Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 27
Public Defender Eric Hedland, representing 20-year-old Christafur Morrell, was recently denied a Motion to Suppress evidence by Superior Court Judge William Carey. Morrell was indicted by a Grand Jury in early July on two charges of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance after being arrested June 26 in Petersburg for possession of heroin. Hedland moved to suppress the evidence in the case on two bases: “there was not valid consent to the warrantless search” and “the officer’s initial request to search was improper,” according to court docu... Full story
Petersburg Police Chief Kelly Swihart is participating in an exclusive training opportunity with the FBI National Academy (NA) this fall. Swihart described it as "a total immersion into leadership training" and said that "less than 1 percent of law enforcement officers will ever attend." According to the NA website, participation is by nomination and invitation only. That plus the acceptance of candidates from countries worldwide makes it difficult to get into. For those who make the cut, like... Full story
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus has cropped up again in Petersburg, diagnosed in a feral cat trapped on the south end of Haugen Drive in the South Third Street area on Oct. 17. The incurable disease, while not transmissible to humans or other animals, bears many symptomatic similarities to the like-named human scourge of HIV, suppressing the cats’ immune responses to infections and stymying their ability to recover – providing the only readily visible symptoms in the form of festering, unhealing wounds and general malaise. “That’s one of the clu... Full story
October 24, 1914 – The first law enacted by our territorial legislature two years ago was the law giving women the right to vote. The gallantry of the men voters of Alaska was fully demonstrated by the way the law was accepted. Every one – or nearly so – rejoiced over it, because equality is characteristic of Alaskans. As a matter of fact, and only in rare exception, they invite if not court equality. Class distinction is not encouraged and much practiced. Every Alaskan is agreed that unless energetic steps are taken, politics in Alaska will so...
A few issues sparked a lively discussion among assembly members and the public at Monday’s regular meeting. Four residents spoke out against the use of herbicides and pesticides to be sprayed by the state in the area. The assembly discussed the issue and then voted to draft an ordinance that would take a position on spraying in the Borough. It will be modeled after a similar ordinance from the community of Skagway. Mayor Mark Jensen said that he’s still working to secure a date for a public community meeting regarding state regulations on the...
The following appointments were made at Monday’s assembly meeting: Vice Mayor: Cindi Lagoudakis (continuing) Southeast Conference and AML Representative: Mayor Mark Jensen (continuing) Liason to the Harbor Board: Kurt Wohlhueter (continuing) Public Safety Advisory Board: Nancy Strand (newly appointed) Historic Preservation Committee: Jeigh Stanton Gregor Jensen announced that they are still seeking letters of interest from residents who would like to serve on the following boards: Hospital Board (2 vacancies), Planning Commission (3), Public S...
Petersburg schools' aging kitchen continues to cook up new headaches for administrators as they continue to work towards securing funding for a much needed complete remodel. This time, it was the refrigeration unit, a free-standing near-antique of more than 30 years that bit the dust for good on Friday, necessitating the premature purchase of two other free-standing units to ensure the school continues to serve quality food to students. "We knew it was a matter of time to when our refrigeration...
Swimming Viking boys continue to carve themselves a place ahead of their competitors, though that margin remains slim as competitors kick hard to catch up. The team took first place at their recent invitational at Sitka both Friday and Saturday, with Thunder Mountain and Sitka right behind, 116 to 112 (Sitka) on Friday and a larger gap of 128 to 84 (Thunder Mountain and Sitka both) the day after. That’s with everyone dragging one or two seconds behind typical times to boot, Coach Andy Carlisle said. “We didn’t swim very fast, but we still...
October 15 An officer issued a warning for speed during a traffic stop. A hit deer was reported by a caller. An officer was unable to locate the deer. A caller reported theft. An unattended child in a vehicle was reported to police. A caller reported a vehicle in a yellow zone obstructing the view. Police received a report of possible harassment. After receiving report of a dog attacking a juvenile, police spoke with both parties involved in the incident. October 16 An officer spoke with an individual regarding a civil matter and provided the...
October 1 Cheryl Crawford appeared before Magistrate Judge Desiree Burrell for a Felony First proceeding on two counts of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 4th Degree. The court issued a $1000 cash only performance bond. The defendant must abide by the following conditions: do not violate any laws, do not leave the area without permission, do not possess, control or consume any controlled substances and other conditions. October 2 Magistrate Judge Desiree Burrell presided over a Representation Hearing for Taylor Homer charged w...
Both candidates to represent Petersburg and other communities in House District 35, Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tompkins and Republican Steven Samuelson, had an easy time arriving at the ballot box this year. Both candidates ran through the primaries unopposed in their respective parties and both are veteran campaigners, with Samuelson making another run at a legislative seat after a defeat in 2010's Republican Primary to Peggy Wilson. Kreiss-Tompkins is the closest to an incumbent, prior to...
