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JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Some of the sharpest jabs during a relatively tame debate Thursday featuring the major candidates for governor in Alaska were aimed at Republican nominee Mike Dunleavy. The conservative former state senator said later that his rivals, independent Gov. Bill Walker and Democrat Mark Begich, could see him as the one to beat and the one who concerns them the most. “They should. I think I’ve got some great ideas to get us out of this,” he said. Alaska fell into a recession after a crash in oil prices that also exploded the siz...
As part of the Rainforest Festival, Megan McPhee, with the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, gave a lecture that explained causes of the shrinking size of salmon. In her presentation, McPhee gave historical trends of salmon sizes, explained some reasons why salmon are getting smaller over the years and consequences of smaller salmon. In 1981, W.E. Ricker noted that the average weight of pink salmon in British Columbia seine fisheries between 1951 and 1974 decreased by about one pound in that 23 year...
Coho Salmon Coho salmon continue to be intercepted in the marine sport fishery although anglers can expect marine catch rates to decline as coho salmon move toward their natal streams. Freshwater fishing for coho salmon is picking up as anglers encounter increasing numbers of coho salmon in local streams and lakes. Freshwater fishing opportunity typically peaks in the month of September for most systems in the area. Anglers are reminded that the use of bait is allowed in many freshwater systems between September 15 and November 15, but be sure...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Monthly marijuana tax revenues have topped $1 million for the fifth straight month and for the sixth time this year. The state said Wednesday that it had collected nearly $1.4 million in marijuana taxes in July, a new monthly record. That compares to about $1.3 million in June, the previous high. Cultivation facilities pay the tax, which is imposed when marijuana is sold or transferred from a licensed grow facility to a retail marijuana shop or product manufacturing facility. The Department of Revenue reported that 107 c...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The operator of the trans-Alaska pipeline says it plans to cut about 10 percent of its workforce. KTUU-TV reports Wednesday that Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. announced the layoffs in a letter sent to the governor and state lawmakers. Alyeska President Tom Barrett says the workforce will shrink, affecting jobs in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Valdez and in the field. The company plans to realign into three divisions, operations and maintenance, engineering and risk, and chief financial officers. The company says employees a...
United States Postal Service officials now estimate the Petersburg Post Office will reopen on Friday, after a package leaked mercury inside of the facility last week, according to a statement issued by the USPS. Officials had previously expected the post office to resume normal retail and PO box operations by this past weekend. “The Postal Service apologizes for the inconvenience and appreciates its customers’ patience,” according to the statement. Petersburg residents can continue to pick... Full story
Despite the departure of processing workers, Patrick Wilson, Icicle Seafoods manager said they will be able to handle the chums coming in from Crawfish Inlet. “We can still do chums, Wilson commented. “We just wish the run came in two weeks earlier,” before workers were being sent home, he said. Wilson said his staff can still take care of the catch. “Anything to keep the fleet fishing,” he added. September 1 is the release date for the summer workers, but 100 production workers remain and will be able to handle the fish, according to Wilson...
The purse seine fleet set a single day chum salmon catch record for the entire state with a haul of over 980,000 chum salmon taken at Crawfish Inlet south of Sitka on Thursday, Aug. 30 according to Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association (NSRAA) manager Steve Reifenstuhl. Seiners took 1.13 million fish in two openings. In a year where the pink salmon catch has been said to be the worst since 1976, Reifenstuhl said Tuesday many boats doubled their season income in one day. The...
The United States Department of Commerce has allocated $56 million for the 2016 pink salmon disaster, according to borough D.C. lobbyist Sebastian O’Kelly. Congress appropriated $200 million for 12 fishery disasters. $56 million of that money, the largest amount set aside for a fishery disaster, will go to those affected by the pink salmon disaster. The funds will be split up between fishermen, processors and municipalities affected by the disaster, as well as research to determine the pink salmon decline. $32 million will go to fishermen; h...
High school students in the certified nursing assistant program through Petersburg Medical Center began their training last week. CNAs work directly under a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse and provide the more hands on care to patients and residents, such as help them get up in the morning, brush their teeth, eat meals and do exercises. They also take measurements and monitor vital signs. Since CNAs spend so much time with patients and residents, they are able to identify when something is wrong with them and can alert the nurse. ...
In a story on page 8 of the Aug. 30 issue of the Petersburg Pilot, Adam Axmaker was referred to as Adam Morton.... Full story
Public Works employees have been working to repair a leak in a water main in the 1000 block of Sandy Beach Road since Sunday. Public Works Director Karl Hagerman said employees began looking for leaks in their service lines since water treatment plant production remained at high levels even after cannery water consumption declined as the summer season wound down. The plant was still processing higher volumes of water than normal at the close of the season, Hagerman told the Pilot. During the sum...
Few things define Alaskans more than our love of salmon. Not surprisingly, salmon allocation decisions and fluctuations in resource abundance often spur bitter political battles between user groups. A robust public process rooted in best available science has long been the arbiter of such disputes. As an Alaskan born and raised on the Kenai, and in my current role as Mayor of Cordova, it is with deep consternation that I followed a recent Board of Fisheries evaluation of an emergency petition seeking to restrict hatchery salmon releases in...
