Sorted by date Results 3979 - 4003 of 5673
Petersburg Police are charging a man with multiple counts of burglary and theft after a Christmas Eve break in left a family without a vehicle, tools and firearms. According to charging documents, police charged Neil Ray Hacker, 37, with 12 felony counts after a confession to police where he admitted to stealing nine firearms, including rifles and shotguns, along with a 2012 Toyota pickup truck, vehicle parts and tools from a warehouse on Hungerford Hill owned by Albert Hofstad. The charging... Full story
It's a question Petersburg's Northern Nights Theater manager Anne Tate fields every now and then. "I've been asked, I think, about a million times," Tate said. "I'm not certain I can leave my house without someone asking." It's no surprise people are inquiring. 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' shattered records, including the largest box office record of all time, and will likely continue to eclipse previous big movie box office sales. The movie has already grossed more than $1 billion...
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — A judge has ordered the city of Kodiak to release records related to an encounter between three police officers and an autistic man whose mother says he was traumatized by the experience. A lawsuit filed by Kodiak Public Broadcasting Co. says the 28-year-old man was checking his family's mailbox on Sept. 16 when three police officers handcuffed and pepper sprayed him. He was not arrested or charged, KMXT-FM reported. His mother said he was traumatized by the experience, which left her son bloody and bruised. Authorities h...
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and another Alaska newspaper are being sold. The News-Miner announced Monday that the newspaper and the Kodiak Daily Mirror are being purchased by the Fairbanks-based Helen E. Snedden Foundation, which was created by the late wife of former News-Miner publisher Charles W. Snedden. The deal is expected to close early next year. The sales price was not immediately disclosed. The current owner, William Dean Singleton, and late business partner Richard B. Scudder bought the Fairbanks paper f...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Data released by the U.S. Department of Education shows Alaska has one of the lowest graduation rates in the country. Only the District of Columbia, New Mexico and Nevada had lower graduation rates during the 2013-14 school year than Alaska, whose graduation rate was 71.1 percent. Federal data shows Alaska's rate has hovered around 70 percent since at least 2010-2011. Nationally, the graduation rate was 82.3 percent. Brian Laurent with Alaska's education department says the state's preliminary graduation rate for 2...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Lawmakers are a step closer to moving out of office space in Anchorage that costs $4 million to lease. The Legislative Council voted Saturday to recommend that lawmakers pull funding for the lease, while also carving out 45 days to try negotiating a competitive purchase price, the Alaska Dispatch reports. The office space was renovated and priced almost six times more than what had been a $680,000 lease. This year, lawmakers expect a $3.5 billion state budget deficit. Developer Mark Pfeffer said he was willing to d...
Petersburg rubber boots sloshed through 135.22 inches of rain so far this year, putting 2015 on track as the second rainiest year on record—biting at the heels of 1991’s title as rainiest year with its 136.88 inches of precipitation. January and April of 2015 both broke precipitation records with January receiving 21.05 inches beating the 1985 previous record of 20.89 inches. Rain poured last April with a total 12.31 inches beating 1952’s previous record of 11.1 inches. Last July came in secon...
The Salvation Army’s largest fundraiser the ‘Red Kettle’ campaign provides assistance to those in need throughout the year in the form of utility and rental assistance, food boxes, heating oil, emergency lodging and transportation. The year 2015 saw a large increase for those needing rental and utility assistance and food boxes compared to 2014. In 2014, the local Salvation Army provided rental assistance to six people in two households in the amount of $265. That number leapt up to 17 people in 10 households in the amount of $9,004 durin...
Icicle Seafoods' The Gordon Jensen struck rocks on Saturday and the U.S. Coast Guard had to escort the damaged vessel to Ketchikan for repairs. Coast Guard public relations Petty Officer Meredith Manning said Tuesday the cause of the incident is still under investigation and no injuries were reported. Manning said the vessel ran aground near Bella Bella, 172 miles southeast of Prince Rupert. The Canadian Coast Guard responded to the incident and the U.S. Coast Guard was later involved. Manning... Full story
The public has a final opportunity to review and comment on Petersburg Borough long-term planning objectives after the Borough Assembly approved a hearing schedule for the comprehensive and waterfront plans. The plans outline and recommend strategies for borough management, land use and the environment, transportation, economic development, recreation and tourism and waterfront development over the next 20 years. The comprehensive and waterfront master plan is the result of Agnew::Beck Consulting, an Anchorage firm the borough hired in the fall... Full story
Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins is visiting Petersburg over the next few days and is petitioning for signatures for the PFD Voter Registration initiative. The initiative would give Alaska residents the opportunity to vote for a ballot measure that would let residents apply for their PFD Dividend and register to vote at the same time. "Basically it gets all the paperwork for voter registration out of the way since people are already filling out their address and legal name and all the other... Full story
Petersburg Fisheries, Inc. or PFI celebrated its 50th Anniversary in June. The local giant is much more than a staple of the community, it's a vital brick that allowed Petersburg to continue building its foundation. When Alaska achieved statehood in 1959 salmon traps were abolished, sending the enthusiasm for the fishing industry of many Alaska canneries owned by out-of-state interests into a downward spiral. Pacific American Fisheries (PAF) headquartered out of Bellingham, Wash. was one of...
