Sorted by date Results 526 - 550 of 911
To those with concern of the Sitka herring fishery, This letter is in regard to the upcoming Sitka herring fishery in 2019. There are a few intentions in taking the time to write this. I understand much of the wording involved here is best to include a bit of care so as not to be mistaken or misunderstood. Plainly, I’d like to point out this: our chances of harvesting the allotted quota for 2019 is very slim. I see an importance in writing this letter to explain why. Maybe it’s best to introduce myself before I continue. My name is Chuck Ske...
We all too often make the mistake of only focusing on our challenges rather than all the good things going on in our Community. In this vein, I asked the Department Heads to give me two statements each for this last meeting in 2018: “Your work-related accomplishment you are the proudest of this year,” and “Your work-related thing you are the most thankful for.” Starting with mine: I am the proudest of our Department Heads who are new or who have taken on new challenges; Chief James Kerr, Karl Hagerman, Chris Cotta and Deputy Clerk Daniell...
The secret is out about Secret Cove Charters. 31-year charter boat captain Dan O'Neil has let the cat out of the bag in his nearly tell all book, "Dropping My Lines." Through humorous, sometimes irreverent prose, O'Neil recounts the highlights of his fishing career including stints aboard commercial crab and halibut boats along with tales of daily life aboard his own fishing charter vessel. You'll chuckle your way through this entertaining collection of short stories that are colorfully...
Problem at playground To the Editor: We have a problem on the Stedman Elementary playground. People are not picking up their dog's poop. I have a suggestion. Reuse your bread bags, cereal bags and plastic grocery bags. Tie them on your leash, then scoop your dog's poop. Emi Anderson, 3rd Grade Stedman Elementary Student Council Slow down and consider impacts To the Editor: I was born in Petersburg in 1947, completed grade and high school, married and raised my family, invested in some...
The borough assembly wisely voted against sending Mayor Jensen’s letter to Viking Cruise Lines asking them to refrain from bringing their ships here until Petersburg can determine what level of tourism it can handle. The letter suggested that Petersburg can only handle 250 visitors per day. In fact, Petersburg regularly handles much larger numbers throughout the summer in addition to summer cannery workers and visitors arriving on the airlines and ferries. Sales tax revenue from visitors is needed to replenish the borough coffers as more and m...
Don’t understand To the Editor: My family recently traveled from near and far to spend Thanksgiving in Petersburg. My kids surprised my husband and I with a beautiful Christmas gift of a photo shoot for the family. Fourteen of our family members (and photographer) gathered at Sandy Beach and spent a couple of hours enjoying the beauty of the outdoors and capturing the memories of our time together. It was lovely. What wasn’t so lovely were the piles and piles of dog crap. It was everywhere! We had to watch every step we took or we would mos...
Felt truly blessed To the Editor: I recently stopped in Petersburg to visit my son after attending the wedding of my granddaughter in Anchorage. However, due to a medical emergency, my visit was extended for a short while longer than was planned. What started out as a medical emergency ended with a tremendous feeling of gratitude and thankfulness. I want to express my appreciation to all of the kind hearted and warm people that I had the good fortune of meeting while I was there. I am so impressed with the staff at the Petersburg Medical...
Context needed To the Editor: Context was missing from the article about the visitor industry information meeting (November 7). For example, we had approximately 9,000 cruise ship visitors this summer, down from a peak of 18,000 in 2006. And now there’s a marine passenger fee. At $5 each, that means an additional $45,000 for our community. Imagine if we had that in place when we had double the passengers we get today. Did you know we already have days where 400+ people are in town when multiple ships are here at the same time? Yes, it can g...
The town that fish built To the Editor: Ocean acidification and global warming do scare me. This letter is to relate my ideas about what is going on with the politics and perils of the heating of the atmosphere. Many of the people of the modern world are in this moment burning fossil fuels and causing the warming of the atmosphere of the earth. This is degrading economic opportunities. Many of these same people are working to create strategies to reduce the use of fossil fuel. This will help man...
The assembly needs to reconsider their vote to initiate a training session to disseminate information about state law regarding the open meetings act. It’s important that all assembly, board and commission members be aware of the requirements of the law as they carry out the duties of elected office. The $5,800 cost of the training proposed at the assembly meeting is a modest sum to pay if it prevents a lawsuit resulting from an open meetings violation. Furthermore, since it will be convened as a public meeting, citizens can learn more about t...
Don’t miss the Tues., Nov. 6 meeting in the Assembly Chambers to discuss the impacts of cruise ship passengers on our community at 5:30 p.m. Petersburg has welcomed summer visitors since the 1960s and before that hunters and sport fishermen made less frequent visits to the ‘burg. Even today, Petersburg attracts guests because we’re, “off the map,” and are able to maintain our small working-town atmosphere. Despite the laments of a few, Petersburg businesses have grown the visitor industry into a viable part of the local economy. We all benefit...
Roadless rule non-supporter To the Editor: Wow. Now that you have heard all the negative talk about the Roadless Act here is some positive. I am a supporter of logging in a mangeable manner. I also support road building, wildlife support and management. Southeast Alaska needs all of these things. The roadless rule/act has taken all this away. I lost my job to the Roadless Act. I cut timber in Southeast and no one gave me a subsidy check. Logging helps our wildlife thrive, they love the new sprouts. Deer, moose and bear feed in these clear...
