Sorted by date Results 4148 - 4172 of 5553
With less than an inch of rain, May of 2015 is officially the driest on record. Meteorologist Richard Lam, with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Juneau, said Petersburg only recorded 0.26 inches of rain last month. The former record was set in 1996, when there was 1.15 inches of precipitation, according to NWS data. This May set a second record in the longest stretch of consecutive days without measurable precipitation at 22, Lam added, beating the 20 day record set in 1958. The reason was a broad high pressure system that kept storm... Full story
At least a portion of the Hungry Point Trail extension will be elevated boardwalk, similar to that of Blind River Rapids Trailhead. The Petersburg Indian Association board decided on June 1 to construct the boardwalk trail from 14th Street up to the ball field section of the trail. The decision was a combination of economics, zoning and environmental regulation concerns, Transportation Director Susan Harai said. The Petersburg Planning and Zoning Commission will likely discuss the lower route at its August meeting. It’s in an unplatted s...
Locals Al and Sally Dwyer not only got to meet the king of Norway, but invited him to come check out Petersburg. The couple met King Harald V on May 27 during an Alaska World Affairs Council luncheon. They, and others, also joined him for an evening event. Al was the first to receive an email from the Anchorage Sons of Norway lodge about the opportunity, and then Sally as the cultural director for the district. They had to get credentials and Sally was selected to join just a handful of people...
The Summer Reading Challenge and its companion, the Read to Me Challenge, are underway at the Petersburg Public Library. The goal is for each child to read 120 minutes per week, even if they're traveling, Librarian Director Tara Alcock said. "I think it's a great way to just keep kids reading over the summer," said Jennifer Dickson, who has both of her children participating. She's always encouraged her kids to read, reading to them when they were younger, and said they usually enjoy it. But...
The Petersburg Aquatic Center is back up and running after an electrical fire knocked out its two boilers. Parks and Recreation Director Donn Hayes said a fire in the boilers' wiring on May 27 left them inoperable, forcing closure of the pool. It reopened on Wednesday as one boiler is again running and water temperatures have risen to mandated levels. Hayes said a technician from the manufacturers of the boilers came in to examine both. He was able to rebuild one and get it back online. "It's...
WRANGELL - The next steps have been taken on an agreement between the University of Alaska Southeast and Wrangell Public School District, with the establishment of an office for the university's technical preparation program. The tech prep program is offered for college credit through the university, and courses are taught by approved instructors using UAS syllabi. Enrolled students earn high school credits needed for graduation as well, and school superintendent Patrick Mayer explained the...
WRANGELL — A skull found by a hunter near the Stikine River almost three years ago has yet to be interred. Wrangell resident Vena Stough discovered the skull while at Government Slough on Oct. 5, 2012, and brought it to the local police department. From there it made its way to United States Forest Service offices in Petersburg for further analysis. “What we try to do is figure out if it’s Native American ancestry,” explained Jane Smith, an archaeologist for the USFS for 23 years. The repatriation process is governed by the Native America...
JUNEAU (AP) — A Ketchikan lawmaker faces possible fines of about $6,000 for campaign violations, including not properly reporting some contributions and spending. The Alaska Public Offices Commission says Rep. Dan Ortiz also received a prohibited contribution in the form of a bed-and-breakfast stay and didn't report who paid for several campaign fliers. Commission staff noted Ortiz's cooperation and status as a first-time legislative candidate in recommending fines lower than the maximum possible. The commission was scheduled to hear the m...
JUNEAU (AP) — The longest-serving Republican in the U.S. House has remarried, tying the knot on his 82nd birthday. U.S. Rep. Don Young's office says the Alaska Republican married 76-year-old Anne Garland Walton during a private ceremony in the chapel of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. The House chaplain officiated. Both Young and Walton are widowed; Young's wife, Lu, died in 2009. Last August, he introduced Walton as his fiancee, to applause, during an Anchorage church event. Young was elected to a 22nd term last fall. In a statement, Young s...
The Petersburg Medical Center (PMC) is upgrading to a digital mammography unit, meaning better service, but a higher cost for patients. During a special meeting Thursday, June 4, Laboratory and Imaging Director Liz Bacom said they received an opportunity to purchase the machine shortly after the Board of Directors approved a software and hardware upgrade that would help PMC convert film images into digital ones. A sales representative from Philips contacted Bacom about a unit in Sitka two weeks after the board approved that $14,000 upgrade to...
You're free to make your own choices now; don't be afraid to head out into the open ocean. That was the advice 2015 Petersburg High School Valedictorian Kyle Hagerman gave his peers during his graduation speech Wednesday evening at the high school gym. Thirty-two seniors graduated this year, "a group honestly, of both boys and girls, that got things done and did them at a high, high level," Principal Rick Dormer said. Dormer shared a story about surviving a flood during his college years at... Full story
As of Tuesday, the Alaska Legislature meeting in a special session in Anchorage had still not passed a budget for the new fiscal year, which begins July 1. On Sunday, the Senate Finance Committee rejected a compromise budget passed by the House the previous day, which included some small concessions to the minority such as reversing cuts to the ferry system and per-student funding. A conference committee between the two chambers was being organized to negotiate an amended budget. However, any deal that would tap into Congressional Budget... Full story
Stedman Elementary School will be welcoming three new teachers into its ranks this fall. Principal Teri Toland announced last month that the school had selected new hires from a large, experienced candidate pool. She said the number of applicants was unprecedented and may in part be due to Alaskan layoffs. Education is facing big cuts with state proposed budgets. "As we went through the process, it became very clear there was a key group," Toland said. Coming in to teach fourth grade is Heather...
