Sorted by date Results 2287 - 2311 of 5587
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A new project will examine ticks found in Alaska to see if they carry the pathogens that cause Lyme disease, tularemia or other illnesses. This is the first time researchers will go out looking for ticks in Alaska parks and examine whether those ticks carry diseases, the Anchorage Daily News reported . “As the climate changes and ticks are moving north, we need a baseline,” said Kimberlee Beckmen, a wildlife veterinarian with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Fairbanks. “It’s important to have the baseline...
WRANGELL - Chief Shakes Tribal House was filled with curious visitors looking to learn about the Tlingits, a Native Alaskan people indigenous to Southeast Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Wrangell is home to many people of Tlingit descent, some of whom came together Saturday afternoon to share stories and pieces of their culture. John Martin, who organized the event, said that he and several other participants wanted to share part of their native heritage. Tlingit culture is filled with stories, some of which can be found in people's names. Ma...
WRANGELL — A symposium was held Wednesday night at the Nolan Center to discuss the effects of mining on Southeast Alaska’s bear population. Lance Craighead, a bear biologist, said that mining has the potential to have a very negative impact on bears. Most mining, Craighead said, occurs in nearby British Columbia but anything happening there would literally flow downstream to Alaska. “In general, Canada has some of the laxest mining regulations in the world next to China,” he said. “For that reason they’re about one of the few countries t...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A wildfire burning in remote eastern Alaska has grown to nearly 19 square miles (49 sq. kilometers). Hot, dry and windy weather helped expand the fire burning 38 miles (61 kilometers) southeast of Tok (tohk) and 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) southwest of Northway. The fire began Monday and by Tuesday was estimated at 7.3 square miles (19 sq. kilometers). It’s burning through an area where black spruce is the main fuel. A helicopter Wednesday shuttled crews to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service cabin 6 miles (9.6 kil...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is proceeding with an environmental review of a proposed copper and gold mine located near a major salmon fishery in Alaska, despite a request from the state’s governor that the review be halted. Gov. Bill Walker, in a letter co-signed by Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott last month, said the company behind the proposed Pebble Mine had yet to show that the project is feasible or realistic. They argued that, at a minimum, a preliminary economic assessment should be conducted to help inform the cor...
The ongoing wildfire near Telegraph Creek, a small town on the Stikine River, has not yet been contained. According to Jody Lucius with the British Columbia Wildfire Service, the fire is a very powerful force of nature that will take time to put out. "We're focusing on minimizing further impact," she said. "It's going to take a significant amount of time to put out." The Telegraph Creek Fire is burning in the general direction of another wildfire occurring south of the Stikine River. Lucius... Full story
By this weekend, the Alaska Department of Transportation will complete the chip sealing of Mitkof Highway from Papke's Landing until the end of the highway to preserve the road, said Marcus Zimmerman, maintenance and operations specialist with ADOT. The last four miles of the road was a gravel road and additional work was required to make it a hard surface, including ejecting oil into the base, said Zimmerman. "We're here to provide a good product for the community and for the state and try to...
Right before 8 A.M. on Wednesday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard received a call from a good Samaritan stating that a capsized vessel was seen in Nushagak Bay near Dillingham, according to USCG Petty Officer 2nd Class Meredith Manning. The capsized vessel is the F/V Pacific Knight homeported in Petersburg. Another good Samaritan rescued two of three passengers and pulled them aboard the Amanda C. One was 31-year-old Jeb Phillips of Petersburg and a teenage male, according to a press release from the Alaska State Troopers. The two individuals did...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska ballot initiative that aims to strengthen state law protecting salmon habitat could be costly and delay infrastructure projects, state officials said. The officials noted the possible negative effects during the Senate State Affairs Committee meeting last week in Anchorage. The initiative would increase the number of streams that officials must assume have salmon, likely resulting in more state checks on the streams, said Ben White, the environmental program manager for the state Department of T...
Members of the Wrangell andPetersburg police departments collaborated on some active shooter training on July 19 and 20. About four members of the Petersburg police department joined five members of the Wrangell police for the training which was lead by Jeff Hall. Hall has about 35 years of martial arts and law enforcement experience, also having previously worked with the Alaska State Troopers. Most of the training on July 19 was on the theory of stopping a shooting. Hall said that the goal is...
Skagway Borough Manager Scott Hahn will be leaving his borough manager position in Skagway to take a city manager position in Rifle, Colo. Hahn served as Petersburg’s city manager from Jan. 2010 to July 2011. Most recently he worked in Skagway for four-years, and also held a city manager position in Cordova. Hahn has been seeking a position in the Lower 48 to be closer to his son, who is currently in high school. “He’s the most important reason for me to get down there,” Hahn told the Skagway News. Before coming to Alaska Hahn had previou...
Petersburg Presbyterian Church welcomed their summer pastor intern Daniel Van Beek on June 26. Van Beek is currently one year into his three-year seminary program at Louisville Seminary in Kentucky. "I'm just honored to able to be a part of this community and this church right now," said Van Beek. He is taking over for the previous pastor, Bob Carter, who retired in June. Van Beek said that Carter reached out to Louisville Seminary asking for a summer intern to take over for him. Van Beek...
