Robert Woolsey, KCAW - Sitka
Robert Woolsey is the news director at KCAW in Sitka.
SAFV Tackles Domestic Violence Crisis With Community Training
The domestic violence shelter in Sitka is stepping up its community training program following the release of new survey data last year. SAFV, or Sitkans Against Family Violence, has routinely offered volunteer advocate training, but now the organization is hoping to involve more of the community in how to recognize – and address – Sitka’s incredibly high rate of intimate partner violence.
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As Stream Levels Drop, Salmon Die Before Spawning
Some rainfall over the weekend may have eased a looming crisis for pink salmon stocks in Southeast Alaska. The summer’s fine weather and record salmon runs have both made headlines – but they’re a recipe for trouble without enough water in rivers and streams for fish to spawn.
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Greens Creek Mine Looks For More Space
The Greens Creek mine on Admiralty Island might have to shut down in 2016, unless it can find more room to dispose of its spent ore.
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Tenakee Residents Search For Way To Reopen School
The Tenakee School has been closed for this year, but residents of the Chichagof Island community hope to turn things around for the next.
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AK: Doves
One of the most rapid and successful invasions of a continent did not happen in any war. It’s happening now – maybe right outside your window. The Eurasian collared dove first came to North America in Florida in 1982, and was seen in Alaska as early as 2009. Experts say the dove represents no threat to the environment or native species. But it is changing how Alaska sounds.
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‘Little’ Redoubt Lake A Boon To Sockeye?
The U.S. Forest Service believes fish populations in Redoubt Lake near Sitka survived last month’s devastating landslide unharmed.
Couple Escapes As Landslide Destroys Cabin
Two people are safe after a massive landslide destroyed the cabin they were camping in Sunday morning near Sitka. An air taxi pilot rescued the pair from a debris field estimated to be 20 feet deep. All their belongings were buried in the slide. Their dog remains missing.
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How Much School Can A Student Miss?
The high cost of travel for extracurricular activities in Sitka’s schools has been an ongoing debate for years. Now, the school board is going to take a hard look at whether travel costs students and parents more than just money.
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The Nation: Kreiss-Tomkins a ‘Lesson For the Left’
A local legislative race in Alaska has caught the attention of national media, and is being held up as model for political change elsewhere in the country.
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Students ‘Resilient’ In The Fight Against Meth
Students at Sitka’s alternative high school have decided to confront the methamphetamine problem head on, and they’re encouraging the rest of the community to join them at an event in early May.
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Audio Postcard: Ninja Captures Mooing Rhinos
Alexis Will, a graduate student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, calls herself a “Ninja of the Night,” but it has nothing to do with martial arts.
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Eco Marketing Campaign Backs Young Growth Timber
One of Southeast’s most prominent environmental organizations has started a marketing campaign – for timber. The Sitka Conservation Society recently printed a glossy brochure selling the virtues of second-growth Tongass timber for projects from furniture to housing. The only problem is: There’s no way – yet – to economically harvest and process second growth.
Public, Scientists Disagree On Cruise Ship Wastewater
A bill that would relax the wastewater standards placed on cruise ships by Alaska voters is on the fast track in the Senate.
NOAA Says ‘No Way’ To Electronic Monitoring For Two Years
After refusing to implement an electronic monitoring program developed by fishermen, NOAA Fisheries is moving forward with a plan of its own to test cameras on boats this spring. But a top official who met with Sitka fishermen last week said too many questions remain about the system, and there’s no way a functional electronic monitoring program could be ready in the next two years.
Journalist Delivers Town’s Support To Wounded Soldier
Recently in Sitka, residents were invited to visit the library and sign a card of support for Joe Mille, a 2009 graduate of Sitka High, who lost his right leg in combat in Afghanistan, and who is now in a rehabilitation unit at Walter Reed Hospital in Maryland. The individual organizing the effort, however, is not in Mille’s family, or a member of his church. He’s the photojournalist who broke the story.
Kreiss-Tomkins: Using Connections Instead Of Clout
Redistricting has cost Southeast one legislator this session, and voters in District 34 have made things even more interesting by sending a freshman to the House. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins will be 23-years old when he’s sworn in next Tuesday. Here’s a session preview from the state’s youngest legislator.
Eastern Orthodox Christians Celebrate Christmas Today
Monday, Jan. 7, is Christmas Day on the Julian calendar observed by the Eastern Orthodox Christians. Western churches and most secular institutions follow the Gregorian calendar. In both calendars, however, Christmas falls on December 25th.
Marine Highway Head Steps Down
The head of the state’s ferry system is stepping down. Capt. Mike Neussl’s last day of work as the Deputy Commissioner for Marine Operations will be next Friday, January 11.
Sitka Salmon Shares: A Real-Life Lesson In Food Sustainability
A college professor who studies food systems is putting his money where his brain is. Nic Mink has spent the past two summers in Sitka meeting fishermen and learning about the economy salmon trolling. Now, he’s launched a business to connect individual boats with consumers in the Midwest.
Longliners Seek Delegation’s Support For Electronic Monitoring
A major gear group is pushing back against rules set to take effect this January that will put human observers aboard some smaller fishing boats. The Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association has enlisted the help of the state’s congressional delegation to try and delay implementation of the observer program for small boats, and to adopt a more efficient electronic monitoring program instead.