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Turnover rate is a figure often monitored by employers in different ways, interpreted differently by one manager to the next and calculated using unique formulas. But there will always be a singular constant – money. The cost to replace an employee can be in the thousands. And turnover rate is often unforgiving, as it usually accounts for any person separating from his or her job. Borough governments in southeast Alaska often approach turnover differently, if they approach it at all. The H...
The Pilot calculated annual turnover rate for each Petersburg Borough department by using employee documents from 2013 to 2016. Here’s how it was done. The turnover rates presented reflect full-time staff only, and Mindy Swihart, the Borough Deputy Clerk, confirmed the data. After the data was calculated, every department head, along with the Borough manager and human resources officials, were asked to comment and confirm the turnover rates. To compute annual turnover rate, the number of full-time employees who left a department for any r...
National Geographic has a new cruise ship and it stopped in Petersburg on Monday, where the Chamber of Commerce gifted the captain with an inaugural plaque to commemorate the ship's first visit to the city. "On behalf of the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce," David Byrne said to Captain Andrew Cook. "We would just like to welcome you and your crew and your guests to the city of Petersburg." Marc Cappelletti, the director of expedition development on the ship, ushered representatives from the...
August 3, 1917 – Captain C.M. Poncin arrived here on the launch Onawa and has spent several days inspecting boats and issuing the special licenses required by a recent order of the navy department. The order applies to all craft of over three tons capacity, and each boat licensed is furnished, for identification, with a number, which is to be painted on both sides of the stern. It is reported that several boats suitable for patrol service may be taken over by the government, among them being one launch owned here and a couple at Ketchikan. A...
Fluoridation best solution To the Editor: At the Petersburg Hospital (the real Old Hospital) and in doctor’s offices, of course we used oral thermometers then. After the quick shake down of the mercury in the thermometer and the words “Open up. Please”, the mouth was opened and the thermometer went in under the tongue. The view of the open mouths of many children revealed blackened teeth. The memory of those teeth will be with me forever, indeed, I was amazed to find that many young adults in their twenties had full sets of false teeth. When...
Why do a story on Petersburg Borough employee turnover? We were asked this question many times in the days leading up to the publication of this week’s story by reporter Ben Muir. Employee turnover is costly, for both private businesses and government. Replacing an employee requires: • Training time • Possible damage to equipment and property by inexperienced employees • Productivity losses • Lower teamwork output • Additional cost of overtime for remaining employees until vacancy filled Often managers don’t think about employee retention, be...
King Salmon King salmon fishing is nearing the end of the season although catch rates remain strong in those areas where Alaska hatchery king salmon are returning. Fishing in the Blind Slough/Wrangell Narrows Terminal Harvest Area and near the outlet of City Creek has continued to be good. These locations provide shoreline fishing opportunity as well as marine boat fishing opportunity. The restrictive action which closed king salmon fishing in the Grey’s passage area along with the reduced bag and possession limits in district 8 have now expire...
July 19 — Police received a disturbance call from the Narrows Inn. Littering was reported on S. 2nd St. A criminal complaint was investigated at an undisclosed location. Police assisted with a lockout. Courtney A. Brown, 26, was arrested on a charge of Disorderly Conduct. July 20 — Police completed an impound at N. 3rd and Dolphin St. A burglary was reported on Cornelius Rd. Suspicious activity was reported on S. Sing Lee Alley. Trespassing was reported in the Middle Harbor Parking lot. July 21 — A traffic stop was conducted at N. 3rd and G...
Hunters are reminded the Unit 4 general season deer hunt begins August 1. The bag limit is restricted to bucks only through September 14. Beginning September 15 either sex may be taken. During the bucks only portion of the season, evidence of sex must remain naturally attached to the meat, or antlers must remain naturally attached to the entire carcass. Hunters must have a valid hunting license and deer harvest tickets in possession while hunting. Harvest tickets must be validated in sequential order and unused tickets must be carried while...
On Aug. 1 at approximately 12:52 p.m., Alaska State Troopers received a report from the International Response Coordination Center (IRCC) regarding an SOS activation from an InReach personal locator beacon (PLB). The GPS coordinates provided indicated that the signal came from Thunder Mountain approximately 11 miles east of Petersburg at approximately 1900’. The United States Coast Guard responded to the area and located 42 year old Ryan Littleton of Petersburg who was not in distress and the SOS function was accidentally activated. L...
