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Petersburg’s new hospital project left out of state capital budget
The Alaska Senate finalized its capital budget last week, and a project to build a new hospital in Petersburg didn’t make it onto the list. Now, hospital administration is scrambling for new funding avenues as the community’s old facility continues to decay. Petersburg Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter...
Himschoot’s education bill allows out-of-state teachers to bring more years into state retirement system
Sitka, Petersburg, and other communities in Southeast Alaska are reducing staff or laying off teachers next year, but that’s not the case everywhere. “Well in Sitka jobs are going away,” said Rebecca Himschoot, who represents House District 2, “and that’s been a really hard part of coming home and seeing sort of the fallout of our situation here in Sitka. But across the state, the increase in first-day vacancies has been something like 300% in the last five years. So there are lots of districts who haven’t had fully staffed schools for quite some time.”
This year, Petersburg Community Foundation funds projects aimed at kids
Every year during the Little Norway Festival, the Petersburg Community Foundation awards grants to local nonprofits. This year the event was held at Foundation President Glorianne Wollen’s home. Board member Sue Paulsen greeted the crowd. “Welcome, welcome, welcome, to year sixteen of the Petersburg Community Foundation!”. The gathered guests,...
Christine Yatchmenoff to join Petersburg Indian Association Tribal Council
The Petersburg Indian Association’s tribal council voted last week to appoint Christine Yatchmenoff to the council’s sixth seat. Yatchmenoff was born and raised in Petersburg, and recently moved back to town with her granddaughter. This is her first time on Petersburg’s tribal council. Yatchmenoff and former council...
Alaska Senate passes capital budget — with no funding for Petersburg’s new hospital project
With the conclusion of Alaska’s legislative session, the senate has finalized an operating budget that will go before Gov. Mike Dunleavy in June. Republican Sen. Bert Stedman of Sitka represents most of Southeast. He co-chairs the Senate Finance Committee, and he was at the helm for this year’s budget-building process.
Petersburg has three Region V track and field champs
Three Petersburg High School athletes became champions at the Region V track and field championship meet in Ketchikan last weekend. For Division 2, Senior Elijah Whitacre took first place in the shot put, senior Rik Cumps placed first in long jump, and junior Erik Thynes is champ in discus. Several...
Midday Report – May 21, 2024
On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: The mining company Graphite One may be able to tap into new funding to speed up their plans. An investigation says the loss of a charter vessel in Sitka Sound one year ago was sudden and catastrophic. And the interconnected electrical grids of Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Wrangell need work.
Newscast – Monday, May 20, 2024
An electric pole in Ketchikan caught fire late last month and sent Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Wrangell into a blackout. The three grids – which are interconnected – went dark for a few hours. That smoldering electric pole was symptomatic of a much larger, decades-long issue facing Ketchikan Public Utilities,
Petersburg Borough Assembly to consider new tax ordinances
Petersburg’s Borough Assembly is scheduled to look over a couple new ordinances that could change how the Borough levies taxes at its meeting tonight. The Assembly will consider raising the maximum amount of a single transaction that the Borough can tax by 24%. Currently, it can only collect sales tax from transactions under $1,200. A new ordinance would bump that ceiling up to $5,000.
Petersburg residents assemble “biggest puzzle in the world” over the winter
In the cold, dark days of winter, some Alaskans turn to jigsaw puzzles to keep themselves busy indoors. This year, one Petersburg resident took that idea to the extreme – ordering the biggest puzzle in the world, and rallying hundreds of community members to put it together. But participants...
Petersburg volunteer firefighter receives long-delayed state award
Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department Captain Dan Bird was named the winner of a state firefighter award on May 6. The ceremony had to be rescheduled three times — and yet, the award still came as a complete surprise to its recipient. Courtney Morrison stands just outside Petersburg’s Assembly Chambers...
Arizona-based classical virtuosos to perform for Little Norway Festival
The Petersburg Arts Council is flying in a pair of classical musicians from Arizona to perform for the town’s Little Norway Festival on May 17. It’s their last stop on their tour up and down the Panhandle. KFSK’s Shelby Herbert has the story on the Rice Brothers, who...
Coffee sleeves celebrate local art, philanthropy
This week folks buying coffee and tea in Petersburg will get a little extra color with their hot drink. That’s because the Petersburg Community Foundation has distributed coffee sleeves featuring local artwork to coffee shops around town. Board President Glorianne Wollen says the sleeves are part of a campaign to plant the seeds of philanthropy. The foundation supports nonprofits in Petersburg with endowment-funded grants, as well as workshops, financial and estate planning, and board trainings.
U.S. Forest Service considers higher fees for new Alaska cabins
The U.S. Forest Service is planning to build a few dozen new cabins in the Tongass and Chugach National Forests in the coming years. The agency is proposing higher fees – $75 a night – to help keep up with the increased cost of maintenance. Life-long Petersburg resident...
Petersburg School Board to review second draft of budget
The Petersburg School Board will take a look at a second draft budget for the coming year at tonight’s meeting. Last month’s first draft budget included cuts to all travel for middle school activities. The new draft doesn’t cut all *travel for middle school. Instead, it includes reductions for both middle *and high school activity budgets in general. That’s according to Finance Director Shannon Baird. She says those activity budget reductions can come from increased activity fees or a reduction in activity spending, or a combination of the two.
School Board Meeting Audio Archive – Agenda Available
Petersburg School Board regular meetings are currently held at the middle and high school library, 6 p.m., usually on the second Tuesday of each month. The meetings are broadcast on KFSK and the audio of meetings is archived. Find the Audio Archive of past meetings here: School Board Meeting Archive.
Petersburg’s track and field team prepares for regionals
Petersburg High School’s track and field team competed in Juneau last weekend. Teams from Sitka, Haines, Juneau, Craig, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Gustavus attended the event. The meet set Petersburg’s team up for the region five championships in Ketchikan this weekend. High School track coach Casey Gates says the...
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