Author: Robert Woolsey

It took a couple of years for San Francisco-based singer Jackie Ryan to warm to the idea of a winter jazz festival in Alaska. But her adventurous spirit and warm contralto have found a home onstage at the Sitka JazzFest. Interview with KCAW's Robert Woolsey.

A feasibility study for major new hydroelectric project in Sitka has been put on hold. The Alaska Energy Authority has denied the city’s request for $2-million dollars to study the prospects for hydro power at Takatz Lake, on the east side of Baranof Island.

Alaska Natives represent less than 5% of educators in the state, yet 25% of the population is Alaska Native. Across the state school districts are struggling to increase the number of Native teachers, but qualified candidates can be difficult to find, especially when budgets are decreasing for hiring ANY teachers at all. As KCAW’s Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock reports, Sitka faces the same challenges regarding Native hire that other districts face, but the school board would like to see that change.

The Sitka School Board approved a request at Tuesday night's (1/3/09) meeting to sanction soccer as a sport at Sitka High. But the approval stopped short of providing funding and comes with a sunset clause, after two years the board will take another look at the program to decide whether or not to keep soccer, based on its success in the short term.

The Sitka High Drama, Debate and Forensics club finaled in all 12 of its events at the Dimond High School DDF Invitational tournament in Anchorage last weekend. (January 30-31) It was the first time the DDF students from Sitka have competed outside of Southeast, where they’ve dominated most of the season. Now they look forward to the State meet which will be held in Sitka February 26-28.

Mt. Edgecumbe girls narrowly defeated the Sitka High girls basketball team Wednesday night, (1/28/09) in probably the best attended game of the season so far, thanks to an effort by the Sitka Cancer Survivor’s Society calling for a “pack the gym pink” night. The fundraiser was also an effort to draw awareness to breast cancer. The event was also sponsored by Sitka Community Hospital, Alps Federal Credit Union, Sitka Medical Center and SEARHC.

A non-profit daycare center in Sitka appealed to the assembly this week (Tue 1-27-09) for a short-term loan to cover a cash-flow crisis, and walked away with a $50-thousand dollar grant, and a $200-thousand dollar line of credit. Assembly members considered the windfall for the Betty Eliason Child Care Center a form of economic stimulus for the entire community.

A defunct bottler in Sitka has managed to hang on to its bulk water rights for another year. The Sitka assembly last night (Tue 1-27-09) extended its contract with True Alaska Bottling – or TAB – for twelve months in exchange for $100-thousand dollars and a promise to pay its delinquent utility bills.

The Sitka Sound Science Center has been around for about eighteen months now, located in the Sage building on the old SJ campus. It hopes to be around for a lot longer, and with a focus on education and research, the science center continues to fill at least part of the gap that was left when Sheldon Jackson College closed down. That was the message at this week's Chamber of Commerce luncheon.