Sorted by date Results 101 - 111 of 111
WRANGELL–Governor Mike Dunleavy announced two new statewide health mandates Monday, March 23, in response to the ongoing spread of COVID-19 in Alaska. These are the ninth and tenth health mandates the state government has announced regarding the virus. Many local communities have been taking steps of their own to mitigate the risk of the virus spreading further. These mandates, however, are meant to help statewide efforts to combat COVID-19. The first of these two mandates, Mandate 009 took ef...
The Petersburg Borough as enacted a second public health mandate on Thursday afternoon that cancels certain borough boards and commission meetings through April 30 as COVID-19 worries continue. Public Health Mandate #02, which was signed by Incident Commander Karl Hagerman and is effective immediately, prevents the Petersburg Borough Planning Commission, Harbors and Ports Advisory Board, Library Advisory Board and the Public Safety Advisory Board from meeting until April 30, at which time... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved public health alert #01 at a special meeting on Sunday, March 22, which strongly urges the public to "shelter in place" to prepare for and mitigate the severity of a possible COVID-19 outbreak. The health alert does not mandate that resident shelter in place, it only encourages the public to do so. The borough assembly received about 40 letters from the public requesting the assembly support the health alert, but a majority of the letters also requested... Full story
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska political leaders on Wednesday hailed as historic the passage of federal legislation that will allow for oil and gas drilling in a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The state’s Republican congressional delegation sees it as a win decades in the making, one they say will provide a boost for this oil-reliant state. Environmental groups see it as a big mistake and say the fight isn’t over. The drilling provision was part of a larger package _ a major restructuring of U.S. tax policy _ that also repeals a...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – A third air ambulance will be servicing a southeastern Alaska community. Juneau patients got a third option for their medical evacuation needs in early May, the Juneau Empire reportedLifeMed Alaska joins Airlift Northwest and Guardian as an air ambulance service in the area, a frequent stop for tourists. LifeMed Alaska has two Lear jets based in Juneau that can carry two patients each. Their medical team is experienced in pediatric, obstetric and neonatal care as well as adult care. LifeMed Alaska is the preferred provider...
The bill giving the green light to an exchange of thousands of acres of land between the Alaska Mental Health Trust and the U.S. Forest Service was introduced in Juneau this week. Rep. Dan Ortiz, I-Ketchikan, filed House Bill 155 on Monday. It authorizes the trust to go ahead with an exchange of more than 17,000 acres of trust land for 20,000 acres of rural Forest Service timber land. In the process, the exchange would eliminate the possibility of logging on trust-owned land on Deer Mountain and above the Mitkof Highway in Petersburg. Those...
A snag in Sitka that was holding up progress on a state bill to help the Alaska Mental Health Trust with its land exchange — and thereby prevent logging on Deer Mountain — has been resolved, putting the bill on track to be introduced this session. State and federal lawmakers, at the behest of the trust, have been working on legislation that would mandate the U.S. Forest Service exchange more than 20,000 acres of rural timber land for approximately 17,000 acres of trust land located near Ketchikan, Meyers Chuck, Petersburg, Wrangell, Sitka and...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly gathered in its newly renovated municipal building this week during its February 27 meeting. During the meeting, the assembly passed 5-2 in its final reading an ordinance updating from city to borough code a Local Improvement District (LID) that allows for property owner-funded capital improvement projects. The ordinance would, in part, take advantage of the SECON asphalt plant while it’s in town by offering residents of select neighborhoods the opportunity to pay for their streets to be paved. The assembly a...
JUNEAU (AP) — Work furloughs. Cuts to public broadcasting, pre-kindergarten programs and the University of Alaska system. Closure of a youth detention facility in Nome. These are among the recommendations that have emerged as House subcommittees tasked with delving into state department budgets were finishing their work. The House Finance Committee will consider the recommendations in drafting its version of the state operating budget. It plans to take public testimony Monday through Thursday. State leaders face tough decisions as they g...
After two years of work Petersburg Mental Health Services (PMHS) has earned a three-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). This is the first such accreditation PMHS has earned from the international accrediting body. “This has been a process we’ve been working on for two years,” said PHMS Executive Director Susan Ohmer. The organization began undergoing the accreditation process in 2013 as part of a state mandate for grantees of behavioral health services. Since then PMHS staff, heade...
At the Oct. 23 meeting of the Petersburg Indian Association Board, Jeanette Ness was appointed to the vacant seat on the board. Ronelle Beardsly, who stepped down from the board seven months ago due to health reasons, formerly held the position. According to PIA board mandate, the open slot should have been filled at the meeting following Beardsly’s departure. “I received the next highest number of votes at the last election,” Ness said. “I should have been appointed seven months ago.” N... Full story
