Sorted by date Results 1 - 20 of 20
Early Monday morning, passengers in Seattle sat awaiting their flight to Ketchikan where their plane, a Boeing 737 with an enormous salmon painted on the side, would make its final run as Alaska's most well-known flight. The iconic Salmon Thirty Salmon was ready to board passengers for the final flight of its 18-year tenure serving as Alaska's famous flying fish. Kaitlyn Lynch, a software engineer for Alaska Airlines showed up at the gate wearing a sweatshirt featuring a large salmon on it. The... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly chambers were filled during Monday's meeting with members of the community there to request a third-party investigation into the July 4, 2016 van crash that killed Marie Giesbrecht and Molly Parks and to hear a report on the practices and procedures instituted by the borough's HR Department in its aftermath. Along with those who spoke at the meeting, many Petersburg residents wrote letters to the assembly in favor of a third-party investigation into the borough's...
Jim Roberts was appointed to the Petersburg Medical Center Board by Mayor Mark Jensen with the approval of the assembly during Monday's Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting. Roberts previously served on the hospital board from 2018 to 2021 but lost his bid for reelection. "The hospital is a vital part of our community and it needs to grow to provide the services required by our community," Roberts wrote. He also worked for 41 years at the Central Intelligence Agency as a computer scientist and a...
April 20, 1923 – The big freight steamer Cordova was in Petersburg on Monday and unloaded coal for the local merchants. The Cordova broke her after boom and wrecked the winch while loading yellow cedar logs at Fanshaw, just before coming here. The Cordova was taking on a shipment of logs and one big one weighing about two and a half tons had just been hoisted up when the boom broke. The log fell to the deck near the winch and crashed through, tearing out the steam pipes to the winch and putting it out of commission. April 16, 1948 – Living up...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted on Monday to hold a work session to discuss the borough's FY24 draft budget and reschedule its first meeting in May. The work session will give the assembly and the public their first opportunity to review next year's borough budget ahead of its first reading. The work session will be held on Monday, April 24 at 6 p.m. in the assembly chambers. The assembly also voted to move its meeting scheduled for May 1 to Tuesday, May 2 at noon. The rescheduling was...
Not particularly for or against a new hospital To the Editor: Let me start by saying I am not particularly for or against a new hospital but there are some things that I believe send up red flags. Back in the 70s, when the present day hospital was being considered, one of the selling points was that this modern day facility would make Petersburg a “healthcare destination.“ It would have operating rooms, the latest technology. That never worked out. An on-call anesthesiologist was not practical nor the housing needed for patients like lar...
In light of the recent ruling issued by the Alaska Supreme Court in the case filed by the family of Molly Parks, I think it is important to provide an update to our community about what has been done in the time since the tragic events of July 4, 2016. I know this is very much on everyone’s mind right now and I have given it a great deal of thought myself trying to figure how best to help. I have spoken with the Parks family, I have met with and interviewed borough administration, and I have reached out to municipal administrators in neigh...
April 12 – An officer observed an unsecured door on South 3rd Street and followed up with the responsible party. An officer responded to a report of suspicious activity on Hungerford Hill and determined it was non-criminal. Officers responded to a reported disturbance in South Harbor. Officers conducted a welfare check on Valkyrie Street and determined all was okay. An officer responded to a report of a loose dog on Fram Street but was unable to locate it. A driver at Libby Strait was issued a warning for excessive speed. An officer responded t...
The Petersburg High School band took the ferry down to Ketchikan last week to perform at Musicfest and cheer on other bands who made the trip from Metlakatla to Skagway. The 28 PHS students spent three days putting on concerts in front of a packed Ketchikan High School auditorium as well as playing solo and ensemble pieces. "We've been working really hard in here and we performed better than we had been performing in class, which is always the goal, so there were lots of smiles from our kids...
The Petersburg High School baseball team held a scrimmage at the ballfield Friday afternoon, giving local fans their first look at the team in action this season. The Vikings were initially scheduled to play a three-game series against Sitka, but the Wolves' flight to Petersburg was canceled after an ash cloud created by the eruption of the Shiveluch Volcano in Russia flew over Southeast. Mother Nature, however, did not stop the Vikings from putting on a show as they took the field for a Blue vs...
