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The Petersburg Vikings swim because they're too fast for sports that require clothes, the banners at the aquatic center proudly proclaimed, backed by dozens of individual posters cheering on particular players with a mixture of confidence and teasing. The town came out to support its own at home, and swimmers continued to give their fans reasons to cheer as the boys team brought in another win ahead of the upcoming state meet, where nine Viking swimmers will take on the best aquatic youth of Ala... Full story
After much discussion, the assembly unanimously approved a resolution to establish a new budget policy that will help guide management of Borough funds. Giesbrecht introduced a document he and Finance Director Jody Tow have been working on to help department heads more easily formulate their budgets and to help explain the budget process more simply to the public. The resolution was approved with one change introduced by member Nancy Strand, which moved tobacco excise tax funds from a special fund into the general fund. The excise tax was... Full story
By and large local voters aligned with state results. In two races, Petersburg voters diverged with the state, the race for governor and the State House District 35 seat. Local resident Steven Samuelson was vying for the State House seat against Sitka-based incumbent Jonathan Kreiss Tomkins. Local supporters turned out to show their support for the home-town candidate who was a clear win among Petersburg voters. It wasn't enough, though, to give him the win districtwide. Kreiss Tomkins took the... Full story
November 7, 1914 – Petersburg business man J. Bruce, visited Ketchikan this week. Mr. Bruce, besides being a business man is also the district organizer of the “Sons of Norway” in Alaska. Later another was successfully completed at Douglas, besides one in Ketchikan. Mr. Bruce will remain a few days in town and while here will give a lecture to the association in their meeting hall. November 3, 1939 – Last Monday the special election was held to determine the sentiment of Petersburg voters in regard to cocktail bars. The result showed that 12...
A thorough discussion of public services under the Borough charter was had at Monday's regular Assembly meeting. Member John Havrilek broached the matter at the last meeting and asked for a public comment period wherein discussion and clarification of services for outlying areas would be addressed. Since then, Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht worked with department heads to assemble a matrix outlining services offered before and after Borough formation. According to that matrix, no services have been discontinued due to Borough formation. That'...
Having failed twice in 2000 and again in 2004, we didn’t imagine Alaskans would legalize pot in 2014. But they did. Alaska will now be headed down the road followed by Colorado and Washington State, which approved legalizing recreational marijuana in 2012. In a nutshell officials will find that intended provisions to regulate pot sales are much less restrictive than those in place for alcohol. Furthermore, retailers in Colorado have successfully evaded tax collectors and the $130 million in anticipated tax revenue has panned out to about $20 m...
October 29 An individual driving without a license was reported to police. A caller requested advice regarding an unwanted person on their property. Frances D. Mott, 43, was issued a citation by police for speeding. An officer spoke with a caller who reported hitting a dog that ran into the road and damaged their vehicle. A caller requested an officer speak with their neighbors regarding continually parking in a prohibited area. An officer responded to a report of suspicious activity. October 30 A caller reported harassment. An officer...
Four local hikers on their way to Raven’s Roost cabin on Sunday got much more than they bargained for, returning by helicopter after an unanticipated night outdoors. “They got caught in darkness and a little turned around, so we helped them make it through the night and were able to helicopter them early, early with the breaking dawn of Monday morning,” S&R Captain Bob Carter said. “One of them … got ahold of Search and Rescue and we made a decision that they could survive the night – we really don’t want to send people up the mountain at n...
October 30 Magistrate Judge Desiree Burrell presided over a Domestic Violence hearing for IraLee Galaktionoff, petitioner, and Jack Galaktionoff, respondent, where the petitioner asked for a modification of a court issued protective order. After hearing the petitioner's request to receive counseling with the respondent, the Protective Order, issued Oct. 20 was dissolved and the hearing set for Nov. 5 was vacated. November 3 A representative for Ocean Beauty Seafoods appeared for an arraignment with Magistrate Judge Desiree Burrell. Ocean...
