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As of early Thursday morning, Phil Hofstetter is 496 miles into the the Iditarod Trail Invitational; he has around 450 miles still to go before he reaches the finish line in Nome. He is on day ten of riding his fat tire mountain bike alone, in subzero temperatures from the starting line in Anchorage, nearly a thousand miles, to Nome. 107 racers started the Invitational this year, most of them were aiming for the 350 mile finish line in McGrath, Alaska. 39 had to give up for one reason or...
Alaskan actor L'xeis' Diane Benson plays Bee, an Inupiaq cleaning woman, in the HBO series True Detective. The season finale aired last month, which meant the embargo was lifted and Benson was free to talk about the experience of performing in the show. Benson lives in Petersburg now, but she has lived all over the state. And she's done all sorts of things. She was a professor of Alaska Native Studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, an activist politician and Democratic candidate for stat...
Last Friday morning Stedman Elementary school students, their teachers, family and friends gathered in the Wright Auditorium for the final round of the school's annual spelling bee. Each classroom in grades two through five sent their top two spellers to the stage. Sue Paulsen, who performed the role of "The Pronouncer," led the students through elimination rounds. At the beginning of each round, Paulsen asked the competitors to stand. Starting with simple, single-syllable words like four and...
WRANGELL — A Georgia-based developer who has taken a liking to Wrangell has offered the borough $200,000 for the former hospital property, with plans to tear down the building and construct as many as 48 new housing units. Wayne Johnson’s offer on the 2-acre property is contingent on striking a deal to purchase six smaller borough-owned lots behind the hospital building, adding an additional 1.3 acres to the development site. The purchase price for the hospital property, which has been vacant since SEARHC moved into its new Wrangell Medical Cen...
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued an ultimatum to state legislators on Tuesday, saying he will veto a multipart education funding bill unless lawmakers pass separate legislation that contains his education priorities. Speaking from his office in Anchorage, the governor said lawmakers have two weeks to reconsider teacher bonuses and changes to the way charter schools are approved, two items that were voted down during the debates over Senate Bill 140, the education bill. If they don’t act, Dunleavy said he will veto SB 140, killing a permanent f... Full story
Just before the winter storm rolled into Petersburg Saturday night, business owners and members of the community gathered upstairs at Elks Lodge for the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet. During the banquet, the chamber named Rocky's Marine as Petersburg's 2024 Business of the Year. Rocky's Marine is a family owned boat dealership specializing in Yamaha Outboards, serving Southeast since first opening in Petersburg in 1980. Announcing the award from the stage, chamber president Jim...
Tonight at the Sid and Vera Wright Auditorium, Petersburg High School's theater program will debut its production of "Peter and the Starcatcher," directed by Elsa Wintersteen. She described the play as "an exciting show full of heart, humor and a sprinkle of whimsy." The Tony Award winning play is based on the 2004 novel "Peter and the Starcatchers" by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. Adapted for the stage by Rick Elice, the play serves as a prequel to J. M. Barrie's classic tale, "Peter and Wendy...
When the Petersburg Borough Assembly approved the landmark property sale of borough-owned tidelands to Wikan Enterprises last year, it was said that decision opened Pandora’s box. For decades, rather than sell its tideland properties, the borough selectively leased them to businesses involved in waterfront commercial/ industrial uses, with a priority placed on supporting the commercial fishing industry. About 12 years ago, the borough started directing the revenues generated by leased tidelands to the harbor department’s enterprise fund. Wit...
Petersburg became the 19th organized borough in Alaska on Jan. 3, 2013 after the town’s borough vote was certified. In the early 2000s, the City of Petersburg tried to annex all of Mitkof Island after receiving public pushback on forming a borough. This caused an upset outside of city limits for residents who did not want to pay the same taxes as residents inside the city limits. Eventually, after years of mediation and piles of paperwork, a compromise was made and the Petersburg Borough, which encompasses 3,829 square miles of land and w...
An Alaska House member has proposed a bill that seeks to establish definitions of “life” and “person” in criminal law, prompting dozens of Alaskans to testify against it, saying it would unconstitutionally limit abortions in the state. Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake, said his bill is “simply my attempt to define life for the statute” and “ensure fair treatment and protection for all individuals including those yet to be born.” He said the bill would define a fetus as a person. Alaska is one of more than a dozen states considering wha... Full story
While Alaska’s mariculture industry is small by global standards, production of farmed shellfish and seaweed in the state has increased substantially in recent years, according to a new status report released Friday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Applications for Alaska mariculture permits averaged about six a year from 2014 to 2018 but increased to about 14 a year from 2019 to 2023, said the State of Alaska Aquaculture report, issued by the NOAA Fisheries. Oysters have been a pillar of Alaska mariculture for many y... Full story
Wrangell has lost three cruise ship stopovers this summer to Klawock, where a partnership of three Native corporations is developing a tourist destination with facilities, shore excursions and other activities for passengers. The 746-passenger Seven Seas Explorer has crossed Wrangell off its schedule for a May visit, with the 670-passenger Regatta canceling a stop in June and one in September but retaining a Wrangell stop earlier in September, according to the schedule posted by the Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau earlier this month. The...
