Emily Kwong, KCAW - Sitka

Sitka’s tribal council wrote a letter last week to the Anchorage division of the FBI, regarding a tasing incident of a Native Alaska teenager in the Sitka jail last year. The letter alleges that prejudice exists within the Sitka Police Department and asks the FBI to consult the tribe during the investigation. Download Audio

Every year, the Sitka Conservation Society hosts a Wild Foods Potluck. It’s an edible celebration of all that can be picked, plucked, hunted, fished, grown, and gathered in Sitka. This year, over 150 people attended and brought dishes. Download Audio

The Anchorage FBI office will be taking a leadership role in the investigation of the 2014 tasing of a teenager in a Sitka jail cell. Download Audio:

The Sitka Assembly convened in executive session Wednesday night to discuss legal matters affecting the municipality, as a result of the August 18th landslide. Download Audio

The Alaska State Troopers have agreed to perform an outside review of an arrest last year in Sitka, in which officers used a taser on a high school student. Download Audio

Turnaround Skate Park in Sitka is a playground for adrenaline-seekers of all skill levels, from kids on scooters to young adults on long boards. In recent years, however, the reputation of the space has been shaken by steady reports of alcohol and drug use by non-skating adults. Download Audio

For nearly a decade, Alaska Bulk Water Incorporated has been setting up shop in Sitka – at the site of the city’s once pulp mill. The former bottling company is trying to send raw water to customers around the world, from drought stricken California to beer manufacturers in Mexico. Not a single drop has been exported so far, but the Sitka Assembly is offering the company another chance to deliver on their promises

Sitka Police caught the culprits behind a series of vandalisms in a 200-year-old cemetery. The police acted on a handful of tips from citizens, after knocking on doors for information and offering a $200 reward.

In Sitka, a 200-year old cemetery was severely vandalized by an unknown party this weekend. This is the third time the Russian Orthodox Cemetery was targeted in the past two months. In this most recent incident, one or more individuals knocked over 25 headstones.

A band of Russian performers, with their sights set on Sitka, are reportedly still in Moscow awaiting visas. As the mystery of their travel plans deepens, one Russian did make it to the Alaska Day festivities this past weekend. Download Audio

On Sunday, Oct. 18, the Anchorage chapter of the NAACP wrote to Sitka committee of the Alaska Day festival, criticizing the name of one of the events on the program: the slave auction. Organized by a local bar, the annual fundraiser took place last night. Download Audio

On Friday, Governor Bill Walker issued a disaster declaration for Sitka, in response to seven landslides on August 18th. The slides killed three men and caused extensive damage to private and public property, including city roads and utilities. Listen now:

Imagine you arrive in a world where it rains all year round, and daylight swings from 17 hours in summertime to a paltry six in winter. And you’re only seven years old. That’s the situation Jasmine Molina found herself when she first got to Sitka, over 5,000 miles from her native city of Manila in the Philippines. Sitka’s Filipino population has grown substantially in the past five years, but there remains no formal system to help new students transition to school. That is, until Jasmine came to town. Listen now:

Look out Alaska Airlines. Delta announced last fall it would begin operating non-stop flights from Seattle to Sitka for the summer season. And at 7:25 last Friday (05-15-15), KCAW’s Emily Kwong was on the runway.

In Sitka, raising the hydroelectric dam at Blue Lake has created not only a source of renewable energy, but an even larger reserve of fresh water. The bulk water presents a business opportunity. With a contract deadline looming that could terminate its exclusive rights, Alaska Bulk Water hopes to deliver on long awaited promises to ship tankers of water and to make California its first customer. Download Audio:

In Sitka, raising the hydroelectric dam at Blue Lake has created not only a source of renewable energy, but an even larger reserve of fresh water. The bulk water presents a business opportunity.

With education a hot button issue in the ongoing budget debate, one school in Sitka is definitely safe this fiscal year. The state-run Mt. Edgecumbe High School will continue to receive $4.6 million from the Department of Education and Early Development (EED). That money goes directly towards boarding over 400 students from around the state. Listen now:

The Sitka Sentinel celebrated its 75th anniversary last year without much fanfare. As many newspapers in big cities have folded or turned into online only operations, the Sentinel steadily churns out five issues a week. The paper is owned and edited by Thad and Sandy Poulson, reporters who arrived in 1969 and are determined to keep the press running. Download Audio