A new exhibit at the Clausen Museum puts the natural world of Mitkof Island at visitors' fingertips. Dubbed the Discovery Center, a large wooden cabinet-designed and crafted by Ty Cummins-houses displays of different local ecosystems and animals. Local painter and artist Doris Olsen filled those displays with a mix of items handcrafted from paper, clay and resin, and items foraged locally. Museum Director Brittany Zenge said the forest cabinet includes porcupine and wolf skulls as well as bird...
State Department of Environmental Conservation results are in, and there don’t appear to be any issues with water quality after an accidental spill of waste at the borough’s landfill in late March. The borough’s Wastewater Utility transports and buries piles of solid waste at the landfill about once a week. While digging a hole with an excavator, Public Works Director Karl Hagerman said, sludge sitting to the side to be buried slid down a hill to a stream that runs to the Sandy Beach Park area. Mike Solter with DEC’s Division of Water said th...
The New Old Time Chautauqua (NOTC) group will be parading into Petersburg later this month. The 55 person group includes members from ages one to 74 who volunteer their talents as performers, musicians and educators to bring entertainment to rural communities. Locally, the Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) and Petersburg Parks and Recreation have been helping coordinate the group's three-day visit, June 28-30. The opening event is a collaborative potlatch and potluck put on by PIA and NOTC on...
Little ones will get the chance to see what track and field athletes do firsthand this weekend with the Petersburg High School team holding its first-ever Track Camp. “I don’t think kids understand what track and field involves” as meets are elsewhere, Coach Amanda Thomas said. “This will give the elementary kids an idea for what track is.” She added that the Track Camp, for elementary-aged children, is also a fundraiser for the PHS track and field team. Camp will be held Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the track field behind St...
A short-lived farm property tax exemption proposal died during an assembly meeting Monday afternoon. Assembly member Jeigh Stanton Gregor had been contacted by residents on the possibility of the exemption earlier this year and asked in January if he could work with staff to develop an ordinance for future consideration. On Monday he said he liked “the idea of promoting agriculture in Southeast” because it’s challenging, but added that he could no longer support the ordinance knowing the exemption would also apply to marijuana grow opera...
The Petersburg Medical Center Board of Directors is taking a closer look at future needs for the community’s hospital. The board approved a facility condition survey in the amount of $26,575 during its regular meeting on May 28. PMC CEO Liz Woodyard said Joann Lott from the Jensen Yorba Lott architectural firm came to look at long term care a few months ago, and that an assessment of the hospital’s condition was brought up at a following board meeting. That got put on hold, but during strategic planning, there was discussion about forming a c...
At a special meeting on May 15, the board of the Southeast Alaska Power Agency (SEAPA) approved the purchase of 348 helicopter landing pad panels from Fibergrate Composite Structures of Dallas, Texas, for $135,360. The 4-by-12 foot molded fiberglass grating panels are part of the Swan-Tyee Intertie Helipad Project, which will see the construction of 105 landing pads along the transmission lines' 261 towers. At its March 25 board meeting, SEAPA anticipated 40 to 50 pads can be set up this year, with the rest slated for next year. The pads will...
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht gave the following report at Monday’s Assembly meeting: -On May 12, the Harbor Department had their annual surprise visit from the US Coast Guard Homeland Security unit to review the Borough’s Harbor Homeland Security Plan. They passed with no deficiencies. On May 26, Eddy Tagaban and Officer Jim Kerr attended the annual meeting in Wrangell with the Captain of the Port to discuss homeland security and other Coast Guard issues. -Public Works waited until after Memorial Day to begin work on the Columbarium foundat...
Following in his older brother Joe's footsteps, Petersburg High School graduate Ben Zarlengo has accepted an appointment into the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Academy Scholars Program. Joe, dressed in his uniform, presented Ben with that appointment, along with a scholarship totaling more than $400,000, at graduation on Wednesday. "I couldn't be prouder," their dad, Dan, said. Like his brother, Ben will first be going to a military prep college in Alabama for a year. Then, if he meets all the require...
He was alone on his boat, and it was a bit of a battle. Scott Stafford, of Petersburg, caught his Salmon Derby winning 50.9 pound fish on Saturday. Fishing from his 22-foot-long Alice Marie, just outside of the North Arm with fishermen from a dozen vessels watching nearby, Stafford said it took about 30 to 40 minutes to reel in the fish. The fisherman brought the king salmon up to his boat about seven times. It went under the boat, around the boat. Finally he got it to where the head was... Full story
The possibility of a borough-run marijuana store was once again broached during the Local Marijuana Regulation Advisory Committee’s second meeting as a whole group Wednesday evening. Dr. James Baker, a retired chiropractic physician with medical marijuana grow operations in Washington, presented a plan to the seven members in attendance at assembly chambers. “Think bold, not old,” he said. “There’s a lot of stigmas and misconceptions about marijuana.” Petersburg is looking at about $1 million in state budget cuts. Baker said a borough owned mar... Full story
Petersburg has moved from its wettest April on record to what’s looking to be its driest May. Despite rain Wednesday and more precipitation forecasted for today (Thursday), this May is “definitely still looking like it’ll be the driest,” said meteorologist Geri Swanson with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Juneau. Petersburg still had less than 0.3 inches of rain Wednesday afternoon, and was expecting less than a 10th of an inch with the day and Thursday’s forecast — the area’s “best chances” for rain before moving back into a high pressur...
