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Last July, Petersburg was covered in smoke when the St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church caught fire. "This fire can consume our building, but not our hearts," parish priest Fr. Jose Thomas had said at the time. The flames ultimately destroyed the building, which was demolished later that fall. While the lot remains empty, the parish of St. Catherine of Siena has continued its church services, which are currently held at First Presbyterian Church. Fr. Jose said losing the former building was "...
An unused U.S. Forest Service building near Kake may soon be a healing center for the community to move forward from generations of trauma after a boarding school harmed members of the Alaska Native population. When Joel Jackson, president of the Organized Village of Kake, saw the building on an access road between Kake and Petersburg, he said he was surprised. "A cultural healing center has been on my mind for decades," he said. "I said to myself, 'Hey, there's our cultural healing center.'"... Full story
Beulah Eleanor Luhr passed away on Sunday, June 11, 2023, at her home in Petersburg surrounded by her children. Beulah was born in Chester, Montana on October 12, 1934, to Robert T. Reid and Vena (Ward) Reid. Her family moved to Petersburg, Alaska in 1939 and she resided there for the last 84 years. Beulah grew up in Scow Bay, graduated from Petersburg High School and married the love of her life, Donald Luhr, on May 31, 1952. In high school Beulah worked for the telephone company, back in the... Full story
Art Hammer was born on July 7, 1921 to John and Marie Hammer in Petersburg, Alaska. He was born at the family's house on Lumber Street, where he joined siblings Jennie, Agnes, and Norman. His brother James joined the family five years later. As a child Art could be found helping his Dad work on the house they were building on Hammer's Slough, rowing up Petersburg Creek, or fishing with friends. All of Art's educational years were completed in Petersburg. He was a member of the Petersburg High... Full story
Dorothy Jane (Henderson) Roundtree was an only child. She was born August 15, 1924 in Vallejo, California to Jesse Fear Henderson and Fannie Jane (Whitaker) Henderson. After graduating high school in Vallejo, she attended San Jose State University where she earned a master's degree in education. D.J. headed to Alaska in 1949 to start her teaching career and ended up in Petersburg, where she met her perfect man, Claude Lyle Roundtree, Jr. (Lyle). Lyle and D.J. were married on October 5, 1952. A... Full story
July 7, 1922 For the first five months of this year, shipments from Seattle to Alaska totaled 77,936 tons as compared with 34,410 tons for the same period last year, a gain of 43,526 tons or 126 percent. The shipments this year represent virtually 39 cargoes of 2,000 tons each, a gain of 21 cargoes over the same period last year. July 4, 1947 Salmon continues to come in slowly. Approximately 18,000 pounds of salmon, from trollers and packers, has been brought into Petersburg this week. This is a small catch and reflects the present scarcity of...
Property Development To the Editor: I would like to encourage the borough to proceed with developing building lots on borough land, much of which happens to already be subdivided and adjacent to borough utility services. The lack of available and affordable building lots is slowing growth through the lack of housing. The community is unable to provide housing for necessary workers for the school and hospital as well as the fishing and fish processing industry. Another aspect of borough involvement in supplying building lots is the fact that,...
Thomas Andrew (Tommie) Willis, age 31, of Juneau, Alaska passed away unexpectedly on Monday, March 1, 2022. Born in Juneau, Alaska on October 25, 1990, Tommie was raised in Petersburg before moving to Columbia, Missouri. He returned to Juneau during high school. Tommie was a state champion swimmer with his beloved Viking Swim Club. His relay team still holds the state record. He was an active boy scout, gifted and talented student, enjoyed playing drums, attended Petersburg Presbyterian Church,... Full story
February 24, 1922 Big Firemens’ Mask Ball Huge Success. One of the largest and most successful masquerades ever held in Petersburg was given on Wednesday night by the Petersburg Fire Department. The committee in charge had worked hard on the arrangements and everything moved with perfect precision. During the early part of the evening the fun was fast and furious as the masked couples whirled around the dance floor to the music of the Petersburg Jazz Band. Nearly a hundred persons were masked and the judges had a hard time picking the twenty to...
With the holiday season coming up many people look to help the Salvation Army by either donating food and clothing or volunteering their time, but some recent challenges are affecting the charitable organization's operations according to Salvation Army Major Loni Upshaw. Bags of donations are sometimes being dropped off in front of the Salvation Army's thrift store after hours, leading to items intended to be donated being stolen or ruined by the weather. "We've been dealing with the stealers,...
Arlayne was born in Seattle, Washington. When she was 13, her family moved to Walla Walla, Washington. There, she played in the high school symphony and marching band, and was active in the Baptist church. She worked her way through college as a nanny, bank teller and farm worker. At Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington she had three majors: education, social studies and music. Growing up, she had heard many stories of Alaska because her parents had worked in a cannery there,... Full story
Steve Toth, 55, passed away on July 26, 2021 surrounded by his wife and two children. He was born in Highland Park, Illinois on Aug. 1, 1965, to Istvan Toth Sr. and Mary Toth. After his birth, the family moved to Chicago, where he lived for the first part of his childhood. After graduating from Wilmot Junior High, he went overseas to Ireland and attended the Royal Caravan School for four years and graduated high school there. Afterward, he moved back to the states, and then on to Petersburg,... Full story
Anne Lewis, 94, a longtime resident of Petersburg, Alaska passed away on May 7, 2020 at the Petersburg Medical Center. She was born Sept. 5, 1925, in Petersburg, Alaska, the daughter of late Tom and Lucy Kito. She was proud to say she came into this world while her parents were processing their fish at Blind Slough during the late salmon run at their campsite. She graduated from Petersburg High School in 1943. She enrolled in the Armed Forces as a nurse cadet and attended St. Joseph School of... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved a declaration of disaster emergency at Monday's assembly meeting in response to the COVID-19 outbreak across the country and state. Additionally, the assembly approved an emergency ordinance that would allow the assembly to declare a quorum by calling into an assembly meeting instead of being present. By declaring a disaster emergency, the borough is putting itself in position to better receive state and federal emergency funding should the borough requir...
