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The Petersburg Vikings were crowned 2A Volleyball State Champions on Saturday, coming after an early loss to Wrangell and injury to one of its all-conference seniors, leaving the team shaken and its coach unsure if it'd regroup. Petersburg began the state championship on Thursday with two sweeping wins against Unalaska and then Kenny Lake. Wrangell was up next for Petersburg on Friday. In the first game, Petersburg was leading two to zero when senior Elisa Larson went up to swing and her knee...
The borough assembly on Monday appointed two members to the board of an agency that provides about 60 percent of the power used in Petersburg, Wrangell and Ketchikan. The vote on Monday was a redo after the first try in a previous meeting was deemed improper. The assembly had voted with closed ballots, which is only allowed when appointing a vice mayor, said Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson on Monday. In the do over, former Assembly Member Bob Lynn was selected as the voting member to represent Pet...
The Petersburg assembly on Monday continued its discussion on the possibility of charging a marine passenger fee to all vessels that enter borough waters. “Currently we aren’t charging cruise ships that come to Petersburg, though most of the communities around Southeast are,” said Jeff Meucci, an assembly member. “And I’m just trying to sort out how we would be a part of that process.” At first the assembly proposed a committee but members later voted to have a work session instead, a decision that could streamline the approach. The Harbor...
A town hall is scheduled in Petersburg on Thurs., Dec. 14 at 5:00 p.m. at the Sons of Norway Hall with Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins hosting a panel to discuss the opioid crisis and its effects on Alaska. Kreiss-Tomkins said the opioid topic has come up nearly every time he has spoken with Petersburg residents. "It's a huge issue," Kreiss-Tomkins said. "There is a lot of concern locally, and I wanted to make sure we could bring this expertise to Petersburg." The panel will include Dr. Jay...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Department of Fish and Game advised caution for hikers and for dog walkers in Juneau as wolf sightings have increased. Anecdotal reports of wolf sightings in Juneau have increased this year, but assistant area management biologist Carl Koch cannot be sure whether that’s due to an increase in wolf awareness from encounters posted to social media or a reflection of a population increase in Juneau, the Juneau Empire reported . “I’d say the anecdotal reports are higher (this year) than they have been,” Koch said...
Police have received complaints in recent months of marijuana dealers selling product outside the licensed retail shop in downtown Petersburg. “I am not aware of any thefts related to the new marijuana laws,” said Kelly Swihart, the Petersburg police chief. “But we have had complaints of non-licensees making sales in the immediate vicinity of a licensed business.” Susan Burrell, owner of The 420, a marijuana retail store located through an alley off North Nordic Drive, echoed the complaints heard by police. “Several months ago we had regular c...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The cruise industry has dodged a tax increase after Alaska’s U.S. senators helped strike the provision from the tax bill that passed the Senate. The bill approved early Saturday includes other provisions that Alaska Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan hailed as significant for Alaskans, including allowing oil and gas drilling on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Murkowski called the package “a critical milestone in our efforts to secure Alaska’s future.” The measure also would pro...
End confusion To the Editor: So there is no confusion over the marijuana excise taxes that have been paid: Since July of this year, The 420 has paid in over $9,200 in excise taxes for product that was brought into town from elsewhere. The 420 has also paid over $12,000 in sales tax revenue. We have a great relationship with the financial office and things have gone very smoothly since the onset of business. I felt that the comments from Judy Tow, amid the article about Morgan, lead people to assume the money was all from Morgan’s business when...
Nov. 29 — Police made a traffic stop at 1st & Haugen Dr. Amanda C. Ohmer, 40, was cited for Expired Registration and Liability Insurance Required. Eric J. Johnson, 52 was cited for Expired Registration. Suspicious activity was reported at a Mitkof Hwy. location. Nov. 30 — An injured deer was reported on Excel St. and moved away without assistance. A disturbance complaint was reported at a downtown location. A single car vehicle accident was reported at a downtown location. Dec. 1 — A report of indecent act was unfounded. Suspicious activ...
On Nov. 23, Juneau based Alaska State Troopers received a report of an assault on Canadian Side Road in Kake. State Troopers subsequently responded and investigated. Investigation revealed a 35 year old male resident of Kake physically assaulted a 44 year old male Kake resident. A charge of Assault 4 is being referred to the Juneau District Attorney’s Office for prosecution....
Nov. 22 — Paul G. Tyrone of Kake was arraigned before Superior Court Judge Carey on four counts of Assault in the 3rd Degree and a fifth count of Misconduct Involving Weapons in the 4th Degree. He was released OR with conditions. Nov. 27 — David Estes entered a Guilty Plea before Superior Court Judge Carey on a charge of Criminal Mischief in the 3rd Degree. The court sentenced the defendant to 10 days in jail with 10 days suspended, $100 surcharge with $100 suspended, a $1,000 fine with $1,000 suspended, pay restitution, pay $50 surcharge, pay...
The Power and Light building at the Haugen and North Nordic Drive intersection is about to be taken in about nine feet. Public Works Director Karl Hagerman said the work to remove a nine-foot corner section of the Power and Light building could be done this month. Contractors are working on a plan to cantilever the upper floor and leave an 11-foot-tall opening for drivers stopped at Haugen Drive to have a better line of sight for drivers. "I hesitate to commit to a date when this will happen as...
