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The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved a resolution opposing H.R. 232 — an act sponsored by Alaska Congressman Don Young that would transfer up to 2 million acres of Tongass National Forest to the state of Alaska. The assembly voted to table the resolution during its last meeting and rewrite some of the language member Bob Lynn said wasn’t in the best interest of the borough. The rewritten language, in part, states, “…transferring ownership of major portions of the Tongass National Forest within the Petersburg Borough to the State of Alaska w...
Mike Allen Jr. of Wrangell is nearing completion on a 400,000 BF State timber sale at Mile 26 Mitkof Highway. An 8-acre parcel has been cut along the uphill side of the highway. Falling work is complete and Allen is waiting for improved road conditions so he can haul the timber to Woodpecker Cove to load on a barge. The logs will be transported to his mill in Wrangell. Allen said the timber was a 50-50 mix of Hemlock and Spruce and the wood was sound. The wood is marketed, "all over," according...
Alaska’s US Representative Don Young, his wife, Anne, and staff Chad Padget will visit Petersburg on Monday, April 10, 2017. A community meeting will be held in the Assembly Chambers of the Municipal Building from 2:00-3:00 p.m. The public is invited to attend. In addition, Representative Young will hold a Business Round Table discussion at the Petersburg Elks Lodge for interested local business owners sponsored by John and Pam Jensen....
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) – The death of a Ketchikan doctor remains under investigation after police learned that the friend who reported the doctor missing was accused of stealing money and valuable items from his home, authorities said. Eric Garcia was reported missing March 27 by his 31-year-old friend, Jordan Joplin of Maple Valley, Washington. He called police to say Garcia had not been seen for 10 days, the Ketchikan Daily News reported. Police say they later heard from Garcia’s family members that a coin collection, watches and alcohol wer...
April 6, 1917 - Sergeant McLaughlin has asked the Signal Service Office at Seattle for a second operator at the Petersburg wireless station. The business here now has increased to such extent as to make it a difficult matter for one man to handle it satisfactorily, and with the starting up of the canneries and herring fishing this spring the work at the wireless station will undoubtedly reach a volume entirely beyond the capacity of one operator. April 3, 1942 – The following proclamation designating the Territory of Alaska as a Military A...
Roller derby teams from six communities sent players, referees and sideline officials to the Fool's Gold Mash-up hosted in Wrangell on April 1. The event coincided with the town's Tent City Days celebration, which took place over the weekend. The derby bout was the main event, and Petersburg's Ragnarök Rollers fielded 11 of the 28 skaters that took part. In addition to Wrangell, players were sent from Sitka, Juneau, Ketchikan and Southeast's newest league, Prince of Wales. "It was epic," said...
JUNEAU (AP) - Carole Triem heard an unusual sound when she left an indoor swimming pool in downtown Juneau after her Friday morning workout. She thought she heard thunder, “which is strange because we don’t get thunder here in Juneau.” Instead, what she heard was an avalanche beginning its cascade down Mount Juneau. An avalanche in Alaska’s capital city isn’t an unusual event after several this year. But what was different for Triem, she said, was that she was able to pull her phone out and capture most of it on a 70-second video. “I looked...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly discussed a request made by the Petersburg School District and Petersburg Medical Center to pay a lower power rate but ultimately voted to only provide it to school buildings, instead of all municipal buildings including the hospital. The request comes after meetings between the Petersburg School District, Petersburg Medical Center and borough administrators on how to maintain services without increasing fees or taxes. “The school, the hospital and the borough have been getting together in these meetings to try t...
We find the Borough Assembly’s opposition to H.R. 232 to transfer up to 2-million acres of the Tongass National Forest to the State of Alaska very short sighted. According to their Resolution #2017-07 they would trade shrinking numbers of government jobs, dwindling federal handouts in the form of Payments in Lieu of Taxes and Secure Rural Schools funding for the opportunity to move acres of federal land into State ownership. Make no mistake. Government is a poor landlord. But with the transfer of Federal land into State hands, the landlord m...
WRANGELL – A Coast Guard cutter stationed in Ketchikan was due to stop in to Wrangell over the weekend for its Tent City Days celebration, but unexpectedly had to divert course and return home en route. The CGC Anthony Petit was about 31 miles away when it abruptly changed course Friday evening. “Unfortunately, just by Lincoln Rock, a member of our crew developed a serious medical condition,” explained Petty Officer 1st Class Jonathan Bauer. The ship made speedily for home, the crew member was successfully transported for emergency care, and i...
Mar. 29 — An abandoned vehicle was reported at Charles W and Dolphin St. Luis G. Arce, 49, was arrested on a charge of Unlawful Contact in the 1st Degree. He was not taken into custody. Trespassing was reported on Odin St. Suspicious activity was reported on N. First St. and, 4 hours later, on Lumber St. Mar. 31 — A process service was made at a Neptune St. address. Police made contact with a person regarding sex offender registration. A motor vehicle accident was reported on N. Nordic Drive. Police investigated a drug offense at a Charles W S...
