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An employee at Petersburg Medical Center has tested positive for COVID-19 and was identified through the hospital's routine asymptomatic testing protocol, according to a joint press release from PMC and the Petersburg Borough. The employee has been notified and is in isolation. PMC has switched to a red risk level of operations as a result of the confirmed case of the virus, according to the joint release. All non-emergent care patient visits have been canceled and clinic appointments will be... Full story
Petersburg Indian Association donated an SUV to Mountain View Food Services (MVFS) to replace the non-profit organization's unreliable delivery vehicle. The vehicle was purchased through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that was only available to tribes, said PIA Tribal Administrator Tracy Welch. There were limitations to what the grant could be used for, but PIA decided to use the grant to assist with elderly food service meals and deliveries in the community....
Petersburg School District switched over to a low risk level of operations, or green level, on Monday. Rae C. Stedman Elementary School will be in session from 8 A.M. to 1:45 P.M. in person Monday through Friday, said Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter at the COVID-19 community update on Friday, Sept. 25. Teachers will stay with their classes throughout the day and limit interaction with other teachers and pods. Students will still get recesses, lunch and other breaks while in school. Mitkof...
This year's borough assembly candidates took the stage on Sept. 24 to answer questions ranging from the borough's COVID-19 response to the tourism industry in this year's candidate forum. The candidates answered questions from representatives of KFSK and the Petersburg Pilot. Marc Martinsen, Dave Kensinger and incumbents Jeff Meucci and Brandi Thynes were each asked the same questions and had two minutes to respond. The order of the candidates changed with each question that was asked. The forum...
The Pilot asked Katherine (Katie) Holmlund and Craig Anderson, who are both running for a single 3-year term seat on the Petersburg School Board, six questions related to the Petersburg School District. Due to a production error, Holmlund's closing statements didn't run in last week's paper with the rest of her responses. Below is her last response as she submitted it to the Pilot. Anderson's last response is not included, because he didn't submit one. Provide a brief statement on any school...
A new 20-ft. x 40-ft. tent has been erected at the Petersburg airport to provide shelter for hospital employees providing COVID testing services for passengers arriving at the airport each day. Emergency operations center director Karl Hagerman said the new tent encompasses the same size footprint as the three tents and trailer that were in place this summer. "The tent survived the wind test this weekend," according to Hagerman. The airport experienced wind gusts up to 40 mph and sustained...
Mitkof Middle School was recognized as a 2020 National Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education for its overall academic performance. MMS was one of 367 schools nationwide that were selected for the award. Recipient schools were recognized for either their overall academic performance or progress in closing the achievement gap among students. The middle school was the last school in the Petersburg School District to receive the award. Petersburg High School was honored...
A mother bear and her three cubs were seen near Rae C. Stedman Elementary School on Tuesday, which put staff and teachers on high alert; however, Principal Heather Conn said in an email to parents that the students were safe throughout the day. "I wanted to let you all know the story behind what happened as I know that for some kiddos this was a scary event," said Conn in the email. "Some it was way cool, and some had no idea it even happened." At around 1:15 P.M. all the students were brought i...
This year's moose harvest is on track to match 2018's harvest, with a combined moose count of 44 for Unit 3 and Unit 1B as of Wednesday, according to Fish and Game Area Biologist Frank Robbins. Around this time of the season in 2018, 42 moose were harvested in both units. The average moose count between 2014 and 2017 at about halfway through the season was 58. Last year's moose harvest broke the five year average with 64 moose harvested around the halfway point of the season. Overall, last...
A contractor at Southeast Alaska Power Agency's Tyee Lake hydroelectric facility accidentally entered an incorrect control system input, resulting in a power outage in Wrangell and Petersburg Saturday morning, said SEAPA CEO Trey Acteson. SEAPA staff were conducting a training session associated with recent control upgrades when the error was made. Tyee Lake generation was lost at 9:15 A.M. on Sept. 26, said Robert Siedman, an electrical engineer with SEAPA. Power was restored 25 minutes later...
The borough assembly approved Ordinance #2020-19, which amends borough code chapter 3.72 to provide for civil emergency provisions, in its third reading on Monday after postponing the final vote by two months. The emergency ordinance transfers civil emergency provisions from the City of Petersburg Code to Petersburg Borough Code while adding language to guide local officials through an emergency. The additional language caused a division in the community and led the Borough Assembly to delay...
Although this year's Southeast Alaska salmon season produced a record low run, crabbers enjoyed the second highest summer harvest on record, according to Joe Stratman, lead crab biologist for region one with Petersburg Fish and Game. In Registration Area A, which includes all the inside waters of Southeast Alaska, 5.81 million pounds of Dungeness crab were harvested by 192 permit holders in the 2020 summer season. This year's summer season alone exceeded full season harvests for every previous...
