Sorted by date Results 4413 - 4437 of 5625
Bobbi Scherrer began her work as the Petersburg Indian Association's (PIA) tribal administrator late last month. Scherrer is returning home to Petersburg after working for Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) in Juneau for the last three years. Her background is in healthcare where she's worked for 16 years managing revenue cycles for hospitals. In addition to her financial background, Scherrer said she also has experience in human resources. She said the transition from SEARHC... Full story
After being named the U.S. Chocolate Master, Dan Forgey, a 1996 Petersburg High School graduate, will represent the U.S. in the 2015 World Chocolate Masters Competition in Paris this October. The contest includes the top 20 chocolatiers from around the world. Forgey won the national title last fall, after ten years of honing his skills in regional chocolate competitions. To earn the U.S. title, Forgey was assessed on a portfolio of his work, including past showpieces, as well as samples of...
The first-ever Southeast Commercial Growers Conference will be held in Petersburg Feb. 27 - March 1. The event will bring together commercial food and flower growers from across the region to swap ideas and information about how to run a successful venture in a tricky microclimate. Marja Smets and Bo Varsano, owners of Farragut Farm, are organizing the event. Smets said one of the reasons she wanted to put on a conference was to spread local farming knowledge that's not available in other forms....
Members of the Tongass Advisory Committee (TAC) met Jan. 20-23 in Juneau to continue discussions on their recommendations to be considered as part of a new Secretary of Agriculture forest plan that focuses on transitioning timber harvest in the Tongass National Forest from old growth to young growth. The themes emerging from public comments submitted to the group were discussed as part of the meeting. According to the executive summary prepared on the comments, “The majority of public comments received to date revolve around requests that t...
JUNEAU (AP) — The state transportation department is proposing reductions in ferry service as part of an effort to cut costs. The changes proposed for the next fiscal year include pushing back the start of service by the Taku between Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and Juneau; and reducing service to Prince Rupert in the summer. Mainliner service to Sitka and southeast Alaska communities also would be reduced, the department said. The Malaspina would not run as a day boat in north Lynn Canal between July and September under the proposal. I...
After no assembly members made a motion to change the funds appropriated in the community services portion of the Borough's draft budget for 2015-16, Friday's special meeting turned into a series of presentations by stakeholders primarily representing Petersburg Public Schools. Assembly member John Havrilek made a motion at last Monday's regular assembly meeting to hold a discussion about the proposed funding for the schools and for Petersburg Mental Health, both part of the community services budget. He said he hoped to reduce the amount...
JUNEAU (AP) — Alaska lawmakers are expected to discuss a new draft of a bill to decriminalize marijuana that mirrors state alcohol regulations. As of Feb. 24, adults 21 years and older can possess up to an ounce of marijuana under a ballot issue passed in November. Lawmakers have been working on a bill that accomplishes that, and also clarifies other related state laws. The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to review the 91-page draft during a Monday hearing. Republican Sen. John Coghill of North Pole says the draft is based on the state's a...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) _ A state Senate committee has advanced a bill that would exempt Alaska from daylight saving time, a measure that its sponsor said would be good for the health of state residents. The bill, from Sen. Anna MacKinnon, R-Eagle River, would exempt Alaska from the annual time change beginning in 2017. That means Alaska would be five hours behind the East Coast, instead of four hours behind, from about March to November. The delay in implementation is meant to give certain industries, like the cruise industry, time to prepare for...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) _ Alaska's health department says the state would see savings by expanding Medicaid coverage to more Alaskans. The department, in a report released Friday, says the state will be able to offset new costs associated with expansion by reducing or eliminating contributions to programs that provide health care to those who would be eligible for Medicaid. It cites as possible $6.1 million in savings next year, should the state opt for expansion. The issue is expected to be debated by lawmakers. Gov. Bill Walker campaign on the...
Board members for Southeast Alaska Power Agency sat down in Ketchikan last week for their two-day regular meeting, examining the regional power provider’s current financial position as well as looking ahead at its future projects. “It went really well,” commented Wrangell’s representative, Steve Prysunka, after his first meeting. Elected to the Borough Assembly last October, Prysunka was appointed to represent it on the power agency’s board. “I was pleased with the tone of the meeting and how everything went. There was a sense of cooperation...
Petersburg resident Mark Weaver, 59, has pled guilty to one of two felony charges brought against him following an explosion last July in the rock quarry behind the airport. Weaver faced two counts of Possession of Unregistered Destructive Devices, which included Tovex, the commercial-grade explosive used at the scene in an improvised explosive device (IED), and seven hand grenades recovered in a subsequent search of Weaver's property. The second charge, related to the grenades, will be dropped... Full story
The assembly was divided on a proposal to transition to an in-house, cart-based recycling program this summer. The transition comes with a $285,000 price tag, which would cover the one-time cost of purchasing 96-gallon carts and the purchase of another collection truck. Bringing the program in-house would save the borough $66,000 a year in expenses related to the current recycling program, which includes a contract with Ruger’s Trucking for curbside pick up as well as the continual purchase of blue bags. The ordinance, including the p... Full story
A committee comprised of assembly members and area residents will be assembled to explore how Petersburg will handle a new state law that allows for the commercial sale of marijuana. The committee came at the suggestion of Petersburg resident Kevin Clark who spoke during the first public hearing on the matter at Monday’s regular assembly meeting. “I think as a borough we should be proactive in getting ahead of the regulation versus being behind and playing catch up,” Clark said. “I think the best way to do that would be to compose a subcomm... Full story
Finance Director Jody Tow presented highlights from the operating budget for fiscal year 2015-16 at Monday's regular assembly meeting. Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht included a letter with the budget that gave an overview of the borough's financial position. Giesbrecht said that the budget is balanced, but decreased funds from the State and Federal governments are anticipated and the budget reflects that with an overall 1.5 percent decrease from the FY2014/15 budget. Though there will be no ch... Full story
Samuel W. Nelson IV, 51, appeared before Magistrate Judge Desiree Burrell for a Felony First proceeding on Jan. 29 following his arrest Jan. 28 for alleged crimes involving possession and distribution of methamphetamine. Nelson faces four felony charges: Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree, Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 4th Degree, Attempted Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree and Tampering with Physical Evidence. During his court hearing, Nelson was appointed a public...
