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Barb and Mike Luhr accepted the Chamber of Commerce plaque naming Piston and Rudder as the Business of the Year. The couple and local shareholders purchased the local shipyard and merged its operations with their company in 2011. Piston and Rudder also constructed a new retail facility as well as expanded the shipyard operations. The award was presented at the Chamber’s annual meeting last Saturday evening, which was attended by about 85 people at the Sons of Norway Hall. Bob Heinrich from Conoco Phillips spoke on the company’s operations in...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service in Juneau is warning residents to be respectful of raptors and ravens as they begin nesting in southeast Alaska. The Juneau Empire reports people should keep a healthy distance — 100 to 200 yards — from eagles, owls and during nesting season, which starts early for the birds. A tipoff for eagles that nesting has begun is seeing them carrying branches and other materials. Forest Service Biologist Brian Logan says disturbances can cause raptors to abandon nests and the risk of nest abandonment is gr...
KETCHIKAN (AP) — A tiny bear cub received another chance at life when local hiker Michael Schuler released its head from a plastic jug on the top of Deer Mountain on Sunday. Schuler said Tuesday that he had gone up the mountain that day to conduct some avalanche testing. Because it was a beautiful day, he decided to head up to the summit with Josie the dog, he said, and about 10 feet from the top, he saw what at first glance appeared to be a human lying in the snow. “I thought, ‘Uh oh. How am I going to deal with this?’” he said. Schuler worked...
After a lengthy debate, the Petersburg City Council worked out the details of a $210,000 loan to local business-owner Pete Litsheim to move the 29-year-old Romiad building from its current location on Haugen Drive to the lot next to Scandia House on Nordic Drive. The Petersburg City Council met in a special session on Thursday to discuss the terms of the loan agreement between Litsheim and the Petersburg Economic Development Council (PEDC). The council members and the mayor, on Feb. 21, had vote...
Neighbors to Petersburg's proposed borough boundary-lines are voicing concern following a report issued by the Local Boundary Commission (LBC) last week. The LBC last week released their report regarding the petition for the City of Petersburg to dissolve and become a borough. The report included revised boundary lines, and recommendations regarding the incorporation of residents who live outside Petersburg city limits. The report also recommended the boundary lines be drawn along natural...
The Petersburg City Council will meet for a second time this week. In a special session, open to the public the council members and the mayor will discuss the terms of the loan agreement between the Petersburg Economic Development Council (PEDC) and local business-owner Pete Litsheim. The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 8, in the City Council Chambers to discuss approval of the loan agreement between PEDC and Diamante` Gift Shoppe. The council on Feb. 21, had voted to...
Petersburg City Council revised the Transient Room Tax (TRT) for the first time in 22 years. Council members on Tuesday, also approved three TRT grants for a total of $9,208. The TRT is a tax that is imposed on temporary lodging for stays of less than 30 consecutive days at hotels, motels and RV parks. Those funds can be used for the betterment of the community for visitors. The wording of the revised TRT resolution amends the guidelines for the grants, by asking for more details from organizati...
Carlee Wells thinks school lunch is not all fun and games, but instead is another opportunity for learning. For Wells, Petersburg School District Food Services Director, lunchtime is when students can learn where food comes from and how it's best prepared. In order to ensure she's teaching engaging lessons, Wells is applying for the state's Farm to School Grant, for a second year to help with lunch and lessons at Rae C. Stedman Elementary School. Last year's grant of $500 from the state fund,...
The Stanton Gregor's take the term “couples counseling” to a whole new level. For spouses Lea and Jeigh Stanton Gregor mental health is a family affair, and practice. True North Counseling & Consultation, LLC is the only private counseling practice available in Petersburg, the alternative being public-funded Petersburg Mental Health. “We found a niche that people needed, a private option. It's been great. Really exciting and very well received,” said Lea, 37. She and her husband Jeigh, 35, are...
Petersburg Municipal Power & Light has purchased a new stand-by diesel generator that will assist in high-energy demand cycles, when the city is cut-off from its main power supply, Tyee. Petersburg City Council on Tuesday approved a bid from ASCR McGraw Constructors for $724,000, for the construction of a concrete platform, the construction of a control shack and installation of underground wiring. “It is a stand-alone unit that is to be used in case the city is ever cut off from Tyee,” said PMPL Superintendent Joe Nelson in a phone int...
WRANGELL — During Wrangell’s cold snap in mid-January when temperatures dipped to zero degrees, residents were cranking up their heat. As a result of that jump in electrical power usage, the Tyee Hydroelectric Plant near Wrangell maxed out, forcing the town to turn on diesel generators to continue to provide energy. Members of the Borough Assembly and Thomas Bay Power Authority, which operates Tyee, held an informal meeting Feb. 21 to discuss how to avoid that “crisis” situation in the future. “That was the key that tripped the switch that says...
A report released last week by the Local Boundary Commission (LBC) regarding the petition for the City of Petersburg to dissolve and become a borough, includes revised boundary lines, and recommendations regarding inclusion of residents who live outside city limits. Petersburg filed a petition with the Alaska State Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development to dissolve the city and for the incorporation of a borough with the Commerce Dept. on April 6, 2011. The Petition was accepted for filing on August 5, 2011, and the LBC bega...