Petersburg has gone 34 days since a case of COVID-19 was confirmed to be in the community. The last confirmed case of the virus was a non-resident who tested positive for COVID-19 on Aug. 14 and later recovered on Aug. 21. As of Wednesday, Sept. 23, Petersburg Medical Center reported 3,887 test samples have been collected to be tested for COVID-19 on site or at outside laboratories. Of those test samples collected, about 3,829 have returned negative and 45 are still pending. According to PMC, Ne...
For Kaleb Baird, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to hunt a billy from a secluded rocky mountain goat herd on the Cleveland Peninsula earlier this month. The hunt had been closed for about 16 years and only two tags were given out through a lottery system. About 150 people put their name in the hat for a chance to hunt the covenant herd and Baird's name was drawn. Now he is looking at a chance to set the record for the largest mountain goat taken down by a bow and arrow. "I'm...
The Petersburg High School boys cross country team took third place in a virtual meet on Saturday as the team ran alongside participants in this year's Rainforest Run. While both the boys and girls team ran the 10k course on Cabin Creek Rd., just their time for the first 5k was recorded and shared with other schools across the region. Haines took first place in the boys virtual meet, followed by Craig, Petersburg, Metlakatla, Klawock and Hydaburg, according to Head Coach Tom Thompson. However,...
The Borough Assembly approved 20 members of the public to serve as election officials during the municipal election on Oct. 6. at their assembly meeting on Monday. The names of 19 election officials went before the assembly, but a 20th name, Stephanie Payne, was added to the list. Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson said with the addition of Payne, she had enough election officials to serve on Election Day. Assembly Member Jeff Meucci requested Thompson explain the process for someone to run in the...
Petersburg Medical Center's sixth annual Rainforest Run raised $225 for the Petersburg High School cross country team on Saturday, according to PMC Public Relations Coordinator Kelsey Lambe. The course began at Sandy Beach and continued down Cabin Creek Rd. Runners and walkers continued on to their turnaround point and then headed back to Sandy Beach. Participants had the choice of running or walking a 10k or half marathon. While the race was free to participants, donations were accepted on beha...
Name: Brandi Thynes Age: 38 Experience: 3 yr term borough assembly 1 yr appointed school board Why do you seek public office? I enjoyed being on the assembly this last term and would like to continue to be an advocate for our community, especially in these odd and trying times. I understand the importance and privilege that comes with being a voice for my fellow constituents. Would you support a borough-wide face masking mandate? No. This has been strongly opposed by the community. The c...
Name: Craig Anderson Age: 49 Experience: I have a bachelor's degree from the University of Idaho, and I worked on a master's degree in forestry at Umea University in north central Sweden. I have experience managing meetings, working on budgets and responding to public comments. I have been a federal employee for about 18 years. Why do you seek public office? My family and I moved to Petersburg almost 9 1/2 years ago. My two sons started elementary school at Stedman in Kindergarten and 1st...
The Petersburg Borough held a virtual town hall on Sept. 10 to inform the public on the civil emergency provisions ordinance, which is set to go before the assembly in its third and final reading on Monday. The meeting was split into two parts and moderated by attorney Sarah F. Fine. Borough officials gave presentations on the Incident Command System (ICS), the reason for a more expansive emergency ordinance and the need for an emergency ordinance. The second half of the meeting was dedicated...
This year's pink salmon harvest came in at around 7 million, which is considerably down from the 35 million ten year average. Troy Thynes, regional management coordinator for commercial fisheries with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said the pink salmon run in Southeast Alaska hasn't been this low since 1976. There are several causes for this year's poor salmon run. In 2018, the parent year for this year's pink salmon, escapement was poor in Northern Southeast Alaska, said Thynes. In...
On Friday, Sept. 11, Incident Commander Karl Hagerman said his voluntary community plan for preventing the spread of COVID-19 will be released soon after weeks of drafting and editing. "Thankfully the virus situation in Petersburg has been well under control, but as we enter into flu season, we just don't know what's going to happen," said Hagerman at the COVID-19 community update last week. The document, which includes recommendations and best practices to limit the spread of the virus, was rev...
The community had the opportunity to speak out in support or against a permanent civil emergency provisions ordinance at a virtual town hall on Sept. 10, though the feedback the Borough Assembly received was mostly negative. The Petersburg Borough requested those who wanted to ask questions during the town hall to submit them about a week in advance to allow borough staff time to answer the questions. The public could still ask questions at the end of the town hall, which began with... Full story
Following the announcement last week that the Alaska Department of Fish & Game will be shutting down its Southeast Alaska enhancement program due to an absence of funding, F&G Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang said the state and federal government is committed to provide Crystal Lake Hatchery (CLH) with $317,300 annually. Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association operates CLH under a contract with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Sport Fishing for an annual total of...
The Petersburg borough began holding in-person absentee voting for the Oct. 6 municipal election on Sept. 16 in the municipal building training room. In-person absentee voting will be open from 11 A.M. to 3 P.M. Monday through Friday and end at 12 P.M. on Oct. 5. Residents can also submit an absentee ballot by mail or electronically. To request an absentee ballot visit www.ci.petersburg.ak.us. The deadline to request an absentee mail in ballot is Oct. 1. Contact Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson...