Petersburg resident Gesabel Rosa, 22, has been charged with six misdemeanors and one felony related to alleged credit card fraud committed at four local businesses. Rosa allegedly made five transactions at four downtown businesses totaling about $400 in mid-December using the credit card number of a Juneau woman who stayed in the Scandia Hotel where Rosa worked as a housekeeper, according to court documents. Scandia House owner Nancy Murrison said Rosa is no longer employed at the hotel. Murrison said she’s been in business for 25 years and n...
JUNEAU (AP) — Fisher-men in Alaska will have access to slightly more halibut this year than last. The International Pacific Halibut Commission voted Friday in Vancouver, British Columbia, for a total catch in Alaska of 21.215 million pounds, up from 19.705 million pounds in 2014. That's the first time in a decade the commission has increased the catch. The six-member panel meets annually to set the halibut catch limits from Northern California to the Bering Sea. There are three commissioners from the U.S. and three from Canada. The Alaska c...
JUNEAU (AP) - Patricia Ann Roppel arrived in Ketchikan as a newlywed home economics teacher in 1959, the same year Alaska became a state - and she was quickly captivated by its history. Canneries, fishing, old mill sites, mining; for decades she, husband Frank Roppel, and, later, their children, John and Cindy, explored Southeast Alaska's beaches and its forests, looking for pieces of the past. The first historical place the couple found together, Frank said, was an old mining mill site. "That s...
University of Alaska Anchorage Eva Kowalski was named to the Chancellor's list for a GPA of 4.00 at the University of Alaska Anchorage for 2014 fall semester....
Last month was the rainiest January on record. Some 21.05 inches of rain fell on Petersburg, breaking the January 1985 record of 20.8 inches, according to National Weather Service’s climate data. While precipitation was noticeably present, snowfall was noticeable absent. Only 4 inches of snow fell on the town, far short of 21.9 inches that is typical for the month. Service Hydrologist and Meteorologist Aaron Jacobs told the Pilot last week that the lack of snowpack on the mountains could mean trouble for stream flow levels, and subsequently f...
Though a ruling was made Jan.16 in the case of Fred Triem and Karen Ellingstad versus the Borough, the matter is still not settled. After having the case under advisement for several months, Superior Court Judge Philip M. Pallenberg affirmed the Borough’s determination that Triem and Ellingstad’s property on Wrangell Ave. was a “dangerous building” according to municipal code. Though this brought some sense of closure to the matter, which has been ongoing since summer 2013 when the Borough first sent notice to the homeowners to repair or demo... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly is soliciting community input on a law going into effect Feb. 24 that allows the personal use of marijuana. The law also provides for the eventual commercial sale of the drug, though municipalities can choose to limit or ban commercial enterprises. Mayor Mark Jensen asked to begin a discussion of how the assembly and community would like to approach the new law at the Jan. 20 assembly meeting. "I personally feel it's important that as a Borough we start working... Full story
According to a Petersburg Police press release, on Jan. 28, Petersburg Police and Southeast Alaska City Against Drugs task force, with the assistance of the USPS and FBI, arrested Samuel Nelson, 51, of Petersburg, for alleged crimes involving distribution of methamphetamine, including Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the Third and Fourth Degrees and Tampering with Evidence. Nelson is currently being held on $50,000 bail. Initial investigation revealed that Nelson allegedly imported a significant amount of methamphetamine into... Full story
Petersburg residents might slosh through the rainiest January on record, according to data from the National Weather Service. As of Wednesday afternoon, 19.5 inches of rain has fallen this month securing Petersburg at least a second place ranking for the rainiest January. Record rainfall for the month was 20.8 inches in 1985. Service Hydrologist/Meteo-rologist Aaron Jacobs said more rain is forecasted before the month’s end. “There’s a decent chance that we could break that record,” Jacobs said. Several records have already been broken....
The transfer bridge of the new drive down dock drew quite a crowd during its Jan. 16 installation. Despite the downpour Petersburg residents came out, cameras in hand, to watch a large crane place the 140-long by 17-foot wide bridge. "It is rated to haul anything that can go down the highway," said Harbormaster Glo Wollen. Efforts continue on the construction and assembly of the float pieces, the next component slated to go into place. "Currently what Tamico is doing is they're putting the...
