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New banking options will soon be available in Petersburg in the form of a credit union. Alps Federal Credit Union, based out of Sitka, is creating a new branch for the first time and has chosen Petersburg as its new location. John O’Brien, Alps CEO, said when they started looking for a new location they chose Petersburg because there is no credit union presence in town. “A credit union is a member owned cooperative, which I think is something most people will be familiar with in a fishing community,” O’Brien said. Credit unions and traditi... Full story
The commercial sea cucumber fishery is wrapping up with a total of 1.4 million pounds harvested as of last Thursday. Scott Walker, Ketchikan Area Management Biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said the fishery started out with around 195 commercial divers when it opened in early October. “The bulk of the fishery is over,” walker said. “The week before last was the last big push we had with around 113 divers. This week we’re down to 25 divers, maybe 30.” According to Alaska Fisheries Entry Commission data, there are around 30... Full story
November 22, 1913 – What is believed to be a new species of salmon has appeared in the Skeena river this season, says a report; and fishermen are puzzled at the strange fish. It has never been seen before, either in the Skeena or any other British Columbia river. In appearance, the new salmon resembles both the sockeye and the humpback, being described as a cross between the two. Its markings seem to include characteristic spots and colorings of both fish and the dorsal fin, while distinct f...
Petersburg's acting public health nurse Erin Michael has been busy since she arrived in town at the end of September. "A big bulk of what I've been doing has been immunizations," Michael said."We also do outreach for STD screenings, birth control and we work with different coalitions in the community." Michael arrived from Juneau where she worked at the Juneau Public Health Center since November of 2011. She will be able to apply for the official Petersburg position in December. According to... Full story
When one thinks of Southeast Alaskan wildlife the tendency is to imagine the grumbles and crashes of humpback whales, bears, moose and wolves trampling through muskeg and salmon ripping up sloughs and stReam. But Joshua Ream lives in a different wild. He turns over logs and peers into shallow ponds looking for and documenting native amphibians. “I chose to work with amphibians here in Alaska because there’s relatively little known about the species we have and a lot of people don’t even realize that they occur here,” Ream said. Ream, a wildlif...
Additions to story To the editor: Thank you for making “Petersburg Girls Sing in Nashville for Honors Choir” your lead story in the Nov. 14 issue of the Petersburg Pilot. I would like to contribute a few more details of interest to the story: The National Honor Music Festival is put on by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and is the largest association of its kind in the US. Besides being an advocacy group, it is the organization that hosts music teacher conferences and regional music festivals like All-Northwest and All...
Seth Litsheim, the son of Pete and Theresa Litsheim of Petersburg, Alaska, and Lindsey Barker, the daughter of Cathy Barker of Kittitas, Wash. were united in marriage on November 2, 2013. The wedding was celebrated at Suncadia Resort located on the Cascade Mountain range in Cle Elum, Wash. Lindsey's bridesmaids were Crystal Sloan, Lindsey Lenette von Borstal, Sahara Suval, niece Madelyn Schwilke, and her sister Diane Schwilke was Lindsey's Matron of Honor. Seth was attended by Casey Seaman,...
November 13 A caller reported an individual had an odor of alcohol. A caller reported a customer being harassed by an individual. Officers arrested Hugo DeLaCruz, 42, on charges of Drunk on Licensed Premises. An officer responded to a report of a loud noise and a light flash. A caller reported someone dragging a skiff down the sidewalk on South Nordic Drive. November 14 A caller reported a commercial vehicle swerving into the other lane on Libby Straight. November 15 A caller reported a vehicle driving in circles on South Nordic Drive. An...
November 14 Hugo DeLaCruz appeared before Magistrate Judge Mary on a charge of Drunken Person on Licensed Premises. The court entered a plea of not guilty on the defendant’s behalf. The court held bail at $500 and set other conditions of release. November 19 William Smith appeared before Magistrate Judge Burrell on a charge of Violating Conditions of Release. The court entered a not guilty plea on the defendant’s behalf. The court set bail at a $1500 cash only performance bond and set other conditions of release. Anthony Hansen appeared bef...