Heather Thomas, a mother of two and co-owner of Rocket Raptor Films, is directing a feature-length movie set to be filmed in Petersburg. Thomas wrote the script to "The Last 40 Miles," a survival drama set in a post-apocalyptic world where one man went for a hunt and returned to a calamity-stricken world. "Most of my movies start with a question or an interesting scenario," Thomas said. "To my knowledge, I don't know of any post-apocalyptic themed survival dramas in Alaska." Confused and wary...
SITKA, Alaska (AP) – The U.S. Forest Service and an Alaska-based Native corporation announced the transfer of 12 square miles (31 square kilometers) of land from the Alaska Native corporation to the Admiralty Island National Monument. The land is part of the 34 square miles (88 square kilometers) Sitka-based Shee Atika Corp. logged between 1984 and 2002 after the Sitka urban corporation selected it as part of its land entitlement under the Alaska Native Land Claims Settlement Act. Under an agreement between the Forest Service and Shee Atika s...
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) – The University of Alaska Fairbanks research vessel, Sikuliaq, recently completed the first cruise of its spring and summer research program in the Bering and Chukchi seas. University scientists and researchers from the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences spent the month of June aboard Sikuliaq studying spring productivity and food web dynamics as well as the negative effects that disappearing sea ice cover may have on Arctic habitats. This 20-day voyage had scientists at sea between St. Lawrence Island and Point H...
WRANGELL – On Monday Gov. Bill Walker signed into law a capital budget for the 2018 Fiscal Year, which had been adopted by the Legislature in a brief special session on July 27. The new budget includes $5,000,000 in the Municipal Harbor Facility Grant Fund, precisely what will be needed for Wrangell’s Harbor Department to proceed with an overhaul of the facilities at Shoemaker Bay Harbor. “We’re excited,” said Wrangell harbormaster Greg Meissner. The aging facility has about passed its useful life, with a portion already closed off to moorag...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska Fish and Game officials euthanized a massive black bear that had been causing problems in an Alaska mobile home park area for several years. The bear was euthanized Tuesday morning after an incident Saturday in the Switzer Village Mobile Park area in Juneau, where it became trapped in the arctic entry area of a trailer. Resident Leoni Johnson said her husband had just left for work and she was in the back of their home where her two dogs, Buttons and Rocky, “started going nuts.” “I heard this ‘bang bang,’” she said....
WRANGELL – The symposium at last week's Bearfest was an opportunity for experts in bear-related research to share some of their knowledge about the different species, as well as highlight the work they have done in their different fields. Lance Craighead of Montana's Craighead Institute has been a longtime supporter of Wrangell's annual festival, which celebrates the area's robust bear population. Speaking last Wednesday, the environmental advocate sought to convey how people directly aff...
Seafood is Alaska’s top export by far, usually topping $3 billion in sales each year to 120 countries around the world, and comprising 55 percent of our nation’s total seafood exports. Credit for the state’s export sales goes mostly to the international program run by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) which runs eight regional offices in Japan, China, Brazil, London, Spain, France, Germany and Eastern Europe. The Overseas Marketing Reps (OMRs) work under contract with ASMI to coordinate hundreds of seafood promotions each year to bu...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The lone insurer offering policies on Alaska's individual health insurance market has filed for an average rate decrease of about 22 percent next year. If approved, this would be the first time the average rate has decreased under the current federal health care law in Alaska, a remote state where high health care and premium costs have been an ongoing concern. Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield attributed the requested drop in rates to factors including the payment of high-cost claims through a state program and a sharp r...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Gov. Bill Walker said Friday that he will probably run for re-election. But he currently has more pressing issues on his mind including crafting a tax bill that he hopes will garner support from lawmakers. In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, Walker said it’s imperative that revenue issues be addressed this year. He expects to unveil a tax proposal for consideration sometime this year, but he could not provide a timeline for doing so or details on what the bill might include. He did say it would not be...
PETERSBURG, Alaska (AP) – Two men suing the Petersburg, Alaska borough, a local police officer, a regional narcotics task force and state law enforcement are trying to broaden the lawsuit into a class action that would allow more plaintiffs to join. Danny Thompson and Greg Richeson claim in the lawsuit that Petersburg police officers in separate 2013 investigations obtained search warrants and seized property from their homes and did not return it for years. Thompson said his belongings have since been returned but Richeson is still waiting f...
