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A petition to ban fluoride from the Petersburg water system has nearly all the signatures required to find a spot on the ballot in October. Holly Winje, who is leading the effort, said 270 people have signed a petition that would remove the ion fluoride --- which is often used to fight tooth decay --- from the water in Petersburg. Winje needs 283 signatures to hit the mark. Winje has always been against fluoride, but she decided to spark the petition after having a child. She defended it by comparing fluoride to mercury and arsenic. “I hope I...
A petition to allow ATVs on Borough-owned roads in Petersburg has enough signatures to be considered for the ballot in October. Petersburg Deputy Clerk Mindy Swihart confirmed that Richard Burke, who is leading the effort, submitted at least 283 endorsements --- the required amount --- to the Borough Wednesday morning. "From what I can tell, the signatures look good," Swihart said. "I will officially verify them soon." This comes after Burke submitted what he thought were enough signatures last...
About 35 people gathered in the Public Library Wednesday evening to discuss potential solutions to the reportedly increasing homelessness in Petersburg. Chelsea Tremblay, a Petersburg activist who led the meeting, expected few people to attend. When the room became crowded, she knew the fibers of the meeting would be homelessness recognition, solutions and resources Petersburg has. “The first step with anything like this is awareness,” Tremblay said. “The shame component of people who find themselves on the brink of homelessness can maybe...
June 29, 1917 – After July 3, according to a law passed at the late session of the territorial legislature, a preliminary to marriage will be the securing of a marriage license. This is to be furnished to contracting parties by the U.S. commissioer of the district in which they reside. Both parties are required to be identified by the commissioner before issuance of license. If either party is under legal age, consent of parents or guardian must also be furnished to the commissioner. The license costs $2.50, and the commissioner collects $...
A former mayor of Petersburg said he picked up a petition application with criteria that would recall the Petersburg Borough Assembly, which comes after stirring controversy between the city government and some of its constituents. Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson confirmed that she gave Ted Smith an application to recall the assembly. Smith, however, said he “looked it over” and then handed it to another person to take the lead. That person remains anonymous. “I can’t give that name without his permission,” Smith said. “I am neutral on the idea...
This Congressional legislation was enacted for the purpose of establishing an area within the Tongass National forest in Southeastern Alaska for the preservation and continuity of nature and wilderness. This action was honorable, noble, and vital and there was complete agreement among the people most associated with nature, as the U.S. Forest Service, hunters, fishers, nature lovers, and the general public that could enjoy it. At this time the Forest Service allowed the public use of these...
Exception to rule needed To the Editor: Jens, Jake, and Carrie Hammer recently lost their father, Kenny Hammer. They inherited a cabin up Petersburg Creek that the Forest Service is in the process of forcing the family to remove. In their effort to eliminate every cabin ever built on Forest Service land, the Forest Service designed a permit plan that only allows one transfer within a family. When a family member dies, the Forest Service reserves the right to destroy that cabin. Jim Hammer made the mistake of transferring the permit to his son,...
June 21 — Suspicious activity was reported in the Middle Boat Harbor and at the Excel St. ball field. Police made a traffic stop at the Middle Boat Harbor. Trespassing was reported on S. 7th St. and on S. 4th St. Katie J. Edfelt, 28, was booked without being taken into custody on a charge of Criminal Trespass in the 2nd Degree. An impaired driver was reported on Dolphin and N. Nordic Dr. A process service was made on N. Nordic Dr. A traffic stop was made at 1300 S. Nordic Dr. June 22 — Traffic stops were made on S. Nordic Dr. and at the Sco...
Randy K. Long, 53, was officially arrested by the FBI Tuesday night, according to Police Chief Kelly Swihart. He is being held, in federal custody, without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court Thursday at 10:30 a.m. To assist with federal prosecution, the State has dismissed, without prejudice, the pending local charges against Long. This will make prosecuting him on the federal level more efficient and less complicated Chief Swihart added. According to the Chief, “State prosecutors played a key role in the ongoing i...
The Petersburg Borough last week agreed with the Planning & Zoning Commission to deny an application that would have transferred two properties from rural residential to industrial, putting a halt to a couple’s development plan on Mitkof Highway. Raliegh and Marsha Cook started the application in January to rezone property lots 14 and 15 at the 7.5-mile mark on Mitkof Highway with intention to sell the sand and rock located on the lots, according to a Planning Commission report. The Planning Commission sent a recommendation to the assembly that...
The Clausen Memorial Museum will host an open house to celebrate its 50th anniversary on Saturday, July 1 at 5:00 p.m. The open house is scheduled to last two hours said Kathi Riemer, who is the fourth museum director in its history. In 1963, Elsie Clausen, Claire Strand, and the rest of the Petersburg Pioneer Society started the idea for a museum in Petersburg. In 1965, Alaska began planning a celebration for 1967 to celebrate the purchase of Alaska from the Russians on March 30, 1867. The State provided matching funds to communities for...
