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As of April 7, the Petersburg Medical Center has sent out 62 test samples to be tested for COVID-19 at state and commercial laboratories, according to PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter at Wednesday's daily COVID-19 update. Fifty-one tests have returned negative, ten are still pending and one test has returned positive. The borough was first made aware of the confirmed case of COVID-19 in the community on Sunday. The borough was notified by the hospital and immediately sent out a press release and a code...
The Petersburg Chamber of Commerce has officially cancelled this year's Little Norway Festival due to uncertainties over how long state health mandates to shelter in place and maintaining social distancing will remain in place. Chamber Administrator Mara Lutomski said the choice to cancel the 62nd Little Norway Festival was a hard decision for the chamber board. "No one wants to cancel a festival that has been such a rich part of Petersburg history," said Lutomski. The chamber of commerce and...
Several hand washing stations have been set up throughout town to provide residents with basic hygiene needs at a time when the public is urged to wash their hands regularly to prevent the transmission and contraction of COVID-19. Ashley Kawashima, of the borough's incident command team, said the stations were set up for the growing local population of individuals who don't have access to running water. They would use the Parks and Recreation Center and Petersburg Public Library, for their...
Last week’s issue of the Petersburg Pilot featured Noelle McPherson of Petersburg Medical Center’s Long Term Care facility on page 3. The photo was taken several weeks ago, before PMC staff began wearing face masks. This information was not mentioned to the Pilot when we received the photo....
Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan held an electronic town hall meeting last week to talk about the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and what kind of aid it provides to small businesses. In their town hall meeting, the senators focused on several key provisions. One was the Paycheck Protection Program. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, the program offers a loan designed to provide an incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on payroll in...
The borough assembly established a local emergency disaster fund in response to the COVID-19 outbreak at their meeting on Monday and moved funds to the Petersburg Economic development Council to help businesses who have been financially affected by the virus. The local emergency disaster fund was created by an emergency ordinance, which requires only one reading to be passed and lasts for 60 days. Because the borough anticipates the local emergency disaster fund being needed past the 60 days,...
In a 4-3 vote, the borough assembly passed an ordinance in its third reading that would establish a new Parks and Recreation Advisory Board at their meeting on Monday. Ordinance #2020-05 allows the assembly to begin accepting letters of interest from the public and then appoint five members onto the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Those appointed to the board would serve until the borough election in October wherein duly elected members will serve on the board. A sunset clause was added...
Four Petersburg High School basketball players were named to Alaska Association of Basketball Coaches all-state teams. Thomas Durkin made the first team, and Brayden Larson made the second team among the boys 2A schools throughout the state. On the girls side, Ines Larson made the second team, and Kaili Simbahon made the third team. The Alaska Association of Basketball Coaches is an organization that formally connects all the basketball coaches in the state, said Coach Rick Brock, head coach...
WRANGELL – The board of directors of the Southeast Alaska Power Agency held a teleconference meeting March 31, to hear an annual operations plan update as well as some operating budget increases, among other items. SEAPA provides hydroelectric power to the communities of Wrangell, Petersburg, and Ketchikan. The board is made up of five voting directors and alternates, who are appointed by their respective communities annually to represent them. The operations plan update, according to the meetin...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)– Alaska government officials and fishing industry professionals are making plans to ensure the state can have a strong summer salmon season amid changes forced by the outbreak of the coronavirus. Alaska’s chief medical officer says the state has a fisheries work group looking at how small communities can handle influxes of fishermen and processing workers while adhering to health guidelines, The Alaska Journal of Commerce reported Wednesday. “We know the fish are coming regardless of COVID-19 or not and we can’t ask the...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)–An Alaska official trying to promote participation in the national census has urged residents to file their forms online and by phone as the state falls behind the national response average. The push for remote filing comes as efforts by the U.S. Census Bureau to collect residency data have been been hampered by the cornoavirus pandemic, Alaska Public Media reported Monday. The outbreak prompted the agency to close field offices and delay door-to-door interviews. The national response rate stands at nearly 43%, but l...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced wide-ranging budget vetoes Tuesday amid a collapse in oil prices, citing expectations that many of the larger cuts, including aid for schools and local governments, would be offset through use of federal funds tied to COVID-19 relief. Some legislators questioned whether the money can be used that way. “There is no guarantee that the federal government will pick up the tab. This approach is incredibly troubling to me,”House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, a Dillingham independent, said in a state...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration has launched a new virtual school for Alaska students in partnership with a Florida program, garnering some criticism from educators adjusting their lessons to online teaching amid the coronavirus pandemic. The state of Alaska signed a $525,000 contract through February 2021 with the Florida Virtual School, which had enrolled about 80 Alaska students by Friday, Alaska’s Energy Desk reported. “The ‘fourth-quarter solution’ that is suggested through the purchase of this Flo...
