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Sgt. James Kerr is among the three finalists seeking the position of Chief of Police in Petersburg. Steve Giesbrecht told The Pilot five finalists were interviewed on Wednesday and the list was pared down to three people who will be invited to town for a meet and greet in June. Members of the Public Safety Advisory Board, the borough clerk and manager conducted the interviews via Skype. Kerr was interviewed in person. Kerr joined the department in June 2013 after serving nine years in Kingman, Arizona. Information on the two out-of-town...
WRANGELL — The Wrangell Ranger District is hosting a public meeting at the James & Elsie Nolan Center in Wrangell on May 31 from 7-8 pm in order to include community input into the development of a Long-Term, Sustainable Cabin Management Strategy in order to be responsive to developing trends and challenges, while ensuring the Forest continues to provide for a high-quality cabin experience through an array of opportunities. This effort was inspired by increasing maintenance costs, decreasing budgets and significant changes in usage trends. Pub...
The Borough Assembly approved rate increases for harbor users on Monday night in its first reading. Moorage rates will rise approximately 9% while other user fees will go up 12% according to a proposed ordinance enacting the increase. According to the Harbor Department’s explanation, staff determined that a number of the moorage and user fees require an increase of 12% or more. To accomplish the across-the-board increase goal, a 10% prepayment provision was eliminated in 2017, allowing for less of a moorage rate increase. Annual stall rates w...
Gov. Bill Walker stopped in Petersburg for a brief visit Friday, making the rounds for meetings and taking some time to participate in its Little Norway festivities. "It's perfect. I can't complain about a day like today," Walker commented, noting the afternoon's cloudless sunshine. He had attended Petersburg's distinctive festival before, but this year's trip was his first since being elected as governor four years ago. "I came down obviously to meet with various folks, but I was also in the...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) —Alaska’s funding for Medicaid is set to run out before the end of June, causing several hospitals and health care providers to go unpaid until July. The state Department of Health and Social Services will begin delaying some payments this week to large providers that don’t solely rely on Medicaid funding to stay in operation, KTOO Public Media in Juneau reported Wednesday. The department has typically paid Medicaid bills within a week. “We’re trying to do the least amount of harm possible to the smaller providers who are r...
WRANGELL - A group of Tlingit residents had a unique opportunity for an historical site visit with state archaeologists last week at Anan Creek, revisiting a traditional fishing ground. Now known best for its bear observatory, what draws those bears is the creek's yearly run of salmon. This salmon run at Anan has long been a source of food for the nearby population as well, as attested to by the remnants of a tidal fish trap still near the creek on Sealaska Corporation lands. The United States...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Northern sea otters, once hunted to the brink of extinction along Alaska’s Panhandle, have made a spectacular comeback by gobbling some of the state’s finest seafood — and fishermen are not happy about the competition. Sea otters dive for red sea urchins, geoduck clams, sea cucumbers — delicacies in Asia markets — plus prized Dungeness crab. They then carry their meals to the surface and float on their backs as they eat, sometimes using rocks to crack open clams and crab. The furry marine mammals, which grow as lar...
Employees of the Petersburg Municipal Employee’s Association complained of “bullying,” and a, “big lack of professionalism,” taking place at the negotiating table, according to comments made at Monday’s special assembly meeting on Monday. Joe Bertagnoli, who has led the PMEA negotiations in the past said, “It’s not pretty.” It’s like when we negotiated with former city manager Scott Hahn. When items are placed on the table, negotiator John Hoag says, “Hell no.” “We’re not asking for the moon,” Bertagnoli added. Blake Buotte continued by say...
An April tentative agreement for a three year contract between the Borough and the IBEW was rejected following a vote of the 10 employees, according to manager Steve Giesbrecht. IBEW represents the employees of Petersburg Municipal Power and Light Department. Both sides thought they had a deal, according to Giesbrecht, “but it didn’t happen that way.” “We’re going back to the table with them,” the manager explained. There is one issue with one employee. The framework of the contract was solid, said Giesbrecht. He did not know the break-out o...
The Petersburg Marine Mammal Center (PMMC) celebrated its 20th anniversary during a special event last Wednesday at the Petersburg Borough Chambers. Board members hosted an open house to share information about PMMC's education, outreach, and marine mammal stranding response programs. New members were recruited, and funds were raised through a silent auction and donations. Formed in 1998, PMMC was initially conceived as a resource for researchers studying the area's abundant marine mammals and...
The tax assessment certification story in last week’s paper indicated the mill rate as if it had been approved by the assembly. The mill rate is based on the budgeted property tax levy in the Proposed FY2019 Budget. The Assembly hasn’t approved the budget and should changes happen during the course of the three readings, the property tax levy could also change. This would then change the mill rate. The mill rate will be approved by resolution after the Borough budget has been approved....
The borough assembly discussed how and when they would refine and implement public comments about how the Borough could reduce expenses and increase revenues to address budget issues facing the community. The discussions took place at a special meeting on Mon., May 14. Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht prepared a 16-page summary of the ideas and comments for review by the Assembly. Three public meetings were held in January to gather comments. Emails were also accepted. Despite Assembly member Meucci’s suggestion that the body deal with the t...
Charter boat captains and local agency personnel met Thursday with David Levin, a National Weather Service forecaster from the Juneau office, to share information about which NWS products they use and how they use them. Participants provided suggestions for new tools or how the existing ones can be improved. The graphical forecasts are a popular source for marine weather, although users identified challenges finding them on the existing webpage. Station observations are also highly used. While some agency personnel have strict go/no-go limits...
