Katherine Rose, Author at KCAW

Job vacancies on rise after top staffers quit city hall

Two senior staffers have left city hall in Sitka, one after just three months in his position.

Sitka assembly member settles debt dispute out of court

A lawsuit involving a Sitka Assembly member and an assembly member’s husband settled outside of court over the weekend (5/20/19).

‘Ovation’ the first ‘neopanamax’ mega-ship to visit Sitka

The biggest cruise ship to ever visit Alaska made its inaugural visit to Sitka Friday. About 15 Sitkans took a tour of the ship which can hold over 6000 people, passengers and crew combined.

Assembly calls for cuts to city travel, electric fund

After considering cuts from one department and increasing rates for another, the Sitka Assembly is closer to passing next year’s city budget, but the process that has spanned months isn’t finished yet.

May 14, 2019: What’s happening at tonight’s Assembly meeting?

The end of municipal budget season is near, and after several special budget meetings in April, the Sitka Assembly is reviewing next year’s municipal budget at their regular meeting this Tuesday (5/14/19).

Sitka’s downtown post office closes in contract dispute

Sitkans running errands this morning (Monday 5-13-19) were surprised to find brown paper covering the windows of the downtown branch of the United States Post Office. After over two decades of running the branch, the owner of the substation decided to close down rather than agree to what he believes is a bad contract with the Postal Service.

Engine trouble leaves state ferry Columbia awaiting repairs in Juneau

The state ferry Columbia broke down en route from Sitka to Petersburg Tuesday night (5-7-19), leaving passengers stranded in Juneau while the DOT worked to diagnose the vessel’s problems.

Family encounters aggressive bear on Heart Lake Trail

Tensions are running a little high on Sitka’s trails after a bear attacked and killed a dog on Verstovia Trail Saturday (5-4-19). And on Sunday, another interaction with an aggressive bear left a family of four traumatized. But Alaska Wildlife Troopers aren’t sure if it was the same bear.

Assembly approves $7M flat funding for schools

Although the state education budget remains uncertain, Sitka’s contribution to local schools is confirmed. At a special meeting of the Sitka Assembly on Thursday (5/2/19), the assembly narrowly voted to fund schools at the same level as last year.

Dock owner urges Sitka to brace for mega-ships

At Wednesday’s (5/1/19) meeting of the Sitka Chamber of Commerce, Chris McGraw of Halibut Point Marine spoke about the growth Sitka could continue to see in the tourism sector over the next decade.