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The Alaskan Republican Party's censure of U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski for voting to convict former President Donald Trump at his impeachment trial, and now ousting her as a GOP candidate in next year's election displays the worst traits of party politics. It's no wonder that Congress is battling such partisanship and why little is accomplished unless a single party controls both houses of Congress and the White House. If a Senator or Congressman is obligated to vote the party line on every issue, r...
Ferry system needs to be own entity To the Editor: Governor Dunleavy's AMHS Reshaping Work Group did not show the passion, desire, or knowledge needed to recommend a decision for the future of the AMHS. To qualify for the work group, each member should have made a round-trip from Skagway to Bellingham-once in the winter and once in the summer-this also includes a round-trip across the Gulf to Whittier and a round-trip from Homer to Sand Point. They are to make all their own reservations for...
Heartfelt thank you To the Editor: I would like to thank everyone for sending me their prayers and well-wishes during my recent health problems. I feel so fortunate and grateful to have so many people thinking of me. Thank you also to the wonderful doctors and nurses that took care of me during my stay at PMC, to the P.P.D. first responder, the Volunteer E.M.S. crew and to the crew of the medivac transport. Last but not least thank you to my wife and my family who stood by me through the entire...
Alaska is in a fiscal mess and Gov. Mike Dunleavy is making it worse. The state has spent almost all of its easily accessible savings. Budget cuts have hit hard at essentials such as the ferry system, university and some social service programs. Our credit rating is at risk. And yet the governor acts like next year or the year after is soon enough to figure it out. Calm and thoughtful is good, irresponsible is bad. Dunleavy's plan is to spend from the Permanent Fund until a better idea comes...
By Patrick Wilson, retiring OBI Seafoods Petersburg plant manager and Nik Wendel, current OBI Seafoods Petersburg plant manager Petersburg Fisheries has been the cornerstone of the community since 1965 when the town pooled their resources and bought the processing plant that was about to go under. It was the partnership of members of the community and commercial fishermen that has helped keep our facility running over the past 55 years. Now under OBI Seafoods, we continue to keep this spirit as... Full story
At a cost of almost $200 million, the Alaska Marine Highway System took ownership in the past 17 years of two ferries it could not afford to run and two that it could not run everywhere they are needed. That is painful. The state is selling the two it can't afford to keep fueled, while spending millions to add new doors so that the other two ships can call on smaller communities in Southeast. And even then, it will take additional millions of dollars in remodeling before one of the two can...
Incorrect information To the Editor: I wanted to thank the community of Petersburg for being concerned for my wellbeing. The prayers, meals, and reaching out have been very much appreciated. It is a blessing to live in a caring community, and we've been very moved by so many people's eagerness to rally around us and make sure that we are well taken care of while I have been recovering. However, I also want to take the opportunity to clear up some incorrect information about me that is being... Full story
It should be obvious by now that no amount of peer reviewed science or proven medical knowledge is going to change the minds of those who choose to ignore common sense guidelines to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Masking, social distancing and good hygiene have all been proven to flatten the curve of infections and hospitalizations here and across the country. The fact that Petersburg has moved from a handful of positive COVID-19 tests to 36 in the past week is because the basic...
Little Norway Festival To the Editor: As we all know last year took us on a journey that we weren't expecting or even prepared for. With that, many events that we do had to be put on hold, Little Norway Festival being one of them. Here we are in 2021 still putting one foot in front of the other looking forward into what this year holds for our community regarding events. As we don't have a clear picture of what Little Norway Festival will look like this year, we are getting a jump start on...
He was my hero To the Editor: I was saddened to hear about the passing of Jonas Hollingstad and wanted to tell his family that he was the most important person in my life. In 1945 when I was seven years old I fell off the float in Scow Bay. Could not swim, no life preserver and current was taking me down and out into the Narrows. Had not Jonas been walking by at that moment there is no question that I would have drowned. He got me out of the water and up on the dock where he told me years later the first thing I said was, “Don’t tell my Dad...
Today (Feb. 11) will be a significant day for hundreds of Petersburg residents who head to the community gym for the second dose of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine. Yet others received their first dose of the vaccine last week. Petersburg is taking yet another step towards a more normal life which we expect could bring an end to mandates, masks and the endless arguments being made in opposition to the health mandates that have clearly enabled Petersburg to minimize infections that have largely been...
The governor had a chance to talk honestly about taxes when he announced his 10-year budget plan last month. He had a second chance Jan. 28 with his State of the State speech. Sadly, he failed both times. The governor's 10-year fiscal plan acknowledges there will be a $1.2 billion hole in the state budget 18 months from now. That's equal to more than 20% of public services and Permanent Fund dividends the next year. And that's after spending down the state's savings for much of the past 30...
