Author: kfskadmin

A newly revised proposal to move Petersburg’s power and light headquarters to scow bay met with a mix of opinions from the City Council Monday. Proponents of the move say the old building is unsafe, in poor condition and inadequate for the utility’s needs. Opponents say they don’t want the utility to spend its reserves on the project.

Petersburg City Councilors spent three-hours on their first review of the draft city budget Wednesday. City Manager Richard Underkofler and other staff went through the budget, line by department by department, answering questions. But tempers flared at times between Underkofler and Councilor Melinda Hofstad who eventually walked out of the meeting shortly before it ended.

It was a half century ago that Petersburg’s Bernadine Trones and Alma Wallen organized the community's first Little Norway festival. Also called Mayfest, it’s the biggest event of the year in Petersburg and the town kicks off the festivals 50th Anniversary on Thursday. This year’s celebration of local culture was a long-time in the making. There will be a photo scavenger hunt and art displays, dances and drumming and dignitaries, halibut fletching and herring tossing, the parade….the Smorrgasbord…the Kaffehus…… and of course the Vikings and Valkyries. To find out more about the schedule for the first day of the festival, Matt Lichtenstein spoke with Janet Holten and Sally Dwyer who co-chair this year’s festival committee, which began meeting last October.

Consumers could see a drop in their electric bills under the reorganization plan for the four-dam-pool power agency. That’s according to local officials working on the split-up, which would allow the pools two southcentral members to go their separate ways. The southeast members would then take complete ownership of the two hydro-plants that power their towns. City councilors heard more about the plan in Petersburg Monday night.

State troopers say an accidental gunshot claimed the life of a Petersburg teenager over the weekend. Family, friends and the community are mourning the loss of 16-year-old Jacob T. Madsen.