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WRANGELL - At 2:18 pm on Wednesday, following a search by the United States Coast Guard and Alaska State Troopers, the body of an adult white male was located floating in Earl West Cove approximately 12 air miles southeast of Wrangell. The body was transported and positively identified as Kenneth Trammel by next of kin in Wrangell. The body will be transported to the State Medical Examiner's Office for autopsy. The vessel has not been located. Relatives of 53-year-old Kenneth Trammel reported...
WRANGELL —Wrangell’s power infrastructure may be on the blink if left as it is, according to an electric system study presented in June. Conducted by Juneau-area consultancy Electric Power Systems, the study identified a number of infrastructural needs Wrangell will need to focus on over the coming five years. The two largest problems it identified were the state of Wrangell’s utility poles and its backup power generation capabilities. Most of the borough’s utility poles have reached or surpassed their life expectancy. Fifty percent are mor...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) —Alaska is facing multibillion-dollar deficits amid chronically low oil prices and relying on savings to help balance the budget. That's not sustainable, and is leaving first-term Gov. Bill Walker with some tough choices as he drafts the next budget. One of those decisions could reduce the amount of the yearly check nearly every Alaskan receives just for living in the state. The dividend, long seen as political dynamite to anyone who tries to tinker with it, could be affected as state leaders look for ways to close the g...
In a media release last month, the United States Forest Service Alaska Region announced it is proposing a system-wide cabin rental fee adjustments for the Chugach and Tongass national forests. The two forests are managed by 13 ranger districts, which together maintain 184 cabins year-round for public use. For visitors and residents alike, public cabins become the hub for a variety of recreational trips, from nature walks, family gatherings, hunting and sport fishing to subsistence use. Cabins are most regularly booked during the summer and...
The Clausen Museum Board hired Petersburg local Kathi Riemer as the new Museum Director this month. Riemer, retired administrator from the Juneau School District, said she plans to bring her skills from that position to the museum. "I have a lot of experience with the administrative part and the people," Riemer said. "I'm from here and I know a lot of the history. My kids are fourth generation graduates of Petersburg High School." Riemer spent the past several days moving into her new office,...
In the early-2000s, the Alaska National Guard (ANG) relied upon a rural presence. Guardsmen of that rural force were deployed to Iraq in 2005 and 2006, which was the first time ANG members were deployed to a combat zone since WWII, according to Guardsman Matthew Duddles. The ANG rural presence sharply declined after the deployments ended, and the decline continues to this day with the 761st Military Police Battalion of the Guard in Southeast scheduled to be deactivated by the end of 2017.... Full story
Tom Lewis recently celebrated his 94th birthday, it was a Monday, and the fact that it was his birthday didn't change his Monday routine. Every Monday morning, he takes a cake or pie up to the residents at Long Term Care. He refers to the residents as "inmates." The term isn't meant to be offensive, quite the opposite, it's just because he is so active and full of life. Lewis lives on his own, cooks for himself, and still has a driver's license and drives himself around town or out the road to p... Full story
The Petersburg School Board delayed a vote on its new memorial policy so board members can receive more feedback from the public. The policy would, in part, limit the display of student memorials to a two-week period. The memorial policy has sparked a variety of reactions from community members, some of whom expressing frustration because previous Petersburg High School student Jake Madsen’s memorial would be taken down should the School Board approve the policy. Madsen passed away after a hunting accident in 2008 and his friends and basketball... Full story
PSD Superintendent Erika Kludt Painter discussed the Alaska Measures of Progress (AMP) scores—a new state adopted standardized test that students completed for the first time last spring. Kludt Painter said the tests are totally different than what students are used to and they’ve been expecting scores to reflect that. The AMP standards are higher than previous tests and measures English language arts and mathematics for grades 3-10. “It came in pretty much what we thought which is they don’t look the same as they used to,” Kludt Painter s...
WRANGELL — The Alaska Marine Highway System has been taking public comment for its ferry schedule for the coming summer. From Bellingham, Wash., to Skagway, concerned user groups of the regional transportation network participated in a teleconference, hosted in Ketchikan Nov. 4. A draft schedule has been available for review, and patterns in the draft have been based on an assumed funding level for the 2017 fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2016. Reductions in service to some communities over the previous year’s schedule reflect $25 mil...
Alaska singer songwriter Kray Van Kirk will perform live in Petersburg Friday, November 13 at the Holy Cross House. Kirk plays songs that contain mythic components containing old stories from the British Isles. "A lot of my songs have some mythic components but that basically means I tell a lot of stories in my songs," Kirk said. "Some are just typical tear jerkers about the one that got away." Much of his music is inspired from growing up reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy and other fantasy...
Last year, when Kyla Willis went to Chile, the only Spanish she knew was how to ask where the bathroom was and how to order two beers. A lot has changed since last August. Willis can now speak Chilean Spanish fluently, and she has a new appreciation for international travel and the local Rotary Youth Exchange program. However, the start to her journey was a little rocky, with a steep learning curve, because of the three families she stayed with during her stay, only one family member knew how to...
Last Friday was the last day at work for Brittany Zenge, the latest director of the Clausen Museum. It's been just over a year since Zenge moved to town after graduating from Monmouth College in her home state of Illinois. Zenge got the job after searching online and applying for jobs in every place and state possible. "I didn't really have a set goal, I just knew that I wanted to try a place other than Illinois," she says. "Petersburg was the first museum to get back to me." After going...
