Sorted by date Results 1560 - 1584 of 5574
With the M/V Matanuska going out of service last week, ferry service via the Alaska Marine Highway has completely shut down. According to a press release from the Alaska Department of Transportation, new issues have been found with the ferry's reduction gear system. The Matanuska, at the time of writing, is being towed to Ketchikan for repairs. "AMHS is aware of travel needs for upcoming school and community tournaments in March and is exploring options for alternative service in the event...
Eight children, 29 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and 57 years later, Otis and Diane Marsh are still very much in love. While Otis credits luck for their long and happy marriage, Diane said it's love and determination that has kept them together for so long. "You keep on keeping on, and do what you can," said Diane. A 19-year-old Otis first met Diane at a house party in Cass Lake, Minnesota in 1960. Diane was about 16 years old at the time and was dating somebody else. When they broke...
Taylen Reed has been making jewelry out of copper and sterling silver for the past two years, but it wasn't until she bought a heart-shaped disc cutter that she finally decided to host her first art show at FireLight Gallery & Framing on Friday. Armed with her disc cutter, Reed set out to hand make an extensive Valentine's Day collection that focused on necklaces and earrings. Reed had over 220 pieces on display and for sale. The pieces are also meticulously wrapped in wire. "It's nice with wire...
The Petersburg School Board voted in favor of adopting a board policy in its first reading on Tuesday that addresses pandemic and epidemic emergency readiness. The policy was recommended to the board by the Association of Alaska School Boards. School Board Vice President Sarah Holmgrain said the recommendation probably came about as a response to what is happening on the international level, but assured residents that there isn't an imminent threat to the community from a virus. "Like a lot of t...
During last Wednesday's Petersburg Live talent show, Wright Auditorium showed off its new lights, which are capable of showering performers on stage in a multitude of lights. "We can literally make the stage dance with color now," said Dave Berg, one of the volunteer light operators. In the past, if a performance required a certain color of light on stage, a filter would have to be placed over one of the lights; as a result, that light would have to be dedicated to that color for the entire...
Over the past several months Cody Litster, Petersburg's Alaska Wildlife Trooper, has been busy settling into his new role as a sergeant for the Central Southeast Alaska's wildlife troopers, making preparations for a second wildlife trooper and moving into a spacious new facility by the airport. Litster was promoted in September of last year when the state decided to move the Central Southeast Alaska sergeant position, which was originally stationed in Juneau, closer to the area it supervises. Li...
The Juneau Lighthouse Association, which operates and maintains the Five Finger Lighthouse, has changed its name to the Five Finger Lighthouse Society and is currently revamping the organization and the lighthouse. FFLS is now based out of Petersburg and is recruiting members to join the organization and volunteers to help work on the lighthouse. Jeff Erickson, secretary of FFLS, said the infrastructure of the lighthouse needs to be rebuilt. Additionally, he said he would like to improve the liv...
A story on page one of last week’s issue of the Petersburg Pilot incorrectly spelled Glenn Gellert’s name as Glenn Bellert....
The Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribe of Alaska has promoted Will Ware to chief of project development in Juneau, according to a prepared statement by Communications Coordinator Raeanne Holmes. In his new role, he will oversee Tlingit & Haida's land developments and provide broad oversight of the Tribal Transportation and Business and Economic Development departments. He previously served for over six years as Tribal Transportation Manager. Ware is of the Raven moiety and Ta'k...
Governor Mike Dunleavy's planned visits to two Southeast Alaska communities, Petersburg and Wrangell, have been cancelled due to bad weather. Cold temperatures plus snow and rain have made travel around the region difficult. The planned meetings, for Feb. 3 and 4 in Petersburg and Wrangell respectively, were to be part of a town hall series where the governor could receive input on the PFD, services valued, and other topics. "I want to hear your thoughts, understand your concerns, and see your...
Park and Recreation's aquatic center has reopened to the Petersburg School District, Viking Swim Club and the public this week, but repairs are still being made to the heating system. On Monday morning, the temperature in the lap pool was 81 degrees and the temperature in the leisure pool was 91.5 degrees, said Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht at an assembly meeting Monday. While the water temperature was warm enough to swim in, the air in the aquatic center is only 79 degrees. "Seventy-nine sou...
Two entrepreneurs from Anchorage have begun the process to build 15 low-income housing units on Excel St. using federal tax credits. Glenn Gellert and John McGrew expect to build the apartment building over three parcels on Excel St., which are owned by Lyle and Carol Bennett. The couple has been trying to sell the lots for the last three years. Lyle said the houses have been falling apart, and they have been looking to downsize. The three parcels contain the addresses 103, 105, 107 and 109 Exce...
A letter to Sen. Bert Stedman and Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins requesting information on the proposed Kake Access Road project was approved by the borough assembly at their meeting Monday after amending the letter to remove a paragraph suggesting the road was a waste of funding. The letter follows a similar correspondence between the borough and the Department of Transportation's project manager, Greg Lockwood. In a letter to Lockwood, the assembly requested a public meeting with DOT officials...
