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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...
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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...
More than 600,000 Alaskans are scheduled to get $1,200 payments starting Oct. 1 through the Alaska Permanent Fund Division. The payout includes a $1,000 PFD plus a $200 energy dividend approved by the Alaska Legislature this spring. The PFD amount is the same as a year ago — which was the lowest adjusted for inflation since dividends have been issued in 1982 — with the extra $200 due to extra revenue the state got from oil prices that were far higher than predicted due to the Iran war. Residents filing online applications and selecting dir...
Until now there have been no uniform borough road standards beyond the old Petersburg city limits, but on Tuesday the Petersburg Borough adopted its first road-construction standards for public roads and subdivisions outside Service Area One. The Borough Assembly unanimously approved Resolution 2026-23 on Sept. 8. It adopts the 2026 Petersburg Borough Standard Specifications, replacing the City of Petersburg’s 2012 specifications, and for the first time sets minimum road standards for public road improvements and subdivisions outside Service A...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly on Sept. 8 formally accepted nearly $8.9 million in federal grant funding for a new small-vessel haul-out at Scow Bay, clearing another hurdle before the long-planned project goes out to bid hopefully by the end of this month. Assembly members voted unanimously to approve Resolution 2026-26, accepting an $8,880,791 BUILD grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration. The resolution authorizes Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht to countersign and accept the grant agreement once the federal...
The Mitkof Mummers are back with another fall show in the works — and they are looking for townspeople to help fill out the cast of a fall comedy in which a giant egg walks into a police station insisting he was pushed. The community theater group gathered for a casting call and first read-through last week to launch their fall production: “Hard Boiled: A Nursery Crime,” a one-act children’s comedy by Tracey Wells, published by Pioneer Drama Service. As is tradition for the Mummers’ fall shows, it’s geared toward young audiences. The play is pu...
September 2 – There was a post-event report of a bear attempting to access garbage on Skylark Way. An officer was unable to substantiate a reported dangerous driver at South Nordic Drive and Dock Street. An officer responded to a report of an aggressive dog on Birch Street and spoke with its owner. An older, orange colored mountain bike was reported stolen from the North Harbor. An officer provided a courtesy transport. A complainant reported sewage backing up from the main lines into their residence. Water Wastewater (WWW) was notified and r...
During a lengthy, meandering series of remarks last week, President Donald Trump offered another hint that his administration may seek to disrupt Alaska’s U.S. Senate election. Fairbanks political writer Dermot Cole first noted Trump’s remarks. On Aug. 18, NBC News — relying on unnamed sources — reported that the U.S. Department of Justice had issued grand jury subpoenas as it sought to investigate the campaign of Republican candidate Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg. The Alaska Beacon has been unable to verify that reporting, but on Sept. 2... Full story
A Republican-aligned group on Tuesday filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission against Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dan J. Sullivan. Sullivan, who shares the same first and last name as incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, is one of four candidates in the general election. Dan J. Sullivan had 2.5% of the vote in the August primary. Dan S. Sullivan had more than 41%. Democratic candidate Mary Peltola finished first, with 49.5% of the vote. The complaint by Virginia-based Americans for Public Trust accuses Dan J. Sul... Full story
HAINES — With Canadian tariffs set to take effect Sept. 8, Chilkat Valley businesses are waiting to see how much of an impact they’ll have. A trade war between the U.S. and Canada has escalated with the U.S. on Aug. 22, imposing steep tariffs, up to 50%, on certain goods from Canada. Canada is retaliating with equal tariffs on products from the United States, including some that are likely to impact the Chilkat Valley economy. Haines Packing Company owner Harry Rietze said he was preparing to bring a “bunch of products up” to the company...
Alaska Department of Health officials announced a fifth round of federal Rural Health Transformation Program funding awards on Friday. The latest awards for $25.8 million bring the total to more than $207 million to date. The funding is aimed at bolstering Alaska’s rural health system. The latest round of awards will go to 32 projects focused on improving health access, nutrition, telehealth services, healthcare infrastructure, workforce development and more. Alaska was awarded $272 million in federal funding under the program this year, w... Full story
Former state Senate Majority Leader Tom Begich, who finished second in the primary election for governor, said Friday night he is suspending his campaign and endorsing fellow Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, who got the most votes in an unofficial tally released earlier during the evening. “What matters most is making sure Alaska gets a governor who will move us forward,” Begich said in a prepared statement. “We believe the best way to do that now is to bring together the people, energy and momentum we have created and put our strength behind... Full story
Delays at Petersburg's only post office have been a common occurrence in recent weeks. The post office had been limiting its front desk operations to four and a half hours per day. Petersburg has no mail delivery service, so at times the wait for packages stretched through the building and out the door. Now, those hours are nearly back to normal. The post office is now open 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., with a lunch break from 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. In an email, U.S. Postal Service spokesperson James Box... Full story
A retrospective of paintings, carvings and jewelry by Petersburg artist Karen Cornelius closed at the Petersburg Public Library on Tuesday, Sept. 1, and on its last day the artist walked through the exhibition with the Pilot, reflecting on her lifetime of art making. Cornelius kept returning to one idea: that she makes art to get people to look harder at the world around them. "I am so in love with colors and nature and the creation that we have," she said. She wants viewers to "look more...
