Sorted by date Results 3833 - 3857 of 5553
JUNEAU (AP) — A government watchdog found no evidence of bias in how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted a study on the potential effects of large-scale mining on a world-class salmon fishery in Alaska's Bristol Bay region. The inspector general for the EPA also concluded in a report released Wednesday that the agency did not predetermine the study's outcome. The state of Alaska and the owner of the proposed Pebble Mine, Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd., were among those who asked for an investigation. The EPA, petitioned by A...
Public Works kicked off the start of the week by distributing the long awaited blue recycling carts on Monday, but some Petersburg residents found the cans just flat out huge. The size of the 96-gallon carts were the subject of a social media post on Facebook's "Buy & Sell & Trade PSG AK" page that received almost 70 comments. Many of the comments were humorous and at one point the recycling program was compared to Obamacare, and one person even suggested they might cut windows in the cart and... Full story
In nearly every conversation related to borough government, capital projects or borough services, you can’t help but hear a borough employee or staffer say something along the lines of “with the state budget the way it is…” or “without any money coming from the state…” The warnings have become almost cliché during Borough Assembly meetings and in coffee shop politics talk. But what, exactly, is the challenge we’re facing and what can we do about it? This Friday you’ll have an opportunity to find out. State officials and employees will hos... Full story
Some Petersburg officials and civic leaders are against using annual raw fish tax revenues to help pay back a potential loan that would help pay for a portion of the $9.9 million municipal and police building remodel project. Petersburg Borough Finance Director Jody Tow helped come up with the funding plan that would borrow around $1.3 million from Power and Light's electric fund and would pay those funds back with a portion of the annual fish tax revenues. Some think the bulk of those monies... Full story
The Petersburg Land Selection Committee approved proposed language to request additional land allocation from the state legislature. “If we’re going to do something this session and we want to get the answers, then we need to get moving on it,” committee member Dave Kensinger said. Committee member Ron Buschmannn echoed that need and said Petersburg needs a greater area to select since it’s been left with slim pickings after a long awaited court decision. The Petersburg Land Selection Committee was put on hold until last month when the Alaska...
The Petersburg Police Department issued a press release stating the Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs Task Force (SEACAD), with assistance from the FBI and United States Postal Service, arrested Lars Christensen and Lawrence Christensen on charges of possession of heroin and methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. According to the press release, investigators seized more than 500 combined dosage units. Lars and Lawrence are being held in Petersburg on a $25,000 cash bail. “The investigation is ongoing and no further comments will b...
Oregon resident William Wahl, 41, pled guilty Tuesday in Petersburg court to a misdemeanor count of Prohibited Conduct after State Wildlife Trooper Cody Litster found illegally harvested Red King Crab aboard his boat, the F/V Victory. Wahl and his crew were tendering in Bristol Bay early last summer and after the season wrapped up they fished for the crab around the Aleutians before moving to Southeast to tender for salmon. Litster said he’d been tipped off that Wahl and his crew had the Red King crab in his front freezer and investigated t...
Petersburg Borough Planning Commission members held their monthly meeting on Tuesday and took the opportunity to talk about the borough comprehensive plan. There was a public hearing scheduled during the meeting to give the public opportunity to comment or give thoughts on the plan. However, there were only three audience members and the commission received no public comments. So, the members discussed their thoughts about the comprehensive plan. Much of the discussion revolved around zoning, and making sure that land use is clearly defined...
WRANGELL — On Jan. 4 a federal judge imposed fines on two Wrangell fishermen for falsifying Individual Fishing Quota records over a three-year period. Charles Petticrew Sr., 70, and son Charles Petticrew Jr., 42, had on Oct. 16, 2015 pleaded guilty to charges brought against them by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Alaska, and agreed to pay fines totaling $100,000. The two admitted to submitting IFQ reports falsely specifying statistical areas in the Gulf of Alaska where they caught nearly 4,000 pounds of halibut, valued at $23,375. The rep...
Susan Erickson from Petersburg/Wrangell Insurance gave the board an update about property and casualty insurance trends concerning the school district. The district had a great year in terms of premiums, and the increase in premiums accounted for less than one percent of that budget item, Erickson said. “We stayed with Alaska Public Entities. They have been a great carrier for us for many years now, and we just signed a three year commitment to stay with them for another three years,” she said. “They are doing a great job for us provi...
The U.S. Forest Service announced Dave Zimmerman as the new Tongass National Forest Petersburg District Ranger. Zimmerman will arrive from Medford, Ore. where he served as the Timber and Special Forest Products program manager for the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. "My current national forest is 1.8 million acres spread across five districts, so working on a district of similar size to my former forest will be exciting," Zimmerman said in a press release. "This will necessitate continued...
JUNEAU (AP) — The Alaska Supreme Court on Friday upheld as constitutional a state requirement that local governments help pay for education, reversing a lower court decision. The ruling came in a case filed against the state by the Ketchikan Gateway Borough. In 2014, a state court judge ruled in the borough's favor in finding that a required local contribution for schools violates a constitutional provision that says that no state tax or license proceeds will be earmarked for any special purpose. An exception to that includes royalty proceeds p...
