Sorted by date Results 176 - 200 of 504
With approximately 400 members of the Inlandboatmen's Union going on strike last Wednesday, July 24, operations of the Alaska Marine Highway System have come to a halt. Without ferry services, many people across the state, especially in Southeast Alaska, found themselves stranded. In the communities of Wrangell and Petersburg, many people are facing disruptions to their schedules, families, and work. WRANGELL: Several of Wrangell's children and adults attending a church camp in Juneau were...
A fisherman reported raw sewage had been dumped into Frederick Sound near Le Conte Bay on the morning of July 10, but the cruise ship Le Soléal's captain, Erwan Le Rouzic, said any sewage found in the bay could not have been from them. "This cannot be us," wrote Le Rouzic in a statement to Dave Berg of Viking Travel. "It is impossible. We are strictly following the most stringent rules in Alaska waters." Berg first contacted Le Rouzic after some fishermen noticed a presence of "long brown...
This past May was not my first visit to Petersburg as a Senator, but it was my first time attending the Little Norway Festival. And what a weekend it was! Little Norway is giving "Big" Norway a run for its money. I felt right at home from the moment I got off the plane. The Vikings and Valkyries were quick to whisk me away in the Grog Van and get the festivities and fun underway. I was sure to grab a Dale sweater at Lee's before the parade to fit right in (and avoid a second visit to Viking jail...
Clair Byrer Parents: Carli and Michael Byrer Number of years in Petersburg schools: 13 High School awards or honors: ASTE People’s Choice, ASTE First Place Digitally Enhanced Photo, National Honor Society, 4 years of Honor Roll Plans following graduation: Travelling and learning new knitting techniques Favorite music genre? Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Israel Collison Parents: Jeremy and Marissa Collison Number of years in Petersburg schools: 12 Plans following graduation: Study Mechanics Joshua E Coonrad Parents: Mark and G...
The Viking Swim Club scored second place in Juneau this past weekend at the 2019 Southeast Championships behind the Glacier Swim Club of Juneau which has 10 times as many swimmers as Petersburg. Brooklyn Whitethorn, Olivia Hinde, Lexie Tow and Abby Worhatch competed in the 200 yard freestyle relay in the 10 and under age group and came in first place. The group went on to come in second place in the 200 yard medley relay. On the boys side, Jonas Baekkelund, Noah Pawuk, Logan Tow and Logan Haley...
A town hall meeting was called by Mayor Mark Jensen last week to hear comments and concerns from the public regarding Gov. Mike Dunleavy's proposed budget for the 2020 fiscal year. The community was overwhelmingly against the proposed budget, which would balance Alaska's $1.6 billion deficient by cutting expenditures to equal revenues without create new sources of revenue. According to a document created by the borough, Petersburg could face a total economic impact of over $3 million. It was...
The boys varsity basketball team won two games against Craig at home over the weekend, with Saturday's game finishing with a 55-point lead for the Vikings. Right away the Vikings jumped to an 11-point lead at the start of Friday's game; one thing that the team has been working on all year was their ability to gain a lead early in the game and keep it. The Panthers made three 3-point shots early on in the second quarter closing Petersburg's lead. The game went back and forth for the duration of t...
February 7, 1919 “Petersburg Prices Will Prevail” says a headline in the Juneau Dispatch of a recent date. Following the headline is a story to the effect that the fish buyer there will pay the prices prevailing in Petersburg and will endeavor in that way to induce the fishermen to make their headquarters there. The article also states that the Dagney marketed 5,000 pounds of fish for fourteen and a half cents on that day, stating that it was the Petersburg price. As a matter of fact Petersburg price for halibut on that day, January 29th, was...
January 17, 1919 The fishing season is again on and during the past week eight of the Petersburg fleet have outfitted and left for the fishing banks. Five of these boats are after halibut and the others are out for fish of other kind. Several of the fishing fleet are preparing to leave port within the next few days, and the next two weeks will probably see every fishing boat in port working to reap its share of the finny harvest of the deep. Among those about ready to leave are the Myra, Dependent, and Hazel. January 21, 1944 Word of much...
Petersburg hosted the Little Norway Tournament this past weekend with the boys junior varsity basketball team placing third overall and the Lady Vikings coming in second. The boys JV team lost their first game of the basketball tournament against Thunder Mountain 37-43, but they were able to make a comeback in their second game, which was against another Thunder Mountain team, and won 70-44. On Saturday, the Vikings had their last game of the tournament against Sitka. They weren't able to carry...
The Petersburg High School boys varsity team won two out of three games in a basketball tournament in Nome over the weekend, and came in second place over all. On Thursday, the team’s first game was against Grace Christian School. The first quarter ended with the Vikings behind 10-12. Grace Christian is an aggressive and quick team and has a strong half court defense, said Viking head coach Richard Brock. Petersburg went into half time down 18-30. “We missed some makeable shots and they don’t give you very many opportunities to score,” said Br...
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...
December 27, 1918 No paper was published this week December 31, 1943 Lt. A. Langdon, chairman of the Petersburg Christmas Cheer committee, turned in a final report of the committee’s activities this year. Organizations participating in this work include the P.T.A., Daughters of Norway, Sons of Norway, Lutheran Ladies Aid, American Legion, Rotary Club, The Trading Union, Inc., Legion Auxiliary. The Salvation Army usually makes a donation if there are not sufficient funds to cover expenditures, and the Salvation Army officer has charge of the w...
