The Petersburg Borough Assembly on Sept. 8 cleared the way for the sale of two more borough-owned lots to Skylark Park LLC, expanding the soon-to-be-developed housing subdivision off Skylark Way. The assembly voted unanimously to advance the application and exempt the sale from public auction, authorizing the borough manager to negotiate a direct sale at appraised value. Any final terms will return to the assembly for approval. The two parcels — Government Lots 26 and 27 in Section 33 — are each about 3.7 acres and are assessed at $82,400...
Five of the six candidates for Petersburg Borough Assembly (left to right) Donna Marsh, Sarah Fine-Walsh, Tom Kowalske, Jeigh Stanton Gregor, and Scott Newman participated in the live assembly candidates forum on Tues., Sept 15 in Assembly Chambers. Don Koenigs was out of town and unable to attend virtually. A recording of the forum can be found in the 2026 Voter Guide at...
Petersburg's Rainforest Festival added a new event last Saturday - a Bear Mini Fair - which drew Fish and Game wildlife education and outreach coordinator Abby McAllister from Juneau to talk with residents about living in bear country. In a follow-up interview, McAllister told the Pilot that her central message for Petersburg is that conflicts with bears are almost entirely avoidable. "All of the interactions that can be perceived as negative - whether it's a bear dumping trash out on the...
Last weekend, a nine-person team from Petersburg - all of them Medical Center employees or relatives of employees - ran the 175-kilometer Klondike Road Relay from Skagway, Alaska, into Whitehorse, Yukon. And did it dressed, more or less, as pickles. The team called itself "The Big Dills," and "oh my gosh, we had so much fun," said team captain Megan Litster. The Klondike Road Relay is an overnight, 175-kilometer (roughly 110-mile) race that is broken into 10 legs of varying length, from about...
The Southeast Regional Advisory Council for the Federal Subsistence Board will meet in Gustavus Oct. 20-22 and Heather Bauscher will be there with her newest cohort of students. Bauscher has led students through federal subsistence meetings since 2016 – but this time she's attending as a national award-winning teacher and community engagement specialist. Over the summer, Bauscher and her colleague Ashley Bolwerk won the National Rise to the Future Public Awareness Award from the U.S. Forest...
The S.H.A.R.E. Coalition will host its second annual Mocktails and Mingle from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the John Hanson Sr. Hall, a free, all-ages event built around sober socializing, games and community connection. The gathering is open to the entire community and organized with several community partners, said Ashley Kawashima, a member of the coalition. Food and snacks will be provided, along with a cookie-decorating station for dessert. "Everybody gets to decorate their own cookies," Kawashima said. Activities will include giant Jenga, an...
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Glaciers are in the public eye following the glacier collapse in Nepal and flooding in Juneau last month. These ice giants are as part of the Alaska landscape as salmon or bears, but their scale and remote nature make them difficult to study, leaving them as one of the more mysterious natural phenomena. On Sept. 9, student scientists from the Wrangell High School Shakes Glacier monitoring team and University of Oregon graduate student Victoria Benson gave a presentation on their research. The...
September 10, 1926 – Three hundred citizens were left homeless and without food or clothing when nearly all of the village of Kake was destroyed by a fire which started yesterday afternoon, according to telegraphic advices received by the Petersburg Press this morning. At the time of going to press this afternoon, victims of the fire were beginning to arrive in Petersburg to seek food and shelter with friends and relatives. The Coast Guard cutter Unalga left Juneau last night at midnight en route to Kake with supplies for those left...
With the season quickly moving by, this past weekend's meet in Ketchikan was one of the last opportunities for the PHS Cross Country team to round into form before regionals – and they did exactly that while competing against Ketchikan, Craig, Juneau-Douglas, Skagway, Haines, Mt Edgecumbe and Wrangell. The girls team has been one of the most consistent units in Southeast Alaska so far as all members of the team finished in the top 30. Arielle Tucker led the way with her sixth place finish,...
We feel so fortunate To the Editor: Thank you, Petersburg, for joining us in celebrating our 70th wedding anniversary and Shannon’s 90th birthday. We feel so fortunate to be part of such a caring community. Our children and grandchildren were nurtured and educated here, and now the fourth generation of our family is growing up here in this encouraging environment. You welcomed us when we arrived in 1971, and you continue to be a blessing to us. “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord cause his face to shine upon you and be gracious to...
THANK YOU!! To the Editor: To the friendly and talented employees and medics of the Joy Jansson Clinic and Petersburg Medical Center, My name is Bill Springston. I’m 94 years old, but if you met me, you’d swear I was only 92. My wife, Susan, is just a kid (80 years). We’ve been here since May of 2025. We were lured to Petersburg by our daughter Gina and her family (Paul, Sam, and Nate and a larger-than-life dog, Captain). My wife wanted us to consider moving to Petersburg to retire. I replied, “WHAT?” She wanted us to put our names...
The state treasury is flush with oil revenue. Not because of investment in new production in Alaska — though that certainly is underway — but because the U.S. war with Iran is driving up oil prices faster and higher than drivers can afford. The average for a gallon of diesel in the U.S. drove past $6 last week, speeding to a record high. The average price for gasoline was $4.31 a gallon on Sept. 13, up $1.13 from a year ago, according to AAA, the country’s largest motoring and leisure travel membership organization. Those prices are bad...
Laron (Larry) Pratt Martin Jr. was born in Anchorage, Alaska, on December 29, 1947, to Laron Pratt Martin Sr. and Mercedes Dwars Martin. He grew up in Anchorage and, after graduating from East High in 1966, attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks until joining the Navy. In his twenties, Larry went into retail management and truly found his calling. He worked for Carr-Gottstein and the Alaska Commercial Company for many years. He embraced challenges of retail management and his adventurous... Full story
September 9 – An officer conducted a welfare check at North Harbor. Gerald Lind was issued a citation for illegal camping. An officer assisted another agency on Arness Heights. An officer responding to a report of suspicious activity on S Nordic Drive determined it was unfounded. An officer conducted a welfare check on Chief John Lott. An officer assisted another agency. An officer assisted another agency. An officer spoke with a complainant regarding a civil issue on Vesta Street. An officer responding to a call to assist a citizen on...
