LATEST NEWS
Outbreaks of measles nationwide inspire preparation at the Petersburg School District
It’s hard to miss the measles vaccination table at Petersburg’s kindergarten registration night in late April. It’s just a few feet from the line of kids excitedly waiting to pick up their orientation booklets. Petersburg and Wrangell’s Public Health Nurse Erin Michael is at the table. She’s...
U.S. Coast Guard rescues stranded kayaker with assistance from Petersburg police dispatch
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a man stranded in the Keku Strait near Kuiu Island on the night of Tuesday, April 30. The man – who rescuers declined to name – called Petersburg’s police department after an inflatable kayak containing all of his supplies washed away. He reported that he only had his cellphone and a small ammunition bag with him. As night fell, he said he was rapidly becoming cold.
KCAW, Sitka Sentinel score wins at Alaska Press Club Awards
KCAW News and the Sitka Sentinel have proved again that small-market newsrooms can hold their own in Alaska’s media industry. Raven News and the Sentinel combined to take eleven awards at the annual meeting of the Alaska Press Club, April 18-20, 2024, in Anchorage. KCAW’s sister stations across the CoastAlaska Network pulled in another 20 honors.
Despite promise of help from Juneau, Sitka School Board cuts 16 teachers to balance next year’s budget
The decision by the Sitka School Board to move ahead with a major staff cut came just hours after some relatively good news from Juneau. The Senate Finance Committee – co-chaired by Sitka Sen. Bert Stedman – had drafted a balanced state budget for next year that included a one-time $680 increase in per-pupil funding for K-12 education, and the budget had won approval from the full Senate.
Borough Assembly Meetings on KFSK – Audio available in KFSK Archive
Regular Borough Assembly meetings are held in Assembly Chambers in the municipal building the 1st and 3rd Mondays, 12pm and 6pm respectively. Audio of all meetings are available in KFSK Borough Meeting Archive.
Sitka Giving Tree Success In Sharing Season's Bounty
RUSSIAN EASTER – The congregation from St. Michael’s Cathedral finishes circling the Orthodox cathedral three times early Sunday morning during Easter services. The Orthodox church uses the Julian calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
Proposal for Crystal Lake Hatchery king salmon heads to Board of Fisheries.
Anglers won’t get to fish for Crystal Lake Hatchery king salmon this summer. The State won’t open the fishery because of low projected returns. The king salmon swim two miles up Blind Slough through Blind River Rapids to the hatchery, which is about 17 miles south of Petersburg. Each year the hatchery needs a specific number of returning salmon in order to raise fish for future runs.
Sitka Indian Village recognized as endangered historic place
Sitka Indian Village was once home to over forty Lingít clan houses. Today, only eight of those are still standing, and even fewer serve as active clan houses. Now, the area has been recognized as one of 11 endangered historic places in the US. Organizers are hoping that the attention will inspire efforts to creatively conserve – and rebuild – a cultural hub that has fallen into disrepair.
Commentary: Becky Martin on School Funding Shortfall
KFSK has an open airwaves policy. We encourage the public to express personal opinions, ideas, and creative works, which will be available on our web site, kfsk.org, following the scheduled radio broadcast. The following was submitted by Becky Martin. KFSK encourages the public expression of personal opinions, ideas, and creative...
Emergency Preparedness Series
The Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department and KFSK have teamed up to bring you this audio series on Emergency Preparedness. The first series focuses on creating a seven (7) day Emergency Kit for use while sheltering at home during a disaster, a Go Kit for evacuating in an emergency, and a vehicle/boat kit if you are stranded and can’t return home.
Coast Guard, Air Force to conduct rescue exercises in Sitka Sound through May 2
Sitkans will see more Coast Guard activity in the area for the next couple of days. Air Station Sitka, the cutter Bailey Barco, and teams from several Air Force rescue squadrons – along with Sitka Mountain Rescue – will be conducting exercises through May 2. According to a...
Braves Earn Sportsmanship Award at NYO
Athletes representing Mt. Edgecumbe High School placed highly in a number of individual events and won a team award in this year’s Native Youth Olympics competition over the weekend in Anchorage. The squad of 11 took fourth place overall and earned the Ben Snowball Team Sportsmanship award at the annual contest that features physically demanding events drawn from traditional Alaska Native activities.
Petersburg Medical Center brings in new mammography machine that could catch abnormalities earlier
Petersburg Medical Center has a new mammography machine that could catch breast cancer and other abnormalities earlier, and with more accuracy. Hospital staff say it produces better pictures, but also happier patients: the new tech might lessen the discomfort of breast exams. Sonja Paul is Petersburg Medical Center’s radiology manager....
Petersburg School District will join likely lawsuit against the state for lack of education funding
The Petersburg School District will join a group that is planning to sue the state for failure to properly fund education. The Petersburg School Board voted unanimously to join the Coalition of Education Equity at their meeting on April 16. The nonprofit advocates for education policy in Alaska. Executive Director Caroline Storm addressed the school board at its last meeting.
Community orchestra to show off broad range at spring concert
Sitka Community Orchestra will present its spring concert this Saturday, featuring a diverse repertoire that ranges from Strauss to Looney Tunes. Special guests from the Juneau Youth Orchestra will also perform. Orchestra director Drew Larson and musician Drew Sherman joined KCAW’s Brooke Schafer to discuss the evolution of the orchestra and the upcoming concert. Listen to the full interview here:
Baseball Game Recap: Juneau-Douglas Find Success
On Saturday, Juneau-Douglas faced Sitka in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears came out on top against the Sitka Wolves by a score of 6-3. This was a revenge game for Juneau-Douglas, as the team was forced to settle for a 13-6 defeat when these two played on Friday.
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