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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- A study of bears and berries has determined that the big animals are the main dispersers of fruit seeds in southeast Alaska. The study by Oregon State University researchers says it’s the first instance of a temperate plant being primarily dispersed by mammals through their excrement rather than by birds. Researcher Taal Levi says seed dispersal is a key component in the understanding of any ecosystem. He says brown and black bears thrive on Alaska’s Panhandle because of abundant salmon but both feed on berries whi...
The Petersburg borough attorney hired a consultant last year to conduct an investigation into allegations of workplace bullying within the police department. The borough attorney paid Russell Consulting LLC, a company based in Soldotna, $7,200 to conduct a four-day investigation into allegations of workplace bullying coming from the police chief. Steve Giesbrecht, the borough manager, said Police Chief Kelly Swihart would not be embarrassed by the outcome of the investigation. “Accusations were not substantiated, I can say that,” Gie...
Alaska Wildlife Troopers filed charges against two Petersburg teens who allegedly hit multiple deer with a truck last week, filmed it, and then uploaded it to social media. The teens, 17-year-old Sebastian R. Davis and 17-year-old Jasmine C. Ohmer, were charged on Monday with harassing game, a class A misdemeanor, according to court documents. Davis was charged with reckless driving as well, which is a special class misdemeanor. The charges stem from a video that emerged last week on Snapchat, a social media app. The video allegedly shows a...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Juneau officials have decided to review ordinances on anchoring boats in an attempt to stop vessels from being left to waste in city waters. The Assembly has taken up the issue in response to a notorious tug boat that’s been anchored near a downtown harbor for years, KTOO Public Media of Juneau reported Saturday. There is currently no time limit for anchoring in city waters of the Gastineau Channel, which falls between federal, state and local jurisdictions. Juneau Harbormaster Dave Borg said that’s a problem becau...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Juneau officials have decided to review ordinances on anchoring boats in an attempt to stop vessels from being left to waste in city waters. The Assembly has taken up the issue in response to a notorious tug boat that’s been anchored near a downtown harbor for years, KTOO Public Media of Juneau reported Saturday. There is currently no time limit for anchoring in city waters of the Gastineau Channel, which falls between federal, state and local jurisdictions. Juneau Harbormaster Dave Borg said that’s a problem becau...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The synthetic opioid fentanyl is an escalating problem in Alaska, and it’s leading to a significant increase in deaths, state authorities said Tuesday. “It is a scary problem,” Alaska State Trooper Capt. Michael Duxbury said at a press briefing on the state’s opioid crisis. “Fentanyl is by far the biggest concern.” Jay Butler, the state’s chief medical officer, said 2017 statistics have not been finalized, but there were at least two dozen fentanyl-related deaths, compared with five or six such deaths the previous year....
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. reported strong returns and a total value of $64 billion in the first half of the 2018 fiscal year. The fund corporation announced the numbers on Monday, highlighting returns of 8.45 percent, the Alaska Journal of Commerce reported . The report was released as domestic markets continued to be down for the second consecutive trading day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed Monday at 24,345, down more than 7 percent from Friday. The public equities portion of the fund’s investments pro...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Senate leaders on Tuesday urged Gov. Bill Walker to go back to the drawing board in seeking nominees for a vacant Senate seat if he could not support a candidate from the initial slate of finalists. Walker on Friday appointed Randall Kowalke to fill the seat vacated by former Sen. Mike Dunleavy of Wasilla. Dunleavy resigned last month to run for governor. Kowalke, a member of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly, was among 11 applicants for the seat but he was not on the list of three finalists Republicans in t...
The Petersburg Public Library is featuring a photo display made by a local artist who wants to represent humanity to the community. Pia Reilly, a Petersburg artist who usually paints, recently unveiled "We Are One," a photo display at the library with a whole lot of faces, but a single idea, she said. "It's not really anybody," Reilly said. "I just wanted everyone to be represented. It's a matter of all of us." Reilly took the photos from magazines and news articles, new photos and old photos....
Two high school teams from Petersburg competed in Seward last weekend in a state competition focusing on ocean sciences. This year Petersburg has nine students in the National Ocean Science Bowl. They are separated into two teams, with names created based on ocean puns. The freshman Petersburg team was called, simply, “Insert Team Tidal Here,” a boilerplate selection with a twist on the word title. The team included Jaden Perry, Liam Demko, Rose Lane and Taryn Copeland. Demko and Perry were the only members on that team who could attend the com...
The Petersburg borough assembly on Monday was nearly split when it voted in favor of a plan to reorganize the electric utility and public works department. The assembly, voting 4-3 in the first reading each time, moved forward with six ordinances needed to shake up the electric utility and public works department. The reorganization, proposed last May by the borough manager, is to make the current public works director the electric utility director, a plan chosen in favor of hiring a superintendent. The utility director would also oversee...
The Petersburg Chamber of Commerce voted Thursday to cancel this year's salmon derby, saying it would be irresponsible to compete in a time with such depleted salmon stocks. The chamber voted on Thursday to cancel the Memorial Day weekend salmon derby in Petersburg this year. The decision was made after the Alaska Department Fish and Game closed District 8 and part of District 7, a popular derby hole, for May, June and half of July, said Patrick Fowler, a local sport fish area biologist with the...
