Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 27
The heavy rainfall this month has been pushing precipitation levels closer to the normal 109.23 inches of rain that normally falls in Petersburg each year, according to Wes Adkins, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Juneau. The total amount of rainfall this year in Petersburg is at 82.30 inches, as of Nov. 15. Over the weekend, precipitation levels surpassed the normal 12.22 inches for the month of November. The Climate Prediction Center forecasts a tilt towards higher than...
A Grand Jury indicted Eric Jennings, 39, on three of the five counts set before them on Nov. 14. Jennings was indicted on misconduct involving a controlled substance in the fourth degree, tampering with physical evidence and criminal mischief in the third degree. The two other counts, misconduct involving a controlled substance in the second degree and misconduct involving a controlled substance in the third degree, were withdrawn. On Nov. 7, Kevin Home, a United States postal inspector,...
Jim Floyd, 52, assumes the general manager position at Hammer and Wikan this week. Most recently Floyd managed the Fred Meyer store in Juneau. He was there from 2015 until October of this year and took the store through a remodel during his first year. Later, he navigated the store through a 25% increase in business after Walmart closed their store. While in Medford, Oregon to move his mother-in-law into a retirement community, he heard about the Hammer and Wikan opportunity. Floyd said the...
A resolution supporting alternative one of the draft environmental impact statement for the exemption of the Roadless Rule in the Tongass National Forest will go before the borough assembly at their first meeting in December after the assembly pushed the vote back by two weeks at their meeting on Monday. The United State Forest Service released the findings of its draft environmental impact statement earlier this month that showed the United States Department of Agriculture supported...
The borough assembly approved an ordinance to transfer $194,695 from the wastewater fund to the Scow Bay Pump Station One project in its third reading and awarded the bid for the project to Rock N Road Construction. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation originally approved a loan of $550,000 to the borough to fund the pump station project, but that wasn't enough to cover costs. The $194,695 transferred from the wastewater fund will cover the rest of the costs associated with the...
Engel Entertainment, a production company that filmed a reality TV show in Petersburg this past spring that focuses on law enforcement, has announced "Alaska PD" will premiere on Jan. 1. on A&E. "Alaska PD' brings viewers to America's Last Frontier, where the line between civilization and lawlessness can be razor thin," wrote Elizabeth Schimdt, of Engel Entertainment, in a prepared statement. The series follows law enforcement in Fairbanks, Kodiak, Kotzebue and Petersburg. The name of the...
The Petersburg School Board approved a board policy in its first reading regarding restrictions on sex offenders on campus. Board Policy 3515.5 was on the agenda at the October school board meeting, but school board members present wanted to receive clarification on the policy and vote on it with a full board in case there were any concerns. School Board Vice President Sarah Holmgrain said there hasn't been an incident in the district. The school board is adding a policy restricting sex...
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...
Since spring of this year, Barry Morrison, General Manager at The Trading Union, Inc., has been managing the SOS Value Mart in Kake and hopes to purchase the retail business and its real estate by next year. "It's going pretty well," Morrison said. "We've expanded the variety of offerings and cut costs to allow us to lower prices." Morrison said for example that with some cost cutting on freight they have lowered milk prices from over $8/gallon into the $6 range. Freight costs to Kake are...
The Petersburg Medical Center held its fourth Community Cafe last week, which focused on healthcare for the aging population and the concept of "Aging in Place." Ken Helander, associate state director of advocacy with AARP, spoke on caregiving and other topics to consider to help aging citizens transition from an independent lifestyle to one that requires assistance. A combined total of 89 residents attended the afternoon and evening Community Cafes on Nov. 12. Hospital staff was also available...
Four career and technical education students gave an overview of their presentation at a conference in October before the Petersburg School Board last week. People were lined up out the door to hear Thomas Durkin, Maddy Gilpin, Jaden Perry and Zephrie Whitethorn speak about their accomplishments in wood and metal shop classes at PHS during the Alaska Career and Technical Education Conference in Anchorage, according to Industrial Arts Teacher Dave Owens. Whitethorn spoke about how working...
The water level at Tyee Lake was at 1,380.6 feet as of Monday, which will allow the hydro plant to produce power for over seven months should all inflows to the lake stop. As part of the Southeast Alaska Power Agency, Tyee Lake dedicates its power to Petersburg and Wrangell, while Swan Lake produces power for Ketchikan. The 1,380.6 foot water level is about even with normal water levels for this time of the year, and is above the approximately 1,300 foot water level in November 2018, according t...
The borough assembly requested Dec. 6 at 3 P.M. as the date for a public hearing with the National Marine Fisheries Service on the humpback whale critical habitat proposed rule. NMFS recently published a proposed rule to designate critical habitat for Mexico, Central America and Western North Pacific district population segments of humpback whales under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, according to Angela Somma, of NMFS's Endangered Species Division. If the proposed rule passes, actions that...
