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A call was placed to the Petersburg Fire Department at 7:40 P.M. Monday night after residents reported seeing dark, black smoke coming from the Public Works Department lot on 2nd St. Flames were coming from a shed that was filled with large, spare tires for the borough's vehicles. Nearby residents stated they also heard loud popping noises. The fire was contained by about 8 P.M., but firefighters didn't leave until around 9:30 P.M, said Assistant Fire Chief Dave Berg. The cause of the fire is...
Parks and Recreation will be taking into consideration community feedback on changes to the department, including an increased age requirement for unattended children, as it moves forward following public outcry about the changes. At the Aug. 16 assembly meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Chandra Thornburg answered questions and took comments from assembly members about the community's concerns over proposed changes to the community center. Over 15 letters from residents were submitted to th...
A fully automated camera would allow Petersburg School District to broadcast sporting events and other activities in the gymnasium through the National Federation of State High School Associations. The cameras can be programmed to turn on at specific times and begin streaming on the online NFHS Network. PSD can purchase two cameras for a one-time fee of $5,000, plus an additional $1,000 for shipping, said Activity Director Jaime Cabral. One camera would be placed in the gymnasium and the other...
In the past year, at least four citizens from Petersburg and Wrangell have sought and gained their U.S. citizenship to be with their families and for peace of mind. Elisa Teodori originates from Italy, but moved to Petersburg after she met her husband, Tor Benson, while working in Ecuador. Laura Davies first came to the US from Canada to work as a recreation therapist in Georgia, but eventually moved to Wrangell to take a job working with Alaska Crossings and met her husband. Gilda Barkfelt...
A new ordinance would prevent assembly members and the borough clerk from reading letters submitted to the borough assembly out loud during assembly meetings. Ordinance #2019-07 was passed as amended in its first reading at an assembly meeting on Friday. It adds language to the borough's code regarding the procedure for addressing the assembly by written comment at a public meeting. The new wording states that a person can submit a letter to the borough clerk to be transferred to the borough...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly will hold their second meeting of August tonight at 6 P.M. to vote on four ordinances, two of which are in their final reading, and the Kiseno St. sewer replacement project. If Ordinance #2019-05 passes in its third reading, then voters in the 2019 municipal election will have the opportunity to decide whether or not to allow the water and wastewater departments to take out loans not to exceed a total of $8 million for capital improvement projects. Ordinance...
Petersburg will hold its annual municipal election on Oct. 1 from 8 A.M. through 8 P.M. in the activity room of the community center. Residents will vote on who will fill 17 public office seats up for reelection, including the mayor's seat, as well as one proposition. The first day that residents could apply for candidacy was July 23, and the last day to file was Aug. 20. The borough will submit voter registration forms to the Alaska Division of Elections for community members up until the...
Ongoing concern about cruise ships dumping their grey water and sewage into Petersburg's harbors and nearby waters caused assembly members to agree on Friday that the borough needs to take some form of action. "I was at the harbor on Tuesday and that was all I could think about," said Assembly Member Jeff Meucci. "'Oh that's great. There's stuff in there.' I think we need to sort it out with [the cruise ship industry] and let them know it's not acceptable here." At the start of the assembly...
The city of Haines hosted the 51st annual Southeast Alaska State Fair earlier this summer. Communities from all across Southeast Alaska attend the event, and also enter into various contests and exhibits. From baked goods to woodworking, the fair gives people the opportunity to show off their talents in a wide variety of areas. These departments are further divided into separate divisions, explained Wrangell resident and artist Michael Bania. Within the "crochet arts" department, she gave as an...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska wildfire officials are reviewing their initial assessment of the cause of a weekend fire that burned at least 50 structures along the main highway between Anchorage and Fairbanks. The fire began Saturday in high wind and was initially attributed to a tree toppling onto a power line. The cause of the fire is now under investigation, Tim Mowry, spokesman for the Alaska Division of Forestry, said Tuesday. The fire covers 4.7 square miles (12.2 sq. kilometers). The number of people displaced by the fire and the n...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska has been America’s canary in the coal mine for climate warming, and the yellow bird is swooning. July was Alaska’s warmest month ever, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Sea ice melted. Bering Sea fish swam in above-normal temperatures. So did children in the coastal town of Nome. Wildfire season started early and stayed late. Thousands of walruses thronged to shore. Unusual weather events like this could become more common with climate warming, said Brian Brettschneider, an assoc...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A man discovered a 50-year-old letter in a bottle from the Russian Navy on the shores of western Alaska. Tyler Ivanoff found the handwritten Russian letter early this month while gathering firewood near Shishmaref about 600 miles (966 kilometers) northwest of Anchorage, television station KTUU reported. “I was just looking for firewood when I found the bottle,” Tyler Ivanoff said. “When I found the bottle, I had to use a screwdriver to get the message out.” Ivanoff shared his discovery on Facebook where Russian s...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A teenage deckhand, roused awake by water flooding his sleeping area aboard a fishing tender last summer in southwest Alaska, recalled taking a gulp of air as he cast about the vessel for an escape route as it was capsizing. The teen was rescued, as was the boat captain, but another crew member, the captain’s father, died when the Pacific Knight capsized near Dillingham on July 25, 2018. Details of the teen’s harrowing escape were recounted in a National Transportation Safety Board report on the incident released Thurs...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska group has filed an application with the state for a ballot initiative asking voters to increase taxes on the oil industry, a report said. The proposed Fair Share Act would alter the state’s 2014 oil-production tax, The Anchorage Daily News reported Monday. The measure could bring in about $1 billion in additional production taxes, the group said. “Alaskans should receive their fair share from the sale of our oil,” said initiative committee member Robin Brena. The application submitted Friday comes as Republi...