Woman cited for license restriction CRAIG — On March 29, Alaska State Troopers on Prince of Wales conducted a traffic stop for expired registration on a gold Toyota SUV at the Craig City Docks. Investigation revealed Darcie Ouellette, age 31 of Craig, was operating the vehicle in violation of a restriction on her driver’s license. Ouellette was issued a summons for A.S. 28.15.121(d) Drive In Violation Of Restricted License....
March 22 — David Janzen was arraigned on a second charge of DUI over the weekend. Magistrate Judge Burrell accepted a not guilty plea to the charge and the defendant was released OR with conditions. March 23 — Dustin DeLong appeared before Judge Magistrate Burrell on charges of Theft in the 4th Degree and Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree. The defendant entered a not guilty plea to both charges and was released OR with conditions including that the defendant not go on PIA premises. March 30 — Magistrate Judge Burrell signed an order for B...
JUNEAU (AP) – The Alaska House majority leader says legislators are prepared to work past the scheduled end of session, if necessary, “to do things right.” Democratic Rep. Chris Tuck says lawmakers are dealing with weighty issues in trying to address Alaska’s deficit, and want to ensure bills are well vetted. The House has yet to complete work on an oil tax-and-credit system overhaul, which majority members consider a key component of a fiscal plan. That bill would still have to go to the Senate. Also pending in the House: legislation to rein...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting as the Board of Equalization (BOA), on Monday, upheld the Assessor's property valuations on each property brought before them on appeal. Six appellants sought to have property values lowered on 10 parcels. According to Borough Clerk Debra Thompson 34 property owners brought appeals on 79 parcels. Of that number, the Assessor met with owners and resolved 69 of the appeals before the BOA met. Melinda Hofstad withdrew her appeal during the BOA meeting. Appeal...
WRANGELL – A Tlingit educator and Wrangell resident returned home late last month after taking part in a community research program at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. Virginia Oliver was selected for the trip by Recovering Voices, a research initiative that supports indigenous communities in their efforts to save, document, and revitalize their languages, cultures and knowledge systems. Groups of scholars and elders are brought from around the country to the Smithsonian to exa...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The state of Alaska’s toolkit for increasing moose and caribou numbers includes killing wolf pups in dens, shooting wolf packs from helicopters, and adopting liberal hunting regulations that allow sportsmen to shoot grizzlies over bait. But when state officials wanted to extend “predator control” to federal wildlife refuges, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said no. And after years of saying no, the agency late last year adopted a rule to make the denial permanent. Alaska’s elected officials called that an outrage a...
Seafood sales at American retail stores are on an upswing and should remain that way for the foreseeable future. Better yet - demand for fish captured wild in the USA showed the biggest gains of all. That’s good news for Alaska, which provides nearly 65 percent of wild-caught seafood to our nation’s supermarkets (95 percent for salmon!). A new survey by trade magazine Progressive Grocer showed that retail seafood sales rose nearly 40 percent over the past year, and 56 percent predicted an upturn in seafood sales this year. U.S. wild caught seaf...
Sitka (AP) - On a door of the F/V Kamilar is a sticker with pink script: “Girls fish too.” And in the case of this boat, it is girls only. Vessel owner Brannon Finney is captaining the tender for the Sitka sac roe herring fishery with her all-female crew - something that’s rare for the fast and frenzied commercial fishery. Finney’s rotating crew is comprised of cousin Kelsey Kubik of Sitka; Bettina Nichols of Astoria, Oregon; Sandra Coats of Ketchikan and Annea Martinsen of Petersburg. They are packing for Petersburg’s Icicle Seafoods....
Sealaska directors approved a 2017 Spring Distribution to shareholders, totaling $10.6m. The distribution date is Friday, April 14, 2017. Sealaska will report another year of strong business growth and positive net income for 2016. “We continue to improve the financial performance of Sealaska by sticking to our strategic plan,” said Sealaska President and CEO Anthony Mallott. “Through this hard work, Sealaska operational income aims to cover all of our costs in 2017, allowing investment and ANCSA Section 7(i) income to drive sustainable busin...
JUNEAU (AP) – Researchers have found high levels of paralytic shellfish toxin in mollusks at a Juneau recreation area. Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research is recommending against the harvest of shellfish from Auke Recreation Area until further notice, The Juneau Empire reported Monday. Ingesting shellfish with the toxin can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning, an illness that can result in tingling in the lips, tongue, fingers and toes as well as difficulty breathing. The illness can also eventually lead to death from paralysis of the b...
Underground scanning equipment will arrive in Petersburg today to locate sewer lines that may have failed under the Wells Fargo Bank on Nordic Dr. Business Manager David Byrne said the ductile iron waste line sits beneath the 40-year-old building and has likely been rusting from both outside and inside the pipe. On Wednesday Reid Brother's Construction opened the line under the sidewalk and earlier a camera was used to inspect a portion of the line according to Byrne. Portable toilets were...
Sierra Strueli has been named to the Dean’s List at the University of Montana....
Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) has completed its acquisition of Alaska Island Community Services (AICS), with the transition formally taking effect on April 1. Started in 1975, SEARHC is a non-profit tribal health consortium representing 18 Native communities in the region. Among its other programs, it operates Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital and the Ethel Lund Medical Center in Juneau. One of the largest private employers in the region before the merger, the deal with AICS extends its reach to 24 communities. Established in...