In last week's Pilot there was an editing error, and a picture of Ethan File was incorrectly identified as Mike File in the caption. The Pilot regrets the error....
The Division of Sport Fish is now accepting public comment on its statewide fish stocking plan. The Division, with assistance from private non-profit hatchery operators, plans to release approximately 6.5 million fish into the waters of Alaska every year for the next five years to benefit recreational anglers. The stocking plan outlines the location, number, and size or life stage for each species of fish that are planned for stocking. Only fish produced from Division of Sport Fish hatchery facilities and from private non-profit hatcheries,...
Brad Hunter and a group of just under 10 volunteers spent Saturday morning and some of the afternoon participating in the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, the 75th in Alaska and 116th held nationwide since 1900. The group started counting at first light and surveyed from Hungry Point to the fish hatchery at Blind Slough on Mitkof Island. “We didn’t really find anything highly unusual,” he said. “It’s just a good excuse to get out and pay attention to what is around us every day.” Hunter says the group documented 44 species total, about six b...
An external auditing firm representative reported positive financial health for Petersburg Borough finances. The Petersburg Borough Assembly heard from BDO Auditor Michelle Drew at its December 21 meeting. “We did issue an unmodified opinion and that’s basically a clean audit report, which is kind of the highest report card you can get from an external auditor,” Drew said. “Everything we asked for was made available to us. We received excellent cooperation from everyone at the borough in getting ready for the audit.” The auditors looked at...
When you think about Christmas, you assume snow and cold, but not in Mexico. When it comes to Christmas down south the weather is warm and mild during the holiday season. Families decorate their homes with colorful flowers, moss, lanterns and evergreens. From December 16 until Christmas Eve families participate in Las Pasadas for nine nights. The children are given candles and figures of Mary and Joseph. Many Mexican children receive gifts from Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. The children sing about Joseph and Mary asking for a room in the...
Subscribers, click link below to access a downloadable PDF file of full Christmas Edition.................................................................................................................................................................................. http://www.petersburgpilot.com/customer_files/christmasedition2015.pdf...
Marijuana dispensaries can't set up shop in downtown Peterburg based on Alaska's Alcohol Beverage Control Board's (ABC's) recent adopted marijuana license restrictions. According to the adopted regulations, the ABC Board won't issue a marijuana establishment license "if the licensed premises will be located within 500 feet of a school grounds, a recreation youth center, a building in which religious services are regularly conducted, or a correctional facility." Those restrictions eliminate... Full story
There are many positive and negative aspects to hunting moose in Petersburg, and one of the most notable negatives is dealing with the strict antler restrictions imposed on hunters. At times, it seems like hunters afield are literally rolling the dice when they pull the trigger. If the moose is legal, there is celebration, but if the animal is illegal it leads to a $300 fine. Thirteen moose were killed in the region this season that failed to meet the antler restrictions, and their meat was distributed to charity organizations and those in... Full story
It was an eventful week. A big highlight was the anniversary celebration of the marriage of Bob and Carroll Nilsen who were wed on December 15, 1955. Sixty years of marriage is indeed something to celebrate and their family and friends certainly pulled it off nicely. Following their vow renewal at the Lutheran Church on Wednesday, I asked Bob if the marriage vows were easier said the second time around. Bob replied, "This is the third time." He explained they were married before a Justice of... Full story
Andy Kittams, 43, plead guilty in October to driving salmon from closed waters while commercial seining. According to Alaska State Troopers, Kittams was seining at the Hidden Falls Hatcher Area when his crew was documented using explosives to drive salmon from a closed area into an active seine net. The incident occurred in 2013. Kittams appeared in Sitka for his court hearing where he was fined $3,000 and ordered to pay $12,375 in restitution to the state of Alaska. An additional charge of using explosives to drive salmon was dismissed as...
Snow naturally notifies citizens of the upcoming holiday season, but to many, it also signals the beginning of the high school basketball season. Sure enough, both the boys' and girls' teams of PHS tip off their respective seasons this weekend in the annual Little Norway Invitational Tournament. The Little Norway Invitational is in memory of long-time Petersburg citizen and basketball fan Jerry Dahl Sr. In the 12th annual version of the tournament, the boys will serve as host to Thunder...
Twenty years ago Patty Parr Simpson took approximately 280 photos of older homes in and nearby Petersburg, and she compiled a photo album of her work. Then with help from Colleen Nicholson, who also knew a lot of the people that had lived in the older homes, the pair documented their ownership history, but the project did not stop there. Parr Simpson lent the photo album to the borough mapping department where Susan Christensen and Valerie Allen used old tax maps to add block numbers, lot...
PETERSBURG (AP) — The state of Alaska is moving forward with plans to construct a controversial road linking the city of Petersburg to Kake as part of the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. The proposed road from Kake would end at Wrangell Narrows across from Petersburg, where a shuttle ferry would then pick up passengers to complete the trip. The Kake Access Project calls for building 27 miles of unpaved road and upgrades to another 26 miles of logging roads, KFSK-FM reported. Funding for the $37 million project is covered under the...
