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WRANGELL – The symposium at last week's Bearfest was an opportunity for experts in bear-related research to share some of their knowledge about the different species, as well as highlight the work they have done in their different fields. Lance Craighead of Montana's Craighead Institute has been a longtime supporter of Wrangell's annual festival, which celebrates the area's robust bear population. Speaking last Wednesday, the environmental advocate sought to convey how people directly aff...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The lone insurer offering policies on Alaska's individual health insurance market has filed for an average rate decrease of about 22 percent next year. If approved, this would be the first time the average rate has decreased under the current federal health care law in Alaska, a remote state where high health care and premium costs have been an ongoing concern. Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield attributed the requested drop in rates to factors including the payment of high-cost claims through a state program and a sharp r...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Gov. Bill Walker said Friday that he will probably run for re-election. But he currently has more pressing issues on his mind including crafting a tax bill that he hopes will garner support from lawmakers. In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, Walker said it’s imperative that revenue issues be addressed this year. He expects to unveil a tax proposal for consideration sometime this year, but he could not provide a timeline for doing so or details on what the bill might include. He did say it would not be...
PETERSBURG, Alaska (AP) – Two men suing the Petersburg, Alaska borough, a local police officer, a regional narcotics task force and state law enforcement are trying to broaden the lawsuit into a class action that would allow more plaintiffs to join. Danny Thompson and Greg Richeson claim in the lawsuit that Petersburg police officers in separate 2013 investigations obtained search warrants and seized property from their homes and did not return it for years. Thompson said his belongings have since been returned but Richeson is still waiting f...
Debbie Thompson, the Petersburg Borough clerk, denied petition applications on Monday that aimed to recall four Assembly members, causing the group leading the effort to huddle and rethink options moving forward. Sara Heideman, who is an attorney and the Borough legal counsel, reviewed recall applications for Eric Castro, Nancy Strand, Jeigh Stanton Gregor and Kurt Wohlhueter. She recommended the applications be ruled insufficient in a letter to Thompson which led Thompson to notify Gary Morgan, the leader of the application, of the rejection....
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 with b...
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) has been conducting preventative maintenance work in Petersburg with the goal to extend the life of the existing asphalt. This is a normal maintenance process to seal the asphalt surface before it begins to visibly deteriorate with age, according to Aurah Landau with the Alaska Dept. of Transportation and Public Facilities. Landau reported that DOT&PF understands that the chip seal process has impacted some members of the traveling public. DOT&PF is taking all necessary...
Due to a reporting error, Mayor Cindi Lagoudakis was omitted from the list of Assembly members who attended the meeting last week. She was there to lead the meeting....
Election season is descending upon Petersburg and there are 23 open positions between city boards and the Borough Assembly that will appear on the October 3 ballot. The first day to file for candidacy in the October 3 election was Tuesday and all forms must be submitted to the Borough Clerk before August 22 at 5:00 p.m. According to Borough Clerk Debra Thompson, any person who wants to have his or her name placed on the ballot as a candidate must meet the qualifications for office outlined below: The Assembly will have three open positions to...
In a joint news release on Monday, House Speaker Bryce Edgmon (D-Dillingham) and Senate President Pete Kelly (R-Fairbanks) announced that the Alaska Legislature will call itself into another session in Juneau today at 11 a.m. The special session – the 30th Legislature’s third called for 2017 – follows extensive wrangling over the state’s fiscal deficit. A compromise operating budget was approved late last month and signed by Gov. Bill Walker on June 30. The $4.9 billion budget for the new fiscal year, which started July 1, came with a $2.5 bill...
One of the strongest men in Alaska recently took over as postmaster at the Petersburg Post office. Mark Eppihimer started work on Monday and has lived in Petersburg for about a week. He moved from the outskirts of Anchorage with his wife and two daughters, Hilda and Heidi. "This is my first day on the job, and they are just kicking butt," Eppihimer said on Monday. "We have got an excellent crew here," Eppihimer is also a power lifter who was named Alaska strongest man in 2012 and 2014, along...
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 not to drive because of a seizure disorder that was “well-known” and “well-documented,” according to Assistant Attorney General...
WRANGELL – Wrapping up a visit to Wrangell over the weekend, cruise ship The World was on its way to Petersburg late Monday when a medical emergency took precedence. Wrangell Fire Chief Tim Buness received a call from the local emergency dispatcher at around 8:15 p.m., relaying that the vessel required assistance. He contacted the United States Coast Guard about the situation. At 644 feet, The World is the largest private residential ship on earth. During its several-day stay in Wrangell it r...
(Juneau, AK) – The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities proposed Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) schedule for fall, winter, and spring 2017-2018 is now available for public review. With the timing of the budget, the public comment period is slightly shorter than those in recent years, to allow the public sufficient lead time to make reservations for sailings that begin on October 1st. The draft schedule is based on established community service needs and events. It is available online with accompanying documents at dot....
