Sorted by date Results 1 - 14 of 14
The Rasmus Enge Memorial bridge on Sing Lee Alley might prove to be beyond repair after officials pull planks and inspect the stringers underneath. Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht said the borough currently isn’t allowing its garbage trucks to drive over the bridge and told other large trucks not to cross the bridge either. Giesbrecht said the bridge has been re-planked many times over the years and that process weakens the stringers—boards the bridge planks are nailed to. “It’s like Swiss c... Full story
The Petersburg Landfill is selling its scrap metal as it clears the way for more than 40,000 cubic yards of dredge material that will come from the North Harbor. Karl Hagerman, Petersburg Public Works Director, said Juneau’s Channel Construction is paying the borough $67.50 per ton to remove the metal—a good price compared to 2010 when the borough last sold its scrap metal for $30 per ton. “They’ll start loading the scrap metal around August 15,” Hagerman said. “It will take about a week to cle... Full story
Petersburg seine fisheries are bustling this season as commercial fishermen netted record-breaking pink salmon numbers last week. Petersburg’s Troy Thynes, Alaska Fish and Game Commercial Fisheries Biologist, said the pink harvest is doing well throughout Alaska. “It was a record setting week for a single week harvests in Southeast Alaska,” Thynes said. According to Fish and Game press release estimates, more than 16 million pink salmon were harvested during the July 28-29 and August 1-2 openings. Thynes attributes the large number of fish to a... Full story
August 2, 1913 – Hans Pruschoff, the most daring local hunter and trapper returned from an extended trip covering some three months or more. Hans said that he had had a hard trip, although he does not look it, but of course his friends take his word for it. He has a bear story which he promised to tell soon. However, his friends are glad that he is safe home once more. “All this fear about Hans' safety, is all nonsense” said one of his intimate friends, and he added, “They don't need to fear, Hans will never shoot at a bear unless somebod...
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski and Petersburg residents had a conversation Tuesday night in the Sons of Norway Hall about community, regional and state issues. The first subject Murkowski brought up was the less than ideal condition of the Petersburg jail. “You were in the running with Bethel for the worst city jail,” Murkowski said. “And now Bethel’s (jail) is looking pretty good. You win the prize in my view, of all the communities that I’ve gone to, for the worst conditions.” Murkowski f...
The speed limit on Sandy Beach Road should not be established by a referendum, or a public opinion poll. The police chief needs to set the speed based on hard facts, not from a volley of public comments. In the name of public safety a few well-meaning souls have decided drivers cannot safely operate within the right-of-way of a paved, well lighted roadway designed to safely accommodate vehicles operating at 35 miles per hour. The State Dept. of Transportation built the road with a design speed of 40 miles per hour. Wide, paved berms allow...
Miele Gallery and Framing featured Barbara Lavallee paintings during its August 1 show. Some of her work includes paintings of Alaska Native village life. Lavallee’s first job in Alaska was teaching at a high school in Sitka during the 1970s where many of her students came from villages. “I learned to see village life through the eyes of my students,” Lavallee says. “They don’t see it as grim landscapes without trees and unpainted houses. They saw home and family so that’s how I learned to...
PSAB Questions To the Editor: The Public Safety Advisory Board and Petersburg Police Department by a request from the public, are seeking responses on the following questions: 1. Should the speed limit on Sandy Beach Road from 14th St. to LDS Drive be increased to 35 MPH? and 2. Should a 4-way stop at Ira II and Fourth St. and Ira II and Sixth St. be implemented? The PSAB and Police Dept. are looking for data from public input to use at the next board meeting. You can e-mail your responses to sbacom@petersburgak.gov, or attend the next Safety...
July 31 A caller reported a cabin burned down along Petersburg Creek. A caller reported an individual violating a protective order. Officers spoke to kids on roof of Excel St. building after a caller reported someone walking around the back of a building where there is nowhere for anyone to go. August 1 Officer made contact with two vehicles at old water tower site behind airport and advised person’s location was for authorized vehicles only. A caller reported multiple vehicles parked on the 900 block of S. Nordic Dr. for more than 24 hours. A...
The Alaska Department of Transportation estimates Ocean Beauty’s insurance claim to be between $2.5 to $4 million. ADOT is still waiting to hear from Ocean Beauty Seafood’s insurance carrier regarding the final cost of dock repairs and loss of business after the Alaska Marine Highway System’s Matanuska ferry crashed into Ocean Beauty’s dock last summer on May 10. Ocean Beauty ceased fish processing last summer after the accident when its dock sustained damage. A hydraulic crane was crushed along...
WRANGELL — A fire destroyed the Allen mill site on Tuesday, July 30, leaving Mike Allen’s business venture a smoking heap of twisted metal and burnt lumber – and saw the largest response from the Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department in recent memory. According to WVFD Fire Chief Tim Buness the fire began in the early afternoon and saw a quick response given the distance to the fire from the Zimovia substation and the Fire Hall. “We received the call at 2:08 p.m. and twelve minutes later the fir...
JUNEAU (AP) — The Alaska Permanent Fund posted its highest year-ending balance, with a preliminary value of $44.9 billion. While the fund has reached higher levels during the year — its unaudited value as of Thursday was $46.3 billion — it has never ended a fiscal year so strongly, Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. CEO Michael Burns said. “This is a good year,” he said Monday. The fund, created to share Alaska's oil wealth with future generations, reported an average return of 10.5 percent for the year ending June 30, with all its asset classes yield...
Holy Oncorhynchus! Any doubts about the brand power of Alaska salmon can be put to rest after the high visibility contretemps over the past few weeks – and the fish story has a happy ending. All of Alaska’s ‘powers that be’ converged on Wal-Mart and the National Park Service (NPS) when both reportedly snubbed Alaska salmon over a labeling issue. Both Governor Parnell and Senator Mark Begich sent letters to Wal-Mart blasting the ill-advised decision, and Senator Lisa Murkowski verbally (and very publicly) spanked the NPS for not followi...
The same warm summer weather that killed 1,000 King salmon two weeks ago in Blind Slough is also contributing to a larger than average presence of humpback whales in Frederick Sound. Barry Bracken, retired whale tour guide and marine biologist, said the sunlight warming the sound produces a large phytoplankton bloom last spring. “And that’s what started the chain reaction for the krill,” Bracken said. Krill feed on phytoplankton. Because the plankton population increased, so did krill numbers. T...
