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Jane Smith spotted a different kind of bird at her feeder around New Year's, something she knew she'd never seen in Alaska. Her sister, Anne Smith, saw it again during the annual Great Backyard Bird Count in February and identified it as the white-winged dove. She took a picture with her iPad and posted it on the Alaska Rare Bird Alert Facebook page, but her post didn't draw much response, so she figured the bird wasn't too special. Weeks later, Jennifer Cross, director of the Alaska Raptor...
March 16, 1923 – The Petersburg Post of the American Legion is starting a small menagerie for the benefit of the tourists. At present a large bald eagle is in a pen next to the Sanitary Market. The eagle was captured by Jess Ames after its wing had been injured by a rifle shot. The legion wants a porcupine, a bear cub, a fawn deer and other specimens of native wildlife. The Petersburg Commercial Club is very anxious to borrow films of scenes in this section for reproduction in newspapers throughout the United States. Pictures of farming s...
Community members and guests attended the annual Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Banquet at the Sons of Norway last Saturday night where they heard from speakers and celebrated award presentations under the lights of the historic hall. Much to the delight of the audience, Petersburg's local bookstore, Sing Lee Alley Books and Gifts, was named the 2023 Business of the Year. The bookstore, owned by Nance Zaic, serves as a welcoming place for ship passengers visiting Little Norway and offers a cozy...
January Petersburg experienced record snowfall on New Year's Day with 17.5 inches of new snow on the day, bringing the total snow depth to 40 inches according to the National Weather Service. The Petersburg Borough Assembly passed a resolution requesting a discussion with the U.S. Postal Service about providing additional services in Petersburg following continued issues with staffing, irregular hours, and long lines. All-purpose vehicles became legal to drive on roads in Alaska, including in...
December 8, 1922 – A Ford passenger car arrived in town on the mail boat from Juneau this week for Ole Scarbro and will be used in a general jitney service. This is the first strictly passenger car to arrive in town and its first trip down the street occasioned considerable interest. December 12, 1947 – The custom of Christmas ships for Alaska will be revived this year after a 10-year lapse. With a Santa Claus to distribute candy, fruit and nuts to children and sprays of holly to their mothers, a show will be put on at each port, officials sai...
Local artist Debi McMahon's first solo art exhibit will open at 5:30 p.m. this Friday at the Firelight Gallery, celebrating forty-five years of playing with glass with forty-five recent works. The show will be up through Wednesday, November 30th. McMahon's love of glass began in 1977 when she "had a premature baby, Karine, and after a couple of months of caring for her thought, 'I've got to get out of here. I've got to have some kind of break!'" she says. "So I went to Community Schools and... Full story
November 10, 1922 – In a talk before the Juneau Commercial Association luncheon, Roy Jones, an aviator from Ketchikan currently in Juneau with his plane, stated that while it was not generally known, two representatives of the government had been here and elsewhere in Alaska recently looking up the feasibility of establishing aerial mail routes. The investigators were members of the army. Mr. Jones laid stress on the wonderful possibilities of aerial service in Southeastern Alaska in particular and throughout the territory in general, p...
Saturday morning a group of concerned Petersburg residents met at the Wright Auditorium to participate in the second Childcare Community Café to address the childcare crisis affecting the local workforce, businesses, families, and economy. The meeting, hosted by the SHARE (Supporting Health Awareness, Resilience, and Education) Coalition, began with a viewing of a 23-minute video entitled "Voices for a Better Future: Community Impacts of Childcare in Petersburg," followed by a community... Full story
August 11, 1922 Deputy Neil MacGregor and W. R. Norwood had narrow escapes from death last Saturday while attempting to secure pictures of Le Conte glacier when their boat was swamped by an iceberg which broke off from the bottom of the glacier and came up underneath the boat. MacGregor and Norwood left Petersburg Saturday morning in a row boat with an Evinrude and arrived at the glacier early in the afternoon. Going in close to the glacier, Norwood landed on a small shelf of rock while MacGregor cruised along the face of the glacier in the...
July 14, 1922 That the development of the Cascade Creek water power at Thomas Bay on a big scale is probable within the next year is the statement of D.C. Doherty, holder of the temporary permit from the Federal Water Power Commission who returned from there on Thursday. “In fact we have been investigating Cascade Creek for the past two years and all the figures secured from the preliminary surveys look favorable and now, after looking it over, it is even better than we thought. In fact, it is almost too good to be true,” he said. In reply to...
Watermelon Eating Contest: Ages 4-8: Nick Hanner Ages 9-12: Emi Anderson Ages 13-17: Reid Ruecker Ages 18-up: Alex Shugarts Hot Pepper Challenge: Sajjan White Water Jousting: Ali Kittams, Molly Wolf, and Alex Shugarts Diving for Marbles: Tavyn Cabral & Eli Anderson Messy BBQ Wing Eating Contest: Ages 4-8: Atlas Short Ages 9-12: Emi Anderson Ages 13-17: Eli Anderson Ages 18-up: Alex Sugarts Four Legged Race: Ages 9-12: Molly Wolf, Jozlyn Turland, Eden Benavidez, Isabelle Hammer Ages 13 and up: Alex Shugarts, Kuaola Emmsley, Andrina Healy, Sam...
A ship named for one of Norway's most famed explorers has been visiting Petersburg for the first time this summer. The MS Roald Amundsen operated by Hurtigruten is the world's first hybrid powered expedition ship and is currently traversing through Alaska, offering passengers a chance to participate in experiments and research among the state's natural environments. Though unable to mark the Amundsen's very first visit to Petersburg in May, representatives from the community including Sally Dwye...
