Sorted by date Results 5032 - 5056 of 5553
Tonka Seafoods has purchased Mitkof Cannery on Libby Straight from Trident Seafoods according to partners Seth Scrimsher and Wendel Gilbert. The company’s processing space will increase from 3,000 sq. ft. at its Sing Lee Alley location to 30,000 square feet at Libby Straight. Tonka will acquire 2.08 acres of waterfront along Wrangell Narrows, the cannery and the cookhouse. Trident will retain the warehouse, bunkhouse and loading dock and 1.92 acres of uplands. The larger space will allow T... Full story
Flocks of flamingos have landed in various yards around Petersburg and who knows which yard they will be in next. The Petersburg Humane Association, along with the Petersburg Junior Girl Scouts, have been busy landing flamingos for a good cause. Throughout the month, the bright pink birds can be found all around Petersburg for a donation to the PHA. “This is the first year we have tried this,” PHA Director Merrily Jones said. “By the second day they were in rotation we had about 20 spots filled.... Full story
The Petersburg Medical Center Board of Directors during a regular meeting on March, 30 decided to end the Patient Satisfaction Surveys. The year-long survey program asks patients to rate their medical care. “I think over time we’ll have less and less returned surveys, so the data will become more and more meaningless,” said PMC CEO Elizabeth Woodyard. “If our scores varied tremendously [the surveys] would remain,” she said adding that based on the surveys, patients are satisfied with their level of care, but not “wowed.” “We have a lot of p... Full story
A motion to join the City and Borough of Wrangell in studying the possibility of separating from the Southeast Alaska Power Agency drew heated debate among Ketchikan City Council members Thursday before gaining narrow approval. The Council was considering whether to follow Wrangell’s lead and partner with that city and possibly Petersburg, the third member of SEAPA, in commissioning a study about SEAPA’s ongoing value to the three communities. During the public comment portion of the meeting, people spoke both for and against the motion. Jason...
The Thomas Bay Power Authority commissioners undertook a lengthy discussion over who will be hired to take the reins of the utility for Wrangell and Petersburg during a special meeting held March 4 in Wrangell. A motion by commissioner Dave Galla to keep current manager Paul Southland on as the full-time leader of the utility for at least a year failed by a 4-3 vote, with commissioners Robert Larson, Joe Nelson, Clay Hammer and president John Jensen voting against the motion. TBPA operations foreman Mick Nicholls was then nominated by commissio...
The Sealaska board of directors announced last week that Richard Rinehart, Jr. has been selected to fill an open seat on the 13-member board. Rinehart fills a board term that will end at the Sealaska annual meeting in 2013. Clarence Jackson, Sr. of Kake previously held the seat. After the passing of Director Jackson in January, Sealaska followed a process to fill the vacant seat that allowed for open submissions from shareholders. The Sealaska Nominations Committee met several times to review...
ANCHORAGE (AP) — A Coast Guard helicopter Tuesday plucked a man from a 31-foot sailboat floating without power in the treacherous Gulf of Alaska. Spokeswoman Sara Francis said Rory Williams used his Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon to signal he needed assistance. A helicopter launched from Sitka and hoisted him from the stricken vessel at about 2:20 p.m. “It's fortunate that he had an EPIRB with him,” Francis said. The Coast Guard listed the vessel's home port as Sitka, an island city of 9,000 about 95 miles southwest of Junea...
ANCHORAGE (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board says a fire on an Alaska ferry in Ketchikan for repairs likely was caused by hot materials left behind by a work crew that broke for lunch. The fire Feb. 7, 2012, caused damage estimated between $500,000 and $750,000 to the Malaspina (mal-ah-SPEE'-nah) at Alaska Ship and Drydock. The Coast Guard investigated the fire. The fire began just before noon in the sewage treatment room below a crew member stateroom where a work crew was repairing a ventilation duct. Investigators determined t...
The Borough Assembly on Monday voted unanimously to deny the appeal filed by Tamico regarding the award of the North Harbor Reconstruction contract to a Ketchikan company. During an hour-long hearing on Monday, Tamico’s Vice President Jim Martinsen gave testimony regarding the legality of going with a vendor that is outside of Petersburg. Tamico had submitted the second lowest bid overall, about $100,000 higher than Western Dock and Bridge. Last month Martinsen sent a letter to Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht protesting the decision to a... Full story
Petersburg Borough Assembly announced during a regular session meeting on Monday the formation of an Ad hoc Sea Otter Management Committee to address the ongoing sea otter population. The committee will be chaired by Assembly Member Kurt Wohlhueter. Members of the committee include Joan Koutzer, Mike Bangs, Andy Knight, Frank Neidiffer, Dave Somerville, Jason Duggen, John Jensen, Dave Beebe and Brenda Louise. The committee will hold its first meeting at noon, on Friday in Assembly Chambers.. The agenda will include reviewing past support and...
During Monday’s meeting, Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht reported that the Petersburg Library has digitized local newspapers from 1913 to 1931, they are now online and searchable. An eagle strike, the second of the year, was responsible for taking out power from Scow Bay north. There is now a new procedure for handling the carcass which should be in compliance with Fish and Game regulations. “There were some issues regarding our guys picking up the eagles and having them in their possession,” Giesbrecht said. FERC has agreed not to charg...
