Sorted by date Results 1501 - 1525 of 6791
WRANGELL - Wrangell has begun its search for a new borough manager. On Friday, the assembly accepted the resignation of Lisa Von Bargen from the post, effective Oct. 29. “It is with sadness I submit my letter of resignation as borough manager for this amazing community. The strain of the past year and a half has helped me realize I need to take a pause and focus on the needs of my family and myself,” Von Bargen wrote in her resignation letter, dated Sept. 28. She has been on the job since July 2017, moving to Wrangell from Valdez, where she...
WRANGEL - Wrangell will share a tire cutter with other Southeast communities, intending to cut down on the thousands of tires stacked at the dump by making it easier to ship out the smaller pieces. The borough assembly last Tuesday approved a resolution to share the equipment with the Southeast Alaska Solid Waste Authority. The mobile unit can separate tires from rims and then, using a powerful cutting arm, chop up the rubber into smaller, more easily transportable chunks. The tires stacked at the landfill are too bulky to efficiently and...
WRANGELL - The borough is taking a closer look at the cost of shipping goods by barge to Wrangell. The assembly last Tuesday approved a $7,300 study by Rain Coast Data, prompted, in part, after Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski raised “the very serious issue of shipping rates as a concern” when she was in town earlier in September. “The senator asked if the borough had documentation of the increases. The answer is no,” borough officials reported to the assembly for its consideration of the rate-history contract. Mayor Steve Prysunka had request...
Utility Director Karl Hagerman gave a report on the Southeast Alaska Power Agency's recent board meeting to the Borough Assembly Monday. Hagerman stood in for Assembly Member Bob Lynn, Petersburg's voting member of the SEAPA Board, during the SEAPA meeting as Lynn was on vacation. Hagerman reported that the submarine cable project was complete and successful. SEAPA saved $2.2 million in contract costs by negotiating an assumption of risk related to weather delays for a cost per day of $258,000....
WRANGELL-The U.S. Forest Service got to most of its Wrangell-area work projects this past summer, with one big job pushed into next spring. The Anan Wildlife Observatory— which has reached the end of “its structural lifetime and needs replacement,” the agency’s website says — was supposed to be torn down in October, Corree Delabrue, U.S. Forest Service information assistant at the Wrangell Ranger District, said. Tory Houser, the recreation, lands, minerals and heritage staff officer for the Wrangell and Petersburg Ranger Districts, said deco...
The Petersburg High School cross country team traveled to Anchorage to race Saturday in the state championships. The boys team placed second in Division III with 44 points, just six behind first place Haines High School. Uriah Lucas finished first in the race, ending the season strong with a time of 17:38.7 and beating out Leo Wald of HHS by nine seconds. Michael Durkin moved up from his finish in the regionals meet, placing fifth at state in 18:15.4. Also in the top 20 were Valon Weathers in...
The Petersburg Medical Center reported 19 active cases of COVID-19 Monday after several cases were cleared by Public Health. Seven new cases have been recorded, two of which were diagnosed in Petersburg while five cases were identified among Petersburg residents while in another Alaskan community. PMC says there is concern of significant community spread in Petersburg, especially from gatherings where people are not masking or social distancing. The Alaska Department of Health and Social... Full story
Hurricane force winds with gusts up to 70 mph dropped trees into power lines, bringing out borough line crews, public works employees and emergency services personnel on Friday night. According to a report from Utility Director Karl Hagerman it started with a tree in the line at 919 Sandy Beach Road across the street from the Bible Church. The crew was able to clear it without damage to the power or telecom lines. Many other trees at this location came down but they did not reach the road. The decision was made to close the road to traffic...
Infection Prevention and Quality Manager Liz Bacom gave a presentation during Thursday's Petersburg Medical Center Hospital Board meeting on the status of the COVID-19 outbreak in the community. At the time of the board meeting there were 19 cases of COVID-19. That number has climbed to 32 as of Wednesday. Bacom's report included details on how the virus has spread, age demographics of positive cases, testing information, and contact tracing. Of the then 19 cases, one was travel related and...
The Petersburg Medical Center Foundation's cancer fundraising committee Beat the Odds hosted its 21st annual 5K run/walk Saturday. One hundred racers came out to participate and 14 Petersburg High School cross country runners competed virtually because they were traveling to a meet the day of the event. Participants gathered on the basketball court outside of Stedman Elementary School and enjoyed breakfast treats before the race. Pia Reilly, one of the event's organizers, said the event is held...
Voters will decide the future of Crystal Lake hydroelectric power in Petersburg on October 5. Proposition 1 aims to raise an amount not to exceed $7.8 million in electric utility revenue bonds to refurbish the Blind Slough hydroelectric plant and add additional standby diesel generation at Scow Bay. Though the borough will incur long-term indebtedness for a term not to exceed 25 years, supporters of the proposition say the upgrades are necessary and will benefit Petersburg. The plant was built...
The Petersburg Medical Center reported Wednesday that community spread of COVID-19 is occurring and there are now 32 active cases. Eight cases were reported from September 28-29. None of the 29 resident and three non-resident cases are travel related. The ages of the cases ranges from 3 years to 62 years with the majority of cases being under the age of 40. Four of the cases are students and three are workers at a local business. PMC also listed reasons why members of the community should be concerned including the rapid increase of cases over...
