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Ongoing concern about cruise ships dumping their grey water and sewage into Petersburg's harbors and nearby waters caused assembly members to agree on Friday that the borough needs to take some form of action. "I was at the harbor on Tuesday and that was all I could think about," said Assembly Member Jeff Meucci. "'Oh that's great. There's stuff in there.' I think we need to sort it out with [the cruise ship industry] and let them know it's not acceptable here." At the start of the assembly...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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 assembly on Monday continued its discussion on the possibility of charging a marine passenger fee to all vessels that enter borough waters. “Currently we aren’t charging cruise ships that come to Petersburg, though most of the communities around Southeast are,” said Jeff Meucci, an assembly member. “And I’m just trying to sort out how we would be a part of that process.” At first the assembly proposed a committee but members later voted to have a work session instead, a decision that could streamline the approach. The Harbor...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly talked at length in a meeting last week about forming a tax committee, made of community members who could explain how tax finances work and eventually bring recommendations to the council. “I’ve had a chance to talk to several members of the community who had all kinds of questions about senior citizen property tax exemptions and overall sales tax,” said Jeff Meucci, an assembly member. “And what the trends are.” As a result, the assembly agreed to ask community members to sit on a short term – possibly si...
WRANGELL — Later this month the region’s economic development organization will be meeting in Haines to discuss new trends, problems and opportunities it will face in the coming year. Representing many of the area’s municipalities, federally-recognized tribes, businesses, government agencies and organizations, Southeast Conference holds two major forums each year, in the spring and in the fall. Its autumn meeting is its biggest, in past years drawing hundreds to hear about and discuss concerns unique to the region, from transportation and u...
The Lady Vikings’ basketball team traveled to Anchorage for the Rally of The Regions Tourney and ended up going 3-1. Head coach Dino Brock said the team performed well all weekend and he had no complaints about dropping a game. “I was very happy with the first games of the year,” Brock said. “I thought we got exactly what we wanted. We saw improvement from every player, from the first game to the last game.” The team also impressed coach Brock with its improvement on offense and defense as the weekend progressed. The junior varsity team show...
The PHS boys basketball team had enough players last weekend to have two squads participate in the JV Little Norway tournament held in Petersburg. Assistant coach Jeb Phillips has been helping coach locally for three years because he enjoys working with different groups of kids. And this year's group of freshmen is impressing their coach so far with their play and presence. "Most of these kids are little dribblers throughout their careers so, it's pretty fun," he said. "And we have more freshmen...
Petersburg Borough clerk Debbie Thompson gave the following Borough Manager’s Report during the assembly meeting on Oct. 18. Representatives of the Rasmuson Foundation and Alaska Community Foundation were able to visit the Children’s Center last week and tour the new classrooms. Next week Sandy Dixson will be attending the Fall Preparedness Conference and Local Emergency Planning Committee Association meeting in Anchorage. Attendance is Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHS&EM) grant requirements. Dixson and Fire Chi...
Topi Karikorpi is this year's inbound Rotary Long Term Exchange student and he's been enjoying island life for two months now. He comes from a small village in Finland, and says he likes the size of Petersburg. "I live in a very little village in Finland," he says. "I live in a forest, literally." Other exchange students from his country went to Florida and Brazil, but Karikorpi, 18, is glad he was chosen to live in Alaska. "I want to learn more about the culture of America and meet new people,"...
