Author: kfskadmin

Petersburg’s Community Cold storage had its biggest season yet this summer – Big enough that the facility is expected to do better than break even this fiscal year.

Over five thousand US service men and women have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Defense Department. Nearly 35 thousand more have been wounded in the two wars.
Earlier this month, six wounded soldiers from Alaska’s Fort Richardson spent a weekend in Petersburg for some rest and relaxation. Their trip was part of the Alaska State Elks Association’s Wounded Veterans Project, which is aimed at helping injured vets and raising awareness about their needs. The program compliments the Army’s own wounded warrior battalions that were set up to aid injured soldiers upon their return home.
The Fort Richardson group was hosted by the local elks club which honored the vets at club dinners and took them fishing for halibut and king salmon. Local residents and businesses donated accommodations and fish processing.
Matt Lichtenstein spoke with several of the soldiers shortly after they arrived:

As congress has gone back into session, Petersburg officials are keeping a close eye on a variety of funding requests for local projects. Topping the list is the town’s new fire hall. There’s also north harbor replacement, the airport bypass road to scow bay and plenty more. Like many other towns in Alaska, Petersburg contracts with a lobbying firm to help represent its interests in Washington, DC. Petersburg’s federal lobbyist is Brad Gillman with the law firm of Hoffman, Silver, Gillman and Blasco. One of the firm’s D-C consultants, Sebastian O’Kelly, visited Petersburg late last month to talk with city officials about local priorities. He also spoke with KFSK’s Matt Lichtenstein:

The Petersburg City Council will be urging the state to keep at least one full-time children’s social worker in town. The issue was on this week’s council agenda, following news that the state may be moving its Office of Children’s Services jobs to Juneau. The two-person office in Petersburg covers child abuse and neglect cases in the Petersburg, Wrangell and Kake area.
Local police, mental health clinicians, educators, foster parents and others told the council Tuesday that the lack of a social worker would have major impacts in Petersburg and the other communities. They encouraged the mayor and council to take action on the issue and as Matt Lichtenstein reports, they did not have to do much convincing.

The Petersburg Indian Association welcomed a standing-room crowd for the dedication of its newly purchased office complex over the weekend. The building is named for the pioneering civil rights leaders Amy Hallingstad and Elizabeth Peratrovich. Both women had strong roots in Petersburg. Visiting elders, dignitaries, and dancers joined the local tribe in celebrating the life and work of the two women and the tribe’s growing role in the community.