Sorted by date Results 5524 - 5548 of 5673
On Monday, Alaska Governor Sean Parnell signed into law three budget bills for Fiscal Year 2013 appropriating an estimated $870 million for transportation. Among the budget items is the allocation of $40 million for the controversial Kake-Petersburg Road. Many residents from the cities of Petersburg and Kupreanof sounded off during the last City Council meeting. They asked for city action toward a line-item veto of the project. The council voted in favor of drafting a resolution, but there wasn’t enough time to send it out. Kupreanof Mayor D...
Let your inner-Norwegian out. The Little Norway Festival begins today. The annual event celebrates Syttende Mai, or May 17, the signing of Norway's Constitution in 1814. Petersburg has been formally celebrating the occasion since 1958. The celebration includes live music, food, traditional dance, art receptions, softball and the return of the Viking/Valkyrie jail. Activities run from Thursday to Sunday. “We are bringing back the classics,” said Little Norway Chair Holli Flint. “The Style Show,...
What's in a name? The Petersburg Economic Development Council (PEDC) hopes the name Petersburg will translate into increased tourism and economic growth thanks to new city branding. The PEDC, members of the Chamber of Commerce, and several city employees, gathered last week to see the latest artwork and slogans for a new city branding effort that is designed to entice visitors, businesses and new residents. The desire to create a Petersburg logo and slogan began about a decade ago, said PEDC...
The Petersburg School District Board unanimously approved the $8.7 million balanced budget Tuesday night. The budget calls for 78 percent of the funding to come from the state and foundation, 20 percent from city and the remaining 2 percent in local revenues comes from various grants and donations. The expenditures for next year have not changed much from FY12. The district is expected to spend 72 percent of its budget on instruction. The remaining budget goes toward heating, maintenance, landscaping, equipment and other costs. “To have a b...
The U.S. Forest Service continues to host a series of meetings with members of the community to discuss the possibilities of a stewardship contract in connection with the Tonka Timber sale. Forest Ranger Jason Anderson initiated, and is facilitating, the workshops to gain a better understanding of what the public wants. “It's just a chance to have some communication, discussion regarding a broad range of projects,” said Anderson. “A chance for people to have a creative dialogue about what they want from their landscape,” he added. The sale wi...
Petersburg High School was recently ranked by the publication US News and World Report, receiving a Bronze award for academic achievement and college preparedness. US News and World Report and the Washington D.C.-based American Institute compiled the high schools rankings for Research. More than U.S. 21,000 high schools were analyzed based on how well the school served the students, not only those who are college-bound, but also students who showed measurable academic progress across a wide...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Redistricting Board on Monday made what its executive director called significant changes to southeast Alaska's political boundaries in an effort to win court approval for the plan. Taylor Bickford said the board adopted new districts that pair state Reps. Cathy Munoz, R-Juneau, and Bill Thomas, R-Haines, together. Reps. Peggy Wilson, R-Wrangell, and Kyle Johansen, R-Ketchikan, who had previously been paired, would no longer be. Sens. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, and Albert Kookesh, D-Angoon, would remain paired. T...
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) _ North Dakota has passed Alaska to become the second-leading oil-producing state in the nation, trailing only Texas. State Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms tells the Grand Forks Herald that North Dakota oil production in March averaged 575,490 barrels daily, another record. The crude is coming from a record 6,636 wells. Alaska saw its production fall to 567,481 barrels per day in March. North Dakota was the ninth-largest oil-producing state just six years ago, but the state's oil production has nearly quadrupled since...
PETERSBURG — The Alaska Marine Highway ferry Matanuska crashed into the face of the Ocean Beauty Seafoods dock in Petersburg at 1:00 p.m. Monday. The M/V Matanuska was negotiating a turn in Wrangell Narrows prior to the accident as it prepared to dock at the Petersburg ferry terminal on its southbound trip. Heavy damage was sustained to the face of the Ocean Beauty dock. Dock piling were broken and the hydraulic crane was dangling over the water. In addition to the dock damage, the second f...
Passengers of the M/V Matanuska said they barely felt the impact when the ferry crashed into Ocean Beauty Seafoods on Monday. None of the 60 passengers aboard the M/V Matanuska were injured when the incident occurred around 1 p.m. According to Petersburg resident John Bringhurst, who was a passenger at the time, the impact was barely felt from the observation deck where he was standing. “I was a little distracted. I was talking to my wife,” Bringhurst said as the M/V Matanuska began a 360-degree turn. “Then my wife said, 'John, what is he do...
The City Council on Monday awarded ASRC McGraw Constructors the construction bid for the new library. The Library Building Committee recommended low bidder ASRC McGraw Constructors for the project. ASRC McGraw was one of five bids that came well under the $4.5 million estimated cost. The bid will also allow for additional features such at higher quality finishes to the building, a paved parking lot as well as sidewalks and gutters. The single story, 9,770 square-foot building was designed by MRV Architects in Juneau. The City Council...
Petersburg residents can now pay their utility bills online. A new program allows utility customers to register their accounts and then pay monthly bills on the web site with a credit card. Customers can log on to verify their accounts with an account number and either a meter number or phone number associated with the account. “The new program will let customers view usage and billing history for themselves,” said City Manager Steve Giesbrecht reported to the City Council on Monday. He also noted that online bill pay offers the added con...