The top executive at the Petersburg Medical Center has announced her retirement for next June. After 44 years in the medical field, Liz Woodyard is retiring as CEO of the medical center, effective at the end of June 2018, she said. "Well, I'm 65," Woodyard said. "I'll be 66 by then, so I'll be at my full retirement age." Woodyard has been CEO of the hospital in Petersburg for seven years. Before that, she pinballed around the west coast from being chief nursing officer in Fairbanks to CEO of a m...
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — Alaska’s lone individual insurance carrier has reached an agreement with the state Division of Insurance to make a one-time $25 million reimbursement. Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska announced on Friday that its reimbursement will go toward funding high-cost health insurance claims through the Alaska Reinsurance Program, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. The state-operated reinsurance program aims to stabilize customers’ premiums by covering claims in the individual health care market for those with...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska Native tribe and three environmental groups sued the U.S. government, claiming an agency granted mineral exploration permits without considering how a mine could affect a major salmon river and bald eagle preserve. The lawsuit filed Monday by the Chilkat Indian village of Klukwan calls for revocation of the permits granted to Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. upstream of the Chilkat River near the port of Haines in southeast Alaska. Tlingit Indians thrived because of the abundance of salmon in the watershed, K...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Backers of a hydroelectric dam proposed for a lake southeast of Juneau say construction could start as soon as summer 2018 following the U.S. Forest Service’s latest action. The Juneau Empire reports that the Forest Service approved on Friday a special land-use agreement for Juneau Hydropower Inc., which is planning to build a 111-foot-tall (34-meter) concrete dam at the outlet of Lower Sweetheart Lake. The dam would be built above a series of waterfalls that block natural salmon passage into the lake. The project has alr...
It’s going to be a tough year for many Alaska fishermen. Following on the heels of announcements of a massive drop in cod stocks, the industry learned last week that Pacific halibut catches are likely to drop by 20 percent next year, and the declines could continue for several years. That could bring the coast wide catch for 2018, meaning from Oregon to British Columbia to the Bering Sea, to about 31 million pounds. Scientists at the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) interim meeting in Seattle revealed that survey results s...
WRANGELL — At its regular meeting Tuesday, the Borough Assembly approved moving ahead with seeking a consultant on the hospital’s future, while members also learned city computers had been targeted by a hacking attack. A letter recommending hiring a consultant had been submitted to the city by the Wrangell Medical Center governing board last month. Currently the hospital is a municipal service, but recent cash flow troubles and sizable costs for a replacement facility have had administrators and elected officials alike considering other alter...
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska program is in its final year of an experiment to determine whether hatchery-raised red king crab can increase wild stock. The Alaska King Crab Research, Rehabilitation and Biology Program started its work in 2009 with a goal of enhancing depressed king crab populations throughout Alaska, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported Tuesday. So far, the program has achieved efficient production of juvenile crab, conducted research on their behavior and completed a number of small out-planting releases. Dr. Robert Foy, d...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The bidder who planned to purchase Alaska’s ferry Taku and turn it into a waterfront hotel and restaurant in Oregon has backed out of the deal. The sale of the 352-foot surplus vessel was expected to close in early December. But the winning bidder withdrew, citing factors such as regulatory problems in Portland, said Aurah Landau, a spokeswoman for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Facilities. Portland resident Jonathan Cohen offered $300,000 for the ferry on behalf of KeyMar LLC in September, the Juneau Emp...
SITKA, Alaska (AP) _ Bird watchers have spotted a rare thrush in Alaska. The dusky thrush, which is commonly found in Asia, has only been spotted a few times in Alaska, the Daily Sitka Sentinel reported . Bird enthusiast Matt Goff reported seeing one Friday in Sitka. “I don’t think it’s an uncommon bird in Asia,” Goff said. “But in North America — it’s very unusual.” The dusky thrush’s appearance differs slightly from that of its North American counterparts. It lacks the bright red or orange breast of a varied thrush, or robin, and has “p...
WRANGELL — A final decision on the Wrangell Island timber sale is expected out next week, wrapping up years of deliberation and planning. Citing objections to the economics and ecological impacts of its preferred plan, the United States Forest Service has indicated it will be reducing total harvest for the proposed sale on Wrangell Island to around 428 acres, or 5- to 7-million board feet (mmbf) of timber. These would be sold piecemeal over the course of several years. Of five alternatives put forward, Alternative 2 had proposed around 55....
Andrew Kenneth (Ken) Slavin, 77, fought a long and valiant battle with health issues in the last years of his life and quietly passed in his sleep at his residence in Petersburg, Alaska, on Sept. 8, 2017. He was born in Yakima, Washington, on Oct. 4, 1939 to Lavina and Henry Slavin. He was a graduate of Marquette High School in Yakima. Ken's grocery career began as a box boy at Layman's Grocery in Union Gap, Washington. He worked his way up to a courtesy clerk position. Upon his relocation to...
State representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins will be in Petersburg Thurs., Dec. 14. holding public office hours from 8-9 a.m. at Java Hus and from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at the Salty Pantry. No appointment necessary, just stop by. If you have questions or can’t make it to office hours, email rep.jonathan.kreiss-tomkins@akleg.gov or call the Representative’s office at 747.4665....
