Sorted by date Results 1 - 21 of 21
Blue skies and warm days enveloped Petersburg like seine nets to pink salmon this summer as the Southeast saw temperatures above and rainfall below average. According to National Weather Service Data, the temperature on August 1 reached 83 degrees tying the warmest day ever recorded in Petersburg and breaking August 22, 2004’s 82-degree record high. Summer temperatures remained consistently warm across the region. Petersburg saw daily average temperatures in June and August reach three degrees above normal. And through September 15, average d... Full story
The Petersburg Library opened its doors to the public for the first time Monday. The facility boasts several new features such as a self-checkout station, a teen room and the ability to borrow laptops and iPads. There are six stationary express computers library users can log onto for 30 minutes at a time. But Tara Alcock, Borough Librarian, said people generally need more time than that. “People can come check them out (laptops and ipads), have two full hours and can sit anywhere they want i... Full story
Acting Revenue Commissioner Angela Rodell announced Wednesday that the 2013 Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) will be $900. 670,865 Alaskans applied for the 2013 dividend this year – a decrease of approximately 7,000 applications from 2012. The first dividends will be paid on October 3, when approximately 507,000 applicants will receive a direct deposit into their bank account, and 86,000 will be mailed a check. Paper checks will enter the U.S. mail system on October 3 from Juneau. More than $484 million will be directly deposited into Alaskans' b...
September 20, 1913 – The Indians of Skidgate, B.C. reported having seen a new kind of sea monster while out fishing recently. This monster struggled so violently in the encounter that it all but upset the canoe, but finally was cut in two. They reported to the Captain and the officers of the steamer Prince Albert that one of their fishing parties in a war canoe had met with a strange denizen of the deep on the fishing grounds. This creature, which appeared to be twenty feet long and from two to three feet in circumference, wrapped itself t...
Alaska’s salmon fishery harvest smashed records this season with everyone from fishermen to cannery workers feeling the tremors. Alaska’s Southeast regions pulled more than one third of the salmon stock from the waters this summer. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s website, roughly 103 million salmon were caught in Southeast waters compared to the 265 million salmon caught statewide according to the Alaska Journal of Commerce. The Southeast Alaska purse seine fishery closed for pink salmon September 8. ADFG final harve...
The Petersburg based commercial gillnet vessel Shelo caught fire on September 3 and was recently salvaged in Ketchikan. The incident happened in Nakat Inlet. Ryan Erikson, Chief of Incident Management for the U.S. Coast Guard, said the coast guard wasn’t notified until after the fact. “We know that it did catch fire and caught fire very rapidly,” Erikson said. “It pretty much burned itself out.” Erikson said a Good Samaritan vessel assisted the Shelo crew. The Coast Guard arrived on the site about a week later to observe the scene. Erickson...
Aside from massive fish harvest, Petersburg canneries felt the added pressure of worker walkouts and no shows. This summer was the first time the companies couldn’t hire foreign student workers coming on J1 Visas after the federal government ended the program in an attempt to provide more jobs to American workers. Some estimates early in the season put no show rates between 15-20 percent. A local manager said working with a changed employee pool combined with peak production was a “double whammy.” “There were less workers in the pool and mor...
Greatest resource To the Editor: I am very excited that they finished the new library. It’s going to be great to go and sit in the library to do my homework because there aren’t really that many public places to go to. You see I am a freshman in high school and my options are limited where I can go to do my homework in peace; school or home. But now we have an alternate place. For the past few months the only places where you could get books, magazines and movies cost money. Now that the new library is open we will have a whole building ful...
Pilot publisher Ron Loesch was awarded an Honorable Mention for Best Editorial, non‐daily division, circulation less than 3,000, by the National Newspaper Association. The award was announced this month at the NNA annual conference in Phoenix, Ariz. The editorial entitled, “The cost of lost opportunities,” was published in the October 18, 2012 edition. Judges' comments on the entry were: "Strong clear writing that presents voters with the information they need for an important vote." It was o...
September 11 A caller reported concern over an individual’s welfare. A caller reported a protective order violation. Police responded to a report of an individual creating a concern. An officer responded to a report of a window being shot. A caller reported an individual unplugged electric. September 12 A caller reported an out of control individual. A caller reported an individual grabbing them as the caller tried to walk past. Police responded to an unwelcomed individual in an area. A caller reported persons might be trespassing. Anthony M S...
