Though the state will have two ferries that could operate next summer on the popular route between Bellingham, Washington, and Alaska, it will park the Kennicott at the dock in Ketchikan, keeping it out of service for the fourth summer in a row due to a persistent crew shortage. The Alaska Marine Highway System has suffered from chronic crew vacancies ever since it tried to resume full service in 2022 after deep cuts to its schedule — and staffing — in 2021-2022 when the COVID-19 pandemic...
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The Petersburg Borough Assembly has approved having temporary sales tax exemption cards available for seniors with pending eligibility. Petersburg voters passed a proposition this fall that limits the town’s senior sales tax exemption to only seniors who qualify as low-income. That eligibility is determined by the state’s income-based Senior Benefits Payment Program. As the Borough’s qualification change goes into effect in January, seniors applying for an exemption card need to show the... Full story
Some Petersburg residents spent the day in single-digit temperatures and several feet of fresh snow Dec. 20 to participate in the annual Christmas Bird Count, documenting 57 species and a total of 7,318 birds around Mitkof Island. "The Christmas Bird Count weather this year provided a snow challenge unlike any we've had for many years," said Brad Hunter, who coordinates the Mitkof Island bird count which has been conducted annually since 1989. "Most people involved commented that there didn't...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved prioritized lists of capital projects for state and federal funding requests at its Jan. 5 meeting. The priority list is topped by two projects that have been selected for Congressionally Directed Spending but have not yet survived the congressional appropriations gauntlet – $2 million for an overhaul of the Banana Point boat launch facilities and $8 million toward wastewater treatment plant improvements. The Banana Point project — which...
The second of two men arrested in Petersburg last summer for scamming an elderly resident has been sentenced to a year in jail, closing the case as a third suspect remains at-large. Shubham Patel, 25, pleaded guilty to theft charges in October and was sentenced during a final hearing at the Petersburg Courthouse on Dec. 8. In a plea deal for reduced penalties, Patel agreed to cooperate with the state's investigation into the elaborate phone scheme that defrauded the victim of over $100,000. Two... Full story
As if a record 82 inches of snow in December wasn't enough to bury Juneau, more snow arrived this week. The National Weather Service forecast up to an additional foot of snow possible for Juneau early this week, turning to a mix of rain and snow before turning to all rain for the weekend. The prediction of even more snow is heaping more misery upon a weary community. Residents have been shoveling, plowing, snowblowing and hauling, trying to clear their streets and driveways, parking lots,...
The unofficial 2026 Petersburg Indian Association election results are in. Tribal members re-elected Carol Martinez to a one-year term as council president, and elected Stephanie Silva to a two-year tribal council seat. Martinez and Silva were the only candidates running for spots on the tribal council this year, leaving two council member seats unfilled. This year’s election had a significant decrease in candidates compared to previous years. Last year, 11 candidates and two write-ins ran... Full story
Petersburg area mountain snowpack has rebounded dramatically from near-record lows in early December to above-average depths at lower elevations, according to the last two months of snow surveys conducted by the U.S. Forest Service. The City Reservoir site at 550 feet elevation measured 19.1 inches of snow in early January, about 148% of the long-term average for this time of year. In early December, the same site had no snow at all. At the higher elevation Raven’s Ridge site at 1,650 feet,...
So far this season, the Petersburg Boys Basketball team have played all road games, six games in total. They've won four of their first six road games. In game one, the Vikings beat the Chiefs 44-26, a wire to wire victory. “From the beginning of the game, I felt like we really tried to push the tempo against them. I think that might’ve caught them a little off guard,” head coach Rick Brock said. “We had a little bit more confidence than they did and we were able to set the temp from...
The Petersburg High School Girls Varsity began their season on the road against the Metlakatla Miss Chiefs this past weekend. First games of the season are interesting because sometimes, you don’t know what the other team has planned and vice versa. “In game one, [the Miss Chiefs] came out in a 3-2 zone, which was a surprise because they’ve historically ran a 2-3 zone,” head coach Matt Pawuk said. “[Our] offense admittedly against the zone was not very effective.” It wasn’t just...
Petersburg’s volunteer ambulance crew wants YOU To the Editor: Imagine it’s one a.m. Suddenly you’re awakened by a call for help. You run to the hallway where your loved one is on the floor, struggling to breathe. You’re not sure what’s wrong and you can’t lift them on your own. You dial 911. The call goes out for an ambulance. Pager alarms wake up volunteer Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) at their homes. They jump out of bed, throw on some clothes and head to the fire hall. Soon, an ambulance arrives at your home, lights...
Alaskans this fall will vote for the third time whether they prefer open primary elections to choose their favorite candidates for Congress, governor and the state Legislature. For the third time, they will decide how much clout political parties should have in deciding which candidates make it past the primary and onto the general election ballot. And for the third time, voters will decide whether they like the system that requires a candidate to win at least 50% of the vote in the general election to get the job, filtering out the...
December 30 - An officer issued a warning for taillight requirements on Sing Lee Alley. Authorities responded to a parking complaint. An officer assisted a citizen with snow chains on N 3rd Street. It was reported that a deer had been struck on Mitkof Hwy. Alaska State Troopers (AST) were notified and responded. December 31 - Suspicious activity was reported on S 2nd Street. No criminal activity was found to be happening. January 1 - There was a report of fireworks on 3rd Street. An officer found no one shooting off fireworks upon his...
