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“Outstanding students in athletics, activities and scholastics,” is how Principal Rick Dormer will remember the PHS Class of 2017. The senior class members have, “distinct personalities, and are funny kids who lighten up your day,” according to the principal. “Their personalities will be missed by the staff. Respectfully, they were a handful in Middle School, but they have grown into mature young adults,” Dormer added. Dormer noted the athletic achievements of members of this year’s championship basketball team and the impressive feats of the c...
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht's proposal to replace the retiring power and light superintendent with Public Works Superintendent Karl Hagerman, received strong criticism from both the public and the assembly on Monday night. Hagerman started with the City of Petersburg as a Water and Wastewater plant operator in 1992, and was named to the Public Works Director position by City Manager Bruce Jones in 2001. Hagerman has no experience in managing an electric utility. Petersburg Power and Light...
Researchers from the University of Alaska Southeast and Oregon State University have returned to Petersburg to continue fieldwork at LeConte Glacier to gain a better understanding of how tidewater glaciers interact with the ocean and how the ocean interacts with the glacier. This is the second and final year of fieldwork for collecting data from both below the bay and above the bay, where time-lapse cameras record glacial movement throughout the year. Jasmine Nahorniak holds a Masters Degree in...
A grand jury indicted Kenneth L. Birch, 36, on two counts of sexual assault, one in the first degree and one in the second degree. The indictment was filed in the Petersburg Trial Courts on May 11. On May 12 Birch entered a not guilty plea to the charges and the trial was set for July 18. On May 2, in a probable cause statement filed by the Petersburg Police Department, the police responded to a report of a sexual assault on April 30 at 11:44 p.m. The victim told police she had been lying on her stomach on Birch’s bed watching TV while doing l...
Representatives of the IBEW Local 1547 office in Ketchikan and the Power and Light Superintendent of Wrangell Power and Light have responded to Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht’s proposal to appoint Public Works Director Karl Hagerman to head the Petersburg Power and Light Department. Jay Rhodes, Assistant Business Manager of the IBEW Local 1547 wrote in a letter to Giesbrecht on May 12, “The proposed combining of the Power and Light Superinte-ndent with that of Water Wastewater Supervisor poses serious safety concerns for employees of the Pow...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – King salmon fishing crews in Southeast Alaska have fallen short of catching their limit for the winter season. This year’s commercial harvest total is down from the previous two winters, KFSK-FM reported Monday. Crews have caught about 43,000 king salmon this season after catching more than 45,000 in each of the past two years. The winter had been looking even bleaker four weeks ago before a late surge, said Grant Hagerman, Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s troll management biologist. “So a down year,” Hagerman said. “A...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly advanced 5-1 the fiscal year 2018 budget in its second reading with several failed budget amendments that would have kept property taxes from rising and given power and light around $775,000 to help purchase property on Birch Street to build a parking lot. Assembly member Kurt Wohlhueter proposed the latter amendment in order to help power and light replace aging infrastructure. Power and Light superintendent Joe Nelson said purchasing the property is something his department could do in the upcoming year in...
WRANGELL – The sounds of a couple dozen projects can be heard coming from Wrangell's Marine Service Center, as commercial fishermen, pleasure boaters and other mariners finish work ahead of the busy summer season. Activity at the yard has heightened over the past six weeks, harbormaster Greg Meissner reported, following a steady but comparatively slower winter. The uptick is normal, however, with a little fewer than half of the boats lifted at the yard through the year moved during this final fi...
The Petersburg Rod and Gun Club announced the receipt of two grants from the National Rifle Association. Half the grant will be used to build a side barrier wall between the shotgun and handgun ranges. The other half of the $10,376 grant will be used to purchase two storage containers that will be used for dry, secure storage for equipment, targets and ammunition. According to a news release from the Rod and Gun Club, the kid’s club received $14,000 to purchase ammunition, clays, a portable launcher and a dry fire stimulator. Club president J...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – A third air ambulance will be servicing a southeastern Alaska community. Juneau patients got a third option for their medical evacuation needs in early May, the Juneau Empire reportedLifeMed Alaska joins Airlift Northwest and Guardian as an air ambulance service in the area, a frequent stop for tourists. LifeMed Alaska has two Lear jets based in Juneau that can carry two patients each. Their medical team is experienced in pediatric, obstetric and neonatal care as well as adult care. LifeMed Alaska is the preferred provider...
WRANGELL – The school district has begun advertising for a new principal at Evergreen Elementary School, after its board accepted the resignation of current principal Deidre Jenson on Monday. Once the school year ends, Jenson said she will be heading north this summer with her husband, Joel. “We’re heading to Deering, Alaska,” she explained. There, Jenson will be a principal and special education instructor for the Northwest Arctic School District. Two of the Jensons’ children have already graduated, while arrangements are being made for a thi...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Officials are lowering the asking price for a state ferry that has been tied up since 2015. The Alaska Marine Highway System had put the ship up for sale in March, but no one responded by the Tuesday deadline, CoastAlaska News reported Wednesday. After being on the market for a minimum bid of $1.5 million, the new minimum bid for the ship is $700,000, spokeswoman Meadow Bailey said. “This gives people who expressed an interest in the vessel a little bit more opportunity and perhaps makes the vessel a little bit more att...
WRANGELL – Troops were in town recently, decommissioning Wrangell’s National Guard armory on Bennett Street. Lt. Colonel Candis Olmstead of the state Army National Guard Public Affairs Office confirmed last week five soldiers from the 38th Troop Command, 297th Regional Support Group and Joint Forces Headquarters were in Wrangell on April 24 and 25. Additionally, on May 2 personnel from the Guard’s facilities and maintenance office were in town. Their purpose entailed the collection of materiel and disposing of unnecessary furniture and items....
