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The last year has been filled with many trials for Joseph Tagaban, but with each step he is proving that he has the courage to keep marching on. "Overall, feeling really good," Joseph said while resting in the comfort of his own home on Monday. "I have weekly labs, like with the doctor, and then we're also meeting with the doctor every week or so discussing about how I'm doing, you know, updates and then any changes to medications like that, but overall, I'm feeling really great." After...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously passed the borough's budget for the next year in its final reading during Monday's meeting. The final version of the FY24 budget fulfills the Petersburg School District's request to increase local funding to $3 million, up $1 million from last year. The district has been advocating for a bump in funding at the local level and from the state as it faces inflation, higher utility costs, and the implementation of the Alaska Reads Act next school year. "I...
JUNEAU - A fire in the engine room of a small cruise ship in Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve prompted the evacuation of dozens of passengers and crew on Monday. No injuries were reported, and the fire was extinguished, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The fire on board the Wilderness Discoverer was reported to the Coast Guard around 7:30 a.m. UnCruise Adventures, which operates the ship, said 78 passengers and crew members were on board at the time. All 51 passengers and most crew...
June 8, 1923 – Work will be started this week by the Forest Service on the construction of a trail up Petersburg Creek from tide water to lake. This trail will be between five and seven miles in length and will make easy access of one of the better known fishing streams in Southeastern Alaska. June 4, 1948 – The halibut boat Cascade, skippered by Albert Strom, recently caught a record sebastodes huberrimus (red snapper to us) and has turned it over to the laboratory in Ketchikan. The fish was caught between Warren and Coronations islands on...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously to create a new utility assistant director/project manager position during Monday's meeting. The assistant director would work under the supervision of Utility Director Karl Hagerman who plans to retire in the next few years. The addition of the position intends to mitigate the impact of Hagerman's retirement on the borough and ensure his successor has a smooth transition into the role. Hagerman has worked for the borough for 31 years and became...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously during Monday's meeting to accept a proposal from Alaska Public Entity Insurance (APEI) to perform a review of the borough's hiring practices and safety programs. APEI, which is also the borough's insurance carrier, will conduct the review free of charge and will report its findings back to the assembly in 60 days. The move comes after community members pushed for a third-party investigation into the borough's policies in an effort to prevent...
Trail nix To the Editor: The site preparation work for the expansion of the Hammer & Wikan grocery store is eating the wildly popular crushed rock trail between the store and the U.S. Post Office. I hope the construction plans include replacing that trail. Sam Bunge...
People are growing increasingly cynical about government: How money is spent, how hiring decisions are made, and how it seems there are few consequences for actions that hurt the public. Yet too many elected leaders continue making bad decisions that add to the cynicism. Such as Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointing to the University of Alaska Board of Regents his former chief of staff whose poor judgment — and illegal actions, according to a judge — cost the state at least half-a-million dollars. Tuckerman Babcock, a longtime political adviser to the...
May 31 – An officer conducted an extra patrol watch on Chief John Lott Street. An officer investigated suspicious activity on Mitkof Highway and found all okay. Petersburg Police Department (PPD) notified Power and Light (P&L) of a city wide power outage. A fire alarm activated on North 1st Street due to the power outage – all was okay. An officer assisted an individual on Lake Street. An individual completed a sex offender registry. An officer conducted a welfare check on an individual on Lake Street and found all okay. An officer spoke wit... Full story
After 22 years of teaching at Stedman Elementary School, Gregg Kowalski is heading into a whole new world of learning-retirement. Kowalski could be found packing up his classroom last Monday morning, taking down inflatable planets and Tibetan prayer flags, moving well-used couches to other classrooms, and organizing shelves full of books that he will leave for the teacher taking his place next year. "It feels surreal. It's almost like I have to invent myself again, like being born again,...
The Petersburg High School baseball team toughed it out through three games at the ASAA Division II State Tournament in Wasilla last week, but ultimately fell short of a return to the championship game. "We didn't reach our goal of what we set out for at the beginning of the season but, you know, we just had to refocus our goal each day and the guys rallied after losing the quarterfinal game," Head Coach Jim Engell said. The Vikings dropped into the back side of the bracket after a 1-5 loss to...
In the Bristol Bay region, sockeye salmon runs have been booming while Chinook runs have dwindled. Now scientists are seeking to enlist fishing crews in the effort to find out why, as well as what can be done about the Chinook troubles. A community-focused program called Skipper Science is asking for Bristol Bay fishermen working on the salmon-rich Nushagak River to record the prevalence, locations and conditions of Chinook salmon they encounter – and the places where they are not found. The Nushagak project is a partnership between Skipper S... Full story
The annual Wrangell King Salmon Fishing Derby has been set for two weekends in June. Rather than have the competition run over a full two weeks from mid-June to the beginning of July, it is scheduled for June 16, 17 and 18 — Father’s Day weekend — and the following weekend June 23, 24 and 25. Fishing derby committee members met May 30 to discuss details and even whether or not to hold the event. “People are going to be really disappointed if we cancel ours,” said Luana Wellons, assistant executive director of the chamber of commerce, which org...
Myra Arlene Sarber passed with her family by her side April 14th in Sunnyside Oregon. Myra was born the sixth child of seven in Spokane WA, to Thelma Irene and Faber Sebastian Wondzell. In 1951 her family moved by steamship to Wrangell in the Territory of Alaska. 1955 brought a consistent and loving stepfather, Albert Ronning. She married her lifelong love Homer Sarber in Petersburg AK, in 1962, and they settled down in Ketchikan to raise their family. Myra and Homer lived in Ketchikan for 35... Full story