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Vice Mayor Jeigh Stanton Gregor will ask the Petersburg Borough Assembly on Monday to begin work on a borough-wide moratorium to prevent data centers that would use on-site power generation. The proposal would leave room for a smaller, grid-connected project like the one Mazzella Alaska has proposed for the former Ocean Beauty plant. At their meeting on Sept. 21, the assembly deadlocked 3-3 on a Planning Commission recommendation that was broader in one way and narrower in another. The commission had asked the assembly to start a one-year...
For the second year in a row, the Wrangell-Petersburg area has the lowest rental housing vacancy rate among 11 areas covered in the state’s annual survey. The combined vacancy rate for single-family rental homes and apartments in the two communities in March 2026 was 1.1%. That is far below the statewide median of 5.4%, and a lot lower than the 4.1% in Juneau, which is chronically short of housing. Fairbanks had the highest vacancy rate at 10.1%, followed by Ketchikan at 8.4%. This year’s Wrangell-Petersburg vacancy rate was much tighter tha...
Sarah Fine-Walsh Sarah Fine-Walsh moved to Petersburg six years ago, to her husband's hometown, and said she still feels lucky to live here. "I pinch myself a lot, especially on a beautiful sunny day when it's flat calm," she said at the candidates forum. That feeling is why she is running for one of two three-year seats on the Petersburg Borough Assembly. "When you feel really, really lucky to live somewhere, the least you can do is give back using the skills that you have to contribute and mak...
Jeigh Stanton Gregor Jeigh Stanton Gregor is seeking another three-year term on the Petersburg Borough Assembly, where he said he has served "a little over a decade now, in total." "I think I'm easy to work with. I'm approachable," he said at the assembly candidates forum. "If re-elected, I will work hard for everyone, whether they vote for me or not." He and his wife, Lea, have been married 19 years and own True North Counseling and Consultation, a private counseling practice. They have two...
Three of the four candidates for Alaska governor expressed support for growing tourism, mining, the state ferry system and other economic-related activities in Southeast Alaska at a candidate forum in Ketchikan on Tuesday, but with some very different views at times on how those goals can be achieved. Participating in the forum hosted by Southeast Conference at its annual meeting were Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, a Democratic former state legislator from Sitka; Dave Bronson, a former Republican mayor of Anchorage; and Treg Taylor, a former...
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A recommendation from the Petersburg Borough Planning Commission to place a one-year moratorium on data center development failed on a split vote at Monday’s Borough Assembly meeting. Assembly Members Scott Newman, Rob Schwartz and Jeff Meucci voted in favor of the moratorium; Vice Mayor Jeigh Stanton Gregor, Member Bob Martin and Mayor Bob Lynn voted against. Member James Valentine was traveling and excused. Without a majority approval, the motion failed. The Planning Commission asked the assembly to initiate an ordinance establishing a t...
Alaska Marine Lines is increasing its fuel surcharge to 22.5% on Sunday, up from the current rate of 16% and a rate of 9.5% in June 2025. The rate increased to 12% late that month, then dropped to 11% in November before spiking to 18.5% in early April — mirroring a large increase in global fuel prices due to the Iran war that started in late February. Fuel prices would subsequently drop — as did AML’s surcharge to 14.5% in late June before rising to 16% in late August — but are again surging, with some predictions they could go much higher....
WRANGELL - The early morning fire Sept. 15 that destroyed much of the Marine Bar building was started by an "electric heating element" underneath the building, according to a preliminary investigation two days later by the state fire marshal's office. "The fire is being classified as an accident," Austin McDaniel, communications director for the Department of Public Safety, said Sept. 18. McDaniel described the heating element as similar to heat tape, used to prevent exposed pipes from...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly on Monday amended and advanced Ordinance 2026-21, the adjustment to the borough’s annual budget for “known changes,” adding $150,000 to replace a failing sewer line on Gjoa Street before passing the package on a unanimous second reading. Monday’s amendment increases the Wastewater Fund by $150,000 to pay for the Gjoa Street Sewer Line Replacement Project. Asked by Member Bob Martin where the money would come from, Public Works Director Aaron Marohl said the borough plans to draw it from wastewater reserve...
Don and Karen Cornelius are a family of local artists, and this summer the Petersburg Public Library hosted back-to-back retrospectives for the two. Don Cornelius walked through the exhibition this week with the Pilot and reflected on decades of art – wildlife and landscape oil paintings from across Alaska, portraits of his children, a humorous and distinctive series of gnome paintings, and his two newest paintings completed this summer – all on display through the end of the month. Cor...
A controversial subdivision request will once again go in front of the Petersburg Borough Assembly acting as the Board of Adjustment in October. That's after Petersburg's Planning Commission rejected the request for a second time on Sept. 8. The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska's broadband company, Tidal Network, wants to build a tower on borough land near Petersburg's fire hall. The company has already constructed a tower at Mill Road and is in the process of...
