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A public health mandate requiring residents to wear face coverings in public when social distancing requirements can't be met was passed by the borough assembly at their meeting on Monday. Public health mandate #4 requires all persons to wear some form of covering over their nose and mouth in certain social situations to help prevent the spread of droplets that could infect others with COVID-19, according to the health mandate. A face covering does not have to be a medical face mask, but...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly held a special meeting on Wednesday to discuss a list of questions from Gov. Mike Dunleavy on the state's decision to reopen the state and local economies; however, the assembly's discussion on those questions was scrapped, because the governor would only be taking feedback from smaller communities to be used when creating a plan to reopen the economy. During a teleconference between Dunleavy and other state officials with Alaska's municipal mayors and managers...
The Petersburg Pilot has again been named among the best weekly newspapers in Alaska according to the Alaska Press Club, which announced winners of its 2019 annual contest over the weekend. The Cordova Times placed first in the category, Petersburg Pilot, second and Wrangell Sentinel, third. Judges commented on Petersburg Pilot's best weekly award: "Local sports and opinion pieces/letters to the editor are essential for a community newspaper." Brian Varela took third place for his sports photo...
Last week, the Petersburg School District distributed 3,946 meals to 310 kids in the district as students continue to attend class remotely. The district's food service department first began delivering meals on March 23. That was the day students were supposed to return from spring break, but they were given an extra week off while staff prepared for distance learning. Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued his first state health mandate on March 13, which required public schools statewide to make school da...
The Petersburg Borough confirmed the second positive result for COVID-19 in the community on Saturday in a joint statement with Petersburg Medical Center. While this is the second case to officially appear in the community, it is the only active case of COVID-19 present at this time. The first individual who tested positive for the virus has since recovered. Another local resident, Delbert (Pete) Erickson, passed away from the virus in Washington last month, but the Alaska Department of Health...
The borough assembly approved an emergency ordinance to amend the fiscal year 2020 budget to appropriate $100,000 from the Economic Development Fund to the Petersburg Economic Development Council to offset financial impacts to the local community caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. "As our state and community work towards opening up our economy and getting businesses back online, this can offer hopefully a small bridge to help some of those small businesses during this time," said Vice Mayor Jeigh...
The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) is developing a reduced service operating plan for spring and early summer to provide an appropriate level of service based on passenger demand, crew availability, and state and federal guidelines for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mainline vessel service will be delayed until such time travel restrictions are relaxed and demand returns for passenger service. COVID-19 related travel restrictions have drastically reduced passenger demand. The M/V...
The borough assembly approved two health mandates at their assembly meeting on Monday regarding the use of the borough's harbor facilities by cruise ships and the submission of essential workers' travel plans in the borough. Public health mandate #5 prevents cruise ships from using the borough's harbor facilities and passengers and crew members from disembarking onto borough docks or floats without prior written approval of Borough Public Health Officer Mark Tuccillo. Approval will be given to...
This week with the Petersburg Borough announced Public Health Mandate #4; All community member are required to wear homemade masks, scarfs, buffs, bandanas, or handkerchiefs when inside buildings and even outside of any building in situations where social distancing requirements cannot be met. Masks have become even more important in our community then they were even last week. Liz Bacom's title with the Petersburg Medical Center is Infection Prevention and Quality Manager, with her work on the...
Petersburg Medical Center is kicking off a healthy community series this week beginning with an Earth Day trash tag challenge and a Circle of Life 5k run with the goal of encouraging the public to stay healthy and active while practicing social distancing. "We want to encourage connectedness among Petersburg residents," said Julie Walker, one of the organizers of the events. "So many of us are feeling disconnected from each other right now." Residents can pick a day between April 22 and 25 to pi...
Steelhead The spring steelhead fishing season is off to a strong start. Anglers report strong catch rates in the last week as more bright fish are moving into freshwater. Water levels have been good for fishing with consistent snow melt from our higher than average snowpack at elevation. Anglers can expect several more weeks of fishing opportunity as steelhead continue to enter freshwaters into May. Steelhead can be found in many local streams but some of the most popular areas to fish are Petersburg Creek, Big Creek and Hamilton River. With...
