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Over the past eighteen months, Alaska's ferry system faced unprecedented challenges: a reduced budget, a strike, unanticipated mechanical and structural issues with five aging ships, and a global pandemic. This spring, as the pandemic hit, AMHS had four of those ships scheduled to enter service, a workable budget in place, and expected sufficient revenue to provide reliable ferry service throughout the year. Due to the dramatic decline in revenue as commerce all but stopped, the financial impacts on AMHS have been severe. Because ticket sales...
A little clarification can go a long way, and we hope that the statement issued by U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy represents his true view of the Alaska Bypass Mail system in Alaska. DeJoy had raised alarms throughout Alaska with comments he made about the Bypass Mail program during an Aug. 21 hearing of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee. Since 1972, the Alaska Bypass Mail program — created with the assistance of the late Sen. Ted Stevens — has authorized palletized shipments of consumer goods and groceries via air to rural Alask...
To the Editor: The Market wants to thank Petersburg for supporting our local vendors as we helped them sell online through the Salt and Soil Marketplace this summer. With support from the Alaska Farmers Market Association/USDA grant we’ve been able to support handmade, homegrown products in a unique way made possible only through teamwork. We're always wanting to hear from you at psg.market@gmail.com. Chelsea Tremblay and the Market Board...
AMHS work group update To the Editor: As the marine highway workgroup strides into August, I want to provide an update on what we have been doing, and where we are heading. Our meetings have been streamed live on Facebook, and recordings are available online at http://dot.alaska.gov/comm/amh-reshaping-workgroup/ if you wish to hear our specific discussions. In line with Governor Dunleavy’s Administrative Order No 313, we have reviewed the Northern Economic draft report of January 2020 as well as reports prepared for Southeast Conference. We h...
We’ve had phone calls from a handful of people about our use of the photo and page one coverage of last week’s fatal Mitkof Highway crash. It saddens us to have to report on such a tragedy that impacts the lives of so many in both Wrangell and Petersburg. We don’t take pleasure in covering such stories. It wasn’t covered to sell newspapers. We covered the story because it is our job to provide information about a tragic event that struck close to home. We placed it on page one because it was the most important story of the week. The acciden...
Some people afraid of facts, prefer conspiracies To the Editor: I would like to thank Karl, Phil, Liz, Jennifer, Erin, and all the borough and medical staff who are helping us through the worst pandemic since 1918. Karl, I know from my time on the council and assembly, is the most capable employee in our borough. He is honest, hard working, and always reliable. Phil is the best medical center administrator in the 27 years I have lived here. These people are using scientists, epidemiologists, med...
Can't afford boondoggle To the Editor: Senator Stedman's diatribe defending his second road to nowhere is totally unpersuasive (Petersburg Pilot, July 2, 2020). His persistent opposition to public involvement smacks of a backroom deal gone wrong. But that does not matter. We simply cannot afford this boondoggle given Alaska's deficit spending and more pressing needs. This road was a last-minute addition to a capital budget done without adequate public hearings. True to form, Senator Stedman...
2,132 Alaskans are reported infected with the Covid-19 virus along with 487 non-residents as of July 21. Petersburg has had zero active cases of COVID-19 since Thursday, July 17 according to Borough Incident Commander Karl Hagerman. We count ourselves among the lucky simply because we live on this isolated island. If we counted on elected officials for a long overdue permanent emergency ordinance, we'd be disappointed. The borough assembly by a vote of 4-3 decided to delay the final passage of...
It's simple math To the Editor: Here is some simple math for the local folks who don't want to wear masks because of their constitutional "rights" and because a 1% COVID-19 mortality rate is no big deal. How can a disease with 1% mortality shut down the United States? There are two problems with this question: It neglects the law of large numbers; and it assumes that one of two things happen; you die or you're 100% fine. The US has a population of 328,200,000. If one percent of the population di...
We love public comments. So do public officials, in both elected and administrative positions. It's a part of the public process and the resulting discussions are critical to maintaining the democratic process that holds communities together. At Wednesday's assembly meeting, some were critical of a proposed ordinance that amended the provisions of the Borough Code on civil emergencies. Some comments were civil in their presentation but one writer felt the need to threaten elected officials with...
The following editorial was posted to the newspaper website on Monday, July 13. My goodness. Doesn't anyone pay attention to the details? Short-term mandates proposed by the Petersburg Emergency Operations Center are necessary to prevent the spread of the Corona virus and resulting Covid-19 infections. Some mandates are voluntary. Some are short-term. Some are longer term. The borough assembly establishes termination dates for all legislation they enact. The EOC is granted its authority by the...
Live life on our own terms To the Editor: The greatest joy of living where we do is the opportunity to live life on our own terms. Here we can walk up to the blackjack table or the roulette wheel or the gillnet drum or the longline gurdy and say, "Ok, pal, this is how it's going to go. I'm betting it all on black. Everything. But I'm spinning the wheel." "Sir, that's not how it's done." "That's how it's done this time. So back off, buddy." Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose, but the fame and...