Boeing 737-800s are set to begin arriving in Petersburg on Friday on Alaska Airlines Flight 64 according to Chad Dolbeare, Petersburg's new station manager. Dolbeare, who has a degree in aviation administration, became the station manager in March of this year after having worked in the same position for Alaska Airlines in Utqiagvik, Alaska for five years. His job is to provide support to his agents, whether that be by getting supplies, scheduling maintenance, or working with personnel to serve...
Two candidates have filed for candidacy in this year's election to fill Rep. Jonathon Kreiss-Tomkins' seat in the Alaska House of Representatives. Kreiss-Tomkins, who first elected to the seat in 2012, announced earlier this year that he will not seek reelection. House District 2, which was newly created by the Alaska Redistricting Board, spans Southeast Alaska from Prince of Wales Island to Yakutat and includes Petersburg, Sitka, Kake, and Craig. The candidates running for the seat are Kenny...
The Petersburg Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Alaska Community Foundation, announced on Saturday the 10 organizations receiving grants this year. The event, hosted by Glo Wollen, saw volunteers, politicians, business owners, and other prominent community members gather to support local programs. Before the grant awards, the foundation announced a new annual award-Petersburg Community Volunteer of the Year. Dave Berg was chosen as the award's first recipient which also comes with...
April 28, 1922 The Totem Pole is now open. Miss Mary Allen and Miss Blanch O’Dell opened “The Totem Pole” ice cream parlor in the Ohmer post office building. The new place is a credit to the town being furnished in the mission style, with old rose hangings, curtains and shades. The service is excellent. A cozy corner alcove with piano and settees is included and music is one of the evening attractions. A soda fountain has been installed and all the fixings are in order. April 25, 1947 The annual Junior Prom was held Saturday evening April...
Ocean Rangers To the Editor: If you were disappointed in the Senate Resource Committee’s decision last week and want to stop SB 180 please speak up now. As constituents of Senator Bert Stedman, it is very important he hear our concerns on this bill introduced by Governor Dunleavy that will eliminate Ocean Rangers on cruise ships. We need to ask him to hold SB 180, to not schedule a hearing this session, and urge him to reinstate funding for the Ocean Rangers on most ships, most of the time. Ask Senator Stedman directly what he is planning to d...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously in favor of two ordinances in their first readings during Monday's meeting, with Assembly Member Bob Lynn excused, which would increase the rates residents pay for water and sewage utilities. According to Utility Director Karl Hagerman, the increases included in Ordinance #2022-05 and Ordinance #2022-06 would be the first rate increases since 2018 and are needed to meet increased costs and expenses. Hagerman included a report in the meeting packe...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously voted to create a task force focused on addressing child care challenges in Petersburg and finding sustainable solutions during Monday's meeting. The creation of the Early Childhood Education Task Force came as a result of the ongoing discussions of child care needs in the community which identified issues with retention and recruitment of employees and the lack of availability of child care for families. Assembly Member Jeff Meucci opened by saying...
Patti was presented as a Christmas gift to her three brothers Bob, Dave and Jim. She was born in Vancouver, B.C. and came home to Petersburg in December with her parents Loyla and Earl Ohmer. Her childhood was a happy one. She traveled to many states visiting family and friends with her mother. Summers were spent at Bum's Retreat near Green Rocks. Her father Earl would join the family there on weekends bringing the mail and groceries from town. Her first business venture at age 12 involved... Full story
The Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs hosted a ceremony Tuesday in the Petersburg High School gym to welcome home and remember Vietnam veterans. The event marked Vietnam Veterans Day which falls on March 29 and was originally scheduled for 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Forrest E. Powell III with the DMVA opened the ceremony and introduced Chamber of Commerce President Jim Floyd who welcomed attendees. Floyd spoke on the history of Petersburg and of the...
Alaska Airlines will start sending a Boeing 737-800 southbound to Petersburg this summer, helping more people travel during one of the busiest times of the year according to Scott Habberstad, Alaska Airlines' director of sales and community marketing in the state. Habberstad was the guest speaker at the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Banquet last Saturday night where he discussed how Alaska Airlines navigated through the COVID-19 pandemic, development in Petersburg, and the airline's growth goal...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly hosted a work session Wednesday evening to discuss child care needs in the community and ways the borough could be involved in helping find sustainable solutions for providers and families. Child care challenges have been discussed recently at the assembly level, a Community Café hosted by the SHARE Coalition, an ARPA work session, and other public meetings with issues including child care staff recruitment and retention, availability and costs for families, and...
Hammer & Wikan and the Petersburg Pilot were both awarded Business of the Year at the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce banquet Saturday night. Hammer & Wikan received the 2021 Business of the Year award which they were due to receive at last year's banquet before it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Will Ware, the vice president of the chamber, recounted the history of Hammer & Wikan from its beginnings as the Petersburg Dairy Company in 1921 to the opening of the new grocery store...
Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium leadership will give a presentation at the next Petersburg Medical Center Hospital Board meeting on March 24 according to PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter. The board voted in September to invite SEARHC leadership to speak at a future meeting to give the public an opportunity to hear more information on SEARHC's vision for local health care and discuss Petersburg's need for a new medical facility. Questions from board members and staff at the hospital were...