A headline to an election story appearing on page 5 of last week’s paper incorrectly stated the borough election will be on October 4. The election is on Tuesday October 5....
Petersburg Borough's Service Area One boundaries could shift depending on how people vote on Proposition 2 on the October 5, 2021 ballot. The proposition seeks to remove Frederick Point East Subdivision from Service Area One by reducing the service area's boundaries. The proposition can be voted on only by residents of Service Area One. The proposition requires a majority of residents in Service Area One and a majority of residents in Frederick Point East to vote yes to pass. Proponents of the...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly candidates took part in a virtual forum Monday night hosted by KFSK and the Petersburg Pilot. The candidates were asked about a range of topics including the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the construction of a new hospital, and projects the candidates want to see completed. Paul Anderson, Lars Christensen, Thomas Fine-Walsh, Bob Lynn, Marc Martinsen, Brandi Thynes and Dana Thynes each gave an opening statement after which, each candidate began answering quest...
Heather Conn Age: 43 What experience do you have? When you look at board experience I have sat on three boards and one council. The experience I have had has been with the Petersburg Little League from 2002-2005, Early Childhood Education Board 2005 to 2009, The Viking Swim Club 2013-2016, and the Petersburg Indian Association Council 2017 to present. I have also been an involved community member with my presence during our local assembly and school board. Why do you seek public office? I...
Carey Case Age: 47 What experience do you have? I have served as board member and president of two local non-profits - Petersburg Children's Center, and WAVE. As board president I helped establish goals and policies, hired executive directors, approved annual budgets, and ensured compliance with internal policies and State and Federal laws and regulations. Why do you seek public office? I believe in public service and that investing in our kids and educators is a key component to building a stro...
The Petersburg Medical Center Board unanimously approved a motion Thursday to have PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter extend an invitation to Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium leadership to give a presentation at a future meeting. The aim of the motion was to hear what SEARHC’s vision for the future of health care in Petersburg is and their ideas regarding a new facility. “We need to get ahead of this and have that discussion with them, get that communication out there so that the public can hear some of that presentation and try to work thr...
Comments from Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht's performance evaluation reflects strong support from the assembly. The ratings on the evaluation suggest some of Giesbrecht strongest skills are managing resources and problem solving. Assembly Member Dave Kensinger said Giesbrecht has done an excellent job with the borough's budget. Vice Mayor Jeigh Stanton Gregor said his Parks and Recreation fee schedule was a great idea that allows children to access all the facilities. Assembly Member Jeff...
The Alaska Marine Lines barge which departed Seattle on Friday, September 24, has been delayed and all scheduled ports north of Ketchikan will be about 24 hours behind schedule. Members of the tugboat crew towing this barge had positive COVID-19 test results. That crew has been isolated and the tug temporarily taken out of service for cleaning according to the company. A new crew and tug are being brought in to continue Voyage S1392, and the transition time to do so is resulting in the 24-hour delay. Over the past 18 months, Alaska Marine...
The Petersburg School District announced Tuesday that classes at Mitkof Middle School and Petersburg High School would be held remotely for the remainder of the week because of COVID-19 cases in the district. Students spent the morning half of Tuesday in person before being sent home. PSD Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter announced on the school’s website that multiple cases have been reported among staff and students. The school is also involved with contact tracing, as directed by Public Health, which has become challenging with the rise i...
WRANGELL - Aquatic farming in Alaska could be a big industry, and completely sustainable. That's according to Wrangell's Julie Decker, executive director of Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on research and development for the seafood industry. Shellfish and seaweed farming are the only types of aquatic farming permitted in Alaska. Mariculture includes saltwater farming, differing from aquaculture which "farms" in freshwater. Mariculture development, if managed...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A Canadian mining company has been looking for precious metals on Chichagof Island in southeast Alaska. Millrock Resources, a Vancouver, British Columbia-based company, several years ago applied to the U.S. Forest Service for drilling permits to renew exploration on claims that once made up the historic Apex and El Nido gold mines. However, the exploration never happened. CEO Gregory Beischer said the company wasn’t able to secure financing. The mines produced precious metals in the early 20th Century. Some exp...
JUNEAU (AP) — Officials are aiming to send out the first wave of Permanent Fund dividend payments to Alaska residents the week of Oct. 11, a Department of Revenue spokesperson said. The department’s Genevieve Wojtusik said in an email Sept. 22 that the first wave would include those who filed for their PFD electronically. She said the second round of payments, which would include those who filed paper applications, would go out about two weeks later. The Legislature mid-September appropriated $730.5 million for dividends this year of about $1,...
The first 100 out-of-state health care workers have started arriving in Alaska to help at medical facilities overwhelmed with record patient counts due to surging COVID-19 infections. The state health department has contracted to bring on 470 health care workers, including about 300 nurses, to help the strained workforce. Alaska is using $87 million in federal funds to cover the costs. The first health care personnel reported to the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage for orientation on Tuesday. The contractor said the remaining nurses,...