Editor's Note: Reprinted from the Petersburg Pilot in 1995. See letter to the editor on page 4. We at the Pilot and Sentinel admit to including the occasional pink-tutu sighting or pooch-on-the-loose as some comic relief in the police report. But the real intent of the weekly police and court reports is not to fill empty space. Nor is it so that the Petersburg Pilot gets mentioned in Dave Barry's national humor column, as it was several weeks ago. Instead, the police and court reports are...
Turbulent Times To the Editor: We live in turbulent times. Everywhere in the lower 48 it seems monuments and statues are being toppled. Even in Alaska I've heard talk of removing certain statues of historical figures, and many worry that vandalism or some form of statuary dismemberment may be perpetrated I hope our local constabulary is keeping close watch on our own local statue, that bronze likeness of Bojer Wikan that dominates the Memorial Park. In his lifetime he frequently expressed his...
While the Petersburg Covid-19 infection count remains at 4, the statewide count continues to increase. Alaskan resident cases increased by 38 yesterday, a new daily high. Statewide the cumulative count to-date is 978. While Petersburg residents continue to grumble about Petersburg's mandates and the power the Petersburg Borough Assembly confers to the Emergency Operations Center officials, our infection rate remains flat. To us it means we are lucky. It also means that enough of us are...
Vital access corridor To the Editor: The Scow Bay turnaround has been a vital access corridor to Kupreanof homeowners and others in Petersburg for several decades. It came as quite a surprise to me and I'm sure others that the borough assembly voted to lease the turnaround to a private company, and that all the people that depend on this access had two weeks to find alternate places to park their vehicles. The harbor notified us by placing notifications up by the vehicle parking area, but...
Highway robbery To the Editor: Senator Stedman's so-called "Kake Access" Road is a colossal and shameful waste of $40 million dollars of public funds, which could be better spent on legitimate needs-especially during Alaska's protracted fiscal crisis. Construction mobilization is reportedly underway, despite the construction contract being listed as "pending" on the project awards page (http://dot.alaska.gov/procurement/awp/awp-cas.cfm). The lucrative contract is poised to go to out-of-state...
Precautions being taken To the Editor: The Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department is continuing to enforce its protection measures for its members and the public at the Fire Station. This is to maintain a safe working environment during the current health concern caused by Covid-19. The public and department members have been encouraged to minimize their visitation to the station to lessen the potential spread of this virus to department employees and volunteers. An infection of a member could... Full story
We are not done To the Editor: Until there is a vaccine or solid proof of acquired immunity we are not done. Being open requires participation in community safety. One cannot happen without the other. Social distancing, hand hygiene and those crazy ingenuous masks are a part of community safety. So is staying home when sick. And employers should do the right thing for the survival of their business to not make their employees choose between a day or a week without pay versus going to work sick....
Family following their dreams To the Editor: I need to make a correction, and addition to the photo caption in your May 14, 2020 paper. The Petersburg Weekly Report from October 26, 1917 stated "Mrs. A Ursin sold to Andrew Mathisen her residence property in the north end of town." The Ursins were direct relatives of Andrew's wife Anne Theodora, "Tora", whose maiden name was Ursin. She was the daughter of Laurits Solfest Ursin, and Anna Glasoe. An interesting note, Laurit's farm at Leikvikhamn...
Congratulations to the PHS Class of 2020! Despite the onset of a global wide Coronavirus pandemic that up-ended traditional end-of-year high school events and activities, the class of 2020 has persevered. Thanks to the generosity of parents, teachers and school administrators, the class will still receive a celebratory send-off that will be both memorable and meaningful. What graduating class has ever had individual photos displayed on giant banners lining main street? Way to go parents. To top...
We are sport, subsistence and commercial fishers in Bristol Bay, and we want to ensure the fisheries we rely on are healthy for generations to come. We write in protest of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s recent nomination of a Pebble Limited Partnership employee to the state Board of Fisheries. Since taking office, the governor has worked to advance the interests of a foreign mining company ahead of the interests of Alaskans. His recent nomination of Abe Williams, the Pebble Limited Partnership’s director of regional affairs, is another example of thi...
Ferry situation a disgrace To the Editor: The article on the AMHS receiving $10M in U.S. Virus recovery funds is a cover-up. You cannot blame the problems of the ferry system on the virus. The blame lies with the incompetence of the governor, the legislature, and the DOT. When was the last time that Petersburg and Wrangell had ferry service? When the M/V Matanuska broke down, common sense would tell you that you can't operate a ferry 24 hours a day, seven days a week, month after month without...
Before residents cheer the expiration of Petersburg's face masking mandate, they need to remember that the reopening of many local businesses rely on the use of face masks by both employees and patrons according to state health mandate #16. According to the Borough's Incident Commander Karl Hagerman, "There is very, very strong language in the state's reopening plan regarding face coverings. The Emergency Operations Center will continue to emphasize face coverings as being an important factor...
Mission of court system hasn't changed To the Editor: On behalf of the Alaska Court System, and particularly those of us working in the First Judicial District (Southeast), I want to extend to the people of Petersburg, Kake and the surrounding area our appreciation for your patience and consideration as we work through the challenges to our judicial process brought on by the current pandemic. As most of you are aware, we have had to suspend jury trials and most other in-person court... Full story
