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After a dry summer season, Crystal Lake’s water levels are 11 feet below the crest of the dam, according to utility director Karl Hagerman. “We’re having a very, very, very dry summer,” said Hagerman. Since the water level is so low, the hydro dam is unable to produce as much power, said Hagerman. Ordinarily, the borough purchases 75 percent of its electricity from the Southeast Alaska Power Agency. The remaining 25 percent is produced by the hydro dam and diesel generators. The average electricity produced by the borough in the month of July...
On Friday, August 10 two U.S. Senators and two U.S. Coast Guard Admirals visited Petersburg to tour the local ships and to talk about the importance of the U.S. Coast Guard missions in Alaska. Mayor Mark Jensen talked with the delegation that included Senators Inslee (Wyoming) and Murkowski (Alaska), Rear Admiral Bell (17th U.S. Coast Guard District) and U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Kevin Schultz. The group gathered on the airport tarmac before Jensen accompanied them on a tour of both...
The U.S. Forest Service is rebuilding the Mitchell Creek Fish Pass on Kupreanof Island, which was originally built in 1992, to ensure that the self-sustaining coho salmon population continues. "This fish pass is the only one of nine on the Petersburg Ranger District to have been built specifically to increase local sport fishing opportunities," said Paul Robbins Jr., public affairs and partnerships officer with the United States Forest Service. Demolition of the previous fish pass began in early...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska authorities say two men skied to a remote bear den on an island, pulled out their weapons and shot a mother bear in front of her two newborns. They say one of the men then turned his weapon and killed “the shrieking newborn bear cubs.” Alaska State Troopers say the men didn’t know it but the bears were part of an observation program. The area outside the den had a motion-activated camera equipped with sound, and the slaughter was caught on camera. Authorities announced Wednesday that Andrew Renner and Owen Re...
WRANGELL - Rick Groshong has been a part of the Wrangell Police Department for 22 years, according to his resume, having joined the force in 1996. As senior patrol officer, Groshong has been responsible for training new officers, responding to calls, collaborating with other law enforcement and government agencies, and finding procedures to deter illegal drug use. His time in Wrangell is coming to an end, however, as he has accepted a new position as the director of public safety and chief of...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Supreme Court has ruled that some sex offenders convicted outside the state are not required to register in Alaska. The court ruled Friday that a strict reading of the 1994 Alaska Sex Offender Registration Act gives the state Department of Public Safety no leeway when deciding if out-of-state sex crimes match offenses under Alaska law, the Juneau Empire reported . The public safety department would determine if the names of registered sex offenders who moved to Alaska would be entered into its sex offender d...
Last weekend was the annual Rally For Cancer Care golf tournament, organized by the Wrangell Medical Center Foundation. The tournament on Saturday was less of a serious competition and more for fun and socializing. Several holes on the 9-hole course had a different, fun challenge to compete in. Hole No. 2, for example, required golfers to play the entire hole with just their driver. Hole No. 5 required players to tee off with their foot in a bucket. Along with these challenges were...
With a total estimated cost of approximately $3.5 million, the Petersburg School Board approved its project priority list for the 2020 through 2025 fiscal years on Tuesday. The Department of Education requires school districts to submit a 6-year capital improvement plan before Sept. 1 of each year for statewide ranking for the distribution of possible funding. For the duration of the six fiscal years, beginning in 2020, the school board has laid out its priority projects with each year taking on a different project. Four projects will focus on...
The Petersburg Marine Mammal Center is hosting a summer science camp this week to expose middle school aged kids to the scientific jobs available in the community. "We're excited," said Sunny Rice, Petersburg Marine Mammal Center board member and marine advisory agent with the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences/Alaska Sea Grant. "It'll be fun. It's always lots fun. Lots of energy. It's good to expose them to things they might want to do later on in life." Although, the summer camp is...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered that portions of an initiative aimed at protecting salmon be stricken as unconstitutional but decided that the rest of the measure can advance to the fall ballot. In a written order, the court said the problematic parts would bar the state Fish and Game commissioner from granting a permit to a project that would cause “substantial damage” or have other impacts even if it is the judgment of the commissioner or Legislature that a project’s public benefit would outweigh its eff...
The Petersburg School Board on Tuesday approved seven changes to its policy and one change to its bylaws, which changes future board meeting times. “If we’re going to have a focus on kids and have kids at our board meetings to do presentations, I know that sometimes our board meetings can get a little late in the evening during the school year,” said school board president Mara Lutomski at a board meeting in June. “I also would prefer to be done a little bit earlier.” Board Bylaw 9320 will now have board meetings beginning at 6 P.M. on the seco...
WRANGELL - The Wrangell Cooperative Association recently received a $50,000 grant from SEARHC. According to WCA Tribal Administrator Esther Ashton, several other communities with First Nations entities also received similar grants. The "Healthy is Here" grant is meant to help promote public health within their community. "The way that it was defined was really left up to the tribal board to determine how they wanted to promote health and culture within our community," Ashton said. "So the board...
Ocean Beauty Seafoods has announced that they'll be closing their facility in Petersburg to focus on their Excursion Inlet facility. "They have been removing equipment out of the building for a few years, the can lines, the ice machine, so it's been coming." said Mayor Mark Jensen at the assembly meeting on Monday. Ocean Beauty Seafoods made the decision to close the facility after reviewing their options, according to their release. Since the facility was primarily a cannery and had limited...
