen Olson was found guilty, and Carlos Sandoval was found not guilty on single counts of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 2nd degree. The jury delivered their verdict following a 4-day trial on May 24. Charges against Sandoval were dismissed and Judge Carey set August 27 as the sentencing date for Olson. Olson was released on bail. The prosecution alleged that Olson received a package containing 51 grams of methamphetamine that had a street value of $200/gram in Petersburg,...
Seafood industry researchers to casual history buffs will use and enjoy Tin Can Country - Southeast Alaska's Historic Salmon Canneries. This copiously illustrated edition is filled with stories, essays, historic photographs, custom made maps and colorful salmon can labels that together tell the story of S.E. Alaska's seafood industry from the time of tidewater Tlingit fish traps to today's highly mechanized, competitive corporate-conglomerated industry. It's a perfect coffee table book, because...
Life in a small fishing village, filled with opinionated fishermen and fisherwomen comes to life in this well-written story that was released last December by author and retired schoolteacher Christi Slaven. By the time you reach the final page of Home is Where the Fish Are, you'll have ridden out a night long storm that slammed, "a hundred tons of green water onto the deck," followed by a second monster that broke windows and sent green water and glass into the engine room. Equally descriptive...
The captain of the fishing vessel Alaskan Girl has been indicted on federal charges of discharging 16,000 pounds of pollutant into the waters of Sumner Strait in June 2017, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. According to information provided in a plea agreement filed on April 15, the F/V Alaskan Girl skippered by Brannon Finney, was enroute from Wrangell to Petersburg with four bags, known as super sacks or brailer bags, onboard. Each 4,000-pound bag contained sandblast waste generated...
In last week’s police report Jasmine Jones was shown as being arrested on March 14 at 4:01 p.m. on a charge of DUI. The arrest report provided to us by the Petersburg Police Department showed a March arrest date, a new booking number and new arrest number that differed from the arrest report given on Feb. 23. The Pilot printed the arrest information as a second arrest. When contacted by Jones this week this newspaper was accused of printing the second March arrest maliciously. We explained to Jones that the March incident was indeed a part o...
On March 13, Petersburg Attorney Fred Triem was ordered to provide full accounting of Hanson Class funds being held in his trust account, or face a sanction of $50 per calendar day until compliance is achieved, according to an order from Superior Court Judge Daniel Schally. The sanction begins on March 22. Triem has been ordered to provide the accounting under two orders from Superior Court Judge Menendez in May and June of 2018. Schally wrote, “Triem knew of and clearly understood Judge Menendez’s orders — the orders are brief, simple, direc...
