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Brian J. Varela, 27, joined the Pilot staff last week arriving from Oxnard, Calif. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and Religious Studies from California State University, Long Beach in May 2018. During his internship, he was a staff writer for the Long Beach 908 Magazine through May 2018 and compiled and wrote about local businesses that were featured in the magazine. Prior to that, he worked for Silver Bay Seafoods in Naknek, Alaska in the summer of 2017....
King Salmon Anglers are finding success harvesting king salmon over the last week although catch rates are slower than average. Anglers should be aware that different king salmon regulations apply depending on the area in which you are fishing: Waters adjacent to the Stikine River King salmon may not be retained in the marine waters adjacent to the Stikine River (district 8 and a small portion of district 7, in Eastern Passage) until July 15. For more information and a map of the area boundaries, please see the news release issued on March 29,...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Coast Guard rescued seven people from a lifeboat Friday morning in southeast Alaska waters after their fishing boat ran aground and sank. Coast Guard officials say the rescued people were in good condition when they were taken by a Coast Guard response boat crew to a pier in Thorne Bay. Officials say a search was launched after an emergency positioning beacon went off and the master of the 58-foot (18-meter) Mystic Lady issued a mayday broadcast reporting the vessel struck a rock and was quickly sinking. The C...
Forty miles with no motor, no support, no problem - summed up the thoughts of local resident Jake Hammer, 39, as he rowed a borrowed fiberglass rowboat from Port Townsend, Wash. to Victoria, B.C. in April. Hammer took a swing at his dream with a harried late entry in the Race to Alaska (R2AK), its fourth year in the running. He raced his 13-foot Davis replica rowboat with only a compass for navigation. He would also, because of a time constraint, only be able to do the first 40 miles of the...
WRANGELL - During Sealaska Corporation's annual shareholder's meeting, held this year in Wrangell late last month, the Native organization bestowed ownership of an important local landmark to its hosts. In remarks made during the meeting, corporation director Richard Rinehart explained he had recently put forward a proposal to the board to transfer ownership of Kiks.ádi Totem Park to Wrangell Cooperative Association, the community's federally-recognized tribal government. The Totem Park lies...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska state ferry was evacuated after crew members saw black smoke in a room. State transportation officials say the crew of the Columbia spotted the smoke in the bow thruster room after the vessel docked Friday in Bellingham, Washington. Crew members did not see flames. The crew deployed a carbon dioxide firefighting system. Ferry officials say no one was injured and all passengers were accounted for. They said passengers would be notified if the Columbia’s schedule would have to be modified. The Columbia at 418...
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) —Alaska’s economy should pick up given an increase in military spending and pro-energy policies of the Trump administration, Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta said. Acosta toured areas of Interior Alaska with Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan on Sunday, stopping in spots in Fairbanks and King Salmon, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. On Monday, Acosta toured the Cook Inlet Tribal Council Employment and Training Center in Anchorage with U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, also a Republican. “The Lower 48’s economy is doing f...
The Estate of Molly Parks filed a Wrongful Death claim in Petersburg Superior Court on May 18 against the Petersburg Borough and the driver of the Parks and Rec. van, William “Chris” Allen. Parks, 18, was one of two persons killed on July 4, 2016 following a vehicle collision on N. Nordic Drive. The complaint states that Parks death was a result of Allen sustaining a seizure while driving the Parks and Rec. Dept. vehicle. Parks, Allen, Catherine Cardenas, 19, and Marie Giesbrecht, 19, were assigned to set up rest stations for the 4-mile Jul...
Members of the Petersburg Municipal Employees Association will receive a 1% raise each year of their 3-year agreement under the terms of the tentative settlement reached during negotiations with the Petersburg Borough. According to Joe Bertagnoli, a member of the negotiating team, the terms of the agreement are retroactive to July 1, 2017. The increases are applied to the Step C wages paid to employees with 1 year of service with the Borough. Previously the workers had rejected the Borough offer of a 1%-1%-0% wage hike over the three-year...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) —Alaska is expected to receive more than $56 million in disaster relief for groups impacted by the drop in pink salmon numbers in the Gulf of Alaska. The Juneau Empire reports the money is part of the $200 million that the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross is sending to struggling fisheries across the nation. In 2016, pink salmon runs around Alaska dipped dramatically. In southeast Alaska, revenue from pink salmon dropped 51 percent below a five-year average. Gov. Bill Walker said in a statement issued Thursday that t...
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...