On 10-year-old Carmela Ford's first day of work selling the local newspaper, she left the Pilot with 25 hot-off-the-press newspapers, walked across the street to Lee's clothing, entered the store with her bag of papers and the sight of her thrilled Heidi Lee. Lee, who was a newspaper girl in 1969, said, "I loved seeing Carmella come into the store with her newspaper bag and her bright smile asking, 'want to buy a paper?' I remember the courage it took to do that when I was ten." In fact,...
The Rainforest Festival returns to Petersburg Sept. 10-13 for its 19th year, with a lineup organized around island biogeography — the study of how wildlife reaches, adapts to and lives on island systems like the ones that define Southeast Alaska. “We have this really unique system of islands that we live on in Southeast Alaska,” festival volunteer Sunny Rice said. She pointed to the Coast Range walling the region off from the rest of the continent, and to the rivers that thread the mainland to the islands — “big rivers … that serve as corridor...
The Alaska Department of Revenue announced on Monday that Alaska’s K-12 public schools will receive an additional $115 million in state funding this year, prompted by a boost in oil revenues driven by the U.S. war on Iran. Legislators earmarked the additional oil revenue for schools as part of the state budget approved by Gov. Mike Dunleavy in June. The additional funding is a relief to school districts statewide. Many districts have faced severe budget shortfalls in recent years due to funding not keeping pace with rising costs. This year, a... Full story
Petersburg homeowners who are tribal citizens may be able to get help paying their mortgage, property taxes, home insurance or utility bills through a federal program that closes at the end of September — but completed applications are due Wednesday, Sept. 10. The Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority is working to fully spend the money remaining in its Homeowner Assistance Fund, a U.S. Treasury program THRHA has run across Southeast Alaska since 2023. Petersburg is one of 13 eligible communities, along with Angoon, Craig, Douglas, J...
Skagway will be indefinitely without state ferry service after cracks were discovered in its ferry terminal last month. Engineers first discovered cracks in concrete supports under the vehicle and passenger transfer bridges Thursday before last. The dock was closed two days later, after the M/V Hubbard completed its Saturday docking at the facility, the state’s Department of Transportation said in a Sunday press release. A barge and crane from Haines and a team of divers is headed to Skagway to assess the current damage, Marine Highway s...
Six candidates filed to run for three Borough Assembly seats before Tuesday's filing deadline. Incumbent Jeigh Stanton Gregor filed for reelection, while incumbent Rob Schwartz opted not to run again. Two of the three Assembly seats carry three-year terms, and four candidates are running for them: Stanton Gregor, Sarah Fine-Walsh, Donna Marsh and Tom Kowalske. The third seat is a one-year term and drew two candidates, appointed incumbent Scott Newman and Don Koenigs. Every other board on this...
As the sunsets creep earlier and earlier, hinting at shorter days to come, it’s only a matter of time until winter cold sets in. Alaskans know well that you don’t wait for the cold to arrive to figure out how you’re heating your home, and with rising fuel oil prices it may be time to consider a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly option. A pair of nonprofits, the Southeast Conference and Alaska Heat Smart, are encouraging Alaskans warming their homes with oil, propane or wood to take advantage of their heat-pump rebate progr...
The U.S. Forest Service filed a proposal to rescind the national 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule last Tuesday. The agency is seeking public comment on the rescission and draft of an environmental impact statement until Sept. 21. More information is available on the Forest Service Roadless Areas webpage. The 2001 Roadless Rule includes 45 million acres of the 193-million-acre National Forest System — about 9.3 million acres of which is the Tongass National Forest. The rule established broad prohibitions on road construction, road reconstruc...
Petersburg Medical Center is testing a different way to pay for a trip to the doctor: a flat monthly fee, no copays, and as many primary care visits as a patient needs. The hospital has gone live with a direct primary care plan - a subscription model CEO Phil Hofstetter described to the borough assembly this month as a way to make routine care more affordable and to reach residents who are uninsured, underinsured or carrying high deductibles. "It's a subscription-based primary care model, and...
For the third year in a row, free breakfast and lunch will be available to all Petersburg School District students. Superintendent Robyn Taylor said free meals take financial burdens off families, and she sees educational and behavioral benefits that come with making sure students are fed. "It's not uncommon to see disruptive behavior or inattention, and when you're working with that student or that family, to really find out that they're struggling," she said, "A lot of the lack of ability to... Full story
