The all-new Department of Polar Efficiency (DOPE) is bringing some unwelcome changes to Santa's operation this year. But Old Saint Nick is pushing back to protect the Magic of Christmas. The post Shhhhh… Santa defies efficiency experts, will fly with all eight reindeer and three jolly Ho’s appeared first on KCAW.
An initiative introduced in elementary schools last year has had some startling results. The Alaska Reads Act passed the legislature with an ambitious goal: to have every child reading by third grade. Sitka's schools were on track to hit that target -- until education funding was cut. The post Sitka’s elementary schools made the Alaska Reads Act work last year. Now they’d like the funding to keep it working appeared first on KCAW.
The Sitka Assembly wants to overhaul the commercial use of local trails and parks, but it’s proved to be a big job. After a first look at the plan, the assembly on Tuesday (12-17-24) sent it back to City Hall for more work. The post Assembly postpones vote on plan for commercial use of city lands appeared first on KCAW.
A homesick letter was a summer camper right of passage for decades. That changed when cell phones made checking in with parents a whole lot easier. But more campers may be writing letters next summer, now that the Sitka Fine Arts Camp is going cellphone-free. The post Sitka Fine Arts Camp to go cell phone-free next summer appeared first on KCAW.
In a two-hour vigil at the University of Alaska Southeast boat ramp on Saturday, more than 80 Sitkans and visitors gathered to share stories of loss. The post After a year rocked by tragedy, Sitkans gather to grieve appeared first on KCAW.
Author Ken Post spent almost four decades working for the Forest Service in Southeast Alaska before taking up writing, and he's now on the list of Alaska’s emerging talent. Greyhound Cowboy is a collection of thirteen short stories, some drawing on characters and experiences from Post’s career, but many drawing on people who can be found anywhere. The post ‘Greyhound Cowboy’ delivers stories of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances appeared first on KCAW.
After permitting delays, construction of Sitka’s new marine haulout is underway, though there have been some unexpected snags. When the Sitka Assembly met last night (11-26-24), members approved another $500,000 in funding, along with a $300,000 grant that will cover some unexpected construction costs, along with a permanent concrete washdown pad. The post Assembly greenlights funding for haulout washdown pad appeared first on KCAW.
Some new research is challenging the established scientific thinking about why an endangered population of killer whales in Puget Sound continues to be in jeopardy. The animals were at the center of a 4-year legal battle that nearly brought an end to the commercial king salmon fishery in Southeast Alaska. The lawsuit is resolved, but the science behind it is continuing to evolve. The post New study of salmon abundance prompts a rethink of endangered killer whale decline appeared first on KCAW.
Winter is the time when most Sitkans turn their attention to other pursuits besides fishing, but not the members of the local Fish & Game Advisory Committee. During November and December, the local Fish & Game Advisory Committee considers hunkers down with a thick book of proposals for changes in the management in Southeast’s fisheries. Over the last two weeks, they’ve focused exclusively on herring. The post Sitka AC reviews over a dozen herring proposals ahead of Board of Fish meeting appeared first on KCAW.
John Straley's latest novel 'Big Breath In' is a departure from his typical crime stories. With a main character based on his wife, noted humpback whale biologist Jan Straley, the author makes a case for an extraordinary heroine. The post With ‘Big Breath In,’ author John Straley risks sleeping on the couch — forever appeared first on KCAW.
In Part 2 of a two-part conversation with Air Station Sitka commander Rand Semke, KCAW’s Robert Woolsey examines the Coast Guard’s risk management strategy when lives are on the line and how the crew of CG6016 – despite losing their aircraft – was deemed fit to fly again. The post One year after Air Station Sitka crash, assessing risk remains ‘more art than science’ appeared first on KCAW.
One year ago, on November 13, 2023, a helicopter from Air Station Sitka crashed onshore while assisting a fishing boat in Farragut Bay, about 22 miles from Petersburg. The helicopter crew suffered serious injuries, but all four survived. KCAW has acquired the MII (Major Incident Investigation) report and learned both the cause of the accident, and the challenges inherent in rescue aviation. The post Investigation finds crash of an Air Station Sitka helicopter was ‘controlled flight into terrain’ appeared first on KCAW.
The City of Sitka has its first agreement with the local, privately owned cruise dock. When the Sitka Assembly met last night, it approved a “Memorandum of Understanding” or MOU with the Sitka Dock Company. But the assembly was split on whether the document would be effective or necessary. The post Sitka Assembly narrowly passes agreement with cruise dock appeared first on KCAW.
Seabank is an annualy report that quantifies the economic value of the Southeast Alaska ecosystem, not just in extracted resources, but also in terms of community strength and environmental health. The first Seabank Summit is scheduled for November 13 in Sitka. The post SeaBank Summit meets in Sitka November 13 appeared first on KCAW.
A new housing project to support Sitka’s homeless population is slowly becoming a reality – despite a pivot to a slightly different housing model than originally envisioned. The post Sitka Homeless Coalition on track to open supportive housing in summer ’25 appeared first on KCAW.
Not every exciting election this November is happening at the national level. This year’s race for Sitka Tribal Council has attracted more candidates than past years – all with diverse opinions about where Sitka’s sovereign tribal government should be going. The candidates appeared in an election forum on October 28. The post Council candidates share views on Tribal issues in election forum appeared first on KCAW.
Cleanup work began this fall on a former WWII defense site near Sitka, and some residents have already found the scale of the project disturbing. But the Army Corps of Engineers says Fort Babcock on Kruzof Island is heavily contaminated relative to other former WWII sites in Alaska, and the toxins present remain dangerous even 80 years after the war. The post As the Army begins the cleanup of Shoals Point, one Sitkan feels the losses outweigh the gains appeared first on KCAW.
Searchers from Sitka on Wednesday (10-30-24) recovered the body of a hunter who died in a brown bear attack. 50-year old Tad Fujioka was a commercial fisherman, and the chairman of the board of the Seafood Producers Cooperative, one of Sitka’s three large seafood processors. He was also an experienced and capable outdoorsperson. The post A major fisheries advocate, Sitkan Tad Fujioka found dead in apparent bear mauling appeared first on KCAW.
The city of Sitka has brokered a “Memorandum of Understanding” with the local cruise dock. And while some assembly members were on board with approving the agreement as-is, they postponed a vote until the next meeting after a number of community members said they needed more time to review the document. The post Assembly postpones vote on cruise dock agreement appeared first on KCAW.
Makhnati Island was formerly a World War II defense battery, and now is a federally-protected area for subsistence herring. The Federal Subsistence Board will decide in a few months whether it remains that way. The post Makhnati Island herring subsistence closure up for federal review appeared first on KCAW.