Sorted by date Results 4223 - 4247 of 5553
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has proposed removing the majority of humpback whale populations from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing. The announcement came Monday when NOAA officials stated protection and restoration efforts over the past 40 years have led to an increase in numbers and growth rates for the mammals in many areas. The animal was first listed as endangered in 1970. "I'm extremely excited about it," said Fred Sharpe, a scientist for the Alaska...
Comments are still being accepted for the proposed Southeast State Forest Management Plan that has raised some concerns among Petersburg residents. The plan applies to lands designated by the Legislature in 2010 and 2011 as the Southeast State Forest, which has the primary purpose of timber management. It’s meant to guide long term management of the lands and identify policies to be followed. The plan includes a total of 4,467 acres in the Petersburg Management Area: 664 in the Rowan Bay Unit on Kuiu Island, 890 in the Frederick Point Unit, 1...
Runners and walkers are expected to fill the street this Saturday at the Beat the Odds’ Circle of Life Cabin Creek 5k Run/Walk. The race begins at 9 a.m. at Sandy Beach Park, with warm ups and late registration preceding. The annual run/walk is one of two such events held each year in Petersburg to raise funds for Beat the Odds, now in its 15th year. Last year the organization raised $26,050, which has been allocated in a variety of ways to support cancer patients and their families. The bulk of the funds have been allocated to organizations t...
This year’s baseball team at Petersburg High School has nearly doubled in size from last year. Head Coach Jim Engell took just nine players to the regional tournament last year, the exact amount needed for a complete team. He said this year’s larger roster will bring more opportunities for the team to develop a relief pitching staff, among other things. Engell said this year’s team includes players with different levels of experience with the sport. Returning juniors and seniors include Ethan Bryner, Kjell Wittstock, Chauncey Sandhofer and l...
Mayor Mark Jensen and Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht announced at Monday’s Assembly meeting that Petersburg Public Schools will be granted Secure Rural Schools funding for this academic year and next. The two-year funding extension was included as a provision in the US House’s Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, which was signed by President Barack Obama late last week. “They put in the bill we will get within 45 days so we will actually get it prior to this year end and that will go into the fund that the Borough has set a...
The Petersburg Trident plant is working to double production this summer with new processing equipment and upgrades. Southeast Manager John Webby said the processing plant building is being gutted to put in new floor joists and processing equipment. He said they’re looking to streamline production and cut back on labor to “make it (the plant) more efficient.” “We’re also making it so we can expand in the future if the need arises,” he said. Right now there’s no expansion going on and the number of employees will remain the same. “It’s not a h...
Petersburg High School band and choir students got the chance to hang out with and learn from musical peers around the region this weekend after heading up to the Southeast Alaska High School Music Festival in Juneau. Junior Hannah Pfundt said they want to do well in front of people they know. She added that it’s good to get that feedback. “It’s exciting because you’ve been working on stuff pretty much all year,” she said. Petersburg’s 58 students returned with mostly superior ratings, music director Matt Lenhard said. Judges listen to t...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Efforts to reach an agreement on a state spending plan continued Monday as the Legislature went into overtime. But even after a budget is finalized, legislators' work might not be done. Gov. Bill Walker has indicated he could call a special session if lawmakers don't address Medicaid expansion before adjourning. If a special session is convened, bills under consideration would be limited to those listed by Walker. Under the current extended session, all bills remain in play. Lawmakers failed to reach a budget deal b...
Marine boat anglers returning to ports where and when on-site ADF&G creel surveys are conducted will be prohibited from filleting, mutilating, and de-heading sport caught lingcod, nonpelagic rockfish, and king and coho salmon. Marine boat anglers returning to any port on the road system of the communities listed below, during the times designated, may not fillet, mutilate, or de-head these fish until the fish have been brought to shore and offloaded, unless the fish have been consumed or preserved on board: Petersburg from: 12:01 a.m. Monday,...
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — The clock is ticking down on an annual Alaska rite of spring. Cherrie Forness, manager of the Nenana Ice Classic, said Sunday ice over the frozen Tanana River at Nenana should shift soon, moving a tripod erected on the river and tripping a clock to determine who wins the jackpot in the annual guessing contest. “It could pretty much happen any time,” Forness said of river ice breakup. It's the 99th year of the Nenana Ice Classic, begun when railroad construction workers first bet when ice would move on the river and b...
SITKA, Alaska (AP) An Alaska woman suspected her family’s dog snatched her wedding ring, but she couldn’t find proof - until the diamond-encrusted platinum band turned up months later at a local ball field. Nikki Balovich lost her ring in January, when she was pregnant and often took it off her swollen finger. The Sitka woman suspected Halli was the culprit because the 90-pound mastiff puppy often carries household items in its mouth. She spent time searching for the band, including checking Halli’s poop outside. “I gave up, I thought it was lo...
Last week was National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, recognizing the work of the dispatchers behind the scenes. "They really are kind of the heart of the department," Petersburg Police Chief Kelly Swihart said. "We could not function without them." Dispatchers prepare emergency responders for the situations they're about to head into, and do what they can over the phone to keep callers calm. Sometimes they have to provide instructions like how to do CPR. Working with such sensitive...
