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Gov. Bill Walker stopped in Petersburg for a brief visit Friday, making the rounds for meetings and taking some time to participate in its Little Norway festivities. "It's perfect. I can't complain about a day like today," Walker commented, noting the afternoon's cloudless sunshine. He had attended Petersburg's distinctive festival before, but this year's trip was his first since being elected as governor four years ago. "I came down obviously to meet with various folks, but I was also in the...
Freedom is not free To the Editor: Memorial Day is another holiday to have cookouts and play. We may even put out the flag of our country. I do hope we take time to reflect about the sacrifice both men and women have given to the freedom and security of our country. Let us also not forget the sacrifice of family and friends whose loss of loved ones they have had to endure. We have a lot to be thankful for and I hope we do not take what we have for granted. Freedom is not free. Steve Murphy Wrangell, Alaska Successful shrimp dinner To the...
Petersburg's track and field teams each placed second at regionals for their divisions, with most of the team heading next to State this weekend. Competing at Thunder Mountain High School in Juneau, 21 of the team's 28 athletes qualified for the state-level meet in Anchorage, with a number of personal records set across the board. "It went great. We had 23 PRs on the first day, and I didn't even count the ones on the second day," remarked Brad Taylor, the Vikings coach. For the girls, freshman...
Many new events and activities, along with old favorites, will be featured during this year's 60th celebration of Petersburg's Little Norway Festival. At 4 p.m. Thursday at the public library, the Storyteller Pole Unveiling will be celebrated. Master Tlingit carver Tommy Joseph, from Sitka, created the work for the library. The Mitkof Mummer's play "Bigfoot," featuring a cast of zany characters guarantees a laugh a minute. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. at the Wright Auditorium on Thursday, Friday and...
The Petersburg Marine Mammal Center (PMMC) celebrated its 20th anniversary during a special event last Wednesday at the Petersburg Borough Chambers. Board members hosted an open house to share information about PMMC's education, outreach, and marine mammal stranding response programs. New members were recruited, and funds were raised through a silent auction and donations. Formed in 1998, PMMC was initially conceived as a resource for researchers studying the area's abundant marine mammals and...
Peter Christoffer Thynes Jr., 58, died on January 28, 2018 in Petersburg, Alaska. He was born April 15, 1959, the fourth son of Pete and Tora Thynes. Born and raised in Petersburg, he attended school here, except for a couple of years when his parents lived in Port Townsend while building the "Tora". Peter worked in a work study for Alaska Island Air his sophomore year, loading and unloading freight. There, he was able to go on the occasional flight with Lloyd to wash the beaver in Petersburg...
Over a period of 60 years, Petersburg has had four weekly newspapers, one of which operated under two different names. The Petersburg Pilot is the fifth paper and was founded on February 8, 1974. Newspaper history in Petersburg began on January 18, 1913 with the appearance of The Progressive, "published every Saturday" by J.E. Rivard and J. Frederick Johnson. Rivard was editor. The Progressive survived only a year. Johnson's name last appeared on the masthead on March 8, 1913 and the paper's...
Baseball is back, despite a thick layer of ice covering the diamonds in Petersburg. The Viking high school tteam has practiced in the gym for about a month and is scheduled to host Ketchikan in less time. “That’s the toughest part,” Coach Jim Engell said practicing inside. “I hate the fact that it’s out of my control.” This year’s group is young, much like last year’s winless team, and could see leadership from one junior and a few sophomores, Engell said. Some dozen kids are out right now, practicing indoors on pitching, hitting, fieldi...
The outlook for tourism in Petersburg this summer is showing an increase in cruise ship passengers, while the rate of independent travelers is still unclear. Dave Berg, co-founder of Viking Travel Inc., says cruise ships are scheduled to make 133 stops in Petersburg this summer, which is up from 110 last year. "More stops, more passengers," Berg said. That could mean more dollars spent in downtown businesses. "More sales tax," Berg said. "Which basically trickles down to the economy and it's...
The cheer team in Petersburg placed first last weekend at the regional tournament in Ketchikan, securing its fourth straight title and prompting area coaches to say the Vikings should compete against bigger schools. In the Petersburg boys basketball game against Metlakatla last Thursday, two people weren't watching the game. They were judges, tasked with observing the Petersburg cheer team. For about 20 minutes during warmups, through the second quarter and then a two-and-a-half-minute halftime...
Two high school teams from Petersburg competed in Seward last weekend in a state competition focusing on ocean sciences. This year Petersburg has nine students in the National Ocean Science Bowl. They are separated into two teams, with names created based on ocean puns. The freshman Petersburg team was called, simply, “Insert Team Tidal Here,” a boilerplate selection with a twist on the word title. The team included Jaden Perry, Liam Demko, Rose Lane and Taryn Copeland. Demko and Perry were the only members on that team who could attend the com...
