Katherine Rose, Author at KCAW

Commercial herring fishery wraps up for 2023 season

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has officially closed the 2023 Sitka Sound Sac Roe Herring Fishery. The department published its final fishery update for the 2023 season on Wednesday afternoon.

‘Early voting’ may be a new option in this year’s municipal election

Sitka’s municipal elections may soon be getting a refresh. When the Sitka Assembly met last night, it approved on first reading, code changes that would establish early voting as a new option for local voters.

April 11, 2023: What’s on the agenda when the Sitka Assembly meets tonight?

City staff are bringing a new wave of grant applications to the Sitka Assembly for consideration at tonight’s meeting. Most of the grants they’re hoping to score would help fund infrastructure improvements and repairs.

Sitka Rocket Wolves soared to new heights, nabbing first E-Sports state title with rocket-powered cars

Spring sports are moving into high gear, and Sitka’s softball, baseball, and track athletes – as usual – are aiming for state championships. But if one of those teams takes a state title, it won’t be Sitka High’s first sports trophy this year. KCAW recently met with the competitors and a coach of Sitka’s E-Sports team, which won a breathtaking video game championship earlier this year.

Planning commission denies second YAS application for residential teen treatment center

A second proposed location for a residential shelter for homeless youth has been denied by the Sitka Planning Commission, following neighborhood pushback. What’s next for the $2 million-dollar federal project is uncertain.

A millennia-old subsistence fishery replenishes the spirit, and the freezer

Herring season in Sitka is a study in contrasts. Each spring for the last 45 years, large seiners land tons of herring, whose egg sacs are stripped and sold as a delicacy on the international market, often for millions. But the frenzy and money around the commercial sac roe fishery overshadows a far quieter Indigenous fishing tradition that’s taken place for millennia. KCAW recently accompanied a pair of subsistence harvesters, in search of one of Sitka Sound’s most valued food resources – herring eggs-on-hemlock branches.

Grand Jury indicted five Sitkans in February and March

The Sitka Trial Courts ramped back up to speed this spring. A Sitka Grand Jury met several times over the last two months, ultimately indicting five Sitkans on a range of felony charges from drugs to tampering with evidence.

Developing a renewable energy strategy for Sitka a top priority for Sustainability Commission in coming year

Developing a community-wide renewable energy strategy is the top priority for Sitka’s new Sustainability Commission. The recently-formed commission is all-volunteer, but it has its own staff member in City Hall. Additional plans for the next two years include diverting Sitka’s waste stream, which is currently barged off-island, and electrifying the city’s fleet of vehicles.

Steve Bradshaw to serve as interim superintendent for Sitka School District

Former Sitka School District superintendent Steve Bradshaw is returning to the job.After a two-and-a-half hour executive session on Monday (3-20-23), the Sitka School Board unanimously voted to hire Bradshaw as interim superintendent, without discussion.

Herring fishery to go on two-hour notice Thursday

The Sitka Sound Sac Roe herring fishery will go on two-hour notice on Thursday morning (3-23-23). That means at any time after that, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game can announce a fishery opening with two hours warning.