April 15 — Two burglaries were reported at locations on Mitkof Highway. Authorities responded to a disturbance report at a location on N. Nordic Dr. A civil complaint brought a police response at a location on Lumber St. A theft was reported at a location on Hungerford Hill Rd. Extra patrols were requested on Hungerford Hill Rd. April 16 — An alarm was reportedly heard at the Petersburg Post Office. April 17 — Authorities responded to a civil complaint at a location on Birch St. A dangerous driver was reported on Nordic Dr. Authorities condu...
On April 14, Brandon Consolver, 25, of Oak Harbor, Washington was cited for taking a deer during a closed season on Kupreanof Island. The deer was taken on September 13, 2019, on Lindenberg Peninsula. Arraignment is set for May 12 in the Petersburg District Court....
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska Native cultural organization is suing luxury retailer Neiman Marcus, saying the Dallas-based company violated copyright and American Indian arts protection laws in selling a knit coat with a geometric design borrowed from indigenous culture. In the federal lawsuit filed Monday, Sealaska Heritage Institute maintains the retailer falsely affiliated the $2,555”Ravenstail’’ coat with northwest coast native artists through the design and use of the term, Ravenstail. The plaintiffs say the Ravenstail term and sty...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Some midsize coastal towns in Alaska have voiced opposition to state rules barring the communities from establishing their own restrictions on workers arriving for the fishing season. Updated guidelines issued by Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy say only the smallest, most isolated towns and villages can restrict travel or require mandatory quarantine for workers in industries the state deems critical during the coronavirus pandemic, CoastAlaska reported Wednesday. The April 9 amendment allows special rules to be drafted o...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Opponents have lost a court case against the proposed copper and gold mine near a major salmon fishery in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region. U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason ruled the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could withdraw a”proposed determination’’ about potential negative mine impacts dating from 2014, Alaska Public Media reported Sunday. The determination had concluded the mining project, named the Pebble Mine, posed too great a threat to the salmon-rich waters of Bristol Bay. The judge’s ruling was...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A public warning was issued to Alaska residents about the dangers of fentanyl after multiple overdoses were reported this week from people who took counterfeit pills designed to look like oxycodone, health officials said. The Alaska Department of Public Safety alerted residents Friday after discovering fraudulent tablets containing fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, the Anchorage Daily News reported. No further information on the nature and location of the overdoses was immediately available. The blue tablets had a...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Initial unemployment claims in Alaska are down slightly from a historic high, but they are about 12 times what is typical for this time of year amid the economic fallout from coronavirus concerns, according to a state official and government figures Thursday. Initial claims for the most recent reporting week totaled 12,007, said Lennon Weller, actuary for the state’s unemployment insurance system. That compares with 14,590 claims the prior week, which the state labor department said far exceeded anything in Alaska’s histor...
Alaska’s total salmon catch for 2020 is projected to be down 36 percent from last year’s haul of 207 million fish, the eighth largest on record that was valued at nearly $658 million at the docks. In the Run Forecasts and Harvest Projections and Review of the 2019 Season just released by the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, managers are calling for a harvest of just under 133 million salmon across Alaska. The decline is driven by a much lower forecast for those hard to predict pink salmon of just over 60 million fish, down nearly 53 percent. Her...
Tucker Gibson and his dog Fergie enjoy an afternoon muskeg jumping after hunkering down at home....
Residents begin to fill the parking lot at Lighthouse Assembly of God for their drive in movie night on Saturday....
Two harlequin ducks stand on rocks in the waters of Wrangell Narrows on Sunday....
An abandoned flat with crab pots on it was retrieved on Friday in the Wrangell Narrows....
A gathering of ducks and birds sit offshore of the Wrangell Narrows near the bike path on S. Nordic Dr. on Sunday....
In the 1920s all local basketball games were played in the Sons of Norway Hall. For both players and spectators, "social distancing" was not an option. In 1931 the school board sought approval of a plan to fund a new gymnasium. The city council approved the plan and $7,000 for construction. Both volunteer and paid labor of $6.00 a day helped erect the building. The gym was used by the schools during the day, and local clubs and sports at night. During WWII, the rooftop was used by Territorial...
