Sorted by date Results 1 - 16 of 16
In the months before Kelly Swihart announced he would retire as police chief in mid-2018, the department he leads was besieged by three separate internal investigations. Two looked into possible policy breaches and crimes by current and former employees, and the third scoured bullying allegations against him. Two of the investigations have closed since he announced his retirement in early January: a more than three-month administrative investigation into who leaked confidential information from the police department, and the bullying investigat...
The Mitkof Middle School wrestling team traveled to a regional tournament last weekend in Juneau, a trip coming after the team raised nearly $3,000 to help make travel costs more affordable for parents. Petersburg 6th, 7th and 8th graders wrestled in the Southeast Alaska Middle School Regional Tournament in Juneau last weekend, placing fourth overall. But the price tag for travel expenses was more than planned. Petersburg had to cancel its trip to Ketchikan in January after the local ferry was...
February 22, 1918 The halibut schooner Pioneer, Captain Ingvald Hansen, which reached here a couple of weeks ago with a 35,000-pound catch, sailed for the fishing grounds early Wednesday morning, having been delayed on account of her engine requiring considerable repairs. Captain Hansen is looking for his good luck to start with the present trip, and he expects to be here again within a couple of weeks. February 26, 1943 Purchase of clams for freezing started here on Thursday. Earl N. Ohmer is buying the clams and preparing them for shipment....
School administrators in Petersburg are using recent student incidents to spark conversations and learn, while confronting the conversations with young students about active shooter scenarios. There were two students charged in early February with fish and game violations after one 17 year old allegedly hit two deer consecutavly with a truck and the other filmed it from its passenger seat. There appears to be laughter as the deer were hit. One of those teens, Jasmine Ohmer, 17, issued a statement on Monday, in which she sought forgiveness and...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Doctors confirmed the presence of mumps in Juneau for the first time in more than two decades. There has been one confirmed case of the disease in Juneau as of Thursday, and three other possible cases, Juneau Public Health Center nurse manager Alison Gaines said. The first case was diagnosed in January, with the most recent suspected case appearing this past week, Gaines said. This is the first confirmed case of mumps in Juneau since 1997, Alaska Division of Public Health Epidemiologist Amanda Tiffany said. Mumps is a cont...
Experience Matters To the Editor: It is my understanding that the borough assembly wants to combine PMP&L and Public Works. There is a big difference in the management of the electrical industry and the management of the public works. Both are important departments, each providing a service to the community. I agree with those who contend that experience matters when it comes to selecting a replacement for the Superintendent of PMP&L. The experience goes beyond just managing employees. That in its self is a task, especially if you don't have...
It took police officers less than 10 minutes to locate two vehicles that were allegedly stolen on consecutive days by the same Petersburg man. Ron Wallen Sr., 59, allegedly stole a vehicle on Feb. 9 from 14 Harbor Way. Police received a report at 5:01 a.m. that morning, saying a green pickup truck had been stolen. Derek Thorsen, police officer on the case, located the vehicle by 5:03 a.m., said Kelly Swihart, the police chief. The investigation was over in about 55 minutes, and Wallen was arrested and charged with vehicle theft in the first...
A prosecutor last week dismissed sexual assault charges against a Petersburg man who was accused last spring of raping a woman. On May 11, 2017 a grand jury indicted Kenneth L. Birch, 36, on two counts of sexual assault, one in the first degree and one in the second degree. Birch pleaded not guilty to the charges. The trial in this case was scheduled to start next week. Assistant District Attorney Amanda Browning dismissed the charges on Feb. 14. On Wednesday, a representative from Browning’s office said the district attorney was not a...
February 14 — An officer gave a courtesy transport to a citizen walking in the cold from Frederick Point. An officer received a report of a vehicle failing to stop at a stop sign. The vehicle owner was issued a warning. An officer responded to a 911 call of a report of dogs killing chickens. The officer arrived to the scene and found two dogs outside the chicken coop. The owner was cited for dangerous dog. A complainant reported several items stolen from a boat. An officer assisted state troopers in a domestic violence investigation on K...
The Southeast Alaska Power Agency governing board earlier this month approved moving forward with a remote inspection of the tunnels underlying the Tyee Lake hydroelectric plant. In his report to the board on February 8, SEAPA power systems specialist Ed Schofield explained a remotely operated vehicle would be needed to perform an inspection of the facility’s water conveyance structures. Unlike the dam at Swan Lake, Tyee is a natural lake which is tapped for the facility. Water is conducted to the powerhouse through an intake in the lake i...
The PHS Lady Vikings won two games this weekend in Haines, increasing its record to 6-8 ahead of a tough road trip in Craig. Led by Petersburg senior Rikki Lewis' 15 points, the Vikings beat Haines on Friday, 41-34. Petersburg coach Dino Brock said his team made Haines uneasy with its full court press. "But I thought Haines did play better than the last game," Brock said. "Which you kind of expect at this point in the year." The Vikings beat Haines in early February in Petersburg, 50-28, and...
In its second series of the year, the Haines Glacier Bears won two more games against the Petersburg Vikings. The Vikings hosted the Glacier Bears two weeks ago, which included a four-overtime Haines win. Last weekend, this time in Haines, the Vikings lost in regulation on Friday, 55-54. Rick Brock, Petersburg's coach, said his team was ahead one point with about five seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Before looking for the game's last shot, Haines called a timeout, during which...
The Trump Administration’s $4.4 trillion federal budget for next year takes some mean whacks to programs that affect fisheries. Off the top, the spending plan unveiled on February 12 cuts the budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) by 20 percent to $4.6 billion. Among other things, NOAA manages the nation’s fisheries in waters from three to 200 miles offshore, which produce the bulk of Alaska’s seafood landings. It’s the cuts within the cuts that reveal the most. NOAA Fisheries is facing a $110.4 million drop to $8...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- A study of bears and berries has determined that the big animals are the main dispersers of fruit seeds in southeast Alaska. The study by Oregon State University researchers says it’s the first instance of a temperate plant being primarily dispersed by mammals through their excrement rather than by birds. Researcher Taal Levi says seed dispersal is a key component in the understanding of any ecosystem. He says brown and black bears thrive on Alaska’s Panhandle because of abundant salmon but both feed on berries whi...
Thomas Henry Knight was born to Beth Loesch and Casey Knight on February 14, 2018 in Palm Springs, California. He weighed 9 1/2 pounds and was 22 inches long....
Elizabeth Peratrovich Day was on Friday, February 16, and to honor the civil rights activist a local artist unveiled a portrait of the Petersburg-born Tlingit woman, who was a significant actor in passing the first anti-discrimination law in the country. The artist, Janine Gibbons, unveiled the portrait of Peratrovich at the ANB-ANS Hall Friday afternoon in Petersburg. "I see Elizabeth Peratrovich as just this role model that brought a lot of people from the whole entire state of Alaska...
