LATEST NEWS
Porch Fest returns for 2024
Sitka’s annual Porch Fest returns for summer 2024 and will feature music, crafts, and local food vendors. Organizer Rain Van Den Berg joined KCAW’s Brooke Schafer to discuss the line-up for this summer’s event. Porch Fest 2024 will take place May 18, 2024 from 11 a.m. to...
HOPE Coalition, police raise awareness about fentanyl
This week, Sitka Counseling’s HOPE Coalition and the Sitka Police Department are joining forces to share information about the dangers of fentanyl overdose. In collaboration with the Alaska Fentanyl Response Project, they will hold a community town hall this Thursday. Loyd Platson and Sandy Snodgrass joined KCAW’s Brooke Schafer to talk about fentanyl awareness and what Sitkans can do. Listen to the full interview here:
Climate Change Driving Village to a New Site
The Yup’ik village of Newtok, perched precariously on thawing permafrost at the edge of the rapidly eroding Ninglick River, is the first Alaska community to begin a full-scale relocation made necessary by climate change. Still, the progress of moving to a new village site that is significantly outpacing relocation...
Herring Protectors celebrate unexpected land gift
An Indigenous-led group in Sitka has received an unexpected contribution – two parcels of land on an island just outside of Sitka. The Herring Protectors gathered earlier this month (4-6-24) to visit the land and celebrate the unusual gift. On a drizzly Saturday afternoon, about 40 elders, culture-bearers, and...
Possible bowhead whale sighting in Sitka Sound raises questions
In late March, a local whale biologist spotted something out of place in Sitka Sound. She’s still having a hard time believing it, but pictures suggest an incredibly rare sighting– a juvenile bowhead whale. In late March, marine biologist Ellen Chenoweth was out doing something she’s done dozens...
Sitka’s housing crunch hits tribal citizens hardest, study says
Tribal citizens in Sitka are being squeezed out of Sitka’s housing market, and some are leaving town, according to a new study commissioned by Baranof Island Housing Authority, with support from Sitka Tribe of Alaska. Now, they are hoping the data – and community input – will guide them towards solutions.
SAIL offers summer work program for youth
Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL) is offering a summer work program for youth between the ages of 14-21. Cara Crain, Meggan Turner, Jessica Perkins, and Zen Perkins joined KCAW’s Brooke Schafer to discuss how high school students with disabilities can find a supportive, paid work experience this summer through the program. Zen shares her experience working at a local coffee shop through SAIL’s supportive employment programming. Listen to the full interview here:
Sitkan indicted for reckless driving after car chase down Smith Street
A Sitka man was indicted in March for reckless driving and resisting arrest. Other Sitkans were indicted on charges of forgery and sex abuse. According to a sworn police affidavit, on March 8 shortly after 3 p.m., Officer Parker White attempted to pull over 47-year-old James Glenn Thompson on Sawmill Creek Road. Police say that rather than pulling over, Thompson attempted to evade White, speeding down Smith Street at around 50 miles per hour, nearly hitting another vehicle and a bystander who had to move out of the way to avoid the speeding car. Thompson allegedly continued to speed, running a stop sign, before eventually pulling over. Officers say he then became combative and resisted arrest.
Brave Heart hosts ‘Alaska Getaways’ auction
Brave Heart Volunteers is hosting its second annual “Alaskan Getaways” online auction from April 17-21. Ellie Jansen and Mamie Ziegler joined KCAW’s Brooke Schafer to discuss the details of the auction and the overall mission of Brave Heart Volunteers. The auction opens Wednesday, April 17. You can...
Conservation and competition: students face off at Inupiaq and Yup’ik spelling bee
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - How’s your spelling ... in Yup’ik or Inupiaq?. Students from across Alaska traveled to Anchorage this weekend to compete in the statewide Inupiaq and Yup’ik spelling Bee for Beginners contest. Twenty-one students battled it out in the Yup’ik section of the competition, and two students from Sitka went head-to-head during the Inupiaq section.
2024 Music Fest brings hundreds of students from around Southeast to Sitka
Around 400 students from schools around Southeast arrived in Sitka this week for the 2024 Region 5 Music Fest. It’s the first time Sitka has hosted in eight years. Sitka High School Music Director Andrew Hames joined KCAW to discuss the festival, which includes three days of classes and clinics for students, and three nights of performances at the Sitka Performing Arts Center. Listen here:
Assembly asks SEARHC to reconsider home health closure
The Sitka Assembly is calling for the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, or SEARHC, to reconsider a decision it made last fall to close its home health department. The assembly unanimously approved a resolution at its meeting on April 9. SEARHC replaced its home health department with a “home-based care”...
Parks and rec launches summer programming
The City and Borough of Sitka’s Parks and Recreation department is gearing up for summer. Coordinator Kevin Knox joined KCAW’s Peter Apathy to share a quarterly update on parks and rec programming, including “Walk Sitka,” a virtual 297-mile walking challenge, and a new web platform that community members can use for registration. Listen to the full interview below:
New recycling rules mean less sorting, more savings
Starting this month, Sitka’s recycling center will accept more types of plastic — and Sitkans will have to spend less time sorting their recycling. Bri Gabel and Aurora Taylor joined KCAW’s Brooke Schafer to discuss the changes to recycling and how they hope those changes will encourage community members to recycle more. Listen to the full interview below:
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