Brielle Schaeffer, KCAW - Sitka

While more attention is being brought to solve the state’s drug problems, proper services have always been hard to get in more remote areas. Detox facilities are not available in many communities like Sitka. And with the use of harder drugs such as heroin and meth on the rise, the absence of those services is making it harder for those who need help to get it. Download Audio

For all its prevalence in Alaskan communities, drug addiction can be a difficult health care problem to manage. Proper treatment depends on timing and access to services, which aren’t always available in small-town Alaska. Limited options mean it can be hard to beat addiction at home — forcing some people to leave all they know to find the help they need. Download Audio

The extremely mild winter means bears have been out and about earlier than usual this year. So far, there’s already been two bear attacks in Southeast Alaska, and summer is just getting started. KCAW’s Brielle Schaeffer decided this was the perfect time to try her hand at bear spray. Download Audio

A 2,500-pound terrorist has been surprising sport and commercial fishermen outside Sitka harbors. There’s one thing he’s after—fish — and the season is just ramping up. This federally-protected mammal is causing more trouble than his weight for the city.

Christopher Orman is the new assistant district attorney for Sitka, Petersburg, and Kake. He replaced Jean Seaton in February, who held the position since 2009. Originally from Southern California, Orman had a winding road to get into law, but he says he’s ultimately happy to be in field serving the community. Download Audio

The majority of cruise ships making stops in Sitka this summer will be coming in to dock. Download Audio

The Southeast Alaska king salmon quota for 2016 is out and it’s already looking better than last year. In 2015, no final harvest limit was ever announced, which left commercial fishermen in the dark as to how many fish they were targeting.

Warmer winters have pushed Sitka snowboarders and other adventurers out of the mountains and into the water. The ocean swell and rock breaks right near the heart of town create prime wave conditions. But locals are worried about revealing too much about what their secret spot. Download Audio

While commercial fishermen were on the water anxiously awaiting the next herring opening in Sitka, some residents gathered on land for a traditional Tlingit ceremony. The Blessing of Herring Rock happens every year to get the fish to come back to the Sound to spawn. Download Audio

The Sitka Sound Science Center raises millions of salmon at the Sheldon Jackson Hatchery every year but recently the organization started nurturing another type of sea creature. Download Audio

While other groups have rallied in support of Mt. Edgecumbe High School, Sitka Tribe of Alaska’s Tribal Council hasn’t yet taken a formal position on a proposal from the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program to take over the school. Students from Mt. Edgecumbe visited the Tribal Council at its meeting this month to keep them in the loop about the school’s plans to pushback against the ANSEP proposal.

Girl Scouts in Sitka are doing more than selling cookies this year. One local troop is concerned about the safety of a heavily-used crosswalk. The scouts hope to persuade the Alaska Department of Transportation that the intersection is more hazardous than the state thinks it is.

The renovated and enlarged Sitka Public Library is now open for business, with thousands of books having been moved back from temporary quarters on the Sheldon Jackson campus. Residents showed up in force to check out the new digs Thursday night. Before the new Sitka Public Library opened its doors it was just a big building full of books. A beautiful building, but still just a building. It didn’t actually become a *library* until after the ceremonial ribbon cutting, when eager Sitkans streamed into the facility to get their first peek.

It’s often called the most important meal of the day but sometimes kids don’t get the chance to eat breakfast before heading to class. Sitka School District wanted to change that this year and started offering breakfast for all students. This is the first year the high school has offered breakfast and that Sitka School District has offered it to students at all five of its schools.

The Alaska Raptor Center lost one of its famed and feathered ambassadors last month. HALi, a bald eagle, died in early December, due to health reasons. She was around 6 years old. Download Audio

A 38-foot fishing vessel, the F/V Yankee, ran aground in the Northside of Neva Strait, last Tuesday night (01-12-16), spilling 150 gallons of diesel fuel into the water.