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In the early-2000s, the Alaska National Guard (ANG) relied upon a rural presence. Guardsmen of that rural force were deployed to Iraq in 2005 and 2006, which was the first time ANG members were deployed to a combat zone since WWII, according to Guardsman Matthew Duddles. The ANG rural presence sharply declined after the deployments ended, and the decline continues to this day with the 761st Military Police Battalion of the Guard in Southeast scheduled to be deactivated by the end of 2017.... Full story
Tom Lewis recently celebrated his 94th birthday, it was a Monday, and the fact that it was his birthday didn't change his Monday routine. Every Monday morning, he takes a cake or pie up to the residents at Long Term Care. He refers to the residents as "inmates." The term isn't meant to be offensive, quite the opposite, it's just because he is so active and full of life. Lewis lives on his own, cooks for himself, and still has a driver's license and drives himself around town or out the road to p... Full story
November 13, 1915 – A message was received from the Pacific Coast Steamship Company last Saturday evening by Hogue & Tveten giving a notice of reduction of $2.50 in freight tariffs on fresh fish from Petersburg, making the rate $5.00 instead of $7.50. The matter of getting a lower rate on fresh fish was taken up by the Petersburg Commercial Club several weeks ago, when such action was suggested in a letter to the club from H. S. Finch. The matter gained considerable publicity, and co-operation of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce was secured. N...
The Petersburg School Board delayed a vote on its new memorial policy so board members can receive more feedback from the public. The policy would, in part, limit the display of student memorials to a two-week period. The memorial policy has sparked a variety of reactions from community members, some of whom expressing frustration because previous Petersburg High School student Jake Madsen’s memorial would be taken down should the School Board approve the policy. Madsen passed away after a hunting accident in 2008 and his friends and basketball... Full story
PSD Superintendent Erika Kludt Painter discussed the Alaska Measures of Progress (AMP) scores—a new state adopted standardized test that students completed for the first time last spring. Kludt Painter said the tests are totally different than what students are used to and they’ve been expecting scores to reflect that. The AMP standards are higher than previous tests and measures English language arts and mathematics for grades 3-10. “It came in pretty much what we thought which is they don’t look the same as they used to,” Kludt Painter s...
It’s appalling that since 2006 the ranks of the Petersburg Alaska Army National Guard (AANG) have dropped from 11 members to 2. Worse yet, as in Petersburg and Wrangell, the AANG facilities in many rural communities across the state sit empty. How did the leadership in the AANG allow this to happen? Our report published this week, exposes some of the reasons, and possibly excuses, for this downturn. Budget cuts, higher recruiting standards and lack of recruiting effort all are a part of the reason. Why is Guard leadership allowing the 761st M...
Produce comparison To the Editor: Each week Ron and Anne graciously send me a copy of this newspaper. I enjoy reading it, especially the grocery ads. We moved to Ketchikan in 1970. I will never forget my first visit to the grocery store. I walked through the produce aisle with a picture of shock on my face when I saw the prices An employee walked over and said "you just moved here, right?" Well, today When I read the ads, there is little difference in prices from our local Publix store. In come cases yours are less. I did love living there,...
November 4 A caller reported an individual driving approximately 20 mph on the drive down dock ramp. A caller reported debris on the roadway from dump trucks. Police received a report of a possible DUI. Police arrested Glifton Gudgel, 22, on a charge of Probation Violation. November 5 A caller reported receiving threatening texts. A caller reported a break-in at a residence on Cornelius Rd. A caller brought in monies found on the sidewalk. Police served a protective order to Geriann Collins, 22. November 6 A caller reported a backpack and...
WRANGELL — The Alaska Marine Highway System has been taking public comment for its ferry schedule for the coming summer. From Bellingham, Wash., to Skagway, concerned user groups of the regional transportation network participated in a teleconference, hosted in Ketchikan Nov. 4. A draft schedule has been available for review, and patterns in the draft have been based on an assumed funding level for the 2017 fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2016. Reductions in service to some communities over the previous year’s schedule reflect $25 mil...
Viking swimmers Izabelle Ith and Ben Higgins, both juniors, traveled to Anchorage last weekend for the 2015 Swimming and Diving State Championships. Both managed personal bests in their individual events, but they fell just short of making the finals. At the State meet, 16 swimmers take to the pool for a preliminary race, then the top eight advance to the final round. “They swam really well, we just missed finals each time,” says head coach Andy Carlisle. “They performed a lot better at State than they did at Regions.” Ith tied for eighth...
