Sorted by date Results 2157 - 2181 of 5587
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Authorities say three bears fed on the body of a contract employee who was killed this week at a remote southeast Alaska mine site. Ken Marsh, a spokesman with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said Wednesday the circumstances surrounding Anthony David Montoya’s death remain unclear. Authorities say no one witnessed what happened to the 18-year-old from Hollis, Oklahoma. Megan Peters, an Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman, says an autopsy report from the medical examiner’s office was pending. She says Montoya had l...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – A deadly helicopter crash in southeast Alaska was caused by the pilot’s choice to fly in poor weather and”self-induced pressure to complete the flight,” according to a federal investigative report. The National Transportation Safety Board has released its final report on the June 2016 crash near Skagway that killed 66-year-old Christopher Maggio, a longtime pilot for Temsco Helicopter Inc. Maggio had left a dog-sledding camp on Denver Glacier before he crashed into a mountainside about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) northea...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The state of Alaska is changing how it taxes marijuana in response to industry concerns. The current tax is $50 an ounce for any part of the bud and flower and $15 an ounce for the remainder of the plant. New rules, set to take effect Jan. 1, make distinctions between different types of bud. So-called mature bud would be taxed at $50 an ounce, while immature or abnormal buds would be taxed at $25 an ounce. The tax rate for the rest of the plant would be unchanged. Cultivators would continue paying the tax, imposed when m...
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) – Kodiak is expecting 31 cruise ships next year, the most vessels the Alaska city has seen in a single year, officials said. The last cruise ship of the season docked in Kodiak last week, bringing the 2018 total to 19 vessels, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported last week. Discover Kodiak Director Aimee Williams said”word is getting out” about what the area has to offer. Kodiak’s size and remote location provides an authentic experience that appeals to visitors, she said. “People on those ships like the fact that they get...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – A large lead and zinc mine in northwest Alaska is planning to build a 10-mile (16-kilometer) road to a pair of possible expansion sites. Red Dog Mine operator Teck has applied for state and federal permits for the road project. The company wants to transport heavy equipment to the prospective sites to do more intensive underground drilling, Alaska’s Energy Desk reported Tuesday. The mine has operated since 1989 and the company hopes to extend its lifespan by finding a new source of zinc and lead at the remote Arctic sit...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska Republican party leaders plan to consider whether to reprimand U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski for opposing Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation. The party has asked Murkowski to provide any information she might want its state central committee to consider. Party Chairman Tuckerman Babcock says the committee could decide to issue a statement. Or he says it could withdraw support of Murkowski, encourage party officials to look for a replacement and ask that she not seek re-election as a Republican. He say...
Utility Director Karl Hagerman says there is no present data to support that Petersburg or Wrangell will need to run diesels this winter because of low water levels at Swan and Tyee Lakes. SEAPA’s recent move to dedicate Tyee capacity to the northern communities, and likewise Swan to Ketchikan, is designed to avoid that scenario. Last week the water level at Tyee Lake was at 1,283.6 ft. above sea level while a normal level for this time of year should be 1,390 ft. Tyee Lake (located in Bradfield Canal) and Crystal Lake (on Mitkof Island) p...
October 2, 2018 Total ballots cast - 1090 Assembly - 3 year term: Bob Lynn - 521 Marc Martinsen - 310 Taylor Ladd Norheim - 353 Donald Spigelmyre - 170 Nancy Strand - 294 Bill Tremblay - 321 School board 3 year term: Cheryl H. File 847 Jay Q. Lister - 813 School board 2 year term: Katie Holmlund - 835 Hospital board 3 year term: James Roberts - 696 Kathi Riemer - 345 Hospital board 2 year term: Marlene Cushing - 905 Hospital board 1 year term: Cindi Lagoudakis - 748 Planning commission 3 year term: Sally Dwyer - 784 Richard Burke - 216...
The 19th annual Beat the Odds event offers residents the chance to walk or run in a 2.5 race against cancer this Saturday. "Our mission is to bring awareness and education and support to those affected by cancer," said Michele Parker, chairperson for a volunteer committee that is hosting the event with help from the Petersburg Medical Center Foundation. The proceeds of the event will go towards support groups and services for cancer patients, said Parker, who is a cancer survivor. The race will...
In unofficial poll numbers, Bob Lynn and Taylor Norheim were elected to the borough assembly, with the Annual Sales Tax Rebate for Qualified senior citizens failing to pass. "With only two seats open and five people running, there are going to be winners and losers," said Bill Tremblay, one of five candidates running for the two assembly seats. "Good luck to the new Assembly." Lynn and Norheim beat Marc Martinsen, Bill Tremblay and incumbent Nancy Strand for the two seats on the assembly. The...
The borough assembly passed resolution #2018-12, which supports the Alaska salmon hatchery program and urges the Alaska Board of Fisheries to further its understanding of the importance of the program to all Alaskans. “As we know, salmon is the life blood of this community,” said Vice Mayor Jeigh Stanton Gregor at an assembly meeting on Monday. “Making our stance clear in support of this salmon hatchery program seems like a straight no-brainer to me.” A motion was made to amend the resolution to acknowledge the Northern Southeast Regiona...
The borough assembly on Monday voted in favor of removing a discussion item from its agenda, which addressed the possibility of 900-passenger cruise ships stopping in Petersburg in 2020. “I think we just need to delay this,” said assembly member Nancy Strand. “We have a lot of things to discuss and it’s completely unnecessary to discuss it at this time.” Member Kurt Wohlhueter supported the decision stating the topic needs to have a community discussion before anything goes on the record. Mayor Mark Jensen, who requested the item be added to th...
