Katherine Rose, Author at KCAW

April 25, 2023: What’s on the agenda at tonight’s Sitka Assembly meeting?

Today (4-25-23), the first cruise ship of the summer arrives in Sitka, marking the start of what should be a record-breaking season. But the community’s response to the growth in cruise travel is evolving. Tonight the Sitka Assembly will decide whom to appoint to the newly formed “tourism task force,” which will explore next steps for the city’s long term management of tourism.

City administrator and attorney score exemplary reviews, pay raises

The Sitka Assembly is satisfied with the performance of the municipal administrator and attorney. In a special meeting on Tuesday, the assembly rated the performance of city administrator John Leach and attorney Brian Hanson as exemplary – and gave both pay increases.

Not with cars, but with cubes, Sitka teen satisfies the need for speed

In 1974, a Hungarian design teacher built a cube puzzle that became a fixture of childhood play in the 1980s. Nearly 50 years later, the Rubiks Cube remains a phenomenon, and solving the colorful block puzzle has evolved into a highly competitive international sport. KCAW’s spoke with a Sitka High School Senior who is mastering the art of competitive ‘speedcubing.’

Meet Sitka’s first ever sustainability coordinator, Bri Gabel

KCAW’s spoke with Sitka’s first ever Sustainability Coordinator- she’s been on the job for around 8 months, learning the ins-and-outs of city hall and defining the role. A marine biologist, Bri Gabel previously worked at aquariums and museums, specializing in science communication and jellyfish. Now she’s bringing that expertise to city government.

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.