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The Clausen Memorial Museum will host an open house to celebrate its 50th anniversary on Saturday, July 1 at 5:00 p.m. The open house is scheduled to last two hours said Kathi Riemer, who is the fourth museum director in its history. In 1963, Elsie Clausen, Claire Strand, and the rest of the Petersburg Pioneer Society started the idea for a museum in Petersburg. In 1965, Alaska began planning a celebration for 1967 to celebrate the purchase of Alaska from the Russians on March 30, 1867. The State provided matching funds to communities for...
WRANGELL – With its abundance of mountains, seascape, wildlife and local color, Wrangell is no stranger to television. For instance, contractors at the Marine Service Center were featured on National Geographic Channel's series "The Yard," with episodes first being aired in 2016. Another show has shined a spotlight on the island this month, with BBC Two exploring the fish-out-of-water theme in "The Life Swap Adventure." The premise of the six-episode series takes residents from around the U...
WRANGELL – The man accused of a spate of vehicular thefts earlier this month has entered a not guilty plea this week, and the case is expected to go to trial in August. Lief Cheyenne Bosdell, 20, appeared for his arraignment at Wrangell Courthouse on Monday. He had on June 9 been charged with seven felony counts of vehicular theft and three additional misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief. If convicted, the charges together carry a maximum jail sentence of 35 years and one month and up to $356,000 in fines. The alleged thefts took place in W...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska Legislature, motivated by the threat of a government shutdown, approved a plan late Thursday to fund state operations for another year. The proposal, advanced by budget negotiators and passed by the House and Senate, would continue to draw from savings to help fill the state’s multibillion-dollar deficit, something Gov. Bill Walker had hoped to avoid. It also would fully fund K-12 education, provide $57 million for oil and gas tax credits and limit to $1,100 the size of this year’s dividend check Alaskans recei...
Union workers in Wrangell last week staggered into a strike after failed negotiations with the city, leaving Petersburg community members questioning whether their town will experience backlash in its wake. A concern Power & Light Superintendent Joe Nelson has is with the power ties between the communities, as there is a transmission line that connects Ketchikan, Wrangell and Petersburg. If there are no linemen to fix a broken transmission line in Wrangell then Petersburg could be forced to run...
Sitka — The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) announced this week the winners of the annual tag recovery incentive drawing for sablefish tags returned in 2016. The winners are: 1st - Jonathan Fuhrer Goleta, CA $1,000 2nd - Mary Murray-Jenkins Sitka $500 3rd - Tony Guggenbickler Wrangell $500 4th - Frank Balovich Sitka $250 5th - Stan Savland Hoonah $250 6th - Paul Sorenson Kenai $250 7th - Aaron Phillips, Petersburg $250 All persons who return an ADF&G sablefish tag receive a tag reward (i.e. T-shirt or fishermen’s knife). Tag returns...
Lois Hernandez, 86 passed away on June 10, 2017 at the Petersburg Medical Center in Petersburg, Alaska 18 years to the day after the passing of her husband Raymond Hernandez. Lois Helen Spinelli was born in Montclair, New Jersey on December 17, 1930 to Michael Spinelli, the son of Italian immigrants and Helen Carlson Spinelli, the daughter of Swedish immigrants. After graduating from Montclair High School in 1948, Lois attended Centenary Junior College, where she earned an Associates of Arts... Full story
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced Monday that the Department of the Interior is distributing more than $29.69 million to eligible local governments throughout Alaska. These payments are made to boroughs and counties across the United States that contain federal lands to help offset the cost of maintaining community services, such as first responders, public schools, and road construction. Unlike private lands, federal lands are not subject to local taxes, often making it difficult for rural communities to budget f...
Petersburg Assembly Members expressed support for Karl Hagerman to replace Joe Nelson as the Power & Light superintendent in a meeting on Monday afternoon, further cementing division between the city and some of its residents on who is qualified to take over the position. "It is my hope that Karl Hagerman shows interest in this position," said Jeigh Stanton Gregor, an assembly member. "I think Karl is a very talented person and would be a good leader in that department. I hope he is willing to...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously voted to move forward with the Local Improvement District projects that would pave Unimak, Vesta and Pearl F Streets in the Severson Subdivision. There are two proposed LID projects, one for Unimak Street and the other for Vesta Street. Pearl F Street will be split between the two. The projects only apply to property owners on Vesta, Unimak and Pearl F Streets, and ballots will be mailed Wednesday, said Chris Cotta, who is the Public Works assistant...
The Petersburg Indian Association is more than two-thirds finished with construction of a boardwalk that starts at Sandy Beach Park stretching nearly 1,900 feet along the shoreline ending at City Creek. The trail revamp is likely to finish months ahead of schedule, said Todd Young, who is the foreman. He has six crewmembers working to wrap-up the last third section of the project. The boardwalk is equipped with a bridge at the entrance, a handicap pathway with ample room, and hundreds of feet...
The Borough Assembly chose a new member on Monday after four out of five voted to appoint Jeff Meucci to the vacancy. In his letter of interest, Meucci wrote: "In the event that a young person new to the process of Borough politics applies for the vacant seat, I will likely remove my name for consideration." Jeigh Stanton Gregor, a current assembly member, wouldn't disclose whom he voted for but did say he liked to see Meucci encourage young people to become involved. "I like that he wants...