On Sept. 25, a meeting was held by officials from the United States Forest Service to inform the public about the state’s plan to alter the Roadless Rule which prevents the construction of roads in nearly 60 million acres of land throughout the country. About 55 percent of the Tongass National Forest and 99 percent of the Chugach National Forest is subject to the Roadless Rule. The Roadless Rule was put into effect in 2001. In 2003, the Tongass was exempt from the Roadless Rule but reinstated in 2011. The USDA initiated an environment impact st...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A female bear and her two cubs mauled and killed a young man working at a remote mine site on a southeast Alaska island with one of the highest bear densities in the state, authorities said Monday. Anthony David Montoya, 18, a contract worker from Hollis, Oklahoma, died at a remote drill site accessible only by helicopter, according to Hecla Greens Creek Mine and authorities. Mine officials said workers receive training on how to deal with bears because of the large number in the area. Alaska State Troopers said Montoya wa...
SITKA, Alaska (AP) — Sitka officials have shelved a measure that would tax single-use carryout bags provided to customers by businesses on the Alaska island. The Sitka Assembly voted this week to “postpone indefinitely” the proposed ordinance taxing paper and plastic bags, the Daily Sitka Sentinel reported Wednesday. The proposal would have levied a 15-cent tax on each plastic bag and a 10-cent tax on each paper bag beginning in April 2019. The taxes would increase in April 2020 to 25 cents for a plastic bag and 15 cents for paper. The measure...
Southeast Alaska Power Agency presented results of inspections of the Tyee Lake power tunnel and SEAPA’s submarine cables to board members on Thursday in Ketchikan. “Everything really looked good,” said Bob Lynn, Petersburg’s voting member on the SEAPA board. “I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out. No obstructions. We don’t have to make any changes or spend any more money.” An inspection of the Tyee Lake tunnel was conducted on Sept. 12 by Hibbard Inshore, LLC for $207,096. A remotely operated vehicle was inserted into the tunnel, which u...
Southeast Conference held its 60th annual meeting last month in Ketchikan. The conference is a gathering of municipalities, businesses, nonprofits, and other interests across Southeast Alaska for the purpose of economic development in the area. During their annual conference, the organization named the city of Kake as the community of the year. Kake City Administrator Rudy Bean said that the recognition comes as a result of community-wide efforts to improve the city from several organizations....
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Juneau International Airport will receive nearly $10 million in federal transportation grant money that it will use to address “serious life safety hazards.” KTOO-FM reports the Juneau airport was one of the 37 small airports around the country that will receive a part of the $205 million in supplemental airport infrastructure grants. Federal Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said on Thursday that the improvements will not only expand airport capacity, but improve safety as well. The Juneau airport’s grant applica...
WRANGELL - Lisa Von Bargen, Wrangell's city manager, has recently been elected to sit on the board of directors of Southeast Conference. Southeast Conference was originally founded in 1958 as a network of organizations to advocate for the Alaska Marine Highway System. Today, though, it is a collection of municipalities, nonprofits, businesses, and other groups working together for economic development in Southeast Alaska. As the newest member of the board, Von Bargen said that she wants to help...
WRANGELL — With polls closing at 8 p.m. Tuesday night, preliminary results for Wrangell’s city election have come in. The election saw seats open for the positions of mayor, the borough assembly, school board, port commission, and hospital board. Also on the ballot was Proposition 1, which would allow for the lease of the Wrangell Medical Center and construction of a new hospital. There were 649 ballots cast on election day, with an additional 115 absentee ballots. The preliminary results of the election are as follows: There were two can...
After mercury leaked out of a package at the Petersburg Post Office and closed the facility for just over a week, the post office reopened last Friday. "[Post office staff] handled it great and they adapted to the changes as necessary to make sure that we could keep serving our customers," said Postmaster Mark Eppihimer. Environmental contractors and regulators were flown into Petersburg to clean the facility of the mercury, though the amount that was exposed wasn't harmful, according to a...
The Petersburg Medical Center is currently vaccinating the public, six months and older, for influenza. "This is typically when we start vaccinating as soon as we get the vaccine, which can be in September, October and then we try to vaccinate people sooner rather than later," said Joy Janssen Clinic manager Jenna Olsen. Residents are encouraged to schedule an appointment to be vaccinated. PMC also has a supply of the high dose for people 65 years of age or older, said Olsen. A flu shot clinic...
The Petersburg Medical Center board of directors passed a motion on Sept. 19 to invest up to $1.5 million at the CFO and CEO’s discretion in bonds and treasuries. The decision came at the suggestion of hospital CFO Doran Hammett. He said that PMC’s operating cash in an account at First Bank was increasing at a rate of .5 percent in interest per month, but the bank was only crediting the hospital a sufficient amount to offset bank charges. “Over the last 13 months, we earned almost $11,000 in excess of our bank charges, and that’s money that we...
WRANGELL — In 2001, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a nationwide regulation on the management of roadless areas in national forests across the country. The “Roadless Rule,” as it’s known, generally prohibits timber harvesting and road construction in roadless areas.The rule affects 58.5 million acres of land across the country, based on information provided by the Forest Service. According to Nicole Grewe, with the Forest Service, about 55 percent of the Tongass National Forest is designated as roadless area. The Roadless Rule ha...
WRANGELL — On the night of Sept. 19, at approximately 8 p.m., a single vehicle on Zimovia Highway was in an accident near 6.5 mile. According to Chief Doug McCloskey, with the Wrangell Police Department, there were two occupants in the vehicle. The wreck was fatal for one passenger, while the other sustained serious injuries. “Basically, the car left the road and struck the bluffs out at 6.5 mile,” McCloskey said. He added that the police were still investigating the cause of the accident, but it would appear that the car was speeding at the t...
