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Petersburg School District Superintendent Robert Thomason released additional information regarding former school Maintenance Director Tye Petersen’s possession of non-pornographic images of local children. Petersen was arrested last fall and local police and the FBI searched school facilities for signs he had taken images of students. At that time, no evidence of access points had been found. But since then, the FBI has confirmed images of local and visiting students among photos confiscated from Petersen. “Some photos were of visiting stu...
JUNEAU (AP) — House Democrats have confirmed Sam Kito III as the newest member of the state Legislature. He was sworn into office on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Gov. Sean Parnell last week chose Kito from among three candidates forwarded by the Tongass Democrats to fill the House seat vacated when Juneau Democrat Beth Kerttula resigned for a fellowship at Stanford University. Kerttula resigned Jan. 24. Under the law, the appointment must be confirmed by members in the same chamber and of the same political party as the person who previously held the s...
Petersburg Economic Development Director Liz Cabrera presented a brief overview of the Petersburg economy to the borough assembly. Cabrera used data from a bi-annual economic trench report to provide statistics on economic indicators such as median wages, jobs, food costs and sales trends. According to December 2012 data, Petersburg’s food costs are 20-30 percent above Anchorage. The data comes from a one-time snap shot of prices for one weeks worth of food for a family of four. There are 948 private sector jobs, a 2.4 percent increase over the...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted to move forward with its estimated $9.7 million municipal and police building renovation. Corey Wall, with MRV Architects, outlined the design and cost last Friday so that Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht and Mayor Mark Jensen can pitch the project to legislative officials this week. "We're asking you to make tough decisions in a very short period of time to meet with the legislative calendar," Giesbrecht said. "We've been talking about it (the renovation)... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted in a new member to fill the seat left vacant by John Hoag earlier this month. Jeigh Stanton Gregor, co-owner of True North Counseling and Consultation, was sworn in last Friday. Stanton Gregor said he was encouraged by several Petersburg residents to join the assembly after Hoag resigned. He said no single issue prompted his desire to join the assembly and that he's been interested in serving the public in this capacity for some time. He submitted a letter... Full story
A winner of last fall's Humpy 500 donated a portion of her winnings last Friday to the Petersburg Humane Association (PHA). Team Captain Annie Christensen, 11, and the rest of the crew of the Torpedo Shark placed first in the design category and third in the costume category. The crew was awarded various prizes, one of which was a $100 gift certificate to Hammer & Wikan stores. Christensen elected to give the gift certificate to the humane association. "My mom said we had to give some of the... Full story
The Petersburg Borough assembly unanimously approved a resolution supporting a similar Wrangell resolution recommending the operations and management of the Tyee Hydro Electric project be transferred from Thomas Bay Power Authority (TBPA) to the Southeast Alaska Power Authority (SEAPA). Six commissioners representing Wrangell and Petersburg currently conduct management and operations of TBPA. SEAPA owns the hydro plant. The joint resolution, in part, accepts SEAPA CEO Trey Acteson’s August 19 offer to take over operations at TBPA. As part of t...
Investigators discovered images of Petersburg children in connection with the pending criminal case against Tye Leif Petersen, former Petersburg School District maintenance director, who was arrested last fall for multiple charges related to possession and distribution of child pornography. Petersburg Police Chief Kelly Swihart said he couldn’t comment on the matter but said investigators have not found any pornographic images of local children. In written release, FBI Special Agent Matthew Judy states, “The FBI has not discovered any chi...
The Petersburg District School Board voted unanimously Tuesday evening to allow students participating in the Alaska Tsunami Ocean Science Bowl to earn half a credit. The Ocean Science Bowl is a regional competition for high schools in Alaska where teams of students study topics related to oceans and present research papers, give oral presentations and participate in a timed quiz competition. Middle and High School Principal Rick Dormer said Petersburg students dedicate a significant amount of time to the project. “The kids are putting in t...
JUNEAU (AP) — The sponsor of a bill that would allow municipalities to post certain public notices online rather than in newspapers said Tuesday that he asked that the bill be pulled from the House floor to protect his colleagues. “I wasn't going to put my members in the position of having to vote on a matter that I have heard from so many of them was going to cause them problems with their local newspapers,'' Rep. Mike Hawker said in an interview. HB275 was on the House calendar Monday, but it was sent to the House Rules Committee at Haw...
Sales increased for local Petersburg businesses by more than $14 million in 2013 compared to 2012. Business across town such as Viking Travel, Diamante Gift Shoppe and Hammer & Wikan all experienced increased sales. Lee Corrao, manager of the Hammer & Wikan hardware store, said 2013 sales increased by four percent over the previous year. “A significant amount of that is attributed to the fishing season,” Corrao said. “All of the fish processing plants were operating and there were more boats.” Southeast Alaska saw the highest harvest value for...
