Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 57
With the M/V Matanuska going out of service last week, ferry service via the Alaska Marine Highway has completely shut down. According to a press release from the Alaska Department of Transportation, new issues have been found with the ferry's reduction gear system. The Matanuska, at the time of writing, is being towed to Ketchikan for repairs. "AMHS is aware of travel needs for upcoming school and community tournaments in March and is exploring options for alternative service in the event...
Petersburg and Wrangell both saw an overall increase in population from 2010 through 2019, but while Petersburg's population rose between 2018 and 2019, Wrangell's population saw a drop in the same timeframe, according to data from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. There were 3,203 residents living in Petersburg in 2010 and in 2019, there were 3,226, according to the ADLWD. Those figures equal to a .08 percent growth for the decade and 1.12 percent growth in the last...
Due to the rising costs of production and numerous electronic options, Alaska Power & Telephone will stop printing phone books after the 2020 edition that is coming out in March. According to Mary Jo Quandt, vice president of customer operations with AP&T, state legislation in 2015 removed the requirement for telecom companies to produce physical phonebooks. AP&T has still been printing phone books over the past five years but now production costs are just getting too steep. "Many telecom...
The cities of Wrangell and Petersburg both briefly lost power on Friday morning, Jan. 10. The power outage occurred a little before 11 a.m. and lasted about an hour. Both cities typically receive their electricity from a hydro plant at Tyee Lake, near Bradfield Canal. Rod Rhoades, light and power director for Wrangell, said that there was a "phase to phase fault" in the power line between the lake and the two cities. He speculated that this could mean something like a tree branch fell on the...
For the next three months, Wrangell will be experiencing above normal precipitation levels and temperatures, according to the National Weather Service in Juneau. The Climate Prediction Center is showing a 33 to 40 percent chance of perception levels being above average both in Wrangell and throughout Southeast Alaska this winter. During the same period, Wrangell will also be seeing a 33 to 40 percent chance of warmer than normal temperatures. "Although this time period is too far out to give...
PETERSBURG – Garitt Johnston, 30, was indicted by a Grand Jury on Nov. 21 for his involvement with Eric Jennings, who had received a package with heroin, methamphetamine and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) in it on Nov. 9. Johnston was indicted on one count of aiding or abetting the manufacturing or delivery of a schedule IA controlled substance with intent to manufacture or deliver and one count of aiding or abetting the possession with intent to manufacture or deliver any amount of a schedule IIA or IIIA controlled substance, according to t...
PETERSBURG – A Grand Jury indicted Eric Jennings, 39, on three of the five counts set before them on Nov. 14. Jennings was indicted on misconduct involving a controlled substance in the fourth degree, tampering with physical evidence and criminal mischief in the third degree. The two other counts, misconduct involving a controlled substance in the second degree and misconduct involving a controlled substance in the third degree, were withdrawn. On Nov. 7, Kevin Home, a United States postal i...
PETERSBURG – The water level at Tyee Lake was at 1,380.6 feet as of Nov. 18, which will allow the hydro plant to produce power for over seven months should all inflows to the lake stop. As part of the Southeast Alaska Power Agency, Tyee Lake dedicates its power to Petersburg and Wrangell, while Swan Lake produces power for Ketchikan. The 1,380.6 foot water level is about even with normal water levels for this time of the year, and is above the approximately 1,300 foot water level in November 2...
This year’s moose season finished with a final count of 127 animals, which is a new Unit Three record, according to Petersburg Fish & Game. Last week when the season ended on Oct. 15, final preliminary numbers showed 125 moose harvested this year, but hunters had an additional five days from the end of the season to report their kills to fish and game. Since the end of the season, two more moose were reported. The additional moose were shot in the Stikine River area and another mainland location. In 2017, hunters set a unit record of 119 moose...
The 2019 moose season ended with a preliminary count of 125 animals, setting a new record in unit three. Moose season began on Sept. 15 and ended Tuesday, Oct. 15. As of Wednesday afternoon, the final number of moose brought in by hunters this season was 125. Hunters have until five days after the end of the season to report their kill to fish and game officials. "It's still subject to change," said Fish and Game Area Biologist Frank Robbins. "I don't expect it to change a lot." In 2017,...
PETERSBURG – Mike Payne, a local resident was part of a hunting trip last Friday when a skiff capsized in Duncan Canal around 1 A.M. that resulted in the death of Doug Larson. Payne said that Larson and Charles King were bringing the rest of their hunting buddies warm pizza when the wind and tide became too strong and pulled the skiff back to shore. Payne couldn't see the duo in the dark, but at one point he heard a yell. "We called out, but through the wind and tide they couldn't hear us or u...
The water level at Tyee Lake was at 1,344.9 feet on Sept. 30, which is roughly 60 feet higher than it was this time last year. As part of the Southeast Alaska Power Agency, Tyee Lake dedicates its power to Petersburg and Wrangell, while Swan Lake produces power for Ketchikan. While the 1,345 foot water level is lower than the norm for Tyee Lake, it is still higher than the 1,285 foot water level in September 2018, said Petersburg Borough Utility Director Karl Hagerman. If water were to stop...
The Southeast Alaska Power Agency Board approved $97,750 to replace the backup battery bank at the Tyee Lake hydro facility at a regular board meeting last Thursday. Early last month, Petersburg and Wrangell were providing their own power for about a week while the Tyee Lake Hydro facility was offline for annual maintenance. During the maintenance period, SEAPA conducted a battery capacity discharge test of the hydro project's nickel-cadmium batteries. Three hours into the test, one of the...
