Author: kfskadmin

The City of Petersburg has just about finished fixing its collapsed hillside along downtown Hammer Slough. It’s also removed the huge pile of debris that settled in the creek after last month’s landslide. The work cost less than expected and much of it will be covered by the federal government. The City Council got an update from the City Manager Tuesday night.

Nearly 100 photos of the people, places, flora and fauna of the Tongass line the walls of Petersburg’s Clausen Memorial Museum this week. The Rainforest Photography Show went on display in advance of the annual Tongass Rainforest Festival which is taking place this week. Matt Lichtenstein stopped by to take a look and talk with show organizer Annabel Baker.

Petersburg’s annual celebration of all things Tongass is getting underway this week. It’s the fourth annual Tongass Rainforest Festival. This year’s festival touches on topics from top to bottom from flying squirrels in the forest canopy to the undersea creatures that make their home in and around the kelp forests of southeast. The four day schedule is filled with forest-focused talks, walks, classes, and workshops for adults, teens and kids. Matt Lichtenstein has a preview of Thursday’s events with organizers Karen Dillman and Sunny Rice

Southeast Alaska got a new Presiding Judge for the first judicial district over the summer. Superior Court Judge Trevor Stephens of Ketchikan took over that post in June after the retirement of Presiding Judge Patricia Collins. Stephens has served as a Judge for 11 years. Prior to that, he was a private practice attorney. He also spent a year as a public defender and five years as a prosecutor. As a superior court Judge, Stephens presides over criminal trials in Ketchikan as well as Petersburg, where Matt Lichtenstein caught up with him for an interview late last month

The Alaska Office of Children’s Services is regionalizing its call-in process for reports of child abuse and neglect. That’s prompted concerns among child welfare advocates in Petersburg who fear it’s part of an effort to shut down the local field office. The agency says that’s not the case.