Evan Drachman on cello and Doris Stevenson on piano will be performing at 7 p.m. on Fri., May 19 at the Petersburg Lutheran Church. The program will feature masterpieces performed by these two Piatigorsky Foundation artists. The Foundation is featuring a concert tour of the state of Alaska visiting the cities of Sitka, Petersburg, Haines and Skagway. Cellist Evan Drachman has appeared regularly as soloist with orchestras, and in recitals and chamber music performances across the United States, Europe and Asia. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Mr....
Petersburg Police responded to an apartment fire at the Narrows Inn on Friday at 11 p.m. and rescued the tenant from the burning structure, according to volunteer fire department spokesperson Dave Berg. Berg said when the ambulance and engine arrived, police had already entered the structure and pulled a victim to safety. According to Police Chief Kelly Swihart, Derek Thorsen broke a window to vent smoke, and Kalin Rosse and Carl Tate entered the apartment and pulled the victim out. The fire...
Power and Light Superintendent Joe Nelson announced his retirement effective June 30. Nelson has held the position since March of 2003. Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht proposes to fill the vacancy by merging management duties and will propose to the Assembly that Public Works Superintendent Karl Hagerman fill the PMP&L vacancy and assume the title of Utilities Director. Hagerman started with the City of Petersburg as a Water and Wastewater plant operator in 1992, and was named to the Public...
Last week the United States Senate passed an omnibus bill to fund the government through the end of Fiscal Year 2017. A member of the Appropriations Committee and Chairman of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) announced a series of provisions within the bill that will provide resources to support programs with significant impacts in communities throughout the state. “With our state in the midst of a fiscal crisis, this bill will provide a much-needed boost to our economy. The bill provides new investments f...
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) – Hundreds of Alaska residents and students gathered in Fairbanks on Sunday to show support for schools facing heavy budget cuts. The rally happened two days after hundreds of high school and middle school students in the Fairbanks area left school early in protest of proposed cuts to music, arts, sports and other activities, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. “The youth of Fairbanks have sent us an S.O.S message – save our schools – loud and clear,” said Montean Jackson, Fairbanks North Star Borough School Di...
WRANGELL – Topping Tuesday’s city agenda was a continued discussion of the city’s residential and commercial water rates, which have lagged well behind covering costs. In light of looming supply problems (see water plant story), significant capital investments ahead for a new plant, and prospective development at the Institute and former mill sites, every penny counts for the water enterprise fund. At the past several meetings, interim city manager Carol Rushmore presented Assembly members with an assessment of rates charged to local water...
On Tuesday, May 9 Petersburg Police and EMS responded to an ATV crash at the intersection of 13th and Gjoa Streets. Petersburg resident Michael J. Mika, age 50, was transported to Petersburg Medical Center for treatment of significant injuries. Mika was the only person involved in the crash. Petersburg Volunteer Fire Dept. spokesperson Dave Berg said Mika suffered puncture wounds, broken bones, cuts and contusions. He was treated and released with referrals from Petersburg Medical Center. Berg...
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) – An Alaska Marine Highway System ferry will not depart in May as scheduled. The Ketchikan Daily News reported Saturday that the Tustumena ferry was found with extensive steel defects in its engine room. The Alaska Marine Highway System is working with the U.S. Coast Guard on a repair plan to make the 53-year-old vessel safe again. “The steel is tested for thickness, and when they go through and there are sections where it’s rusted or pitted and the steel is not of the desired thickness anymore, then it’s conside...
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) – A recently approved U.S. Senate bill secures a long-awaited land trade. The $1.1 spending bill approved by the Senate on Thursday will permit a land trade between the U.S. Forest Service and the Alaska Mental Health Trust, the Ketchikan Daily News reports. The bill is heading to President Donald Trump’s desk for final signature. The land trade has been an ongoing effort by the Mental Health Trust Authority Board. The board uses land proceeds to fund the state’s mental health services. The entities began the land tradi...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska Marine Highway System needs a new manager. Capt. Mike Neussl is leaving his post to care for an ill family member, he said. “It’s an important job and I clearly enjoyed doing it,” Neussl said. “But it is a stressful job and these are very challenging times and it’s not been easy.” Neussl’s departure comes on the heels of state budget cuts forcing the ferry system to reduce sailings and cut amenities, CoastAlaska News reported. A replacement for Neussl won’t be selected right away, Transportation Co...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska U.S. Rep. Don Young was among a majority of House members who voted Thursday to change the Obama-era health care law, saying inaction on fixing what he sees as a broken system was not an option. The move toward dismantling the law came as the governor of Alaska, Bill Walker, said the state stood to be the most negatively impacted by the bill. “Today is not great,” Alaska insurance director Lori Wing-Heier said. Young had been undecided on the bill as of Wednesday, his spokesman, Matt Shuckerow, said. But Young...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska might lose its 24/7 earthquake monitors due to budget cuts. The Juneau Empire reported Wednesday that as of March 1, more than 25 percent of the Alaska Regional Seismic Network has been offline. Since 2013, staff has decreased from 20 to 14 employees and funding from the state has decreased from $800,000 to a projected $588,000 next year. The University of Alaska has been in charge of monitoring earthquakes since 1987, and university funding is also down. State seismologist Michael West says epicenters of the e...
