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A police sergeant in Petersburg was notified on Wednesday that he has been accepted into the FBI National Academy, a program that roughly one percent of officers in the United States are selected for. Sgt. Randy Holmgrain is looking forward to being one of two Alaskan law enforcement officers at the 2019 FBI National Academy. He's going to be networking and learning from about 240 officers from around the globe. "I was going to apply because I wanted the experience for the application with the...
Currently the Petersburg Police Department is recognizing its dispatchers for National Telecommunicator Appreciation Week. Kelly Swihart, chief of police, said Petersburg dispatchers are a devoted group that often go unnoticed. "It's one of those things," Swihart said, "they never get the recognition. I mean, they're sitting behind the wall." The department in Petersburg has five dispatchers on staff and one supervisor. The team is relatively new -- average time employed about a year -- and each...
A Petersburg man is facing controlled substance charges after police intercepted a package shipped to him that contained about an ounce of heroin. Kelsey McCay, 25, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with second-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance, according to the Petersburg Police Department. McCay was the subject of an investigation after police developed information that heroin was being shipped to him. A search warrant of the package was granted and police discovered just...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska Legislature is in its final week of a scheduled 90-day session, with budgets to complete and questions over what it will take for lawmakers to consider their job finished for the year. Senate President Pete Kelly said lawmakers possibly could finish “in proximity” to the 90-day mark, which is Sunday, but declined to speculate further. Voters approved a 90-day session limit but the state constitution permits sessions of up to 121 days. He told reporters Monday that the House and Senate aren’t in the “full-o...
The Petersburg School District recently purchased a less invasive way than a breathalyzer to test for alcohol, coming after a few students were hospitalized amid the homecoming dance in February. The Passive Alcohol Sensor appears to be a black flashlight. On the side, though, is a sensor that reads alcohol levels. Petersburg school staff members can administer the alcohol sensor simply by asking a student to say his or her name into the small hole on the side, said Richard Dormer, the middle...
WRANGELL - The Wrangell Public School District announced the selection of Debbe Lancaster for the Superintendent position on Wednesday. She begins work on July 1. The board arrived at its decision after a series of interviews and consultation with a selection committee. That committee, representing district staff, a parent and student, also had the opportunity to meet and interview the candidates. Lancaster has reportedly accepted the district's offer, agreeing to a three-year salary which...
The Petersburg High School track team is gearing up for the season and hoping to offset losing six seniors by using speed, relay races and young additions. More than 30 kids are rostered on the Petersburg Track and Field Team, consisting mostly of younger classmen, coach Brad Taylor said this week. “It’s going to be fun to see what these kids can do,” said Taylor, who’s entering his 36th year of coaching. “There’s some talent there, and they’re just going to have to bring it out.” Losing track members who graduated in 2017, including four-time...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The leaders of Alaska’s largest travel industry trade group are looking for ways to fill a void in their marketing budget created by cuts from lawmakers. The tourism industry has been a bright spot in an otherwise struggling Alaska economy of late, growing consistently along with the national economy since the 2008 financial crisis, the Alaska Journal of Commerce reported. But Alaska Travel Industry Association President Sarah Leonard said that despite a record number of roughly 1.86 million visitors last summer, the...
ANCHORAGE (AP) – The state will attempt to recoup the costs of repairing a bridge over a major highway outside Anchorage that was struck by an over-height truck last month. The Alaska Department of Transportation hopes to recover the costs from insurance providers through negotiations to eventually reach a settlement, the Alaska Journal of Commerce reported Friday. A truck hauling a modular unit on Glenn Highway scraped off a girder of the Artillery Road overpass, causing about $1.8 million in damages, said Shannon McCarthy, a department s...
WRANGELL — Sen. Dan Sullivan stopped into Wrangell for a lightning tour Friday, arriving on the morning jet and taking off that afternoon for Ketchikan. His visit to Wrangell was the first since being sworn in, making the community one of his campaign stops in October 2014 while running on the Republican ticket. On a brief break in the session, he had earlier in the week attended training for the Marine Corps Reserves before heading back to Southeast. “I really just wanted to get back to the community and see all you guys, see what the issue...
A group in Kake is preparing for a canoe trip to Juneau in part to celebrate its Native culture, but a logistical setback has left them seeking help from the Southeast Alaska fleet. A 13-person crew from Kake is hoping to carry out an eight-day canoeing trip heading north, through Chatham Strait to the Douglas Harbor in Juneau but the safety boat, which follows the crew and holds two cooks, a captain and crew, is unable to participate this year. Nathalie Austin, who’s organizing the Juneau voyage, is looking to contract a vessel owner to be a r...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Legislature on Tuesday rejected Gov. Bill Walker’s nomination of a former Planned Parenthood field organizer to serve on a board that regulates midwifery in Alaska. Kenni Linden was the only one of Walker’s nominees to boards and commissions that failed to win confirmation during the joint session. Lawmakers also confirmed Walker’s Cabinet nominees. Linden, who’s from Palmer, has said that her own midwife encouraged her to apply for the public seat on the Board of Certified Direct-Entry Midwives. She has said sh...
