Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 196
While the Petersburg Covid-19 infection count remains at 4, the statewide count continues to increase. Alaskan resident cases increased by 38 yesterday, a new daily high. Statewide the cumulative count to-date is 978. While Petersburg residents continue to grumble about Petersburg's mandates and the power the Petersburg Borough Assembly confers to the Emergency Operations Center officials, our infection rate remains flat. To us it means we are lucky. It also means that enough of us are...
Congratulations to the PHS Class of 2020! Despite the onset of a global wide Coronavirus pandemic that up-ended traditional end-of-year high school events and activities, the class of 2020 has persevered. Thanks to the generosity of parents, teachers and school administrators, the class will still receive a celebratory send-off that will be both memorable and meaningful. What graduating class has ever had individual photos displayed on giant banners lining main street? Way to go parents. To top...
Before residents cheer the expiration of Petersburg's face masking mandate, they need to remember that the reopening of many local businesses rely on the use of face masks by both employees and patrons according to state health mandate #16. According to the Borough's Incident Commander Karl Hagerman, "There is very, very strong language in the state's reopening plan regarding face coverings. The Emergency Operations Center will continue to emphasize face coverings as being an important factor...
Frustration was a key theme running throughout Wednesday's assembly meeting. Having to wait on the governor's slow to arrive mandates on opening businesses across the state is vexing. Just like in Petersburg, everyone has a different idea on how Alaskan businesses can resume operations safely. Not surprising, some feel it's too soon to begin restoring business functions at all. Why risk a second wave of illnesses resulting from community spread of the virus when stores re-open? While...
Petersburg's sense of humor is coming through during these trying times. Bearing witness to this is the above photo showing the likeness of Bojer Wikan, wearing his protective mask as his statue towers above the memorial park next to the Sons of Norway Hall. Or the hardware clerk's reply when asked if the plastic sneeze guards at the checkout counter made her feel more protected. The reply: "Only until Darby (Mattingly) shows up." Darby stands 80-inches tall and the barrier tops out at his...
While we applaud the work of Wrangell's health care providers as they prepare for the uncertain times before us, it's important to remember that they need us as much as we need them. Every citizen has a part to play in flattening the curve so small hospitals like Wrangell's aren't overwhelmed with stricken patients from COVID-19 infections. Key to flattening the curve is testing symptomatic patients, proper hand washing and social distancing or isolation. Presently SEARHC does not release... Full story
Longtime Petersburg resident Delbert (Pete) Erickson, 77, died on March 16 in Federal Way, Washington. His is the first recorded death caused by the COVID-19 virus in the State of Alaska. Even though he died in Washington, his death is recorded in Alaska, his place of residency. According to his family, Erickson was being treated for congestive heart failure, COPD and poor kidney function at a hospital in Everett, Washington. His son Pete wrote in an email, "If he had not contracted the virus, w...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Despite numerous meetings, public discussions and staff explanations the new development code and zoning map seem to have caught area residents and land owners by surprise. Dave Kensinger says it best, “People weren’t paying attention to this process,” which was two years in the making. Given the long-term ramifications of zoning, it’s important to get it right. It will be decades before any future large scale zoning proposals are taken under consideration, so it’s important that citizens understand exactly how their property is zoned and...
Petersburg Attorney Fred Triem appeared before Juneau Superior Court Judge Daniel Schally on Feb. 12 to answer to an Order to Show Cause why he should not be held in contempt of court for his failure to render a full accounting of Hanson Class Funds being held in his trust account. Triem formerly represented a group of Kake Tribal shareholders in a lawsuit against Kake Tribal Corporation that was granted a $2.8 million judgment in 1998. In a hearing scheduled to last only an hour, Triem told...
Education is too critical a part of our state's future to allow for reduced funding of that line item at the expense of a super-sized Permanent Fund check. K-12 funding should be left intact as was agreed to at the close of the legislative session last year. This week, 130 Alaskans were evenly split on the super-sized PFD as outlined in Gov. Mike Dunleavy's Senate Bills 23 and 24. In testimony last week, two-thirds of the public comments were against the super-sized PFD. From 2016 to 2018, the...
Okay Governor Dunleavy, you have our attention; our full and undivided attention. Like you, we're in favor of eliminating unnecessary spending by the state. We're in favor of a balanced budget. But the proposed budget simply ignores the impacts that will be spread across communities, families and individuals statewide. No one can undo years of deficit spending in a single budget, with little to no consideration of the hardship it will place on citizens, schools, state transportation and other go...
Pastor Eric Olsen from the Petersburg Lutheran Church preached at the First Baptist Church this week. He is one of many who have delivered messages before the congregation as the search continues for a permanent pastor for the Baptist church. He posed the question, “Have you ever left anyone behind?” The question pertained to Jesus parents leaving him behind in the temple at Jerusalem after they departed for Nazareth (Luke 2:41-50). For me, the answer was yes. It happened in 1982, shortly after the birth of our eldest daughter Jennifer. I, the...
The secret is out about Secret Cove Charters. 31-year charter boat captain Dan O'Neil has let the cat out of the bag in his nearly tell all book, "Dropping My Lines." Through humorous, sometimes irreverent prose, O'Neil recounts the highlights of his fishing career including stints aboard commercial crab and halibut boats along with tales of daily life aboard his own fishing charter vessel. You'll chuckle your way through this entertaining collection of short stories that are colorfully...
William Christopher Allen was sentenced to 16 years in jail with nine years suspended on Monday before Superior Court Judge Trevor Stephens. Stephens said of the hearing, “It’s a grim day for everybody.” William Christopher Allen’s attorney and the State Prosecutor reached a negotiated agreement in July where the defendant will face a sentence of 16 years in jail with nine suspended, leaving seven years to serve. Allen was facing multiple felony counts following a vehicle crash on July 4, 2016 that killed Molly Parks and Marie Giesbre...
