Month: February 2011

In part two of our two-part interview with the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, director Linda Behnken and member Dan Falvey warn that the big cuts in halibut fishing may not be at an end: How halibut are split among various areas of the Gulf, and a reduction in the harvest rate, are both factors that could lower quotas next year even if halibut stocks increase.

Despite the steady downward trend in the commercial harvest recently, the International Pacific Halibut Commission in the last two years has not made cuts as large as recommended by their staff scientists. That practiced ended this year, and the Commission approved significant decreases for most fishing areas in the Gulf of Alaska. In part one of a two-part interview with Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association director Linda Behnken and member Dan Falvey, KCAW’s Robert Woolsey asked the pair to throw some light on the Commission process, as it sets the quota for the year.

A suggestion to locate a visitor’s center inside Kettleson Memorial Library caught library staff off guard, along with many Sitkans. But the idea is, at the moment, just that: an idea.

The CEO of the Pebble Partnership says the success or failure of the proposed copper mine in Southwest Alaska could be a bellweather for future resource development in the state.

A former Sitka math teacher and his family have made it safely out of Cairo. Dan Langbauer, his wife Sandra, and son Seth were greeted last night (2-6-11) at the Sitka airport by a large group of Sitka High faculty, friends, and well-wishers. The Langbauers left Egypt on Friday, where Dan was in his third year teaching at Cairo American College, a K-12 international school. When we last reported on the Langbauers, the protest in Tahrir Square had been going on for about a week, and they felt fairly secure in their neighborhood in Maadi, a suburb of Cairo. Nevertheless, Dan told KCAW then that he and Sandra were taking the situation “hour-by-hour.”

In the last couple weeks, we've told you a lot about the Hames Center, which re-opened to the public on Wednesday. But it's only one part of the Sheldon Jackson campus that will soon be coming back to life, as the Sitka Fine Arts Camp takes formal ownership of the campus this week.

Drummer Matt Wilson grew up in a strong jazz tradition, but he says "there is so much music to explore under that umbrella." His quartet, Arts & Crafts, is headlining the Sitka JazzFest this week (Friday and Saturday, February 4 & 5, at 6:30 PM in the Sitka Performing Arts Center). He appeared on the Morning Interview with KCAW's Robert Woolsey.

A former Sitka math teacher and his family will remain in their home in Cairo, despite a frightening night as political protest spilled into the suburbs over the weekend. Dan Langbauer lives with his wife, Sandra, and son Seth in Maadi around twelve kilometers from Tahrir Square. Langbauer is in his third year teaching math at Cairo American College, a K-12 international school.

The basketballs are bouncing again at Hames Center, which re-opened to the public Tuesday night (2-1-11) after having been closed for three months.

A test last week of Sitka’s tsunami sirens and new phone message software revealed some things that need to be fixed, local officials say. But it also gave them a first look at changes in the way authorities notify citizens of emergencies or disasters.