Sorted by date Results 2982 - 3006 of 5549
WRANGELL – Wrangell's City and Borough Assembly and the city's public employees union finally reached a settlement over a collective bargaining agreement last week, bringing to a close three years of negotiations. On July 13 Assembly members voted to implement a proposed amendment to the contract terms it had imposed the previous month, which had taken effect at the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. The amendment was the product of negotiations between International Brotherhood of E...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – A fungus that damages trees is making its way through the state of Alaska. The fungus, spruce bud blight, has left damage in Southcentral and Interior Alaska, and now has been discovered for the first time in the southeast part of the state. The infection was discovered in Southeast Alaska in late June, the first reported sighting in the region, CoastAlaska News reported Thursday. The blight infects Sitka spruce, one of the most common trees in Southeast Alaska’s rainforest. “Right now, I’m considering it potenti...
PETERSBURG — On July 20, the Juneau Grand Jury issued a four-count indictment against William Christopher Allen. The charges stem from a vehicle crash on July 4, 2016, that claimed the lives of Molly Parks and Marie Giesbrecht, and injured Catherine Cardenas, all of Petersburg, according to a news release from the Petersburg Police Department. Charges on the indictment include: (2) Counts of Murder in the 2nd Degree, (2) Counts of Manslaughter, and (1) Count of Assault in the First Degree. An arrest warrant was issued by the Juneau Court w... Full story
The Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions issued a press release on Tuesday addressing the murder and manslaughter charges against 24-year-old William Christopher Allen, the driver of a vehicle that landed upside down after running off a Petersburg road on July 4, 2016, killing two and injuring one. The state alleges that Allen was driving a Borough-owned van moments before the crash, despite warnings from doctors to not because of a seizure disorder that was “well-known” and “well-documented,” according to Assistant Attorney General Andrew Pet... Full story
The Petersburg Assembly is being accused of violating the Alaska Open Meetings Act in a recall application that is sponsored by 12 community members, including city employees and two former mayors. The petition seeks to oust three members from office, including Nancy Strand, Jeigh Stanton Gregor and Kurt Wohlhueter. Member Jeff Meucci is immune to recall because of his recent appointment, according to Alaska Statute 29.26.240. And member Bob Lynn's term is over in October. Mayor Cindy...
A paving project was struck down after failing to reach a majority vote. Petersburg residents with property on Unimak and Vesta Streets couldn’t reach a majority vote to approve a project which they would have paid for to pave their gravel roads, said Chris Cotta, the assistant Public Works director. Thirteen owners on Unimak were in favor, while one opposed --- there had to be 16 for it to pass, a two-thirds majority, Cotta said. Vesta property owners sent seven approvals and five disapprovals. Cotta said it appeared Unimak property owners w...
Three people were allegedly involved in disposing a junked car at the Petersburg Baler Facility last week. Chris Miller, Sr. hired Wayne Collins to help remove five junked vehicles from property he owns adjacent to Birch Street. Collins told The Pilot he was hauling the last of the five cars to the baler facility when the two wheels locked up and left black skid marks on Haugen Drive near the end of the airport runway. Collins said transmission fluid leaked from his truck as he was towing the junked car. He termed Chris Miller, Jr., “his hero...
It’s been a fairly good start to the summer for king salmon fishermen. The first opening of that troll season started on July 1, abruptly ending by emergency order just before midnight on July 4. The order was based on preliminary catch rate and effort data. “It looks like we did take the target harvest,” reported Grant Hagerman, ADFG’s region troll management biologist in Sitka. That target is 63,000 non-Alaska hatchery fish, as laid out by the Pacific Salmon Treaty signed with Canada. A total of approximately 26,000 Chinook and 550 landings h...
Marissa Nilsen learned that 11 months in Europe is beyond a study abroad, not a vacation, rather a huge undertaking with hoops to jump through and language barriers to overcome, making for a Rotary exchange program that thickened her skin, expanded her linguistic skills and furthered her appreciation for home. The 17-year-old high school student wouldn't rewind and change any experiences from her time in Belgium. She found an untapped love for trains, along with Belgian fries that are...
A 73-year-old woman from England who sailed the Northwest Passage was at the Petersburg Library Wednesday evening to present on a novel she wrote during the voyage. Jane Maufe started the presentation by praising her sailing mate, David Cowper. Cowper, 75, has conducted seven round trips from England - through the Northwest Passage - to Alaska and back, a 22,000 mile voyage. Maufe joined Cowper in 2012 when he invited her on his seventh bout through the Northwest Passage. It was the first consid...
A shed fire in Petersburg Tuesday was extinguished within 10 minutes after the Volunteer Fire Department's arrival. The department responded with one fire engine at about 11:15 p.m. to a fully engulfed shed on Lake Street, said David Berg, a department spokesman. No one was injured and there was little damage to surrounding trees due to ongoing rain and neighbors who used hoses to trap the flames, volunteer firemen said. "There were some small propane bottles that exploded that caused a lot of...
A Petersburg family recently bought a full-size flat yellow school bus to travel in. The bus, however, has been gutted and the inside replaced with a plush oak interior, bamboo flooring, a sink, refrigerator, a master bedroom and bunk bed along with a dinner table, scattered cabinets, cupboards and a countertop. Tanelle Olson and her partner, Kory Versteeg two weeks ago bought a school bus turned travel mobile home that they intend to take along the west coast and maybe further. The couple will...