The USCGC Elderberry is currently at the Base Support Unit Ketchikan Marine Ways for a 12-week, dry dock maintenance, said First Class Machinery Technician Cameron Peterson. The scheduled maintenance began on Feb. 15 and will include the replacement of about 60 square-feet of hull plating on the port (left) side of the 65-foot cutter. Other repairs and maintenance, that require the cutter to be out of the water to complete, include shaft seal replacement, prop inspection and repair, shaft and...
The Governor's 2013 budget will include $3.5 million for the North Harbor Replacement as well as $3.4 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredging of the North Harbor, said Petersburg City Manager Stephen Giesbrecht to the City Council on Tuesday, Feb. 21 in his regular report. • The city has requested a proposal from PND Engineers for design services and the landfill slope stabilization project to allow for the placement of the North Harbor dredge material and the landfill. • The Mountain View Manor Assisted Living, 12-unit fac...
JUNEAU (AP) — U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Thursday that drilling will happen in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but people shouldn't hold their breath waiting for it. That's one of the messages the Alaska Republican presented during her annual address to the state Legislature. The U.S. House cleared a bill last week that would open a portion of ANWR for exploration and drilling, but Murkowski said strong enough support from the White House and her Senate colleagues appears unlikely. She insisted that “ANWR will happen” but only after Rep...
Last week, residents with a landline received an automated phone call asking them about their interest in bio fuels — an alternative form of energy that could be used to heat homes. The Feb. 23 phone survey was conducted by the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC) and asked both Wrangell and Petersburg residents two things: what their primary source of heating is, and if they would consider using a locally manufactured bio fuel product to heat their home. According to the survey results, Wrangell was more open to bio fuel use than P...
At the regular Petersburg School Board meeting Feb. 21, Superintendent of Schools, Robert Thomason reported that Justice, the drug dog visited the schools and stirred a lot of interest from the students, but didn't find any drugs on the premises. It was an unannounced visit. “It was a regular school day, and that's how we want it, to make sure the school is safe,” Thomason said. The board heard from high school representatives that revealed Diane Murph's poster design was chosen by the governor for the state's Choose Respect campaign. Ala...
A lack of information about the elk on Etolin Island sparked a collaborative study between the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) last year. With the use of tracking collars, the study attempts to collect more data on the non-native species, such as population numbers, their habitat and their effect on the environment and other animals. Last week, ADFG Aerial Wildlife Biologist Richard Lowell came to Wrangell to discuss the elk study as part of the Chautauqua lecture series at the Nolan Center. Since...
ANCHORAGE (AP) — More than 12,000 acres of the Tongass National Forest's oldest and largest trees are being targeted for logging under a bill that would place wide swathes of forest lands in private hands, an Audubon report says. “These are the ancient giant tree stands,” said Audubon Alaska policy director Eric Myers. “These are effectively the redwoods of the Tongass.” Audubon Alaska used U.S. Forest Service data to look at the potential impact of a bill pending in Congress that would allow Sealaska Corp. to pick choice lands in the natio...
JUNEAU (AP) — The board that redraws Alaska's political boundaries would be comprised of five Republicans, five Democrats and four people not affiliated with either party under a proposed constitutional amendment introduced in the Senate Tuesday. SJR19 is sponsored by Anchorage Democratic Sen. Hollis French. It would nearly triple the size of the redistricting board and seek to do away with concerns that creep up every 10 years, when the lines are redrawn, that politics influence the process. Board members would no longer be appointees but i...
The Make Alaska Competitive Coalition claims Alaska's oil flow and production are in a slow rate of decline and that if something isn't done to turn things around, difficult financial times could be looming. “Life in Alaska couldn't be better, there's fishing, mining, tourism, however all is not well,” said coalition spokesman William Corbus. “Expenses are going up … and the production of oil is at a precipitous stage.” The coalition, made up of professionals, former politicians and at least...
“Justice was not served tonight,” said Petersburg City Councilman Don Koenigs, following an hour and a half-long town hall meeting to discuss the breakdown in communication and lack of services from the Juneau District Attorney's Office. The meeting, held on Tuesday evening at Wright Auditorium, brought community leaders and members together, to share opinions and ask questions regarding lack of communication and the seemingly high number of cases dismissed by the D.A.'s office in Juneau. A rep...
A handful of cases of head lice have been reported at Rae C. Stedman Elementary School. The outbreak is limited to five students and has been contained, said Principal Erica Kludt-Painter. School officials were notified earlier this month by parents of a preschooler, who has a sibling at Stedman. Both the pre-schooler and the Stedman student had lice, Kludt-Painter said, adding that four more children were also found to have lice. “All of the cases so far are from the same group of kids that spend time together,” Kludt-Painter said. Head lic...
On a wall at Rae C. Stedman Elementary School are rows and rows of red, brown and orange construction paper bricks – each boasting a student's name. The bricks are a representation of accomplishment for the Reading with a Meaning campaign, and they also mean the promise of building new classrooms for a kindergarten in Ethiopia. “By the end of the month, this whole wall will be covered,” said fifth grade teacher Greg Kowalski, motioning to the space above several students who sat at long table...
The Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) held elections on Friday for a board of director chair position and four open board seats. According to election results, Ronelle Beardslee will serve as the new chairman. This is a one-year term. Beardslee ran uncontested. Christina Sokamoto, who also ran uncontested, took the one available one-year term as board member. Mary Ann Rainey and Chris Lopez nabbed two of the available two-year terms. Derek Lopez, who was a write-in candidate, took the last available two-year term. Serving one-year terms on...