WRANGELL – With its abundance of mountains, seascape, wildlife and local color, Wrangell is no stranger to television. For instance, contractors at the Marine Service Center were featured on National Geographic Channel's series "The Yard," with episodes first being aired in 2016. Another show has shined a spotlight on the island this month, with BBC Two exploring the fish-out-of-water theme in "The Life Swap Adventure." The premise of the six-episode series takes residents from around the U...
WRANGELL – The man accused of a spate of vehicular thefts earlier this month has entered a not guilty plea this week, and the case is expected to go to trial in August. Lief Cheyenne Bosdell, 20, appeared for his arraignment at Wrangell Courthouse on Monday. He had on June 9 been charged with seven felony counts of vehicular theft and three additional misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief. If convicted, the charges together carry a maximum jail sentence of 35 years and one month and up to $356,000 in fines. The alleged thefts took place in W...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska Legislature, motivated by the threat of a government shutdown, approved a plan late Thursday to fund state operations for another year. The proposal, advanced by budget negotiators and passed by the House and Senate, would continue to draw from savings to help fill the state’s multibillion-dollar deficit, something Gov. Bill Walker had hoped to avoid. It also would fully fund K-12 education, provide $57 million for oil and gas tax credits and limit to $1,100 the size of this year’s dividend check Alaskans recei...
Union workers in Wrangell last week staggered into a strike after failed negotiations with the city, leaving Petersburg community members questioning whether their town will experience backlash in its wake. A concern Power & Light Superintendent Joe Nelson has is with the power ties between the communities, as there is a transmission line that connects Ketchikan, Wrangell and Petersburg. If there are no linemen to fix a broken transmission line in Wrangell then Petersburg could be forced to run...
A swarm of hummingbirds press in close around one of Bill Neumann's feeders outside of his cabin on Farm Island this month. Between his three feeders, the bird-watcher estimates about 75 specimens this season. Normally he has counted anywhere from 150 to 200 birds by this time in the season, making this year's count leaner than usual. A group that big – called a "charm" of hummingbirds – can go through five gallons of nectar a day, or 135 pounds in a summer by his reckoning....
Sitka — The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) announced this week the winners of the annual tag recovery incentive drawing for sablefish tags returned in 2016. The winners are: 1st - Jonathan Fuhrer Goleta, CA $1,000 2nd - Mary Murray-Jenkins Sitka $500 3rd - Tony Guggenbickler Wrangell $500 4th - Frank Balovich Sitka $250 5th - Stan Savland Hoonah $250 6th - Paul Sorenson Kenai $250 7th - Aaron Phillips, Petersburg $250 All persons who return an ADF&G sablefish tag receive a tag reward (i.e. T-shirt or fishermen’s knife). Tag returns...
James Ross McDonald has been awarded a Bachelor’s Degree in Music, with an emphasis on Jazz Performance, Magna Cum Laude, by Portland State University. James gradutaed from Petersburg High in 1998....
Myna H. Nissen, 77, passed away on April 22, 2017 at her home in Poulsbo, Washington. She was born April 24, 1939 in Petersburg, Alaska to Arnold A. (Lindy) and Emma Lindstrom. The family moved to Ketchikan in 1951. She graduated from Ketchikan High School in 1957 and was married in Ketchikan in 1961. She and her two daughters moved to Juneau in 1971. She worked for the State of Alaska DOT for many years. She loved Alaska, and later lived for a time in Sitka, Wasilla and Fairbanks, before... Full story
Lois Hernandez, 86 passed away on June 10, 2017 at the Petersburg Medical Center in Petersburg, Alaska 18 years to the day after the passing of her husband Raymond Hernandez. Lois Helen Spinelli was born in Montclair, New Jersey on December 17, 1930 to Michael Spinelli, the son of Italian immigrants and Helen Carlson Spinelli, the daughter of Swedish immigrants. After graduating from Montclair High School in 1948, Lois attended Centenary Junior College, where she earned an Associates of Arts... Full story
Odlaug (Oddie) Otness Swartz, 94, died on June 13, 2017, in Mississippi. She was born October 3, 1922 near Kristiansund, Norway on the island of Smola in the community of Drynes to Fredricka Inga and Oscar Lars Otness. In the summer of 1923 her parents moved to Petersburg Alaska where her father was a commercial fisherman. She graduted from Petersburg High School in 1940. After graduation she attended beauty school in Seattle, Washington and after receiving her license, returned to Petersburg to... Full story
The Gatorade Company named a Petersburg High School graduate the best track and field athlete in Alaska last week; she joins an elite group of awardees including NFL Quarterback Robert Griffin III and Olympian Hurdler Lolo Jones. Izabelle Ith is the first person from Petersburg to be awarded the 2017 Gatorade Track & Field Athlete of the Year. The award recognizes outstanding athleticism, academic achievement and character demonstrated on and off the track, according to a recent press release....
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced Monday that the Department of the Interior is distributing more than $29.69 million to eligible local governments throughout Alaska. These payments are made to boroughs and counties across the United States that contain federal lands to help offset the cost of maintaining community services, such as first responders, public schools, and road construction. Unlike private lands, federal lands are not subject to local taxes, often making it difficult for rural communities to budget f...