Frustrated by the lack of public forum regarding proposed funding for the Kake-Petersburg Road, Petersburg and Kupreanof City residents spoke out against the project during Monday night's City Council meeting. Petersburg resident Mike Stainbrook submitted a letter to the council that contained a sample resolution asking Governor Sean Parnell for a line item veto of the road. “This funding requires a bold reaction. A request for veto,” he said. The 50-mile road was added to the state budget by Senator Bert Stedman as part of $870 million in tra...
Diane Powell from the Alaska Dept. of Transportation and Public Facilities will be at the Retail Committee meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, along with one of the engineers for the Main Street project and Karl Hagerman from the city public works department. The meeting will be held Thursday, May 10 at 8:30 am at the Chamber of Commerce conference room. According to the Chamber, ADOT-PF is flying down for this meeting as they need to get signed easements from all of the affected businesses and want to give an update on the proposed project....
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — Canneries in Alaska can continue to hire foreign workers until at least November under the J-1 Summer Work and Travel Program. The visa program brings more than 100,000 foreign college students to the Unites States each year. The State Department announced Friday it is making major changes to its premier student-exchange program. U.S. Sens. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich of Alaska lauded the decision, saying it was paramount to keeping canneries in Alaska operating. KMXT says a last minute decision would have l...
PETERSBURG (AP) — Observers hired by the National Marine Fisheries Service will monitor commercial fishermen catching salmon with drift gillnets near Petersburg and Wrangell starting next month. KFSK-FM reports contract observers will use 23-foot boats to follow gillnetters for the season that typically starts mid-June and runs through September. They'll be watching for interaction between fishermen and marine mammals or seabirds, and observing fishing practices. Fishermen have concerns. Some fear catch information could be shared by o...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Supreme Court plans to hear arguments Thursday on whether a redistricting plan that sparked a legal fight should be used for this year's elections. The Alaska Redistricting Board petitioned the court to have the plan, with some changes, used. An attorney for the board has said there's insufficient time for a new plan to clear all necessary hurdles in time for the elections. The board drafted a new plan but it was rejected by a lower court judge. The board appealed that decision. Taylor Bickford, the board's e...
Piston and Rudder president Mike Luhr opened the company’s first annual meeting of shareholders by displaying the Business of the Year plaque awarded to the company by the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce. The meeting was convened Tuesday afternoon at the Tides Inn conference room. He then proceeded to update the 17 shareholders in attendance of the ongoing projects and work that had been completed during the first year of operation. The shipyard hauled 105 boats in 2011 and as of the current w...
School Superintendent Rob Thomason presented a balanced budget to City officials on April 25 during a budget work session. No changes were made to the recently drafted Petersburg School District 2012/2013 operating budget. “Over the years we've had great directors, we've had a very supportive city, we've had staffs that have negotiated agreements that were fair and equitable, and we've been able to do some very wise spending … and so we're in better shape than just about all of our colleague districts,” Thomason said. The projected opera...
Shoppers visiting Petersburg businesses this Saturday, May 5 will receive a 6-percent savings on their purchases. The city council granted a sales tax free day as requested by the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce on March 19. Retail sales of both goods and services purchased and received on May 5, 2012 are exempt from the city sales tax. According to information from the City of Petersburg the only taxable sales on that day will be for rentals greater than one day and sales made by the City. The city bed tax will remain at 4% on that day. Many...
The Library Building Committee plans to recommend low bidder ASRC McGraw Constructors for construction of the new library to the City Council on Monday. Of the five construction bids received, ASRC McGraw came well under the $4.5 million estimated budget and will also allow for additional features such as higher quality finishes to the building, a paved parking lot as well as sidewalks and gutters. The single story, 9,770 square-foot building was designed by MRV Architects in Juneau. The...
With a Division of Elections deadline looming, the Alaska Redistricting Board has filed an appeal to the decision of a Superior Court Judge's decision ordering the board redraw district lines. The Division of Elections has given the board a deadline of May 14, in order for the division to meet state and federal obligations for the 2012 elections. Superior Court Judge Michael McConahy issued a decision in the 2011 Redistricting Cases v. Alaska Redistricting Board case, directing the board to redraw district lines. In a petition filed on...
Existing volunteers, and anyone who is interested in volunteering, will have to go through a background check, the Petersburg Medical Center board approved on Thursday. Each volunteer will be fingerprinted, be required to undergo annual TB screenings and watch training videos on infection control, hand washing, and HIPPA regulations. The board has changed the policy for traveling physicians and other health care professionals who rent properties that are owned or leased by the Medical Center. The temporary staff members will now be required to...
Tribal Administrator Will Ware handed in a letter of resignation this weekend after two years of service at the Petersburg Indian Association. The 38-year-old father of four boys, was unavailable for comment, but he did offer an explanation to the Pilot via email. “After ten years of work within the Tribe, in a variety of different capacities, I have decided to move on to a new chapter in my life. In Tribal governments, as there is in any government, there is the element of politics that must b...
Forrest Cole, Tongass National Forest Supervisor, last week announced the decision to allow the Tonka Timber Sale on Kupreanof Island to proceed. Now an official appeals process will take place for those opposing the sale. For those in favor, a planning process will begin. According to the Forest Service the sale will provide an estimated 38 MMBF (millions of board feet of timber) of timber, and create up to 183 jobs. These jobs will include stevedoring, road construction, barging and transportation, fuel delivery and mill jobs, said...