Richard Peterson, Central Council Tlingit and Haida President gave an analogy Monday night that all Alaska Natives should be in the same canoe, and if they aren't, they are working against one another. Since Petersburg Indian Association made the final drop from the compact of Tlingit and Haida three years ago and became a self-determining tribal government, their relationship with T&H has been bumpy. The dinner along with a meeting earlier in the day with the PIA Board was one of the steps in s...
Anchorage, AK – Rasmuson Foundation has named 35 artists in 12 Alaska communities as Individual Artist Award recipients for 2018. This is Rasmuson Foundation’s 15th year of supporting working artists with direct grants. Ten individuals will receive $18,000 Fellowships and 25 artists will receive Project Awards of $7,500. Recipients were selected from a pool of almost 400 applicants. The artists represent all career stages. Their work spans cultures and disciplines, sustaining and expanding on traditional art forms and employing new tec...
By a 4-3 vote the Borough Assembly upheld Mayor Jensen’s appointment of Joel Randrup to the Ports and Harbor Advisory Board. He will serve until the October 2018 borough election. Randrup is a commercial fisherman. Two former harbor employees and two commercial boat owners applied for the position. Jim Stromdahl and Jacob Slaven are former employees of the harbor department and Eric Grundberg owns both a commercial and sport boat. Randrup fills the seat occupied by Mike Bangs who passed away in February of this year....
WRANGELL — A series of meetings between Southeast Alaska Rural Health Consortium and the City and Borough of Wrangell are planned for early next week. The regional health group is entertaining making an offer to assume control of Wrangell Medical Center, a municipally-run critical access hospital which has in recent years fallen into financial difficulties. Starting Sunday afternoon and lasting through Tuesday, SEARHC will hold a series of meetings with city staff, hospital transition steering committee members and the wider community, in o...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — For the Alaska Legislature this was the session of compromise. The tone was notable after three years of bitter fights, drawn-out special sessions and gridlock over how to address the state’s budget deficit. Legislators, who’ve gotten an earful from frustrated Alaskans, decided to trust one another and work together “in order for us to get out of here in an orderly manner,” House Speaker Bryce Edgmon said. Political differences in the House factored in, too. “A lot of the tone has been, `Where can the House get 21 vote...
WRANGELL - Designating this May as Older Americans Month in Alaska, Gov. Bill Walker recognized Wrangell's oldest resident along with other centenarians across the state. In a special luncheon at the Wrangell Senior Center, Lawrence Bahovec was presented with a personalized commendation as a distinguished citizen. At 101 years old, Bahovec is one of 83 Alaskans who have reached the milestone, and was among the 21 other residents of the state so honored with this month's commendations....
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska lawmakers ended the extended legislative session early Sunday after passing state spending plans and a flurry of other bills in the waning hours. Despite running long, the session lacked the drama of the past several years, which were marked by drawn-out special sessions and bitter fights over the budget and taxes. House Speaker Bryce Edgmon said legislators in both chambers decided they would have to trust one another, work together and compromise “in order for us to get out of here in an orderly manner.” The S...
A free pop-up art show and event called Salmon Shadows will use art and writing created by Alaskans from around the state to prompt conversations about equity and sustainability in Alaska’s salmon system. The event will be Wed., May 23 at 6 PM at the Fleet in downtown Petersburg. It will feature reproductions of visual art, light projections, and poetry. “Alaska has much to celebrate when it comes to salmon,” says project organizer, Anjuli Grantham, “but there are legitimate concerns when we are speaking about the long-term viability of salm...
Members of the Petersburg Police Department may be featured on a reality television show if the Borough Assembly consents to full participation in the film project to be carried out by Engel Entertainment. At present, the assembly voted 4-0 at their Monday meeting, to allow only limited filming in Petersburg. A company spokesperson said the company wishes to film in Petersburg for 1-2 days in the next month or so, to learn what Petersburg is like and what it's like to be an officer of the...
New charges were filed against Jasmine Ohmer and Sebastian Davis who were charged in February of this year for allegedly hitting two deer with a pick-up truck. The incident was allegedly filmed by Ohmer and uploaded to a social media site. On April 23, Jasmine Ohmer entered a not guilty plea to new charges of two counts of taking game from a motorized land vehicle and failure to notify Troopers of a vehicle collision with game. Sebastian Davis entered not guilty pleas to the same charges, plus a charge of using a vehicle to harass game....
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — The operator of a remote Alaska lodge that was the site of a serious oil spill says he had Coast Guard permission to store petroleum in a bladder within a building suspended over a beach. The Coast Guard denies it gave Mark Krall permission to store oil in the bladder kept in a building on pilings on Shuyak Island, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported . The lodge is 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of the city of Kodiak. A storm Feb. 23 with winds to 80 mph (130 kph) collapsed the building. The bladder broke, spilling nearly...
In a media release posted this week, the Alaska School Nutrition Association named Carlee Rae Johnson as its Director of the Year. The nutrition director for the Petersburg School District since 2011, Johnson has put much effort into widening its local lunch program's menu options. "She does all these amazing things with this limited equipment," said Erica Kludt-Painter, PSD superintendent. "Our facilities are very minimal," Johnson explained. "We have basically only a double convection oven....
