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The United States Coast Guard has located possible debris from an aircraft with three people onboard that was due to land in Kake Tuesday evening at 6:19 P.M., according to a USCG press release. On board the Guardian King Air 200 medical life flight, which departed from Anchorage, was a pilot, a nurse and a paramedic who were planning on picking up a patient in Kake. Because of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations, representatives from Kake Health Clinic and Guardian...
The United States Coast Guard suspended its 63-hour search Thursday evening for an overdue Guardian King Air 200 medical life flight near Kake. On board were pilot Patrick Coyle, 63, flight nurse Stacie Rae Morse, 30, and flight paramedic Margaret Langston Allen, 43. "Suspending a search for any reason is one of the most difficult decisions we have to make," said Capt. Stephen White, Sector Juneau commander in a USCG press release. "This was an extensive search effort in some very challenging... Full story
As the United States Government shutdown continues into its fourth week, employees of local federal government agencies such as the United States Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Transportation Security Administration are carrying on without pay, while others have been furloughed. On Tuesday, the United States Coast Guard reached its first pay period where personnel did not receive a paycheck. After the shut down began on Dec. 22, those in the USCG that were still working and had not been furloughed received a...
January The borough assembly received a proposed update to its zoning code that would introduce a new form of affordable housing, an expansion of the historical and industrial districts and the end of a requirement for businesses to include parking downtown. The borough assembly held a work session to discuss a plan to impose restrictions on the senior tax exemption. A possible annual fee to sales tax exemption card holders was agreed upon ranging between $50 and $60. Police Chief Kelly Swihart...
The United States Government shut down at midnight Eastern Standard Time on Dec. 22 after the Senate failed to come up with an agreement on a spending deal, which resulted with interruptions in the operations of government agencies, including the United States Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration and the United States Forest Service. Despite falling under the Department of Homeland Security, one of the agencies that were impacted significantly, the USCG will continue to provide essential services, including search and rescue...
The Petersburg Borough’s in-kind portion of a feasibility study to determine if the United States Army Corps of Engineers will dredge South Harbor and allow smoother egress increased by $50,000, and was approved by the assembly on Monday. “The money stays with us,” said harbormaster Glow Wollen at the assembly meeting on Monday. “We only use it if we spend it for this project. The borough’s in-kind contributions have increased to $100,000, from $50,000, which the borough has paid $32,349.11 of to date, according to a letter from Amber C....
On July 25 at 9:20 P.M., the United States Coast Guard suspended their search for John Phillips, 59, who went missing when the vessel he was on capsized in Nushagak Bay, according to a release from the USCG. A Jayhawk crew searched more than 25 square nautical miles and 23 miles of coastline for approximately six hours, according to the release. "Ending a search is never easy, especially when working alongside so many people dedicated to finding the missing person,” said Lt. Stephen Nolan, District 17 Command duty officer, in a release. ...
January The Borough assembly started approval of a program called Local Improvement Districts, which asks Petersburg residents whether they would pay for road work in their neighborhoods. The Petersburg School Board discussed the possible loss of federal funding through a program called Secure Rural Schools. The school district reported a case of a Pertussis, or whooping cough, confirmed in Petersburg. Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter said it was not a public health emergency. An engineer led...
December 14, 1917 “The Flag” is the title of a neat little booklet issued for use of the public schools by Professor Lester D. Henderson, territorial commissioner of education. The history of the American flag is given in brief form, together with suggestions and rules for the proper use and care of the flag. In the preface Professor Henderson ssys: “The flag of the United States should symbolize our national ideals and should call to the mind of each individual his duties as a patriotic citizen….” December 18, 1942 Last Saturday evening the Vi...
The borough assembly on Monday approved a trip to Washington, D.C., where two Petersburg representatives will advocate for its federal priorities. The trip puts the borough over its travel budget by nearly $5,000, a point of dispute members had before voting. The borough on Monday scheduled a trip to D.C. for the end of January 2018. The borough manager and mayor will spend about three days in meetings with lawmakers trying to advocate for federal money for Petersburg. Kurt Wohlhueter began his discussion -- and later repeated it -- on the...
WRANGELL - Wrangell emergency responders took part in a search for a missing canoer on the Stikine River earlier this month. Fire Chief Tim Buness reported a call had been received for assistance at around 5 p.m. on August 3. "We had a couple of canoers canoing by the Great Glacier," he said, on the Canadian side of the river about 10 miles from the border. The craft had turned over in the fast-moving water at around 3 p.m., spilling two men into the river. "One of the guys made it up to the...
On Aug. 1 at approximately 12:52 p.m., Alaska State Troopers received a report from the International Response Coordination Center (IRCC) regarding an SOS activation from an InReach personal locator beacon (PLB). The GPS coordinates provided indicated that the signal came from Thunder Mountain approximately 11 miles east of Petersburg at approximately 1900’. The United States Coast Guard responded to the area and located 42 year old Ryan Littleton of Petersburg who was not in distress and the SOS function was accidentally activated. L...