The Borough assembly at a meeting on Monday heard public comment on an ordinance that would impose a fee on senior sales tax exemption card applicants, after which the council approved it in its second reading. And the marine passenger fee has a new name. John Havrilek was the first to offer support for charging $100 annually to those who apply for a senior sales tax exemption card. Havrilek would prefer the charge be higher, and the whole sales exemption program be phased out. The fee, as...
A Petersburg boat hauler has been recommended by two borough boards for approval to self-fund a ramp at the Scow Bay Turnaround, leaving it up to the clerk and assembly to give final say once again. John Murgas, owner of Island Ventures LLC, is going to the assembly a second time with a request to build a temporary boat ramp at Scow Bay. This time he’s coming with a lease application that’s endorsed by the planning commission and harbor board. The borough clerk will review the application before it can be put before the assembly. In Jan...
The former Petersburg Municipal Power and Light superintendent addressed the assembly on Monday to offer an experienced perspective on the borough’s plan to reorganize the electric utility and public works department, and why he opposes it. Joe Nelson, who was the electrical superintendent in Petersburg for about 14 years until he retired last summer, said he wanted to clarify a few things after a special meeting on Friday. The meeting was to discuss the borough manager’s plan to reorganize the electrical departments -- a plan that has gai...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Marijuana tax revenue in Alaska fell for the second straight month in December, though a state tax auditor says the slide may be short lived. The state says it collected about $784,000 in marijuana tax revenue in December. That compares to about $869,000 in November and about $920,000 in October, which is the most that has been collected in a single month since the collection of marijuana taxes from state-licensed businesses began in October 2016. The tax is imposed when marijuana is sold or transferred from a marijuana c...
WRANGELL — Wrangell appears to be closing in on a solution to its water filtration worries after a workshop held between the City and Borough Assembly, city staff and consultants on Monday. Since its construction in 1999 Wrangell’s water treatment plant has had a number of problems with its production. The plant’s operation involves ozonation of water sourced from two open reservoirs, which then passes through a roughing filter and four slow-sand filtration bays before disinfection. From the start the plant did not work as planned, with sedim...
WRANGELL — Late last week the Alaska Department of Fish and Game issued a group announcement regarding expected changes for sport fishermen in Southeast this year. In the Petersburg and Wrangell areas, the marine waters of District 8 are going to be closed to the retention of King Salmon between May 1 and July 15. An exception will be made for the area immediately adjacent to Petersburg’s City Creek, which will be open to King Salmon fishing from June 1 to July 31 to target 300 hatchery salmon expected to return to the area. The closure is bei...
For the first time in a decade, the PHS Jazz Band traveled out of state for a festival, where the 18-person ensemble placed second in its category. The Viking jazz group had 20 minutes to impress judges at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington last weekend. There were about 40 schools and 1,300 musicians at the festival. Petersburg was placed in the Single A category, which is designated by schools with 600 students or fewer in the 10th, 11th and 12th grade. Petersburg doesn't even have 600...
Eight current Petersburg Municipal Power and Light employees are in opposition of the borough’s plan to reorganize the public works and electric utility departments, according to a letter given to the Pilot. In a letter addressed to members of the borough assembly, dated January 27, eight power and light employees ask that the borough continues to search for an electric superintendent that has experience in the industry. Advertising for the position was canceled after the assembly recently voted in favor of the borough manager’s plan to reo...
The end of 2017 saw more confirmed flu cases in Petersburg than any year since at least 2007, according to medical center lab records. The medical center lab released statistics on the flu season in Petersburg so far. The results, mostly from those tested in the lab from November and December, showed that 62 people were positive for the flu. Liz Bacom, laboratory director and infection control manager for the Petersburg Medical Center, uses a metaphor in responding to those who ask why they...
In the search for a new CEO, the Petersburg Medical Center has received more than 70 applications from across the country, leaving it up to the hiring committee to narrow it down to less than 10. As of Tuesday, 74 people have applied to replace Liz Woodyard, the CEO of the medical center, who plans to retire at the end of June. “We have some highly qualified candidates,” said Doran Hammett, the chief financial officer with the medical center. “I don’t think we’ll have any trouble coming up with some good finalists.” The cutoff to apply was W...
In the last month, borough officials hosted three open houses for the public to offer cost saving or money making ideas, prompting a question that some folks would ask before submitting their suggestion: What’s the problem? If the borough is asking for input from the community on how to make money, in what areas is the borough in trouble financially? Finance Director Jody Tow offered some revenue areas that are in flux, starting with state funding. “In 2015 the State began to make cuts to Petersburg’s funding,” Tow said. “They started w...
A special assembly meeting is scheduled Friday at 5 p.m. in Assembly Chambers to discuss the borough manager's proposed reorganization of the electric utility and public works departments. In its last meeting, the assembly voted in favor of the proposed reorganization, which would move Karl Hagerman, public works director, to electric utility director, while promoting Chris Cotta to Hagerman's current position. Scott Newman, acting superintendent of power and light, would return as foreman. The...
Four Petersburg young men were awarded the Eagle Scout honor at a ceremony on Monday, coming after more than a decade of scouting each, about 325 requirements and at least 21 badges. The Eagle Scouts, Van Abbott, Britton Erickson, Charles Christensen and Anders Christensen were honored in front of about 100 people at the House Cross House, a ceremony that included congratulatory remarks from their dads. "It's really amazing that four people would come through the same troop and get their eagles...
