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A feasibility study is currently underway to determine if the United States Army Corps of Engineers will dredge South Harbor and allow smoother access. Some vessels are scraping and hitting the bottom of the harbor, especially during low tides, when they enter South Harbor, said harbormaster Glorianne Wollen; as a result, vessels are having trouble entering the harbor. The USACE was contacted and agreed to conduct a feasibility study, which will determine the problem in the harbor and possible s...
William Christopher Allen’s attorney and the State Prosecutor have reached a negotiated agreement where the defendant will face a sentence of 16-years in jail with nine suspended, leaving seven years to serve. Allen was facing multiple felony counts following a vehicle crash on July 4, 2016 that killed Molly Parks and Marie Giesbrcht while Allen was driving the Parks and Rec. van and is believed to have suffered a seizure that caused the accident. Other terms of the change of plea agreement and final sentencing have to be approved by the c...
On Tuesday, new reporter Caleb Vierkant arrived on the afternoon jet from his hometown of Bullard, Texas. Home-schooled until college, he attended Texas A&M in College Station. He earned two bachelor's degrees there, double-majoring in history and journalism with minors in English and military studies. After graduating in May 2017, he went to work for his hometown paper, the Jacksonville Progress. He worked there until July 6, when he accepted a job with the Wrangell Sentinel. Vierkant had...
July 19, 1918 The apportionment of men for the draft of August 1 has been announced as follows: Douglas 5, Haines 1, Juneau 20, Ketchikan 19, Petersburg 7, Sitka 6, Wrangell 3, Anchorage 25, Cordova 15, McCarthy 15, Seward 6, Valdez 7. On the next regular draft in September or October the allotment for Petersburg will be 19. July 16, 1943 In considering the question of statehood for Alaska, it is worthy of comment that several states were admitted to the Union having at the time of admission fewer inhabitants than now permanently reside in the...
On Saturday, the Petersburg Medical Center will host its fifth annual Paddle Battle in the Narrows fundraiser. The event will begin at 9 a.m. at Papke's Landing. The group will continue to Scow Bay, South Boat Harbor and end at Sandy Beach where a barbecue will be held. Participants can sign up online or in the business office at the hospital during the days leading up to the event. Sign-ups will also be held the day of the event at Papke's Landing at 9 a.m., Scow Bay at 12 p.m. and South...
Petersburg Municipal Power & Light shut down power on June 19 in order to replace a Southeast Alaska Power Agency transmission pole in Falls Creek. The power was shut off from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. between Twin Creek road and Crystal Lake Hatchery, said Scott Newman, general foreman with Petersburg Municipal Power & Light. Since the transmission pole was owned by SEAPA and not the city, SEAPA sent out their own contractors to conduct the work, said Newman. Petersburg Municipal Power & Light assisted SEAPA with some of the work and with shutting...
Senior sales tax debate To the Editor: My question is what about all of those seniors who live on their SS and maybe a small retirement and do not receive any type of assistance? For those who are recently retired it may not be a hardship now but in 10 years it certainly may be when the prices continue to climb when you are on a fixed income. Hopefully I will still be able to pay for my home and essentials, but wonder what the quality of my life here will be like. Will I still want to stay with limited income and services being cut? I do not...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A revision of a federal law sponsored by a congressman from Alaska seeks to add flexibility to fisheries management. Alaska Public Media reports the U.S. House on Wednesday passed the revision to the Magnuson Stevens Act, the 1976 law that prevents foreign fleets from fishing off U.S. shores and established regional management councils to rebuild fish stocks and ensure sustainable harvests. Republican U.S. Rep. Don Young says his latest bill builds upon the idea that fisheries management should be based on sound s...
July 11 — A window was broken and tools were reported taken from a vehicle. A motor vehicle accident was reported on N. Nordic Dr. A dangerous driver was reported on Mitkof Highway. Police assisted entry into locked vehicle on S. Nordic Dr. July 12 — Harbor security boat checked on upturned skiff. TSA requested assistance with an issue at the airport. An officer responded to a report of two males trying to flag down a vehicle on Mitkof Highway. Subject gone on arrival. Officer responded to report of someone in warehouse on N. Nordic Dr. Way...
