Sorted by date Results 658 - 682 of 5569
A COVID-19 outbreak at the Mountain View Manor Assisted Living Facility has resulted in at least 12 positive cases as of Wednesday afternoon according to Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht. Of the 12 cases, four are unvaccinated and eight are vaccinated according to Mountain View Manor administrator Shelyn Bell. There has also been one fatality where COVID-19 may have been a contributing factor. The large outbreak, which has affected both residents and staff, has prompted testing and other...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced the start of the 2022 Southeast Alaska commercial Tanner crab fishery which opened on February 11 at noon after registration for the season closed. According to the announcement, core areas will be open until February 18 at noon for a total of seven fishing days, non-core areas will be open until February 23 at noon for a total of 12 fishing days, and exploratory area will be open until March 9 at noon for a total of 26 fishing days. All three are...
A local doctor initially spoke to Paul Bowen about a new program aimed at allowing older community members to maintain their independence and continue living at home. Bowen was hesitant at first, but once the topic came to the attention of his daughters, who were already aware of CAPABLE, they immediately began encouraging their father to give it a try. He did and now he has no plans of leaving his home. "I'm glad I had a chance to do it and I'm glad I stayed with it," Bowen says. "It's been a... Full story
The Clausen Museum is set to open a community photography show on Saturday called "Transported" with pictures centering on traveling both near and far. The show will be the museum first focused solely on photography in a long time according to Museum Director Cindi Lagoudakis who said the show's theme centers on travel during a time where that has been lessened due to the pandemic but is up for interpretation for every photographer. "The theme 'Transported' came to me as something that could be...
The Mitkof Middle School robotics team traveled to Anchorage to compete in the state tournament on February 5, and though they did not place, the experience gave the team some insight into what state level competition looks like. The team got the opportunity to compete in the state competition after placing first in the innovative project category for their presentation on a cargo transport system at the local Alaska Marine Lines facility during the regional tournament in December. Those who...
Parks and Recreation has distributed community center membership passes to borough board members and to the staff of nonprofit child care providers as a way to thank them for their service to the community. The idea to give passes to board members was suggested to Parks and Recreation Director Stephanie Payne who said it could serve as a way for the borough to show its appreciation for the service people provide by serving on those boards. She discussed it with Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht w...
The Petersburg School Board unanimously approved the calendar for the 2022-2023 school year during its meeting on February 8. The 2022-2023 calendar greatly resembles this year’s calendar and can be viewed on the Petersburg School District website. “We took the feedback that we have received throughout the year related to in-service dates and conferences and vacations and all those things and it is very similar overall,” Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter said. The first day of the next school year will be on Tuesday, August 30, 2022 and the l...
The Petersburg School Board voted unanimously to amend its COVID-19 mitigation plan Tuesday night which now allows for limited optional masking in yellow status depending on cases within each building. Some parents and teachers spoke at the beginning of the meeting against the continuation of the mitigation plan approved in January, which required universal masking and had no provisions for optional masking, saying universal masking was counterproductive and inhibited learning. During last...
The 2022 commercial Tanner crab fishery is set to open Friday at noon with this season's mature male abundance biomass predicted to be 5.81 million pounds in Registration Area A according to Joe Stratman, the lead shellfish biologist for Southeast Alaska with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. That prediction comes from a 2021 survey which uses stratified sampling to estimate mature male Tanner crab abundance spanning from the Dixon Entrance to Cape Fairweather. This year's prediction is...
Over 200 cars, trucks, and other vehicles assembled Sunday afternoon to take part in a "Freedom Convoy" around Petersburg to voice their opposition to COVID-19 mandates and to advocate for "personal individual rights." The convoy was similar to others that have taken place, most notably in Canada where truckers drove to Ottawa, the Canadian capital, to protest COVID-19 restrictions. The vehicles flew U.S. and Canadian flags along the route and honked their horns as they passed onlookers. Some...
During the Petersburg Borough Assembly's meeting on Monday, Mayor Mark Jensen reported that he and Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht recently took part in a conversation with two representatives from the U.S. Postal Service about the ongoing problems at the post office. The assembly has previously discussed staffing issues and the resulting long wait times at the post office which culminated in the passage of a resolution requesting a formal discussion with the USPS about solutions and...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly decided not to conduct a Public Safety Advisory Board review of the Petersburg Police Department in a 3-4 vote which would have aimed to gather information on employee retention, position duties, and work schedules within the department during Monday's meeting. The request for a review comes as the police department faces continued issues with understaffing in the police officer and dispatcher positions causing staff to work longer hours in varying roles. The...
A small electrical fire was reported Friday at about 3 p.m. in the South Boat Harbor after smoke was seen on a boat according to Assistant Fire Chief David Berg. A passerby called 911 when they saw smoke coming from the Seniavin Sunset owned by Greg Birchell. Harbor staff worked fast and knocked down the fire with a fire extinguisher. The Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department sent two fire engines to the South Boat Harbor where the squad turned off the shore power and put out the remaining...