WRANGELL - The Nolan Center opened its newest exhibit on shipwrecks with much fanfare on Friday, Nov. 8. With food, wine, music, and special presentations, many people turned out for the grand opening. The exhibit, "Wrangell Remembers - Shipwrecks Close to Home, 1908-1952," features stories and artifacts of several Southeast Alaskan shipwrecks from the 20th century. Four ships are featured in this exhibit, The Star of Bengal, the S.S. Mariposa, the Princess Sophia, and the Princess Kathleen....
The Petersburg High School volleyball team went 1-1 in two exhibitions matches over the weekend against Wrangell, before competing in the regional tournament this week. Every year, the Petersburg and Wrangell volleyball teams play each other in a home game for their senior appreciation night. On Friday, Petersburg traveled to Wrangell, and on Saturday, Wrangell came to Petersburg. In the first match, the Vikings went four sets against the Wrangell Wolves. The Vikings lost the first set, 23-25,...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The flight crew of a plane that crashed in a remote Alaska community last month, fatally injuring a man, abandoned an initial landing attempt and faced stronger winds on their second try before the plane went off the runway, according to a federal report released Friday. The investigative update from the National Transportation Safety Board said the captain indicated he had accumulated about 20,000 total flight hours, 101 hours of which were in the Saab 2000, the type of plane involved in the October crash in the remote A...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska has the nation’s highest rate of sexual assault and violent crime has increased in the state, a new FBI report said. The 2018 statistical analysis from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program said Alaska did not conform to a general national decline in violent crime, Alaska Public Media reported. The annual report uses statistics from law enforcement agencies to provide an analysis of crime at the national, state and municipal levels. Alaska saw an 11% increase in the number of sexual assaults reported to la...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A group seeking changes to Alaska’s oil tax credit system has filed a lawsuit against state officials over language describing its initiative. KTVA-TV reported Sunday that Vote Yes for Alaska’s Fair Share filed a complaint in Anchorage Superior Court Nov. 14 against Republican Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer and the state Division of Elections. The group’s members say the state is not receiving an equitable share of oil proceeds largely because of a per-barrel deduction for oil companies it believes is overly generous while t...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Department of Transportation is considering how to act on a study addressing issues within the Alaska Marine Highway System, including an aging fleet and decreased ridership, officials said. The study conducted by research firm Northern Economics evaluated 11 options for overhauling the network of vessels that moves people, vehicles and goods, The Alaska Journal of Commerce reported Wednesday. The ferry system reaches 35 communities spread over more than 3,000 miles (4,828 kilometers) from the Aleutian I...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The state plans to resume some level of service to several communities that had runs disrupted or canceled due to repair needs with other vessels. The ferry system says the day-boat Tazlina will be brought out of layup and begin operating Thursday. The system says the Tazlina will “provide as much service to the northern Panhandle as regulations will allow” through Jan. 5 and call on Haines, Skagway, Gustavus and Hoonah. Service could be extended to Angoon, too, if a dock issue is resolved. Service was reduced or cance...
November 28, 1919 The attention of residents of Petersburg and vicinity is called to the law passed by the Territorial Legislature in 1913 requiring that birth and death certificates shall be filed with the U. S. Commissioner immediately following the birth of a child, or the death of anyone. Blank forms may be secured from the Commissioner and filled out. No charge either for the form, or for the filing is made, the expense being carried by the Territory, but it must be done. This law makes no distinction between births and whether children...
Officer Andrew Ayriss, left, graduated from the Alaska Law Enforcement Training academy in Sitka on Friday. Recruits put in over 1,000 hours of training in the extensive 16-week program. Ayriss was also awarded the top driving award in his class of 31 students. From left to right: Ayriss, Gov. Mike Dunleavy and Police Chief Jim Kerr.... Full story
Heed vaping warning To the Editor: As of November 13, 2019, 2,172 cases of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury have been reported to CDC from 49 states (all except Alaska), the District of Columbia, and 2 U.S. territories (Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands). CDC has identified vitamin E acetate as a chemical of concern among people with e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury. The CDC recommends that people should not use THC-containing e-cigarette, or...
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...
November 13 — A resident reported a crab pot was removed from the front of his apartment. A resident questioned the procedure for removing an abandoned car on private property. A local grocery store reported an individual stealing products. A bear was spotted at a location on Howkan St. November 14 — Authorities responded to a complaint of loud equipment operating at a location on Cornelius Rd. November 15 — An eviction notice was served at a location on S. Nordic Dr. Extra patrols were requested on Mill Rd. A theft was reported at a locat...