PETERSBURG — The Petersburg Police Department served search warrants at 410 Mitkof Highway at approximately 3:50 P.M. on Tuesday, Sept. 10 and found distribution quantities of heroin and methamphetamine with a combined street value of approximately $61,670, according to police. Carter Gueller, 30, was arrested and booked into the Petersburg jail on charges of misconduct involving a controlled substance in the second degree, a class A felony, misconduct involving a controlled substance in the t...
In the past year, at least four citizens from Petersburg and Wrangell have sought and gained their U.S. citizenship to be with their families and for peace of mind. Elisa Teodori originates from Italy, but moved to Petersburg after she met her husband, Tor Benson, while working in Ecuador. Laura Davies first came to the US from Canada to work as a recreation therapist in Georgia, but eventually moved to Wrangell to take a job working with Alaska Crossings and met her husband. Gilda Barkfelt...
PETERSBURG – A call was placed to the Petersburg Fire Department at 7:40 P.M. Monday night after residents reported seeing dark, black smoke coming from the Public Works Department lot on 2nd St. Flames were coming from a shed that was filled with large, spare tires for the borough's vehicles. Nearby residents stated they also heard loud popping noises. The fire was contained by about 8 P.M., but firefighters didn't leave until around 9:30 P.M, said Assistant Fire Chief Dave Berg. The cause of...
As the dry weather persists though the summer, Tyee Lake water levels continue to be below the normal levels for early August. As part of the Southeast Alaska Power Agency, Tyee Lake dedicates its power to Petersburg and Wrangell, while Swan Lake produces power for Ketchikan. Water in Tyee Lake reached 1,313 feet Monday morning. The water level is lower than the norm for Tyee Lake this time of year, but it is higher than the water level this time last year, said Utility Director Karl Hagerman....
With approximately 400 members of the Inlandboatmen's Union going on strike last Wednesday, July 24, the Alaska Marine Highway System came to a halt. Without ferry services, many people across the state, especially in Southeast Alaska, found themselves stranded. In the communities of Wrangell and Petersburg, many people are facing disruptions to their schedules, families, and work. WRANGELL: Several of Wrangell's children and adults attending a church camp in Juneau were stranded when the ferry...
PETERSBURG – An ordinance allowing the use of fireworks within service area one three days out of the year was passed by the borough assembly in its third reading on Monday. Ordinance #2019-04 allows residents to light fireworks on their property on July 3 and 4 and Dec. 31 from 12 P.M. to 1 A.M. Those who light fireworks within service area one outside of the three dates stated in the ordinance can face up to a $500 fine. The ordinance will also allow special permits for the use of consumer fir...
PETERSBURG – There has a been a decrease in air cargo coming into Petersburg that is affecting the timely arrival of residents’ packages after the retirement of Alaska Airline’s combi 737-400 aircraft, a half passenger and half cargo jet, at the end of 2016, according to Joe Prus, CEO of City Cargo. Prus has asked his customers to submit feedback to Alaska Airlines on their website informing the airline company of the inconvenience of not receiving their packages on time. “There’s medications and things that [residents] rely on to have moved in...
The United States Coast Guard has located possible debris from an aircraft with three people onboard that was due to land in Kake Tuesday evening at 6:19 P.M., according to a USCG press release. On board the Guardian King Air 200 medical life flight, which departed from Anchorage, was a pilot, a nurse and a paramedic who were planning on picking up a patient in Kake. Because of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations, representatives from Kake Health Clinic and Guardian...
PETERSBURG – The borough assembly passed ordinance 2018-21 on Dec.17 in its first reading which allocates $400,000 from the sanitation fund and $200,000 from the Motor Pool to replace the borough’s baler. Last month, the assembly had voted to completely replace the baler after public works director Chris Cotta suggested it be replaced because of deteriorating parts that included the belt conveyor, control system and wear surfaces on the rams, hopper and baler chamber. Recently, the borough’s baler has been experiencing issues with its hardw...
PETERSBURG – Participants in the fifth annual Annabelle Baker Poker Tournament raised $1,500 on Sunday for the Beat the Odds organization, which raises money for support groups and services for local cancer patients. The tournament was established by Jeigh Stanton Gregor as a way to remember the late Annabelle Baker, who was a competitive poker player. "Annabelle was a competitor," said Stanton Gregor. "We thought it would be a fun thing to do to remember her." There were 20 participants total raising $1,500 for the organization. Eugene Lee c...
This year's moose season finished with a final count of 106 animals, down from last year's unit record breaking 117, according to Petersburg Fish & Game. Moose season began on Sept. 15 and ended Oct. 15. The final number of moose brought in during this year's moose season was 106. Although the season ended Mon., Oct. 15, hunters had five days to report their kill to fish and game. If a hunter shot a moose on that Monday, then they would have until Saturday to report it to fish and game; as a...
PETERSBURG – After mercury leaked out of a package at the Petersburg Post Office and closed the facility for just over a week, the post office reopened September 28. "[Post office staff] handled it great and they adapted to the changes as necessary to make sure that we could keep serving our customers," said Postmaster Mark Eppihimer. Environmental contractors and regulators were flown into Petersburg to clean the facility of the mercury, though the amount that was exposed wasn’t harmful, according to a release from postal service offi...