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The borough assembly approved a letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service on Monday that requests the organization hold a public hearing in Petersburg to allow community members to express their concerns or support of a recently proposed critical habitat designation. NMFS published a proposed rule to designate critical habitat for Mexico, Central America and Western North Pacific district population segments of humpback whales under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, according Angela...
Results from a mold sample test from the Petro 49, Inc. building that the borough would receive in a possible land swap were presented to the borough assembly Monday that showed three types of mold present in the building. The testing of the mold samples was conducted by Advance Look Building Inspections & Environmental Testing, which is based out of Wasilla. In the warehouse, the results showed one type of mold in the wall insulation. The testing also determined the air quality in the...
November 14, 1919 Rasmus Enge, proprietor of the Variety Theatre, and one of Petersburg’s prosperous business men, has just completed the work of remodeling the theatre. Among the notable improvements are the comfortable chairs which have been installed on a raised floor and superimposed so that everyone is insured a good view of the screen. An excellent hot air heating plant has been installed and a stage suitable for amateur theatricals has been built in. The Variety is now one of the most comfortable and best appointed movie houses in s...
Fire and EMS Director Sandy Dixson was authorized to advertise and fill the EMS coordinator position by the borough assembly at the meeting on Monday. The EMS coordinator will train volunteers, respond to calls, assist with the fire program and help with the day-to-day operations of the fire department, according to Dixson. The previous EMS coordinator position turned into the department head in the mid-2000s, but an additional staff member was never hired, according to Dixson The department...
The Devil's Thumb Shooters traveled to Juneau the weekend of Oct. 26 to participate in the 5th Annual SE Fall Trap Shoot Invitational. We took 11 athletes from 4th - 12th grade. Our two seniors Franklin Neidiffer and Noah File shot well, but the competition in the varsity level is fierce. At that level, they must shoot near perfect. They both were close, by shooting near 90% in Trap. Our intermediate squad is our strong suit. We had a shootout for 3rd place, American Trap. All were from...
The Petersburg Police Department will begin the process of seeking and hiring a police sergeant after the borough assembly on Monday gave Police Chief Jim Kerr authorization to fill the position. In the years that the police department has been short a sergeant, the borough has had to spend a considerable amount of money on overtime, according to Kerr at an assembly meeting in July. In the 2018 fiscal year, Kerr said the borough spent $155,214 in overtime. The police sergeant position, which...
Concern for housing unit To the Editor: I attended the Borough Assembly meeting Monday to pass on some public safety committee support and concerns and my options for paying for the EMT/fire person and police officer. Basically having seniors pay their fair share for community needs. One thing that concerned me was a couple of individuals expressing their concern for a new 15 unit low income housing unit proposed across from the hospital that may serve people with challenges. The individuals app...
October 23 – A disturbance was reported at a location on S. Nordic Dr. An injured deer on the 400 block of S. Nordic Dr. was dispatched. A theft at a location on S. Nordic Dr. was reported to authorities. Suspicious activity was reported on S. Nordic Dr. Extra patrols were requested on Skylark Way. October 24 – A panic alarm was accidentally activated at a location on N. Nordic Dr. An unwanted guest was removed from a business on N. Nordic Dr. Suspicious activity was reported at the airport, but authorities were unable to locate any abn...
Petersburg High School seniors Maria Pfundt, Maddy Whitethorn and Peter Kowalski qualified for the swim and dive state championships in Anchorage this weekend in two of their events. The three seniors had to first compete in the preliminary round of the regional meet last Friday in Sitka before swimming in the finals. Those who finished in the top eight of their events progressed to the finals on Saturday. Then, the swimmers swam to qualify for State. Pfundt took third place in the girls 100...
Three Petersburg High School wrestlers took second place in their weight class in the Bill Weiss Tournament in Ketchikan last weekend. Kyle Biggers, Deirdre Toyomura and Ruby Massin took second place in the boys 285, girls 112 and girls 135 weight class respectively. Additionally, Merrick Nilsen placed third in the boys 103 weight class and Adam Ware took fourth place in the boys 189 weight class. "I'm super happy," said Head Coach Tyler Thain. "Everyone is improving, and that's all you can ask...
