Robert Woolsey, KCAW - Sitka
Robert Woolsey is the news director at KCAW in Sitka.
Search suspended after fishing boat capsizes in Southeast Alaska waters
The U.S. Coast Guard says there were reportedly five people aboard the Wind Walker when it capsized early Sunday.
Sitka fisheries advocate Tad Fujioka found dead in apparent bear mauling
A state biologist says Fujioka, 50, was likely killed by a sow brown bear that claimed a deer carcass he had cached.
Why Sitka lost almost everything else when it lost the internet
"A lot of times people talk about fiber as being future proof, but I think maybe we’re learning that it’s not Alaska proof," said one expert.
Sitka tourism documentary ‘Cruise Boom’ to debut on PBS
A documentary examining the impact of cruise tourism's explosive growth in Sitka will debut this weekend on national television.
RurAL CAP connects small businesses — including fishing boats — with federal energy dollars
RurAL CAP staff can help small businesses navigate applying for REAP grants, which pay up to 50% of many energy upgrades' costs.
Coast Guard says a wave likely overwhelmed charter boat near Sitka last year, killing 5
A U.S. Coast Guard team spent the past year reconstructing the Awakin's final trip, trying to learn what befell the boat and the five people on board.
2 Alaska health care providers sue feds over millions in unpaid costs
The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. and Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium are seeking about $34 million in contract support costs.
National experts to discuss Indigenous tourism in Sitka this spring
The annual conference started about 20 years ago, paused briefly, and then resumed as demand grew for authentic and meaningful cultural experiences.
Southeast Alaska chinook stocks expected to be low again in 2024
Of the 11 chinook salmon stocks in the region, only the Chilkat River is expected to have an adequate number of chinook returning to spawn.
Alaska’s ‘upside down economics’ keep supply low, demand high for new homes
Researcher Nolan Klouda says Alaska ranks 45th among states in per capita new housing, building about two new units per thousand people.
Alaska experts try to untangle invasive Japanese knotweed
Japanese knotweed can survive being hacked into pieces and thrown into the ocean — and scientists say it has a growing hold in Southeast Alaska.
First responders to Coast Guard helicopter’s crash were the Southeast Alaska fishing crew it came to rescue
The crew of the Lydia Marie say they heard the rescue helicopter's rotors, as their vessel was taking on water late Monday night — then silence.
A co-creator of Alaska’s PFD program calls for reinstating a personal income tax
Rep. Cliff Groh wants Alaskans earning over $200,000 a year to pay a 2% income tax, with other residents asked to "chip in" $20 to fund state services.
Southeast Conference panel optimistic about region’s transportation outlook
An infusion of federal transportation dollars into the state ferry system is helping Southeast Alaska regional administrators see better times ahead.
Sitka’s tourism boom has brought a staggering increase in cigarette butts
What started as a community cleanup has become a legitimate scientific study.
Stedman warns against overdrawing Alaska Permanent Fund to pay dividends
Senate Finance Committee co-chair Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, says state lawmakers must make tough decisions to keep the Permanent Fund healthy.
A long-awaited hydro project in Angoon can proceed, if funding can be found
The local Alaska Native corporation is seeking construction funds for the project, which is expected to fully replace costly diesel power.
Fish were plentiful, but fishermen scarce for Southeast Alaska’s first summer king opening
Southeast trollers brought in about 85,000 king salmon from July 1 to July 12, around 8,000 fish over the target for the first opener of the season.
Sitka’s seafood donation network connects abundance with scarcity in Western Alaska
The Seafood Distribution Network is supplying sockeye to families on the Yukon and Chignik rivers, whose traditional salmon runs have crashed.
Scientists say Tongass trees could bounce back from budworm infestation
Scientists with the U.S. Forest Service believe that the blackheaded budworm, whose numbers surged over the past three years, is now in decline.