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Forty-five years ago, Kathi Hammer was helping Carol Hall at a concession booth downtown, during Little Norway Festival. When, all of a sudden, Hammer got kidnapped by Vikings. Shortly after earning her freedom she was holding her daughter, Cari, when a photographer came up and asked who they were. Hammer thought he was just a tourist, until a few weeks later when she saw a picture of them on the front page of the Southeastern Log, a popular publication in Southeast at the time. Under the image... Full story
Three minutes before 11 p.m. on the last day of its regular session, the Alaska Legislature finalized a state budget that will pay each eligible Alaskan about $3,200 later this year. As late as Saturday, it appeared possible that the House and Senate would agree on a $5,500 payment, but lawmakers settled on a lower amount after days of negotiations and a failed vote to spend from savings. "For the four years I've been down here, we've practiced fiscal restraint and tried to keep money in... Full story
May 19, 1922 Never before did as many visitors come to Alaska as are scheduled to make the trip this year. The steamship companies report heavy bookings for the summer months which are to start about the first of June a month hence, or soon thereafter. These visitors, this year will include many distinguished persons, possibly the President of the United States. Therefore it behooves the people of Petersburg to start cleaning up for them. All over town there is a chance for improvement in yards, along the streets, and about the buildings. If...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted 5-2 in favor of the FY23 budget in its second reading Monday with Assembly Members Thomas Fine-Walsh and Jeff Meucci opposed. Three amendments to the budget were approved during the meeting. Assembly Member Bob Lynn made two amendments that were both approved unanimously. The first was a recommendation by Utility Director Karl Hagerman to correct the absence of lineman apprentice wages and benefits in the budget. The second set aside $40,000 in ARPA lost...
PIA’s letter of support To the Editor: It is our understanding that the Petersburg Borough is working with the State of Alaska to obtain the dock, floats, ramp, tidelands, and uplands at Papke’s Landing on Mitkof Island. The State of Alaska DOT and DNR both have interests in this facility; DOT has already indicated that it would like to pass ownership to the Borough. The Borough Assembly has solicited a Letter of Support from the Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) regarding this matter. Although Petersburg’s governing body has not shown itsel...
The amount of this year’s Alaska Permanent Fund dividend was still uncertain as of our publishing deadline, but it is certain that the payments will total more than $1 billion above last year’s checks, maybe a lot more, depending on final budget action by the House and Senate. No doubt a lot of families need every bit of that to pay rent, buy food and clothes, cover utilities and fuel, particularly in rural communities where there are few cash-paying jobs. Equally of little doubt, a lot of Alaskans never counted on the oversized, ove...
May 11 – A citizen reported a theft on Float C in the South Harbor. Officers responded to a report of suspicious behavior on Odin Street. An officer issued a warning to a driver of an unsafe vehicle. The driver will be cited and the vehicle will be impounded if on roadway and not repaired. An officer responded to an unfounded report of suspicious activity at Eagle’s Roost Park. An officer conducted a welfare check in the North Harbor. May 12 – Officers conducted foot patrols downtown. An officer assisted a citizen on Gjoa Street. A vehicle spee...
Ambler Moss, the Petersburg School District's new secondary school principal, and his wife Thandar Myint visited Petersburg for the first time last week after he was offered the position. During their trip, Moss toured the schools, talked with students and staff, and met with members of the community during a meet and greet Friday evening. "We're psyched, we're excited about it, my wife's very enthusiastic about it," Moss said. Moss has experience teaching K-12 and has served as the head...
The Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department responded to a fire in Middle Harbor on Monday after smoke was spotted coming from a docked boat. The fire was on the Lady Lou, owned by Terry Slafter, and came from the oil stove on board, according to Assistant Fire Chief Dave Berg. Berg said the stove may have had an installation problem that was a result of age and use and it appeared to have fallen down on one side. The area underneath and surrounding the stove was charred. According to Berg, it... Full story
Homer artist Kim McNett taught children and adults in Petersburg how to create a "nature journal" last week, giving them a new perspective on the world around them. McNett's journals feature a collection of sketches, written observations, and places names and dates that illustrate scenes and objects found "in the field." Molly Taiber and the Partners in Education received grant funding through the Alaska State Council on the Arts to bring McNett to the elementary school as part of the Artist in...
