Month: May 2011

First large ship call is a good time to say "Welcome"

The arrival of the Westerdam today (Wed 5-11-11) opened the large-ship cruise season in Sitka. The local chamber of commerce for the last few years has marked the occasion with a special “Welcome to Sitka Day,” with musical performances, cultural dance shows, and catered food – all happening right on the dock. But for those Sitkans who don’t sing and dance, it’s an opportunity to just go out on a spectacular spring day and visit with people who may be seeing Alaska for the first time.

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Online book sales reaching indie stores

A Sitka retailer has become the 250th book store in the nation to sell Google e-books, similar to the texts people can download on Kindles or other popular devices. That’s a milestone that might be more important to Google than to the general public, but it’s also a sign of a changing industry.

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ALFA to study electronic bycatch monitoring

A fisheries trade association is spearheading research to determine if it’s practical to monitor bycatch electronically on some longliners, rather than using human observers. The Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association has been awarded $220,000 from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation to study whether cameras can do the job when new rules go into effect requiring observers on all groundfish vessels over 40 feet long. This is on top of research ALFA is involved in to find ways to keep sperm whales away from longline gear.

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Electric department signals for higher rates

The electrical department believes part of the power crisis in Sitka may be rates that are too low. "Intelligent price signals" may help slow the rush to convert to electric heat. Discussion of the electric fund dominated Thursday’s special budget meeting (5-5-11). The electrical department is in more or less good shape financially as things stand now, but Sitka is at the very limit of its hydro generation capacity.

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State revenue sharing rescues Sitka's '12 general fund

Sitka’s municipal budget is back from the brink. At a special assembly meeting Thursday evening (5-5-11) in Harrigan Centennial Hall, city administrator Jim Dinley reported that a deficit of almost $800,000 had been dramatically reduced by eleventh-hour action of the Alaska Legislature.

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Commissioner to 2011 MEHS grads: "I'll be working for you."

While it may not always be fun to go to school on Saturdays, one of the upsides of the rigorous academic calendar at Sitka’s Mt. Edgecumbe High School is an early graduation. Seventy-five seniors received their diplomas this morning (5-5-11) in ceremonies at the Sitka Performing Arts Center. Among the distinguished guests present to congratulate the graduates of the state-run boarding school was Commissioner of Education Michael Hanley.

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Sitka 8th grader wins college credit for Geobee finish

A Sitka student has earned his first three college credits, and he’s only in eighth grade. Trevor Schoening was presented his scholarship by UAS Sitka campus director Jeff Johnstone during the university’s graduation ceremonies last Friday night (4-29-11).

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Coast Guard names Sitka a 'Coast Guard City'

Sitka was officially named a “Coast Guard City” on Saturday. The designation belongs to only 12 communities in the country and is awarded by the Coast Guard to signify a close bond between the military branch and the communities in which it serves.

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