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KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — The presence of risk factors for some chronic health problems was found to be higher in a sample of Alaska gillnetters than the general population, according to researchers. The study by researchers at the University of Washington and the University of Alaska Fairbanks showed that higher risk rates of hearing loss, musculoskeletal disorders and sleeping problems were found in the group of commercial fisherman in Cordova, Alaska, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported Thursday. Aspects of the job like exposure to noise, the physi...
First Bank recently presented a check for $1,250 to the Petersburg Veterans Memorial Fund. The money was raised through a special bank-wide promotion during “May Military Appreciation Month.” A total of more than $9,400 was raised by First Bank branches in Petersburg, Wrangell, Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka and Prince of Wales, and distributed to 10 different military organizations in those communities. During the month of May, First Bank donated $25 for each deposit account opened during the month. Depositors were able to designate which org...
As the publicly-funded statewide community foundation, The Alaska Community Foundation (ACF) is proud to celebrate our local Petersburg Community Foundation for 10 years of commitment to strengthening the community through grantmaking, working with donors to help them support the causes they care about, and partnering with other organizations to improve the quality of life for all Petersburg residents. ACF believes that grantmaking and fundraising is managed most effectively at the local level. This is why The Alaska Community Foundation and...
WRANGELL - After 30 years on the bench, Wrangell's district magistrate will conclude her legal career today. Chris Ellis has served as a magistrate judge for First District Court in Wrangell for 14 of those years, with most of her preceding tenure spent in Craig. When she graduated with her bachelor's degree in 1973, law hadn't been on her mind, but Alaska was. "Basically I studied anthropology with a specialty in archaeology, and my goal was to come to Alaska," she said. Ellis found herself dra...
WRANGELL - The glass appears to be on the half-full side for Wrangell's water situation, as the season for peak usage of the resource starts up. "Our outlook is very good right now," reported Amber Al-Haddad, director for Public Works. While reservoir levels have dropped slightly since the spring due to drier than usual weather conditions, raw water reserves are still looking healthy. The city's treated water supply comes from a pair of open reservoirs, with the treatment plant drawing from the...
WRANGELL — The hunt is on for a whole crop of high-level management positions in different city departments. The City and Borough of Wrangell is in the early stages of finding replacements for the heads of the Nolan Center, Wrangell Municipal Light and Power and Public Works, plus the city’s top accountant and a newly-created maintenance lead position. The tidal wave of turnover started on April 16, when WMLP superintendent Clay Hammer stepped down in order to head projects for Southeast Alaska Power Agency. City manager Lisa Von Bargen rep...
KENAI, Alaska (AP) — A respiratory pathogen that scientists previously believed to be restricted to sheep and goats has been detected in moose and caribou in Alaska. Scientists have also recently identified Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, also known as Movi, in other animal species for the first time, including a bison in Montana, mule deer in New Mexico and white-tailed deer in the upper Midwest, the Peninsula Clarion reported last week. The pneumonia-like disease may have contributed to the death of an emaciated caribou from the Fortymile herd n...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A man on a rafting trip in south-central Alaska was bitten numerous times by a grizzly bear, sustaining what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said. Alaska wildlife troopers late Monday afternoon received a call of a bear attack on the Copper River near Chitina. Tim DeSpain, a spokesman for the Alaska State Troopers, said a man and woman on a rafting trip stopped to camp and encountered a grizzly sow and at least one cub. Chitina is about 65 miles (105 kilometers) southeast of Glennallen. Troopers s...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Juneau officials are searching for a compromise between public safety and creative expression in response to unauthorized multicolored crosswalks. The white lines marking a crosswalk in the city have been painted over with rainbowcolors five times since last year, the Juneau Empire reported. The city said it costs $300 each time to repaint the crosswalk white, the color needed for safety reasons. Another crosswalk was found to be painted in rainbow colors Tuesday. In an open letter to residents this week, city manager R...
The Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA) is conducting a six-day Marine Safety Instructor Training (MSIT) at the Public Safety Training Academy in Sitka, Alaska, from Sept. 24-29. This is an intensive train-the-trainer course that prepares individuals to effectively teach cold-water survival procedures, use of marine safety equipment, and vessel safety drills. The MSIT provides practical, hands-on experience in survival equipment use and procedures. AMSEA recommends this workshop for anyone that wants to provide cold-water...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Authorities in Alaska say a whale struck the side of a state ferry traveling a scheduled route between Homer and Kodiak, possibly sustaining mortal injuries. The ferry itself sustained damage to its starboard fin stabilizer, an element that helps make for a more comfortable ride in rougher waters, said Aurah Landau, a spokeswoman for the state transportation department. But she said the vessel Tustumena was cleared to operate safely by the U.S. Coast Guard. The stabilizer isn’t a safety feature but a comfort feature, she...
Gianni Vinson, 19, graduated from U.S. Coast Guard's basic training on June 22 with a rank of Seaman (E-3). The May 2017 PHS graduate will serve in Ketchikan aboard the Buoy Tender Anthony Petit before he begins training in Virginia for Maritime Enforcement duties. Vinson enlisted for a six-year tour of duty....
