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JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Native corporations are not eligible to receive a share of the $8 billion in federal coronavirus relief funding set aside for tribes, a federal appeals court panel ruled Friday in overturning a lower-court decision. The three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit found an Alaska Native corporation cannot qualify as an Indian tribe under the federal Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act unless it has been “recognized as eligible for the special programs and...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska plans to allow the online sale of raffle tickets for the first time to help nonprofit organizations faced with limited fundraising opportunities because of coronavirus restrictions. The state Department of Revenue approved the temporary change over the summer allowing organizations holding charitable gaming permits to sell raffle tickets and draw winners online, Alaska Public Media reported Monday. State Gaming Unit Director Katrina Mitchell said this is the only instance in which any online gaming has been p...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska’s unemployment numbers improved in August but still remains historically high amid the coronavirus pandemic, the state’s labor agency reported. In August, the state reported 37,000 fewer jobs than in the same month in 2019 for a 10.5% drop, said the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. That’s an improvement on numbers from July, when the state had 39,900 fewer jobs than it did in the same month last year — a roughly 11.2% decrease. Still, more than 43,000 people are collecting unemployment benefi...
The community had the opportunity to speak out in support or against a permanent civil emergency provisions ordinance at a virtual town hall on Sept. 10, though the feedback the Borough Assembly received was mostly negative. The Petersburg Borough requested those who wanted to ask questions during the town hall to submit them about a week in advance to allow borough staff time to answer the questions. The public could still ask questions at the end of the town hall, which began with... Full story
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Most of Alaska’s wildland fire crews are helping fight fires in the continental U.S., including western blazes that have triggered evacuations of thousands of people, officials said. U.S. Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said 450 to 500 Alaska residents are currently helping fight fires outside the state, The Anchorage Daily News reported Sunday. Alaska fire crews have a history of assisting beyond the state’s borders. But this year is unique with the necessity of also trying to suppress the coron...
The borough assembly approved $565,000 from its Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act special revenue fund at their meeting on Tuesday for businesses and families who are struggling financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding was released with the approval of two resolutions by the assembly. Resolution #2020-16 allocates $500,000 in grants for local businesses that have experienced a loss in gross revenue by 20 percent or $10,000 over 2019. Resolution #2020-17 offers...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly agreed to set aside $608,345 at their meeting on Tuesday from its Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act special revenue fund for COVID-19 related costs at Petersburg Medical Center. According to PMC Controller Rocio Tejera, the funds won't immediately be transferred to the hospital. The borough will set the money aside in case PMC needs the funding in the future. While PMC is actively looking for grants and other sources of revenue to cover the costs...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The choice of a director of the disputed Pebble Mine project to sit on the Alaska Board of Fisheries has drawn opposition from fishermen and critics of the proposed mine. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed Abe Williams to a three-year term on the board in April, The Anchorage Daily News reported Wednesday. Alaska legislative committees are holding confirmation hearings on the selection after the process was recessed in the spring because of the coronavirus outbreak. Williams serves as regional affairs director f...
SKAGWAY, Alaska (AP) — A southeast Alaska community is considering how to diversify its port traffic when a significant tourism contract ends, which has drawn the interest of the mining industry. The Yukon Producers’ Group industry, an industry organization for mining and mineral exploration companies, said Skagway is essential to mining in the Yukon, Alaska’s Energy Desk reported. The port in the Municipality and Borough of Skagway has been dominated by tourism interests in recent decades, but a long-standing waterfront lease with touri...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service issued a deadline to the operator of an Alaska island boat shop to tear down the historic complex and leave, but the owner said the agency’s demands are unrealistic. The federal agency ordered Sam Romey to vacate Wolf Creek Boatworks on Prince of Wales Island, CoastAlaska reported Thursday. Tongass Forest Supervisor Earl Stewart said in an Aug. 14 letter that the boathouse and shop building must be removed by Dec. 15. Ownership of the land parcel occupied by the shop is scheduled to be tra...
Petersburg Medical Center started off the 2021 fiscal year by exceeding financial expectations, according to a financial report PMC Controller Rocio Tejera gave to the Board of Directors at their meeting on Aug. 27. The hospital ended July, the first month of the fiscal year, with a total operating revenue of $1,859,444, which was 12 percent higher than expected, had a positive income from operations and a bottom line of $310,973. PMC had originally planned on earning $1,660,797 in total...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska tribal governments and organizations have asked the state to withdraw a lawsuit alleging a federal agency overstepped its authority by granting an Alaska Native village a special hunting permission during the coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit opposes the special action granted to the Organized Village of Kake by the federal Office of Subsistence Management, Alaska’s Energy Desk reported. The federal agency granted a request for Kake residents to hunt up to two moose and five male Sitka black-tailed deer. Alaska Fis...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Anchorage high school student has been arrested on accusations he threatened students and staff with a gun during multiple online classes, officials said. The Dimond High School student attended several online learning sessions and disrupted them, police said. He made threatening gestures with a gun and used profane language before he was removed from the classrooms, said Anchorage School District spokesman Alan Brown. The school district notified school-based police officers about the threats last Thursday, p...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska’s contact tracing program is working well despite undergoing a strain in recent months during the effort to track coronavirus infections, public health officials said. The state recently increased the size of its team of contact tracers as the number of new cases went on a downward trajectory, The Anchorage Daily News reported. Public health experts believe the investigative process of tracking how a virus moves through a population is key to slowing the spread of COVID-19. The continued efficiency of con...
