Robert Woolsey, KCAW, Author at KCAW

The verdict is in: Sitka High captures 4th state Mock Trial championship

Sitka High has won its fourth state Mock Trial championship in ten years. Appearing before real judges in the Alaska Supreme Court, students agree it may be the most stressful activity of their high school careers.

Sitka school board to focus on specific cuts at next hearing April 12

Sitka School Board members met on Monday night (4-1-19) to hear an updated budget presentation that -- under the best possible circumstances -- could force them to cut up to nine positions next year. Now, they want to know specifically what the administration proposes to eliminate.

‘Luna Lake’ to be added to USGS maps near Sitka

It’s official: The United States Board on Geographic Names has formally recognized “Luna Lake.” The tiny body of water on the northern end of Redoubt Lake near Sitka was formed when a massive landslide in 2013 blocked the inlet stream.

Pacific High is in, Community Schools out, as school board looks to ’20 cuts

Closing Pacific High looks like it’s off the table as a cost-saving measure for the Sitka School District next year. Community Schools, however, is not. The Sitka School Board met this week (3-27-19) to look at ways to make ends meet next year.

Six students injured in school bus collision

Six elementary school students were taken by ambulance to Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital in Sitka with minor injuries, after the bus they were riding in was rear-ended Thursday afternoon (3-28-19).

‘We can’t do this’: Sitkans oppose Gov. Dunleavy’s budget plans

In a Sunday Town Hall meeting sponsored by the House Finance Committee, sixty-two Sitkans joined the chorus of Alaskans mostly opposed to deep budget cuts proposed by the Dunleavy administration.

Sitka Health Summit sets sights on national honor — for a third time

Sitka Community Hospital health educator Doug Osborne recently spoke to the Sitka Chamber of Commerce about the Sitka Health Summit's third attempt to be recognized as one of the nation’s healthiest communities.

A pipedream turns to costly nightmare, as Sitka’s bulk water system is found unsafe

Sitka’s future in the bulk water business has taken a complicated turn, after a recent engineering report concluded that the city’s bulk water system is unsafe to use.

Sitka school board, assembly, and mayor open dialog on deep cuts to state funding next year

Sitka Mayor Gary Paxton held a town hall-style meeting last week (3-6-18), to gather information on the potential harm that could be inflicted on Alaska’s communities by the governor’s proposed budget. Meanwhile, the Sitka School Board and Assembly spent almost 4 hours looking for answers to school funding next year.

With a bird, Sitka board calls fowl on governor’s proposed K-12 funding cuts

The Sitka School Board is unwilling to prepare a budget for next year that is 25-percent lower than this year -- simply on the odds that Gov. Dunleavy will succeed in rolling back education funding. Instead, the board is betting that Alaskans will reject the governor’s scheme and its “catastrophic” impact on schools, in favor of supporting the state’s children.