The Stellar Sea Lion population at the WN buoy and the Red Can at Hungry Point has diminished after a pod of approximately 8-10 Orca whales hunted and killed as many as 7-10 sea lions on Friday morning, July 27. Groups of sea lions traditionally sit atop both buoys throughout much of the year and their barks and growls can often be heard along the beach shoreline. Katie Eddy was an eyewitness to the event, which started around 5:30 a.m. According to Eddy, the Orcas swam in circles around the buo...
The ongoing wildfire near Telegraph Creek, a small town on the Stikine River, has not yet been contained. According to Jody Lucius with the British Columbia Wildfire Service, the fire is a very powerful force of nature that will take time to put out. "We're focusing on minimizing further impact," she said. "It's going to take a significant amount of time to put out." The Telegraph Creek Fire is burning in the general direction of another wildfire occurring south of the Stikine River. Lucius...
Since the middle of June, the borough's trash baler has been up and running after weeks of repairs shut it down. The baler first stopped operating after the conveyor broke down in April, said public works director Chris Cotta. After about a week, the baler was operating again, but immediately afterwards the processor unit failed. Another five weeks was needed to address the processing unit, said Cotta. "It has been working fine ever since," said Cotta. The baler consists of several components....
Petersburg’s commingled recycling processing fees are going up 50 percent after China closed their market to most American recyclables, said Public Works Director Chris Cotta. The current rate to process commingled recyclable waste is $32.45 per ton and will increase to $49.84 per ton, said Cotta. Petersburg’s commingled recycle program got most of its funding from the revenue the recyclables generate; however, the market rate has dropped from $136 per ton in March 2017 to $21 per ton in March 2018. The borough pays $126 per ton to dispose of...
To initiate a discussion about banning disposable plastic shopping bags in Petersburg, a sample ordinance was presented to the borough assembly on Monday. "They get into the garbage and the landfill and then into the water," said John Havrilek, who requested the discussion and sample ordinance be presented to the assembly. "We need to be responsible and step up and use something that can be reused again and also be better for carrying our groceries." In the sample ordinance, which is a draft...
Petersburg will hold its annual municipal election on Oct. 2 from 8 A.M. - 8 P.M. in the activity room of the community center. Residents will be voting on 20 public office seats up for reelection and one proposition. “We are getting some interest, but we have a lot more we need,” said Borough Clerk Debra Thompson in reference to the number of individuals who have filed for candidacy. The first day that residents could apply for candidacy was July 24, and the last day to file is Aug. 2. The last day to register to vote is Sept. 2. Voter reg...
The borough assembly voted in favor of nominating assembly member Jeff Meucci for the Southeast Conference board of directors on Monday. "Jeff has entered into his role of the assembly with such a vigor," said assembly member Eric Castro. "I can see [him] carrying that with [him] to the Southeast conference board." Meucci and Mayor Mark Jensen submitted letters of interest to the assembly, which had the option to nominate both Meucci and Jensen. A motion was made to only nominate Meucci. After...
WRANGELL - U.S. Representative Don Young stopped in Wrangell the weekend of June 28 for some meet-and-greets with the locals. Stopping at the Stikine Inn, Young went from table to table to chat with people, answering questions and getting to know the people he represents. These questions ranged from topics like the environment, to derelict boats, to the timber industry. One question came from Joane Sargent, who was concerned about what would happen to many Alaskan's healthcare, with the ongoing...
The Petersburg Indian Association's Tribal Transportation Program plans on building a board walk to allow residents of Mountain View Manor to connect to the trail system. "It's nice for people to get out," said Sue Harai, director of the TTP. The raised boardwalk will be 1345 feet long and six feet wide. It will connect 13th Street to the Hungry Point Trail. Funding for the project comes from a federal highway bill called the Fast Act. It sets aside money to provide safe and adequate...
WRANGELL - Early on Thursday morning, several members of the U.S. Forest Service left Wrangell with some guests for a trip to the Anan Wildlife Observatory. Present on the trip were Michael Saxton and Leslie Skora with the Katmai National Park. They were visiting Anan for an "information swap," they explained. They wanted to learn about some of the best practices in wildlife observation they could take from Anan, and also provide some tips to the Forest Service in the Wrangell district. Acting...
WRANGELL - The coho salmon derby kicks off this weekend, and runs every weekend until September . Anyone with a fishing rod is welcome to take part in the coho derby. According to Alicia Holder, with the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce, the city has done coho salmon fishing derbies in the past, but this is the first one in a long time. They were common in the 1970s, she said, but the last derby dedicated to coho salmon was sometime in the '80s. The common salmon to fish for in Wrangell in recent...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska collected more than $11 million in marijuana tax revenue during the state’s 2018 fiscal year, exceeding projections by nearly $2 million. The Alaska Department of Revenue released numbers Wednesday for the fiscal year that ended in June, indicating a continued rise in revenue collection, KTUU-TV reported . The state collected about $1.7 million during the previous fiscal year. “We absolutely are exceeding our predictions and additionally we are seeing a very steady increase in tax revenue collection each month...
