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Bo Varsano and Marja Smets of Farragut Farm won Farm Family of the Year at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer last week, the first Southeast farm ever to do so. Smets says they were surprised to hear they'd been nominated and selected for the award. "I think it's super cool to bring awareness to agriculture down here. People in the interior are like, 'Wow, there are farms there?'" In the Alaska State Fair announcement, Alaska Division of Agriculture Director Bryan Scoresby said, "Bo and Marja...
The filing window for candidacy in the 2023 Petersburg Borough Municipal Election officially closed Tuesday afternoon. Thirty candidates filed for the 20 seats up for election, and there will be 11 contested positions on this year’s ballot. The two contested seats on the assembly are now a race between Jeigh Stanton Gregor, Rob Schwartz, Rick Perkins, and incumbent Jeff Meucci. Both positions will be three-year terms. Dave Kensinger will not run for reelection in this year’s race. Both of the three-year terms on the hospital board are a con...
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Petersburg’s continually hazy sky hints at the wildfire conditions being battled by our neighbor to the South and East. Firefighters successfully prevented wildfires from destroying more structures in a scenic region of British Columbia, authorities said Monday as the prospect of rain raised hopes for the effort to contain the flames. Fire Chief Jason Broland said fire crews made more progress in the West Kelowna area known as a summer destination for families. He reported no new property losses in the pre...
At the first board meeting of the academic year last week, the Petersburg School District board decided that school meal prices will increase by at least $0.25 this school year. This decision was approved in order to maintain the financial sustainability of the school food service program and comply with the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Paid Lunch Equity Policy. The policy says that schools serving lunch need to have enough money to pay for meals that students buy at the regular price, not the discounted price; some s...
August 24, 1923 – Pioneering the way for direct shipment of canned salmon from Alaskan ports to the eastern coast of the United States via the Panama Canal, the big steamer Commercial Traveler was in Petersburg this week loading 25,000 cases of salmon from Petersburg Packing Company. She also landed 15,000 cases of empties for the same concern. From here the steamer will go to Union Bay, Ketchikan, and Hidden Inlet and will have a cargo of about 115,000 cases before leaving Alaska. She will complete general cargo at Vancouver, Seattle, and San...
A Man for All Seasons To the Editor: Mr. Paul Bowen was a man for all seasons: the fishing season, the election season, the basketball season, the hunting season, the climbing season, and along with all of these, the high school year. We knew him as our physical science and biology teacher in the 1960s at Petersburg High. His irrepressible optimism and powerful zest for the task at hand made us engage with the subject with uncommon attention. I remember going on a spring field trip to the beach that featured a surprise snowstorm. He led the...
August 16 – An individual left the Fram Street area at the direction of an officer. Petersburg Police Department (PPD) received a report of an unwanted person on a Birch Street property. An officer contacted the individual and issued a trespass. A search warrant was executed. PPD received a report of a dangerous driver on Sandy Beach Road, but the responding officer was unable to locate the described vehicle. August 17 – An officer responded to a report of suspicious activity in the North Harbor. An individual on Harbor Way was served a tre...
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has again rejected a request to list Southeast Alaska's Alexander Archipelago wolves as endangered or threatened. The wolves, found in Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, range among the region's large, old trees and are a subspecies of gray wolves. Putting the wolves on the Endangered Species List, either as endangered or threatened, likely would have resulted in new restrictions on development, logging and construction in the region, and the state of... Full story
Students in Petersburg School District are set to start the school year on August 29, alongside several upcoming additions to faculty staff. New to the district is Thomas Hambley, who will teach fourth grade at Stedman Elementary this fall. "I am excited about joining the team at Stedman Elementary and becoming part of the Petersburg community," he shared. Hambley moved to Petersburg earlier this summer from Glennallen, where he taught fourth grade. He specializes in elementary level teaching...
"I'm very happy to be here - it's pretty exciting for me," said Petersburg's new Middle and High School Principal Brad King during a lighthearted administrative report at the first school board meeting of the 2023–24 academic year Aug. 16. King said he "put away all my red clothing and got all my blue clothing out" and is excited to be working with staff to "support the kids, support the teachers and make sure that this is a really successful year."...
Jolie Norman, the new first-grade teacher at Stedman Elementary, and fellow first-grade teacher Erin Hofacre pushed a lot of furniture around Ms. Norman's classroom yesterday, and they have more to do before school starts. "In a week, you won't recognize this place. I'm looking forward to making it my own," promised Norman. And in making it her own, she's excited to make it a place kids want to be and a place they want to learn. In addition to her longtime calling to work with kids, Norman...