On Aug. 20, around 3 A.M., 21-year-old David Churchill of Wrangell broke into Harbor Bar with the intention of burglary, according to authorities. He broke a window, entered the liquor store and attempted to steal bottles of liquor, said Police Chief Jim Kerr. A Good Samaritan who was a patron at the bar attempted to stop Churchill, but Churchill hit him over the head a few times with a bottle of alcohol, said Kerr. Churchill fled the scene, but was apprehended within minutes and arrested on charges of assault in the 2nd degree and 1st degree...
Petersburg won two department grand champion ribbons and 18 blue ribbons at the Southeast Alaska State Fair in Haines. Thirty-nine residents submitted art projects, crafts and photography with nearly every entry winning a ribbon. "That's the big thing," said Josef Quitslund, Petersburg's representative at the fair. "Sharing what people create." Mandy Kivisto and Marsha Fernandez both won department grand champion ribbons. Kivisto submitted a photo titled, 'Lilly pad,' which won her the...
At a borough assembly meeting on Tuesday, the assembly voted to fund member Jeff Meucci’s travel to Southeast Conference in Ketchikan later this month to advocate for a seat on the board of directors. The assembly is already sending Mayor Mark Jensen to SEC because he is Petersburg’s representative; however, Jensen has stated that he will not be voting for Meucci in the run for the board of directors. At the Aug. 20 assembly meeting, the assembly failed to approve funding for Meucci’s travel to SEC. Since the motion failed, the motion was r...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The three bronze posts unveiled under sunny skies also double as pillars. They hold up and support the vibrancy and resilience of the Tsimshian, Tlingit and Haida cultures. “We are not just a part of history, we are here and living our way of life,” said Rosita Worl, Sealaska Heritage Institute president, during a Aug. 26 ceremony held in front of the Walter Soboleff Building. “These bronze posts are symbols of our past and symbols of our future.” Each 8-foot-tall post at the corner of Front and Seward streets was carve...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Trees soon may be cut down in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, and federal officials want the public’s input on the matter. A new rulemaking process for an Alaska — specific version of the Roadless Rule — which prevents timber harvest and the building of roads on 0.01 million square miles (0.03 million square kilometers) of roadless lands in southeast Alaska — is now open for public comment. A notice published last week in the Federal Register, the official journal of the federal government, opens the first official ve...
Three of the five commercially harvested salmon species are coming in below Department of Fish and Game forecasts, according to assistant area management biologist Kevin Clark. “Biologically, I think that we’re going to be alright in the long run because for the most part, we’ve been meeting goals or near meeting goals,” said Clark. “That is kind of our charge, the sustainability of the fishery. Not necessarily to make sure everybody makes money every year, but to make sure that there’s fish there for their children and grandchildr...
After the weather prevented Gov. Bill Walker from landing in Petersburg, Rep. David Guttenberg in his stead spoke about the importance of House Bill 240 at Petersburg Rexall Drug on Monday. The bill will address the rising costs of pharmaceutical drugs and bring transparency to the relationship between PBMs (Pharmacy Benefit Managers) and drug manufacturers, said Guttenberg. PBMs were originally established in the 1970s as a middle man between pharmacies and drug manufacturers to negotiate...
On Saturday, Petersburg Marine celebrated the opening of its new boat ramp in Scow Bay with a barbecue and a demonstration of its self propelled hydraulic trailer. In Scow Bay, there is a public use boat ramp, but it can be difficult to launch and bring in a boat when winds are blowing Southwest, said John Murgas, owner of Petersburg Marine. The new ramp takes advantage of a bank of dirt that extends into the water, which has been in place for over 38 years. In the area where the ramp has been b...
In the month of July, Petersburg Medical Center continued to offer a high level of quality of care. There were zero patients, the same amount as June, diagnosed with a catheter associated urinary tract infection, according to a quality report presented to PMC’s board members on Thursday. A urinary tract infection resulting from a catheter is one of the most common types of health care associated infections. Again, zero patients, in both June and July, had stage 3 or higher pressure ulcers, or bed sores. Also, hand hygiene scored a 98 percent in...
Students started their first day back to school on Monday at the Petersburg School District. "It's been busy but it's been great," said Mitkof Middle School and Petersburg High School principal Rick Dormer. "It really is great having the kids back in the building." The middle school was treated to an introductory assembly on Monday, which welcomed them back and introduced new students and staff. A similar assembly was held on Wednesday that introduced the high school athletic department and...
I had the honor of hosting the 26th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, Admiral Karl L. Schultz, in Southeast Alaska. We were joined by17th Coast Guard District Commander Admiral Bell. Our time together included an important trip to Petersburg, where we visited crews and the town's two ships stationed there. One of the Coast Guard Cutters that we toured, the USCGC ELDERBERRY was put in Alaskan waters in the mid-50s. It's a testament to the great work of Coast Guard crews to keep this vessel in...
Earlier this month, Gov. Bill Walker signed Senate Bill 105 into law, which improves transparency in healthcare costs. “Healthcare costs are a critical issue in Alaska,” said Walker in a press release from Aug. 7. “Trying to keep costs sustainable is an important issue for individuals and families, but also for businesses and our economy. Seeking care is often hard enough – our medicals bills shouldn’t hurt, too.” Under the new bill, healthcare providers and facilities will have to publicly post the costs of their most common procedures,...
