Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 276
Sincere thanks for saving my life To the Editor: I would like to sincerely thank those involved in saving my life. I will start with my neighbor Bill Miller, owner of Calder Mountain Lodge, for running me quickly into town in his jet boat, and there, waiting at the North Harbor ramp, a big thank you to the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department EMS team – not only did they transport me up the steep ramp, keeping me as comfortable as they could, and to the hospital – they later transported me to the airport for a transfer to a Coast Guard hel...
It is time for the Petersburg community to seriously consider the future of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) branch of Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department (PVFD). Volunteer numbers have reached a crisis level. EMS response capability is in jeopardy and burnout is becoming inevitable. It's tempting to imagine that when you or a loved one experience a medical emergency in Petersburg and you dial 911 a paramedic is ready and waiting to be dispatched. Just like in the movies, they'll sprint...
Smokey Bear turned 80 years old on August 9, 2024. Community members joined the U.S. Forest Service and Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department to celebrate Smokey Bear's birthday with cake, crafts, and photos with the longtime icon of wildfire prevention at a birthday party held behind the Forest Service building on Friday. From left to right: Carin Christensen, Smokey Bear, Tiare Simbahon, Caroline Dowd, Alex Rodriguez-Smith....
They may be out of sight to the general public but they are never out of mind for the U.S. Forest Service. The agency maintains 35 mountaintop repeater towers within the Tongass National Forest to provide radio coverage for their field crews and first responders. A contractor is installing new repeater stations at five sites this summer in the Wrangell and Petersburg ranger districts, part of an ongoing effort to switch out older units with newer models. Of particular importance to Wrangell, a...
July 10 – An officer assisted a citizen with concerns. A cell phone was found on Sing Lee Alley and turned in to the Petersburg Police Department (PPD). An officer removed debris from the roadway on Mitkof Highway. Andrew Bergen, 33, was cited for driving without a valid driver’s license. July 11 – An officer helped a porcupine out of the roadway near Libby Straits. An officer observed music and lights on, as well as an open door, at a business on Mitkof Highway and notified an employee. An officer responded to a parking complaint. PPD recei...
Coast Guard Sector Southeast received a call Tuesday morning, shortly before 10:00 a.m., that the Petersburg-based seiner the Pamela Rae was taking on water in Anita Bay, located on Etolin Island near Wrangell. The call came from the F/V Confidence, relaying a call from their sister fishing vessel Barbara which was on the scene and providing samaritan support, U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. Matt Naylor told the Pilot. The Pamela Rae was taking on water fast and was rolling over. They had...
June 27, 1924 – The cannery of P.E. Harris at Scow Bay ran through 800 salmon Monday. This was the second salmon to be canned this season around Petersburg. The Mountain Packing Company was the first, having run through 86 cases last Saturday. The trollers have been making big hauls. Otto Sutter of the Fidalgo Packing Company, who was in town recently, reported that the big run in the Copper River district near Cordova was of short duration. The Petersburg packing Company canned fish Thursday. The Kingsmill Brought the fish from Colpoys and Eag...
June 12 – An officer responded to a parking complaint on South Nordic Drive and a vehicle was moved at their direction. A complainant spoke with an officer concerning a civil matter. A quarterly sex offender registration was completed. The Petersburg Police Department (PPD) received a post-event report of suspicious activity. PPD received a report of a speeding vehicle at Libby Straits. An officer responded to a noise complaint on South 3rd Street. June 13 – An officer responded to a report of suspicious activity on Birch Street and determined...
After a six hour search, divers recovered the body of a woman who perished due to a boat collision between a 20-foot Hewescraft skiff and a 58-foot commercial fishing vessel in the Wrangell Narrows near the mouth of Blind Slough on Wednesday morning. A second individual, thrown from the skiff into the water, was rescued by a good samaritan on-scene, according to a USCG press release. "We offer our sincerest condolences to those affected by this terrible tragedy," said Coast Guard Lt. Katy...
On Saturday, the Petersburg Community Foundation (PCF) granted over $26,000 to nine Petersburg nonprofits and awarded Volunteer of the Year to Jim Stolpe. The Petersburg Community Foundation formed in 2008 as a local affiliate of the Alaska Community Foundation (ACF). PCF continues to grow its community grant-making endowment fund, thanks to the support of the Rasmuson Foundation, ACF, and generous local charitable giving. Every year, dividends from its investments are used to provide financial...
On Monday, Assistant State Fire Marshal Mark Brauneis traveled to Petersburg to announce that Captain Daniel Bird of Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department is the recipient of the 2023 Ken Akerley Fire Service Leadership Award. Recipients of this statewide award are nominated by their peers from among Alaska's 8,000 firefighters. The criteria to be deserving of this award, Brauneis said, the candidate "must exhibit an extraordinary commitment to leading in their fire department and earning the tru...
