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Work on the Petersburg Children's Center expansion is continuing smoothly as volunteers from around the community are donating sweat and supplies. Volunteers from Rocky's Marine helped install a new roof on the expansion that will allow the Children's Center to enroll around 20 more students from an already staggering waitlist. "Right now my waitlist is about 40, maybe 50 kids," Children's Center director Brandi Heppe said. The new expansion will enlarge one classroom and add another. A crew... Full story
Petersburg’s Local Marijuana Regulation Advisory Committee was disbanded earlier this week. Petersburg Borough Assembly Member and Committee Chair Jeigh Stanton Gregor recommended last Monday to the assembly during a committee update that the marijuana advisory committee should disband due to its ineffectiveness. Stanton Gregor said a majority of committee members didn’t read the state’s retail marijuana regulations, which had been available for review and public comment throughout the summe...
Brooklyn based singer-songwriter Lijie will perform in the Wright Auditorium Thursday, January 7 where she'll play original and cover songs on guitar and piano. Although Lijie describes her music as "dirty rock pop" she is a classically trained pianist. She moved to the United States from China at a young age. Her parents soon after enrolled her in piano lessons and she's been playing ever since. Lijie has performed from Los Angeles to Brooklyn and this evening's show will be her first trip to...
Local poet Lee Ribich and visiting poet Anna DeWitt will be reading their work Monday, January 11 at the Petersburg Public Library. DeWitt, a writer and photographer from North Carolina, holds an MFA in Creative Writing from American University. Her work has been published in national literary journals. Her current project, "How You Got Here", explores maternity care, childbearing and childhood around the world through writing, photography, and participant observation. Ribich has published...
PETERSBURG (AP) — The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is predicting a return of about 34,000 king salmon to the Stikine River next year in southeast Alaska. The estimated return is large enough to allow commercial fishing in the area and a catch up of to 1,000 Chinook. Catches of Stikine kings are managed under the Pacific Salmon Treaty between the U.S. and Canada, KFSK-FM reported. The department's announcement means trollers and gillnetters could have the opportunity to fish for the kings in early May, which would be a first since 201...
ANCHORAGE (AP) — A federal agency has concluded that a southeast Alaska wolf affected by logging and hunting does not merit placement on the endangered species list. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday that Alexander Archipelago wolves on Prince of Wales Island and neighboring islands do not warrant additional protections. “Although the Alexander Archipelago wolf faces several stressors throughout its range related to wolf harvest, timber harvest, road development, and climate-related events in Southeast Alaska and coastal Brit...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska's minimum wage will be among the highest in the country, increasing by a dollar an hour, to $9.75, starting Friday. The state labor department estimates 12,000 jobs in Alaska currently pay less than $9.75 an hour. For those working full-time at minimum wage, the department says the increase will mean about $2,000 in additional annual earnings. Voters in November 2014 approved increasing the minimum wage from $7.75 an hour. The first increase, to $8.75 an hour, took effect in February. The minimum wage is to be a...
JUNEAU (AP) — Federal, state and local agencies haven't found any major obstacles to a plan to build a hydroelectric dam on Sweetheart Creek southeast of Juneau. The Juneau Empire reports that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission released a draft environment impact for the project in October. Tuesday was the last day for officials and the public to give feedback on the document. Juneau Hydropower Inc. Director Duff Mitchell said by phone Wednesday that the comments only found minor problems with the project. He says there seems to be a l...
January-June January Petersburg School Superintendent Lisa Stroh resigned from her position citing family medical issues as her reason for leaving although communication between borough staff and student letters indicated turmoil between Stroh and school staff. Two third and fourth grade elementary students published their own class newspapers. Former Petersburg School District Maintenance Director Tye Petersen was sentenced to 12 years in prison for Distribution, Receipt and Possession of... Full story
A fire blazed in a blacksmith shop near Muddy River on the mainland Tuesday evening. Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department spokesperson Dave Berg said PVFD received a call around 4:50 p.m. on December 29 after someone reported seeing a fire on the mainland to the Petersburg Police. Berg said volunteers asked over a VHF radio if anyone knew anything about a fire. “Orie Bell on the M/V Lindy came back to me and said they had a fire in their blacksmith shop over there and that it was fully engulfed and everyone was accounted for, there were no i... Full story
Petersburg Police are charging a man with multiple counts of burglary and theft after a Christmas Eve break in left a family without a vehicle, tools and firearms. According to charging documents, police charged Neil Ray Hacker, 37, with 12 felony counts after a confession to police where he admitted to stealing nine firearms, including rifles and shotguns, along with a 2012 Toyota pickup truck, vehicle parts and tools from a warehouse on Hungerford Hill owned by Albert Hofstad. The charging... Full story
It's a question Petersburg's Northern Nights Theater manager Anne Tate fields every now and then. "I've been asked, I think, about a million times," Tate said. "I'm not certain I can leave my house without someone asking." It's no surprise people are inquiring. 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' shattered records, including the largest box office record of all time, and will likely continue to eclipse previous big movie box office sales. The movie has already grossed more than $1 billion...
