KFSK Midday Magazine

Petersburg's chapter of the American Legion has grown a lot over the last year, and now they're planning to host a blowout party this weekend; hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the Alaska State Capital on Monday to call for an increase in education funding; a Petersburg resident is in HBO's crime drama "True Detective," which is set in Alaska this season.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy implored Alaskans and lawmakers to capitalize on the state's natural resources in his annual State of the State address last night; a bill in the State Senate would create a psychedelic medicine task force to look at the role psychedelics could play in addressing Alaska's mental health crisis; Petersburg High School hosted the Wrangell Wolves for Homecoming last weekend, winning three out of four games.

Yesterday's strong winds blew down a large tree, which block Mitkof Highway at 30-mile for most of the day; a bill in the state house would create a legal framework for the state to lease land for underground storage of carbon; Sitka hosted the first ever Alaska Pinball Championships this month.

Petersburg residents are looking at the possibility of creating a landslide warning system; After seven years of advocacy, the Sitka Homeless Coalition launched a warming shelter; lawmakers are considering a measure that would tighten requirements for hunting and fishing licenses.

Petersburg's economy got a boost from an unexpected source in 2023 - film and TV crews; Petesrburg has a new middle and high school special education teacher; the Alaska House of Representatives removed one of it's most conservative Republicans from it's judiciary committee in a near-unanimous vote.

New council members were sworn in to Petersburg Indian Association's tribal council last week, but they're starting their term without a tribal administrator; Two Alaska State Troopers from Petersburg were honored at a ceremony in Wrangell last week; Sitka is poised to receive a 4.5 million dollar grant form the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation for an affordable housing development.

Fourth grade teacher Thomas Hambley is no longer employed at the Petersburg School District; two Petesrburg basketball players were recognized for their star performances at Anchorage's Wolverine Classic Tournament last weekend; a look at what's happening below the surface of Mt. Edgecumbe, which started to show signs of life nearly two years ago.

Middle school wrestling teams from all over Southeast Alaska flocked to Petersburg last weekend. Ketchikan Charter School was one of them; KSTK's Colette Czarnecki talks with the Wrangell Sentinel's new reporter and photographer, Mark Robinson; Kodiak's Tanner fishery closed yesterday, marking the end of this year's season.

Petersburg will be the newest Community Supporting Member of the United Fishermen of Alaska, after a unanimous vote by the borough assembly; Ketchikan looks at complying with the Biden Administration's proposed changes to lead pipe regulations; Gov. Mike Dunleavy outlines a variety of ideas to address Alaska's energy needs in his budget proposal, including natural gas, power lines, and financing.

Dillingham police say the man accused of firing a shotgun at the local hospital on Sunday had also allegedly set fire to his girlfriend's bedroom that same morning; Petersburg is one step close to having a wastewater upgrade after a unanimous vote by the borough's planning commission last week; there are plans to install a weather monitoring station at the site of November's landslide in Wrangell.