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President Donald Trump’s order to pause the spending of billions of dollars in federal grants triggered a wave of anxiety, fear and uncertainty on Tuesday in Alaska, a state dependent more than any other on federal spending. “For me, it was pandemic-level chaotic,” said Nils Andreassen, director of the Alaska Municipal League, which works with cities and boroughs statewide. A federal judge’s ruling late Tuesday temporarily blocked the presidential order, but that only defers an act with broad consequences. “We’re waiting for the other shoe... Full story
Petersburg Planning Commission voted on Jan. 15 to recommend that the borough assembly update zoning code to establish a new Marine Industrial Overlay zone, that would restrict uses of specific borough owned tidelands property -and the two recently sold parcels - in the Port Dock and Scow Bay areas for marine-industrial uses only. The proposed overlay would create special zoning restrictions to ensure those specific tidelands remain available for commercial fishing and maritime operations. The...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously on Tuesday, Jan. 21 to extend the borough's solid waste disposal contract with Republic Services for an additional year, as communities across the region continue to explore long-term solutions for Southeast Alaska's waste management challenges. The one-year extension will maintain waste disposal services through August 2026 at a rate of $192.40 per ton, with estimated costs between $425,000 and $475,000 for the year. The borough had until...
Carey Case first arrived in Petersburg in 1998 as a 24-year-old seasonal Forest Service employee, and now, after 25 years of service in numerous roles within the district, she has been hired as the Petersburg District Ranger. "I started working for the Forest Service in college in Washington State, and really liked working outdoors and getting to take helicopters and working in remote places," Case recalls. Her journey to Petersburg began when "RD Parks hired me and moved me up here. He asked... Full story
A unique University of Alaska Southeast program is teaching high school students how to participate in federal subsistence management decisions by bringing them directly into the public process. The dual enrollment course, which offers high school students two university biology credits, prepares participants to engage effectively with the Federal Subsistence Board - the body overseeing subsistence hunting and fishing regulations on federal public lands in Alaska. "I truly believe now, in my exp... Full story
Next week the Petersburg Medical Center is launching another round of its Lifestyle Balance Program, a wellness initiative that uses group support and individual coaching to help participants make and maintain healthy lifestyle changes. "The program is designed for people who may be at risk for developing diabetes, which can be based on family history, age, gender, activity levels, or weight," said Julie Walker, PMC's Community Wellness Manager. "We focus on prevention through sustainable...
Updated state demographic data published this month paints a picture of Petersburg's population showing relative stability in total numbers but significant shifts in age composition. Petersburg Borough's population stands at 3,379 in 2024, down slightly from 3,398 in the 2020 Census. During these past four years, the borough recorded nine more births than deaths, while experiencing a net loss of 28 residents to migration, resulting in an overall decrease of 19 residents. A further look at the...
Petersburg nonprofit Humanity In Progress (HIP) is preparing for its ninth annual Project Connect event, which will provide resources and services to community members experiencing housing insecurity. The event will take place Tuesday, Jan. 28 from 2-6 p.m. at John Hanson Sr. Hall, thanks to the space being donated by Petersburg Indian Association (PIA). Preparations for the event have been underway for several months. "Our main goal is just to make sure that we have resources available for the...
The Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department Association recently received a $173,000 donation to build up the Smokey Howell Memorial Fund which began in 2002 from Petersburg's response to a tragedy and continues to support local volunteer training and emergency response capabilities. The most recent donation follows an earlier $70,000 contribution in 2021 – both coming from Howell's family through the Geneva Bartlett Trust - bringing the total endowment to nearly $300,000. The fund honors L...
WRANGELL - Unique bedrock formations, a thick layer of loose sediment, and a concentrated water drainage system flowing down from the ridgetop were three of the main ingredients that led to the Nov. 20, 2023, landslide that killed six people at 11.2-Mile. These three causes, all benign on their own, became disastrous when heavy rains down poured on Wrangell Island. Though the airport weather station reported rainfall conducive to a "large but not especially large" storm, members of the public...
WRANGELL - As voices became hushed and the crowd waited for the ceremony to begin, a toddler mumbled an inaudible question to their mother. Amid a sea of people packed into Wrangell's Nolan Center, the woman's response was clear and without question. "The Army killed our people here," she said, "and now they're going to say sorry." The U.S. Army apologized for the 1869 bombardment of the Tlingit village called Ḵaachx̱aana.áakʼw at a ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 11, in Wrangell. Of the seven Tlin...
Word arrived last week that Petersburg has finally secured funding for the Scow Bay Haul-out and Washdown Pad project. $8.8 million is coming through the Department of Transportation's Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program, part of more than $47 million for Alaska in federal transportation grants announced by U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan. The funding breakthrough came after eight consecutive applications submitted by the...
Rural schools, mostly in Southeast Alaska, are facing a major funding shortfall this year after the U.S. House of Representatives failed to reauthorize a bill aimed at funding communities alongside national forests and lands. The bipartisan Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act was first passed in 2000, and enacted to assist communities impacted by the declining timber industry. It provided funds for schools, as well as for roads, emergency services and wildfire prevention. The award varies each year depending on federal lan...