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska ferry Taku did not receive any bids during the state Marine Highway System’s most recent attempt at selling it. The minimum bid on the ship will now drop, CoastAlaska News reported Monday. A previous attempt at selling the ship priced it at $1.5 million, while the latest attempt had a minimum bid of $700,000. The Taku will be out for bidding one more time at a price that’s yet to be determined, Highway system General Manager John Falvey said If no one buys it, the ferry could be sold for scrap, he said....
The governing board for Southeast Alaska Power Agency has approved a draft for next year's budget, as well as a hefty rebate to its member communities' utilities. The decision was supported by a fair financial position for the agency, which supplies hydroelectric power to Ketchikan, Wrangell and Petersburg. In a meeting held at Wrangell's Nolan Center Tuesday afternoon, SEAPA chief executive Trey Acteson explained sales revenues had come in higher than expected. Power sales to Ketchikan, Wrangel...
Petersburg Police Chief Kelly Swihart reported on Wednesday that Randall Long from Petersburg, has been indicted by a federal Grand Jury for Possession with the Intent To Distribute Methamphetamine, against USC 841(a)(1)&(b)(1)(a). It is likely that state prosecutors will defer to the United States Attorney for prosecution, Swihart added. Long currently faces three State drug related charges: Count I (Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 2nd Degree) of the indictment charges that Long possessed with the intent to deliver 2.5...
Mayor Cindi Lagoudakis spent her adolescent years in a city, gripped in its pace, from New York to Southern California she lived, without a hint of Petersburg in her future. Until one night in college at 23 she was walking home from studying, when she turned around to see two men running toward her in a frenzy, one holding a knife and the other yelling for her money. Lagoudakis was not aware of the abduction that was about to happen, but it would upend any trust she had for the hot, fast city....
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska Legislature remains on pace for a statewide government shutdown as lawmakers renew discussions they hope will bridge the gap between the House and Senate. Gov. Bill Walker said he is confident the Legislature can avert an economically catastrophic shutdown July 1. Officials’ top priority during the special session is the state operating budget. “At this point, I must focus solely on one issue and one issue alone, and that is the operating budget so we do not have a shutdown in this state,” said Walker, who sets...
Five hikers and seven dogs were taking a Father's Day hike up Petersburg Mountain when atop the summit, two dogs playing together apparently fell over an obscured ledge, dropping over 200-feet onto a rock and snow-covered bench on the backside of the mountain. One dog survived the fall with severe lacerations and the second dog died two hours later while enroute back down the mountain. Ola and Brian Richard's dog Roxy suffered deep puncture wounds in her pelvic area. She suffered from severe...
King Salmon King salmon catch rates have been below average thus far in the 2017 season. The number of king salmon returning to the Stikine River at this time indicates that the abundance of Stikine river king salmon will not meet preseason expectations. Due to this new inseason information, new king salmon regulations have been issued for the Petersburg/Wrangell area effective May 25. The area immediately adjacent to the mouth of the Stikine River has been closed to king salmon fishing and reduced bag and possession limits continue to apply in...
WRANGELL – Unionized public employees may soon strike as negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement with the city reaches an impasse. The escalation follows the City and Borough Assembly’s effective rejection on June 8 of a last best offer made by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Works Local #1547, which represents 24 employees of various departments and utilities. The proposal directly to the Assembly was a unique break from traditional collective bargaining negotiations, a provision that had been agreed to when the two p...
Cindi Lagoudakis was the featured artist in Miele Gallery and Framing shop last week, as she displayed about 70 paintings that took a "couple years to finish," she said. Lagoudakis mingled with a group at the opening Friday evening, discussing her contrast with colors, different tactics she uses to draw and the inspiration behind it all: the forest. "I've worked for the Forest Service for 26 years," Lagoudakis said. "Clearly the natural world is something of interest to me." The mayor is a...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – An Alaska lawmaker made one last legal push Tuesday to put about $1,000 back in the hands of nearly every state resident for their share of Alaska’s oil wealth. Sen. Bill Wielechowski argued before the Alaska Supreme Court in Anchorage that Gov. Bill Walker last year exceeded his authority when he reduced the size of the yearly checks by about half. Wielechowski, an Anchorage Democrat, hopes to reverse the governor’s action after losing in superior court in November. He was peppered with questions by justices during his a...
WRANGELL-It was out of the workplace and into the streets for many Wrangell city staff Thursday morning, as two dozen unionized workers began a strike over prolonged contract negotiations. The City and Borough has been negotiating for a new collective bargaining agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1547 since the summer of 2014, when the previous CBA expired. The process has at times been tumultuous, with court proceedings through the fall of 2016 being... Full story
“I didn’t like what was happening with the (department head) restructuring thing. I didn’t have the energy to go through that fight,” two-term mayor Mark Jensen stated in explaining his single sentence resignation from the Petersburg Borough Assembly on May 18. If the department head changes had been proposed earlier, “it could have worked, instead of cramming it down our throats,” Jensen noted of the manager’s plan to realign department heads following the retirement of Power and Light Superintendent Joe Nelson. “The day after the last meetin...
Plans to develop the Scow Bay Boat Haulout have expanded, as the final concept proposed by Principal Civil Engineer Dick Somerville brings depth to the upland area. In a meeting last week, Somerville laid-out the third concept for the renovation, which comes after the second concept was approved publicly but altered a bit to accommodate suggestions. "It's only the earthwork that doubled in size," Somerville said. "Everyone agreed that concept two was good, but there could be improvements." The...
