Sorted by date Results 1 - 20 of 20
The PHS swim teams traveled to Sitka last weekend for the first meet of the year. The meet offered two days of events and showed the strongest events for the Vikings so far would be anything involving freestyle, according to head coach Andy Carlisle. "We had everybody do pretty good, especially in our freestyle races," he said. "Our other races weren't as good as the freestyle ones, but they were still pretty good overall." On Friday, the girls team took third place behind Juneau-Douglas and... Full story
Suzanne Wood, co-founder of Mitkof Highway Homeowners Association, on Sept. 1, sent a letter to the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority seeking records for the 11 August 2016 Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority’s Resource Management Committee Meeting and Executive Session and for the 24 August 2016 AMHTA Board of Trustees Special Meeting. The documents, according to the letter, “are necessary for us to ascertain how the Trust could transition from the ongoing and forward-moving AMHTA-US Forest Service administrative land exchange process to s... Full story
PETERSBURG – A school on Prince of Wales Island in southeast Alaska that saw only a handful of graduates last year is closing its doors due to a lack of students. The small school on the northern end of the island in Port Protection is closed for the fall semester. The closure comes after the recent shuttering of two other schools in the Southeast Island School District, KFSK-FM reported. Superintendent Lauren Burch said the Port Protection school had only a few graduates this year and that there are no school-age children left in the small c...
September 9, 1916 – Word was received yesterday that S. L. Hogue started from Seattle to Petersburg on Wednesday with a new gasboat. The craft, which is said to be fifty feet or more in length, will handle the increasing business of the Trygve’s run. Conrad Dahl, of Tacoma, is coming north on the new boat as pilot. Mr. Hogue also purchased a Ford auto delivery while in Seattle. September 12, 1941 – The aluminum drive sponsored by the Petersburg Rotary club was very successful, and with 260 pounds of the metal being weighed in at the dump....
Endangered humpback whales in nine of 14 newly identified distinct population segments thave recovered enough that they don’t warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act, NOAA Fisheries said this week. International conservation efforts to protect and conserve whales over the past 40 years proved successful for most populations. Four of the distinct population segments are still protected as endangered, and one is now listed as threatened. Commercial whaling severely reduced humpback whale numbers from historical levels, and the United S... Full story
WRANGELL – Local air travelers were invited to the airport for a question-and-answer session August 25. A delegation of managers with Alaska Airlines fired up a grill out front, fielding questions people may have about the phasing out of the services “combi” fleet next year. Since its introduction in 2007, the 737-400 combi has been a unique facet of travel within the state, combining cargo conveyance with passenger service in the main cabin. Until it phases them out, Alaska Airlines is the only major domestic carrier to still use the combina...
The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority trustees come across as a bit heavy-handed in their effort to make an argument that their land parcels in Ketchikan and Petersburg need to be sold and logged before Congress acts on a land sale agreement that is before the Congressional body. To suggest that the S.E. timber industry will collapse and leave their timberland valueless in the next 6-months seems improbable. Timbered land parcel values very likely fluctuate with market conditions rather than the state of the S.E. Alaska timber industry. To...
JUNEAU – Costs for Alaska’s expanded Medicaid program have exceeded first-year estimates by roughly $30 million so far, leaving some concerned about the impact the program may have on the state budget once the federal government stops covering the entire tab. Gov. Bill Walker expanded Medicaid to provide coverage to thousands more lower-income Alaskans. Enrollment began last September, and as of July 31, nearly 20,400 people had signed up. The federal government is expected to fully cover the health care expenses for the expansion enro...
August 31 There was a call concerning an intoxicated individual at South Harbor. There was a report concerning sexual assault on Gjoa Street. A call concerning domestic violence at Magill’s Trailer Park was received. Suspicious activity was reported on Lake Street. Extra patrols were requested on N. Nordic Drive. Collette A. Bell, was arrested on a charge of assault in the fourth degree. September 1 There was a call concerning an intoxicated individual on Harbor Way. An abandoned vehicle was reported on S. Nordic Drive. Suspicious activity w...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly agreed to send a letter urging an alternative route to logging Alaska Mental Health Trust (AMHT) lands south of town at its Tuesday meeting. The land in question is on steep hillside located above Mitkof Highway, and the borough would rather see land exchanged than logging. Last month, the AMHT board announced plans to go forward with timber sales of lands near Petersburg from Scow Bay to south of Twin Creek, if a land exchange is not approved by Congress on Jan. 15. There is also AMHT land near Ketchikan. The...