Last month, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) agreed to withdraw their plans to harvest over 28 million board feet from designated sites on Mitkof Island by use of helicopters. The proposed logging sites, located south of Petersburg, were stretched out among just over 4,100 acres. The withdrawal comes after five environmental groups brought a lawsuit against the USFS to block the sale. Greenpeace, Alaska Wildlife Alliance and Greater Southeast Alaska Conservation Community (GSACC) were among the environmentalist groups responsible for the...
The North End Ferry Authority Board of Directors announced its local three-stop ferry service will resume tomorrow, after its lander underwent engine repairs in Wrangell. The Rainforest Islander departed on Nov. 5, after repairs to an engine and its port-side transmission were completed. Based in Coffman Cove, the ferry service was planned to be a low-cost service connecting communities on Wrangell, Mitkof and Prince of Wales islands. The ferry will begin operating at its reduced winter schedule, traveling Fridays and Sundays only. On both...
PETERSBURG (AP) — King salmon eggs are once again growing near Petersburg in a state-owned hatchery restored after a March 2014 fire. The Crystal Lake Hatchery is operated by the Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association and has been rebuilt to incorporate new technology, KFSK-FM reported. “Even the cost of running things, everything is so much more efficient now,” said manager Loren Thompson. The fire destroyed over a million King salmon eggs as well as outdated, 30-year-old machinery. It's suspected that an old wall heater ignit...
The Sons of Norway Hall has given Jill Williams plenty of good times and fond memories during her lifetime. And now, artifacts recently found in the local landmark have her sifting through old newspaper articles in an attempt to learn more about individuals that called Petersburg home during the early-1900s. Three carpenters remodeling the upstairs of the community hall started finding the artifacts in May, and immediately called Williams. "I think the first thing they found was the board, with... Full story
Petersburg’s Local Marijuana Regulations Advisory Committee will meet in the coming months after the state released its regulations regarding the marijuana industry. The local committee met twice since Alaska voters chose to legalize the consumption and sale of marijuana almost a year ago. Committee Chair Jeigh Stanton Gregor said the committee decided to adopt a “wait and see” policy. The state regulations address topics such as licensing fees, retail store, cultivation and manufacturing requirements among others. The state’s marijua... Full story
Patty Biggers moved to Petersburg in 1989, and went right to work at the Children's Center. For 12 years, she worked as a cook, a teacher and office helper, basically filling whatever need the Children's Center had. The best part of the job was playing with kids, but it was no cake walk, she says. Biggers left that job after finding out that Petersburg Medical Center's (PMC) Long Term Care facility had a position called, activities coordinator, and she immediately started hounding PMC to get the... Full story
Ongoing vandalism in the ball field is forcing Petersburg Parks and Rec Director Donnie Hayes to consider erecting a locked gate to block vehicle access to the area after hours. Hayes said it appears a vehicle caused roughly $900 worth of damage last Saturday night or Sunday after spinning donuts, losing control and running into the ball field fence. “It’s mangled,” Hayes said. “We’re finally at that point where we are all looking at gating off that parking lot because of the damage that cont... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously to give Aaron and Katrina Miller nine months to remove their stored fishing gear and other items from their residential lot at 107 Arness Heights Drive. The decision came after the Borough Assembly voted last week to affirm an appealed Planning and Zoning nuisance order issued against the Millers for storing gear on their lot, which violates the borough’s zoning regulations. According to borough zoning regulations, storing commercial gear on a residential lot is considered “accessory use...
The summer results are in for taxable income received by the Borough from charter boat services, retail stores, hotels and bed and breakfasts. The bed tax figures continued to increase for the third straight year growing over $8,000 from 2013 to 2015, and just over $3,000 from 2014 to 2015. This year brought in $43,884 from visitors staying in Petersburg establishments from May to the end of October. The increase in 2015 comes despite what some considered a disastrous start to the season due to ferry schedule conflicts and cancelations. The...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved at its Nov. 2 meeting a resolution that urges the state of Alaska to amend the Mariculture Revolving Loan Fund to allow non-profit shellfish hatcheries to apply for loans with the state. The state’s revolving loan fund provides long term loans for Alaska owned mariculture operations. According to the resolution, the Petersburg Borough Assembly “believes that it is in the best interest of the State of Alaska and the mariculture industry that non-profit shellfish hatcheries be eligible to utilize the fun...
The Alaska State Historical Society awarded the Petersburg Public Library and the Petersburg Pilot certificates of excellence last month for its archival and digitization of Petersburg’s historical newspapers. Petersburg Public Library Director Tara Alcock said the certificate of excellence came as a surprise, and the library finished up the process in 2013 after a contractor scanned newspaper microfilm and converted the files into PDFs. “It’s exciting to see how many people use it,” Alcock said. “We’re dealing with someone in Norway usin...
Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc., (NSRAA) will hold its Fall Board of Directors meeting at 9 am on Nov. 12 – 13 in the NSRAA conference room at 1308 Sawmill Creek Rd., Sitka. Meetings are open to the public. Copies of the agenda will be available in the NSRAA office....