WRANGELL — The borough is waiting on a federal disaster declaration to cover the expense of power line repairs and other immediate and near-term costs from the Nov. 20 landslide at 11.2-Mile Zimovia Highway. The Wrangell Cooperative Association is seeking federal funding for the longer-term expense of cleaning up the tidelands of debris and toxic material. Under federal law, only the governor can request a federal disaster declaration, which the Federal Emergency Management Agency reviews before sending it to the president for signature. The s...
Assembly members agreed that a port commission proposal to require boat owners to carry marine insurance — or pay a monthly fee in addition to their stall rental — needs a lot more work. The port commission has been discussing since 2022 the financial risk to the borough when an uninsured vessel catches fire or sinks in the harbor, requiring cleanup and removal. The commission last month voted unanimously to recommend assembly approval of an ordinance requiring boat owners show proof of insurance or pay an additional monthly fee so that the...
The Associated Teachers of Petersburg (ATP) and Petersburg School District are negotiating the next labor agreement that will take effect in the fall of 2024 and span three school years through spring 2027. Past negotiations between the teachers union and the district, which occur every three years, have largely focused on updating the contract language. This year, however, ATP and PSD are focusing more on when, where and how to allocate what limited money the district has to work with. ATP is...
The fresh waters of Blind Slough will be closed to sport fishing for king salmon this summer, from June 1 through July 31, according to the sport fishing regulations for the Wrangell Narrows and Blind Slough terminal harvest released this week by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG). However, in the salt waters of the Wrangell Narrows, king salmon fishing will be open. Both residents and nonresidents will have a bag and possession limit of two king salmon greater than 28 inches long and two less than 28 inches from the salt waters of...
An ordinance amending Petersburg municipal code to allow borough land to be disposed of for less than assessed or appraised value when deemed for a “public benefit purpose” passed in its first reading Feb. 5 at a Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting. Amending the code will allow the assembly to dispose of borough land at a lower price for projects deemed more valuable to the community than revenues from a sale at full-value. The municipal code currently has a mechanism for disposal of borough real property for less than the assessed value to...
The leaders of the $76 billion Alaska Permanent Fund voted unanimously on Friday to adopt a strategic plan that calls for borrowing up to $4 billion in order to increase the amount of money available for investments. Friday’s vote has limited effect: The borrowing could take place only if the Alaska Legislature and Gov. Mike Dunleavy change state law to allow it. “It’ll start out as a legislative effort, then it would take a bill,” said Paulyn Swanson, communications director of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp., which manages the fund. The Ala... Full story
Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration introduced legislation on Wednesday that would criminalize unpermitted street protests and other activities that block passage through public places. Certain types of protest could be counted among the state’s most serious crimes. Dunleavy said the proposal is aimed at increasing public safety. Civil rights advocates say the potential infringement of Alaskans’ First Amendment rights is concerning. House Bill 386 would impose penalties for obstructing highways, navigable waterways, airport runways and other pu... Full story
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will purchase about 50 million pounds of Alaska seafood to use in national food and nutrition-assistance programs, state officials said on Tuesday. The seafood purchase is to benefit needy children and adults and school lunches, said the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, which announced the department’s plans. The purchases are authorized through a portion of federal law called Section 32, which allows the department to buy surplus food products, and through the department’s Commodity Credit Corp., a gov... Full story
The U.S. Census Bureau rejected Haines' appeal over the 2020 population count, which showed Haines’ population dropping by around 500 residents. “I’m deeply disappointed. I really thought that our response was compelling,” said borough clerk Alekka Fullerton, who worked on the appeal. “I was mad – it’s a big deal to our community.” The bureau counted 2080 residents in Haines in 2020. The borough appealed that number in June. Fullerton said a few weeks ago, she realized the borough still hadn’t received a response about its appeal. She reach...
Wrangell borough officials are concerned that Wrangell continues to lose population, while those who stay in town grow older and leave the workforce. As a whole, the state has lost more residents than it has gained in new arrivals every year since 2013, with only the birth rate keeping Alaska from showing a population decline. However, unlike the statewide totals, Wrangell recorded more deaths than births between 2017 and 2022, adding to the community’s overall population decline. The state’s latest estimate for Wrangell’s population, as of las...
IGA President John Ross presents Hammer & Wikan General Manager and CEO Jim Floyd with the USA Retailers of the Year award in Hammer & Wikan grocery store on Feb. 8, as board members and staff look on proudly. Pictured, left to right, are Jennifer Toyomura, Terri Faulter, Bruce Westre, Laron Martin, Sharon Wikan, Gainhart Samuelson, Katrina Miller, Audrey Samuelson, Jim Floyd and John Ross....
The Alaska House of Representatives voted on Wednesday against increasing the amount written into law saying how much the state should spend per student in public schools. Wednesday’s action isn’t final, and the House could change course as soon as 11 a.m. Thursday, when debates are scheduled to resume. House Minority Leader Calvin Schrage, I-Anchorage, said it would be accurate to consider things in a holding pattern. “Obviously, we haven’t come to a deal yet. But the bill will be in second (reading) tomorrow. So we’ll still have the opportuni... Full story
“I’ve never seen market conditions as bad as they are now,” Doug Vincent-Lang, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, told a conference of Southeast business, community and municipal government leaders last week. “Last year we said we reached rock bottom,” Jeremy Woodrow, executive director of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, said of low prices, weak markets and reluctant consumers. But then he added, “we’ve scraped off more levels,” reaching deeper to the bottom. All of the participants in the fisheries panel discussio...