WRANGELL – Wrangell’s new city manager sat in on her first meeting of the City and Borough Assembly Tuesday evening. Starting work last week, Lisa Von Bargen gave her first report to council members on the state of city departments. Offered the job back in April, the former Valdez economic director reported she has been getting to know the departments under her since her arrival. She has been getting together with staff at City Hall, the Harbor Department and Public Works this past week to visit sites. She further plans to meet with Parks...
SITKA, Alaska (AP) – An Alaska man said his boat was attacked over the weekend by an orca during a salmon fishing excursion with his 14-year-old son and two other people. Victor Littlefield of Sitka said the killer whale repeatedly rammed the boat, yanked its anchor line and slapped the boat’s bow with its tail. The 33-foot (10-meter) aluminum boat lurched to one side during the attack, Littlefield said in an interview. The event happened while it was anchored Sunday near Little Biorka Island in southeastern Alaska. Littlefield had seen the...
WRANGELL – A state seafood industry think tank is seeking value-added products for competitive entry. Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation will be holding its call for product for the 2018 Alaska Symphony of Seafood on October 6. The annual competition searches for new products for Alaskan seafood, hoping to encourage innovation in the multibillion-dollar industry. AFDF executive director Julie Decker explained that when the competition first started a quarter century ago it focused exclusively on salmon, in three different categories. In t...
A former radio site that used to help detect suspected Russian missile attacks in the Cold War is now being excavated to remove contaminated soil, which comes after several other locations in the site were already cleaned and treated, said Stephen Krause, the project manager. In 2014 and 2015, cleanup efforts were made at six different locations at the same site near Duncan Canal, except for one, which is called "DA001," that started mid-July and might continue into September, Krause said. The...
The ballot in October has five initiatives for Petersburg residents to vote on so far, including an amendment to the Charter, a tax break for business owners, off-road vehicles on public roads, a ban of fluoride and the development of the Scow Bay fishing yard. The change to the Petersburg Charter would allow the City of Kupreanof its own dock within the Petersburg Borough. All the docks on the island are owned by the state of Alaska, currently. But Kupreanof has passed ordinances that would allow it to maintain a dock. Now the Charter must be...
One of the newest United States Coast Guard fast response cutters, the John McCormick, made a stop in Petersburg on Tuesday as part of its southeast Alaska tour of the communities it serves. "We definitely didn't want to miss you guys," Capt. Michael Moyseowicz said about Petersburg. "Being the new ship, we wanted to stop in all the communities that we serve." The cutter is 154 feet in length, it holds 16,000 gallons of fuel and can remain at 12 knots speed for 13 consecutive days. There are...
On Tuesday, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT) began chip seal road resurfacing on some Petersburg roads to fix cracks and provide a new road surface. Crews are expected to work on Mitkof Highway from the ferry terminal in town to Papke’s Landing Rd., Haugen Dr. from the airport to 8th St, and the length of Scow Bay Loop. Rd. Work should be completed by the end of July. Machinery will be on the road, painted center line markings will not be present, and speed and other road conditions will be changing. Pay c...
The mark select troll fishery (MSF) will close to the retention of Chinook salmon at 11:59 p.m., Friday, July 21. The MSF target harvest of 1,500 Chinook is expected to be reached by this time. All Chinook salmon harvested in the MSF must be offloaded prior to resuming trolling. All processors and trollers are required to submit fish tickets to the department within seven days of landing. A catcher-processor (FAS) that retains coho salmon onboard after the MSF closure must submit a fish ticket to the department within seven days after...
Due to a reporting error, Eric Castro’s name was omitted from the list of Assembly persons named in the recall application that is being reviewed by the City Attorney. Power and Light employee Gary Morgan submitted the application to the Deputy City Clerk last Tuesday....
Qualified voters in Petersburg will be asked to weigh-in on development of the Scow Bay fishing yard, and decide whether to authorize the Borough to put $500,000 down on the project, a fraction of the total cost but a concise statement that would turn the discussed expansion into a reality. Four members voted in favor and one against a decision to pass the spending question to voters, which asks if the city should use $500,000 of the Economic Fund --- a job-creation and economic development account --- to help build a small vessel haul out and...
The most sought-after low-income housing program in the nation is closing its office in Petersburg and will hence be managed from Juneau, said Cathy Stone, the director of public housing with the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation. The director of the Petersburg Housing Choice Voucher Program, Bev Lopez, is retiring after 27 years. Instead of replacing her, housing officials selected a plan to manage the program from Juneau. “We can spend our money on staff, or we can spend our money on housing people,” said Amy Hiley, the manager of pol...