There were four overtimes of free basketball on Saturday in the PHS boys matchup against Haines, where the Viking gym was deflated by a one point loss, but it was all made possible because of a last second three in regulation by a hometown senior. Petersburg lost to Haines on Saturday, 63-64. The overtime saga began when Mark Neidiffer, a Petersburg senior, made a last second three pointer off an out-of-bounds play with about two seconds remaining, tying the game 45-45. "His will to win and...
For the first time in a decade, the PHS Jazz Band traveled out of state for a festival, where the 18-person ensemble placed second in its category. The Viking jazz group had 20 minutes to impress judges at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington last weekend. There were about 40 schools and 1,300 musicians at the festival. Petersburg was placed in the Single A category, which is designated by schools with 600 students or fewer in the 10th, 11th and 12th grade. Petersburg doesn't even have 600...
February 1, 1918 The Juneau Dispatch of Jan. 23, states that Captain Madsen had arrived in Juneau that day, with the information that A. Hansen of Petersburg has been missing since December 21. Hansen experienced some engine trouble near Cape Fanshaw and lost his small boat early in December. He finally managed to get to the Gadner cannery, where he was outfitted with a small boat, rifle and supplies. This was three days before Christmas, and he has not been heard of since. February 5, 1943 From the looks of the town, Kayhi has arrived for its...
The Viking girls basketball team lost two games against Metlakatla last weekend, dropping its record to 2-6 on the season. On Friday, Metlakatla beat Petersburg 36-20, and then again on Saturday, 42-24. “To kind of summarize the game,” said Petersburg Coach Dino Brock, commenting on Saturday’s matchup. “[Metlakatla] put in their subs part way through the fourth quarter, and their subs went out and made like four out of five shots in a row.” In the first half, Metlakatla had four three-point field goals and added another in the second half. “I w...
Petersburg boys basketball took a team of eight to Unalaska this weekend where it struggled to shoot the ball, losing two games and dropping to a 1-5 record. The Vikings lost to Unalaska on Friday, 48-27, and Saturday 64-38. "That's a quality team we played," said Rick Brock, the Viking head coach. "Has to be one of the best teams in the state for what I've seen." With Petersburg shooting woes against Unalaska -- a team that's big, fast and can shoot, Brock said -- he was happy to see his team...
The borough assembly held a work session on Monday to discuss a plan to impose restrictions on who's eligible for senior sales tax exemption, along with a shorter talk on a passenger fee for cruise ships. In a public discussion, hosted by the assembly to hear community member input, an agreement was made that an annual fee ought to be charged to those who'd like a sales tax exemption card. The goal would be to offset costs that go into processing exemption cards for those 65 or older. The...
The Petersburg girls basketball team started its weekend series against Wrangell on Friday with its first win of the season, coming after a pair of free throws put the Vikings up one with seconds left. The second half of the lady's game on Friday saw two key Viking scores at the end of each break. A last second shot by Petersburg at the end of the third gave the team the lead heading into the fourth. And then again, with 4.9 seconds left in regulation, Petersburg was down two and Nina McCay was...
Petersburg boys basketball split two games with Wrangell last weekend, losing on Friday and coming better prepared for the rivalry matchup on Saturday, the coach said. Petersburg had to reach into its bench early in a game against Wrangell on Friday, which caused for a stop-and-go night with recurring scoring lulls. Petersburg lost 44-50. Mark Neidiffer, a Petersburg senior and one of its highest scorers, was benched after being whistled for two fouls early in the first quarter. Dale Strong,...
The Petersburg high wrestling team placed 22nd at the division two state tournament last week, where two Viking wrestlers placed top five in their weight classes. The Viking wrestling team sent five boys and two girls to the state championship in Anchorage. The only Vikings to place were senior Taegen Schwartz, who was fifth, and sophomore Jolyn Toyomura, who finished fourth in the girls championship. "We weren't really expecting to come out like we did last year, as far as team points," said...
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...
Petersburg High School boys basketball lost two games against Metlakatla last weekend, an outcome that underscored the Vikings' effort but punctuated its youth, the coach said. In Friday's game -- last year's 2A state championship matchup -- the Vikings jumped out to a 28-27 lead at the end of the half. Petersburg senior Mark Neidiffer led the way in scoring with 13 points in the first quarter and three in the second. He finished with 21. The start of the third quarter saw Metlakatla go on a...
