Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 279
April 24 Kristinn Thorsteinson, 17, was issued a citation for speeding 63 mile per hour in a 50 mile per hour zone at 6.5 mile Mitkof Highway. Two people refused to leave bar after being disruptive with other patrons. April 26 Orange construction netting was reported blowing loose in the area at N. First Street. Alaska District Attorney requested an application for search warrant for a vehicle in the impound lot and the warrant was issued. An alarm was activated by work being done at the elementary school. April 27 Suspicious activity was...
Jon Arthur Stephen, 68, died April 9, 2013 in Petersburg, Alaska. He was born on June 22, 1944 to John “Jack” and Agnes Stephen in Petersburg. Agnes passed away when Jon was about three, and Jack who worked in several different capacities was unable to raise his young son. At this time, Jon moved in with his maternal grandparents John and Marie Hammer. In 1951, Jon moved in with Jim, Bev and younger “brother” Ken (Hammer). Over the next few years, the family grew to include Christi, Bob, We... Full story
“Thank you” to emergency responders To the Editor: The motto for Alaska’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is, ‘Neighbor Helping Neighbor’ and in the past several weeks, I’ve been able to witness communities walking the walk, not just talking the talk. Recently, a child was murdered in the village of Kake. Responding to the call for help, the Kake EMS and the community responded to one of the most dreadful scenes imaginable. In the wake of the event, resources flooded into Kake to help with the psychological and physical trauma surrounding...
The Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department hosted a Family Activity Night Saturday evening and kids and adults alike learned, enjoyed and toured the facility. A smoke house, which was borrowed from Wrangell, was set up in the parking lot. This allowed those inside to experience what it is like to go through a house full of smoke. “We fill the house up with breathable smoke,” PVFD Firefighter Devren Bennett said. “Someone has to call 911 and then make their way to the other end of the house and o... Full story
Big adventure ahead To the Editor: The newly created Petersburg Borough stands poised at an epic transformation. The big question is: How can we achieve unity in the overall populace? No other organized borough in Alaska hails any ethnic group as a component in it’s composition either in it’s name or group as a component in it’s motto/slogan/by line/ tag line. Why? It would be devisive and discriminatory, degrading every other person outside the named group. Our new organized borough now includes lands and waters and people far outside the t...
Petersburg High School senior Mizani Rawhani was nominated for appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy by Congressman Don Young, Senator Lisa Murkowski and Senator Mark Begich. Each member of Congress can have five constituents attending the Naval Academy at any time. When one member leaves the Academy, a vacancy is created. “The Navy really caught my attention when the different military branches sent representatives to the school,” Rawhani said. “I have always thought I would love to fly but g...
The Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department will continue Junior Firefighter training longer under the direction of PVFD Firefighter Devren Bennett. The Junior Firefighter training program usually runs from Oct. 1 to the end of December, but the program has evolved recently with Bennett's contribution. “This is my first year to run the program,” Bennett said. “Previously the program was run by Troy Thynes and Paul Jennings but I have structured things a little different this year.” In previous year... Full story
January An elderly man was hit by a vehicle while crossing the street at Gjoa and Nordic Drive. The gentleman was crossing inside the crosswalk and was grazed by the vehicle’s mirror as it passed. The victim was thrown approximately 20 feet. He was on crutches at the time. Rock-N-Road Construction was granted a contract to demolish the Romiad Building to make room for the new library. The building was demolished for $22,499. The Petersburg City Council discussed condemning LeConte RV Park for s... Full story
Don’t stomp on the process Letter to the Editor: Ahhh, Mr. Will Ware…ever the silver tongued speaker. My comments are in regards to last week’s letter to the Pilot. You’re certainly a born preacher…. but, someone I feel is qualified to give me lectures on dignity, integrity, honor and respect? …not so much. Your self-appointed role as moral compass for the tribe, is really the true “foolishness”, here. My grandmother, Amy Hallingstad, was instrumental in forming the Petersburg Indian Association as well as in writing the original by-law...
Earlier in the year, Petersburg Fire Chief Jerod Cook, stated that he would not seek re-election to the position but was recently elected into the job for another three years. “I wasn’t going to run again, I had planned to retire. I have been in this organization for over 25 years,” Cook stated. “I had enough members from the department that have been there for a long time and members of the community that approached me and asked me to continue in this capacity. Enough so, that even my wife, M...
Members of the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department visited the kindergarten at Stedman Elementary School to teach about fire safety and safe practices in case of fire. Above, Mike Turland in full bunker gear demonstrates what they might see if a firefighter were crawling into a burning house to perform a rescue.... Full story
Thanks for the new sidewalks To the Editor: I want to thank the young men who built the sidewalk on the ANB Hall blocks. They did a beautiful job and in such a short period of time, and deserve recognition for the good job they did. Thanks guys. Merry Armin Dog Variety Show a success To the Editor: A big thank you to the folks who walked dogs in the parade with our banner and entered them in the Dog Variety Show afterward. The costumes were adorable. Thanks to our intrepid panel of judges, Sean, Jacob, Mary and Sarah, who agreed to take on the...
Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Jerod Cook gave rebuttal to accusations put before the Public Safety Advisory Board during the Monday night’s City Council Meeting. “After accusations made by the Chief of Police before the PSAB and being aired over radio and written in the local paper, I felt compelled to respond to those accusations,” Cook said. Cook went on to state that he was sure Chief Agner was given information but he failed to check for accuracy. “Had Chief Agner taken the time to investigate the matter or even talk to me... Full story
The perspective of fairness To the Editor: Recently, several city residents in support of the borough made an acrid accusation that my husband and I are free loaders in regard to city services. For the benefit of other like-minded individuals, I wish to put this issue in perspective as it applies to our situation as residents of Farragut Bay. We are probably the most remote of those who live outside city limits in the proposed borough. Our house is approximately a 60-mile roundtrip to Petersburg over often very rough water in Frederick Sound....
Members of the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department brought proposed fire department Ordinance 961 before the Petersburg Public Safety Advisory Board Wednesday, June 20. Department member William Bergmann reviewed the proposed ordinance. At the insistence of the City Manager, five senior members of the Fire Department have rewritten the draft ordinance provided by the City Manager. This ordinance governs how the department functions. The City Manager’s basic desire is to give the department head the authority over the fire chief. “This is a v... Full story
Because of the alleged antics of a few bad apples, city ordinance 961 has been created, revised and discussed and will soon go before the city council. The ordinance revises the chain of command in the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department (PVFD) along with other functions. The ordinance was due for a revision because a lot has changed since current volunteer Sam Bunge assumed control of the department as a paid chief during his tenure (1998-2008). Any leader of a volunteer organization will readily admit that it is difficult to maintain...
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry has provided the grant to assist the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department in providing training and equipment to assist the United States Forest Service in wild land fire response and other emergencies. This grant will be provided on a ten percent match basis. The Volunteer Fire Assistance program is used for both wild land and structure protection needs. The assistance is provided to increase firefighter safety, improve the fire fighting capabilities of rural volunteer fire...
Made my day To the Editor: A heartfelt thank you to the person who found my wallet on Hungry Point Trail and turned it in to the police. Many thanks, you made my day. Andrea Turner Mounds View, MN Correct title To the Editor: Regarding an article, "Flames claim home Sunday evening," published in the May 31 edition of the Petersburg Pilot, I noticed the reporter referred to the responders as Petersburg Fire Department. The name of that organization is Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department. While it may have been a simple writing-on-deadline...
The early morning hours of Tuesday found the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department at work extinguishing a blaze aboard a 17 foot Lund in the 300 block off of South Nordic Drive in a residential area. “The boat was completely destroyed, and it burned through the aluminum in some places,” Assistant Fire Chief David Berg said. “But the outboards may be salvageable.” The fire melted the tarp on an adjacent shed and the paint on the house blistered. “The fire got really hot,” Berg said. “It could have been a lot worse.” The owner of the home was co...
Seats of the Petersburg High School gym filled with family and friends last Wednesday to say goodbye to another school year and another class of graduates. The 2012 graduating class of PHS proceeded into the room with the band playing in the background and to begin the event Elinor Robinson sang the “Star Spangled Banner”. PHS Principal Rick Dormer welcomed the graduates and reflected on the past year. “I want to thank each of you seniors,” Dormer said. “You have brought color and delight t...
The Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department responded to a house fire on 7th and Gjoa at 10:45 p.m. Sunday. “Upon arrival, over half of the structure was fully engulfed in flames,” Assistant Fire Chief David Berg said. Flames from the burning structure were threatening adjacent homes and time was of the essence. “It took us about an hour to darken down the building enough to enter the structure,” Berg said. A deluge gun, which is a truck mounted device capable of delivering hundreds of gallons...
Community members flocked on Saturday to the grand opening of the new fire hall. The recently completed volunteer fire department Station One was a $6.7 million Capital Fund project. The new facility replaces the older, smaller downtown location. “I was reflecting on the dreams we've had about having a facility that met the needs of the volunteer fire department here. I think it started in the 60s or something,” said Mayor Al Dwyer. “They even had a drawing, an artist rendering in 1978, when I s...
May 12, 1982 - A 41-2 strike vote by International Longshoreman’s Warehouse Union cold storage workers at Petersburg Fisheries Friday night was brought about mainly because of workers’ concerns that their overtime hours will be cut back, and because, under proposals made by the PFI negotiating team, workers would have to put in almost three times as many hours before they would be eligible for top wage, according to ILWU Local 85 President Cathy Montgomery. At Whitney-Fidalgo, ILWU cold sto...
We like Skookum To the Editor: Last week’s letter about our town’s vet really bothered me. I understand that letters are people’s opinions and everybody has one, so I thought I would write an opinion of my own. I don’t care that Dr. Hill bought a house in town, or that he bought the clinic. I will not take my pets to him. I tried that once and was turned away. He told me, very rudely, to go home and give her some water. Well I had already tried that and a vet was my last resort, she was not eating or drinking and I wanted someone to help. S...
Petersburg residents Tammy Judd and Douglas Jenny were wed March 24, 2012, at Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department Station 1 in Petersburg, Alaska. Tammy is the daughter of Dixie Myrberg, of Anchorage, and the late Donald D. Judd. Doug was born in Sitka to the late Alma and Harold Jenny. Reverend Robert Carter, a member of PVFD Search and Rescue and Pastor of the Presbyterian Church, officiated at the ceremony. Doug’s childhood friend Steve Craddick of Fairbanks was best man and Tammy’s dau...