Petersburg hosted around 200 cross country runners last weekend for a sunny installment of the Jack Eddy Invitational. The boys ended up taking fifth as a team and the girls earned second place coming in behind a tough Juneau-Douglas squad. "The weather was beautiful and the kids ran excellent," said assistant coach Debby Eddy. The PHS girls had nine runners in the field and the top six times were clocked within two minutes of each other. Kayleigh Eddy crossed the finish line first, taking...
The municipal election on Oct. 4. is fast approaching as the deadline for candidates to file came and went. Mark Jensen will run unopposed for mayor. Jeigh Stanton Gregor, Kurt Wohlhueter and Marc Martinsen are all running for two open assembly seats. Sandra Stevens is seeking a three-year term with the school board, leaving one vacant seat still open. Darlene Whitethorn is throwing her hat in for an open hospital board seat, but three, three-year terms do not have candidates. The planning and zoning commission has Otis Marsh and Yancy Nilsen l...
The assembly held its first reading of an ordinance amending borough code by imposing excise taxes on marijuana businesses within the borough. According to borough manager Stephen Giesbrecht, the assembly can elect to implement an excise tax on marijuana products, and that doesn’t need to be voted on. However, any additional taxes on licensed facilities would need to be voted on. Local resident Marj Oines took the time to speak on the potential excise tax at the meeting, during public comments. Oines noted any funds from an excise tax would g...
Half marathon, 13.1 miles, Forest Road 6204 to Sandy Beach Park, Monday, September 5, Labor Day, 2016 Runners 1 – Keith Billi, 1:40:28 2 – Rachel Cramer, 1:44:41 3 – Brenna Larson, 1:52:29 4 – Krissa Davis, 1:52:47 5 – Marketa Ith, 1:57:38 6 – Tess Abbott, 2:03:34 7 – Jo Ann Day, 2:08:27 8 – Beth Loesch, 2:08:48 9 – Angel Worhatch, 2:09:09 10 – Mamie Nilsen, 2:11:35 11 – Marlene Cushing/Emil Tucker (2 person team), 2:12:01 12 – Becca Madsen, 2:27:51 13 - Rochelle Peeler, 2:35:45 14 – Pamela Spe...
Petersburg Borough manager Stephen Giesbrecht gave the following manager’s report to the assembly on Sept. 6: We continue to have wait lists for Elderly Housing and Assisted Living facilities. Medicaid provider certification renewal has been submitted for the Manor. Municipal Building project continues to move forward. Initial installation on jail cells has been completed, and the block wall for the detention area is mostly done as well. Officer Kent Preston resigned, effective 8/28/16, due to a family medical issue. Kent was active in o...
Bering Sea crabbers were stunned last week when the outlooks for the upcoming fall and winter fisheries were revealed. Results of the annual summer surveys by state and federal scientists showed that numbers of mature male and females dropped sharply across the board for the big three: opilio (snow crab), their larger cousins, bairdi Tanners, and red king crab. “I don’t think anybody was expecting the numbers to be as low as they ended up. That was a shock,” said Ruth Christiansen, science adviser and policy analyst for the trade group, Alask...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska’s attorney general says marijuana social clubs are illegal, addressing what had been a hazy area following the state’s legalization of recreational pot. The opinion does not apply to licensed retail marijuana shops, for which state regulators are considering rules for allowing cannabis consumption. At issue are clubs that charge fees for patrons to use marijuana onsite or that otherwise provide access to a significant number of people to consume marijuana there. Those, according to the opinion by Attorney Gener...
The month long moose hunting season is ready to begin next week, opening on September 15 and lasting until October 15. For the Wrangell, Petersburg and Kake game unit, last year’s moose season turned out being the third best on record according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game harvest data. Area hunters had a 13-percent success rate, with 103 males harvested by 772 participating hunters. A total of 1,061 permits had been issued. After a reasonably mild winter, the moose population appears to be doing well. An aerial survey of the S...
