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The Southeast Alaska Power Agency Board approved $97,750 to replace the backup battery bank at the Tyee Lake hydro facility at a regular board meeting last Thursday. Early last month, Petersburg and Wrangell were providing their own power for about a week while the Tyee Lake Hydro facility was offline for annual maintenance. During the maintenance period, SEAPA conducted a battery capacity discharge test of the hydro project's nickel-cadmium batteries. Three hours into the test, one of the...
Unofficial poll numbers show Mark Jensen returning for another three year term as mayor and incumbent Jeigh Stanton Gregor and Chelsea Tremblay elected to the borough assembly in the municipal election on Tuesday. Jensen had 590 votes and Jeff Meucci, who also sought the mayor’s seat, had 524 votes, according to unofficial results. Stanton Gregor and Tremblay beat Aaron Hankins and Marc Martinsen for the two seats on the assembly. The seats had belonged to Stanton Gregor and Kurt Wohlhueter. W...
The borough's diesel generators began providing power to Petersburg Sunday afternoon after a failure in a Southeast Alaska Power Agency transmission line left the community without electricity for two and a half hours. The power outage occurred around 2 p.m., but it took Petersburg Municipal Power & Light some time to bring the power back on. SEAPA had thought they cleared the problem and instructed Petersburg to close its breakers at the substation in anticipation of restoring power, but the...
October 3, 1919 The Petersburg Hospital Association is collecting money to be used to secure the services of a trained nurse for the institution. Subscription lists are being circulated asking businessmen and others to agree to pay monthly amounts. We might advise that it takes $250 per month to operate this hospital, which includes the wages of the nurse, and running expenses as fuel, food, right, and water. September 29, 1944 Members of the Petersburg Emblem Club have been delighted to have notification that Colleen McDonald, whose mother,...
This year's moose harvest looks to be above the five- year average with the moose count at 64 just 17 days into the season. Between 2014 and 2018, the average moose count for this time of the season was 58. There was a dip in the moose harvest this time last year, with only 42 being taken. Fish and Game Area Biologist Frank Robbins said the warm weather last fall may have been a factor in the low number of moose being taken. In 2017 and 2016, the moose harvest was 64 about 17 days into the seaso...
The Petersburg Medical Center's Joy Janssen Clinic was awarded the 2019 Golden Stethoscope Award for its medication assisted treatment program for substance abuse by the Alaska State Hospital & Nursing Home Association. "It's just a nice pat on the back," said PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter. "It's a nice acknowledgment amongst all the different facilities in the state. I think it's worthwhile." The yearly award was given to PMC at an ASHNHA conference last week. A team of PMC staff wrote up a...
To the Editor: As someone who appreciates smoke-free indoor workplaces and public places, I want to say thank you to everyone in our community for supporting the Alaska Smokefree Workplace Law in our beautiful town. I am thrilled to see that our community is free from secondhand cigarette and marijuana smoke as well as aerosols from electronic smoking devices. There are a lot of things one can do to save lives but smoke-free indoor spaces are one of those things that quickly improve the health of our community. I am thankful that our community...
The water level at Tyee Lake was at 1,344.9 feet on Monday, which is roughly 60 feet higher than it was this time last year. As part of the Southeast Alaska Power Agency, Tyee Lake dedicates its power to Petersburg and Wrangell, while Swan Lake produces power for Ketchikan. While the 1,345 foot water level is lower than the norm for Tyee Lake, it is still higher than the 1,285 foot water level in September 2018, said Utility Director Karl Hagerman. If water were to stop flowing into Tyee Lake...
Despite being the second wettest month out of the year for Petersburg, September was slightly below the normal 13.65 inch rainfall amount at 12.21 inches, according to Dan Hartsock, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service forecast office in Juneau. Petersburg is also below the normal amount of rainfall for the first nine months of the year. There were 59.87 inches of rainfall reported in Petersburg in 2019 so far, but by this time of the year, the city typically has 70.74 inches of...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The number of moon jellyfish floating in Alaska waters has increased and residents should be prepared, scientists said. Warm ocean temperatures and plentiful food in the form of zooplankton have contributed to the increased sightings, the Juneau Empire reported Friday. The moon jellyfish, also known as Aurelia aurita, released sperm and eggs freely into the water during spring spawning season, said Sherry Tamone, a professor of marine biology at the University of Alaska Southeast. The jellyfish fertilized independent of t...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska had its highest violent crime rate in five years in 2018, with rises in rapes and aggravated assault helping drive the increase. But the state’s overall crime rate dropped, with property crimes down. The Alaska Department of Public Safety’s annual report on crime is based on information supplied by law enforcement agencies representing 99.5% of the state’s population. It was made public Monday, as was the FBI’s national report on crime that uses the same information, the Anchorage Daily News reported . The Alask...