In coordination with Southeast Alaska Communities Against Drugs, the Petersburg Police Department conducted a controlled delivery in town that resulted in the seizure of 114 grams of methamphetamine. According to Police Chief Jim Kerr, the case is still under investigation, so details of the bust can't be released at this time. He said search warrants have been filed and charges are pending against the individuals involved. As a part of SEACAD Petersburg works with officials throughout the...
The borough assembly approved an ordinance in its second reading that would add a fourth level of care at Mountain View Manor and increase rental and service rates. Mountain View Manor has already been offering that fourth level of care, the facility hasn’t been charging for it, said Shelyn Bell, department head of elderly housing and assisted living, at an assembly meeting last month. The facility could bring in an additional $55,000 per year should the ordinance pass, said Bell. Rates vary according to the number of occupants in the a...
Southeast Alaska Power Agency conducted a survey on a damaged cable running between Woronofski and Vank islands, and the board looks to make a final decision on whether to repair the cable or replace it by March's board meeting. "We could have up to 20 more years," said Bob Lynn, Petersburg's voting member on the SEAPA board. "We don't know, but the risk is very high on that old cable." Lynn gave the borough assembly an update on the project at an assembly meeting Monday, but data from the surve...
Sealaska Heritage Institute's book "Raven Makes the Aleutians" was awarded a picture book honor award from the American Indian Library Association. The illustrations in the book were done by local artist Janine Gibbons. The story was adapted for children from the works of the late Nora and Dick Dauenhauer, who transcribed it from Tlingit Elders Susie James' and Robert Zuboff's oral accounts. The book was published in 2018 as part of the Baby Raven Reads series. The books promote literacy to...
(Juneau, AK) – Today, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy announced his Conversations with Alaskans town hall series, to further engage with the public on their vision of Alaska’s future, beginning Monday, February 3rd. Governor Dunleavy will be holding meetings with community leaders, business groups, non-profits, school districts, tribes, and the general public in communities across Alaska. “I am looking forward to engaging with Alaskans from every corner of our state in the crucial decisions for Alaska’s future,” said Governor Mike Dunleavy.... Full story
Petersburg Medical Center held a town hall meeting last Wednesday where Dan Jardine, of NAC Architecture, presented the findings of a master plan for a new hospital. "The purpose of a master plan is to determine how PMC can remain a viable partner and provide the best possible community healthcare well into the future," said Jardine. Three conceptual layouts were created using data put together as part of the masterplanning. Two of the layouts were placed on a lots on Haugen Dr. between S. 8th... Full story
Last week, the Pilot reported that Parks and Rec. and the Petersburg School District shared the cost of the boiler utilities and water usage in the aquatic center in a 70-30 split, with the district paying a majority of the bill. The Pilot obtained this information from Parks and Rec. Director Chandra Thornburg. This week Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht contacted the Pilot with the correct breakdown of the responsibilities that the borough and school district share. As a result of the misstatem...
Three Petersburg Police Department officers have applied for the vacant police sergeant position, but there hasn't been any outside interest, said Police Chief Jim Kerr at an assembly meeting last week. Kerr said the reason there hasn't been any applicants for the position outside Petersburg comes down to the hourly pay the department can pay a sergeant. According to Kerr, the starting hourly pay for a sergeant is $27.36. After a year on the job, their pay increases to $30.74 an hour. The...
Over 70 people attended the March for Life rally in Petersburg to support life from conception to natural death and protest abortion, similar to the annual event of the same name that takes place in Washington D.C. Just after 1 P.M. on Sunday, the group began walking down Nordic Dr. towards the borough building. At each intersection along the way, the grouped stopped to say a quick prayer before continuing. Those in the crowd held signs reading, "You got to be born to vote" and "Defend life."...
Mertz CPA & Advisors, of Juneau, conducted an audit of Petersburg Medical Center that was presented before the hospital board at their meeting last week that showed no significant issues with the fiscal year financial statements ending on June 30, 2019; However, the firm did make two adjustments and six recommendations. Prior to the audit, Max Mertz, of Mertz CPA & Advisors, said an adjustment was made by the hospital's management that addressed an overstatement in accounts receivable in the 201...
Parks and Recreation has pinpointed the leak in the community pool to a light conduit after draining the pool down to about six feet of water, just below the light. Several inspections proved that the source of the leak was located somewhere in the pool, instead of in a pipe that feeds into the pool. It was determined that water wasn't escaping through a valve at the bottom of the tank, so Parks and Rec decided to lower the water level to a point just below the lights in the pool. As of...
Petersburg and Wrangell both saw an overall increase in population from 2010 through 2019, but while Petersburg's population rose between 2018 and 2019, Wrangell's population saw a drop in the same timeframe, according to data from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. There were 3,203 residents living in Petersburg in 2010 and in 2019, there were 3,226, according to the ADLWD. Those figures equal to a .08 percent growth for the decade and 1.12 percent growth in the last...
