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An investigation by the borough into a complaint filed by Petersburg Police Department Chief Jim Kerr, alleging that he was the subject of harassment from Assembly Members Jeff Meucci and Dave Kensinger, found that no conduct that met any legal definition of harassment had taken place. The investigation also found that Kerr's comments at a Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting on November 17, 2021 were not protected by the First Amendment or the Alaska State Constitution. On Monday, as a response... Full story
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade today, ending the federal right to abortion and putting access to it in the hands of states. In Alaska, abortion remains legal through the state constitution's provision on privacy, but abortion-rights advocates say that right is fragile. And they say that access to abortions in Alaska is already inequitable. "The big takeaway is abortion is still safe and legal in Alaska. All of the options that existed yesterday exist today in Alaska," said Rose... Full story
If elected, would you work to improve access to affordable child care? Kenny Skaflestad: This is a priority. And this is a priority again from the smallest village to our more prominent communities. The need for addressing the child care challenge in each community is a major topic. It's one that I'd be glad to champion as far as the Alaska State House has to do and I think that could be a great deal depending on the energies put towards it. I'm glad to have seen some of my predecessors in the H...
Election-year politics have a way of bringing bad ideas to the top — when they belong at the bottom of the settling pond. Yes, fuel prices are high, painfully so in many communities and particularly so for people and businesses that have no choice but to fill up the tank and drive to work or deliver for a living. But suspending the federal tax on gasoline and diesel would not accomplish much good. Same for getting rid of the state tax. The Alaska Legislature this past session, with the support of Gov. Mike Dunleavy, considered suspending the s...
Roe v. Wade To the Editor: On 6-24-22 the Supreme Court made the decision to overturn the ruling in favor of Roe that gave the American people the right to medical privacy. Overturning the ruling resulted in laws being made to outlaw and limit access to abortion. I am opposed to this decision and have many good reasons for taking that stance. I could write a list pages and pages long of different scenarios in which abortion is the only viable option for many and why it is no one’s business what the reason is, but it would not be exhaustive. T...
"How do you do it?" People frequently ask me, shaking their heads incredulously. They said it when we cruised for almost ten years on a 46-foot sailboat, and they say it now whilst we keep The Light on a two-acre uninhabited island for five months. Truth be told it's not that different from the every day lives of most other people. I have a theory that we all live in two bubbles-a small personal sphere and a larger worldly sphere. When we are personally connected to those around us, we are aware...
June 22 – There is an on-going investigation into a hit and run on South Nordic. An officer responded to a report of a vehicle speeding through a Fram Street neighborhood. Dispatch routed two different 911 calls from Kake to the Alaska State Troopers in Fairbanks. An officer responded to a report of trespassing on 4.5 Street. June 23 – A citizen turned in a lost personal item, found at 8th and Haugen, to the department. A citizen reported they were waiting on the side of Sandy Beach Road for services to help them with a flat tire. A citizen rep...
June 9: In the District Court at Petersburg Alaska, Magistrate Judge Rachel Newport presided over an arraignment hearing for Ariel Booker Eiler. The defendant was present and in custody at Lemon Creek Correctional Center. The court had received a notice of filing an extradition packet from the State of Colorado, as well as the warrant and notice. They had not received the originals in the mail yet. The warrant of arrest from the Governor of Colorado was read out loud. The defendant requested time to speak with her Public Defender. The...
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has signed a $14.4 billion state budget, the sixth-largest in state history, after vetoing about $400 million from a proposal passed by the Alaska Legislature this spring. With Alaska expecting a multibillion-dollar surge in oil revenue due to high prices caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, spending is up by $2.7 billion when compared to the budget passed by the governor and lawmakers last year. That increase is less than the rise in revenue, and the state is poised to end a decade-long streak of years in which...
The Alaska Marine Highway System has enough crew to operate its summer schedule, though it still lacks a sufficient cushion to handle worker illnesses, injuries and personal leave without holding over staff for extra shifts. “We have been holding people longer than they would like,” Transportation Department spokesman Sam Dapcevich said last week. And the state ferry system is far short of the additional staff that would have been needed to bring the Columbia back to service after a three-year absence for maintenance and a money-saving tie...
A ship named for one of Norway's most famed explorers has been visiting Petersburg for the first time this summer. The MS Roald Amundsen operated by Hurtigruten is the world's first hybrid powered expedition ship and is currently traversing through Alaska, offering passengers a chance to participate in experiments and research among the state's natural environments. Though unable to mark the Amundsen's very first visit to Petersburg in May, representatives from the community including Sally Dwye...
Sandy Ellis passed away peacefully at her home in Petersburg on Friday, May 13, 2022 with her children by her side after a short second battle with cancer. Last year she was treated by Southeast Radiation and Oncology Center in Juneau. Upon finding that the cancer had recently returned and was terminal, she was treated by staff at Petersburg Medical Center and the Home Health and Hospice Program. The gentle and thoughtful care in her last few days, as well as the support shown to family... Full story