WRANGELL – Two weeks after the end of a public workers’ strike, a settlement may potentially be reached between the city and its employees. Unionized staff of the City and Borough of Wrangell on Monday voted to approve a package that would amend their current contract, potentially bringing to a close negotiations that have gone on for more than three years. Interim borough manager Carol Rushmore confirmed management at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1547 had forwarded the wage and benefits proposal, which would ame...
City officials and employees held a dedication ceremony last week to unveil the $9.3-million-dollar upgrade to the Borough Municipal Building, which includes a Police Department that more than doubled in size, Chief Kelly Swihart said. The building houses the Administration offices, Community Development, Finance and the Police Department. The Police Department now occupies the whole bottom floor of the building, with new offices, an updated dispatch control center, evidence rooms and six...
Public Works Director Karl Hagerman was recently promoted to a position with no official title, yet his salary increased by more than $12,000 - a raise that resulted from the Borough manager deploying him to give managerial guidance to the interim Power & Light superintendent. "I'm kind of like back up support," Hagerman said. "It's a similar situation as the utility position." Manager Steve Giesbrecht promoted Scott Newman, who is the line foreman with Power & Light, to interim superintendent....
A Borough Assembly meeting was canceled Monday after not enough members were present, causing a setback to the scheduled discussion on whether to renovate the more than 50-year-old Power & Light building, said Steve Giesbrecht, the Borough manager. On the agenda was a recommendation from former Superintendent Joe Nelson, who retired June 30, to accept a bid from Rainforest Contracting Inc. of $538,600 to renovate the building that houses the Power & Light department. The bid was proposed at the last meeting, but the Assembly voted to postpone...
The Salvation Army appointed a new managing officer last week, and it will likely be her last station before retirement. Major Loni Upshaw took control of the Salvation Army, where she will oversee the thrift store, social services and lead the ministry at the church. Upshaw just logged 25 years as a pastor with the Salvation Army, a capstone to her beginnings as a Cadet, then Lt. Capt. and now Major. Although she was born in South Dakota, Upshaw has spent her career in Alaska, with her most...
WRANGELL – A strike called by public employees of Wrangell on June 22 only lasted a week, with workers taking up their posts again on June 29. Members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1547 had laid down its tools following a decision by the City and Borough Assembly on June 20 to implement a new contract after negotiations between the union and city’s bargaining teams had reached an impasse. The two parties have been negotiating a collective bargaining agreement since the last one expired in the summer of 2014. The...
Chris Miller last week reportedly towed a junk car with its tires locked through Petersburg, burning rubber to its rims and leaving black marks visible from Haugen Drive to the Petersburg Baler Facility, where he dumped the vehicle without processing it, causing a disturbance with on-site employees. Brian Richards was on break when he heard Miller barrel-up to the Baler Facility and through the weigh station before unhooking a vehicle. Richards witnessed the vehicle’s worn-away rubber tires and a trail of fluid it left behind, which appeared to...
About 100 people filtered in-and-out of the Petersburg Clausen Memorial Museum on Saturday to celebrate its 50th anniversary and commemorate those who led the effort to start it. Elsie Clausen was responsible for leading the creation of the museum in 1962. Her grandson, Mike Schwartz, was at the celebration mingling through the packed hallways, talking about his grandmother's legacy and praising those who have preserved the long-lasting museum. "Kathi Riemer has done a phenomenal job," Schwartz...
HOONAH, Alaska (AP) – Quick action from an 11-year-old boy saved a fishing party from a charging brown bear, Alaska State Troopers said. Elliot Clark was walking through the woods near Game Creek last week with his three family members and three dogs when the bear came out and charged them, The Juneau Empire reported. The bear ran through two of the men, pushing them to the side of the trail, leaving Elliot and his cousin left in its path, Elliot’s father, Lucas, said. “There was four of them in a line . My son was third,” Elliot’s father sa...
"Show them how it's done!" roared the crowd in the direction of Sue Erickson, who was balancing on a wet, oversized log, seeking to reclaim the throne as Log Roll champion. Sue Erickson was the overwhelming favorite to win the 2017 Log Roll competition Tuesday evening, and it appeared as though she would. That is until Briana Bode beat her in the final round of the women's bracket. Skipper Erickson won in the men's bracket. Bode would later lose to Skipper Erickson, who won the competition...
WRANGELL – In the middle of its run on television, a popular survival series on the History Channel pits a pair of Wrangell residents against the elements. Brothers Shannon and Jesse Bosdell form one team on Alone's fourth season cast. The show has seven pairs of relatives travel to the remote stretches of northern Vancouver Island, in the province of British Columbia. There each duo is separated by some miles in the wilderness, with the task of finding one another. Once reunited, the series' s...
SITKA, Alaska (AP) – A couple of Alaska residents have decided to add a wrinkle to the fish industry in Alaska. Residents Pat Glaab and Ben Blakey have started a fish processing plant called Northline Seafoods that will be able to do what its competitors can’t _ move, KTOO-FM reported Saturday. The floating plant is being made out of a 150-foot (46-meter) former helicopter logging barge. The facility will be able to freeze up to 300,000 pounds (136,000 kilograms) of whole sockeye a day while tied to the banks of the Ugashik River, about 85 mil...
A petition to ban fluoride from the Petersburg water system has nearly all the signatures required to find a spot on the ballot in October. Holly Winje, who is leading the effort, said 270 people have signed a petition that would remove the ion fluoride --- which is often used to fight tooth decay --- from the water in Petersburg. Winje needs 283 signatures to hit the mark. Winje has always been against fluoride, but she decided to spark the petition after having a child. She defended it by comparing fluoride to mercury and arsenic. “I hope I...