A Superior Court Judge ruled in favor of the owners of the house on 1011 Wrangell Ave. Tuesday morning granting a stay of demolition after the Petersburg Borough issued a demolition order against the structure. The building’s foundation failed in September 2009. During June 2012, Community Development Director Leo Luczak sent notice to Fred Triem and Karen Ellingstad, homeowners, that the structure had been deemed a dangerous building. Luczak sent written requests to the homeowners asking for a plan to bring the structure up to code. Because n... Full story
Alaska Department of Transportation staff outlined future road construction plans for South Nordic Drive and Haugen Drive to Petersburg residents Tuesday night. The more than $9 million project funded by the Federal Highway Administration will rehabilitate pavement, sidewalks, curbs and gutter on Haugen Drive from where it begins on Nordic Drive up to 8th Street and on Nordic Drive from Haugen to the ferry terminal. The construction on Nordic Drive will also level out the current steeper slope... Full story
A school board member and the elementary school principal hosted a community meeting to learn what local residents want from the incoming superintendent. The community meeting was part of a comprehensive survey also given to district staff, which aims to assess the most common professional and personal traits desired in a superintendent as well as education issues the district faces. School board member Cheryl File and principal Erica Kludt-Painter wrote down resident’s ideal qualities on a large poster board and after each category was filled...
A Petersburg man is representing himself at a jury trail after police charged him with Theft and Criminal Trespass for taking his dog from the borough pound. Martin Massin said his dog, Lucky, ran away when he was cutting wood near Hungry Point. He found out later through Facebook’s local Buy & Sell & Trade page that his dog had been taken to the pound. According to the probable cause statement, Massin inquired as to the location of the “doggy jail” when another Facebook user “described the location of the impound cage and further suggest...
A local man charged with several counts of possessing and distributing child pornography will see his trial pushed back after a district court judge granted a motion by his attorney last December to declare the case complex. According to U.S. Code, a pretrial or trial can be delayed if a case is “so unusual or so complex, due to the number of defendants, the nature of the prosecution, or the existence of novel questions of fact or law, that it is unreasonable to expect adequate preparation for pretrial proceedings…” But at a January 28 trial...
The borough's war against aggressive marine wildlife dubbed "Operation Sea Lion" has been successful in keeping the animals off the floats and away from people. It's latest weapon: a solar powered electric fence and a human manikin set up at the airplane float. "The first night it was set up we realized the animals had sensed something and since then they must have found other places to go because they're not hauling out there anymore," Harbormaster Glo Wollen said. That was a month ago. Since...
Ketchikan Gateway Borough officials are again requesting Petersburg’s, along with more than 30 other municipal government’s, assistance with its lawsuit against the state of Alaska. Ketchikan is moving forward with its lawsuit over the ‘mandatory local contribution’ component of the state’s education funding formula that requires municipal districts to provide revenue back into its schools. Regional Educational Attendance Areas—education areas in the Unorganized Borough—aren’t required to make such payments. In a letter from Ketchikan Mayor...
Petersburg Borough Assembly Member John Hoag resigned his position on the assembly Monday. Hoag, a lawyer, said he's stepping down due to a conflict of interest between one of his clients and the borough. "I have found myself with two clients who have adverse interests to the borough," Hoag said during the start of Monday's meeting. "One issue may be resolvable through disclosure and abstaining as a voter. The other represents a potential violation of the charter, which prohibits assembly members from representing persons against the borough."... Full story
A tobacco tax might be the answer to the Petersburg Medical Center board’s future infrastructure funding concerns. The sales tax committee discussed last Tuesday recommending the initiation of a tobacco tax to the borough assembly. PMC CEO Liz Woodyard attended the meeting and said many communities across the country support their hospitals with a similar tax. “That’s a norm,” Woodyard said. “That’s not something that’s unusual. In this case I’m specifically talking about tobacco because we absolutely know we can attribute healthcare diseases a... Full story
The sales tax committee discussed with citizens additional taxes on alcohol and pull-tabs last Tuesday. The mission of the committee is to simplify the sales tax code and collection procedures and to generate an equal or greater amount of revenue so the borough doesn't have to decrease services or increase property taxes. That means it's looking at every option before it makes recommendations to the borough assembly. Many of the Petersburg residents who attended the meeting urged the committee... Full story
Petersburg residents who utilize the landfill for commercial salvaging will still be able to take scrap metal after assembly voted down a proposed change that would have eliminated for-profit salvaging. Public Works Director Karl Hagerman made the change as the borough updated its sanitation ordinance. “The department, while we’re very supportive of the salvage program in general, has seen operational problems with commercial salvage for-profit,” Hagerman said during a public hearing on the salvage program last month. “The salvage program was d...
An updated Petersburg criminal code would give officers more discretion when it comes to charging individuals with minor crimes. “What we’re looking at is taking some issues that are minor crimes and giving the officers the option to write a simple borough ordinance violation similar to a traffic ticket,” Police Chief Kelly Swihart said. Officers would determine whether or not to arrest individuals for crimes such as Driving while License is Suspended, Revoked or Canceled, Trespassing and Minor Theft. “If we get a young person, for instanc...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly ironed out language in the ordinance governing the Petersburg Medical Center hospital board and settled on a relationship between the two bodies that is somewhat ambiguous. Despite months of discussion between the two boards, Assembly Member John Havrilek still wasn’t comfortable with that ambiguity. “I’m still concerned this ordinance doesn’t give the hospital or us direction on who does what, when, how,” Havrilek said. Havrilek asked that clearer language be added to the ordinance that would define the borou...
