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The Petersburg Borough Assembly gave approval to the Housing Task Force to continue working on three ideas to potentially expand local housing opportunities during Monday's meeting. With the assembly's support, the task force will continue pursuing the possibilities of creating a Petersburg Land Trust, identifying easily developable lots, and finding a new area in Service Area 1 suitable for manufactured homes. The assembly's decision does not ensure that these ideas are going to come to...
Petersburg's Sons of Norway Hall was bustling on Sunday afternoon as members readied the hall and prepared the featured courses for the annual Lutefisk and Lefse Dinner - a tradition so old no one can say for certain when it started. The dinner is both a celebration of lutefisk and homemade lefse and an opportunity for members to pass down ancient recipes and skills. Lutefisk is fish (fisk) preserved in lye (lut). This year, for the first time, Wendell Gilbert of Tonka Seafoods took sole...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved a resolution supporting the Southeast commercial Chinook troll fishery during Monday's meeting. The resolution of support comes in the wake of a judge's recommendation to suspend the fishery as part of an ongoing lawsuit filed by Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC), a Washington-based nonprofit conservation organization. Western District of Washington Magistrate Judge Michelle Peterson's report and recommendation concluded that the National Marine...
February 9, 1923 – The opening of the Million Dollar Club in Wrangell next Saturday night will without doubt be one of the greatest pleasure events in the history of southeastern Alaska. The thrilling life of the bygone days of the Kondike will be lived over again as the dramatic scenes are reenacted. The famous native orchestra from Metlakatla will furnish the music for the occasion. Special boats will arrive from Juneau , Petersburg, and Ketchikan bringing delegations of visiting Elks with their ladies and friends. The local Elks have a...
Getting caught between a rock and a hard place is easier. At least you can rent a backhoe and move the rock. Getting politically caught between more money for public schools and even more money for the Permanent Fund dividend will be the hardest place for legislators this year. The vote will come down to which is more important for Alaska: A long-needed, substantial increase in state funding for public schools, or the governor’s proposed supersized Happy Meal of a nearly $4,000 Permanent Fund dividend? But putting the dividend first and school...
Dear Friends and Neighbors: I write this first update to House District 2 from my office on the 4th floor of the Capitol. It is hard to believe, but the legislative session is already in full swing. In addition to attending floor sessions and committee meetings this week, I had the privilege of meeting with some of my constituents and I enjoyed participating in Southeast Conference. As a member of the House Community and Regional Affairs Committee, this week I was proud to support moving...
Look at causes not just symptoms To the Editor: May I respectfully suggest that we don’t have an affordable housing or a childcare crisis in Petersburg? I came to a town of 1800 folks sixty years ago this month to start an apprenticeship at one of three machine shops, rented a little house for $45 a month and groceries were another $45 a month. We had only the North Harbor for boats, one harbormaster, one city office clerk, and one policeman. Two oil companies actually competed a little, as did three grocery stores, two auto shops, a shoe s...
February 1 – An officer spoke with an individual about an on-going parking issue. Roderick Vasquez was remanded for an alleged probation violation on Frederick Point Road. Officers responded to a report of gunshots on Kiseno Street, but were unable to locate or validate. An officer responded to a report of a dog killing chickens on South Nordic Drive. February 2 – An officer provided lockout assistance to a citizen in need at the Parks and Recreation (P&R) parking lot. An officer conducted a traffic stop at Haugen Drive and 5th Street. A dri...
January 18, 2023 In State of Alaska v Martin Johnson, Superior Court Judge Katherine Lybrand presided over the arraignment. The defendant entered a not guilty plea to the felony charge of Assault 3. All the previously established conditions of release remain the same. An omnibus hearing is scheduled for February 21 and a trial has been scheduled for March 27. January 25, 2023 Magistrate Judge Rachel Newport presided over a hearing in State of Alaska v Cody Tyler Stelmach. The defendant pleaded guilty to Driving Under the Influence and was...
After 42 years of leading Viking Travel, Dave and Nancy Berg are ready to hang up their hats while a familiar young couple takes over the helm. The travel business has changed dramatically since 1981 when Dave and Nancy started their business-from spending hours on the phone with Alaska Airlines and building relationships with the cruise ships to navigating the new world of the internet and persevering through the pandemic. The pair met when Dave made a stop in Ellamar, Alaska while sailing up...
Amid much speculation, it was announced during Monday night's Tribal Council meeting that the Petersburg Indian Association will not be purchasing the two properties owned by the Trading Union. According to Tribal Administrator Chad Wright, Trading Union General Manager Barry Morrison rescinded his offer to sell the properties that house the Trading Union and Evergreen Market Monday morning. PIA had the two commercial properties at 401 N. Nordic Drive and 404 N. Nordic Drive appraised and would...
Last Tuesday Humanity in Progress held the sixth annual Project Connect Resource Fair in Petersburg, an event that takes place in conjunction with the Point in Time Count, a nation-wide survey that happens on the same night each year "...to try and get a community understanding, in a certain point of time, of homelessness and housing insecurity," founding member Ashley Kawashima explains. The data collected from individuals experiencing housing or food insecurity is a vital tool for successful s...
Wolves are social, territorial animals that educate their young, care for their injured and stick with their close-knit family groups — most of the time, that is. In the past few months, a wolf from Petersburg has struck out on its own and taken up swimming, behaviors that are unusual — though not unheard of — for a wolf. The swimming wolf traveled from Petersburg to Wrangell Island to Etolin Island, and its movements could help area scientists learn more about the animals’ lifestyle . The animal was captured on Sept. 14 within Petersburg city...
Organizers are creating programs to start using a $49 million federal grant and $15 million in matching funds to grow Alaska’s shellfish and seaweed farming industry. The money will go toward a statewide effort, though more permit applications were filed for new or expanded farms in Southeast than in any other region 2016 through 2022, according to state statistics. Southeast set a record last year with seven applications for seaweed and shellfish farms, Rachel Baker, deputy commissioner at the Alaska Department of Fish Game, said at last w...
WRANGELL — As the market continues to shift from canned salmon toward more frozen product, “the company wants more frozen pinks,” said Trident Seafoods Southeast regional manager John Scoblic. Which means Trident will freeze pinks along with chums at its Wrangell plant this summer. After a three-year closure due to weak chum returns, Trident plans to reopen its Wrangell plant, buying and freezing salmon in July and August. “We’ll be testing out some new things there,” Jeff Welbourn, Trident’s senior vice president for Alaska operations, s...
Two proposals to open Petersburg Creek to black bear hunting failed at the Alaska Board of Game’s Southeast regional meeting in Ketchikan last month. The Petersburg Creek Closed Area, measuring 44 square miles, has been closed to black bear hunting since 1975 in order to provide a recreational bear viewing area near Petersburg and because of public safety concerns, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The area, however, is open to the hunting of other species. One of the f...