For at least the next year, Bobbi Neason will be the interim pastor of the Petersburg Presbyterian Church, though she anticipates her stay in Petersburg to extend for another year. Neason comes to Petersburg from a similarly sized town in Southeast Oregon called Bandon where she served as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church for eight years. The Petersburg Presbyterian Church has been trying to find a permanent pastor since June 2018 when long-time pastor Bob Carter retired. Originally from...
KETCHIKAN - Llewellyn Morris Williams III, 62, who died Sat., Jan. 4, 2020, believed in God, family and friends, public service and University of Washington Huskies football. To all of these, he dedicated his life. Born in Petersburg on Dec. 7, 1957 - when Alaska was still only a territory - Williams was a third generation Alaskan and newspaperman. He co-owned the Ketchikan Daily News with his two sisters for 25 years. During his life, Williams, or "Doonie," as he was nicknamed, resided in...
John Frank Bringhurst Jr's. earthly journey concluded September 19, 2019, following an 11-month battle with brain cancer. Born Nov. 5, 1943, in Ogden, Utah, John was the second of six children born to John Frank Bringhurst and Relda Gardner Bringhurst. Utah's abundant outdoor opportunities claimed much of John's youthful attention, as he grew up an avid hunter, angler, skier and tennis player while completing his secondary education at Davis High School in Layton. A mission call to Germany for... Full story
A portion of Haugen Dr. near the Petersburg Public Library was blocked off on Monday while crews repaired a bad water valve. While trying to track a potable water leak at the Presbyterian Church property on Friday, Public Works staff closed off a valve in the Haugen Dr. and 2nd St. intersection, according to Public Works Director Chris Cotta. The valve then began to leak. Because work to repair the valve would take place next to a state street, the borough spent Friday coordinating with the stat...
MDT recital thank you To the Editor: Thank you to the wonderful teachers, generous donors, gracious parents, dedicated volunteers, supportive businesses and community members, and most of all, the talented dancers, for participating in an entertaining and successful spring recital. The Mitkof Dance Troupe Board Scouts made a difference To the Editor: During the Blessing of the Fleet, from the posting of the colors to the Scout honor guard launching the floating memorial wreath, to the clean up when the last tables and chairs were cleared and...
A quilt is a layer of batting or stuffing between two layers of fabric. Early American quilts were the result of patched together pieces of worn out blankets and clothing. Since fabrics had to be woven these items were purely functional. By the mid-18th century Americans were making elaborate quilts designed to be handed down, often pieced together from salvaged pieces of clothing and other bedding. Today's quilts span the spectrum from traditional to modern to being an art form. According to...
Mary Ann Phillips, 65 and a lifelong Wrangell resident, passed away February 5, 2019 in Zihuatanejo, Mexico while on vacation with her family. She was born on November 18, 1953 in Bishop Rowe Hospital to Maurice and Mary Buness. She attended Wrangell Public Schools until her family moved to the Tacoma area in 1964. She returned to Wrangell with them in January 1970 and made her home here since. After graduating from Wrangell High School, she attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She... Full story
There are many ideas, books, quotes, videos and even classes on what makes a good, lasting relationship, but all one has to do is ask lifelong Petersburg residents Roald and Jeannine Norheim, married 64 years this July. Their joint response, "doing things together." The Norheims' love story from the beginning was about doing things together, such as both being born and raised in Petersburg by Norwegian immigrants. They both attended elementary and high school together, although Roald is three...
Marjorie was born on May 6, 1947, in Hartford, Connecticut, to Edward and Eva Tangarone Fischer. She was the youngest of three children and was raised in a family particularly proud of its Italian heritage, since her maternal grandparents were immigrants to the United States. Her family’s history during the Great Depression necessitated a very frugal lifestyle. She learned early in her life that, in spite of limited resources, hard work would eventually win the day. Despite meagre financial reso... Full story
Petersburg Presbyterian Church welcomed their summer pastor intern Daniel Van Beek on June 26. Van Beek is currently one year into his three-year seminary program at Louisville Seminary in Kentucky. "I'm just honored to able to be a part of this community and this church right now," said Van Beek. He is taking over for the previous pastor, Bob Carter, who retired in June. Van Beek said that Carter reached out to Louisville Seminary asking for a summer intern to take over for him. Van Beek...
Luke tells us: Mary gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. The Innkeeper said “no room” but was he really telling the truth? Perhaps the Innkeeper had the heart of Old Ebenezer Scrooge and cared only for money. Maybe he sized up this man and woman as dirt poor with no money to pay. So what if she is near her time? He couldn’t let her have her baby here, all that screaming would keep the other well paying guests awake. “Go on” he says, “I said n...