The Petersburg Medical Center Board of Directors is looking for a new member after Steven Samuelson tendered his resignation via email last week. The board accepted that resignation during a special meeting Saturday morning before a board training session. Samuelson, who had served on the board since February 2014, was not at the meeting. Reading from his letter, President Tim Koeneman said Samuelson would be in Juneau for many months, unable to serve. His term would’ve expired in October. “We regret that we lost him but” the board has to mo...
Already facing funding challenges from this year’s legislative session, schools were hit with another potential blow when the Senate Finance Committee proposed a 4.1 percent base student allocation cut. It was done “literally under the cover of darkness” Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter said during a school board meeting Tuesday evening. The cut would result in an approximate loss of $235,000 for the Petersburg School District, Finance Director Karen Quitslund said. It’d add onto the $150,000 loss the district is already facing because... Full story
Borough Clerk Debbie Thompson said she will be certifying the most recent application for petition submitted by Angela Davis and Wes Davis, which includes a resolution to continue the blue bag recycling program. The application was submitted in response to the Assembly’s March 16 vote to move to the recycling collection in house and replace the blue bags with carts. The Davis’ submitted the application last Wednesday after a previous application was found to be insufficient due to unenforceability. The resolution included with the most rec... Full story
Last week’s article about the Petersburg Borough Assembly passing an amended resolution allowing for the Southeast Alaska Power Agency’s (SEAPA) bond refinancing and new bond sale incorrectly stated that all member utilities, including Wrangell and Ketchikan, will have to vote on the revised resolution for the bond sale to proceed. The Pilot regrets the error.... Full story
It’s winding down, but it’s not over yet. “A big upswing” in type B influenza cases has served as a reminder that “the flu never truly goes away,” Public Health Nurse Erin Michael said. During the week of April 6, there were three type B cases and one type A reported in Petersburg. It drove Michael to send Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tips to the school district for parents. It’s not just here in Petersburg, the upswing in type B cases has been a national trend, according to the CDC. Michael said Petersburg’s... Full story
The 2015 spring troll fishery got its early start this week. The fishery opened in select locations at 12:01 a.m. today, Thursday. Last year, the first spring troll fishery opened on May 1. Frederick Sound, Ernest Sound, the Neets Bay Terminal Harvest Area and the Hidden Falls Terminal Harvest Area opened and will remain so through April 30, according to an Alaska Department of Fish and Game press release. “Frederick Sound has always been a good area,” Sitka Troll Fishery Biologist Pattie Skannes said during a public meeting in Petersburg las...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly sat as the Board of Equalization (BOE) for 2015 property assessment appeals on April 6. There were 66 appeals this year, most of which were settled privately with the Borough’s assessors Mike Renfro and Arne Erickson from the Appraisal Company of Alaska out of Anchorage. Renfro said the appeals process was straightforward this year. “Most of the appeals were people that had legitimate issues and we addressed all of those concerns,” said Renfro. Five appeals went before the BOE for consideration. The BOE denie...
A statewide fundraiser, Pick.Click.Give. saw a 25 percent increase in donors and a 20 percent increase in dollars raised this year, benefitting six of Petersburg’s own organizations. Pick.Click.Give. gives Alaskan residents the chance to make a donation to an organization of their choice when they file their Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) online. The $3.3 million pledged statewide this year was a record amount for the seven year program, according to Interim Program Manager Kathy Day. The Petersburg Humane Association (PHA) was one that b...
The Petersburg Police Department is investigating a string of burglaries—the latest reported just a week ago. Beach Bum Tanning reported a break-in to the police department at 10 a.m. on April 9. Chief Kelly Swihart said the burglar took products and cash. The Beach Bum burglary, along with about five others that have occurred since January, are still being actively investigated, he said. “There’s not a lot of property crime here, but we do go through spurts,” Swihart added. He noted that the Piston and Rudder ship store has been burglar...
Next week is National Infant Immunization Week, and the Petersburg Public Health Center will be waiving administrative fees for those who stop in. “It’s just kind of a reminder to people how important it is to get infants vaccinated,” Public Health Nurse Erin Michael said. Held each year, the week highlights the need to protect infants from vaccine-preventable diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though those of all ages are welcome to get vaccinated in Petersburg. Michael said it’s a great week for those w...
Petersburg High School senior Shalie Dahl will swap her Vikings jersey for a Gators uniform as she takes to the basketball court this fall for Green River College in Auburn, Wash. "I've always wanted to play college basketball. It's always been my dream since elementary school," Dah said. That's when she first took to the court through the local parks and rec program. She continued to develop as a player in the middle school program, and she started playing club basketball during those years as...
Six Petersburg High School students travelled to Wrangell to participate in Artfest last week, and three students earned "Best of Workshop" awards. Julia Murph took home the honor for jewelry making, Tayla Wilson for copper etching and David Galaktionoff for spoon carving. Sydney Guthrie earned an honorable mention for her pottery work and Murph earned the same title for leather mask making. Joec Randoph and Gus Petersen also attended. Over the four-day event, a combination of visiting and...
The Petersburg High School Track and Field team is in full swing practicing for their season that starts May 1. Head Coach Brad Taylor said this year’s team is comprised of about 40 runners, jumpers and throwers. A group of about 25 traveled to Ketchikan last weekend for a scrimmage, giving Taylor a chance to assess his team before the regular season begins. Taylor said several from the team set personal records and the boys team finished first in every event except for three. “They just did really well…I can’t believe we’re actually further a...