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — Kodiak health professionals say there is an uptick in the number of children being accidently exposed to bear spray. The Kodiak Daily Mirror reports officials from Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center have recorded four cases of children under the age of 10 being exposed this summer to the pepper spray-like substance used to deter bear threats. Emergency room nurse Lydia Cullum says each case occurred at home or in a car when a bear threat was not present. She says there have likely been more cases in the area from p...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A pilot flying in rapidly deteriorating weather in Alaska confused snow on a mountain with a body of water before crashing a floatplane with 10 passengers onto the rocky mountainside, a preliminary report released Wednesday says. All 11 people on board the morning flight survived the July 10 crash of a Taquan Air charter flight on Prince of Wales Island near the southern tip of the Alaska Panhandle. Six people suffered serious injuries. The pilot told an investigator that visibility decreased rapidly from about 3 to 5...
To help improve the children's section, the Petersburg library applied for a summer intern through the Alaska State Library Internship Project. Veronica Bilenkin arrived July 10 and has been hard at work ever since. "She's been doing great," said Tara Alcock, borough librarian. "We're really enjoying having her around staff, and she's getting a lot done for us, which is also wonderful." Bilenkin comes to Petersburg from New York, where she is pursuing a master's degree in librarian and...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The federal government has officially killed a project to improve access to Alaska’s capital nearly two years after Gov. Bill Walker halted the road extension. In a document published Thursday, the Federal Highway Administration said it has decided to take no action on the proposed 50-mile (80-kilometer) road extension north from Juneau, the Juneau Empire reported . The document by Alaska Division Administrator Sandra Garcia-Aline cited the state’s shrinking budget and “a high level of controversy” over construction as pri...
WRANGELL - "For us, this journey is called 'In the footsteps of Ferdinand von Wrangel,' and you are a big footstep," said Carola von Wrangel to the gathered crowd at the Nolan Center. Ferdinand von Wrangel was governor of the Russian Empire's holdings in Alaska in the early 1800s, as well as an avid explorer and scientist. The city of Wrangell is named after Baron von Wrangel. He also oversaw the construction of the first fortification on Wrangell Island in 1834. He would go on to be a part of...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Water levels have receded on Mendenhall Lake in Alaska’s capital city following a glacial dam outburst. National Weather Service Meteorologist Jessica Voveris in Juneau says water levels crested at 10.92 feet late Thursday afternoon. As of 5:15 a.m. Friday, they had dropped to about 7.5 feet. The release of water from a glacially dammed lake this week created flooding concerns for some residents along the Mendenhall River. The lake feeds into the river. Forecasters had thought the crest could end up just below 12 feet but...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Recent figures indicate Alaska’s unemployment rate improved slightly last month. The Juneau Empire reports numbers from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development say the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 7.2 percent to 7.1 percent in June. The slight improvement comes as Alaska reports the fewest number of June jobs since 2010. The department’s figures say the state had 347,400 nonfarm jobs in June. That’s down 1,700 from June 2017 and down 11,400 from June 2015, the start of a statewi...
Michael Boseman is wanted by the Petersburg Police Department for a felony assault warrant and several misdemeanor warrants, according to authorities. Boseman is also a suspect in the theft of an 18' Crestliner open skiff. It was reported stolen on Tuesday, according to authorities. The skiff has two red fuel tanks in the front. There is a front bench, split middle seats and back seats. It is powered by a Yamaha 40 HP main with a Yamaha 4 HP kicker. The stolen skiff number is #AK 9266 AG.... Full story
A feasibility study is currently underway to determine if the United States Army Corps of Engineers will dredge South Harbor and allow smoother access. Some vessels are scraping and hitting the bottom of the harbor, especially during low tides, when they enter South Harbor, said harbormaster Glorianne Wollen; as a result, vessels are having trouble entering the harbor. The USACE was contacted and agreed to conduct a feasibility study, which will determine the problem in the harbor and possible s...
William Christopher Allen’s attorney and the State Prosecutor have reached a negotiated agreement where the defendant will face a sentence of 16-years in jail with nine suspended, leaving seven years to serve. Allen was facing multiple felony counts following a vehicle crash on July 4, 2016 that killed Molly Parks and Marie Giesbrcht while Allen was driving the Parks and Rec. van and is believed to have suffered a seizure that caused the accident. Other terms of the change of plea agreement and final sentencing have to be approved by the c...
On Tuesday, new reporter Caleb Vierkant arrived on the afternoon jet from his hometown of Bullard, Texas. Home-schooled until college, he attended Texas A&M in College Station. He earned two bachelor's degrees there, double-majoring in history and journalism with minors in English and military studies. After graduating in May 2017, he went to work for his hometown paper, the Jacksonville Progress. He worked there until July 6, when he accepted a job with the Wrangell Sentinel. Vierkant had...
On Saturday, the Petersburg Medical Center will host its fifth annual Paddle Battle in the Narrows fundraiser. The event will begin at 9 a.m. at Papke's Landing. The group will continue to Scow Bay, South Boat Harbor and end at Sandy Beach where a barbecue will be held. Participants can sign up online or in the business office at the hospital during the days leading up to the event. Sign-ups will also be held the day of the event at Papke's Landing at 9 a.m., Scow Bay at 12 p.m. and South...
Petersburg Municipal Power & Light shut down power on June 19 in order to replace a Southeast Alaska Power Agency transmission pole in Falls Creek. The power was shut off from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. between Twin Creek road and Crystal Lake Hatchery, said Scott Newman, general foreman with Petersburg Municipal Power & Light. Since the transmission pole was owned by SEAPA and not the city, SEAPA sent out their own contractors to conduct the work, said Newman. Petersburg Municipal Power & Light assisted SEAPA with some of the work and with shutting...
