Sorted by date Results 1 - 19 of 19
The Senate Finance Committee introduced a bill, SB 209, that would raise local government and school retirement contributions from 22 percent to 26.5 percent by 2018 and would likely translate to cuts in services and or tax increases locally. PERS, or Public Employee Retirement System, is the state’s retirement benefit plan. Every public employee has a certain tier of benefits and each municipality annually chips in a portion of those benefits. SB 209 increases those municipal contributions incrementally and means local government would i... Full story
A group of Petersburg High School students organized a protest last Friday and started a petition this week to modify the PHS dress code policy to allow leggings and yoga pants without the added requirement of shorts or a long shirt. More than 20 PHS girls wore yoga pants to school last Friday to protest the school's policy that requires a student to wear clothing such as shorts or skirts over yoga pants or other tight fitting leggings. "Tight-fitting leggings, leotards and spandex bottoms,... Full story
March 25, 1916 – A circular letter mailed to numerous residents this week, was apparently grounds for a rumor that, for lack of funds, the public schools would be compelled to close before the end of the present term. The majority of councilmen interviewed by the Report, declare there is absolutely no occasion for this alarm. The councilmen further declare that the municipality will have sufficient income during the current year not alone to take care of the schools, but to finish payment on the lighting plant, do all necessary work in c...
Petersburg Children's Center (PCC) teacher Theressa Phillips received the Southeast Alaska Infant Toddler Teacher of the Year award given by the Association for Education of Young Children (AEYC) at its annual conference March 17-19 in Juneau. PCC director Brandi Heppe nominated Phillips for the award, and PCC staff and parents wrote letters of support detailing the great work Phillips does and why she deserved the recognition. "Toddlers is a tough job to do because it's a lot to juggle and... Full story
Alaskans appear to be engaged about the fiscal precariousness of our state unlike in past financial meltdowns. Perhaps it's because of the massive scale of the budget deficit the state faces in the next fiscal year, which starts June 1. How big is it? An estimated $4 billion as of today, if the Legislature doesn't act either on Gov. Bill Walker's proposals or something comparable of its own making. Alaska has enough money in its savings accounts _ not counting the principal of the Alaska Permanent Fund _ to cover the gap, but the money in...
March 23 An officer gave a verbal warning for headlight out. A caller reported a small fire on the beach with no supervision. A caller spoke with an officer about civil paperwork. A caller reported a civil issue. A caller brought in a jar containing marijuana found in a parking lot. March 24 A male was wailing, screaming and throwing things. Bryon E. Humphrey, 23, was arrested on charges of probation violation. A caller spoke with an officer about threatening behavior. March 25 A caller reported an intoxicated person leaving a bar. Bartender...
March 29 Paul Jacobsen appeared before Magistrate Judge Burrell for two counts of violating a protective order. The court entered a not guilty plea on the defendant’s behalf. The court set bail at $250 and ordered no contact directly or indirectly with Chelsea Jacobsen-Wilson among other conditions. Marsha Fernandez appeared before Magistrate Judge Burrell on a charge of criminal trespassing II and violating conditions of release. The court entered a not-guilty plea on the defendant’s behalf. The court set conditions of release. March 30 Dou...
Petersburg High School senior Kylie Wallace won a top spot in the region and went on to place in the top four in the state's Poetry Out Loud competition, earning her a performance in the final round. Nine finalists from schools across the state were selected and went to Juneau to compete. "They gave us a tour around the capitol building and we got to see the governor's house and later that night we got to compete against each other." Wallace said. Wallace had to memorize three poems for three...
Petersburg building overall project valuation decreased slightly in 2015 compared to 2104. However residential and commercial building construction increased, according to a Petersburg Borough 2015 Building Permit Report. In 2015, building valuation was $4 million compared to $5.3 million in 2014. The increase in local residential construction equated to around $2.7 million in 2015, an increase of more than $800,000 compared to 2014. Commercial construction saw a slight downturn from $1.3 million to$1.1 million. Overall project valuation...
For the third week in a row, editions of the Petersburg Pilot and Wrangell Sentinel have been delayed. The replacement part to repair the Pilot’s plate maker arrived on Saturday and was found to be the wrong part. A repair technician apparently ordered the incorrect part from the factory in Denmark. “Last week the part delivery was slowed by the bombing at the Brussels airport in Belgium,” publisher Ron Loesch said. “This week, it’s human error, totally beyond our control.” Plates for both editions were produced at the Ketchikan Daily News...
The motivation for making quilts to give to local veterans came to Carol Kandoll while watching a video during a Quilts of Valor Foundation fundraiser. Kandoll will never forget the impact it had on her, and will hopefully have on others. She even bought a copy of the video and plans on donating it to the library for others to check out and watch. "I was really touched by the testimonies of the returning soldiers, especially the Vietnam vets, one of them said he had been spit on," Kandoll says.... Full story
Two Petersburg students participated in this year's Scripps Spelling Bee at the performing arts center in Anchorage. The national spelling program held March 22 pit 142 elementary and middle school youngsters from across the state in the contest. Fourth grader Aidan Cotta participated as a winner from Stedman Elementary School and eighth grader Brooklyn Dormer represented Mitkof Middle School. "Being at the performing arts center was exciting and overwhelming at the same time," Aidan Cotta...
Alaska’s 2016 salmon harvest will be down by 40 percent from last year’s catch, if the fish show up as predicted. The preliminary numbers released by the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game call for a total catch of 161 million salmon this year; the 2015 harvest topped 268 million fish. The shortfall stems from a projected big decrease for pink salmon. A humpie harvest forecast of 90 million would be a drop of 100 million fish from last summer. Here’s the statewide catch breakdown for the other salmon species: for sockeye, the forecast calls for a...
The last time a Petersburg High School cheer team went to the state competition was eight years ago, but this year's squad qualified and performed well enough to get people talking at the season finale. The team traveled to Anchorage and hit the mats March 23. Coach Veronica Maldonado says she is still waiting for the overall results to be released, but the kids performed great. "We might not have won it, but we were contenders," she says. "People were asking where Petersburg was and where this...
