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Borough residents are now required to wear a face covering in public buildings, work settings and at outdoor public gatherings of 50 people or more following the approval of public health mandate #8 by the Borough Assembly at their Monday meeting. Monday's discussion on whether the assembly should pass a borough-wide face covering mandate left assembly members and the community divided. After several amendments to the mandate, public health ordinance #8 was able to pass in a 4-3 vote. The...
The sun sets over Kupreanof Island on Tuesday....
The Borough Assembly approved a letter on Wednesday to Alaska's congressional delegation asking they postpone enacting a bill that would transfer borough land to a Urban Corporation in order to gather the opinions of local residents that would be impacted by the decision. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act Fulfillment Act of 2020 looks to authorize land transfers to five Southeast Alaska native communities that did not receive land under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971...
Three new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in town since last week's COVID-19 community update, according to joint press releases between the Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center. The first two cases were identified on the morning of Nov. 14. One positive case was confirmed to be a local resident who is traveling out of state, according to a joint press release. The individual is isolated at their destination and will remain there until they have recovered. The person was not in...
November 19, 1920 Alaska will soon be made a separate forestry district by the Secretary of Agriculture, according to word received from Col. W. G. Greeley, the chief Forester, by Gov. Thomas Riggs, Jr. At the present time and heretofore, Alaska has been a part of the Northwestern District with headquarters at Portland, Oregon. The present district includes Oregon, Washington and Alaska. The headquarters for the new Alaska forestry district will be in the territory and C.H. Flory will be in charge. November 16, 1945 Everyone who failed to...
Petersburg Indian Association received six declaration of candidacy letters for four seats on the Tribal Council, including the one-year council chair seat. The deadline to submit a letter of declaration of candidacy was on Monday, but anyone still interested in running for a seat on the council can fill out a letter of intent to run as a write-in candidate. Interested tribal members have until Nov. 23 at 4 P.M. to submit a letter of intent. Christina Morrison, the current Tribal Council...
Schools doing extraordinary things To the Editor: I want to publicly thank the teachers and staff at Stedman Elementary for all they did to contain the Covid exposure earlier this month. My son was in the impacted class and we were all thrilled when the virus did not appear to spread. The fact that it was contained is a testament to the leadership of Heather Conn and the hard work of the teachers and staff, namely Brittany Potrzuski. This year, we have asked the schools to do extraordinary...
Petersburg joined Wrangell and other Alaskan communities by imposing a mask mandate. As Covid-19 cases skyrocket across the state, Governor Dunleavy left it up to communities statewide to take action to reduce infections, due to his refusal to impose a mask mandate. For Petersburg, with a limited health care infrastructure, it's important that virus spread be controlled because once community spread transmissions begin our hospital and health care providers could easily be overwhelmed. More...
Alaskan natives, particularly the Alaska Natives Without Land, have every right to petition the federal government for additional lands, but it's imperative that history is accurately portrayed in the process. Those lobbying for additional land allocations say in writing, "It has been proven there's no apparent reason the communities of Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Haines and Tenakee Springs were left out," of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) that was passed 48 years ago. Ther...
As the state continues to count absentee and early ballots for the Nov. 3 election, Alaska House District 35 has seen its voter turnout rate jump from 26.25 percent to 64.74 percent as of Nov. 18, according to statistics from the Alaska Division of Elections. Only the ballots that were cast in person on Election Day were tabulated into the initial unofficial results, resulting in a 26.25 percent voter turnout for District 35 and a 23.88 percent voter turnout for the Petersburg Borough,...
November 11— A foot patrol was conducted in the downtown area. A suspicious vehicle was parked at the borough’s treatment plant. Authorities assisted the harbormaster with contacting the owner of an illegally parked vehicle in a snow dump removal zone. A dog was reunited with its owner at a location on Haugen Dr. A motor vehicle accident occurred at a location on Haugen Dr. Authorities responded to a disturbance at a location on S. Nordic Dr. November 12— Authorities responded to a possible threat at a location on S. Nordic Dr. Dogs were repor...
The Petersburg High School volleyball team won two matches against Wrangell last weekend, just one week before a modified regional tournament is set to take place. Nov. 13 saw the kick off of Petersburg's and Wrangell's senior appreciation ceremonies with a home game for the Vikings against the Wolves. Petersburg stayed on top of Wrangell through the game and won the match in three sets. Petersburg won the first set 25-19, the second set 25-21 and the third set 25-12. "The girls did great over...