September 13 Jerry Bradford appeared before Magistrate Judge Burrell for a change of plea hearing. Bradford entered a plea of no contest for case number 1PE-1379CR. The court sentenced the defendant to 30 days of jail with 30 days suspended, a $500 fine with $250 suspended, $150 in surcharges with $100 suspended and one year probation. Terry Hasbrouck appeared before Magistrate Judge Burrell on a DUI charge. The defendant entered a guilty plea. The court sentenced Hasbrouck to 30 days in jail with 27 days suspended, a $1500 fine, revoked...
Every school district in Alaska requires new or incoming students to receive physicals before starting school and most, if not all, don’t cover those costs. Most school districts in Alaska might be in violation of state statute. That’s if Petersburg School District’s attorney Allen Clendaniel’s interpretation of Alaska Statue 14.30.070 is correct. In part, it states, “The governing body of each school district shall provide for and require a physical examination of every child attending school in the district.” “If you look at the literal l...
Some initial concern over the Petersburg Road Improvement Plan turned out to be less of an issue than originally anticipated. The $4.1 million dollar project began in September of 2012. According to a project report written by Bryce Iverson, SECON Project Manager, “…2,800 cubic yards of concrete were placed, over 4,800 linear feet of curbs and gutter, 3,100 square yards of sidewalk, and nearly 10,000 square yards of concrete pavement.” The initial concrete pouring phase was put on hold because of early season freezing temperatures. Barry Morri...
Tommy Joseph, master woodcarver and Tlingit artist, gave a Technology, Education and Design talk in the borough assembly chambers last Thursday. Joseph talked about his experiences traveling the world learning about Tlingit battledress and how he incorporated that knowledge into pieces he crafted called “Rainforest Warriors” that are in display at the Alaska State Museum in Juneau. His work was inspired in 2004 while researching the battledress used during 1804’s Battle of Sitka that pitte...
WRANGELL — A proposed 1.5 percent sales tax cut in the City and Borough of Wrangell has split the community ahead of an Oct. 1 vote. The borough administration sent out an informational flyer this week outlining the details of cuts approved with the budget May 28, sparking at least one accusation of advocacy against the cuts. Business owners and citizens have taken out an advertisement against the reduction in the Sentinel. Assembly members and citizens have spilled ink for and against the proposal in letters to the editor. The proposal’s autho...
The Petersburg Borough Sanitation department removed the recycling drop-off dumpsters behind the Community Cold Storage effective Tuesday, September 17. This was in response to a long history of misuse of the site, contamination of the recyclable materials and litter accumulations. For residents and businesses that wish to drop-off recyclables, the drop-off location will now be located at the approach to the baler building. For all residents that wish to utilize the aluminum dumpster to benefit the local scouting programs, the container will...
Alaska’s record salmon season has permit brokers hopping as buyers seek to break into or expand their opportunities in many fisheries. Notably, brokers say there is “a lot of great buzz” at Bristol Bay, despite a lackluster sockeye fishery that saw the bulk of the red run come and go eight days early. “Prior to the season the drift permits went for under $100,000, but we just sold one for $125, 000,” said Doug Bowen of Alaska Boats and Permits in Homer. Most of the bump is due to optimism about the sockeye base price of $1.50/lb, a $.50 incr...
NORMANBY ISLAND, Papua New Guinea (AP) — Katharina Fabricius plunged from a dive boat into the Pacific Ocean of tomorrow. A bleak portrait emerged: Instead of tiered jungles of branching, leafy corals, Fabricius saw mud, stubby spires and squat boulder corals. Snails and clams were mostly gone, as were worms, colorful sea squirts and ornate feather stars. Instead of a brilliant coral reef like the one living a few hundred yards away, what the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences ecologist found resembled a slimy lake bottom. The cause: c...
The PHS cross country team raced last Saturday in Wrangell. Beautiful weather brought out crowds of spectators and parents many of whom made the trip over from Petersburg for the competition. This meet was the closest thing Petersburg will have to a home meet in this cross-country season. “It’s tough not having a home meet,” said PHS head coach Jo Ann Day. “We really appreciate the support of parents and fans who made the boat trip over to Wrangell.” This season feels like a quick one, with weat...
Victor Manuel Rodriguez Santana died in Sierra Vista, Ariz. on August 25, 2013 after suffering a massive stroke in Petersburg, Alaska. Victor was born on December 30, 1935 to Jaime Rodriguez and Eleonor Santana de Rodriguez in La Playa de Ponce, Puerto Rico. His parents passed away when Victor was 10 years old. He and his younger sister Noemi were raised by their grandmother Josepha Martinez in La Playa de Ponce. At the age of 18 Victor enlisted in the United States Army. He served for two years... Full story