WRANGELL – Wrapping up a visit to Wrangell over the weekend, cruise ship The World was on its way to Petersburg late Monday when a medical emergency took precedence. Wrangell Fire Chief Tim Buness received a call from the local emergency dispatcher at around 8:15 p.m., relaying that the vessel required assistance. He contacted the United States Coast Guard about the situation. At 644 feet, The World is the largest private residential ship on earth. During its several-day stay in Wrangell it r...
One of the newest United States Coast Guard fast response cutters, the John McCormick, made a stop in Petersburg on Tuesday as part of its southeast Alaska tour of the communities it serves. "We definitely didn't want to miss you guys," Capt. Michael Moyseowicz said about Petersburg. "Being the new ship, we wanted to stop in all the communities that we serve." The cutter is 154 feet in length, it holds 16,000 gallons of fuel and can remain at 12 knots speed for 13 consecutive days. There are...
July 20, 1917 – Joseph Maddock, manager and A.G. Pritchard, president of the Glacier Fish Company expressed themselves as well pleased with the work so far accomplished on the cold-storage project at Scow Bay and the plans for its completion as arranged by Nels Nelson, the company’s northern agent. The completed work includes the dock, mess and bunk house, and shore warehouse. The freezing plant is to have capacity for 20 tons of ice per day. There will be a large storage room provided for ice and bait. July 24, 1942 – Local board headq...
A 73-year-old woman from England who sailed the Northwest Passage was at the Petersburg Library Wednesday evening to present on a novel she wrote during the voyage. Jane Maufe started the presentation by praising her sailing mate, David Cowper. Cowper, 75, has conducted seven round trips from England - through the Northwest Passage - to Alaska and back, a 22,000 mile voyage. Maufe joined Cowper in 2012 when he invited her on his seventh bout through the Northwest Passage. It was the first consid...
On July 2, at about 1:10 p.m., the Alaska State Troopers were notified that a boat had ran aground in Herring Bay on Admiralty Island and one of the occupants, Willis Cavanaugh, 59 of Kake, was missing. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) was coordinating the Search and Rescue response. At about 4:22 p.m. AST was notified that Willis was located deceased about a mile offshore of Pt. Macartney by a good Samaritan. Next of kin has been notified. The State Medical Examiner requested the body be sent for autopsy....
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) – A report by the U.S. Coast Guard shows that fatal recreational-boating accidents in Alaska have doubled over the last year. There were 14 fatal boating wrecks that killed 19 people in Alaska in 2016, the Ketchikan Daily News reported. That’s seven more boating accidents and 12 more fatalities than reported in the state in 2015. Four of the fatal 2016 accidents took place in southeast Alaska, the Alaska Public Information Office said. The number of recreational-boating accidents has increased nationwide over the pas...
The United States Coast Guard change of command ceremony was Thursday at Sandy Beach Park where 26-year-old Lt. Rachel Kent took over the Petersburg-based USCG Cutter ANACAPA. On a damp Thursday morning, Kent, who previously was aboard the USCGC MIDGETT in Seattle, relieved Lt. Cmdr. Pete Vermeer, who was at the helm for two years. Vermeer's accolades include two Coast Guard Commendation medals, the Coast Guard Achievement medal, the Commandant's Letter of Commendation and numerous service,...
WRANGELL – An updated schedule for next month's Independence Day festivities was put out this week by Wrangell's Chamber of Commerce. The big change in this year's lineup will be the return of boat racing, after a dry spell of nearly three decades. Heading up the organization of that effort were Penny Allen and Clay Hammer, who with Jay Einert and John Waddington figured out what needed to be done to get the event back into the water. Routes have been plotted out, rules drawn up and insurance s...
The Petersburg Assembly unanimously approved its budget last week for the upcoming year that starts July 1 and runs through June 2018. Over three meetings and three readings of the proposed budget, the Assembly grappled with a change worth about $160,000. A vote to delete a fourth lineman position from the Power & Light budget ultimately passed unanimously on the third reading. "[The Assembly] went back and forth on this," said Petersburg Borough Manager Stephen Giesbrecht. "I can't speak for...
Extremely proud To the Editor: It is not too often that we hear about the accomplishments of our PHS graduates. We are extremely proud of Joseph Zarlengo as a U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduate. He also graduated with a mechanical engineering degree and a commission as an ensign, which is change of ranking as the lowest commissioned officer, ranking next below a lieutenant. We find a huge disappointment in our newspaper for thinking that this news is back page news. I say when you have such great accomplishments and are from our small town of...
The Petersburg High School Class of 2017 ended their K through 12 tenures at a commencement ceremony Tuesday evening. Petersburg gave diplomas to 29 students. Of those, 24 will attend, or plan to attend, a university, community college or trade school. Four others intend to seek a career in photography, aquaculture, engineering, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration and travel. One more, Alan McCay, plans to enlist in the United States Coast Guard. Forty-five scholarships...
Last week the United States Senate passed an omnibus bill to fund the government through the end of Fiscal Year 2017. A member of the Appropriations Committee and Chairman of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) announced a series of provisions within the bill that will provide resources to support programs with significant impacts in communities throughout the state. “With our state in the midst of a fiscal crisis, this bill will provide a much-needed boost to our economy. The bill provides new investments f...
