Author: kfskadmin

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.

More than 60 paintings, sculptures, photographs and other works of art are on display at the Clausen Memorial Museum. They all portray the diverse flora and fauna of the Tongass Rainforest – from eagles feeding and whales breaching to bears hunting salmon and mushrooms rising from the forest floor. The art show is a new advance event for the 2nd annual Tongass Rainforest Festival which gets underway tomorrow night. Matt Lichtenstein stopped by Thursday’s opening at the museum, and spoke with some of the artists:

The State Office of Children’s services may be moving both of its Petersburg-based social worker jobs to Juneau. The two locally-based employees handle the child abuse and neglect cases for Petersburg, Wrangell, and Kake. Supervisor Debbie Downs will soon be retiring after 38 years in the field. Her colleague, Bruce Westry, is a retired law enforcement officer who was also expecting to leave his position in the fall. Downs says she and Westry thought the agency would keep at least one of the positions in Petersburg after they left. However, she says her superiors have told her that both positions will be moved to Juneau. That would leave Petersburg without a locally-based social worker. According to a Department of Health and Social Services Spokesperson, OCS administrators say they have not yet made a final decision on the issue. Matt Lichtenstein spoke with downs about it on Thursday:

For the first time since 1994, Petersburg voters will decide whether to recall a sitting council member this fall. The recall election of Councilor Lee Corrao follows a year of political strife that’s included accusations, council resignations, a lawsuit, public outcry and a controversial vote to fire the city manager. The recall proposition alleges that Corrao violated Alaska’s Open Meetings Act by privately meeting with three other councilors around the time they pushed to terminate the manager’s contract. Corrao and the others in question continue to deny any such meetings ever took place.

It’s the first week of school in Petersburg and the high school is now under the watch of Principal Rick dormer. Dormer is one of the district's three new administrators. He arrived in town earlier this summer with his wife Jill and their two young children. Dormer previously worked as dean of students at Aloha high school in Beaverton, Oregon. As part of a series of conversations with the districts newest staff, matt lichtenstein spoke with Dormer last week, as he got ready for the school.