With discussion continuing on the amount of the rebate to be distributed to low-income seniors Ordinance #2018-16 passed assembly muster at yet another reading Monday evening. Annual rebates of $300 per senior to $600 were mentioned at the Assembly's meeting. Finance Director Jody Tow told the gathering, "I'm hearing a lot more (comments) of it's not enough." Tow added that it was difficult to give any type of number that would reflect the savings individual seniors receive each year from the...
Meeting in Wrangell this week, board members with Southeast Alaska Power Agency approved a municipal rebate and power rates for the coming year. Headquartered in Ketchikan, the organization generates and distributes power for the Gateway Borough, Wrangell and Petersburg. Board membership is split between the three member communities, meeting at regular intervals throughout the year to set rates and direct projects. Pending a successfully completed audit, member communities would split between...
The Borough Assembly and Mayor evaluated the manager's job performance and generally agreed he exceeded job performance standards in most categories. In his summary rating he got one vote for improvement needed, one vote for meets job standard, three votes that he exceeds job standards and one vote for outstanding performance. One vote came mid-center between meets job standards and exceeds job standards. The manager was evaluated for work performed between March 1, 2017 and Feb. 28, 2018....
Petersburg attorney Fred Triem intends to reply to an order from Superior Court Judge Louis Menendez to render a full accounting of the Hanson Class Trust Funds as required by a court order dated June 14. Triem told the Pilot the due date for the information for the Alaska Bar Association, Kake Tribal attorneys and the Hanson Class counsel fall on the same day — Thursday, June 21. Even though the court order said the accounting was due in five days from the date of the order, weekends are not included in the 5-day requirement, according to cour...
Icicle Seafoods, Inc. reports that Julianne Curry, a fourth-generation family fisherman and advocate for the Alaska seafood industry, has been named the company's Public Affairs Manager. "Julianne was born and raised in Petersburg, Alaska, where Icicle also has deep roots," said John Woodruff, Chief Operating Officer at Icicle Seafoods. "As a long-term resident of the area and a third generation Icicle fisherman, she is in tune with the state's fishing sector and with Icicle Seafoods and its...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly concurred with the manager's selection of James Kerr to be Petersburg's next police chief. Kerr is currently a sergeant with the department and has worked there since his hire in June 2013. Kerr replaces Kelly Swihart who is leaving his post after five years to seek a job in the Lower 48 to be closer to family. Kerr will assume the new position on July 1 at an annual salary of $96,000. At Monday's meeting, Petersburg harbor moorage rates will go up 9% and various...
King Salmon Additional marine waters in the Petersburg and Wrangell area are now open to the harvest of king salmon beginning June 15. In these areas the regional bag and possession limits apply: The bag and possession limit (residents and nonresidents) is one king salmon 28 inches or greater in length. For nonresidents an annual harvest limit applies: From January 1 through June 30 the annual limit is three king salmon; from July 1 through December 31 the annual limit is one king salmon. Immediately upon landing and retaining a king salmon a...
Nine year old Grace Morrison is no stranger to the spotlight. She regularly gets perfect attendance at Rae C. Stedman Elementary. At Award Assemblies she and her schoolmates are called up front in a group, she receives her certificate of acknowledgment with the rest of them and sits back down. But this time was different Morrison said, she felt "awkward" as she stepped up in front of her school, "like all eyes were on her." Taking center stage alone this time, she was presented a plaque for winn...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Parts of southeast Alaska are experiencing drought conditions following a winter and spring with lackluster snowfall and rain, according to the National Weather Service. Ketchikan received 11.2 inches (28.5 centimeters) of precipitation in October and 7.6 inches (19.3 centimeters) in November, less than half the normal amounts expected for the rainiest months of the year, the Juneau Empire reported Wednesday. “This was the most significant drought in the wet season in Southeast Alaska in 40-plus years,’’ said Aaron Jacobs,...
WRANGELL — In a press release last Friday, Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium announced it will officially move forward with formalizing an affiliation with the City and Borough of Wrangell regarding the future of its municipal hospital. The decision follows one reached unanimously by the Wrangell Assembly on June 12, and sets into motion a transfer of operations of Wrangell Medical Center to SEARHC. Initially, the regional provider will acquire the local hospital and assume its ope...
The Kerr brothers both shot black bears on Mitkof Island last month. Kaleb's bear scored 16-14/16" skull and was 5'9" from nose to tail. He made the shot from 147 yards with a .308 rifle. The eight year old shot his bear on May 26. Nathan, 9, took his bear at 80 yards with a .308 rifle. His bear scored a 19-2/16" skull and was 6'8" from nose to tail. Nathan took his bear at night on May 4. It was the first big game animal taken by each hunter...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) —Gov. Bill Walker has signed into law state spending bills, rejecting funding for a south-central Alaska bridge project and a Vitamin D deficiency study. Walker vetoed $2.5 million for the dormant Knik Arm crossing project. He ordered a halt on new spending on that project years ago. He also axed a roughly $500,000 study aimed at determining the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiencies in pregnant women and babies. Walker said a similar study is ongoing. Walker signed legislation calling for limited, structured draws from A...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska official floated the idea of taxing the state's legal marijuana industry based on the ingredient that produces a high at a meeting Wednesday with industry representatives and regulators. Erika McConnell, director of the Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office, mentioned the idea of a tax based on THC content, saying she had heard about the concept at a conference and asked members of the Marijuana Control Board for their thoughts. Board member Brandon Emmett, who works in the pot industry, said he had not e...