September 24 — Authorities responded to a disturbance at a location on Dolphin St. The individual agreed to leave the area. Extra patrols were requested on S. Nordic Dr. September 25 — Escaped chickens were roaming around on Excel St. The owner was notified. Authorities responded to a report of a black bear on Kings Row. A black bear was reported on Sandy Beach Rd, but it was gone upon officer arrival. Extra patrols were requested on Cornelius Rd. September 26 — Authorities responded to a report of a black bear on Jenny Lane but it was gone...
Sept. 17 — Brandon J. Johnson was charged with burglary 1st degree, vehicle theft in the 1st degree, three counts of assault in the 3rd degree, theft in the 2nd degree/firearm and misconduct involving controlled substances/weapons 4th degree. The court set the case for Sept. 24. Bryce Covington’s attorney requested a change of plea hearing on charges of violating conditions of release and DUI. The matter was scheduled for Sept. 25. A case of two DUI charges against William Schroepfer was set for Sept. 25. Zoey Pearl Sparks was charged with vio...
This year, during the fishery's 2nd largest harvest on record, Bristol Bay commercial fishermen hit another historic number: the 2 billionth sockeye salmon caught by commercial fishermen since record-keeping began in the late 1800s. "It wasn't supposed to happen this fast, but the last couple of seasons had huge returns," said Nushagak/Togiak Area Management biologist Timothy Sands. 2019 was the fifth consecutive year that more than 50 million sockeye salmon returned to Bristol Bay. In 2018,...
Both the boys and girls Petersburg cross country teams will be competing in the state meet this weekend, after the boys team came in first place and the girls team came in second at Regionals. Melanie Chase took first place at the regional meet in Sitka, setting a new personal record at 20:38. Uriah Lucas placed second in the boys race and also set a new personal record with a time of 17:18. Behind Lucas was Kole Sperl in third place with a time of 17:48, tying his personal best. "When the kids...
The nation’s farmers of the sea are hoping for a helping hand from Uncle Sam to train future generations of fishermen. It would mirror programs in place for nearly 160 years for U.S. farmers and ranchers. Federal backing of training programs for entry level farmers and ranchers can be traced back to the 1862 Morrill Land-Grants Act. Beginning in 2009, Congress authorized $75 million for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) to “develop and offer education, training, outreach and mentoring programs to enhance the sus...
Coho Salmon Coho salmon are now present throughout freshwater systems in the area while marine catch rates are steadily declining. Recent rain events have created good conditions for coho salmon to enter freshwater. Try fishing for coho salmon in the lower intertidal reaches, deep pools, cut banks and around log jams. A variety of terminal gear can be used for these aggressive biters but spinners, egg imitations, and jigs are common. Bait can be used in most freshwater systems between September 15- November 15th, anglers are encouraged to look...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Nearly every Alaska resident will be $1,606 richer next week when they get their share of the state’s oil wealth. The Alaska Department of Revenue announced the amount of this year’s check in a release Friday. It said nearly 631,000 Alaskans will receive the check, starting with disbursements Thursday. The total amount of the payout is just over $1 billion. The announcement used to come with great fanfare, with the governor and revenue commissioner announcing the amount of the check — written on a giant fake check ...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Gov. Mike Dunleavy has signed an administrative order he says is needed to protect free speech rights of state employees and whether they want to associate with unions. The order calls for new procedures to allow employees to opt in or out of paying dues and fees. The administration argues these steps are needed to comply with a U.S. Supreme Court decision. This follows a lawsuit initiated by the state that seeks a court order allowing it to stop deducting dues or fees from an employee’s check when the employee no lon...
