The window to file for candidacy in Petersburg's upcoming local election closed Tuesday afternoon. In total, 24 people filed for the various positions. There are 20 open seats among several boards slated for the October 7 ballot, including a mayoral race. That race is contested this year, as are the races for Petersburg Borough Assembly and the Public Safety Advisory Board. Current assembly members Bob Lynn and Scott Newman are both running for mayor. Mayor Mark Jensen is not running for...
Hannah Weaver and Olivia Rose and Taylor Heckart, KFSK Radio
Petersburg's school buildings and surrounding area were on lockdown for over an hour Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 26, after police received a report of a person with an AR-15 gun and multiple magazines in a school bathroom. The Petersburg Police Department, Alaska Wildlife Troopers and U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement responded and secured the area. Officers found no real threat on the premises and determined it was a false report. "I'm sure people were alarmed, but rest assured it's safe and...
A late-night car crash south of Petersburg on Friday, Aug. 22, landed two people in the local hospital with moderate injuries. The crash happened about nine miles from town on Mitkof Highway near what's known as the "S-curve" in the road, just south of Twin Creek. A four-door truck traveling northbound did not clear the curve and went off the roadway, ending up in the forest brush downhill. Emergency dispatch got a text message around 9:30 p.m. that an accident had occurred within a few miles...
After six years of collecting data using trail cameras, radio collars, and DNA analysis, a deer population research project on Mitkof Island, currently led by Ketchikan-based Alaska Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Biologist Tessa Hasbrouck, is entering its final phase. Historically, deer population monitoring in Southeast Alaska relied on relatively simple methods. Biologists would walk through the woods each spring counting deer pellets, or fly over alpine areas in summer tallying visible...
Alaska Marine Lines will stop carrying electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles aboard its freight barges to Southeast Alaska as of Sept. 1, due to safety concerns. The change doesn’t apply to hybrid vehicles that don’t plug in, according to an Aug. 12 announcement from the barge line. The decision is due to “the increased complexity and fire risk associated with shipping large lithium-ion batteries on vessels at sea.” “While issues with lithium-ion batteries are infrequent, the inability...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, parent agency of the U.S. Forest Service, announced Wednesday that it is moving ahead with plans to rescind a rule that has restricted logging and construction on millions of acres of federal lands in the American West for more than two decades. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in a written statement that the agency intends to open public comments Friday on its proposal to end the so-called “Roadless Rule,” an act that will affect as much... Full story
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Petersburg's Rainforest Festival is back, after several years with dispersed year-round programming but without the customary fall festival. Taking place mostly on the weekend after Labor Day, September 3-7, the festival will once again offer an immersive celebration of local ecology, art, science, and locally harvested food. "We're really excited to have it back," says Sunny Rice, one of the festival's organizers. "While the dispersed events were lovely, it left us kind of without a Rainforest...
August 28, 1925 – The Alaska Fisherman in its August number makes some very serious charges about the waste of herring that should be investigated. It mentions the names of several persons and alleges that these dumped large quantities of herring into the bay. Herring as a food fish is as valuable, if not more so, than salmon. Its fine qualities are becoming known. It is being put up for the market in increasing quantities each year. Over $12,000 was this season expended in Petersburg by one firm alone for herring for the middle western...
Kacey Hammer is stepping into her first official teaching role this fall as Stedman Elementary’s newest kindergarten teacher. Hammer is currently completing her Master’s degree in Elementary Education at the University of Alaska Southeast, working toward her K-8 certification. She’ll begin the school year on a provisional license while finishing her student teaching requirements in her own classroom — an arrangement that her UAS advisor encouraged. “He was like, ‘You’re...
Newly college graduate Trinity Edwards grew up in Winnifred, Montana, population 150, and was looking for a place like Petersburg - a tight-knit community that supports its schools - as the place to start her teaching career. "I wanted a school that's going to be supported by the community," Edwards says. "Back home, our big thing was basketball too - the entire town showing up for games. It was going to be really important for me to have a community that was supportive of the school - like...
