Robert Woolsey, KCAW, Author at KCAW

A long-awaited hydro project in Angoon has the go-ahead, if money can be found to build it

A new hydroelectric project on Admiralty Island has gotten a green light from the Forest Service -- forty years after it was authorized by Congress. The Thayer Creek project could revolutionize electrical generation in Angoon.

Fish plentiful, but fishermen scarce for Southeast Alaska’s first summer king opening

Southeast trollers landed 85,000 kings during the summer's first opening, July 1-12. Only 500 boats fished during the opener, the lowest on record. Managers think a number of factors -- including a lengthy court battle -- may have chilled effort.

Sitka man accused in death of his father will serve 25 years

Patrick J. O'Brien has pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree in the 2021 death of his father, James O'Brien, Jr. Following an altercation on Kasiana Island, the elder O'Brien was medevaced to Harborview Medical Center with severe head injuries. He died about a week later.

Sitka’s seafood donation network connects abundance with scarcity in Western Alaska

A seafood donation program spawned in Sitka during the Covid crisis is transforming into a regional Seafood Distribution Network. This June, the program connected subsistence sockeye harvested in Bristol Bay, with communities on the Yukon and Chignik rivers.

Tongass Forest rebound possible, as budworm infestation winds down

An infestation of western blackheaded budworm that began in Southeast Alaska in 2020 is on the decline. Although 685,000 acres were affected, not all the damage may be permanent.

Williams appointed to fill vacant seat on Sitka School Board

The Sitka School Board appointed Tom Williams to serve the remaining two-and-a-half months of Blossom Teal-Olsen's term. Williams was the only applicant for the seat; he says he'll run for a full term in October.

Concerned over Redoubt Lake’s capacity, Forest Service liberalizes subsistence sockeye harvest

Managers of both the state and federal subsistence fisheries at Redoubt Lake have liberalized harvest limits for sockeye, hoping to put the brakes on a run that could exceed the lake's capacity.

With no ‘specialty occupation,’ Sitka’s theater director was denied a visa. The Fine Arts Camp is suing the feds to get him back.

The Sitka Fine Arts Camp is suing in federal court to obtain a visa for its technical theater director. US Customs and Immigration denied the visa application on grounds that running the Sitka Performing Arts Center is not a "specialty occupation."

Sitka’s airport expansion set for takeoff this fall

Sitka's airport was last remodeled in the 1990s, and it shows. A $40 million renovation scheduled to begin this fall will address the cramped, undersized boarding lounge, cross-traffic between arriving and departing passengers, and the small baggage claim.

Sitka student builds a telecaster, shredding our old ideas about high school shop class

Remember that cutting board you made in shop class? Or that wobbly nightstand? Computer-controlled tools have blown open the creative possibilities for students in Career & Technical Education programs like Sitka's.

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