KCAW Staff, Author at KCAW - Page 469 of 584

Unrelated fire, sinking hit harbor over weekend

It was a busy weekend in Sitka’s Eliason Harbor, where one vessel suffered fire damage just hours before another sank.

Herring roe debate continues at STA council

A debate over who should have the right to harvest subsistence herring roe continued at Wednesday night’s meeting of the Sitka Tribe of Alaska’s tribal council. The controversy centers around a fishing boat called the Julia Kae, that delivered free roe-on-hemlock to Sitka, Hoonah, Angoon, Kake, Wrangell and Ketchikan.

Extended audio: Ten Tips for marketing with social media

SCVB executive director Tonia Rioux offered these Ten Tips for marketing with social media during her presentation to the Sitka Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday (4-20-11). She drew the information from an article on www.techrepublic.com by Debra Littlejohn Shinder.

New wildlife Tasers protect NOAA whale necropsy team

The Alaska Department of Fish & Game has started field trials of a special Taser designed for use on large wildlife. Sitka area management biologist Phil Mooney included the Tasers in a plan to protect NOAA researchers as they conducted a necropsy of a gray whale in Deep Inlet.

Wolff’s departure comes up as city leaders evaluated

The Sitka Assembly says it looks forward to working with both Municipal Administrator Jim Dinley and Municipal Attorney Theresa Hillhouse into the foreseeable future. That’s after both were evaluated last night during a closed-door meeting that lasted nearly four hours. But it was the fate of former city finance director Dave Wolff that generated the most curiosity among members of the public on Tuesday night.

New SCVB director offers insight into social media

The biggest investment in using social media to market a business may be your time. So says Tonia Rioux, the executive director of the Sitka Convention and Visitors Bureau. Rioux introduced her staff, and gave a quick refresher course on the SCVB’s marketing and convention services to the Sitka Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday (4-20-11). But the SCVB’s new thirty-something director also spent some time teaching a generally older chamber crowd about the world of social media – platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Science center grant to aid longliners, sperm whales

Sperm whales in Alaska have learned how to seek out longline fishing gear as a source for easy meals. Now, a $350,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration given to the Sitka Sound Science Center will let scientists and commercial longliners work together to figure out how to discourage the behavior.

ASAA hears pitch for girls-only wrestling post-season

The Alaska School Activities Association heard a pitch for regional and state wrestling tournaments for girls during its regular meeting in Sitka this week (4-18-11). Mt. Edgecumbe High School wrestling coach Mike Kimber told the ASAA board that more girls would participate in the sport if they knew that there would be a girls-only competition at the end of the season.

Sitka coaches ask ASAA for parity in travel costs

Mike Kimber was one of several Mt. Edgecumbe and Sitka High personnel to bring issues before the governing body for activities in the state. The ASAA board took comments from the public beginning at 9:30 Monday morning (4-18-11). The core issue was the cost of travel. Sitka High football coach Jeff Feldpausch said his team had to pay the full travel expenses of conference opponents from South Central Alaska. One game alone this season cost his organization almost $9,000 in airfare for 22 players.

Totem Square to be pole-less for time being

Restoration work is proceeding on schedule in Sitka’s downtown Totem Square, but the state has not announced whether a historic-but-controversial totem pole will be reinstalled on the site. Jennifer Klein is the Facilities Section Chief for the Department of Health and Social Services. She was in Sitka on Thursday and Friday (Apr 14, 15, 2011) for meetings about the project.