The Lighthouse Assembly of God church is a well-loved landmark in Petersburg, both to those who attend service there and to those who simply enjoy the sight of it. Inside, there is a large stage that hosted live music for a good part of the Assembly of God's 75th anniversary celebration service Sunday night. The anniversary program included much standing and clapping, with a few chances to sit down and hear some of the stories that have come out of the church over the years. The Assembly of God...
With its comprehensive slate of services and robust programming, the Petersburg Public Library is a shining example of this year's National Library Week theme, "There's More to the Story." From April 23rd through the 29th Americans are encouraged to support libraries, library workers' contributions, and the fact that today's libraries offer much more than books. The things available for check-out from the Petersburg Public Library may surprise even frequent library patrons. Game lovers can...
In a pair of closed-door meetings with members of the Alaska Legislature on Tuesday, Gov. Mike Dunleavy said he is prepared to introduce a statewide sales tax as part of a long-term budget plan for the state. In his first term, the governor said he would not approve new taxes without a statewide vote — he didn’t include that caveat Tuesday. Legislators said the governor also did not immediately dismiss an income tax as he has in the past, but a spokesman for the governor denied that the governor would support one. “He said that every... Full story
The Alaska House of Representatives on Monday approved a $6.4 billion state operating budget for the 12 months that begin July 1, passing by a 23-17 vote a major hurdle needed for final acceptance of the state’s annual operating plan. “This bill is far from perfect … but it is a good-faith, collaborative effort, with strong input from the governor,” said Rep. DeLena Johnson, R-Palmer and co-chair of the House Finance Committee. The proposal passed by the House now goes to the Senate, which is preparing an alternative proposal whose first d... Full story
The Anita Bay Terminal Harvest Area (THA) advisory announcement dated April 10, 2023, contained several incorrect dates. This announcement corrects those dates and supersedes the announcement issued on April 10. The Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association (SSRAA) is forecasting total runs of 275,000 summer chum, 7,700 Chinook, and 10,100 coho salmon to the Anita Bay release site in 2023. It is anticipated that 112,300 summer chum, 6,200 Chinook, and 4,800 coho salmon will be available for common property harvest in the Anita Bay...
WRANGELL — Every spring when the eulachon spawn, the Stikine River flats are flooded with thousands of migratory shorebirds. And each year, the town responds in-kind with the Stikine River Birding Festival, filling the radio airwaves with bird songs and holding an array of avian-themed events. This season, the festival will run for three weekends between April 21 and May 6. It will feature movies, crafts, workshops and more. “Birding is such a nice welcome to spring,” said Corree Delabrue of the U.S. Forest Service, who helped plan the festi...
Long-time Petersburg resident Dennis Sperl survived a near fatal stroke in March of 2015, but returned home to make the most of eight "bonus years" with dear family, friends, and caretakers before succumbing to a brief illness on April 13, 2023. Dennis was born in Bremerton, Washington, on September 3, 1943 to Clara and Walter Sperl and his older brother David. A sister, Moretta, joined her two older brothers a couple of years later. In 1946 the Sperls moved to Juneau where Walter worked as the... Full story
WRANGELL SENTINEL —For the seventh year in a row, federal managers have closed the Stikine River chinook subsistence fishery to help preserve weak runs of the returning salmon. The U.S. Forest Service, under authority delegated by the Federal Subsistence Board, last week announced the closure to run May 15 through June 20. “The preseason forecast for the Stikine River is 11,700 large chinook salmon (greater than 28 inches in length), which is below the escapement goal range of 14,000 to 28,000 large chinook,” the Forest Service statement said....
(Petersburg) - Marine boat anglers returning to ports where and when on-site ADF&G creel surveys are conducted will be prohibited from filleting, mutilating, and de-heading sport caught lingcod, nonpelagic rockfish, and king and coho salmon at-sea. Marine boat anglers returning to any port on the road system of the communities listed below, during the times designated, may not fillet, mutilate, or de-head these fish until their vessel is tied up at a docking facility where the fish will be offloaded, unless the fish have been consumed or preser...
Prince of Wales Island Post — The Alaska Department of Natural Resource has approved the 292-acre Whale Pass Timber Sale. The sale, in the community of Whale Pass, population about 60, requires a 100-foot buffer between the harvest area and residential property. A request for reconsideration of the commissioner’s decision is due no later than April 26. Whale Pass considers tourism and recreation as its major economic industries, according to James Greeley and Katie Bode, who are Whale Pass residents and representatives of Friends of Whale Pas...
