Author: Raven News

Sitka public works director Michael Harmon, finance director Dave Wolff and operations manager Scott Brylinski participated in a Raven Radio forum on two ballot questions: (1) whether to authorize $7 million in bonds for road repairs and (2) whether to raise the sales tax a half-percentage point to pay for those bonds. This is that conversation in its entirety, as it aired on Oct. 1.

Jonathan Edwards' hit "Sunshine" went gold in 1971. Since that heady time the journeyman artist's career has followed a unique arc through the early folk movement, to country, and back to contemporary singer/songwriter. Edwards performs at 7 PM Friday, October 2, 2009 in the Sitka Performing Arts Center. Interview with KCAW's Robert Woolsey.

Sitka’s municipal elections are just around the corner and the two school board candidates met at Raven Radio on Wednesday (9/30) to discuss a variety of issues facing the school district. Cass Pook and Tom Conley are both long-time board members and unopposed in their bids for re-election.

Assembly candidates Cheryl Westover and Mim McConnell met at Raven Radio on Tuesday (9/29) to take calls in the first of three live call-in election forums. Much of the discussion centered on the future of Hames Athletic Center. Here's a recap.

Deliveries to Sitka’s recycling program have dropped for the first time since the inception of the program in 2003. The decline in recyclables in the second quarter of this year closely tracks the decline in sales tax revenues the city finance department reported for the same period. Both figures are down about 15-percent from last year.

Mim McConnell is running for a three-year term on the assembly of the City and Borough of Sitka.Candidate statements are a listener service of Raven Radio, and not an endorsement of the candidate. The same opportunity to provide a statement is available to all municipal candidates. The municipal election is Tuesday, October 6, 2009.

Hannah Guggenheim thought her film "Benji and Judah" would be a one-year project for her masters thesis. It turned out to be a five-year journey with an East Bay family seen through the eyes of twin brothers living with spina bifida. Guggenheim will show the film at 6PM September 30th in the Sheetka Kwan Community House in Sitka. Interview with KCAW's Robert Woolsey:

The Alaska Department of Fish & Game has closed the hunting season for female deer over much of northeast Chichagof Island. A closure of the federal subsistence hunt for does – when it is announced -- will mirror the state closure. The department blames two hard winters in a row for the steep decline in deer numbers in the area. Without animals to hunt, the residents of Hoonah are looking ahead at a hard winter of their own, regardless of the weather.

Emergency response agencies Thursday night (9-24-08) called off a massive search for a Sitka man missing since early Monday morning. 60-year old Jerry Kinsey was last seen walking into the woods after failing to meet his wife after a routine workout at the local gym. He has not been seen since.

Sitka voters this October will fill four municipal seats – two on the assembly and two on the school board. The four candidates who have filed for those seats met for the first election forum of the season this week at the Sitka Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Wednesday (9-23-09).