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Community members and guests attended the annual Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Banquet at the Sons of Norway last Saturday night where they heard from speakers and celebrated award presentations under the lights of the historic hall. Much to the delight of the audience, Petersburg's local bookstore, Sing Lee Alley Books and Gifts, was named the 2023 Business of the Year. The bookstore, owned by Nance Zaic, serves as a welcoming place for ship passengers visiting Little Norway and offers a cozy...
The IRS announced last Friday that most temporary relief checks issued by states in 2022 are not subject to federal income taxes, including the $662 energy-relief portion of last year’s $3,284 Alaska Permanent Fund dividend. Alaska legislators last year added the energy-relief money to the annual PFD of $2,622 in a move to help residents hit hard by high prices for gasoline, diesel and heating fuel. The IRS decision provides last-minute tax guidance as returns are starting to pour in. The agency said it will not challenge the taxability of paym...
The Harbor and Ports Advisory Board held its first meeting of the year last Thursday where members voted to recommend raising the fine for wake zone violations, capping the amount of live-aboards in the harbors, and banning use of the harbors for vacation rentals. During the meeting, Harbormaster Glo Wollen presented an ordinance she plans on bringing before the assembly that would amend the live-aboard policy and prohibited acts in the harbors. The ordinance would limit live-aboard vessels to...
February 16, 1923 – Forty Petersburg Elks and friends made a trip to Wrangell last Saturday to attend the opening of the Million Dollar Club by the Elks in that city. The trip over was made in three boats, the Uniloco which took the ladies of the party, the Americ and the Lorriane. The old rink at Wrangell had been converted into a bower of color by the committee handling the affair. The walls were covered with evergreens and the ceiling had been entirely hidden with purple and white streamers leading from a large dome effect in the center m...
Elizabeth Peratrovich Day Awareness activities are taking place this week at the Stedman Elementary School cafeteria. Students are invited to learn to create a craft project of their choice and have a snack while hearing a talk. Homeschool students are invited to attend as well. The activity for third, fourth, and fifth graders takes place on Thursday Feb 16, from 3 – 4 pm. Kindergartners, first and second graders are invited on Friday, Feb. 17 12:30 – 1:30 pm, and all middle and high school students are invited to participate in the act...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly prioritized its top three projects to seek federal funding for during its Feb. 6 meeting. After two rounds of voting, the assembly approved ranking the new Petersburg Medical Center project as its top priority followed by the Scow Bay standby diesel generation project and the Scow Bay haul out and wash down pad. The assembly voted 5-2 in favor of putting the new PMC facility at the top of the list with Mayor Mark Jensen and Assembly Member Donna Marsh opposed....
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht received mostly positive marks as part of his 2022 Performance Evaluation, which was approved by the Petersburg Borough Assembly during its Feb. 6 meeting. The evaluation was filled out by assembly members who judged Giesbrecht in various categories. Giesbrecht scored highly-mostly receiving scores of meeting expectations or exceeding expectations-in communication, planning, and managing resources. Assembly Member Donna Marsh wrote that she appreciates the manage...
Reads Act funding and PFD taxation To the Editor: I met with Representative Himschoot on Super Bowl Sunday to chat about the Alaska Reads Act. I pointed out that parts of the Act include unfunded mandates and she agreed. In discussion, I realized there are three logical sources from which the funds can be had: Permanent Fund, State Income Tax or local sources. Representative Himschoot did not endorse any of my funding suggestions, but she did point out that it would be unfair for a state mandated program to require local funding. I pointed out...
There might be a way to avoid federal income taxes on the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend. But it would mean admitting that the annual payment to Alaskans is a political decision not at all tied to earnings of the savings account. It could mean changing the name of the PFD to Popular Fall Distribution, to truly disassociate the money from the fund’s investment earnings. If it means avoiding federal income tax on the money, we could learn to call the annual payment most anything. It would mean changing state law. And it would mean discarding the...
Dear Friends and Neighbors: On February 8, 2023, the Committee on Committees met and I was placed on the House Special Committee on Fisheries, which includes the Fish and Game Budget Subcommittee. I take my role on these committees very seriously. If you have input on the Fish and Game budget and/or topics considered by the special committee, I welcome your input. It has been heartening to see Southeast Alaskans, who know and rely on commercial, sport and subsistence fishing, work together for the trollers as they face down a major threat to...