Don't feel helpless To the Editor: In this sci-fi "reality" we are immersed in currently, I want to encourage my fellow Alaskans not to feel helpless. There is more we can do to help ourselves stay healthy than just isolate, wash hands, wear masks, and hunker down. My apologies if my comments seem obvious. This is not medical advice, just common sense and deductions from reading peer-reviewed studies found at PubMed and other sites, the same sources our doctors can access if they choose....
April 1- A sex offender registered with the Petersburg Police Department. April 2- Authorities helped settle a property dispute at a location on S. Nordic Dr. Authorities responded to two civil complaints at locations on N. Nordic Dr. and S. 2nd St. An investigation into a theft was closed pending further leads. Suspicious activity was reported at a location on Lumber St. A dangerous driver was seen at Haugen Dr. and 8th St. Authorities responded to a report of domestic violence at a location on Haugen Dr. April 3—Citizen assists on Chief John...
March 3 – Lloyd Bennet stood before Judge Stephens in a felony first appearance. The defendant was released on $2,500 cash performance bond. A jury found Andrew Whitethorn guilty of DUI, not guilty of assault and not guilty of criminal mischief. The defendant was sentenced to 30 days, with 24 suspended, $1,500 fine, probation for one year, pay cost of imprisonment, license revoked for 90 days, use an IID for 6 months and complete an ASAP program in Petersburg. March 4 – Bryon Fletcher was arraigned on two counts of violating conditions of relea...
April 1: Delbert Kadake entered a guilty plea in the District Court at Sitka. Kadake was fined $6000 with $2000 suspended, ordered to forfeit the value of the fish seized ($561), and placed on probation for one year. Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Sitka Post observed the F/V Jade Ann commercial fishing in waters not open to commercial seining in District 13A on August 20, 2019. Investigation revealed the vessel had purse seine gear deployed approximately 1.5 nautical miles west of the open area in Salisbury Sound. Delbert B. Kadake Jr., 57, of...
Matt Pawuk finishes out the day in style by taking advantage of the beautiful sunset on Tuesday, complete with alpine glow on the Coast Range peaks and glassy water in the Wrangell Narrows....
April 9, 1920 Andy Anderson, the local fur buyer, reports that the trappers of the Petersburg section have enjoyed the best season in history and that some remarkable catches have been made. Several Blue Foxes have been captured on Kuiu and Kuperanoff Islands. One was caught at Kasheets Bay, one at Point Barrie, one at Saginaw Bay and one as far off as Tebenkof Bay. Mr. Anderson states that on account of the high prices for furs, this season will long be remembered by both buyers and trappers. April 6, 1945 Under Red Cross auspices is the knitt...
A bald eagle turns its back to snow copped Petersburg Mountain last Tuesday morning....
On Amelia Pilcher's second birthday, friends and family drove by holding signs and wishing her a happy birthday to maintain a social distance of six feet....
The online world has been using humor to deal with the anxiety around COVID-19. Psychologists say it's a healthy response....
The State of Alaska wants input on plans to distribute nearly $24.5 million in federal disaster relief funds for stakeholders and communities hurt by the 2018 Gulf of Alaska cod crash. Better make it quick – the deadline to comment is April 10. Cod is Alaska’s second largest groundfish harvest (after pollock), but the Gulf stock dropped by 80% in 2018 following a three year heatwave that disrupted food webs, fish metabolism and egg survival on the ocean floor. It combined to push down cod catches to just 28.8 million pounds, compared to nea...
Glo Wollen recently posted two news clippings from the Petersburg Weekly Report. In the notice on the left dated Nov. 8, 1918, people were advised to avoid contact with others during the Spanish Flu epidemic and not to group on the streets by Erick Ness Chairman of the Health Board. On the right was news of the first death caused by the Influenza, dated Nov. 15, 1918....
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish announced today that opportunity for slope rockfish species will be open April 3, 2020 through January 31, 2021. Resident and nonresident anglers: • The daily bag limit, and possession limit, is one slope rockfish. No annual limit. • When releasing any rockfish anglers must use a deepwater release mechanism to return the fish to the depth it was hooked or to a depth of at least 100 feet. • All vessels must have at least one functional deepwater release mechanism on board and readi...
