Sorted by date Results 1 - 18 of 18
The construction of a new public use bike track is on the horizon following the passage of a resolution by the Petersburg Borough Assembly. On Monday, the assembly voted 6-0, with Assembly Member Scott Newman excused, to approve the use of a small portion of a borough-owned parcel across the street from Sandy Beach for a non-motorized bike park. Parks and Recreation Director Stephanie Payne said Pat Blair of Wheelhouse Bikes and Sig Burrell of Rock-N-Road came to her with the idea of developing...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly is expected to take a look at adopting a trial program to support local child care providers in Petersburg at its next meeting. The Education Incentive Program, modeled after the Hiring, Educating, and Retaining Teaching Staff (HEARTS) Program implemented in Juneau, aims to increase retention, encourage child care professionals to continue their educations, and improve quality of care. The program would award tiered bonuses every six months to child care educators...
After a boating accident near Point Baker last week, former Wrangell resident Kelsey Leak spent 24 hours on West Rock before being rescued by a fishing boat. Her boyfriend, 27-year-old Arne Dahl has not been found and is presumed dead. The morning of Nov. 27 was bright and clear. Leak and Dahl set out from their Point Baker homestead at 11 a.m. to collect firewood aboard Dahl's old wooden fishing vessel, the Randi Jo. The pair had been living off-grid at Point Baker, where Dahl was raised, since...
December 8, 1922 – Official announcement has been made by E. Brokke, representative of the Norwegian Young People’s Society of the United States, who is now in Ketchikan, that Ketchikan has been chosen as the site for the Fishermen’s Home to be built by the organization. The institution will cost approximately $30,000, it is estimated and will be intended to give the comforts of home to many fishermen who come there regularly, periodically, or occasionally, and who now do not enjoy them. The organization which Mr. Brokke represents is affil...
This October, I was provided the opportunity to serve as the Executive Director of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation. As a lifelong Alaskan, leading APFC is my childhood dream come true. From meeting with Governor Hammond with my third-grade class in 1976, to receiving the benefits of the Fund’s existence throughout my life, to now having the experience to manage the Corporation is truly special. To tell a little about myself, I was born in Cordova and raised in Yakutat and Juneau, where my wife Erin and I reside and raised our two sons. F...
I had the distinct pleasure to catch the final performance of “Dorothy in Wonderland’’ staged by the Mitkof Mummers Theater Company. I must admit, my expectations were not high having seen enough bad community theater to reluctantly attend one more. But I was wrong. The show was delightful and presented exactly what good community theater is all about, for young and old alike. Let’s start with the director, Irene Littleton. Ms. Littleton’s adept direction was particularly noteworthy in two respects. Firstly, community theater, especiall...
Gloria Family memories To the Editor: Way back in the late 1930s and the World War II era, at the top of Lumber Street, in what was then called the “Gulley”, there lived a family known as the Glorias. Lewis Gloria, an immigrant from the Philippines, worked for Earl Ohmer at Alaskan Glacier Seafoods. He was married to a native of Kake and together they had four boys and two girls. I remember two of the children, Fred Gloria and Isabel Gloria as classmates in the third grade class of 1938 and as members of the Lumber Street Gang, which inc...
November 30 – An officer responded to a report of suspicious activity on Fram Street. An officer responded to a report of downed trees, possibly on power lines on Wrangell Avenue. Power and Light (P&L) was notified and responded. Petersburg Police Department (PPD) received a report of downed trees on power lines on Sandy Beach Road. P&L were notified and responded. An officer spoke with an individual concerning a third party complaint. An officer responded to a report of harassment and determined it was unfounded. An officer spoke with an i...
November 15, 2022 In the Peterburg District Court, Magistrate Judge Rachel Newport presided over an arraignment hearing for Angelica Curtis. The court entered a not guilty plea on behalf of the defendant to the charge of Driving in Violation of Instruction Permit. Her conditions of release were to obey all laws, appear at all hearings, maintain contact with attorney, and not drive unless legally licensed and insured. A call was set for December 6. November 16, 2022 Magistrate Judge Rachel Newport presided over the arraignment hearing for...
Petersburg Parks and Recreation is keeping spirits high during the holiday season with the completion of the ice skate pond lighting project and their upcoming winter wonderland. People are already enjoying the lights up at the ice skate pond, which became fully functional last week according to Parks and Recreation Director Stephanie Payne. The project was made possible by a donation from Fred Haltner and the borough later received additional funding for that project and the ballfield lights...
Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon the Mitkof Dance Troupe will perform "Lost in a Dream" and, for the first time since December 2019, they will dance to a full-house. Recital tickets are on sale at Lee's Clothing and Bridget Wittstock reports, "Ticket sales are going well. People are excited!" A few years ago the Mitkof Dance Troupe was thriving. They had five teachers, a hundred and eighty students, and owned a building they planned to turn into their dream studio. Life changes led to the...
WRANGELL – Wrangell vessel owners who already shuttle passengers and freight around southern Southeast said they would be willing to contract with Wrangell Borough for service to Petersburg and Coffman Cove, rather than see the borough subsidize a return of the more expensive Inter-Island Ferry Authority. Zach Taylor, who operates the 38-foot catamaran Island Cat, and Eric Yancey, who operates the 75-foot landing craft Rainforest Islander, have expressed their willingness to contract with the borough to provide regular service between the c...
The Petersburg High School gym was packed last weekend for the Viking Rumble, Petersburg's home wrestling meet, which saw over 100 students from across Southeast test their mettle on the mat. Wrestlers competed in a round robin on Friday and Saturday morning and duals in the afternoon where teams went head to head, pitting wrestlers of each weight class against each other. The weekend was capped off Saturday evening with a series of thrilling spotlight matches. Head Coach James Valentine said...
WASHINGTON — The Department of Education announced last month it is extending the pandemic-era pause on federal student loan repayments until June 30 while legal challenges to the administration’s student debt relief program are fought over in the courts. The agency said if the student debt relief program has not been put in place by June 30, and if litigation is still tied up in the courts, student loan payments will begin 60 days after that. “Payments will resume 60 days after the Department is permitted to implement the program or the litig...
Steven John Espeseth, 70, passed away October 22, 2022 of natural causes in Fosston, Minnesota. Steve was born August 4, 1952 in Petersburg, Alaska to Arne and Louise Espeseth. He graduated in 1970 from Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. With the money he saved being a commercial fisherman, he went to pilot school in Colorado. Soon after he achieved his pilot's license, he bought a Cessna 150 plane and went to Florida where he took up scuba diving. He returned to Alaska to... Full story
