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The Five Finger Lighthouse Society went into detail on their plans for the future of the Five Finger Lighthouse at a presentation last Thursday and gave an overview of the lighthouse and its history. The non-profit organization, which took over the lighthouse from the Juneau Lighthouse Association last year, looks to preserve the historic value of the lighthouse, make access to the island easier for visitors and educate the public on the lighthouse's significance. The Five Finger Lighthouse was...
The borough assembly passed an ordinance that would establish a new Parks and Recreation Advisory Board in its second reading at Monday's assembly meeting. If ordinance #2020-05 should pass in all three readings, the assembly would begin accepting letters of interest from the public and then appoint five members onto the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Those appointed to the board would serve until the borough election in October wherein duly elected members will serve on the board. Since t...
The borough assembly unanimously passed an emergency ordinance at a special meeting on Friday, March 20, that would allow the assembly and certain staff members of the borough to put civil emergency provisions in place in the event of a civil emergency. Ordinance #2020-08 authorizes Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht, Incident Commander Karl Hagerman and the Petersburg Borough Assembly to issue any or all orders laid out in the ordinance deemed necessary to preserve public health, safety and... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved public health alert #01 at a special meeting on Sunday, March 22, which strongly urges the public to "shelter in place" to prepare for and mitigate the severity of a possible COVID-19 outbreak. The health alert does not mandate that resident shelter in place, it only encourages the public to do so. The borough assembly received about 40 letters from the public requesting the assembly support the health alert, but a majority of the letters also requested... Full story
Members of the Local Emergency Planning Committee, as well as community leaders and local business representatives, got together last Thursday to discuss the COVID-19 virus and how entities throughout the community have been taking precautions against it. "There's a bunch of information going around," said Sandy Dixson, chairperson of the Local Emergency Planning Committee. "We just want to make sure we're all on the same page ... It's not if, it's when it gets to our community, and we do not...
The borough's sales tax has brought in $2,362,621 for the 2020 fiscal year so far, which is about $90,000 higher than what was brought in this time last year, according to Finance Director Jody Tow. Some businesses in town have been seeing the increase in spending, showing that the borough is in for a prosperous calendar year. The Petersburg Borough has seen a slight upward trend in the amount of money it has been collecting through sales tax since the 2016 fiscal year; however, the sales tax...
The Petersburg School Board adopted a policy on Tuesday in its second and final reading that addresses the Petersburg School District's pandemic and epidemic emergency readiness. Board policy 6114.4 was recommended to the school board by the Association of Alaska School Boards. Since its first reading in February, School Board Vice President Sarah Holmgrain said parents have had some concerns over the extent that the district would be able to quarantine students; as a result, language within...
For at least the next year, Bobbi Neason will be the interim pastor of the Petersburg Presbyterian Church, though she anticipates her stay in Petersburg to extend for another year. Neason comes to Petersburg from a similarly sized town in Southeast Oregon called Bandon where she served as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church for eight years. The Petersburg Presbyterian Church has been trying to find a permanent pastor since June 2018 when long-time pastor Bob Carter retired. Originally from...
The Petersburg School Board held a special meeting on March 2 to formally accept Mara Lutomski's resignation as board president, which she submitted to the board on Feb. 26. Lutomski said her decision to step down as board president wasn't because there was conflict within the board or she was overwhelmed. She said she just wants to dedicate her time to other endeavors around town. "I am pursuing other opportunities in town that I cannot do while on the school board," said Lutomski. She...
Christopher Scott Manske, 38, was indicted on one charge of burglary of a post office by a Grand Jury on Tuesday. Manske originally faced an additional charge of mail theft when he allegedly broke into the Petersburg Post Office last month and stole about 16 packages. Search warrants of his vehicle and boat turned up packages that weren't addressed to him, according to a complaint filed with the United States District Court for the District of Alaska. Postal Inspector John Wiegand said Manske...
Petersburg's Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla has been saved from disbandment thanks to the efforts of Ketchikan's Flotilla Commander Renee Schofield and local volunteers, after membership fell to zero members last year. Schofield said two members have successfully submitted their applications to join the Petersburg flotilla and other community members are currently completing the application process. Schofield said the local flotilla will have a solid six to eight applicants. "When Petersburg...
The Local Emergency Planning Committee is holding a meeting on Thursday, March 5 at 12 P.M. at the Petersburg Fire Station to discuss a possible response to a confirmed case of the COVID-19 virus in Petersburg. Petersburg Public Health Nurse Erin Michael said the meeting will focus on preparation for the COVID-19 virus, also known as the Coronavirus. The goal is to put a plan in place should the virus make its way to Petersburg. Community leaders, medical professionals and business owners are...
Lloyd Bennett, 51, was indicted by a Grand Jury on Tuesday on one count of misconduct involving a controlled substance in the third degree, which is a class B felony. On Monday, United States Postal Inspector Kevin Horne intercepted a priority mail package that was addressed to Bennett, according to a complaint filed at the Petersburg Courthouse. Inside the package, Horne found about 85 grams of methamphetamine. Later that day, the package was delivered to the Petersburg Post Office and was...
