Robert Woolsey, KCAW, Author at KCAW

Park board shelves large ship plan in favor of utility dock sale

The board of Sitka’s industrial park wants to move forward with the sale of the old utility dock, even if it means letting go of plans to develop a moorage facility for large ships. With an extremely motivated buyer, the board decided that supporting a real project in the present was preferable to banking on a dream.

Hunters safe after an unplanned night out

Two hunters are safe after unexpectedly spending the Monday night (10-14-19) on Admiralty Island. A helicopter from Air Station Sitka located them just as they emerged from the woods at daybreak.

In Sitka, Indigenous Peoples Day a prelude to broader ‘reconciliation’

Indigenous Peoples Day falls only four days before the Alaska Day holiday. An effort is growing in Sitka to reframe how the state's complicated history is celebrated.

Sitka land trust breaks ground on affordable cottage neighborhood

The Sitka Community Land Trust Friday morning (10-11-19) broke ground on the first home in what it hopes becomes a neighborhood of 14 affordable cottages. The 2-bedroom home will sell for $226,000 -- about $150,000 less than the average list price for a comparable home in Sitka on the open market.

Wolves, MEHS run well at state XCountry

Both Sitka High Cross Country teams finished middle-of-the-pack at the state meet in Anchorage last weekend. But Dominic Baciocco and Anna Prussian both took second place in their respective races.

DOT closes DeGroff ‘exit’ in favor of a right turn

The city and state Department of Public Transportation have changed the traffic pattern at the intersection of DeGroff Street and Sawmill Creek Road, eliminating the "exit" in favor of a hard right turn.

School board bids farewell to outgoing president McNichol

Characteristic of her style, Sitka School Board president Jenn McNichol said farewell to her colleagues in an efficiently-run meeting Wednesday night (10-2-19). McNichol chose not to run for reelection in order to spend more time on family matters.

Despite budget veto, public radio remains ‘a light in the darkness’

KCAW and other public broadcasters in Alaska are headed into the fall fundraising season with no state funding -- a first in the 37-year history of Raven Radio.

Struggling under debt, Sitka brewery defaults on $637K city loan

Sitka’s Baranof Island Brewing Company has gone under, taking $329,000 of city loans along with it. The brewery was the first in the state to sell shares under Alaska’s 2016 crowdfunding law, and over 100 investors could take losses.

Sitka teens join climate strike: ‘We have an imperative to act’

Sitka High School students emptied out of their building just before lunch on Tuesday (9-24-19) to join the Youth Climate Strike. Students across Europe, the Americas, and Australia are speaking out against inaction on climate change.