Four Viking wrestlers headed to Anchorage last weekend to participate in the Lime Solar/Alaska Christian Schools (ACS) Invitational. The two-day tournament showcased 673 matches and over 355 1A/2A/3A wrestlers from all over Alaska. This meant facing the toughest competition of the year for Buddy Stelmach, Mike File, Nathaniel Lenhard and Kirk Evens, according to head coach Dan van Swearingen. “It was tough, but it was good, and great experience for our guys,” he said. After taking second place at ACS last year, Stelmach had to battle back and...
Viking volleyball continued their domination of 2A division opponents at the South Seeding Tournament last weekend in Wrangell. The girls went 5-0, winning every set they played, and only allowing opponents to score more than 10 points in four sets. Matches were best of three sets, due to Wrangell only having one court. On Friday, the Vikings started their tournament with a 25-4 and 25-2 victory over Skagway High School. Later that night, the team went on to defeat Metlakatla 25-6 and 25-8. In preparation for the tournament, head coach Jaime...
Alaska singer songwriter Kray Van Kirk will perform live in Petersburg Friday, November 13 at the Holy Cross House. Kirk plays songs that contain mythic components containing old stories from the British Isles. "A lot of my songs have some mythic components but that basically means I tell a lot of stories in my songs," Kirk said. "Some are just typical tear jerkers about the one that got away." Much of his music is inspired from growing up reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy and other fantasy...
Last year, when Kyla Willis went to Chile, the only Spanish she knew was how to ask where the bathroom was and how to order two beers. A lot has changed since last August. Willis can now speak Chilean Spanish fluently, and she has a new appreciation for international travel and the local Rotary Youth Exchange program. However, the start to her journey was a little rocky, with a steep learning curve, because of the three families she stayed with during her stay, only one family member knew how to...
Last Friday was the last day at work for Brittany Zenge, the latest director of the Clausen Museum. It's been just over a year since Zenge moved to town after graduating from Monmouth College in her home state of Illinois. Zenge got the job after searching online and applying for jobs in every place and state possible. "I didn't really have a set goal, I just knew that I wanted to try a place other than Illinois," she says. "Petersburg was the first museum to get back to me." After going...
The popular January Tanner crab fishery has been called off for the third year running throughout the Westward Region (Kodiak, Chignik and the South Peninsula), leaving fishermen and managers wondering where all the crab has gone. State managers for several years have been tracking a huge plug of crab that appeared poised to enter the 2016 Tanner fishery, but based on this summer’s surveys, the crab have failed to materialize. “In 2013 saw a very large cohort of juveniles in the survey estimated at over 200 million crab, which was one of the...
Last month, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) agreed to withdraw their plans to harvest over 28 million board feet from designated sites on Mitkof Island by use of helicopters. The proposed logging sites, located south of Petersburg, were stretched out among just over 4,100 acres. The withdrawal comes after five environmental groups brought a lawsuit against the USFS to block the sale. Greenpeace, Alaska Wildlife Alliance and Greater Southeast Alaska Conservation Community (GSACC) were among the environmentalist groups responsible for the...
The North End Ferry Authority Board of Directors announced its local three-stop ferry service will resume tomorrow, after its lander underwent engine repairs in Wrangell. The Rainforest Islander departed on Nov. 5, after repairs to an engine and its port-side transmission were completed. Based in Coffman Cove, the ferry service was planned to be a low-cost service connecting communities on Wrangell, Mitkof and Prince of Wales islands. The ferry will begin operating at its reduced winter schedule, traveling Fridays and Sundays only. On both...
PETERSBURG (AP) — King salmon eggs are once again growing near Petersburg in a state-owned hatchery restored after a March 2014 fire. The Crystal Lake Hatchery is operated by the Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association and has been rebuilt to incorporate new technology, KFSK-FM reported. “Even the cost of running things, everything is so much more efficient now,” said manager Loren Thompson. The fire destroyed over a million King salmon eggs as well as outdated, 30-year-old machinery. It's suspected that an old wall heater ignit...
Students and staff of the Petersburg School district along with community members met in the school gymnasium for a Veteran's Day assembly celebrating the veterans of the Petersburg community. Ninth graders took turns reading the Gettysburg Address and seniors did the same for President John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address. The high school band played songs and teacher Jim Engell asked members of the audience to stand up if they had relatives who served during wartime. After starting with the...