Alaskan opponents of a series of proposed Canadian mines paid a visit to Petersburg on Oct. 29, presenting information and action options to a crowd of 28 in the Wright Auditorium. The group, Salmon Beyond Borders, intends to gather signatures and support for Secretary of State John Kerry to act under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, a document that sets forth mutual water use, flow and quality standards between Canada and the U.S. – and SBB's proposal hinges upon a single sentence in A...
Robert Davis Hoffman is coming to town this weekend to teach a formline design workshop at the library. Formline design is the characteristic element in Tlingit art. "It describes the basic shapes that are used. It's a very sophisticated art form, but once you understand some basic rules, almost anybody can find a starting point to understand it," Hoffman said. The historical use of the Native design is important to Tlingit, Haidi and Tsimshian clans. "It's the clan crest art form. I'd say...
The Viking wrestlers went north with the expectation of competition, some familiar and some new, and were not disappointed on any count. New faces, moves and losses were a shock to some of the boys, but by Monday they were hitting the mats hard again, preparing for the next round. “A couple guys, they ran into some tough competition, but overall it was great for everybody,” Coach Dan Van Swearengen said. “Those guys from up north – they’re strong up there.” It wasn’t just sheer strength that played into the uphill battles, he added, noting...
Summer is a long way off as Petersburg heads into winter, but it’s still on the minds of a number of volunteers looking to bring New Old Time Chautauqua to town when the snow is gone. The show, represented by Paul Magid in recent visits to test the waters, “is a way to bring community out,” he said. “It’s an amplification of each community ― you get out of it, as a community, what you put into it. We’re going to come in, have a great time and bring performers that might not otherwise be here ― we’re going to do our part but, really, what make...
Petersburg’s improved crane dock is open again for business, but the improved facility will be running at diminished crane capacity through the winter after new safety regulations rendered the smaller lifter uncertifiable. “This is a common thing that happens in the industry,” Harbormaster Glo Wollen said. “Standards change, and she’s been working for us since the ‘90s, so it might be time to change her out. You just have to weigh the costs of revamping a 30 year old crane versus buying brand new. Crane one can work for everything, but the pro...
Rarely seen avian visitors drew at least four visitors to Petersburg last week, as birders from several parts of Alaska came in hopes of catching a sighting of a pair of Cattle Egrets. The birds, regularly spotted along lawns in town for more than a week, are not a native resident to Alaska, or to the American continents, hailing originally from Africa. They arrived in Florida around 1953, hopping across the continent to California by 1964 and were first seen in southeast Alaskan in 1981, when...
The main topics at Monday's regular assembly meeting were service areas and a new budgeting tool for use in the Borough. The following is a list of other business discussed: Don Nelson and Janet Holten submitted letters of interests to serve on the Historic Preservation Committee. Nelson was appointed as the committee historian. Holten was appointed as an additional member at large, replacing the code-suggested archeologist position. Due to recent travels, Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht did not prepare his usual report for the assembly. He...
Alaska claimed the nation’s top three fishing ports for seafood catches last year, and wild salmon landings – 95 percent from Alaska – topped one billion pounds, an all time record and a 70 percent increase from 2012. That’s according to the annual Fisheries of the US report for 2013, just released by NOAA Fisheries. Dutch Harbor topped the list for landings for the 17th year running with 753 million pounds of fish crossing the docks last year, valued at nearly $200 million. The Aleutian Islands region ranked second for landings, thanks to the...
Bruce Kent Williams, 61 died October 19, 2014 in Anchorage. He was born in Petersburg Alaska, July 31, 1953, to Noble and Sarah Williams. He attended school in Petersburg. In his younger years he worked at Whitney Fidalgo with Benji Lucas, his lifelong friend and partner in crime. He also worked in Kake as an electrician, a welder's helper on the pipeline, in Sitka at the Pulp Mill and numerous other jobs. He spent the majority of his life in Petersburg, which he considered home. He loved life,... Full story
