Sorted by date Results 3817 - 3841 of 5574
The Rainforest Islands Ferry operations between Coffman Cove and Banana Point will resume April 15. The North End Ferry Authority board of directors determined the date at a meeting in late January. The ferry will resume the four trip per week schedule it ran prior to suspending service in early December due to low customer traffic, according to North End Ferry Authority manager Kent Miller. The board also approved a staff recommendation to have the company's passenger bus stationed locally to meet the transportation needs of customers on Mitko...
Shortly after the newly constructed Petersburg Public Library opened its doors a couple years ago, local artist Doris Olsen felt like something was missing. She kept walking by the teen room and even though youngsters were laughing and having fun at eye level, the room itself felt somewhat lifeless above the books. Olsen says the room needed something to help it flow, and she eventually decided mobile art hanging from the ceiling constructed with found objects would be perfect. After talking wit...
State Sen. Bert Stedman talked about how well the community would weather the state budget deficit during Petersburg’s annual Chamber of Commerce Dinner Saturday night. He said the community’s already endured difficult times, citing several wars and economic downturns, and has come out of it unscathed. “We’ve had these austere moments where we’ve had to pull together and this is just another one,” Stedman said. “I don’t sit in my office and eat a lot of Rolaids over it.” Stedman went on to discuss the legislative climate in Juneau and what h...
Petersburg Chamber of Commerce members sat down at their annual banquet last Saturday evening at the Sons of Norway Hall. Halibut and prime rib were on the menu and chamber members bid on deserts and won raffle prices such as gift certificates and even 49,000 Alaska Air miles. Alaska Airlines Director of Sales and Marketing Scott Habberstad was one of the banquet speakers. He gave a brief history of the company, which began in 1952, and discussed its present and future. “It’s a great time for the company,” Habberstad said. “We had a great y...
When I was told I better write a story about Ruth Sandvik turning 100 years old the first thing I thought was, Who is Ruth Sandvik? I knew of her of course. Her name is synonymous with art, books and a general zeal for life, one of the cornerstones of cultural life in Petersburg. But I didn't know who she was. I certainly didn't know how to encapsulate her, 100 years of her, in one newspaper story. I can try though to glean a few clues, and perhaps pick out a pattern, from the collection of... Full story
Two fishing vessels belonging to Arnold Enge, the 42-foot gillnetter Moonshadow and 57-foot tender Robert G. Johnston, remain aground on the shore of Kupreanof Island after becoming submerged there last week. The initial report about the Robert G. Johnston came from a Coast Guard auxiliary vessel patrolling the area that reported seeing no evidence of any spillage. The Coast Guard immediately contacted Enge and he reported previously pumping the fuel and oil tanks, says Lt. Jennifer Ferreira,... Full story
The Petersburg School Board unanimously approved an $80,037 software program for the Petersburg School District’s finance office. PSD Finance Director Karen Quitslund said the current software is 35 years old and that she has been looking at new programs for several years. “The current system is really outdated. It’s inefficient,” Quitslund said. “All the processes are done manually and of course the more manual processes that you have the more the margin of error is greater.” The district’s current software doesn’t interface with other prog... Full story
Despite flat or decreased sales tax contributions from some of the largest local businesses, the Petersburg economy saw a 3.7 percent increase in overall consumption from 2014 to 2015 according to Petersburg Borough sales tax revenue data. In 2015 the borough brought in $3,128,549 in sales tax revenue compared to $3,011,968 in 2014. Local grocery and hardware businesses, the largest contributors in sales tax revenues to the Petersburg Borough, remained steady paying around $1 million in local...
As part of a plea deal, the state dismissed two drug distribution charges against Lars Christensen after his brother, Lawrence Christensen, entered guilty pleas to two counts, one of which was reduced. Both men were facing charges of two counts of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 2nd and 3rd degrees. Lawrence entered guilty pleas Feb. 4 to attempted misconduct involving a controlled substance in the 2nd degree and misconduct involving a controlled substance in the 3rd degree, both Class B felonies. Federal and local...
There is one thing Nathan Lopez made sure to bring with him from the church he worked at in Omaha, Neb., the mini-basketball hoop from his tiny office. The hoop now hangs in his more spacious office at the Lighthouse Assembly of God, other items in the room include handcrafted Native flutes and a baby grand piano. Lopez is the new pastor for the church, but he is no stranger to Petersburg. He grew up playing basketball here and left the community after graduating high school in 1997 to begin...