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — A judge has ordered the city of Kodiak to release records related to an encounter between three police officers and an autistic man whose mother says he was traumatized by the experience. A lawsuit filed by Kodiak Public Broadcasting Co. says the 28-year-old man was checking his family's mailbox on Sept. 16 when three police officers handcuffed and pepper sprayed him. He was not arrested or charged, KMXT-FM reported. His mother said he was traumatized by the experience, which left her son bloody and bruised. Authorities h...
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and another Alaska newspaper are being sold. The News-Miner announced Monday that the newspaper and the Kodiak Daily Mirror are being purchased by the Fairbanks-based Helen E. Snedden Foundation, which was created by the late wife of former News-Miner publisher Charles W. Snedden. The deal is expected to close early next year. The sales price was not immediately disclosed. The current owner, William Dean Singleton, and late business partner Richard B. Scudder bought the Fairbanks paper f...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Data released by the U.S. Department of Education shows Alaska has one of the lowest graduation rates in the country. Only the District of Columbia, New Mexico and Nevada had lower graduation rates during the 2013-14 school year than Alaska, whose graduation rate was 71.1 percent. Federal data shows Alaska's rate has hovered around 70 percent since at least 2010-2011. Nationally, the graduation rate was 82.3 percent. Brian Laurent with Alaska's education department says the state's preliminary graduation rate for 2...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Lawmakers are a step closer to moving out of office space in Anchorage that costs $4 million to lease. The Legislative Council voted Saturday to recommend that lawmakers pull funding for the lease, while also carving out 45 days to try negotiating a competitive purchase price, the Alaska Dispatch reports. The office space was renovated and priced almost six times more than what had been a $680,000 lease. This year, lawmakers expect a $3.5 billion state budget deficit. Developer Mark Pfeffer said he was willing to d...
Petersburg rubber boots sloshed through 135.22 inches of rain so far this year, putting 2015 on track as the second rainiest year on record—biting at the heels of 1991’s title as rainiest year with its 136.88 inches of precipitation. January and April of 2015 both broke precipitation records with January receiving 21.05 inches beating the 1985 previous record of 20.89 inches. Rain poured last April with a total 12.31 inches beating 1952’s previous record of 11.1 inches. Last July came in secon...
The Salvation Army’s largest fundraiser the ‘Red Kettle’ campaign provides assistance to those in need throughout the year in the form of utility and rental assistance, food boxes, heating oil, emergency lodging and transportation. The year 2015 saw a large increase for those needing rental and utility assistance and food boxes compared to 2014. In 2014, the local Salvation Army provided rental assistance to six people in two households in the amount of $265. That number leapt up to 17 people in 10 households in the amount of $9,004 durin...
Icicle Seafoods' The Gordon Jensen struck rocks on Saturday and the U.S. Coast Guard had to escort the damaged vessel to Ketchikan for repairs. Coast Guard public relations Petty Officer Meredith Manning said Tuesday the cause of the incident is still under investigation and no injuries were reported. Manning said the vessel ran aground near Bella Bella, 172 miles southeast of Prince Rupert. The Canadian Coast Guard responded to the incident and the U.S. Coast Guard was later involved. Manning... Full story
The public has a final opportunity to review and comment on Petersburg Borough long-term planning objectives after the Borough Assembly approved a hearing schedule for the comprehensive and waterfront plans. The plans outline and recommend strategies for borough management, land use and the environment, transportation, economic development, recreation and tourism and waterfront development over the next 20 years. The comprehensive and waterfront master plan is the result of Agnew::Beck Consulting, an Anchorage firm the borough hired in the fall... Full story
Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins is visiting Petersburg over the next few days and is petitioning for signatures for the PFD Voter Registration initiative. The initiative would give Alaska residents the opportunity to vote for a ballot measure that would let residents apply for their PFD Dividend and register to vote at the same time. "Basically it gets all the paperwork for voter registration out of the way since people are already filling out their address and legal name and all the other... Full story
Petersburg Fisheries, Inc. or PFI celebrated its 50th Anniversary in June. The local giant is much more than a staple of the community, it's a vital brick that allowed Petersburg to continue building its foundation. When Alaska achieved statehood in 1959 salmon traps were abolished, sending the enthusiasm for the fishing industry of many Alaska canneries owned by out-of-state interests into a downward spiral. Pacific American Fisheries (PAF) headquartered out of Bellingham, Wash. was one of...
In last week's Pilot there was an editing error, and a picture of Ethan File was incorrectly identified as Mike File in the caption. The Pilot regrets the error....
The Division of Sport Fish is now accepting public comment on its statewide fish stocking plan. The Division, with assistance from private non-profit hatchery operators, plans to release approximately 6.5 million fish into the waters of Alaska every year for the next five years to benefit recreational anglers. The stocking plan outlines the location, number, and size or life stage for each species of fish that are planned for stocking. Only fish produced from Division of Sport Fish hatchery facilities and from private non-profit hatcheries,...
Brad Hunter and a group of just under 10 volunteers spent Saturday morning and some of the afternoon participating in the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, the 75th in Alaska and 116th held nationwide since 1900. The group started counting at first light and surveyed from Hungry Point to the fish hatchery at Blind Slough on Mitkof Island. “We didn’t really find anything highly unusual,” he said. “It’s just a good excuse to get out and pay attention to what is around us every day.” Hunter says the group documented 44 species total, about six b...