February 8 – An officer responded to and resolved a noise complaint on Haugen Drive. Officers spoke with the owner of a dog at large on Lumber Street. Petersburg Police Department (PPD) received a report of a telephone scam from a citizen at Papke’s Landing. The caller said they owed Amazon money and threatened arrest for money laundering. February 9 – An individual was trespassed from a property on South Nordic Drive. Officers investigated a call for criminal trespass but determined it was unfounded. Officers spoke with an individual alleg...
Juneau, AK — On Tuesday, the Alaska State Legislature’s House Special Committee on Fisheries received testimony and passed a resolution (HJR 5) that calls for state and federal agencies to defend Southeast Alaska’s troll fishery from a potential closure this year due to a lawsuit that a Washington-based organization, the Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC), has filed against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The lawsuit alleges that Alaska’s Chinook troll fishery imperils the Southern Resident Killer Whales and aims to shut the fishery...
On Thursday, Alaskans will celebrate Elizabeth Peratrovich Day to honor the Tlingit civil rights advocate who pushed for the nation’s first anti-discrimination law, 19 years before the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. During her lifelong campaign for Native rights, she fought segregation and a majority white territorial Legislature to establish a foundation of legal protections that have benefitted Alaskans since 1945. Peratrovich was born in segregated Petersburg on July 4, 1911. She was a member of the Tlingit Raven moiety and LukaaX.ádi cl...
The Petersburg High School boys basketball team took their first conference losses of the season at Metlakatla last weekend. It was a tough road environment for the Vikings to compete in as the Chiefs showed over their two homecoming games why they are regarded as one of the top teams in the state according to Head Coach Rick Brock. "That being said I was real impressed with and happy with the way we competed in both games," Brock said. The Chiefs conquered the court on Friday, winning 70-49....
The Petersburg High School girls basketball team traveled down to Metlakatla last weekend but left empty handed after suffering two losses on the road. The two games were the Miss Chiefs' first home games of the season, which also served as their homecoming games, and were played in front of a packed house. "Overall I thought it was a very good weekend just playing against a very good team," Head Coach Dino Brock said. The Miss Chiefs made their intentions clear on Friday night, winning the...
Jack Duane "Jake" Phillips, a well respected Southeast Alaska fisherman, died February 9, 2023 at the Sitka Pioneers Home. He was 91. As he requested, no services will be held. Jake was born June 11, 1931 at St. Ann's Hospital in Juneau. His parents, John F. and Ida M. (Barber) Phillips, worked at the Chichagof mine and Jake's early years were at the mine. When it closed, the family moved to Sitka. Jake worked many jobs as a young man – crewed on a freighter, was a taxi driver, construction w...
Darlene Elaine Brewer Anderson, 78, who loved her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and her community, passed away unexpectedly with her youngest daughter by her side at Mat-Su Regional Hospital in Palmer, Alaska on December 21, 2022. She was born in Hagerstown, Maryland on October 13, 1944, and the eldest of 5 siblings, to the late Francis Edward Brewer and Ruth Elizabeth (Snyder) Brewer. In her young years, Darlene attended Catholic school and sold her mother's baked goods, with...
Paul Arnold Anderson, 77, passed away with family by his side at home in Petersburg, Alaska on January 16, 2023 after a short battle with throat cancer. He was born in Seattle, Washington on August 2, 1945, to Gustav Nathaniel Anderson Jr. and Patricia Ann Anderson. Paul lived in Ballard, Washington with his parents and 4 siblings, Knute, Patty, Erik, and Mark. He attended Whittier Elementary school from 1951 until 1953 when the family moved to Petersburg, Alaska where he finished up his schooli...
The Alaska Board of Game approved a proposal to extend the deer hunt in the Petersburg Management Area by two months during its Southeast region meeting in Ketchikan last month. The change bumps the start date for the bow hunt up from Oct. 1 to Aug. 1. The bag limit will remain at two bucks and the season will run until Dec. 15. Kaleb Baird, who proposed the change, wrote that he was very glad to see it receive unanimous support from the board. "My goal in opening the PMA deer hunt August 1 was...