One could hear the proverbial crickets chirping after Petersburg Mayor Mark Jensen brought up the assembly’s previous request to have a discussion about the possibility of re-appropriating money from the Kake access road project. During its last Borough Assembly meeting in January, several assembly members were in support of such a reallocation and suggested a bulk of the money go to projects for Kake and Petersburg. State Senator Bert Stedman appropriated the $40 million in 2012 for the project that would build a road and ferry connection from... Full story
A plan to release millions of chum fry in Thomas Bay, a popular sport fishing area for Petersburg locals, was put on hold in early December until more information on the potential affects of the proposal can be gathered. The request from the Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association (NSRAA) was tabled by the Northern Regional Planning Team with a unanimous vote of 6-0. NSRAA General Manager Steve Reifenstuhl says concerns from local sport fisherman and multiple unknown factors motivated the decision of the planning team. Now NSRAA is... Full story
Life is an open book for Fr. Steven Gallagher, the new pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Petersburg and St. Rose of Lima Parish in Wrangell, and there is one common theme-public service. Fr. Gallagher, 63, is taking over for Fr. Thomas Weise who passed away in December of a heart attack, and the unexpected death resonates with Gallagher. "Father Thomas was a great priest in this area; he was 16 years younger than I am," Gallagher says. "We all have expiration dates." For Gallagher,... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly is a short step closer to drafting a complete marijuana ordinance. Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht discussed the draft with the Borough Assembly at its February 1 meeting. “In a sense what you’ve got in front of you is a framework,” Giesbrecht said. “I hate to call it anything other than that because it’s still definitely a work in progress.” Borough Assembly member Jeigh Stanton Gregor and Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson are assisting in writing a skeleton of the ordinance that so far defines public spaces— whe...
The state’s case against Lars Christensen, who was facing charges of two counts of Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 2nd and 3rd degrees, was dismissed yesterday, Feb. 3. Federal and local authorities arrested Lars and his brother Lawrence Christensen last month for receiving and handling a package containing 25 grams of heroin and 36 grams of methamphetamine from the post office. According to the criminal complaint, Lars told police he didn’t know what was in the package but “…knew it was probably illegal. Lars admitte...
After watching a U.S. Coast Guard video clip of their rescue, skipper Steve Berry recounted his experience last summer when the Kupreanof sank off Cape Fairweather. "I wake up every morning and I have to realize the boat went down but my crew didn't," Berry said. Berry noticed a slight list and thought he should change the fuel tanks to counter balance the vessel but it didn't help. He soon called a nearby Icicle vessel, the Gordon Jensen and the U.S. Coast Guard. Berry said it was around 3:30 a...
The Petersburg Land Selection Committee reviewed their preliminary land selections this week and added rationale to justify borough ownership of the land. The committee has identified over 1,300 acres available to the borough through the general land grant entitlement. The addition of rationale for selecting acres will greatly help the process and comply with the intent of the land entitlement program, according to Liz Cabrera, Borough Planning Director. "I think it's hard to say 'we want land...
Last week's story regarding the local budget and revenue sources, reported that seniors don't have to pay sales or property taxes. It should be noted that seniors are exempt from paying up to $150,000 in property taxes but pay taxes on home valuations in excess of that amount....
Alaska Power and Telephone (AP&T) began serving Southeast customers in 1957 with the purchase of the telephone company in Skagway. Today, AP&T serves 40 communities spanning from the Arctic Circle to Metlakatla. The company recently released their 2016 telephone directory, but AP&T director of marketing Mark McCready says the days for the phonebook might be numbered due to a decline in landline users. One of the main reasons for the decline is a younger, more technology driven customer base....
Almost 30 people showed up to the library for a book signing and reading event on Monday night, and those in attendance had the pleasure of experiencing two thought-provoking writing styles from very talented authors who are also friends. Ernestine Hayes is the award wining author of "Blonde Indian," a memoir about life struggles and overcoming obstacles like discrimination, poverty and alcoholism. Hayes has a way with words worthy of making the most respected poets envious. Hayes read about a...
State Rep. Jonathan Kreiss Tomkins and Alaska Department of Revenue Director Ken Alper gave a state budget crisis presentation for community members two weeks ago. They used colored blocks of wood representing different revenues and expenditures balanced on a large scale to provide a visual representation of the state's budget deficit and the continued gutting of our state's savings should the legislature not create a more sustainable budget for the state. On the revenue side of the scale sat a... Full story
High winds caused havoc early Tuesday morning in Petersburg and many other Southeast communities, resulting in power outages, damaged homes and blocked highways. A strong low pressure system hit Southeast with winds gusting from 60 to over 70 mph throughout the Alaska Panhandle, according to NOAA meteorologist Tim Steffen. "Petersburg itself, the airport is kind of sheltered so we usually don't get good readings," Steffen said. "But it recorded 40 knots, which is actually really impressive for... Full story
Petersburg High School sophomore Helen Martin, 15, will take a trip to the state capitol in early March and spend four days sitting in on the legislative session. Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins selected Martin to participate in his Legislative Externship Program after her world history teacher talked to her class about the program. Martin, who is the vice president of her sophomore class, talked it over with her mom and they both thought it would be a good idea. "I'm pretty excited to sit in and... Full story
The Sons of Norway Hall will hold a Coast Guard Appreciation Reception on Friday night hosted by the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce. The event is open to the public and the goal is simple: thank Coast Guard crews and families for their service and many contributions to Petersburg. David Byrne spearheaded the effort to create the event, but he admits it was not an original idea. He got the idea from a Coast Guard appreciation dinner in Kodiak sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. “I didn’t really think of it, I just stole the idea,” Byrne says.... Full story
A Local Marijuana Regulation Advisory subcommittee met and discussed issues related to the permitting and taxation of marijuana in the borough. The permitting and taxation subcommittee discussed a variety of problems associated with what it considered too restrictive state regulations regarding the testing of marijuana and how the multiple permits required would impede a successful marijuana industry in a rural island community. According to the Marijuana Control Board’s adopted regulations, separate permits are needed for the industry i...