"I want to thank the crew serving today, and all who served aboard Anacapa over these many years, for their dedication and service to our country," said Rear Admiral Charles Fosse, commander of United States Coast Guard District 13, during the decommissioning ceremony for USCG cutter Anacapa on April 26 in Port Angeles, Washington. Commissioned in 1990, Anacapa spent 32 of its 34 years homeported in Petersburg, and the last two years in Port Angeles. The 110-foot Coast Guard Cutter carried a... Full story
PMEA supports the teachers union To the Editor: We, the members of the Petersburg Municipal Employees Association Union (PMEA), support the Associated Teachers of Petersburg Union (ATP). As fellow public servants and advocates for quality education, we recognize the vital role that teachers and staff play in shaping the future of our community. We stand firmly behind the ATP in their current ongoing negotiations for a fair and equitable labor agreement. We believe that investing in our teachers is an investment in the future of Petersburg....
April 24 – The 3rd Street pump station alarm activated. Water Wastewater (W/WW) was notified and responded. An officer spoke to an individual on 2nd Street concerning a civil issue. Found property was returned to its owner. An officer assisted a citizen. Concerned children called the Petersburg Police Department (PPD) to request assistance for an individual on South 2nd Street. An officer responded and spoke with the children. An officer responded to a parking complaint on Scow Bay Loop Road and found the vehicle had left the area. An o...
This Friday, the Petersburg Police Department and the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department are turning up the heat for the annual Guns and Hoses Chili Cook-off fundraiser. This will be the third year Don and Julie Spigelmyre have hosted the cook-off. The event was dreamed up by the couple on an airplane ride from Michigan to Petersburg. "We got to talking about how much we appreciate the volunteerism with the fire department," Don told the Petersburg Pilot. The Spigelmyres decided they wanted to...
"Scenario, scenario, scenario. This is only a drill. There has been an airplane crash at the end of the runway," a voice called out from the emergency fire dispatch radio on April 6. "Repeat, this is only a drill." An emergency drill that occurs once every three years took place Saturday afternoon when members of the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department, Emergency Medical Services and Search and Rescue simulated a response to an airplane crash at the Petersburg airport runway. The first unit to...
March 27 – An officer responded to a report of suspicious activity and determined it was unfounded. Kylene Hedlund, 31, was arrested on charges of allegedly violating conditions of release. A caller reported that someone wrote in the dust on a work vehicle. An officer responded to a report of theft. Petersburg Police Department (PPD) received a report of a single vehicle accident. A warning was issued for an expired registration. March 28 – An officer responded to a report of theft and determined it was unfounded. PPD received a report of a w...
Everett Bennett is set to serve as the new tribal administrator for the Petersburg Indian Association. PIA announced earlier this week that Bennett was officially hired for the job and will start on May 20. "The council is extremely excited to have them started as the new tribal administrator," PIA Council President Debra O'Gara told the Pilot. "They come with a lot of experience ... I could go on and on..." Born and raised in Petersburg, Bennett is a tribal citizen who has served the community...
February 28 – An officer assisted with a lockout on Wrangell Avenue. An officer assisted in contacting individuals blocking the snow plow on Fram Street. An officer assisted with a lockout on Mitkof Highway. Chris Haerling was cited on Mitkof Highway at Hungerford Hill Road for operating a vehicle without a valid license and failure to provide proof of insurance. A deer was killed on Sandy Beach Road and its meat was salvaged. An officer assisted with a lockout on 4.5 Street. An officer responded to a reported loud noise on North 2nd Street, b...
Just before the winter storm rolled into Petersburg Saturday night, business owners and members of the community gathered upstairs at Elks Lodge for the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet. During the banquet, the chamber named Rocky's Marine as Petersburg's 2024 Business of the Year. Rocky's Marine is a family owned boat dealership specializing in Yamaha Outboards, serving Southeast since first opening in Petersburg in 1980. Announcing the award from the stage, chamber president Jim...
February 21 – An officer responded to a report of a puppy wandering on Mitkof Highway. A protective order was served on Chief John Lott Street. An officer conducted a civil standby on Chief John Lott Street. A report of theft was filed with the Petersburg Police Department (PPD). February 22 – PPD received a report of suspicious activity. PPD received a report of a blown transformer on Kiseno Street. Petersburg Power and Light (PP&L) was notified and responded. An officer provided lockout assistance on Rambler Street. An officer assisted Emerge...
Petersburg became the 19th organized borough in Alaska on Jan. 3, 2013 after the town’s borough vote was certified. In the early 2000s, the City of Petersburg tried to annex all of Mitkof Island after receiving public pushback on forming a borough. This caused an upset outside of city limits for residents who did not want to pay the same taxes as residents inside the city limits. Eventually, after years of mediation and piles of paperwork, a compromise was made and the Petersburg Borough, which encompasses 3,829 square miles of land and w...
The second week of blood draw appointments for the upcoming 2024 Community Health and Safety Fair wrapped up today - with a few appointment slots remaining before blood testing draws to a close on March 7. The health fair blood draw tests are discounted tests that PMC offers the community every other year. PMC Community Wellness Manager Julie Walker said health fair blood draws are an opportunity for people to "know your numbers" and discover health risks that may otherwise go unnoticed, and to...
Thank you Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department! To the Editor: January 10th at 2:30 am, we were woken to a sound like a jet engine, only to see one of our outbuildings engulfed in flames. The building that housed our hot tub, sauna and large freezer caught on fire and burnt to the ground. In the building were 4 small propane tanks and one medium sized tank. Fortunately the tanks all vented at the top valve, so there were no explosions, just forge like heat. Even though everything in the building mostly melted from the intense heat, no one was...