The Diocese of Juneau released the results of an Independent Commission’s review of sexual misconduct allegations made since the diocese was established in 1951. The commission’s report identifies seven clergymen alleged to have engaged with sexual misconduct involving minors and vulnerable adults. Named in the report: Francis A. Cowgill (died in 2000), Javier Gutierrez (dismissed from the clerical state in 2018), Patrick Hurley, Michael Nash (died in 2019), Edmund Penisten, Frederick Raehsler and Henry Leo Sweeney (died in 1959). In a letter t...
WRANGELL - Construction of Wrangell's new hospital is on track, according to Hospital Administrator Leatha Merculieff. Construction began back in April, as land next to the AICS Clinic was cleared of trees and leveled. An official groundbreaking ceremony was held on May 30. Back in 2018, the old Wrangell Medical Center was acquired by the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium. As part of this deal, SEARHC agreed to build a new hospital for the city. Designs for the new hospital will...
August 22, 1919 On last Saturday afternoon, the local committee which was investigating to find evidence of profiteering among the local merchants met and reported that they could find no evidence of anything in that line in Petersburg. In fact, some things were selling here cheaper than in Seattle. It was found that rents were not unreasonable, that coal was selling for $16 per ton when actual costs to the merchant delivered to the home was $14.78 per ton, and meats and staple groceries were all found reasonable. August 18, 1944 For...
The Coast Range was visible from Frenchy Ridge last Sunday. Frenchy Ridge is the perfect spot to pick cranberries and low bush blueberries in the late summer and fall. Amy Anderson can be seen in the background harvesting low bush blueberries....
August 14 — Thomas Kojima was issued a speeding citation. Francisco Alfaro, 28, was arrested on felony fraud charges. An individual at a location on Haugen Dr. was issued a warning for burning un-contained lawn clippings. Authorities responded to a report of suspicious activity near N. 12th St. A foot patrol was conducted, but no unusual activity was found. A disturbance was reported at a location on S. Nordic Dr. August 15 — Francisco Alfaro, 28, was arrested on a California warrant. Authorities investigated a report of fireworks being ign...
Beth Flor stands with two of her paintings at a retrospective solo art show at the Clausen Memorial Museum on Friday that featured works spanning the course of 45 years. The two paintings were done in a time in her career when she began using larger brushes and a different kind of canvas that doesn't expand and contract like traditional canvases. The top painting, called Summer Meadow, was completed in 2010 and the bottom painting, June Meadow, was done in 2002. Flor said both paintings show...
An approximately 65-foot tall European Mountain Ash tree fell in a windstorm on Sunday, Aug. 18 in Steve and Desi Burrell's front yard at 802 N. Nordic Dr. Desi was in her living room on her computer when the tree came crashing down just after 10 A.M., narrowly missing her home. Only a second story window was damaged by the tree. Desi said the United States Forest Service took a core sample of the tree last year and found that it was over 88 years old and in good condition. Steve was back in...
Investment that comes from within, not from without, is the motivation behind a boot camp that will jump start and nurture businesses in communities throughout Bristol Bay. Through September 15 locals with good ideas, start-ups or existing businesses across the region will compete to attend a three day boot camp that provides in-depth business education, networking and advice. First, they must make the grade in a simple application process. The 10 or 12 who make that cut will go to the boot camp and be judged on business feasibility and...
A fawn enjoys its breakfast along the beach on Friday morning....
I would like to correctly identify the item shown in the Museum Artifact column on page 13 of your Aug. 15 issue. It is not a pulley or a block, but a "dead eye." Dead eyes and lanyards were used to set up a vessel's rigging before turnbuckles or rigging-screws came into use. An example would be that a dead eye would be fastened to a chain plate on the hull's side, and a companion dead eye would be fastened to the lower end of a mast's shroud maybe 1' to 3' up. A piece of line called the...