Lizzie Thompson began dreaming up a service project to participate in with her daughter, Kate, when Kate was still a baby. "I decided that when she was old enough to participate in and feel empowered by a service project that I would find something to do with her that would give her a strong sense of her ability to make a difference in this world and to know the wonderful feeling of helping others," Thompson said. Though she wasn't sure exactly what the project would be, a recent perfect storm...
Little Norway continues to be a welcoming haven for visitors, recently hosting the Alaska Sea Grant conference over Thursday and Friday, where participants convened for an annual meeting of the minds on all matters maritime. More specifically to the local setting, the second day of the conference was a chance for a panel of knowledgeable residents to discuss retaining youth and growing the maritime industries with the full cadre of Sea Grant staff. “That fed into our workforce development plan for the maritime industries,” said Sunny Rice, the...
Two issues related to public services and service areas surfaced at Monday’s regular assembly meeting. Assembly member Bob Lynn introduced a motion to table an ordinance, on its second reading, to transfer traffic codes from the former City of Petersburg into official Borough code. Lynn’s request to table the motion stems from a murky understanding of the role of police in enforcing the code. If adopted as is, the traffic code would bring the previous regulations pertaining to the then-City (now Service Area 1) borough-wide. “This parti...
Winter in Petersburg is likely to be a bit warmer than the nights of yesteryear, though whether there will be a white, or just slushy entrance to the spring season still is up in the air. “They are going with a greater than 40 percent chance that we’ll have above normal temperatures all this winter, and as far as precipitation, there’s no real indicator on which way it’s going to go,” said Tim Steffen, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Juneau. “These winters are driven by bigger atmospheric circulations, those global scal...
Tidal Echoes, the literary and art journal of Southeast Alaska, is now accepting submissions for the 2015 edition Attention all artists, authors, playwrights and poets: the University of Alaska Southeast is now accepting submissions for its 2015 edition of Tidal Echoes. It is the only journal of its kind in Southeast Alaska, seeking creators from every town and village of southeast to submit work. UAS students enrolled at the Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan campuses — along with anyone living in Southeast Alaska — are encouraged to submit sam...
In recognition of “National Philanthropy Day” on Nov. 15, First Bank in Petersburg will showcase a local non-profit service organization in their lobby each week starting the end of October and through most of November. The showcase schedule for each organization will be the week of: Oct. 27 for WAVE (Working Against Violence for Everyone); Nov. 3 for Mountain View Food Services; Nov. 10 for the Petersburg Arts Council; and Nov. 17 for the Petersburg Humane Association....
The Bering Sea crab fleet now stands at 77 vessels, a far cry from the nearly 250 boats before the fishery downsized to catch shares in 2005. Fewer boats means less hands on deck, and as with so many others, the Bering Sea crabbers are ‘graying’ and need to recruit young entrants to sustain the iconic fisheries. To do so, the shareholders have devised a way to give captains and crews a first crack at available crab. “The long term future of the fishery is dependent on bringing young people in. That’s not unique to crab, we are seeing it all ove...
End of Season RM038 Moose Harvest Total Year Harvest Total 2014 104 (second highest on record) 2013 92 2012 68 2011 88 2010 81 2009 109 (highest on record) Mean 88 moose per year 2014 Moose Harvest by Location Stikine 36 Kupreanof 35 (23 harvested from the Kake area) Mitkof Island 13 Thomas Bay 5 Wrangell Island 4 Farragut Bay 3 Kuiu Island 3 Port Houghton 2 Virginia Lake 1 Woewodski Island 1 Zarembo Island 1 *Eight of the 2014 moose checked failed to comply with local antler restrictions. Data...
WRANGELL - On the morning of Oct. 15, Wrangell physician Greg Salard was arrested for the alleged receipt, possession and distribution of child pornography following a search of his home by law enforcement personnel representing federal, state and local agencies. According to an affidavit in support of application for an arrest warrant, the arrest came following a five-month investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Anchorage office in which FBI Special Agent Anthony Peterson...
Borough Manager Steve Geisbrecht presented the following report to the assembly at Monday’s regular meeting: Medicaid recertification for the Mountain View Manor is approved. We’re good for two more years. Final touches are being put on the ten recently installed windows at Elderly Housing. Liz Cabrera met with Bob Weinstein from Senator Begich’s office on federal issues of interest and arranged for a tour of the Police Department. There was some progress on the dismantling of the Ellingstad/Triem house at 1011 Wrangell Avenue. The roof and a...
The season has just begun, and already it's a good year for Petersburg wrestling, coming in with four boys in the final bouts of a weekend invitational that brought teams from across the southeastern boot of the state and even a fly in visit from the northern reaches. All told, about 150 boys and girls were seen contorting themselves and, hopefully, their opponents over Friday evening and a grueling, day long extravaganza on Saturday. When all was said and done, blood and sweat cleaned from the... Full story
