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Robyn Taylor spent the first six years of her career in the Alaska education system teaching in Petersburg, and the next 18 years elsewhere in the state as an administrator. Currently on year 24, Taylor is excited to return to the Petersburg School District as the next superintendent, in place of Erica Klut-Painter who will depart from the role at the end of this school year. "I'm just so appreciative of the opportunity," Taylor said. "Right timing, right place." Originally from Idaho, Taylor...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved to send a letter to Gov. Dunleavy asking that a fisheries disaster be declared for four fisheries in Southeast Alaska, citing low abundance and financial hardship. If a disaster is declared, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission would distribute funds to applicants to provide relief. For fishing seasons from 2018 through 2022, disaster declarations were issued for 14 fisheries off the interior coast for salmon, red king crab, Tanner crab and cod, according to the letter. Now, the...
Elsie Marie Broschat was born in Sitka on January 5, 2024 at 3:30 a.m. Her parents are Andrew Broschat, a police officer with the Petersburg Police Department, and Elle Broschat, bookkeeper and owner of Southeast Bookkeeping. Being confirmed as the first baby of 2024 born to Petersburg residents, the family are entitled to receive the many gifts from local businesses published in the January 4th edition of the Pilot. The Broschat family moved back to Petersburg from Sitka in November 2023. They...
January 11, 1924 – The Petersburg Chamber of Commerce this week passed its first birthday as an active organization. Treasurer Ed Locken rendered his report for the year showing that $726.95 was collected and expended during the last year to carry on the work of the organization. Secretary M.S. Perkins reported in detail on the work which has been accomplished by the Club during the year. The Club since its inception has become one of the most active of the Alaskan organizations, holding regular meetings twice each month and considering p...
The Petersburg Police Department released its annual report for 2023, reflecting a continued trend of low crime in Petersburg. Compared to 2022, last year resulted in increased jail time and bookings, dispatch calls for service, charged offenses, arrests, and total calls for service. However, most of those 2023 totals are still lower when compared to 2018 through 2021. In the overall picture, the low crime rate in Petersburg continued in 2023 after the five-year-low seen in 2022. PPD Chief Jim Kerr attributes this outcome to invested police...
WRANGELL — Cruise ship operators that lighter their passengers to shore will pay higher port fees starting this summer in Wrangell. The borough assembly unanimously approved the new rate structure Jan. 9, following a port commission recommendation. The rates had been set at 40% of the cost of tying up to the dock, with the new fee structure raising that to 60%. The increase in lightering fees is intended to encourage more ships to tie up at the dock rather than anchor offshore, Interim Borough Manager Mason Villarma told the assembly. Wrangell...
WRANGELL — The Wrangell Borough Assembly on Jan. 9 unanimously adopted an ordinance to institute a $300 fine for illegally cutting down trees on borough land. No one from the public spoke on the ordinance at the public hearing held before the assembly vote. In addition to the ordinance setting the amount of the fine, the assembly also unanimously approved an ordinance adding trespass to the borough code, which prohibits “cutting down, injury or removal of trees or timber from borough property without written permission.” Borough offic...
Thank you Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department! To the Editor: January 10th at 2:30 am, we were woken to a sound like a jet engine, only to see one of our outbuildings engulfed in flames. The building that housed our hot tub, sauna and large freezer caught on fire and burnt to the ground. In the building were 4 small propane tanks and one medium sized tank. Fortunately the tanks all vented at the top valve, so there were no explosions, just forge like heat. Even though everything in the building mostly melted from the intense heat, no one was...
Ranked-choice rankles the losers Larry Persily, Wrangell Sentinel Publisher It’s becoming an increasingly common tactic for election losers to blame anyone but themselves. In Alaska, that means several of the recent losers and their supporters blame their defeat on ranked-choice voting, which took effect for the 2022 elections after the public voted in favor of the change in 2020. But rather than learn from their losses and put up candidates who appeal to a broader range of voters, which is the smart way to win elections, the losers want to den...