Thank you To the Editor: A bit of excitement at the Tuesday night PHS Music Concert? Yes. Is everything all right now? Yes. I just wanted to take this opportunity to say what a wonderful community of people we live in. From the EMTs who immediately came to help, to the nurses who also came, talked us through it, or followed us out the door, to all the friends who inquired after us and wished us well, this town is comprised of some big-hearted individuals. Each of the individuals who came to our aid ended up taking time away from watching the...
Roadless areas are the cornerstone to the economy and well being of southeast. The Roadless Rule is working for its designed purpose which is to ensure that the 99% of the economy that depends on intact old growth forest is protected from the less than 1% that wants to clearcut it and export it round. It is a myth that old growth is a renewable resource. There is a limit to how many 300 yr. old logs can be piled on a log ship bound for China. The ecosystem itself probably takes three times that long to mature. It’s simply unsustainable. A...
The 2001 Roadless Rule, covering 58 million acres of National Forest Land, including the Tongass and Chugach National Forests, was pushed through the entire national rulemaking and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) processes in 15 months. The 2001 Roadless Rule was promulgated by the outgoing Clinton Administration just eight days before President George W. Bush was inaugurated. The Roadless Rule was justified by the Clinton Administration’s claim that a national level “whole picture” review of National Forest roadless areas was neede...
Passage of Proposition 1 will reimburse citizens who most desperately need the sales tax exemption — the elderly people living on various assistance programs. It’s pure folly to have millionaires and well-off retired and elderly residents benefiting from the exemption while the Petersburg Borough administration cuts quality of life programs that benefit the youth in the community. Parks and Rec. programs such as the aquatic center, weight room, racquetball courts, gym, park maintenance will be cut back or eliminated first. Cuts will follow in o...
MVFS misconception To the Editor: I want to address a small point in Glo Wollen’s letter this last issue. Thanking Glo for her fine support of Proposition 1, which I agree, she referred to a popular misconception as she described our quality of life in Petersburg. Many citizens use the term “Meals on Wheels” when they refer to Petersburg’s Senior dining program. The Mt. View Food Service is not an affiliate of Meals on Wheels. We are an organization in Petersburg which is dedicated to a senior group dining experience. If eligible consume...
Fair Share To the Editor: 574 seniors have been given tax free cards, 89 of them get some form of assistance. That leaves almost 500 seniors that don’t really need a hand out. I don’t understand why people that have huge homes, million dollar homes, multiple homes feel they deserve not to be taxed just because they are 65 or more. To me that is the same is saying since I’m 65 or older I don’t have any pride in my community and I shouldn’t have to pay my fair share. Show you still do have pride and support your community. Pay your fair shar...
SB 134 becomes law To the Editor: SB 134 becomes law this week. This law will allow a victim of rape crimes the right to petition the courts from allowing the perpetrator the ability to seek custody of a child conceived illegally. The legislature enacted this law in response to a situation that originated here in Petersburg almost nine years ago. Nearly all states and the Federal Government now have laws that prohibit or limit the rights of sex offenders from being awarded custody against the wishes of the victimized parent. Two months ago in...
Clarification To the Editor: Thank you to the Petersburg Pilot for the coverage of the 1st annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Walk/Run. I would like to clarify that while my granddaughter Amalia was correctly identified as Alaska Native, I am not. I am however a proud member of the Seetka Kwann Dance group, founded in 1990 and led by Jeanette Ness. Many thanks to SEARHC, WAVE, PIA and Petersburg Parks and Rec for coordinating this event and to all who participated. Karin McCullough Senior exemption thorny issue To the Editor: The...
Vote yes To the Editor: Push is coming to shove at the borough budget due to declining revenues. Management is having to make budget cuts. Property taxes and sales taxes are the largest two sources of revenue that pay for schools, police, fire protection, library and museum, even part of Mt. View Manor food service and KFSK. Now we have almost 600 senior sales tax exemption cards in our population of just 3,000. Sales tax revenue is consequently less. This October’s ballot proposition changes the sales tax program to give sales tax rebates t...
Public responsibility To the Editor: I wish and hope that people would be responsible but I have not found that to generally be the case. I am promoting the banning of plastic bags or at least charging people a $.25 tax for each because I know people sometimes need to be incentivized/ encouraged to be responsible. My family comes from PA/ Cleveland. Both my grandfathers, coal miners, were dead before they were 50 thanks to clean coal. Living in Cleveland I got to watch our local river catch on fire, thanks to the personal responsibility of...
Personal responsibility is the solution To the Editor: It’s not about the bag. I was dismayed to hear that Petersburg is following in the steps of too many other cities by considering a prohibition on the use of the common plastic grocery bag and will instead “encourage” the use of reusable shopping bags (typically made of plastic). Let’s think about it with a few examples. Plastic grocery bags are pure genius as they indeed can be used over and over (think recycling). How about keeping feet dry in wet boots? On commercial fishing boats,...
Senior Benefits To the Editor: Remember the old Alaska Longevity Bonus Program of 1972? It ran into trouble with fairness due to residency requirements. Seniors who had lived here a long time got $250 per month. It has morphed into the Alaska Senior Benefits Program now based on need for low or moderate income Alaskans. Eligibility is based on income not on assets. When the sales tax refund takes effect seniors who qualify for this program will also qualify for the sales tax refund checks from...
Senior sales tax debate To the Editor: My question is what about all of those seniors who live on their SS and maybe a small retirement and do not receive any type of assistance? For those who are recently retired it may not be a hardship now but in 10 years it certainly may be when the prices continue to climb when you are on a fixed income. Hopefully I will still be able to pay for my home and essentials, but wonder what the quality of my life here will be like. Will I still want to stay with limited income and services being cut? I do not...
