Author: kfskadmin

Three Petersburg singers performed with more than 80 other high school musicians from around Alaska at the All-State Music Festival in Anchorage last weekend. Junior Ellie Robinson and Seniors Mary Evans and Ellie Bergren were part of the honor treble choir. Matt Lichtenstein spoke with the local students and their teacher Matt Lenhard about the event this week.

Local school officials are warning about tough budgeting years to come with a continuing trend of declining student numbers. The school district this year should not see a big decrease in state and federal funding even as enrollment drops, but school administrators and the school board are anticipating cuts to local programs if the trend continues.

Local residents can now enjoy the occasional live TV broadcast of some high school sports and other community events at Petersburg schools, thanks to a high school video class and the local cable TV company. Students in Petersburg High School’s videography class have produced their first live broadcasts from the high school gym this fall. The class started five years ago and has been creating video recordings and interviews at various events the past few years. Last year the schools secured a vocational grant to buy the electronic equipment needed to coordinate multiple camera angles and students recorded several performances at the Wright Auditorium last spring. The next step forward came this fall when GCI Cable installed the wiring needed to broadcast live images and sound from the gym. That lead to student broadcast of the finals of a high school wrestling tournament and last week’s town hall meeting on substance abuse. Joe Viechnicki spoke with high school history and videography teacher Jim Engell about how the broadcast capability came about.

A new book out this year takes a closer look at that essential piece of Southeast Alaska footwear – the Xtratuf boot – and the way the brown rubber boots have become part of life in the communities of Alaska’s Panhandle. Juneau resident Larry Johansen this August published “Xtratuf An Alaskan Way of Life.” The book contains photographs of the people of Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and elsewhere in Southeast wearing Xtratufs in their daily lives and on special occasions. Johansen worked for Cruise West until the cruise company ceased operations this fall and says his Xtratuf book is not connected with the company that makes the footwear. Joe Viechnicki spoke with Johansen this month about his book.

National Public Radio foreign correspondent Peter Kenyon started a new assignment this year. After five years of working out of Cairo, Egypt covering the Middle East and North Africa, Kenyon has moved to Istanbul Turkey and is now reporting on Iran and the Persian Gulf for NPR. Kenyon has also reported for NPR from Jerusalem and throughout the Middle East, as well as Washington D.C. He got his start in public radio at KFSK in Petersburg and has a home here. Kenyon had some time off this fall and spent some of it in Alaska. He stopped by KFSK and spoke with Joe Viechnicki about his life in Turkey and his latest reporting assignment.