Author: kfskadmin

Alaska may ease commercial vehicle registration rules for fishermen who move gear and small vessels short distances by road. The State Department of Transportation’s proposed rule-change comes in response to concerns from the fishing fleet. Matt lichtenstein reports:

Petersburg’s school board opened up their meeting Tuesday listening to the works of some budding young poets from Rae C. Stedman Elementary School.

Petersburg is moving ahead with detailed plans for a new fire hall. The City Council agreed to spend just over 250 thousand dollars on design and engineering for the building after getting an update on the project Tuesday night. The building site work is finished according to local officials who are hopeful that completion of the design will improve chances for construction funding.

Elected officials from Wrangell and Petersburg hope to visit Angoon to discuss proposed hydro-electric power development in Thomas Bay north of Petersburg. The three communities all sought the same federal permit for a power plant at Ruth Lake one of three proposed hydro sites in the remote mainland bay. Wrangell’s borough assembly and Petersburg’s city council met last week in Petersburg and discussed the possibility of a collaboration between the communities on building Ruth Lake, if Angoon leaders can be convinced to give up the permit for the site.

The Alaska Mental Health Trust is taking a major land exchange proposal to Forest Service and Congressional officials in Washington DC later this month. The plan is aimed at resolving conflicts between the trust mandate to make money off its lands and the concerns of neighboring residents in Southeast Alaska. However, as Matt Lichtenstein reports, the uneven acreage in the latest version of the exchange could make it a tough sell.