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The Norwegian Resistance during World War II was a dark time for Norway. From 1940 to 1945, thousands of Norwegians fought in this movement against Nazi Germany. The Norwegians gained independence in 1905, but when Nazi Germany invaded, the Norwegians had to do everything they could to maintain their national identity and solidarity. On Thursday, June 27, at the Petersburg Public Library, there will be an opportunity to learn and discuss the Norwegian Resistance when Don Pugnetti Jr. talks...
A ballot proposition on this October municipal ballot will put the question to Petersburg voters whether to increase the amount of sales tax that can be collected on a single purchase from $72.00 to $300.00. At their regular meeting on June 17 the Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously passed Ordinance 24-10 in its third and final reading to propose the municipal code amendment for this sales tax exemption change to borough voters. Currently in the borough, sales tax liability for any single...
Petersburg School District is the sole recipient in Alaska of a new grant designed to help schools source more food locally - in this case, through a partnership with Farragut Farm. PSD's food service program offers school breakfast and lunch, a fresh fruits and vegetable snack program in the grade school, an after school at-risk youth program, and also the summer food program; currently, the entire food service program is self-funded, according to PSD Food Service Program Director Carlee...
Compass Cookery launched on May 17, 2024, striving to bring global flavors to Petersburg, Alaska. For Jessica Hawley, owner of Compass Cookery, her new food venture has been a long time coming as Hawley has been wanting to start her own business but found the right opportunity just now. "There's not as much competition so people are excited about new food in town," Hawley said. Compass Cookery brings a unique twist to Petersburg...the twist being that each month has its food theme. "I like varie...
On a life-flight from Fairbanks to Anchorage, Sierra Ott’s newborn son Liam would not stop bleeding from a routine needle prick. Doctors in the Anchorage neonatal intensive care unit diagnosed him with a blood clotting disorder. Without medication, he is at risk of extreme joint pain and even bleeding out from what would not normally be serious injuries. Ott said that without health insurance from her husband’s military service, the pills would cost the family about $8,000 a month. At the urging of her case worker, Ott applied for Medicaid for... Full story
If you're looking for a place to conduct research or write and are curious to learn more about family history, look no further than the research and communication room at the Clausen Memorial Museum. "This year we've had four different families come in and use [the research and communication center]. We're very excited about that," Director of Clausen Memorial Museum Maureen Floyd told the Pilot. The public had been searching for a place to research, write, look up history. So, Floyd and...
Mountain lions are not commonly spotted in Southeast Alaska, but earlier this month one was killed on the south end of Wrangell Island. Alaska Wildlife Troopers and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game were notified that a mountain lion had been shot and killed on June 3. They took possession of the carcass and are conducting an investigation. Troopers leading the investigation declined to comment. Riley Woodford, information officer with the Alaska Division of Wildlife Conservation in Juneau, said he knew of three other documented sightings...
WRANGELL — A large audience turned out to hear an evolutionary biologist explain the connection between a dime-size piece of 3,000-year-old human bone found in a cave near Wrangell and present-day Alaska Natives, who welcomed the opportunity to return a distant ancestor to her final resting place. Charlotte Lindqvist, a professor in the department of biological sciences at the University of Buffalo in New York, gave the presentation June 13 at the Nolan Center. The event focused on a bone fragment discovered in a cave on the mainland, across B...
The U.S. House of Representatives gave unanimous approval this month to a bill sponsored by Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, adding the commandant of the Coast Guard as a member of the Defense Department’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. “As the mother to two Coasties, I know how much our Coast Guard sacrifices for our national security, especially in Alaska and the Pacific. This important branch deserves an equal seat at the table,”Peltola said in a press release from her office. “Together, Representative Peltola and I are working with our Republi...
University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service agent will travel by boat to nine communities in Southeast Alaska to teach classes on healthy living, food safety and food preservation. Sarah Lewis, the service’s Juneau-based health, home and family development agent, will head out on her family’s boat, the Pacific Sapphire, in July. She will visit Petersburg on July 31 – Aug. 1. Lewis will teach classes on food safety and preservation, healthy homes, and healthy eating. She will also give away free publications and test press...
In the middle of her voyage from Sitka to Pelican, Alaska State Rep. Rebecca Himschoot called into the Pilot from West Chichagof Island to talk about her first term and her upcoming repeat bid where she is running unopposed. With the weight of the campaign off her shoulders, while the legislature is out of session, Himschoot is boating through the district – visiting each of the 21 communities she represents in the State House including Petersburg – with fresh eyes, as she reflects on the hig...
Dozens of black and white photos showcasing familiar faces in local commercial fishing have long adorned the walls of Common Grounds, a coffee shop in downtown Petersburg, and recently a very large, brightly colorful photo print – one that has special meaning for many in town – has joined the photos on the wall specifically dedicated those who were lost too soon. After a five-year journey, this 1987 photo print featuring the late Petersburg fisherman Kevin Kivisto has made its way from the Sea...