*To register a new student, please stop by the office at 303 Dolphin Street by August 25th *You will need to bring current immunization record and birth certificate (legible copy ok) *If you have any questions, please call the office at 907-302-2385 or 877-526-7656 ext. 400 Mrs. Willis Kindergarten Adalynd Birchell, Talon Caulum, Konrad Connor, Tess Crump, Kaeson Doril, Everly Gacchina, Raymond Gillen, Charlie Gudgel, Jon Hammer, Emily Martin, Isabelle Martin, Branson McIntosh, Ryland Newman, Elliott Popp, David Randrup, Oliver Reid, Kai...
Pamela Kay Billette passed away on July 28, 2023, in White Salmon, Washington. She was born on December 13, 1958, in Yakima, Washington, to Ray Rogers and Nancy Rogers (McGraw). Pam was a beloved mother, grandmother, and homemaker who brought joy and laughter to those around her. As a child and young adult, Pam had great spunk and a bit of a wild streak. She loved to make social connections with others, which was reflected in teachers' comments on her report cards, such as, "talks with friends"... Full story
The Access to Alaska Native Collections grant program is currently open and accepting applications until September 8. The application can be found on the Museums Alaska website. The program responds to the needs of Alaska Native artists and culture bearers for access to collections in museums by supporting research visits to museum collections storage in Alaska. Alaska Native artists and culture bearers are invited to propose a visit to a participating museum with a collection that has a clear benefit to the development of their work....
Anna Thompson and Ian Andrews were married on August 18, 2023 by the Reverend Doctor Joyce Parry-Moore on the shore of North Douglas Island, Alaska. The bride's brother, Soren Thompson, stood as witness. Anna is the daughter of former Petersburg High School math teacher Tom Thompson of Petersburg, and Sarah Holtzman of Juneau, Alaska. Ian is the son of Kimberly and William Andrews of Douglas, Alaska. The Thompson-Andrews reside in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Photo by Lizzie Tho...
This photo of Max Haube with a 492 lb. halibut in front of Petersburg Cold Storage appears to have been taken by Dolores Roguszka. A professional freelance photographer whose work appeared in publications such as the New York Times, the Alaskan Sportsman and National Geographic, she was also a passionate weaver who made and donated thousands of "chemo caps" for cancer patients. She championed Alaska statehood, serving as aide and clerk in the Alaska Territorial Legislature during the 1955 and...
As the first practical measure taken by Petersburg’s Early Childhood Education Task Force, the PIECE program is nearing the mark of its first year in action. So far, eight childcare provider employees across three services in Petersburg have received a first round of fiscal incentives under the program. For some, the extra benefits have given them a positive boost toward higher education; for others, the bonus check has not provided enough of a platform to launch from. PIECE, short for Petersburg Incentive Education for Childhood Employees, i...
Looking to the narrows on North Nordic Drive, the home of Floyd and Barbara Strand stands as a one-of-a-kind relic of Petersburg's Norwegian roots. From its humble beginnings, this house has expanded, evolved, and welcomed home new generations for more than a century. It is the single oldest house in Petersburg, owned and lived in by the same family for its entirety. Initially built in 1902, what sets this house apart from the rest constructed during that time is the remarkable fact that its...
For many, the beginning of May is exactly the moment when Petersburg truly blossoms into life each year, and perhaps no one who understands that annual transformation better than the town's groundskeeper, Colin Perry. On top of caring for the cemetery and maintaining Petersburg's several parks, Perry ushers the community into Spring each year with his flower displays, fighting off the dull tones of winter and giving the town a fresh coat of paint just in time for Mayfest. "My favorite part is...
Inside Mary Ellen Anderson's greenhouse, a sea of green leaves ripples in the breeze of a fan. Pigeons coo nearby, and the radio, almost always on, plays quietly on a shelf. The air is made fragrant by tomato vines laden with fruit, cucumber blossoms, greens and flowers, and even peppers. "Every night," Mary Ellen says, "we have a good salad." The greenhouse is situated on a hill overlooking the Wrangell Narrows. Its walls are windows that showcase the handsome timber of the post and beam... Full story
Most people in Petersburg can say that much of their lives are spent on the water, whether that be fishing for a living or for food and fun, transiting to cabins, or taking the ferry to a basketball game or on a Costco run. To many, the waters of the Inside Passage are almost a second home. But only a few can say their homes rise and fall with the tides, that from the moment they wake up in the morning to when they go to bed the tides are a constant force in their lives. The live-aboards of Sout...
When Dasha Contag moved from Juneau to Petersburg in July of 2022 she moved an indoor jungle with her. She and her husband, Ben, bought a house on Baranof Street with floor to ceiling living room windows that are perfect grow lights for many of her houseplants. Dasha started creating her collection while living at Port Armstrong, a remote salmon hatchery on Baranof Island where they raised their two daughters, Lavon and Ayla, and where Ben continues to work, commuting as salmon rearing and...