From June through August, personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Teams and Coast Guard Sector Juneau will be in Petersburg and Wrangell to conduct waterborne missions. They will be tasked with search and rescue, recreational and commercial vessel safety, and protecting Alaska’s living marine resources. “Our goal is to provide a Coast Guard safety and law enforcement presence amongst the vital commercial and recreational fishing communities of Petersburg and Wrangell,” said Cmdr. Scott Pierce, the Sector Juneau chief...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously to appoint 11 people to the Early Childhood Education Task Force during Monday’s meeting. The task force will be made up of Jessica Doril, Hannah Flor, Denise Gubernick, Katie Holmlund, Sharlay Mamoe, Jeff Meucci, Stephanie Payne, Chelsea Tremblay, Becky Turland, Glo Wollen, and Chad Wright. The assembly also voted unanimously to appoint Tremblay as the chair of the task force. The task force was created following multiple public meetings and work sessions which identified problems with r...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the search for a 40-year-old woman who fell overboard off a cruise ship in Alaska’s Inside Passage. The Coast Guard ended the effort Tuesday after searching for the woman for about nine hours, Coast Guard Petty Office Ali Blackburn said. The search was conducted by boat and a helicopter in the waters near Eldred Rock in Lynn Canal, which is about 20 miles (30 kilometers) west of the state capital, Juneau. The captain of the cruise ship Celebrity Solstice reported the missing woman at 3 a...
The Stedman Elementary foursquare club ended on May 3 with a large tournament, music, and excited spectators. The first-time club met every Tuesday after school to play foursquare and ninesquare since September. Amy Wilkes wrote that the kids also want to thank the Stedman PIE (Partners in Education) for the donated jerseys. Back row, from left: Rebel McGrath, Declan Olsen, Coach Kowalski, Thomas Slaven, Derek Allison, Jamari Tate, Evin Olsen, and Coach Wilkes. Middle row: Gillian O'Soup,...
The largest of the state ferries, the 499-passenger Columbia, was still listed as inactive on the Transportation Department website as of Monday, with no indication it will go back to work this summer as was planned nine months ago. Last August, the department’s draft summer 2022 schedule included the ship “penciled in” to run May 11 through Sept. 14, with weekly sailings to Southeast from Bellingham, Washington, “pending crew availability.” The run would have included weekly stops in Wrangell. After months of nationwide advertising for crew,...
The Petersburg High School baseball team is looking to bounce back in their final home series this weekend after taking three losses against Sitka last weekend. The first game on Friday saw the largest loss for the Vikings with an 11-1 score line, but Head Coach Jim Engell said it could have been a lot closer. Lathum Johnson started on the mound for the Vikings and was playing well until he reaggravated an abrasion on his hip by diving back to first base on a pickoff move. Though Petersburg was...
A new triathlon club sponsored by Parks and Recreation is welcoming interested community members of any skill level to train for upcoming races. Scott Burt, who organized the group and is in the process of becoming a certified Ironman coach, believes the club will provide a supportive environment for people who want to train in the sport. “I just saw Parks and Rec as being a perfect venue to be able to bring all of these people together that share a common interest so that we could train together, so that we could benefit from each other’s exp...
Alaska property owners have paid more than four times as much in premiums than they received back in claims under the National Flood Insurance Program going back to 1980. “It’s kind of ugly,” Lori Wing-Heier, the state’s insurance division director, told legislators this spring. “We don’t have the storms they get in Texas or Louisiana.” The nationwide program, which is voluntary for states and communities, has been around for more than half a century. It pools together property owners from all the states and territories, much like group he...
Ray Dugaqua was born January 8, 1939, in Kake, Alaska. Ray always chuckled when he explained that he was a miracle baby. There was a terrible winter snow storm. Ray was premature. Because of the storm, Dr. Benson from Petersburg was forced to be in Kake as he was traveling from Juneau to Petersburg. Dr. Benson was able to deliver Ray successfully. As Ray tells the story, Dr. Benson put him in a shoe box and put him on the door of the oven to keep him warm and alive. Ray was raised in a... Full story
WRANGELL - It's not uncommon for high school students to learn a second language. It's a bit rarer for them to take what they've learned and teach it to others. That's exactly what sophomore Mia Wiederspohn has been doing the past two years with the Lingít language and by extension the culture. As a freshman, Wiederspohn, 15, began learning Lingít from Virginia Oliver, who teaches the language at the high school and elementary school. Oliver took an applied learning approach to the lessons s...
Julia Niemi received distinction at Washington State University for Spring 2022 with placement on the President’s Honor Roll. Rebecca Lee has been named to Southern New Hampshire University’s Winter 2022 President’s List....