A Petersburg home was destroyed in a fire on Jan. 13. Just after noon, Petersburg's volunteer fire department, police and Alaska State Troopers responded to the residential fire - located about two miles out of town along Frederick Point Drive. Petersburg's Fire Chief Dan Bird said the house was "completely engulfed in flames" when firefighters arrived on scene. No one was home at the time of the fire; neighbors said the owners are on vacation. The fire was contained by midafternoon. "It's...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved a wishlist of community projects during their first meeting of the year on Jan. 6. Every year, the Alaska Legislature puts together a capital budget - money to fund big ticket projects around the state. And every year, the Petersburg Borough requests some of that money for local projects, and names its top ten priorities. Assembly member Jeigh Stanton Gregor said he isn't very optimistic the projects will receive large amounts of funding, but he likes...
Part of Petersburg's downtown was closed for nearly an hour on Jan. 9. Just after 7 p.m., George Marlow was waiting for a ride home from work at the IGA grocery store when he witnessed a black truck make a U-turn at the north end of Main Street. That's when, he said, the truck rammed into a trash can on the sidewalk. "Nearly got me right there," Marlow said. "He hit the garbage can, he seen me standing there and he just got on it ... way too fast." Heading south, the truck smashed into a parked...
A Petersburg man has pleaded not guilty for allegedly sharing child sexual abuse material. Alejandro “Alex” Melendez Aguilar, 45, was indicted last month on 10 felony charges for possession and distribution of child pornography. He was arraigned remotely from jail in Juneau through the Petersburg Courthouse on Jan. 6. Last year, law enforcement officers said they received a tip from Kik, a social networking app, reporting Aguilar’s account shared explicit sexual content of children. Alaska State Troopers investigated. When interviewing Aguil...
Petersburg's tribal members picked a new council president on Monday, January 6. Voters elected Carol Martinez president of the Petersburg Indian Association Tribal Council, ending Debra O'Gara's term in the role after just one year. Brenda Norheim also ran for council president as a write-in candidate. Three two-year terms were open on the tribal council. The two incumbents running, Brandon Ware and Jaclyn Eide, both kept their seats. Adam Ware won the third seat. Marc Martinsen and Cina...
The Alaska Marine Highway System has added Wi-Fi service for passengers aboard the state ferry Columbia - with other ships in the fleet to follow. The service, which initially will be free on the Columbia, started last month when the ship came out of a yearlong layup to take over the weekly run between Bellingham, Washington, and Southeast Alaska when the Kennicott was pulled for its own yearlong layup for new generators. It's the first Alaska Marine Highway vessel "to provide free Wi-Fi access...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on Monday to transfer seven parcels of borough-owned land in the Airport Addition Subdivision to Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority (THRHA) in exchange for the development of 11 residential lots, a project that builds on a successful 1996 partnership between the organizations. "About 25 years ago, PIA allocated federal housing monies to the Tlingit and Haida Housing Authority, and in the partnership with the assembly, several...
Petersburg started the year nearly snowless, even at high elevations - and that's rare, according to long-term data records. Snowpack data is collected at hundreds of sites in Alaska every winter month for the National Resource Conservation Service's snow survey program, which monitors snow depth and water content measurements to use for environmental forecasting and water management. There are several snow survey stations in Southeast Alaska - including two on Petersburg's Mitkof Island, which...
Rock-N-Road Construction was awarded the contract for the borough’s Pump Station 4 and force main replacement project during Monday’s borough assembly meeting on Jan. 6. Rock-N-Road’s $2,090,300 bid came in well below a competing $2.9 million bid and the engineer’s initial estimate for the project of $2.56 million. Funding for this project has already been secured by the borough through a loan from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Alaska Clean Water Fund. Petersburg voters...
WRANGELL — The mayor convened the public workshop, inviting Washington state-based entrepreneur Dale Borgford to lay out for borough officials his plans to build biomass boilers that would burn trash from around Southeast to heat large commercial greenhouses at the site of the former 6-Mile mill. He also wants to build a plant capable of filling large plastic bottles with 40,000 gallons a day of clean water from a creek at the north end of the property, or from rainwater if the creek flow is insufficient. And his list includes a plant to turn f...
WRANGELL - On Saturday, Jan. 11, the U.S. Army will issue a formal apology to the community for its December 1869 bombardment of Wrangell's Tlingit village, Ḵaachx̱aana.áakʼw. This is the third recent military apology to Southeast communities after the Navy apologized last fall for its attacks on Kake (1869) and Angoon (1882). Given the rarity of these admissions of guilt, there is little precedent for the structure of the event, meaning the planning - at least for the Wrangell apology - was...
WRANGELL - Next time your friend asks for a ride to the airport, say yes. You might be their only hope. After two years in service, Tiny's Taxi turned off the ignition for the last time on Dec. 31. Tiny's has been the island's sole taxi service since Johnny Cab ceased operations last summer. "It's been an incredible journey," Tiny's founder Mike Lewis said. "I've met some amazing people and made some amazing friends. (I've) played catchup with a lot of the old-school locals after 30 years of...
