Sorted by date Results 2500 - 2524 of 5587
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The leaders of Alaska’s largest travel industry trade group are looking for ways to fill a void in their marketing budget created by cuts from lawmakers. The tourism industry has been a bright spot in an otherwise struggling Alaska economy of late, growing consistently along with the national economy since the 2008 financial crisis, the Alaska Journal of Commerce reported. But Alaska Travel Industry Association President Sarah Leonard said that despite a record number of roughly 1.86 million visitors last summer, the...
ANCHORAGE (AP) – The state will attempt to recoup the costs of repairing a bridge over a major highway outside Anchorage that was struck by an over-height truck last month. The Alaska Department of Transportation hopes to recover the costs from insurance providers through negotiations to eventually reach a settlement, the Alaska Journal of Commerce reported Friday. A truck hauling a modular unit on Glenn Highway scraped off a girder of the Artillery Road overpass, causing about $1.8 million in damages, said Shannon McCarthy, a department s...
WRANGELL — Sen. Dan Sullivan stopped into Wrangell for a lightning tour Friday, arriving on the morning jet and taking off that afternoon for Ketchikan. His visit to Wrangell was the first since being sworn in, making the community one of his campaign stops in October 2014 while running on the Republican ticket. On a brief break in the session, he had earlier in the week attended training for the Marine Corps Reserves before heading back to Southeast. “I really just wanted to get back to the community and see all you guys, see what the issue...
A group in Kake is preparing for a canoe trip to Juneau in part to celebrate its Native culture, but a logistical setback has left them seeking help from the Southeast Alaska fleet. A 13-person crew from Kake is hoping to carry out an eight-day canoeing trip heading north, through Chatham Strait to the Douglas Harbor in Juneau but the safety boat, which follows the crew and holds two cooks, a captain and crew, is unable to participate this year. Nathalie Austin, who’s organizing the Juneau voyage, is looking to contract a vessel owner to be a r...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Legislature on Tuesday rejected Gov. Bill Walker’s nomination of a former Planned Parenthood field organizer to serve on a board that regulates midwifery in Alaska. Kenni Linden was the only one of Walker’s nominees to boards and commissions that failed to win confirmation during the joint session. Lawmakers also confirmed Walker’s Cabinet nominees. Linden, who’s from Palmer, has said that her own midwife encouraged her to apply for the public seat on the Board of Certified Direct-Entry Midwives. She has said sh...
WRANGELL — If it proves financially feasible, Wrangell Medical Center may soon pass from municipal ownership to new management. At a public meeting held inside the Nolan Center on Monday evening, representatives of the City and Borough of Wrangell and the hospital explained WMC is in pretty dire straits at the moment. WMC chief executive Robert Rang said the facility has been having increasing difficulty meeting costs to operate. “The hospital’s been losing money for several years,” he reported. Wrangell’s hospital has never generally...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A man was injured north of Anchorage after a moose that he had just kicked stomped his foot in return, state officials said. KTVA-TV reported the man escaped major injuries in the encounter Thursday with the moose and her calf. “It sounds like the moose were on a trail and in this case, it sounds like the guy was trying to go through them,” State Department of Fish and Game spokesman Ken Marsh said. “That’s never a good idea.” The two moose left the area after the man had his foot stomped, said Alaska Troopers sp...
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — The launch of a test rocket manufactured by California-based Astra Space Inc. was canceled minutes prior to liftoff at the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak. Bruce Walter, the spaceport’s facilities director, said the canceled launch was related to Astra’s vehicle but that the specific cause remains unclear, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported . “It’s very disappointing,” Walter said. “It’s a very technical, intricate piece of equipment.” Astra was authorized to launch a suborbital vehicle to carry “an inert upper stage on...
The forest service in Petersburg was hardset on waiting to decide on a recent controversial guide permit for moose hunting issue, saying on Wednesday it would hold-off until next week, only to change its mind minutes later. A retired forest service employee on Wednesday said the Petersburg Ranger District was close to making a decision on a guide permit for moose hunting in the area, and it was doing so without public input. Jim Schramek, a retired forest service employee of 37 years, told the Pilot Wednesday at about noon that a hunting guide...
Researchers at a lighthouse near Petersburg have been conducting behavioral studies of humpback whales, trying to understand their diverse communication system, and this summer the humans are ready to talk back. Dr. Fred Sharpe, a research biologist with the Alaska Whale Foundation and part-time Juneau Lighthouse Association keeper of the Five Finger Lighthouse in Frederick Sound, gave a talk in Petersburg to about 100 people last Thursday. Sharpe has spent 30 summers at the lighthouse and was...
The CEO of Southeast Alaska’s wholesale power provider stopped by an assembly meeting on Monday to update Petersburg on its projects and financial wins so far this year. Trey Acteson, CEO of Southeast Alaska Power Agency, the primary electric provider for Wrangell, Petersburg and Ketchikan, explained multiple ways on how the organization is cutting costs, mostly from fighting strict regulatory proposals. “As many of you know,” Acteson said, “I’m pretty active in that arena.” SEAPA saved $30,000 annually when the Federal Energy Regulatory...
The Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery closed Tuesday for the remainder of the 2018 season after two days and about 8,300 tons short of guideline harvest level. The Alaska Department Fish and Game closed the Sitka fishery after the roughly 30 boats hauled in 2,800 tons of fish. “The last fishery occurred on March 26,” read a Tuesday press release from Eric Coonradt, area marine biologist with the Alaska Department Fish and Game Division of Commercial Fisheries. “And since then the department has not been able to identify a body of good quali...