Petersburg Mental Health Services moved into a newly remodeled facility on Fram Street across from the Petersburg Medical Center on June 25. "It's kind of nice being across from the hospital," said Kathy O'Rear, director of financial services. "We work really closely with them." The new facility is in an apartment building that is owned by the clinic. It encompasses three apartments, two of which have been remodeled into one main office. In 2013, the board of directors for the Petersburg Mental...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska’s senior U.S. senator says she is “stunned” that President Trump did not confront Russian President Vladimir Putin over election interference. In a statement, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski says Trump “ultimately validated Putin at the expense of American intelligence by giving credence to Putin’s claim to have not interfered in our elections.” Trump met with Putin on Monday. Trump openly questioned the finding of his intelligence agencies that Russia meddled in the 2016 election to his benefit and seemed to acc...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Bill Walker has signed a bill to ban smoking in workplaces, including restaurants and bars. Walker signed the bill on Tuesday in Anchorage, and it becomes law on Oct. 1. The Legislature passed the bill in the waning hours of the session after it lingered in the House Rules Committee for months. Committee chairwoman Gabrielle LeDoux of Anchorage refused to move the bill to the floor until the day before the Legislature adjourned. The measure bars smoking on buses and in cabs, and in places including office b...
WRANGELL — The water situation remains well in hand as the traditionally high demands of summer get underway. Public Works director Amber Al-Haddad reported both reservoirs to be in good supply, helped along by rainfall earlier this week. After a hot, dry spell at the month’s start, the upper of the city’s two reservoirs had dropped by around three feet, she said. The change in weather has since brought about a reversal of that. “We’re looking pretty good,” Al-Haddad said. Following an emergency shortage brought about by production difficultie...
WRANGELL - Magistrate Judge Desi Burrell will assume the duties fulfilled by Wrangell's Chris Ellis for the past 14 years. Chris Ellis had worked the magisterial track within the Alaska Court System for 30 years before retiring last month. Spending the first half of her service on the Seward Peninsula and Prince of Wales Island, Ellis served the court in Wrangell for 14 years. With her departure, ACS has decided to consolidate the position with surrounding courts. Magistrate Desi Burrell of the...
SITKA — Sitka’s senior citizen sales tax exemption ends at midnight Saturday, June 30, replaced by a needs-based rebate. In a cost-savings move, the Assembly at its April 24 meeting narrowly approved eliminating the long-standing exemption from sales tax for residents age 65 and up, deciding instead to offer a needs-based rebate to qualifying Sitka seniors at the end of each fiscal year. The rebate amount is $350 per senior per year, or $450 per household with two or more qualifying seniors. The figure is a broad estimate of the sales tax sen...
Trump’s trade war now includes tariffs on seafood going to and from China. China is Alaska’s biggest seafood buyer purchasing 54 percent of Alaska seafood exports last year valued at $1.3 billion. On July 6 a 25 percent tariff went into effect on U.S. imports to China, including all Alaska salmon, pollock, cod, herring, flatfish, Dungeness crab, sablefish, geoduck clams and more. Then on July 11 Trump added a 10 percent tariff on all seafood sent from China to the US. According to market expert John Sackton of Seafoodnews.com, it includes pro...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Authorities are investigating after hundreds of fish were left rotting on a hillside near Wasilla. The fish that appear to be salmon were discarded off a hiking trail near Knik Goose Bay Road, KTUU-TV reported Sunday. The overpowering smell suggests the fish were left there for some time. “Discarding fish waste on public or private property or along roads, pull-offs, and trails can attract bears into residential areas and result in fines ranging from $300 to $1,000,” said Ken Marsh, a public information officer with...
King Salmon King salmon is now open to harvest in all marine waters in the Petersburg and Wrangell area. The following regulations apply unless you are fishing in hatchery terminal areas where more liberal regulations apply. • The bag and possession limit (residents and nonresidents) is one king salmon 28 inches or greater in length. • For nonresidents the annual harvest limit is now one king salmon, nonresident anglers are reminded to record their king salmon harvest on the back of their fishing license or harvest record card. Hatchery kin...
State Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins will be holding public office hours Thurs., July 26 from 10 to 11 a.m. at Glacier Express and on Fri. July 27 from 10 to 11 a.m. at Salty Pantry. No appointment necessary, just stop by. You can also reach him by email at rep.jonathan.kreiss-tomkins@akleg.gov or call the Representative’s Sitka office at 747-4665....