Dear Friends and Neighbors: Greetings from Juneau! The 2nd session of the 33rd Legislature started this week. It is thrilling to be back, and I hope everyone in House District 2 is enjoying a healthy and prosperous new year. During this year's second regular session of the 33rd legislature I will continue to serve on the Education, Community and Regional Affairs and Fisheries committees. Please watch for updates on the committee work in this columnas the session progresses. Fisheries: Trident -...
January 10 – An officer assisted Emergency Medical Services (EMS) on North 12th Street. An officer responded to a request for a welfare check, but the individual had left the area. January 11 – An officer responded to a reported structure fire on Mitkof Highway and assisted the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department (PVFD). An officer responded to a reported structure fire on Kiseno Street and assisted the PVFD. PPD transferred a report of an animal related incident to the Alaska Fish and Wildlife Troopers (AWT). An officer provided lockout ass...
December 28, 2023 At a felony first appearance Kelly Wilbur Brown of Kake was charged with Burglary 2 and was released on own recognizance with orders not to consume or possess alcohol or go into any establishment where it is the primary source of business, and to have no contact with the alleged victims nor go to their residence, and to submit to alcohol testing upon reasonable suspicion by village public safety officer. At arraignment, Anthony Curtiss entered a not guilty plea to the charge of Violating Conditions of Release. Pre-trial...
When Scott Roberge was in college, he made his way to Petersburg in the late 70s and worked at the cannery, then Icicle Seafoods, with a friend. With a beat up, old aluminum canoe and a couple of days off from work, the pair of pals paddled out from Petersburg and made their way to LeConte Glacier. "It was incredible - to be that close and really immersed into it," Scott recalled. "I love being out there. I didn't want a nine to five job." They camped, something Scott loves to do, in a couple...
Following two strong wins in Wrangell earlier this month, Petersburg’s varsity boys basketball squad is keeping their hot streak alight after another set of wins in Haines last weekend. Despite only having a short period to practice and prepare in between their away games, the Vikings were able to work on some of their weak spots leading to some of their best performances so far. “Friday's game was probably our most complete game of the [season so far],” said head coach Rick Brock. “We scored th...
Petersburg High School's Lady Vikings had a difficult set of games in Haines last weekend against the Lady Bears, taking two losses. However-despite their record so far-the team is keeping their spirits high and coach Matt Pawuk still believes they have a lot of fight left before the end of the season. "I still feel like the girls are giving me every bit of effort that I'm asking of them. Morale is just fine, and I feel like we're still heading in the right direction," he said. "By the end of...
In a major hit to Southwest Alaska’s fishing industry, Peter Pan Seafood Co. will keep its huge plant in the village of King Cove shuttered this winter, meaning that the company won’t be processing millions of dollars worth of cod, whitefish and crab. “It’s one of the most difficult days of my life,” Rodger May, one of the company’s owners and a longtime player in the seafood industry, said in a brief interview Thursday. “It’s just a devastating time for the industry.” The closure is the latest sign of the widening turmoil in Alaska seafood ma...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska lawmakers opened a new legislative session Tuesday, with the House failing to support an attempt to override Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of $87 million in additional education funding last year. Under the state constitution, the Legislature has the first five days of the regular session for a veto override attempt. If a joint session were held to consider a veto override, three-fourths of lawmakers — or 45 members — would need to vote in favor of an override for it to be successful. House Minority Leader...
Frederick Ivar Thomassen was born in Petersburg, Alaska, on June 6, 1944 to Haakon and Elenore Thomassen. He passed away December 13, 2023. He was the youngest of four boys. In his young years he fished halibut out west on his dad’s boat, the Baltic. He didn’t care for it and at about eighteen he and his brother Ted jumped off the boat and swam to the beach in the Narrows, at slack tide of course. He was in a car wreck just past the Beachcomber with Dewey Duval and Frank Crick. They thought he was dead because a three inch thick branch had pier... Full story
