Author: Robert Woolsey

The year-long interruption in surgical services at Sitka Community Hospital has ended -- almost. Former SEARHC physician Dr. Richard Wein has opened an office in the clinic area on the first floor of the hospital, and saw his first patients on March 18th. Hospital teams are working to re-start the operating room.

With more than 7 nautical miles of herring spawn observed Monday in Sitka Sound, the subsistence roe harvest is now in full swing. KCAW’s Ed Ronco went out on the water with Sitka Tribal Council vice chairman Mike Baines and his sister, Betty Baines, as they set branches Monday near the Kasiana Islands. He sent back this audio postcard.

The Alaska Raptor Center released four eagles over the weekend – three juveniles and an adult. Eagle releases often attract members of the public, and releasing four at a time is fairly rare. The Raptor Center has been treating eagles for 30 years this year, and its regular eagle releases often draw spectators. The moment an eagle is released is the beginning of a second chance for the bird, and the end of a long process for the center’s staff and volunteers.

In the aftermath of the Chilean earthquake in February, Alaska remained under a tsunami advisory for most of the day – that is, except for a brief period in the early morning when the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center’s computer system posted a false all-clear. KCAW’s Robert Woolsey was one broadcaster who reported the false message. He talked recently with emergency authorities to find out what went wrong that morning, and if it could happen again:

A group of tourism professionals hope to attract visitors to Alaska who come for the state’s cultural offerings. And they’re meeting in Sitka this week to figure out new ways to do it. The fourth annual Heritage and Cultural Tourism Conference began Tuesday and ends Thursday. It brings together the U.S. Small Business Administration, and tourism providers from across the state.

Sitkans Against Family Violence had 202 residents at its domestic violence shelter between July 1st, 2008, and June 30th 2009. That’s 121 women and 81 children. The shelter answered 255 crisis calls, had four sexual assault response calls, and provided 11 long-distance emergency transports from the villages it serves: Angoon and Kake. The group, known by its acronym, SAFV, says it would like to see those numbers come down. In Sitka, residents marched down Lincoln Street on Wednesday afternoon to raise awareness against domestic violence, and to see if they could help stem the tide of abuse.

Dove Island Lodge is allowed to operate with up to 16 guests after the City and Borough of Sitka Assembly approved its permit during a special meeting Tuesday night. The final approval is for more than the 9 guests allowed under city zoning regulations, but less than the 24 guests Dove Island was seeking. And there are some conditions. Tempers flared at times during the five-hour meeting, especially when members of the public accused the Assembly of being anti-business.

The opening, from 1:45 until 4:25 p.m., brought in 4,000 tons of fish. Ed Ronco reports.

Sitka plans a waterside walkway from the base of the O’Connell Bridge over to Sitka National Historical Park. It’s part of the city’s plan on how to spend some $5 million in cruise-ship head tax money. The plan was presented to the public earlier this month, and again on Wednesday (3-24) before the Chamber of Commerce’s weekly meeting. As Ed Ronco reports, those in attendance at the Chamber luncheon had plenty of questions.

Seiners pulled roughly 3,500 tons of herring from Sitka Sound during the opening of the sac roe herring fishery on Saturday.