For Grazyna Froehlich, quilting was never about sewing, it was about art. The owner of Wildcat Quilts since 2005, Froehlich said she has finished so many quilts she doesn't remember all of them. Froehlich, 60, earlier this month sold her business to hair stylist, and fellow quilter Kim Randrup, who has already transformed the Sing Lee Alley location into a hair salon and quilting shop. “I've been a lifelong sewer. I sewed ever since I could hold a needle and thread, but I mainly made clothes f... Full story
Juneau — The Douglas-Dornan Foundation of the Juneau Community Foundation, will accept applications for funding support from April 1 through June 1, 2013. The Foundation offers financial grants to organizations that benefit and enhance the health, education and welfare of individuals in Southeast Alaska . Examples of possible Foundation financial support include, but are not limited to: - Charitable organizations, foundations or other non-profit 501(c) (3) organizations, or child care institutions in Southeast Alaska , foster parent p...
While fishing vessels continue to move out of the North Harbor in preparation for the planned reconstruction project, a controversy is brewing over the validity of awarding the multi-million dollar project to an out-of-town contractor. Tamico has filed a letter of protest with Petersburg Borough regarding the reconstruction bid award to Western Dock and Bridge of Ketchikan. In a letter to Borough Manager Stephen Giesbrecht, manager Jim Martinsen of locally-owned Tamico claims the Borough did not follow proper procedure while accepting the... Full story
The Sitka Sound Sac Roe Herring fishery’s first opening lasted about 3-hours and brought in an estimated 1,500 tons. 48 boats fished the opening which began at 3 p.m. and closed at 6:05 p.m.Wednesday. The fishery has been on 2-hour notice effective 11:00 a.m., March 25. That morning the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game conducted a vessel survey aboard the R/V Kestrel. This survey covered areas north of Sitka including along the road system up to Old Sitka Rocks, the waters west of Crow Island and along the Kruzof Island shoreline south of Inner P... Full story
For the fifth year in a row, Petersburg High School students participated in the Alaska Tsunami Bowl, a regional competition of the National Ocean Science Bowl. Two teams, of five students, attended the February event in Seward. One team, Omnipotent Octopi headed by Tyler Lantiegne, ranked third of the 25 participating teams. The second team, Opulent Opisthoproctidae, finished 18th. The Tsunami Bowl teams begin the competition at the beginning of the year with the research and writing of a... Full story
The Forest Service Tonka Timber Sale has spawned the need for a log sorting and storage yard. The planning, environmental impact study and design phases are now complete. Federal public works funds will finance the projected permanent facility, which will also include a new public dock, said Petersburg Ranger Jason Anderson. The Tonka sort yard is located almost directly across from Papke’s Landing and was constructed by Channel Construction Inc. out of Juneau, Anderson said. Tamico completed t...
JUNEAU (AP) — The Alaska Legislature has passed a resolution calling upon the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to further investigate the effects of producing genetically engineered salmon. HJR5, by Rep. Geran Tarr of Anchorage, also asks the federal government to require labeling genetically modified salmon if it is to be sold. The Senate unanimously passed the resolution on Monday. It passed the House unanimously last month. The resolution is in line with concerns that have been raised by Alaska's congressional delegation. FDA has r...
ANCHORAGE (AP) — Alaska's challenge to the Clinton administration-era roadless rule in national forests was rejected Monday by a federal judge, who said it came too late to be considered. The rule that was put into place in January 2001 restricts road construction in national forest areas without roads. The Bush administration in 2003 exempted the vast Tongass National Forest, the nation's largest at nearly 26,563 square miles on Alaska's Panhandle. A federal judge in March 2011 overturned that decision and the state of Alaska sued to o...
SITKA (AP) — Four volunteer rescuers were honored this month by the U.S. Coast Guard in a ceremony at Air Station Sitka. The Coast Guard Meritorious Public Service Award was presented to Don Kluting, Tyler Orbison, Gerald Gangle and Howard Merkel of Sitka for their part in the Jan. 21, 2012, rescue of four members of family, including two small children, who were stranded on a Nakwasina Sound beach in freezing weather. Rear Adm. Thomas Ostebo, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District, presented the awards March 15. The Meritorious Public S...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly have put the new Petersburg Police Facility Project on hold in order to investigate lower prices for the project. “I would suggest that we delegate the Borough Manager to look for a lower cost alternative price for the police and jail facility,” Petersburg Borough Assembly member John Hoag stated. “I would like for us to also give him the authority to cancel or enter into new contracts because the price tag on this facility is just beyond the reach of this community.” The last engineer estimate that was receive... Full story
Several Petersburg fishermen came out to support Senate Bill 60, implementing a $100 bounty on all sea otters taken legally under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Monday evening during the regular meeting of the Petersburg Borough Assembly. The resolution that was proposed by the Assembly at the March 4 meeting was brought back to the table for discussion due to the interest of the residents and fishermen of the area. Local commercial fisherman Max Worhatch was the first to step to the microphone. “On the surface, this may seem like a bill t... Full story
There will no change in Alaska Airlines’ status as the provider of Essential Air Service for Southeast Alaska communities after the U.S. Department of Transportation issued an order in February continuing the EAS through 2015 – and Alaska Airlines will retain the designation as the provider of the service. “On February 11, we issued an order re-selecting Alaska Airlines to provide Essential Air Service in five communities in Southeast Alaska,” said USDOT spokesperson Bill Moseley. “That o... Full story
During the March 5-6 meeting of the SEAPA Board of Directors, the reports of operations manager Steve Henson and special projects director Eric Wolfe highlighted a number of projects and new information related to the Tyee Lake Hydroelectric project. An analysis of a Petersburg electrical tower that is sloughing is a topic of importance in the report. “Petersburg Municipal Power and Light discovered a bank that was sloughing near the outside set of anchors on Tower 76-1M on Mitkof Island. There are two anchors per pole of the three pole s...