Like most people in town, Ashley Lohr's summer travel plans were cancelled this year. Instead, she hunkered down in her workshop and churned out handmade earrings and necklaces at a pace that made her feel like she was an artist in residency. All 70 pieces of Lohr's jewelry, as well as six paintings, will be on display at the Clausen Memorial Museum until Nov. 28 in a solo exhibit titled, Equilibrium. The exhibit showcases how far she has progressed as an artist and jewelry maker in the past...
The Borough Assembly approved a health mandate on Monday that requires intrastate travelers arriving in Petersburg be tested for COVID-19 before or upon their arrival to town. Public health mandate #9 also lists procedures and protocols for anyone arriving in Petersburg through the James A. Johnson Airport or the Alaska Marine Highway System. If an individual arrives in town with proof of a negative test result, the test must have been taken within 72 hours, according to the mandate. If the pers...
The Borough Assembly extended the borough's health mandate that places COVID-19 protocols on vessels docking and disembarking at borough harbor facilities for the fourth time at their meeting on Monday. Public health mandate #5 requires anyone onboard a vessel that is looking to enter Petersburg harbor facilities and is subject to Alaska interstate and interstate travel protocols be screened by Borough Public Health Officer Mark Tuccillo before disembarking. If any crew members or passengers...
YAKUTAT, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska Airlines jetliner struck a brown bear while landing early Saturday evening, killing the animal and causing damage to the plane, officials said. None of the passengers or crew members on board the plane were injured during the accident at the Yakutat Airport in southeast Alaska, The Anchorage Daily News reported. The Boeing 737-700 killed the brown bear sow, but a cub thought to be about 2 years old was uninjured, Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities spokesman Sam Dapcevich said. Airport c...
Tamped down prices due to toppled markets caused by the Covid virus combined with low salmon returns to many Alaska regions added up to reduced paychecks for fishermen and will mean lower tax revenues for fishing communities. A summary of the preliminary harvests and values by the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game shows that Alaska’s total 2020 salmon catch came in at just under 117 million fish, a 44% decrease from last season’s haul of 208.3 million fish, and the 13th lowest on record. The statewide salmon value of $295.2 million is a who...
Nate Olson on Sandy Beach's troll bridge on Saturday....
Jacob Neil Hegar was born on Oct. 23, 2020 to Brie and James Hegar in Soldotna Alaska. He weighed 8 lbs. 8 oz. and was 20 inches long....
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced legislation that extends the period during which States, Indian Tribes, territories, and local governments may use Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) payments, allocated under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. If enacted, this bipartisan legislation will allow the relief funds to be used until September 30, 2021, rather than the original deadline of the end of this year, December 30, 2020. The CARES Act, signed into law on M...
Public Works staff set up this year's borough Christmas tree on Nov. 13. This year's tree came from 40,000 Rd., about four miles out Mitkof Highway, said Public Works Director Chris Cotta. The Petersburg Chamber of Commerce will be hosting this year's tree lighting ceremony on Friday, Nov. 27. Two separate showings will be held this year, at 5:30 P.M. and 6:30 P.M., to allow for social distancing....
Fog covers the muskeg near the Twin Ridge Ski Trail last week....
A lone wolf wades through the waters of Blind Slough near the Swan Observatory....
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Trump administration is taking steps toward a lease sale within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, an area President-elect Joe Biden has said he would move to protect from oil and gas drilling. Chad Padgett, state director for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for Alaska, said hearing from industry on which tracts to make available “is vital in conducting a successful lease sale.” The agency plans to make a formal call for nominations Tuesday. It said it also will seek comments on whether tract sizes should be re...
Margaret Jane ("Tiny") Hall, 101, died in her home in Kodiak, Alaska on October 30, 2020. She was born on June 15, 1919, in Minneapolis Minnesota, to Phyllis and Raymond Gray, and had two older sisters – Mary (Bamby) and Ann. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1941, and taught school until 1945, when she married Hugh F. Hall, an Episcopal priest. In 1948, the couple moved to Wrangell, Alaska. They continued to reside in Alaska, living first in Wrangell (1948-1958), followed by Sew... Full story
