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Petersburg Medical Center is beginning a new program for folks to come together, chat about health, and go for a stroll with a healthcare professional. "Walk with a Doc" serves as an opportunity to promote health while also fostering community relationships - by simply going for a walk together. Started in 2005 by a cardiologist in Ohio, the nonprofit Walk with a Doc program now has over 500 chapters worldwide. The first walk of this program in Petersburg will take place this Saturday, Sept....
Alaskans still making ornaments to hang on the Capitol Christmas Tree now have a little more time. The original submission deadline of Sept. 16 has been extended two weeks to Sept. 30. "Sept. 16 ... that was the deadline we were given about a year ago when we started planning this," said Claire Froelich, interpretation and education specialist with the U.S. Forest Service in Wrangell. "But because we are now working with Alaska Airlines, our shipping is going to take less time, so now we have... Full story
In Sitka, some hospital surgeries are on hold. Many shops and restaurants are operating on a cash-only basis. Contact with the outside world comes mostly through satellites. A break in the sole cable that provides Sitka's internet and phone service has wreaked havoc on residents and businesses - and, at the same time, effectively launched a massive social and economic experiment: What happens for 8,000 people who have deeply integrated the internet into their lives, when the switch gets flipped... Full story
WRANGELL — The borough hopes to learn this week the exact location and condition of the kinked blockage in the treatment plant outfall pipeline that has forced a temporary solution — discharging the wastewater on the beach near City Park. “It’s essentially been bent in half,” Public Works Director Tom Wetor said of the 12-inch-diameter plastic pipe, which was hooked Aug. 30 by a boat anchor and damaged as the anchor line was being pulled up. Repairs could take a couple of months, he said Sept. 6. It just depends on how much work is needed. T...
While the black bears on Mitkof Island usually eat their fill of natural resources like blueberries and salmon before it's time to hibernate, unsecured garbage cans in Petersburg tempt the animals with a buffet of easy eats. Black bears have made their trek to town, breaking into a number of garbage bins and stashing litter over the past several weeks. Local authorities on the situation stress that abiding by borough law and properly securing garbage is essential to deterring bears from town....
With repair of the GCI fiberoptic cable expected sometime in the next two weeks, Sitkans are using the Starlink at the library and “getting a crash course in Networking 101 today” from the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. Sitka lost internet sometime around 11:30 a.m. last Thursday when an undersea cable broke. GCI provided a statement to the Sentinel today: “A subsea fiber break occurred August 29, impacting all GCI services in Sitka. Our teams have successfully restored basic mobile voice and text services using...
Ketchikan Fire Department firefighters on Sunday brought joy and some relief to the community as it grieves the loss of life and homes caused by the landslide above town on Aug. 25 with the dramatic rescue of two small dogs thought to have been lost a week earlier in the incident. Four-year old Alani, a small, white maltese/shih tzu and 8-year old Cassie, a miniature longhaired dachshund, did not make it out when their owners, James and Bill Montiver escaped the wreckage of their home following...
SITKA — A woman and her dog, missing since last Wednesday, were found by searchers at 10 a.m. Saturday morning near the Katlian Bay road north of town, Sitka police said. The woman, Olivia Magni, 28, was airlifted back to town by a Coast Guard helicopter and taken to Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center, Sitka Police Department spokesperson Serena Wild said. Her dog, unharmed, walked out. “She was found with the dog... She was just hypothermic, bumps and bruises,” Wild said, noting that Magni apparently had fallen at some point. The publicly accessible...
Local nonprofit Humanity in Progress is partnering with Petersburg School District to launch a pantry on campus - a new stepping stone toward improving access to basic needs for students in all grades. Food and hygiene products line the shelves of the new pantry, which is located inconspicuously inside the door to an office supply room by the middle school/high school office. The idea to start a pantry was brought into conversation at a school wellness meeting just before summer, as the...
Clear skies on Monday morning showed the extent of Sunday afternoon's landslide that swept 1,100 feet down the steep, wooded hillside above a Ketchikan neighborhood, taking out a portion of the Rainbird Trail and pouring across the Third Avenue Bypass before damaging several homes in the Second Avenue area just west of Whitecliff Avenue. The landslide resulted in the death of one person, Sean Griffin, a City of Ketchikan Public Works senior maintenance technician who was on the Third Avenue...
The Southeast Alaska sport fishery is on track to exceed its king salmon allocation for the summer by 14,000 fish, prompting the state to close the region to sportfishing for kings. The closure went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday, Aug. 26. “King salmon may not be retained or possessed, and any king salmon caught must be released immediately and returned to the water unharmed,” according to the Department of Fish and Game announcement late Friday, Aug. 23. The king salmon sport fishery will reopen on Oct. 1 for the winter season. “While the (...
Disposing of large derelict vessels abandoned in Petersburg's harbors comes at a cost - one that the borough is taking steps to mitigate. In August, the Petersburg Borough Assembly amended municipal code and approved a significant budget adjustment to address the issue of derelict vessels in local harbors. The assembly authorized the transfer of $240,000 from the harbor department reserves to a derelict boat disposal budget item, bringing the total amount allocated to $250,000 to fund the...
