Katherine Rose, KCAW - Sitka

Katherine Rose, KCAW - Sitka
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The bow of a white cruise ship

Sitka officials vote to accept $1M donation from Norwegian Cruise Line

The City and Borough of Sitka may receive a $1 million donation from an international cruise line, which the company says comes with “no strings attached.”
Kids in rain gear carry a spruec bough along the beach

At Sitka herring camp, an advocate passes down subsistence traditions

Subsistence harvester and former Tribal Council member Tom Gamble is determined to see this tradition continue — by working to protect herring stocks and teaching kids how to harvest eggs.
Two seiner boats pull up nets in front of a rainforest town

Sitka herring fishery opens for first time in 2 years

This season's forecast called for the highest return of herring since the 1970s, but some tribal activists have continued to fight the fishery, which they say threatens subsistence stocks.
person holds a sign outside a courthouse

‘Herring Protectors’ gather at Sitka’s courthouse as commercial fishery gears up

A commercial herring fishery in Sitka will likely happen this year after a two-year hiatus, but the fishery continues to face opposition from local tribes.
An Alaska native teen with a black mask getting vaccinated

Here’s how Sitka has vaccinated over half its residents against COVID-19

The Southeast Alaska town now offers vaccine to teenagers 16 as young as 16 — making Sitka one of the first places in the nation where this has been possible.

Canada’s cruise ship ban fuels more budget angst for Sitka schools

School funding is the biggest single expense for the city of Sitka, falling somewhere in the $7 million range most years. Without major cruise ship visits, schools could loose out on a lot of money.
as seen from above, waves crash against a rocky coast on a cloudy day

State predicts Sitka’s commercial herring harvest will fall short of annual limit

In an unusual move, the Alaska Department of Fish & Game set a large guideline harvest level for the commercial herring fishing in Sitka this spring, on the understanding that the fleet is not likely to hit that mark.
Four students stand over a table with a teacher in a blue sweater standing on the other side

Sitka science teacher wins prestigious national teaching award

Mt. Edgecumbe High School’s Chohla Moll was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
A grey blocky building with high windows and several pickup trucks out fronnt

Alaska researchers try to anticipate COVID-19 spikes by testing waste

Researchers at the University of Alaska are partnering with communities around the state to figure out if they can detect COVID-19 spread before it shows up in lab tests by testing wastewater for viral particles.
A rid school building with an american flag on top

Mt. Edgecumbe student tests positive for coronavirus, prompting campus lockdown

Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka briefly locked down and quarantined around 25 students, after another student at the state-run boarding school tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this week.
Two brown haired women, one in a gray suit and one in a blue police uniform

Former Sitka officer wins harassment settlement, promises investigation of police

A sexual harassment lawsuit brought by a former police officer against the City of Sitka has settled out of court for over $500,000.

No mask, no problem: Sitka rejects local mask mandate

Cities in Alaska have been divided on the question of whether mask mandates are a violation of personal freedom or an effective public health tool.
Alexander Baranov

Sitka plans to relocate Baranov statue

About 120 demonstrators gathered to demand removal of the statue.

Scientists say Sitka herring is on the rebound, but subsistence users remain skeptical

Scientists reported a strong egg count this year after a disastrous season in 2018. But some tribal members say that the high count doesn't represent other changes in how and where the eggs are.

Sitka SAR team helps teenager stuck on cliff

A teenager got stuck about 25 feet up a rock wall and couldn't go up or come down.

Second Sitka resident has tested positive for COVID-19

Details about the patient haven't been released.

Sitka’s first case of COVID-19 is at a 15-bed long-term care center, SEARHC says

Sitka's tribal health-care provider announced that the patient is a resident at a 15-bed long-term care center. All residents of the facility, which houses senior citizens and others in need of long-term care, were tested.

Sitka herring roe fishery closed over small fish, weak markets and coronavirus uncertainty

Weak markets and smaller-than-average fish — two factors in the premature closure of last year’s fishery — are being blamed for the move, along with new uncertainty over the spread of coronavirus in China.

UPDATE: Coast Guard suspends search for missing Sitka kayaker

The Coast Guard suspended its search Monday for a Sitka man whose empty kayak was discovered overturned the day before in Sitka’s Eastern Channel.

Despite conflict over subsistence, state plans to double commercial harvest of Sitka Sound herring

State managers intend to double the commercial harvest level for the Sitka Sound sac roe fishery. Meanwhile, subsistence users are seeing a shrinking spawning window, and fewer eggs on branches.