ANCHORAGE (AP) — Seabird biologist David Irons drove recently to the Prince William Sound community of Whittier to check on a friend's boat and spotted white blobs along the tide line of the rocky Alaska beach. He thought they were patches of snow. A closer look revealed that the white patches were emaciated common murres, one of North America's most abundant seabirds, washed ashore after apparently starving to death. “It was pretty horrifying,” Irons said. “The live ones standing along the dead ones were even worse.” Murre die-offs have occu...
Women with limited or no access to health care can get exams and reproductive health services on a sliding scale at the Public Health Center's Women's Clinic Wed., Jan. 27 – Fri., Jan. 29. The clinic will offer exams and reproductive health services, as well as STD testing. All services provided by a nurse practitioner with Public Health Nursing, the Alaska Division of Public Health. Appointments are required, call 772-4611....
The Petersburg Borough Assembly advanced a funding plan for the $9.9 million police and municipal building remodel, and put the project out to bid. The remodel has been in the works for several years and architects have spent more than a year designing the facility. MRV Architect Corey Wall gave a tour to interested residents and borough staff Monday morning before the January 4 assembly meeting. He detailed the sinking concrete slab, which visibly affects the structure of the police station... Full story
July Paine & Partners, LLC of San Francisco entered into agreements with two different groups to sell Icicle Seafoods. The Petersburg Public Library expanded its collection by 1.7 million titles after it joined a consortium of libraries across the state called the Joint Library Catalogue. U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Peter Vermeer took command of the USCGG Anacapa, replacing Lt. Kathryn Cry. The Alaska Department of Transportation cancelled the scheduled summer sailings of the M/V LeConte that would hav... Full story
Work on the Petersburg Children's Center expansion is continuing smoothly as volunteers from around the community are donating sweat and supplies. Volunteers from Rocky's Marine helped install a new roof on the expansion that will allow the Children's Center to enroll around 20 more students from an already staggering waitlist. "Right now my waitlist is about 40, maybe 50 kids," Children's Center director Brandi Heppe said. The new expansion will enlarge one classroom and add another. A crew... Full story
Petersburg’s Local Marijuana Regulation Advisory Committee was disbanded earlier this week. Petersburg Borough Assembly Member and Committee Chair Jeigh Stanton Gregor recommended last Monday to the assembly during a committee update that the marijuana advisory committee should disband due to its ineffectiveness. Stanton Gregor said a majority of committee members didn’t read the state’s retail marijuana regulations, which had been available for review and public comment throughout the summe...
Brooklyn based singer-songwriter Lijie will perform in the Wright Auditorium Thursday, January 7 where she'll play original and cover songs on guitar and piano. Although Lijie describes her music as "dirty rock pop" she is a classically trained pianist. She moved to the United States from China at a young age. Her parents soon after enrolled her in piano lessons and she's been playing ever since. Lijie has performed from Los Angeles to Brooklyn and this evening's show will be her first trip to...
Local poet Lee Ribich and visiting poet Anna DeWitt will be reading their work Monday, January 11 at the Petersburg Public Library. DeWitt, a writer and photographer from North Carolina, holds an MFA in Creative Writing from American University. Her work has been published in national literary journals. Her current project, "How You Got Here", explores maternity care, childbearing and childhood around the world through writing, photography, and participant observation. Ribich has published...
PETERSBURG (AP) — The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is predicting a return of about 34,000 king salmon to the Stikine River next year in southeast Alaska. The estimated return is large enough to allow commercial fishing in the area and a catch up of to 1,000 Chinook. Catches of Stikine kings are managed under the Pacific Salmon Treaty between the U.S. and Canada, KFSK-FM reported. The department's announcement means trollers and gillnetters could have the opportunity to fish for the kings in early May, which would be a first since 201...
ANCHORAGE (AP) — A federal agency has concluded that a southeast Alaska wolf affected by logging and hunting does not merit placement on the endangered species list. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday that Alexander Archipelago wolves on Prince of Wales Island and neighboring islands do not warrant additional protections. “Although the Alexander Archipelago wolf faces several stressors throughout its range related to wolf harvest, timber harvest, road development, and climate-related events in Southeast Alaska and coastal Brit...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska's minimum wage will be among the highest in the country, increasing by a dollar an hour, to $9.75, starting Friday. The state labor department estimates 12,000 jobs in Alaska currently pay less than $9.75 an hour. For those working full-time at minimum wage, the department says the increase will mean about $2,000 in additional annual earnings. Voters in November 2014 approved increasing the minimum wage from $7.75 an hour. The first increase, to $8.75 an hour, took effect in February. The minimum wage is to be a...
JUNEAU (AP) — Federal, state and local agencies haven't found any major obstacles to a plan to build a hydroelectric dam on Sweetheart Creek southeast of Juneau. The Juneau Empire reports that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission released a draft environment impact for the project in October. Tuesday was the last day for officials and the public to give feedback on the document. Juneau Hydropower Inc. Director Duff Mitchell said by phone Wednesday that the comments only found minor problems with the project. He says there seems to be a l...
January-June January Petersburg School Superintendent Lisa Stroh resigned from her position citing family medical issues as her reason for leaving although communication between borough staff and student letters indicated turmoil between Stroh and school staff. Two third and fourth grade elementary students published their own class newspapers. Former Petersburg School District Maintenance Director Tye Petersen was sentenced to 12 years in prison for Distribution, Receipt and Possession of... Full story