Life in small town Alaska will probably be a pretty smooth transition for Stedman Elementary's new fourth grade teacher Trevor Wilson, who grew up in Unalaska – an island community on the Aleutian chain similar in size to Petersburg -- where his father worked as a school principal. As a younger man Wilson had not wanted to follow too closely in his father's footsteps and didn't want to be a teacher. But when he went off to college at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana, he had a...
After 16 years in special education and a recent year teaching in one of Alaska's most remote villages, Jocelynne Parker is bringing her passion for those needing extra support to Petersburg High School. Parker comes to Petersburg from Houston, Texas, by way of Nuiqsut, a village of 600 people on Alaska's North Slope, where she taught PreK through 12th grade special education for the past year. The transition from Houston to the Arctic Circle was dramatic, but Parker connected with the culture...
The elementary school's new counselor Dave Fonken comes to Petersburg from Southern Oregon. He says he found Petersburg's thriving school community and endless local outdoor recreation opportunities very appealing. "I was looking for a combination of a really healthy district with a lot of places to play," Fonken explains. "Both of those things really came together here." Fonken brings eleven years of school counseling experience to his new role. His journey in education began as a Spanish...
Alenna Nilsen has also been hired by the district this year. A former employee of the Petersburg School District who taught middle school social studies, Nilsen will be working with students needing academic interventions to prevent falling further behind and to support students needing credit recovery to meet graduation requirements. Nilsen was not available for an interview with the...
To register a new student, please stop by the office at 303 Dolphin Street by August 29. You will need to bring a current immunization record and birth certificate – a legible copy is okay. For questions, please call or text the office at 907-302-2385 or 877-526-7656, ext. 400 Mrs. Willis, Kindergarten: Padme Carr, Marit Dougher, Esmeralda Ford, Kenna Gillen, Eupha Marsden-Evenson, Ejah’Nay Mitchell, Scarlett Morrison, Mason Newman, Lydia Padgett, Grayson Tate, Ava Turcott, Maeve Uppencamp, Raiden Wagemaker, Arne Wollen Mrs. Hammer,...
The Petersburg High School Cross Country team embarked on their title defense with a fast start at the Milk Run Classic this past weekend. In a highly competitive first meet that included teams such as Craig, Hoonah, Ketchikan, Klawock, Sitka and Wrangell, the Vikings left nothing in the tank. "Overall, awesome performance! I was really happy with how the kids did this weekend," head coach Casey Gates said. "They performed as well as I would've hoped for and, honestly better." For the boys...
Why I decided to run for Mayor To the Editor: I have given a lot of thought about whether I should run for Mayor. I have asked my wife and many friends and acquaintances that question. It has not been an easy decision. I believe strongly in our community and have invested lots of time to help make it a community that will grow and prosper during these times of great change. I believe we will see a shift of costs from both the State and Federal governments to the local level. We will need to be more self-reliant on local issues like housing,...
In last week’s edition of the Pilot, the byline was missing from the guest editorial. That was a production error during the page layout. The writer of that opinion piece was Larry Persily. Thank you to the several people who were alarmed by the publication of an unsigned editorial. That was an unintentional omission and the Pilot apologizes for the production mistake. A few weeks earlier there was another opinion-signing error, this time it was an error of editorial judgment. A letter was signed by “Mitzi the Bear.” Thank you to the...
August 20 - An officer conducted extra patrols at South Harbor. Lockout service was completed on S Nordic Drive. Authorities took a report of lost credit cards on N Nordic Drive. An officer responded to a disturbance on N 3rd Street. An officer assisted a citizen with concerns she was having on Sing Lee Alley. A barking dog was reported on Howkan Street. An officer assisted Emergency Medical Services (EMS) on N Nordic Drive. A wallet was reported lost on N Nordic Drive & Fram Street. An officer conducted extra patrols on Charles W Street. An...
