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JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Senate leaders on Tuesday urged Gov. Bill Walker to go back to the drawing board in seeking nominees for a vacant Senate seat if he could not support a candidate from the initial slate of finalists. Walker on Friday appointed Randall Kowalke to fill the seat vacated by former Sen. Mike Dunleavy of Wasilla. Dunleavy resigned last month to run for governor. Kowalke, a member of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly, was among 11 applicants for the seat but he was not on the list of three finalists Republicans in t...
The Petersburg Public Library is featuring a photo display made by a local artist who wants to represent humanity to the community. Pia Reilly, a Petersburg artist who usually paints, recently unveiled "We Are One," a photo display at the library with a whole lot of faces, but a single idea, she said. "It's not really anybody," Reilly said. "I just wanted everyone to be represented. It's a matter of all of us." Reilly took the photos from magazines and news articles, new photos and old photos....
Two high school teams from Petersburg competed in Seward last weekend in a state competition focusing on ocean sciences. This year Petersburg has nine students in the National Ocean Science Bowl. They are separated into two teams, with names created based on ocean puns. The freshman Petersburg team was called, simply, “Insert Team Tidal Here,” a boilerplate selection with a twist on the word title. The team included Jaden Perry, Liam Demko, Rose Lane and Taryn Copeland. Demko and Perry were the only members on that team who could attend the com...
The Petersburg borough assembly on Monday was nearly split when it voted in favor of a plan to reorganize the electric utility and public works department. The assembly, voting 4-3 in the first reading each time, moved forward with six ordinances needed to shake up the electric utility and public works department. The reorganization, proposed last May by the borough manager, is to make the current public works director the electric utility director, a plan chosen in favor of hiring a superintendent. The utility director would also oversee...
The Petersburg Chamber of Commerce voted Thursday to cancel this year's salmon derby, saying it would be irresponsible to compete in a time with such depleted salmon stocks. The chamber voted on Thursday to cancel the Memorial Day weekend salmon derby in Petersburg this year. The decision was made after the Alaska Department Fish and Game closed District 8 and part of District 7, a popular derby hole, for May, June and half of July, said Patrick Fowler, a local sport fish area biologist with the...
The Borough assembly at a meeting on Monday heard public comment on an ordinance that would impose a fee on senior sales tax exemption card applicants, after which the council approved it in its second reading. And the marine passenger fee has a new name. John Havrilek was the first to offer support for charging $100 annually to those who apply for a senior sales tax exemption card. Havrilek would prefer the charge be higher, and the whole sales exemption program be phased out. The fee, as...
A Petersburg boat hauler has been recommended by two borough boards for approval to self-fund a ramp at the Scow Bay Turnaround, leaving it up to the clerk and assembly to give final say once again. John Murgas, owner of Island Ventures LLC, is going to the assembly a second time with a request to build a temporary boat ramp at Scow Bay. This time he’s coming with a lease application that’s endorsed by the planning commission and harbor board. The borough clerk will review the application before it can be put before the assembly. In Jan...
The former Petersburg Municipal Power and Light superintendent addressed the assembly on Monday to offer an experienced perspective on the borough’s plan to reorganize the electric utility and public works department, and why he opposes it. Joe Nelson, who was the electrical superintendent in Petersburg for about 14 years until he retired last summer, said he wanted to clarify a few things after a special meeting on Friday. The meeting was to discuss the borough manager’s plan to reorganize the electrical departments -- a plan that has gai...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Marijuana tax revenue in Alaska fell for the second straight month in December, though a state tax auditor says the slide may be short lived. The state says it collected about $784,000 in marijuana tax revenue in December. That compares to about $869,000 in November and about $920,000 in October, which is the most that has been collected in a single month since the collection of marijuana taxes from state-licensed businesses began in October 2016. The tax is imposed when marijuana is sold or transferred from a marijuana c...
WRANGELL — Wrangell appears to be closing in on a solution to its water filtration worries after a workshop held between the City and Borough Assembly, city staff and consultants on Monday. Since its construction in 1999 Wrangell’s water treatment plant has had a number of problems with its production. The plant’s operation involves ozonation of water sourced from two open reservoirs, which then passes through a roughing filter and four slow-sand filtration bays before disinfection. From the start the plant did not work as planned, with sedim...
WRANGELL — Late last week the Alaska Department of Fish and Game issued a group announcement regarding expected changes for sport fishermen in Southeast this year. In the Petersburg and Wrangell areas, the marine waters of District 8 are going to be closed to the retention of King Salmon between May 1 and July 15. An exception will be made for the area immediately adjacent to Petersburg’s City Creek, which will be open to King Salmon fishing from June 1 to July 31 to target 300 hatchery salmon expected to return to the area. The closure is bei...
For the first time in a decade, the PHS Jazz Band traveled out of state for a festival, where the 18-person ensemble placed second in its category. The Viking jazz group had 20 minutes to impress judges at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington last weekend. There were about 40 schools and 1,300 musicians at the festival. Petersburg was placed in the Single A category, which is designated by schools with 600 students or fewer in the 10th, 11th and 12th grade. Petersburg doesn't even have 600...
Eight current Petersburg Municipal Power and Light employees are in opposition of the borough’s plan to reorganize the public works and electric utility departments, according to a letter given to the Pilot. In a letter addressed to members of the borough assembly, dated January 27, eight power and light employees ask that the borough continues to search for an electric superintendent that has experience in the industry. Advertising for the position was canceled after the assembly recently voted in favor of the borough manager’s plan to reo...