Show support for Ted To the Editor: I am surprised and disappointed in the response your community has shown to a go fund me page put up for Ted Smith. My son Dan wanted to start the Go Fund Me page to allow people to show Ted support and a way of saying thanks for all he has done over the years for your community and State. There are countless times when he had AK Fuel that he opened the dock after hours, weekends and holidays to fuel boats. He never left you without heating oil even if you...
On Jan 29 the EOC used the CodeRED system to encourage residents who are interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine to sign up on the Petersburg Medical Center's waiting list. "Coordinating the vaccine implementation is one of the most important things we can do to beat the virus and getting the word out to make this happen is critical," according to the Borough's website statement. The use of the CodeRed system in this case, was wrong. Use of this emergency notification tool last Friday was...
Petersburg comes through To the Editor: When we learned that our 13 year old son Joseph Tagaban was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) a rare form of leukemia in children, a blanket of darkness and despair covered our family of being alone to fight this disease that dares to take our child away from us. As word spread of our news, people began reaching out to us offering help in getting us to where we needed to be and receive the best help we can get for our child. Help offered in...
Rollercoaster of emotions To the Editor: Last week was one of many different emotions for me. First was the excitement I felt after a phone call where I was directed to show up at 11:50 for a vaccine which I thought was at least several more weeks away. But "don't come before 11:45." Hmmm, okay. Upon arriving and seeing the very full parking lot I defaulted to my skeptical self, "This should be fun." Bam, was I surprised. I was transported back to scenes from boot camp but without the yelling an...
We applaud the work of the entire Petersburg Medical Center staff and everyone that worked with them to get over 350 COVID vaccinations into the arms of residents last Thursday. The vaccination effort was a seamless, speedy and efficient undertaking that should be copied by any community providing mass vaccination clinics for their citizens. No doubt the process will become even more streamlined as additional vaccine doses are delivered and administered in the coming months. This is proof once...
Thank you To the Editor: Thanks to you my wonderful friends and family of Petersburg for being there throughout this last month of 2020. Words cannot describe the feelings that I am going through and I can't call out the names of everyone but may God continue to bless you always for being wonderful people. Thank you again from our hearts and much love always. Happy new year. Marina Leblanc and family Message of hate not right tone To the Editor: Someone left a book at the Post Office near the...
Predictability and dependability. More than anything else, that's what the communities served by the Alaska Marine Highway System need. The communities need to know the schedules further in advance so that they can plan school sports, scholastic and musical events, regional festivals, and confidently market to tourists in a post-COVID world. Residents need the dependability of ferry service for medical appointments, commerce and shopping, vehicle repair appointments at dealers, and of course...
Thank you Petersburg To the Editor: Thank you, Petersburg, for helping us all get through the 2020 salmon season safely and nearly COVID-19-free! Now it is winter, our selling season, and with every piece of fish we sell or eat, we are grateful for the changes you made to ensure the summer was a success. Although countless people helped make our gillnet season successful, there were many we didn't see so wish to acknowledge: OBI and Trident Seafoods with thoughtful, unwavering protocols; Karl...
Overall, Petersburg doesn't look like a town in distress. We've seen what happens in "down" years, and there is no resemblance. Charitable giving is generally up and local businesses appear to be doing well with only a few exceptions. As we mentioned last week, the city's distribution of $3.9 million in CARES funding was a part of it. (See breakout above) The biggest factor however appears to be from 539 local businesses and boats applying for and receiving over $15.08 million in SBA's Economic...
It's clear that the actions of Petersburg's Emergency Operations Center, the Petersburg Medical Center staff and the State Public Health Nurse have played a huge part in keeping the Covid-19 virus at bay on Mitkof Island. The actions of these officials have been questioned, marginalized, and outright rejected in some cases. Public health leaders are constantly attempting to balance the impact of their decisions against the health consequences of inaction. It has nothing to do with restricting...
Maybe the reality of math has changed To the Editor: I just read a recent opinion that reality is what you see and not what you think you see. I thought to myself, "I see." But I guess I think I see because there was a real head scratcher in your December 17 edition. On the back page in a column titled "Elections office: Audit affirms AK initiative passage," paragraph 4 reports that the certified results passed with 174,032 'yes' votes and 170,251 'no' votes. It further stated that the audit sho...
Cite reports and references To the Editor: After reading Marc's letter, I have some questions. First, "... 99% of which are most likely over Age 75+ with serious other health problems." Please cite your reference for this statistic. Do you realize that when folks use a percentage in an argument, 97.3% of the time it was just made up? Second, "You can find just as many experts that will tell you masks, social distancing and this upcoming vaccine is wishful thinking." I cannot find them. Please ci...