Claira Sallenbach had talked with friends about making her first hunting trip to caribou country this fall, but when her long-lining season continued into November she thought the opportunity had passed. Then a second chance arose when a friend and her friend's husband, Mark, invited Sallenbach to come for Thanksgiving and try to chase caribou in Cold Bay. A couple weeks prior, Mark had gotten into a small herd and had taken a nice bull. Okay, that's an understatement, the bull's antlers were bi... Full story
Attendees to the upcoming Séet Ká Festival in town should leave with a wealth of knowledge because the goal of the event is to increase cultural awareness for, and uplift, the Indigenous people of Séet Ká Kwáan. The event spans five days, Feb. 10-14, and the idea for it came largely from Avery Sakamoto, a busy, local Lingít advocate. Last spring, Sakamoto was invited to join the Rainforest Festival Committee, and it only took a couple days after the first meeting for inspiration to strik...
Chad Wright is set to become the new tribal administrator of the Petersburg Indian Association next week according to PIA Council President Cris Morrison. His hiring follows Tracy Welch's departure from the position after two and a half years to become the executive director of the United Fishermen of Alaska. "He possesses the necessary skills as outlined in the job description, and he has a breadth of experience that we feel he would be able to perform the essential job functions as the tribal...
Humanity In Progress held its fifth annual Project Connect event at the John Hanson Sr. Community Hall on January 26 which saw donated clothes and resources available for people experiencing housing insecurity. This year's event was a "huge success" according to HIP Co-Founder and Board Chair Ashley Kawashima. She wrote that approximately 106 participants, 30 more than last year, were able to access many local resources and free basic needs with some of the most popular items including sleeping...
The borough's contract with the State of Alaska to provide funding for COVID-19 travel testing expired at the beginning of February. But, for now, the Petersburg Medical Center plans to continue free testing for travelers arriving to Petersburg according to PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter. The state allowed PMC to purchase antigen test kits with the remaining funds before the contract expired which Hofstetter said will be made available to travelers. PMC ordered 80 boxes of kits which contain 48 tests... Full story
Superior Court Judge William Carey is set to retire later this month after finishing his final trials in Petersburg and Ketchikan. Carey has served as a superior court judge for the area since 2009 after being appointed to the position by Governor Sarah Palin and in that time has presided over trials across Southeast Alaska. Originally from Massachusetts, Carey earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Brown University in 1976 and a law degree from the University of Denver in 1980....
Two and a half years after a fire damaged the motor pool shop at Public Works, the project to restore the facility has reached final completion according to Public Works Director Chris Cotta. The last items are still being moved into the new shop, but Public Works is now able to use the building as intended. The cause of the fire on August 19, 2019 was never conclusively decided. The forensic fire investigator from the borough's insurance company believed it was caused by a faulty extension...
The Petersburg Medical Center Hospital Board discussed the hospital's current staffing situation and turnover as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect its operations during its meeting on January 27. The meeting packet featured a report provided by Human Resources Director Cynthia Newman which included a list of new hires, terminations, and the numbers of other employee statuses at the hospital in 2021. During the previous year, PMC welcomed 26 new employees but had 37 terminations. The... Full story
The Alaska Power & Telephone Company's SEALink submarine fiber optic cable project is nearing the development phase on Mitkof Island after the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utility Services gave the project environment clearance according to a recent press release. The project, which is moving two years ahead of it's original schedule, will see the creation of a 214-mile fiber optic cable running from Prince of Wales Island to Juneau with an overland crossing through Petersburg. The...
The Mitkof Middle School robotics team is making their final preparations for the upcoming robotics state tournament after placing first in the innovative project category at the regional competition in December. The team claimed first after wowing the judges with their concept to streamline loading and unloading at the Alaska Marine Lines facility in Petersburg. The students first got the idea of doing their project with AML after Kurt Kivisto gave them a tour of AML's local warehouses and...
Rae C. Stedman Elementary School called for aid, and Petersburg answered. The school was threatened with the closure of four classrooms in February and March as some teachers were set to take leave while there were no available substitute teachers before four Petersburg residents stepped up to fill the need. Casey Knight will fill in for Hillary Mullen's Kindergarten class on February 3-4, Erin Streuli will step in for Erin Willis' Kindergarten class from February 28 to March 9, and two classes...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly held a work session Monday afternoon to brainstorm ideas for how funds received through the American Rescue Plan Act can be used. The assembly invited representatives of various community organizations to discuss their needs and ideas for how the $634,382 can be distributed. The work session came as a result of numerous discussions at regular assembly meetings on the desire to find ways to spend the money received through ARPA and members of the community reaching...