WRANGELL — If it proves financially feasible, Wrangell Medical Center may soon pass from municipal ownership to new management. At a public meeting held inside the Nolan Center on Monday evening, representatives of the City and Borough of Wrangell and the hospital explained WMC is in pretty dire straits at the moment. WMC chief executive Robert Rang said the facility has been having increasing difficulty meeting costs to operate. “The hospital’s been losing money for several years,” he reported. Wrangell’s hospital has never generally...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A man was injured north of Anchorage after a moose that he had just kicked stomped his foot in return, state officials said. KTVA-TV reported the man escaped major injuries in the encounter Thursday with the moose and her calf. “It sounds like the moose were on a trail and in this case, it sounds like the guy was trying to go through them,” State Department of Fish and Game spokesman Ken Marsh said. “That’s never a good idea.” The two moose left the area after the man had his foot stomped, said Alaska Troopers sp...
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — The launch of a test rocket manufactured by California-based Astra Space Inc. was canceled minutes prior to liftoff at the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak. Bruce Walter, the spaceport’s facilities director, said the canceled launch was related to Astra’s vehicle but that the specific cause remains unclear, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported . “It’s very disappointing,” Walter said. “It’s a very technical, intricate piece of equipment.” Astra was authorized to launch a suborbital vehicle to carry “an inert upper stage on...
The forest service in Petersburg was hardset on waiting to decide on a recent controversial guide permit for moose hunting issue, saying on Wednesday it would hold-off until next week, only to change its mind minutes later. A retired forest service employee on Wednesday said the Petersburg Ranger District was close to making a decision on a guide permit for moose hunting in the area, and it was doing so without public input. Jim Schramek, a retired forest service employee of 37 years, told the Pilot Wednesday at about noon that a hunting guide...
Researchers at a lighthouse near Petersburg have been conducting behavioral studies of humpback whales, trying to understand their diverse communication system, and this summer the humans are ready to talk back. Dr. Fred Sharpe, a research biologist with the Alaska Whale Foundation and part-time Juneau Lighthouse Association keeper of the Five Finger Lighthouse in Frederick Sound, gave a talk in Petersburg to about 100 people last Thursday. Sharpe has spent 30 summers at the lighthouse and was...
The CEO of Southeast Alaska’s wholesale power provider stopped by an assembly meeting on Monday to update Petersburg on its projects and financial wins so far this year. Trey Acteson, CEO of Southeast Alaska Power Agency, the primary electric provider for Wrangell, Petersburg and Ketchikan, explained multiple ways on how the organization is cutting costs, mostly from fighting strict regulatory proposals. “As many of you know,” Acteson said, “I’m pretty active in that arena.” SEAPA saved $30,000 annually when the Federal Energy Regulatory...
The Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery closed Tuesday for the remainder of the 2018 season after two days and about 8,300 tons short of guideline harvest level. The Alaska Department Fish and Game closed the Sitka fishery after the roughly 30 boats hauled in 2,800 tons of fish. “The last fishery occurred on March 26,” read a Tuesday press release from Eric Coonradt, area marine biologist with the Alaska Department Fish and Game Division of Commercial Fisheries. “And since then the department has not been able to identify a body of good quali...
With this week’s edition the price of both the Wrangell Sentinel and Petersburg Pilot increases to $1.50 from the $1 price charged for nearly two decades. The Sentinel price went from $.75 to $1 in 2000. The Pilot price was last adjusted in 1995. “We’re producing papers filled with local news produced by staff members that are recognized for the quality of their work each year,” publisher Ron Loesch noted this week. Just this past year the Sentinel earned four Alaska Press Club honors including 2nd place for Best Weekly, while the Pilot e...
A story last week said that Jeffrey Jones, a candidate for CEO of the Petersburg Medical Center, served in the United States Air Force for about six years. Jones also served as a healthcare administrator from 1990 to 2007, which was not reflected in the article.... Full story
A non-profit group's theme for sexual assault awareness month focuses on how to educate and talk about sexual violence in Petersburg. The group, Working Against Violence for Everyone, is using April to engage the community with an "Embrace Your Voice" theme. "Individuals," reads a press release provided by WAVE, "can embrace their voices to show their support for survivors, stand up to victim blaming, shut down rape jokes, correct harmful misconceptions, promote everyday consent, and practice...
The Petersburg Borough is a month into recruiting for a police chief, and about 10 applications have been submitted as of Monday, the manager said. The borough is advertising a salary range from $80,000 to $95,000 for the police chief position, which becomes vacant when Kelly Swihart retires in July. “We may get a really good applicant that just wows us,” said Steve Giesbrecht, borough manager, “who wants more money that is offered, and at that point, I’ll go back to the assembly.” After reviewing about six applicants so far -- none from Pete...
A Petersburg man is facing a burglary charge after he allegedly stole more than $2,000 worth of merchandise from The Trading Union, Inc. on Saturday. Stephen Lee Waddle, 41, appeared before Magistrate Judge Desiree Burrell in Petersburg District Court for a felony first hearing on Monday. Waddle was charged with one count of burglary in the second degree. On Sunday, April 1, the Petersburg Police Department received a burglary report at The Trading Union. An investigation revealed that Waddle...
The Petersburg Borough recently installed two emergency sirens in the area while the EMS team is looking forward to a new vehicle. Sandy Dixson, the fire department and EMS director, said the borough is getting a new ambulance in May. One of the two operating ambulances was over 20 years old, and the borough has intended to replace it in the last two budget cycles. Dixson said it will cost about $187,000, which will be paid through the motor pool fund, a vehicle replacement pool that...