Petersburg Police Officer Jim Kerr has been promoted to sergeant. Chief Kelly Swihart said a promotion board made up of himself, Captain John Hamilton, Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht and Sergeant Joel Smith from the Wasilla Police Department evaluated four candidates during the review process. "We took a three pronged approach to get a good solid evaluation," Swihart said. "The scores were tighter than I expected. It wasn't an easy decision for the board to make the recommendation." Those up...
Petersburg Mental Health Services will take the reins on running a second Pedometer Challenge this spring after Petersburg Indian Association found out it couldn’t secure grant funding for the program. Interest in last year’s challenge sparked and Mark Banda, PIA Tobacco Prevention Specialist saw participation double from what was expected. “What started out at about 150 assumed participants turned into 200 very quickly and that followed up and turned into over 300,” Banda said. Banda gave pedometers to participants who were able to track h...
WRANGELL — Wrangell Oil, Inc. officially ceased to exist Friday. Bill Privett, the current owner of the town’s multi-generational oil concern, sold his company to Seward-based Petro Marine Services for an undisclosed sum. The sale is a win-win for the community, based largely on the economies of the scale Petro Marine can provide, Privett said. The Wrangell Distribution plant joined Petro Marine’s Alaskan plants in Ketchikan, Petersburg, Kodiak, Seward, Sitka, Skagway, Whittier, Anchorage, Homer, Juneau, and a Canadian plant in Whitehorse, Yuko...
Americans remained true to their seafood favorites last year with shrimp, canned tuna and salmon topped the list of the 10 most popular seafoods. That’s according to the National Fisheries Institute which compiles the list each year based on data from the government’s US Fisheries Report. Following the top three are tilapia, Alaska pollock, Pangasius, crab, cod, catfish and clams. Looking more closely at the numbers shows that for the first time in five years, crab consumption began to increase again after a steady decline since 2007. Per...
WRANGELL - The borough's energy committee asked borough administrator Jeff Jabusch to provide the borough assembly with data-driven assessments of options for the future of the Thomas Bay Power Authority. The committee's Monday meeting was largely an informal affair, with most decisions being made by consensus instead of role-call votes. Committee members also honed in on the options for the TBPA, which has been stuck in limbo since the Petersburg borough council voted to withhold their portion...
The Sons of Norway quilt raffle earned around $1000 for the Wounded Warrior Project-a national organization dedicated to raising awareness and providing resources to injured service members. The Sons of Norway sold 220 raffle tickets and drew the winner last weekend. Michelle Brainard won the quilt, which was pieced by Sally Dwyer. The pattern is from a nationally recognized pattern called 'Quilt of Valor'. "It feels good to be part of a good thing," Dwyer said. "There are thousands of quilts...
Eileen M. Lund passed away peacefully on Monday, November 11, 2013 in Seattle, WA. surrounded by her family. She was born in Petersburg, Alaska to Ragna and Peder Ness on February 26, 1933. They moved to Ballard 4 years later where she lived the rest of her life. She attended Webster Elementary, James Monroe Junior High, and was a proud graduate of Ballard High School, class of 1951, Eileen went to work for the National Bank of Commerce where she remained until the birth of her first child. In... Full story
Gwendolyn Frances "Fran" Norton, 93, died at home in Anchorage, Alaska November 16, 2013. Fran was born on April 10, 1920 in Fresno, Calif. to Don Dean Dawson and Cora Beatrice Howton. They were divorced when Fran was very young. Her mother later married Edward Nee. She lived much of her childhood in the mountains east of Los Angeles. She graduated from high school in Brea, Calif. in 1936 and Fullerton Junior College in 1939. She attended Knapp School of Nursing in Santa Barbara, Calif.... Full story
A local quilting group that sends its blankets to a charity organization found out its quilts aided those in the Philippines affected by Typhoon Haiyan. The storm has killed thousands and displaced more than half a million people since it struck earlier this month. Heidi Lyons is a member of The Ruth Circle, the quilting group that meets twice a month in the Lutheran church. Every year it donates more than a hundred quilts across the world to those in need. “They’ve gone to Africa and they’ve gone to Southeast Asia,” Lyons said. “All the quilts...
