Sorted by date Results 891 - 915 of 5549
The Borough Assembly meeting due to take place on Monday was cancelled due to lack of a quorum. Mayor Mark Jensen and Assembly Members Taylor Norheim, Jeigh Stanton Gregor, and Chelsea Tremblay were all out of town according to Deputy Borough Clerk Becky Regula. The agenda for the assembly meeting rescheduled for August 9 at 12:00 p.m. includes a report from PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter and a presentation by Utility Director Karl Hagerman on the Electric Utility Bond Issue. An update on the...
SouthEast Alaska Regional Healthcare Consortium announced an agreement Friday to construct a new multimillion dollar medical center in Sitka. The Mt. Edgecumbe Expansion and Construction Project will replace the Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center on Japonski Island. The Indian Health Service and SEARHC signed a joint venture agreement on July 23 that will see SEARHC design the new facility and fund its construction and IHS provide long-term funding for operations and maintenance. "To continue to meet...
David Louis Stewart, Jr., 48, was indicted on July 15 with a single count of Indecent Viewing and Photography and 13 counts of attempted Indecent Viewing and Photography of four minors. He entered not guilty pleas to each charge in arraignments held on July 17 and 20 in Petersburg Superior Court before Judge William Carey. According to the indictment Stewart, Jr. was alleged to have taken videos between Sept. 2019 and August of 2020. The defendant was released on $5,000 cash appearance bond and $5,000 performance bond with a 3rd party...
Petersburg recorded its second COVID-19 death on Friday according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Service's COVID-19 Dashboard. The Alaska COVID-19 data summary reported that the death in Petersburg was a male in his 70s. The Petersburg COVID-19 Dashboard has listed that there are five active cases in Petersburg as of July 28 with 55.0% of the population fully vaccinated. Alaska reported 562 new cases between July 23 and 25, which has also seen the statewide alert level remain high...
The United States Forest Service has ended its comment period for 2023 outdoor project proposals. The comment period, which closed on July 6, allowed for the USFS to receive input from members of the community on what projects they would like to see completed in the near future. There are over a dozen 2023 project proposals listed in the Petersburg District, which includes Mitkof Island, Kupreanof Island, and Thomas Bay, with suggestions for even more given by the community. "We have an...
The Petersburg Medical Center Board reviewed the recent COVID-19 outbreak during their July 22 meeting. Infection Prevention and Quality Manager Liz Bacom presented a report on the increase of COVID cases in July. According to Bacom’s report, the two contributing factors were the arrival of the American Cruise Lines vessel Constellation and the Independence Day celebrations. Four passengers and two crew members from the Constellation with positive tests isolated in Petersburg while recovering f...
The Petersburg Medical Center has begun receiving feedback from the community through the Community Needs Assessment. Conducted every three years, the Community Needs Assessment is required for non-profit healthcare organizations and serves as a way for residents to comment on how their healthcare needs are being met. The survey features questions focused on a range of topics including services the hospital offers, demographic data, and the COVID-19 pandemic. "For me it's actually very good...
A new outdoor shelter was completed at the Clausen Memorial Museum with the help of a community challenge grant from AARP. The Clausen Museum applied for the grant after AARP representatives came to the Petersburg Medical Center before the COVID-19 pandemic said Museum Director Cindi Lagoudakis. "I looked at some of the grant opportunities and I put in a request and it was not originally granted, but they contacted us and they were interested in the bench shelter idea," Lagoudakis said. The...
The window to file for candidacy opened Tuesday in preparation for the fall 2021 borough election. The election, which will be held on October 5, will see seats on the Borough Assembly among many other boards listed on the ballot. In addition to the seats that are held by elected officials, there are many seats that are currently vacant or are held by an appointed board member that will be voted on. Two seats on the Borough Assembly with three-year terms will be voted on which are those...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game released an emergency order Monday to revise limits for king salmon in Southeast Alaska. The order sets the bag and possession limit for residents of Alaska as one king salmon measuring at least 28 inches in length in areas other than those where the retention of king salmon was prohibited. Once those areas are opened to retention, the resident bag and possession limit will be raised to two king salmon 28 inches or greater in length. Areas where the...
The Borough Assembly discussed Monday how the most recent COVID-19 outbreak in Petersburg was handled and the resulting communication issues. The outbreak was linked to the American Cruise Lines vessel American Constellation which was docked in Petersburg. Assembly Member Jeff Meucci requested the discussion to review how information was communicated by the various groups involved in resolving the crisis to the assembly. "One of the concerns I had was that, and this is not to blame anybody, but...
The Borough Assembly unanimously approved ordinance #2021-12 which will place the approval of funding the Blind Slough and Scow Bay utility projects on the fall ballot for voter approval. The 5-0 vote saw the next step in the process of approving $7.8 million in revenue bonds to be used for the Blind Slough Hydroelectric Refurbishment Project and the Scow Bay Generation Design Study. According to Utility Director Karl Hagerman, the revenue bonds will help replace virtually all the equipment in...
