Month: June 2010

The University of Dubuque has walked away from a deal to operate part of the Sheldon Jackson College campus in Sitka. The private Iowa university was exploring the possibility of launching some sort of operation in Sitka, but its president said Monday that Dubuque, the City of Sitka, and the management of the former Sheldon Jackson College could NOT agree on how to move forward.

Dubuque president Jeffrey Bullock’s letter is striking for its strong language and lack of conciliatory tone. He leaves very little room for doubt that this is anything but a breakup. In addition to identifying disagreements with the Sheldon Jackson board of trustees and local government in Sitka, Bullock also argues that SJ president David Dobler was subject to “ridicule in the community” and “derision in blogs posted by former disgruntled members of the faculty and staff.”

This week we’ve told you about projects vetoed by Governor Sean Parnell in this year’s capital budget. Some of those projects were here in Sitka. But what about the projects that Parnell did NOT veto? Here's a look at some of the capital projects in Sitka that will receive full funding.

State Rep. Jay Ramras is seeking the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor of Alaska. The Fairbanks resident stopped by Raven Radio to talk about some of the issues facing the state. (Approx. 30 minutes)

Diane Benson is seeking the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor of Alaska. The Anchorage resident stopped by Raven Radio to talk about some of the issues facing the state. (Approx. 30 minutes)

Paul Rosenthal is opening his 39th season as the Artistic Director of the Sitka Summer Music Festival tonight (6-4-10). As the violin virtuoso nears 70, he accepts natural physical limitations, but says that in music -- and in life -- the diminuendo is as important as the crescendo. Morning Interview with KCAW's Shady Grove Oliver.

The fine weekend weather saw more people out on the water than last year in the 55th annual Sitka Salmon Derby. Derby officials have not crunched the numbers yet, but they seem confident that the sunny skies, light winds – and lower fuel prices – contributed to an increase in participation over the first weekend of the 2010 derby.

Several Sitka projects saw the business end of Gov. Sean Parnell’s veto pen. Among them, a partial cut in funding to expand the Blue Lake Hydroelectric Project. But city officials say they're grateful for the $8 million the project will receive.

April showers bring May flowers, and, in Alaska, record-breaking pollen counts. Last month the Tanana Valley broke the Alaskan pollen record, ringing in at almost 4000 grains per cubic meter—and nearly surpassing Denmark’s 2006 world record. After seeing billowing clouds of pollen over Sitka’s hilltops, KCAW’s Lily Mihalik spoke with Dr. Jeffrey Demain to see what rising pollen counts, and global climate change mean for Alaskans.

A whale that has lived in Sitka Sound for more than 20 years was found dead last week near Shelikof Bay. Experts say one or two whale deaths are reported every year in Southeast Alaska. But as KCAW’s Ed Ronco reports, this particular whale was well-known to local biologists, who now are trying to learn as much as they can about what happened.