Week of February 19, 2026
Week of February 19, 2026
Katie Holmlund didn't quite believe it at first. "When they called about this 40 Under 40 thing, I was like, that seems like a trick," she said with a laugh, recalling a piece of junk mail she'd received months earlier promising similar honors. "I'm like, this isn't real." But it was. Holmlund, Petersburg Medical Center's Youth Programs Development and Advocacy Coordinator, has been named to the Alaska Journal of Commerce's 2026 Top Forty Under 40, a statewide honor recognizing professionals...
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The Alaska Board of Game has approved a change expanding where archers can hunt on Petersburg's Mitkof Island. The change opens bow hunting in an area that has been closed to harvesting big game, except for wolves, since 1962. It eliminates a closed area south of town around the Petersburg road system, which served as a quarter-mile corridor for decades, and adds it to a larger management area. The Board approved the change with a 4–3 vote at a late January meeting in Wrangell. Board Member... Full story
Two softly humming glass cabinets, brightly lit from within, cause students and grown-ups to pause and peer on their way through the Petersburg High School commons. They are hydroponic gardens, complete with lights for growing greens and flowers year-round. This provides Petersburg students not only with quality food, but a nice splash of greenery and light in the commons, and a brilliant hands-on learning opportunity. Hydroponic gardens have been a big goal for Alex Helms, Farm to School...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously Monday to hire an Anchorage engineering firm to revive a water treatment plant upgrade that stalled more than a decade ago — replacing a rusting open-top tank that has outlived its useful life. The assembly approved spending up to $200,600 to retain GV Jones & Associates Inc. for design and technical services on the clearwell tank replacement project. The clearwell is a storage tank in the water treatment system, holding fully treated water...
Ryan Gilkey arrived in Petersburg via the ferry on Super Bowl Sunday with his two dogs and about 1,700 emergency calls worth of experience under his belt. The 35-year-old says he has spent years methodically working his way toward Alaska for a job like this. Gilkey is Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department's new EMS Coordinator, a full-time administrative and training position that serves as the department's primary point of contact for all things emergency medical services. "The job is an admin...
During his 20 years as a member of the Alaska Board of Fisheries, Petersburg commercial fisherman John Jensen relied on a lifetime of experience harvesting salmon, crab and other shellfish as he voted on statewide fishery regulations. But he couldn’t always weigh in with his wisdom, and a Kodiak legislator is looking to change that this year. When the Board of Fisheries held its 2018 Southeast regulatory meeting in Sitka, Jensen had to sit on the sidelines for about a third of the meeting. He...
Boat owners in Wrangell now have some new rules to follow if they plan on keeping inactive vessels tied up in any of the harbors. At the Feb. 10 borough assembly meeting, members unanimously passed a new law designed to crack down on inactive boats taking up moorage space in the harbors. The provisions, which went into effect immediately, come after years of talks between Harbormaster Steve Miller, the port commission and borough leaders. No one from the public offered any comments about the...
At the ballfield on last Thursday's stupendously stormy day, a pack of elementary schoolers in Kinder Skog did their best with wet numb fingers to pick up trash and put it in plastic bags billowing in the wind. All spring, Kinder Skog will be raising money by collecting trash as they spend time outside at their regular spots around town. Each skoggy is asking for personal sponsors, which can be individuals or businesses, with a suggested donation of $20 per bag. "We are asking sponsors to...
Petersburg's Maddie Dreisbach and her cheermates perform "spirit fingers," during a Viking free throw attempt on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Petersburg. The 5th Annual Cheer Camp, presented by the High School Cheer team will be Feb. 20 and 21st. Cheer Camp times: PreK-1st grade: (20th) 2:30-3:30, (21st) 10:00-11:00am 2nd-5th grade: (20th) 4-5pm, (21st) 12:00-2:00pm 6th-8th grade: (20th) 6-8pm, (21st) 2:30-4:30pm *All held in PHS...
The Petersburg High School Boys basketball team looked to continue their undefeated conference season so far, welcoming the 8-7 Metlakatla Chiefs into town. The Vikings quickly got down 12-0, powered by four Chiefs three pointers. "We were not in tune to how we wanted to play defense in the halfcourt. [The Chiefs] have very good shooters and I think that we didn't understand that well enough," head coach Rick Brock said. "I thought Metlakatla was playing well at that point but we were helping...
The Petersburg High School Girls Basketball team looked to continue their momentum at home last weekend with a rematch against the Metlakatla Miss Chiefs. In game one, the Lady Vikings held a 8-4 lead after the first quarter and then a 17-13 lead at halftime. "We were doing a good job of moving the basketball. Getting the defense to shift and [be] out of position, I think we did a really good job of that, particularly in the first half," head coach Matt Pawuk said. While the offense was...
Spending more than $125 million to build a new state ferry terminal 42 road miles north of downtown Juneau, 39 miles from the hospital and 34 miles from the airport and shopping makes about as much sense as arriving at 8 a.m. to drive aboard a 6 a.m. ferry. You’d be left at the dock, which is exactly what should happen to the proposal for a new terminal. The Dunleavy administration has been pushing for a terminal at Cascade Point ever since he took office in 2019. That doesn’t mean it’s a good idea that’s been waiting for smooth...
The American experiment relies on an ethical standard To the Editor: Near the end of his second term as President, George Washington was aware that the foundation of our nation was still being laid and that the government of the new country was an experiment in popular government that most established powers of that time gave little chance of success. Detractors emphasize that our Constitution was created out of a series of compromises negotiated by white male property owners, many of whom owned slaves, and that the document essentially...
Scott Morrison Welsh was born to William (Bill) and Gretchen Welsh on December 24, 1956, in Bellingham, Washington. A sister, Kelly (Welsh) Peterson, rounded out the family. Scott was a talker from an early age on, a trait that carried him through life. At an early age, nuns from the "Nunnery" (as we called it) would let Scott walk around a 2 block radius with the little guy, hands in pockets, big glasses, and conversation flowing. Having a morning paper route also took lots of time for... Full story
February 11 – Officers provided a courtesy transport. Christopher Haerling, 34, was arrested on a warrant for failure to appear. February 12 – A driver on Mitkof Hwy was issued a warning for lighting requirements. Officers assisted a family with a non-criminal issue. An officer responded to a report of suspicious behavior on Chief John Lott St. A driver on Nordic Dr was issued a warning for headlight requirements. Nathaniel Eacman, 48, was cited for selling or giving nicotine to a minor. February 13 – A driver on S Nordic Dr was issued...
Petersburg Pilot... Full story
Notices published in the Petersburg Pilot and all of Alaska's... Full story