The Petersburg Borough assembly passed a resolution at their meeting on Monday that transfers $778,000 from the borough's Coronavirus Aid, Revenue, and Economic Security Act special revenue fund to the Petersburg School District. As the school district prepares to reopen under a split in person and distance learning education schedule, the funding will go towards COVID-19 related expenditures, such as personnel costs, personal protection equipment and technology. "Implementing both the systems a...
Petersburg Medical Center ended its 2020 fiscal year with a gross operating revenue of $20,325,510, which is one percent over what the hospital had anticipated at the start of the fiscal year, according to PMC Controller Rocio Tejera at the PMC Board of Directors meeting on July 30. When deductions from revenue adjustments and allowances are made to the gross revenue, PMC still has a net operating revenue of $17,072,677 for the fiscal year. That number was two percent higher than what PMC had or...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — An outside group focused on defeating President Donald Trump in November and “Trumpism” is running an ad in Alaska in support of independent Al Gross in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race. Gross is seeking to challenge first-term Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. The ad, sponsored by The Lincoln Project and shared on its website, doesn’t mention Sullivan but an accompanying press release does. The release refers to Sullivan as “no longer a Republican nor a conservative” but a “Trumpist.” Trump carried Alaska with 51% of the vote in 20...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska health officials reported that there were 159 new COVID-19 cases in the state Sunday, including 111 within the Municipality of Anchorage. The new cases included 145 Alaska residents and 14 non-residents, The Anchorage Daily News reported. Data from the state Department of Health and Social Services showed there was one new hospitalization reported, while there were no additional deaths on Sunday. The health department reported that 27 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized as of Sunday and 12 people were h...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A seafood processing plant in Anchorage has found 56 employees tested positive for COVID-19, marking the latest outbreak in the industry, health officials said. The Anchorage Health Department announced Friday that testing was conducted between July 17 and July 22, and more workers could test positive as 30 test results are still pending. The plant is owned by Copper River Seafoods and employs 134 workers, many who live in the city. “This is a concerning situation for the people of Anchorage,” said Bruce Chand...
The borough assembly voted in favor of having an in-person municipal election this fall at their assembly meeting on Monday, instead of an election held entirely by mail. Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson said the borough is taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during the election. It will be held in the community gym to allow for greater space between voters. New polling stations were purchased that can be disinfected after every use. Personal protective equipment was also...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The largest city in Alaska has mandated residents wear masks in public to limit the spread of COVID-19, but several other cities and boroughs declined to follow suit, arguing the mandates weren’t needed, would be difficult to enforce or were illegal. Anchorage, Cordova, Dillingham, Kotzebue, Seward, Unalaska and Valdez were the only large cities to require masks in all public indoor spaces, including stores and restaurants, the Anchorage Daily News reported. The Northwest Arctic Borough was the only borough to do so....
Can't afford boondoggle To the Editor: Senator Stedman's diatribe defending his second road to nowhere is totally unpersuasive (Petersburg Pilot, July 2, 2020). His persistent opposition to public involvement smacks of a backroom deal gone wrong. But that does not matter. We simply cannot afford this boondoggle given Alaska's deficit spending and more pressing needs. This road was a last-minute addition to a capital budget done without adequate public hearings. True to form, Senator Stedman...
2,132 Alaskans are reported infected with the Covid-19 virus along with 487 non-residents as of July 21. Petersburg has had zero active cases of COVID-19 since Thursday, July 17 according to Borough Incident Commander Karl Hagerman. We count ourselves among the lucky simply because we live on this isolated island. If we counted on elected officials for a long overdue permanent emergency ordinance, we'd be disappointed. The borough assembly by a vote of 4-3 decided to delay the final passage of...
The borough assembly voted in favor of a memorandum of agreement between the Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center for an asymptomatic testing program at their assembly meeting on Wednesday. The agreement would allow the borough to fund an asymptomatic COVID-19 testing program through PMC with money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act for cannery workers who live in town year round. The program is estimated to cost $177,800. There are no preventative measures...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A state court judge Friday denied a Juneau man’s request to block distribution of federal coronavirus relief aid under expanded rules proposed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration. Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg ruled Eric Forrer had not shown a “clear probability of success’’ on the merits in his underlying case. Even if Forrer had, Pallenberg in his order wrote he would not have blocked disbursement of funds amid the virus’ economic fallout. “The current situation is too grave, and the needs of Alaskans too gr...