At board meeting last month, Petersburg Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter updated the board of directors on the master plan proposal for the possible renovation of the current hospital or building of a new facility. He also brought them up to date on the remodel of the part of the pharmacy where the drugs for chemotherapy are prepared. NAC Architecture was awarded the request for proposal by the PMC board of directors in May for the creation of a master plan proposal not to exceed $220,000. As...
The federal government’s plan to raze more roads through the Tongass National Forest is facing strong headwinds from fishermen, Native groups and coastal communities throughout Southeast Alaska. Over 220 Southeast Alaskan fishermen signed a letter to the Trump Administration last week opposing the abrupt push to exempt the Tongass National Forest from a roadless rule in place for over a decade. The exemption would release more than 9 million acres from protection and open nearly 200,000 acres to logging. The U.S. Forest Service made the a...
Willi Herff passed away very peacefully on October 24, 2019, at the Petersburg Medical Center. He had diabetes and vascular issues for many years and it all gradually caught up with him. He was born August 10, 1942 in Aachen, Germany during World War II. For safety, his father moved his mother and baby Willi to Poland, and then later after the war, he and his mother lived for years in Fliegenberg, Germany, on the River Elbe. It was a farming community and he flourished living and working on the... Full story
On September 27, 2019, Frederick Swanson Magill, 71, known to some by Fred, to most by Rick, or Papa by his two granddaughters, passed away in Seattle, Washington after a courageous and hard fought battle with pancreatic cancer. He was born on January 25, 1948 in Petersburg, Alaska to Enid and Fred Magill. He came from a long line of proud, hardworking, determined, and headstrong people, many of whom were passionate commercial fishermen and fisherwomen. Starting at eight years old, Rick worked as part of his parents’ gillnet operation and s... Full story
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday voiced his opposition to a push in Alaska aimed at recalling Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, with a decision expected soon on whether the effort will advance. Trump tweeted that Democrats are treating Dunleavy unfairly and trying to recall him because of an agenda that Trump said includes jobs, energy and the economy. Claire Pywell, who manages the Recall Dunleavy campaign, said the effort is not partisan and the group is being mischaracterized. “Yes, it is charged. Yes, it is political,...
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) — Attorneys in Alaska have filed a class-action lawsuit that seeks to reverse a recent rate increase in a group of state-owned homes providing assisted living care. News organizations reported the lawsuit filed in Ketchikan Superior Court Monday asks a judge to issue a preliminary and permanent injunction against rate increases at Pioneer Homes. The lawsuit names the state of Alaska, Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy and Alaska Department of Health and Social Services officials as defendants. The Sept. 1 rate changes i...
Glass Floats Glass floats are always an exciting Alaska beach find. Associated with Japanese fishing of the past, glass floats were actually first made in Norway around 1840 by merchant Christopher Faye. The Japanese started making them around 1910, sometimes using recycled glass like sake bottles. Manufacturers often placed their mark on the annealing "button" where the balls were sealed. Floats with a band in the center were made in wooden molds rather than being hand blown. Over time, floats...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An emergency has been declared by officials in an Alaska city involving a lack of air service following a fatal plane crash that led to the suspension of regular flights. The Unalaska City Council also passed a resolution Tuesday that states the city wants to start organizing charter flights and selling seats at the basic cost, the Anchorage Daily News reported . The council approved funding for up to three weeks or until the return of regular flights. To organize the charter flights, the city would need a waiver of p...
JUNEAU – Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) was recently informed that the M/V LeConte is in need of more extensive repairs than originally anticipated. AMHS budgeted $1.2 million for overhaul of the 45-year-old LeConte, but after an extensive survey of the steel hull, it was determined that considerable repair work is needed. The additional repairs are estimated to cost $4 million. Repair work has temporarily stopped on the LeConte. On Nov. 4, AMHS will bring the M/V Aurora into the Vigor shipyard dry-dock in Ketchikan for annual overhaul and...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The rate of fatal airplane crashes in Alaska is higher than the national average, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB has preliminary reports for 10 fatal plane wrecks in Alaska for the 2019 calendar year. The figure does not include an Oct. 17 crash in Unalaska, which does not yet have a federal report, The Juneau Empire reported Sunday. Alaska had nine fatal plane accidents last year, eight in 2017, 12 in 2016, and 11 in 2015, the newspaper reported. The NTSB website indicates 5.4% of the 2...
