Robert Woolsey, KCAW - Sitka
Robert Woolsey is a reporter at KCAW in Sitka.
Bob Allen, Alaska maritime entrepreneur, boat builder and storyteller, dies at 83
The founder of one of Alaska’s largest homegrown marine tourism companies has died. Bob Allen, of Sitka’s Allen Marine, passed away Monday morning, March 2. He was 83 years old.
Murkowski: Ready to move beyond the ‘ugly’ politics of impeachment
In public remarks during this latest congressional recess, Sen. Murkowski has openly acknowledged that the past few months have not been among her best as a lawmaker.
Sitka Tribe and state exchange legal barbs over management of subsistence herring egg harvest
Commercial harvesters seek herring roe while it’s still inside the fish; subsistence harvesters collect the eggs on hemlock branches (pictured above) after the fish have spawned. This one-after-the-other paradigm is at the heart of the conflict over Sitka herring. “The essence of this claim,” argued Tribal attorney Andy Erickson, “is that (the state) is subjugating the subsistence priority to the needs of the commercial fishery.”
Sitka objects to ‘critical habitat’ designation for humpback whales
Local officials in Sitka are concerned that a critical habitat designation will be another hurdle in the permitting process for work on the city’s waterfront, and become an impediment to the management of the region’s commercial fisheries.
Sitka settles police whistleblower lawsuit for $325,000
Former Sitka police detective Ryan Silva filed suit in August 2018, claiming he was harassed and demoted after calling out irregularities in the department’s procurement of automatic weapons.
Proposed land trade may turn the tide for Sitka’s maritime industry
The deal has the potential to break a troubling economic logjam in the community.
In Sitka, mild winters push deer population to near-capacity
A biologist attributes the boom in deer population to mild winters since the “Snowpocalypse” of 2007-8. But in biological terms, huge deer numbers are not necessarily a great thing.
Sitka park board shelves large ship plan in favor of utility dock sale
The board of Sitka’s industrial park wants to move forward with the sale of the old utility dock, even if it means letting go of plans to develop a moorage facility for large ships.
In Sitka, Indigenous Peoples’ Day a prelude to broader ‘reconciliation’
As many Sitkans gear up to celebrate the 152nd anniversary of the transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States on Oct. 18, others are working on reframing the holiday to include the idea of “decolonization.”
Sitka land trust breaks ground on affordable cottage neighborhood
The collaborative project will offer houses at a cost well below Sitka's average list price. Some residents hope it will help tackle the community's affordable housing problem.
Struggling under debt, Sitka brewery defaults on $637K city loan
Despite a busy summer season, Sitka’s Baranof Island Brewing Company was unable to get ahead of its large debt, according to its owner.
SE Conference takes aim at Gov. Dunleavy’s cuts to state ferries
The Southeast Conference was founded 58 years ago to help establish the state ferry system. Now it's reckoning with a governor who would close the system down completely.
Can a tiny town in Southeast Alaska reshape how America eats?
Leading food systems researcher and author Mark Winne has identified seven unlikely cities that are changing the way Americans eat. Sitka
Pioneer Home residents fight ‘preposterous’ rate increase
A proposal to more than double the monthly costs for most residents in Alaska’s Pioneer Homes met with stiff opposition during recent public testimony on the issue.
Wind, waves hamper efforts to salvage grounded longliner
Efforts to salvage a fishing vessel which went aground last week south of Sitka have been unsuccessful to date.
Friend and running partner, ‘Rascal’ fatally mauled thwarting bear attack
A dog was attacked and killed on a Sitka trail on Saturday, defending her owner from a brown bear.
AK: A show more real than ‘reality tv’ comes to Sitka
A pair of producers is hoping to put together a show that reflects a more authentic Alaskan experience than what is prevalent in reality television nowadays.
Save the gravy! Team postpones Thanksgiving to free entangled whale
A humpback whale is swimming free after being untangled from mooring lines near Prince of Wales Island on Thanksgiving Day.
Naming ‘Luna Lake’ is a story of survival, loss
A 10-year-old border collie named Luna died when a massive slide wiped out a Forest Service cabin at the headwaters of Redoubt Lake in 2013. Now her former owner hopes to officially name the small lake created by slide in honor of his longtime friend.