Sorted by date Results 1 - 18 of 18
After a yearlong public process, the U.S. Forest Service has announced eight potential sites for new recreational cabins in the Petersburg and Wrangell Ranger Districts. After considering the environmental impacts and accessibility of hundreds of sites suggested by members of the public or identified by staff, the district picked the ones that are most likely to see substantial traffic and compete for federal funding, and announced them in a draft decision published Thursday, Oct. 19. There are...
The final report of the Petersburg Borough Housing Needs Assessment was completed on Sept. 30. In January of this year, the Borough Assembly contracted consulting firm Agnew::Beck to conduct this assessment and determine the housing needs in Petersburg, at an estimated cost of about $55,000 with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. The assessment took place from February through September. Information was gathered from 366 community survey responses —about 10 percent of the population, which the project team considered a good response r...
Staff for Gov. Mike Dunleavy quashed the publication of a new Department of Labor and Workforce Development report examining the competitiveness of teacher pay in Alaska, an act that current and former staff say could damage the apolitical reputation of the division that publishes state economic data. “This is data that typically is available to the public, and it’s never good to suppress good, objective data,” said Neal Fried, who retired in July after almost 45 years as an economist with the department. The report, which had been the cover... Full story
Ashley Lohr's newest art show opens at the Clausen Museum this Friday, November 3, with a reception from 5 - 7 p.m. Her digital paintings, works on canvas and enamel earrings will be on display through November 14. This is Lohr's 14th solo exhibit at the museum since moving to Petersburg in 2008 to work as Petersburg High School's art teacher. Like getting married, earning a masters degree, and having two children - Rosie, 8, and Finn, 5 - her solo exhibits serve as mile markers in her life....
November 2, 1923 – The big steamer Northwestern of the Alaska Steamship Company stopped at Petersburg northbound this week and landed thirty tons of freight. Under the command of Captain Charles Glasscock she made a perfect landing without difficulty of any kind, although it has been said for years by the commanders of the larger boats that on account of the heavy tides it could not be done. The adding of the Northwestern to the boats calling at Petersburg is the direct result of action taken by the Petersburg Commercial Club over the period o...
Local support makes VSC auction a huge success To the Editor: Viking Swim Club would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to our wonderful community for their overwhelming support of the Viking Swim Club Auction. The success of this event would not have been possible without the incredible generosity and dedication of our friends and neighbors. First and foremost, we want to thank the many donors who contributed items, services, and experiences to our auction. Their willingness to give back to the community is truly inspiring. The local and...
Unconscionable. Indefensible. There are many words to describe the disrespect for the public and disregard for honest government by the actions of the governor’s office to block publication of a factual report on teacher salaries in Alaska. Even for the administration of Gov. Mike Dunleavy, this is a low point in putting politics ahead of good government. And that’s saying a lot for an administration that has been criticized by the court for firing state employees who refused to pledge political loyalty to the governor. State government should...
October 18 – An alarm accidentally activated on South 2nd Street. A protective order was served. An officer was unable to locate a dog reported to be wandering around the North 2nd Street area. An officer responded to a report of a fawn having been struck by a motor vehicle on South Nordic Drive, but upon arrival was informed the fawn had left the area with a doe. An officer conducted a welfare check on South 2nd Street. An officer searched and secured a business on Fram Street after finding an unlocked door. An officer conducted a welfare c...
Petersburg's Devil's Thumb Shooters (DTS) competed at the Ninth Southeast Shoot Invitational in Juneau the weekend of October 20. Twelve local marksmen took part in the event amongst 71 competitors from all around Alaska and Washington, with five of Petersburg's members getting the chance to experience their first competition. "For a lot of these kids it was brand new for them to see different disciplines and different stations than what we have here," said Becky Turland with DTS. Additionally,...
Petersburg High School's swim team went above and beyond with their performances at regionals in Juneau last weekend. The duo of Logan Tow and Brooklyn Whitethorn both qualified for state in each of their events with phenomenal times, destroying several of the personal records they had set throughout the season. "I was pretty confident because the training had gone well and they had been racing well up to that point, but I sure didn't expect what they did," said head coach Andy Carlisle. Tow...
The first thing to know about the mariculture industry in Alaska is how much money and effort are going into making it a major economic driver for years to come. The second thing is that, aside from oysters, it isn’t profitable — yet. That’s kind of the point. A collective $110 million in public investment for mariculture in Alaska is flowing into the state, a federal Build Back Better wager based on the core assets of the region, predictions about future demand — particularly for kelp — and the general need for more sustainable food sources....
It took a village to save a juvenile whale earlier this month, one that involved collaboration between people and agencies, and extended as far as a NOAA expert in Maui. That's the story of "SEAK-5490," a juvenile humpback whale who was successfully freed from crab fishing lines near Gustavus earlier this month. The effort included local residents who saw the humpback in distress and reported it, the owner of the fishing gear who provided information needed for the rescue, people on the Glacier...
During a virtual public open house last Tuesday evening, Alaska Marine Highway System Marine Director Craig Tornga gave a brief update on the status of the agency's capital improvements as well as its operating challenges. Operating challenges "Crewing is still a big struggle for us," Tornga said. The system operated six ferries all summer, though it had hoped it would be able to recruit enough crew to run the Kennicott as a seventh vessel. But "we have crews for about five and a half (ferries). There is a large shortage across the national...
The board in charge of Alaska’s retirement system for public employees has recommended the closure of its commonly used managed accounts program after an independent review found workers were being charged high fees and receiving lower-than-expected returns. Managed accounts cover more than 10,000 of the 122,000-plus accounts in Alaska’s state employee retirement system and were the default option when the state switched from a pension-style retirement system to its current 401(k)-like approach in 2006. Many of those employees are only now dis... Full story
Representative Rebecca Himschoot will visit Petersburg November 8 – 11. She will host a Constituent Connection at Glacier Express from 9 – 11 a.m. on Thursday, November 9 and at the Salty Pantry from 7 – 9 a.m. on Friday, November 10. Please stop by and say hello. For more information, call (907) 465-3732....