With this week’s edition the price of both the Wrangell Sentinel and Petersburg Pilot increases to $1.50 from the $1 price charged for nearly two decades. The Sentinel price went from $.75 to $1 in 2000. The Pilot price was last adjusted in 1995. “We’re producing papers filled with local news produced by staff members that are recognized for the quality of their work each year,” publisher Ron Loesch noted this week. Just this past year the Sentinel earned four Alaska Press Club honors including 2nd place for Best Weekly, while the Pilot e...
A story last week said that Jeffrey Jones, a candidate for CEO of the Petersburg Medical Center, served in the United States Air Force for about six years. Jones also served as a healthcare administrator from 1990 to 2007, which was not reflected in the article.... Full story
A non-profit group's theme for sexual assault awareness month focuses on how to educate and talk about sexual violence in Petersburg. The group, Working Against Violence for Everyone, is using April to engage the community with an "Embrace Your Voice" theme. "Individuals," reads a press release provided by WAVE, "can embrace their voices to show their support for survivors, stand up to victim blaming, shut down rape jokes, correct harmful misconceptions, promote everyday consent, and practice...
The Petersburg Borough is a month into recruiting for a police chief, and about 10 applications have been submitted as of Monday, the manager said. The borough is advertising a salary range from $80,000 to $95,000 for the police chief position, which becomes vacant when Kelly Swihart retires in July. “We may get a really good applicant that just wows us,” said Steve Giesbrecht, borough manager, “who wants more money that is offered, and at that point, I’ll go back to the assembly.” After reviewing about six applicants so far -- none from Pete...
A Petersburg man is facing a burglary charge after he allegedly stole more than $2,000 worth of merchandise from The Trading Union, Inc. on Saturday. Stephen Lee Waddle, 41, appeared before Magistrate Judge Desiree Burrell in Petersburg District Court for a felony first hearing on Monday. Waddle was charged with one count of burglary in the second degree. On Sunday, April 1, the Petersburg Police Department received a burglary report at The Trading Union. An investigation revealed that Waddle...
The Petersburg Borough recently installed two emergency sirens in the area while the EMS team is looking forward to a new vehicle. Sandy Dixson, the fire department and EMS director, said the borough is getting a new ambulance in May. One of the two operating ambulances was over 20 years old, and the borough has intended to replace it in the last two budget cycles. Dixson said it will cost about $187,000, which will be paid through the motor pool fund, a vehicle replacement pool that...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — After nearly two weeks of debate, the Alaska House has passed its version of a state operating budget. The measure now goes to the Senate, with less than two weeks left in the 90-day session. The House bill includes $19 million more for the University of Alaska system than Gov. Bill Walker proposed. It also increases funding for the Public Defender Agency to help meet caseload demands. One highly contentious provision would set this year’s Alaska Permanent Fund dividends at $1,600. Lawmakers last week voted to fund div...
WRANGELL - The city has lowered its alert stage level for water conservation, dropping from its red-level Stage III stance to an intermediate Stage II. Citing dwindling supplies at its reservoirs, on March 13 City Hall had urged residents to dial back their water usage with the Stage III announcement, jumping from a lesser Stage I. The designations were composed by the Borough Assembly last year in an attempt to organize response measures in the event of a shortage. This followed a water crisis...
WRANGELL — The Chamber of Commerce’s annual king salmon derby has been cancelled, it announced last week, following emergency management orders issued by the Department of Fish and Game (see king salmon story). A tradition for over 60 years, initially the month-long fishing derby was to be pared down to weekends this year, given restrictions ADFG had at first countenanced that would have centered around the Stikine River’s mouth in District 8. The eventual orders released last Thursday were far more expansive, encompassing nearly all inner...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A state agency and critics of the proposed Pebble Mine want the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide more opportunity for public comment ahead of an environmental review. State Natural Resources Commissioner Andy Mack has asked the corps to extend the comment period to at least 90 to 120 days. It’s currently scheduled for 30 days. The corps didn’t immediately return a message Friday. The comment period provides an opportunity for the public to share their views, cite any concerns and offer suggestions on the scope...
For the fourth year in a row, the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is collaborating with The Walt Disney Company to help fund local park improvement projects across the country through the national “Meet Me at the Park” Earth Month campaign. The city or borough that receives the most nominations will receive a $20,000 grant to improve a local park. From April 1 to April 30 Petersburg residents will have the opportunity to nominate our city to receive $20,000 in grant funding to make improvements at a local park. At the end of Apr...
WRANGELL - The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced late last week the extent of its expected king salmon sport fishing restrictions for this season. The region wide closure to retention of Chinook began on Sunday, April 1, to last through the first half of the summer for some waters. Citing a poor preseason forecast, ADFG has decided to close the majority of marine waters within the Petersburg-Wrangell area, not only in District 8 but also in 6, 7 and 10. (see map) The lengthiest...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska regulators, once on the cusp of allowing on-site use of marijuana at authorized retail stores, plan to take another run at the issue this week. The Marijuana Control Board is scheduled to discuss proposed rules for allowing on-site consumption, but whether the board will reach a final conclusion isn’t clear. The board is down one member; Travis Welch resigned less than two months after his appointment to the public safety seat after being dismissed from his job as a police chief. The board’s director has recommended...