The Petersburg School Board awarded the food service renovation bid to Jay-Brant General Contractors based out of Homer and transferred $300,000 from the allocated capital funds to the food service renovation. Jay-Brant General Contractors had the lowest bid out of three other bidders at $1,473,322. The state has the project on its capital projects list and will be funding 65 percent of the total costs, according to the school board. The food service renovation will build a full commercial...
On Monday, the borough assembly voted against sending a letter drafted by Mayor Mark Jensen to Viking Cruise Lines stating that Petersburg isn't ready for larger cruise ships to come to town. In the letter, Jensen said the town isn't ready to handle more than 250 tourists from ships in any given day, and he is concerned with an increase in traffic flow during the busy, summer months on Nordic Dr. He also writes that he is worried that larger cruise ships could lead to Petersburg becoming a touri...
The borough assembly wisely voted against sending Mayor Jensen’s letter to Viking Cruise Lines asking them to refrain from bringing their ships here until Petersburg can determine what level of tourism it can handle. The letter suggested that Petersburg can only handle 250 visitors per day. In fact, Petersburg regularly handles much larger numbers throughout the summer in addition to summer cannery workers and visitors arriving on the airlines and ferries. Sales tax revenue from visitors is needed to replenish the borough coffers as more and m...
The Petersburg Swim Club hosted a home meet over the weekend that saw over 80 swimmers from Craig, Wrangell, Ketchikan and Petersburg participate. "Petersburg did really good," said head coach Andy Carlisle. "We had a couple kids that did great." The swim club operates a little differently from the high school swim team. They have more events and have swimmers from all ages, from kindergarteners to high school seniors. There are about 456 kids in this year's swim club. The season follows the sch...
The Petersburg Chamber of Commerce hosted a public meeting on Tuesday to discuss and receive community feedback on the possibility of larger cruise ships coming to Petersburg. In August, Viking Cruises met with representatives from Petersburg while looking for possible new ports in Southeast Alaska for 2020. The ships can hold approximately 900 passengers and 140 crew members. "If you think about this as a win-win situation, some of these ships they provide a visitor base, not only for visitors...
Petersburg High School’s varsity volleyball team competed in its first seeding tournament winning four out of six games October 19-20. On Friday, Petersburg defeated both Skagway and Klawock. The game against Skagway went for three matches with Petersburg winning 25-10, 26-24 and 25-13. “Friday's game against a very good Klawock team pushed us to the limit,” said head coach Jaime Cabral. “We found ourselves up 2 games to 1 and in the 4th set down 24-19. Kaili Simbahon assisted in serving us to win the game 26-24 in an exciting game.” Petersbur...
The borough assembly on Monday voted in favor of removing a discussion item from its agenda, which addressed the possibility of 900-passenger cruise ships stopping in Petersburg in 2020. “I think we just need to delay this,” said assembly member Nancy Strand. “We have a lot of things to discuss and it’s completely unnecessary to discuss it at this time.” Member Kurt Wohlhueter supported the decision stating the topic needs to have a community discussion before anything goes on the record. Mayor Mark Jensen, who requested the item be added to th...
James Christopher Jensen was born in Petersburg, Alaska on March 18, 1954. His parents, Gordon and Helmi Jensen, and his sister Sue welcomed him to his childhood home on Wrangell Avenue, a paradise of kids and dogs and a street where everyone knew what to do with a gaff hook, a krumkaka iron or a basketball. It the 1950s it was the age of radio, the steamship and a community much smaller but as full of life as it is today. Chris grew up on the family seiner, the Symphony, their longliner... Full story
Clarification To the Editor: Thank you to the Petersburg Pilot for the coverage of the 1st annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Walk/Run. I would like to clarify that while my granddaughter Amalia was correctly identified as Alaska Native, I am not. I am however a proud member of the Seetka Kwann Dance group, founded in 1990 and led by Jeanette Ness. Many thanks to SEARHC, WAVE, PIA and Petersburg Parks and Rec for coordinating this event and to all who participated. Karin McCullough Senior exemption thorny issue To the Editor: The...
Hagfish is the real name for what is commonly called slime eels and it could become a viable fishery with ready markets standing by. Little is known about hagfish in Alaska, although they are commonly caught elsewhere in the U.S. and abroad. In Oregon, for example, a fleet of 15 to 20 boats catches up to two million pounds each year in customized five gallon buckets or large barrels and pay fishermen up to $1.25 a pound. Now, two Alaska biologists are testing the waters for a fishery with longliner in Southeast who were given a special permit...
May 24, 1918 Mayor Ness received a message from Mayor Matheson of Wrangell, Wednesday evening, stating the council of that city had wired to Food Administrator Gunnison that fishermen were arranging to quit, and recommending the changing of prices for king salmon to 5 cents for white and 9 cents for red, with an additional 1 cent per pound for delivery. The Petersburg council, in a message to Mr. Gunnison, indorsed (sic) the action of the Wrangell body. May 21, 1943 Organization of a local branch of the Coast Guard Auxiliary was completed at a...