August of 1969 was an eventful time for the Worhatch Family. Max Worhatch III sold his house in Ohio, bought his family a house on N. Nordic Dr. and purchased Petersburg Rexall Drug. Fifty years later, the pharmacy is now run by two of his daughters, Cathrine Kowalski and Erica Worhatch. One year prior to that "epic" August, the Worhatch family vacationed in Alaska over the summer, and Max immediately fell in love with the state. His wife, Maxine, said it all began when he caught a big salmon...
The local Alaska Wildlife Trooper post held an open house on Saturday to welcome the community to their new location on Haugen Dr. and to introduce Petersburg's new wildlife trooper. Curtis Vik transferred to Petersburg from Eagle Rover, following Cody Litster's promotion to sergeant. Vik first joined the state troopers in 2002. Since then, he has worked with the Alaska Bureau of Investigation in Palmer tackling property crimes and major crimes. Then from 2010 to recently, he worked with a...
Christopher Manske was arrested on Feb. 26, and is now being held in federal custody in Juneau facing charges of burglary of a post office and mail theft. According to the United States District Court for the District of Alaska, paperwork regarding his indictment has not been submitted as of Tuesday afternoon. Sometime between the late evening of Feb. 21 and the following morning, an individual broke into the Petersburg Post Office and stole about 16 parcels, according to the complaint. Postal...
A phase two environmental study revealed the presence of some contaminants in at least two locations on the Petro 49, Inc. property that the borough would gain in a possible land swap with the oil company. An area just behind the building and an area to the south of the building have contaminants present, according to Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht. He said next week he is going to meet with the company that conducted the testing, Shannon & Wilson, Inc. based in Anchorage, and ask more...
The borough assembly unanimously passed an ordinance in its first reading on Monday that would establish a new Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. If ordinance #2020-05 passes in all three readings, the assembly would appoint all five members of the board who will serve until the borough election in October wherein duly elected members will serve on the board. Assembly Member Chelsea Tremblay anticipates the appointed members being a part of the hiring process for a new Parks and Rec....
Heath Whitacre, of the Petersburg Forest Service, went into detail on the Forest Service's efforts to maintain and restore watershed conditions in the Tongass National Forest late last month as part of a series of science talks featuring local professionals. A properly functioning watershed can create and sustain habitats that can support a diverse population of aquatic wildlife, including salmon. According to Whitacre, 80 percent of the Southeast Alaska commercial salmon harvest comes from...
Christopher Manske is accused of breaking into the Petersburg Post Office sometime late Friday night or early Saturday morning and stealing about 15 parcels, according to Postal Inspector John Wiegand. Postal inspectors and local law enforcement were notified of the break in Saturday morning, but by that time, Manske was no longer on the scene; however, he attempted another break in the following night and was detained by responding officers, according to Wiegand. Manske was soon released...
Both Petersburg Rexall Drug and Lee's Clothing were honored as businesses of the year at Saturday's Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Banquet. Additionally, the two businesses were awarded a plaque commemorating their 50th year in business. "You cannot think of downtown Petersburg without thinking of either of these two icons," said Chamber Manager Mara Lutomski. Petersburg Rexall Drug was purchased by Max Worhatch III in the summer of 1969 and is now run by two of his daughters, Erica Worhatch...
The shutdown of ferry service in Southeast Alaska has impacted many aspects of day-to-day life in communities across the region. In previous reporting by the Wrangell Sentinel and Petersburg Pilot, peoples' travel plans have been disrupted, businesses have been impacted, and cultural events like Celebration 2020 could potentially see decreased turnout. Another aspect of Southeast communities that is facing disruption from the lack of ferries are school districts. The schools of Wrangell and...
Sen. Bert Stedman told the community while attending the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce banquet on Saturday that the future of the Alaska Marine Highway System depends on how negotiations go with Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Stedman said that legislators will discuss the AMHS and present possible scenarios to the governor when Dunleavy releases his operating budget; however, without enough votes to override the governor's anticipated vetoes, negotiations won't be too aggressive. "If you don't have the...
Steve Reifenstuhl, manager of the Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, spoke at the annual Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Banquet on Saturday on the organization's presence and activities in the Northern Panhandle. NSRAA is a non-profit organization that was established by commercial fishermen in 1978 to restore and rehabilitate Alaska's salmon stocks. Salmon produced by NSRAA's enhancement programs are a public resource and have contributed millions of dollars to the commercial...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced that the season for the commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Registration Area A (Southeast) will close in Districts 1 and 2, and Section 13-B outside of the Sitka Sound Special Use Area [5 AAC 32.150(10)], by regulation at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, February 28 consistent with 5 AAC 32.110(3). All Dungeness crab must be landed within 24 hours of a closure [5 AAC 32.031(d)]. Vessel operators unable to meet this deadline must contact department...