In a strategic move to support management of critical services for the community, Petersburg Borough has made structural revisions to its utility departments, reorganizing responsibilities and reverting to a former leadership model. This change was made as Utility Director Karl Hagerman -who has overseen the borough's power, water, and sewer departments since 2018- plans to retire in 2026. In the past, the Public Works Director managed the water, sewer, roads, sanitation and motor pool...
A ballot measure that could repeal Alaska’s ranked choice election system is headed to a vote in November, the Alaska Supreme Court confirmed Thursday. In a brief order, the court’s five members upheld a lower court decision that certified Ballot Measure 2, which would repeal the laws that created the state’s ranked choice general election and open primary election. The order came shortly after justices heard oral arguments in an appeal claiming that the Alaska Division of Elections improperly certified the measure. “Today the Court quickly... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly has taken a stance against the potential listing of Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Assembly members voted unanimously to send a letter of opposition to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in response to a petition from the Wild Fish Conservancy, an environmental group based in Washington state, which requested the ESA listing and designation of critical habitat of any GOA...
A bill aimed at attracting and keeping quality teachers in Alaska classrooms became law on Monday without Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s signature. The law’s changes to current education policy are threefold: It eliminates a state limit on experience-based compensation for teachers, allows retired teachers to serve as long-term substitutes and provides financial incentives for current teachers to seek certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Rep. Rebecca Himschoot, I-Sitka and a former teacher, sponsored the bill, whi... Full story
Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom is withdrawing from the race for the state's lone U.S. House seat, she announced Friday via social media. With most votes counted, Dahlstrom is expected to finish third in the state's top-four primary election, behind Democratic incumbent Mary Peltola and fellow Republican challenger Nick Begich. Her withdrawal means the expected No. 4 finisher, Republican Matt Salisbury, will likely advance to the general election alongside Begich and Peltola, as would... Full story
As the new owners of Tides Inn hotel and Highliner Car Rental, Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) is now in the local hospitality business. "My sisters and I are very pleased with the conclusion of the sale of the Tides Inn and Highliner Car Rental to the Petersburg Indian Association," Dave Ohmer shared in a written statement. "The Ohmer Family started doing business in Petersburg in 1916, and it is wonderful to now be selling the Tides Inn and Highliner to an organization whose families were...
A three-judge panel at 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned a lower-court decision that could have temporarily halted troll fishing for salmon in Southeast Alaska. The appellate court decision, announced Friday, clears the way for the region’s troll fishery to continue. It had been threatened by a lawsuit from the Washington-based Wild Fish Conservancy, an environmental group. The group filed suit in 2020, arguing that National Marine Fisheries Service rules applied to the fishery were inadequate when it came to protecting endangere... Full story
Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola received more than half of the votes in primary results released Tuesday night, well ahead of Republican challengers, businessman Nick Begich III and Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom. With 387 of 403 precincts reporting through 1 a.m. on Wednesday, the incumbent Peltola had received 50.4% of the votes counted. She was running well ahead of her 36.8% share of the vote in the 2022 primary, which was held the same day as the special election she won to fill the seat left vacant by the death of 49-year Congressman Don... Full story
The certified negotiated agreement between the Associated Teachers of Petersburg (ATP) and Petersburg School District is now official. The contract will serve for the next three years. The contract was ratified by ATP in summer, after the borough funded the district to the maximum allowable cap and the legislature's one-time funding survived the veto pen. With the conditions met, the school board approved the agreement at their meeting Aug. 13. "It's a relief to know that our negotiations have...
Petersburg students return to class this Tuesday, and students and families will experience some changes to Petersburg School District policies this academic year. The local school board reviews the student handbooks for Stedman Elementary School, Mitkof Middle School and Petersburg High School every year and makes updates as deemed necessary. Language in the Stedman handbook about dress code was added to include a "three-finger rule" for tank tops to advise the width of sleeves should be about...
The filing window for candidacy in the 2024 Petersburg Borough Municipal Election officially closed Tuesday afternoon. A total of 14 open seats are up for election this fall, each as a three-year term. The race for Petersburg Borough Assembly is contested, with five people running for the two open seats. Incumbents Bob Lynn and Thomas Fine-Walsh are running for reelection. And James Valentine, Marc Martinsen, and Tony Vinson have joined the contest for the two assembly seats. The race for...
The sound of plucked strings and women's voices singing in unison could be heard at the outdoor Market in Petersburg on Sat. Aug. 17. The performers were a six-person ensemble known as the Uke'a Ladies. The group formed last summer thanks to music lessons offered at Petersburg's music store Bearing Song and Gifts. "I was advertising that I wanted to do a ukulele drop-in group, and [Danielle MacPhee] was my first person to come in for the ukulele class," said Sarah Hofstetter, owner of Bearing...
A sitka spruce from the Wrangell Ranger District was selected to represent Alaska as the 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas tree. "This is the first time the Capitol Christmas tree has come from the Tongass National Forest," Public Affairs and Partnerships staff officer Paul Robbins Jr. told the Pilot in an email. According to Robbins Jr., the tree will be transported over 900 miles by sea and 2,899-mile cross country to Washington D.C. Alaskans have been asked to provide over 10,000 handmade...
