Author: Ed Ronco

The nation of Haiti is more than 4,000 miles from Sitka. But since Tuesday, when a massive earthquake struck near its capital, Port-au-Prince, the country has become familiar to people around the globe. It was familiar before for one Sitka woman, who holds a special connection to the small Caribbean country.

Emergency crews responded to a fuel spill on Thursday (1-14-10) that started along Halibut Point Road near Peterson Street and ended up flowing into Eliason Harbor.

State senator Albert Kookesh has waived legislative immunity, in order to proceed to trial on charges that he and three other men overfished their subsistence permits last summer. In a hearing in Sitka this morning (Thu 1-14-10), the Angoon democrat said he was willing to “make it happen” if the judge decided to move ahead with a trial during this spring’s legislative session.

In November, Raven Radio brought you a series on homelessness in Sitka. Just two days after that series aired, one more Sitkan became homeless. Here’s Ed Ronco with a story about a man named Rusty Sutton, a boat called the Sea Dog, and the storm that changed everything.

So, what do students at Blatchley Middle School think about school bullying? Eighth-grade journalism student Justin Hulse asked around.

Students across the Sitka School District are learning about anti-bullying techniques using a new curriculum called OLWEUS. With the halfway point of the school year approaching, KCAW’s Ed Ronco decided to take a look at the curriculum, and whether district staff think it’s working.

Members of the choir of St. Michael's Cathedral in Sitka make a guest appearance on the Morning Edition Interview. Father Elia Larson, Mike Tackberry, George Erickson, and Kathy Hope-Erickson talk about the Ukranian origins of starring. With KCAW's Robert Woolsey.

The Alaska Legislature convenes its 2010 session on Jan. 19th. Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, talks about some of the capital projects on tap for the year. Stedman is co-chairman of the Senate finance committee. In that role, he's responsible for crafting the state's capital budget.

State Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, will be responsible for crafting the state's capital budget when the Alaska Legislature convenes its 2010 session on Jan. 19th. In the second part of our interview, Stedman looks ahead to the session and some of the projects on tap, including the new Alaska Class ferry.

A group of Southeast Native organizations has created a legal defense fund to protect subsistence rights. One of the first cases for the Alaska Subsistence Defense Fund will be the trial of state Senator Albert Kookesh and three other men charged with overfishing their subsistence sockeye permits near Angoon this summer.