The annual Paddle Battle raised over $1,500 this year which will go towards helping Petersburg Medical Center employees continue their education. It was a cool 54 degrees on Saturday when the 21 paddlers braved the waters. The first group of participants started from Scow Bay at 8:30 a.m. and were later joined by a second group near South Harbor at 9:15 a.m. The paddlers traveled around Hungry Point and headed south along Frederick Sound to the finish at Sandy Beach Park. The participants who st...
Branch Manager Joyce Cummings is planning on semi-retiring after over three decades at First Bank's Petersburg Branch effective July 31, 2021. In 1985, Cummings began working at First Branch as a loan secretary with Branch Manager Bill Frech. She was promoted to assistant manager in 1989 and went on to become branch manager in 2012. "First Bank has been incredibly fortunate to have Joyce providing stability and leadership in our Petersburg branch for over 30 years," First Bank President Todd...
The Borough Assembly discussed the future of the planning and zoning code revisions after a long hiatus during Monday's meeting. Assembly Member Jeff Meucci requested the discussion to find out where the borough is in the process of revising the code and what is next. Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht said that the people involved would need to regroup because of how long it has been since work was done on the project. "Now that we've had a year off worrying about COVID, let's reopen the file and...
The Borough Assembly discussed the need for more affordable housing to attract young people to Petersburg during Monday's meeting. Assembly Member Jeff Meucci requested the discussion item in an effort to focus the assembly's attention on attracting younger families by having affordable housing and dependable childcare available. "Bottom line is we need more affordable housing in Petersburg," Meucci said. "How can young people move into Petersburg if there's no places to buy or no lots...
SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium yards signs have begun appearing around town, sparking discussions within the community about the future of healthcare in Petersburg. The prospect of SEARHC coming to Petersburg has been a topic of the community for a while now as residents look to hospitals that SEARHC operates in neighboring cities as examples for what could happen in Petersburg. Members of the community hope that these yard signs, which have been distributed by the Petersburg...
Businesses across Petersburg are suffering due to the nationwide worker shortage according to local businesses. "If you look, people are trying to hire everywhere," Jim Floyd, the general manager and CEO at Hammer & Wikan Inc., said. Hammer & Wikan stores across town have been affected according to Floyd. The grocery store has limited hours, the deli has limited service, and the hardware store is short-handed but continues to do normal business hours. "The convenience store has to be closed...
Britton Erickson celebrates his win during 4th of July Log Roll contest. Skipper Erickson was listed in error as the winner in the July 8 edition of the Pilot....
Chris Basinger, 21, joins the Petersburg Pilot newsroom this week, after arriving in Petersburg last Thursday from his home in Houston, Texas. Basinger is a May 2021 graduate of Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science with a minor in Journalism. In college he was a sports journalist providing multimedia coverage for a range of sports including football, basketball, and baseball. He also co-hosted a Premier League podcast that...
The hydroelectric generators at Crystal Lake are in need of an update, according to Utility Director Karl Hagerman. The plant at Crystal Lake was built in the 1920s and though there have been some repairs and updates since then, the last major update happened in 1957 when the current power house was built. The reservoir generates power by using a penstock pipe that runs from the dam down to the generators in the power house at the bottom of Crystal Mountain. The Borough has a permit with the...
Lynne Cox spoke at the Petersburg Public Library Saturday about her experience as a long-distance swimmer and as an author. Cox has traveled the world, setting record times including the world record time for swimming across the English Channel on two occasions when she was only a teenager. Since then, Cox has become an author, citing a lifelong love of reading as her inspiration. "I have always been a reader," Cox said. "I've always loved books and always loved that you could just open a book...
Petersburg Medical Center reports four positive COVID-19 cases locally since July 9. On Fri., July 9 a resident of Petersburg tested positive for COVID 19 and is isolating at their home. On Sat., July 10 a guest from the American Cruise Lines Vessel American Constellation tested positive and is isolating in Petersburg with a family member who had tested positive previously. An American Cruise Lines representative is staying in Petersburg to assist them. On Mon., July 12 two new cases tested...
Breeann Spring Dawe pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of misconduct involving a controlled substance in the third degree and the court entered a suspended imposition of sentence for 30 months. The defendant will remain on probation during that time according to the terms of the plea agreement. The court sentenced her to 80 hours community work service, assessed surcharges of $300 and the $250 for cost of counsel. Dawe was arrested in July 2020 after authorities placed a GPS tracking device in...
Petersburg Indian Association recently completed construction of a 2,190 square foot duplex the organization plans on renting to low and middle income native families this month. "It's small, but it fits the purposes, and it meets the needs that our clientele are looking for right now," said PIA Tribal Administrator Tracy Welch. "We're seeing a huge demand for one and two bedroom [apartments]." The duplex sits at the corner of S. 8th St. and Ira II St. Both units are mirror images of each other...