Students at the Petersburg School District have seen strong results in last spring’s Alaska System of Academic Readiness statewide standardized test, also known as AK STAR. Students third through ninth grade were tested in English language arts and math. Every tested grade level arrived above the state’s median score in both tests. Districtwide, the amount of Petersburg students who scored “advanced” and “proficient” on both tests was 10% higher than the state average. Superintendent Robyn Taylor said those numbers are great, but she’s focused... Full story
The salmon and the hooligan that spawn in the Unuk and Stikine rivers have no say in the expansion of mining operations in British Columbia. Neither do the Alaska tribes that live where the rivers empty into U.S. waters. The power lies across the border in Canada, where the mining companies and the provincial, federal and Tahltan Nation authorities have joined forces in a modern-day gold rush to expand the Red Chris Mine at the headwaters of the Stikine River. Plans are also underway to restart...
Influenza-related illnesses killed 36 Alaskans during the 2025-2026 flu season, the Alaska Section of Epidemiology said Friday in a regular annual report summarizing the prior flu season. The report was released alongside a bulletin recommending flu shots for all Alaskans that are at least six months old who do not have medical conditions affected by a flu shot. The state’s weekly flu report shows cases of flu have been on the rise since mid-August. Flu season in Alaska runs from October through July, and in the most recent season, “Alaska exp...
A dead 57-foot-long fin whale was pulled from the bulbous bow of the cruise ship Norwegian Joy on Sept. 17 as the ship made its way toward the terminal for its port call in Sitka. The whale was removed from the bow and towed by a tug boat hired by the cruise company to a beach near town. The incident delayed the arrival of the cruise ship into port. Lauren Wild, Sitka area stranding coordinator for NOAA Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network, said she was notified of the situation at 8:20 a.m. by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration...
The U.S. Forest Service has extended its public comment period on its proposal to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which it announced on Aug. 18. Originally a 30-day comment period, the Forest Service is now offering a total of 45 days to offer input on the proposed repeal and draft environmental statement. This makes the new deadline Oct. 6. Nathan Newcomer, the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council's Tongass Campaigner, said that while it's good the public was given more time, traditionally the Forest Service has provided 90 days...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly on Sept. 8 cleared the way for the sale of two more borough-owned lots to Skylark Park LLC, expanding the soon-to-be-developed housing subdivision off Skylark Way. The assembly voted unanimously to advance the application and exempt the sale from public auction, authorizing the borough manager to negotiate a direct sale at appraised value. Any final terms will return to the assembly for approval. The two parcels — Government Lots 26 and 27 in Section 33 — are each about 3.7 acres and are assessed at $82,400 and $...
Five of the six candidates for Petersburg Borough Assembly (left to right) Donna Marsh, Sarah Fine-Walsh, Tom Kowalske, Jeigh Stanton Gregor, and Scott Newman participated in the live assembly candidates forum on Tues., Sept 15 in Assembly Chambers. Don Koenigs was out of town and unable to attend virtually. A recording of the forum can be found in the 2026 Voter Guide at kfsk.org....
Petersburg's Rainforest Festival added a new event last Saturday - a Bear Mini Fair - which drew Fish and Game wildlife education and outreach coordinator Abby McAllister from Juneau to talk with residents about living in bear country. In a follow-up interview, McAllister told the Pilot that her central message for Petersburg is that conflicts with bears are almost entirely avoidable. "All of the interactions that can be perceived as negative - whether it's a bear dumping trash out on the sidewa...
Last weekend, a nine-person team from Petersburg - all of them Medical Center employees or relatives of employees - ran the 175-kilometer Klondike Road Relay from Skagway, Alaska, into Whitehorse, Yukon. And did it dressed, more or less, as pickles. The team called itself "The Big Dills," and "oh my gosh, we had so much fun," said team captain Megan Litster. The Klondike Road Relay is an overnight, 175-kilometer (roughly 110-mile) race that is broken into 10 legs of varying length, from about... Full story
The Southeast Regional Advisory Council for the Federal Subsistence Board will meet in Gustavus Oct. 20-22 and Heather Bauscher will be there with her newest cohort of students. Bauscher has led students through federal subsistence meetings since 2016 – but this time she's attending as a national award-winning teacher and community engagement specialist. Over the summer, Bauscher and her colleague Ashley Bolwerk won the National Rise to the Future Public Awareness Award from the U.S. Forest S...
The S.H.A.R.E. Coalition will host its second annual Mocktails and Mingle from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the John Hanson Sr. Hall, a free, all-ages event built around sober socializing, games and community connection. The gathering is open to the entire community and organized with several community partners, said Ashley Kawashima, a member of the coalition. Food and snacks will be provided, along with a cookie-decorating station for dessert. "Everybody gets to decorate their own cookies," Kawashima said. Activities will include giant Jenga, an ove...
Leaders of Petersburg's Native community were on hand as the specially crafted box transporting the baby Tlingit girl's remains was unloaded from the Alaska Airlines jet and a procession followed it off the tarmac at Petersburg's James A. Johnson Airport on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. Petersburg's Séet Ká Kwáan Dancers sang during the welcome ceremony. Dozens of community members gathered at the airport to bear witness to the historic return of the repatriated remains. Stephanie Aikins of Pe...
The Petersburg Borough and the union representing many of its employees are heading into mediation after months of salary negotiations over a new contract reached an impasse. The collective bargaining agreement between the Petersburg Borough and the Petersburg Municipal Employees Association expired on June 30, 2026. PMEA, in a recent communication to the assembly, said the two sides are preparing to enter mediation. Borough Clerk Becky Regula confirmed to the Pilot that negotiations had reached an impasse and both sides agreed to move to...