In the past week, four informational signs were installed on a newly constructed plaza at Sandy Beach Park - bringing to life the first phase of the Hutli Project. The Hutli Project -a collaboration between the Petersburg Indian Association and an advisory committee including members from PIA, the Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition, Petersburg Parks & Recreation, the US Forest Service, and others- aims to tell the story of Petersburg's Indigenous population through the further development of...
Alaska State Troopers have identified the person who died in a boating accident near Petersburg last week as Susan Paul, age 73 of California. She was in a 20-foot Hewescraft skiff that sank after a collision with a larger seine boat. A spokesperson with the U.S. Coast Guard, which is leading the investigation, says it's unclear what led to the accident. A second person on board the skiff - 71-year-old Gordon Paul also of California - survived. He was taken to a local hospital after the two...
Petersburg School Board unanimously passed the district's FY25 budget at their regular meeting on Tuesday. This year, more of the budget is going to instruction and less to operations and maintenance, summarized PSD Finance Director Shannon Baird. The budget estimates 450 students will be enrolled in the school district in the 2024/2025 school year. That number is around 19 students fewer than the school year which has just ended. Because the base student allocation has remained flat for yet...
While Petersburg residents are hoping to trade rainy days for sun, the public library is encouraging kids and readers of all ages to trade in pages for prizes with their annual summer reading programs. Baby Shrimp - the library's playful parenting program for kids ages 0-3 - and Summer Stream - their flagship program for kids ages 3-12 - have both gone through major restructuring this year, while the Go Wild program is continuing to invite teens and adults to join in on the activities. "There's...
A Petersburg jury has found residents Julie Ruhle and Jim Vick liable for defaming a former police officer. Two years ago, the couple pled guilty in a criminal court to falsely accusing Louis Waechter of sexually assaulting Ruhle during a traffic stop. Now, the couple is obligated to pay over $1.5 million in damages. The jury handed down their first verdict on May 22, after less than a day of deliberation. Their second verdict, determining punitive damages, came the following day. According to...
Alaskans, including many in Petersburg, have experienced heightened food insecurity for the past several years - ever since the Dunleavy administration cut more than 100 jobs from the state's Division of Public Assistance in 2021, which left offices understaffed and led to a severe, multiyear backlog of applications for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Thousands of Alaskans were left without the food aid they needed. To combat the backlogs Gov. Dunleavy added millions...
On a much needed sunny Saturday last weekend, the Petersburg Market – an outdoor market for homegrown and handmade local goods - kicked off its summer season, welcoming shoppers in a new location and under new leadership. With several new changes in the works by freshly appointed market manager Rebekah Gumz, the 2024 market is slowly growing into its new location between Kito's Kave and The Salty Pantry, as both new and old stalls, vendors, and attractions pop up to serve the public every other...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is prodding the state of Alaska over its failure to update water pollution rules. Last Thursday, the EPA issued a formal determination that the state should update pollution limits that are based in part on the amount of fish consumed by state residents. Under federal law, those limits are supposed to be reviewed every three years, but Alaska hasn’t updated its limits since 2003. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation has been working since 2013 on an updated list of water quality s... Full story
After a six hour search, divers recovered the body of a woman who perished due to a boat collision between a 20-foot Hewescraft skiff and a 58-foot commercial fishing vessel in the Wrangell Narrows near the mouth of Blind Slough on Wednesday morning. A second individual, thrown from the skiff into the water, was rescued by a good samaritan on-scene, according to a USCG press release. "We offer our sincerest condolences to those affected by this terrible tragedy," said Coast Guard Lt. Katy...
The next Petersburg Borough budget was passed by the assembly on Monday after amending it three times in its final reading. This approved budget for fiscal year 2025 will start at the top of July and includes maximum funding for Petersburg School District to the tune of $3.4 million. Several speakers from PSD testified their gratitude to the borough for supporting the so-called "to-the-cap" funding in the borough's FY25 budget. "Inconsistent and unreliable state funding has created instability...
For the next few years, school meals will be free to all students enrolled in Petersburg School District. All three school sites in PSD now qualify for the USDA Community Eligibility Provision, which allows schools to offer breakfast and lunch at no cost to student families because the meals are ultimately reimbursed by money from the federal government. PSD Food Program Director Carlee Johnson McIntosh managed the administrative push for getting the CEP. "It's such a great need ... I've seen it...
Later this month, the Petersburg Indian Association Tribal Council will have every seat occupied after swearing in Christine Yatchmenoff as a newly appointed Councilmember. The council filled one vacant seat in March, swearing in Brandon Ware, and sought to fill another vacancy left by Everett Bennett, who was elected to the council in January but later resigned to pursue the PIA tribal administrator position left by Chad Wright and started the job May 20. Yatchmenoff will be sworn in to fill Be...
Through recent surveys, Kinder Skog families and Petersburg Medical Center employees showed interest for more summer enrichment options for youth, and the Community Wellness program of PMC has worked to meet that demand. More camps will be offered through the ORCA (Outdoor Recreation Creation Adventure) program in Petersburg this summer, including a kayaking expedition, fly-fishing, and an extra session of theater. The POD (Play Outside Days) programs will include running and basketball again,...