The end of 2017 saw more confirmed flu cases in Petersburg than any year since at least 2007, according to medical center lab records. The medical center lab released statistics on the flu season in Petersburg so far. The results, mostly from those tested in the lab from November and December, showed that 62 people were positive for the flu. Liz Bacom, laboratory director and infection control manager for the Petersburg Medical Center, uses a metaphor in responding to those who ask why they...
In the search for a new CEO, the Petersburg Medical Center has received more than 70 applications from across the country, leaving it up to the hiring committee to narrow it down to less than 10. As of Tuesday, 74 people have applied to replace Liz Woodyard, the CEO of the medical center, who plans to retire at the end of June. “We have some highly qualified candidates,” said Doran Hammett, the chief financial officer with the medical center. “I don’t think we’ll have any trouble coming up with some good finalists.” The cutoff to apply was W...
In the last month, borough officials hosted three open houses for the public to offer cost saving or money making ideas, prompting a question that some folks would ask before submitting their suggestion: What’s the problem? If the borough is asking for input from the community on how to make money, in what areas is the borough in trouble financially? Finance Director Jody Tow offered some revenue areas that are in flux, starting with state funding. “In 2015 the State began to make cuts to Petersburg’s funding,” Tow said. “They started w...
A special assembly meeting is scheduled Friday at 5 p.m. in Assembly Chambers to discuss the borough manager's proposed reorganization of the electric utility and public works departments. In its last meeting, the assembly voted in favor of the proposed reorganization, which would move Karl Hagerman, public works director, to electric utility director, while promoting Chris Cotta to Hagerman's current position. Scott Newman, acting superintendent of power and light, would return as foreman. The...
Four Petersburg young men were awarded the Eagle Scout honor at a ceremony on Monday, coming after more than a decade of scouting each, about 325 requirements and at least 21 badges. The Eagle Scouts, Van Abbott, Britton Erickson, Charles Christensen and Anders Christensen were honored in front of about 100 people at the House Cross House, a ceremony that included congratulatory remarks from their dads. "It's really amazing that four people would come through the same troop and get their eagles...
WRANGELL — The United States Forest Service is developing a new initiative for the Wrangell and Petersburg districts, encompassing state and private lands in addition to those managed federally. Tongass National Forest supervisor Earl Stewart last month issued a call for participation to the general public, seeking input on the Central Tongass Landscape Level Analysis. The announcement explains the purpose of the CTLLA will be to in a single analysis and decision plan a spatially large project for both districts, at the same time increasing t...
WRANGELL — On its regional meeting’s concluding day last week the Board of Fisheries agreed to draft a letter to federal authorities, encouraging them to support efforts to curb seafood predation by marine mammals. During its 13-day meeting in Sitka, the board reviewed regulatory proposals for both finfish and shellfish for Southeast Alaska and Yakutat. Starting with shellfish on January 11, 155 different items relating to the region’s crab, shrimp and dive fisheries saw comment from both Department of Fish and Game managers and user group...
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake in the Gulf of Alaska Tuesday spurred an early morning tsunami warning in Petersburg, scrambling a borough response team and causing some residents to evacuate. A tsunami warning had been issued to the entire Gulf of Alaska at about 12:32 a.m. Tuesday after a magnitude 7.9 earthquake registered about 170 miles southeast of Kodiak. "It's unlikely that we're gonna get a large wave or something that's gonna destroy downtown," said Sandy Dixson, emergency manager for the...
The Petersburg School District is in the midst of drafting its calendar for the 2018-2019 year, and the superintendent at a recent school board meeting discussed the difficulties of settling on a resolution that a majority would support. “Twenty six years of doing calendars,” said Erica Kludt-Painter, superintendent of schools, addressing the school board at a recent meeting. “... If you put out three calendars, you’re going to get a third, third, third of the people who like them. If you put out two, you’re gonna get 50-50. I’m just saying...
The borough manager hosted a second public meeting last Thursday to hear ideas on how to decrease costs and increase revenue for Petersburg. The manager, Steve Giesbrecht, recommends the assembly take the public's suggestions, review them, and make a list of the top five or 10, he said. "The Assembly could then instruct us which ideas they want implemented," Giesbrecht said. "Using this process, the Assembly could work through the entire list." At the meeting, people filtered in for two hours...
Due to a reporting error, Assembly member Jeigh Stanton Gregor was misquoted in last week’s story. The mistake gave Stanton Gregor reason to believe his position was distorted. Last week, a majority of the assembly supported hiring Karl Hagerman as Utility Director, coming after six months of being interim superintendent. Here is last week’s published comment on Hagerman from Stanton Gregor, who supported the electrical department reorganization. “We’ve got somebody in some situation where we’re like, ‘oh well he’s here this will work,” Stanto... Full story
On January 10 the Department of Law reported a Prince of Wales fisherman had been sentenced for a number of misdemeanor counts related to fishing violations. Commercial salmon seine captain Curtis Demmert was sentenced to multiple misdemeanor counts, including commercial fishing in closed waters, fishing too close to a salmon spawning stream and falsifying his commercial fish ticket. On September 13, 2017 Alaska Wildlife Troopers had received a report that the F/V Tlingit Lady, a 58-foot commercial seine vessel captained by Demmert, had been...
