Articles written by brian varela
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Southeast communities disrupted by ferry shutdown
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,...
Population in Petersburg, Wrangell rose in last decade
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...
AP&T to cease printing phone books
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...
Wrangell and Petersburg lose power
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...
A warmer, wetter winter for Wrangell this season
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...
Petersburg man indicted on two controlled substance counts
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...
Tracked package leads to controlled substance arrest
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...
Tyee Lake set to power Wrangell through winter
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...
Moose season finishes with Unit Three record
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,...
Preliminary moose harvest sets unit record
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...
Hunter recalls night the skiff capsized
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...
Tyee Lake 60' above year-ago water levels
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...
Deteriorating batteries at Tyee facility to be replaced
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...
$62,000 in heroin, meth seized by Petersburg police
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...
Four residents become U.S. citizens
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...
Tires burn in Public Works fire
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....
Water levels in Tyee Lake below six-year average
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...
Ferry workers' strike brings travel disruptions
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...
Fireworks allowed in service area one three days a year
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 allow...
Petersburg City Cargo notes delivery delays from airline
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 th...
USCG, Petersburg Search and Rescue search for overdue aircraft near Kake
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... Full story
Petersburg Borough approves $600,000 for new baler in first reading
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...
Poker tournament raises funds for Beat the Odds
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...
106 moose taken this year
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 O...
Petersburg post office reopens following week long shut down
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...
