Katherine Rose, Author at KCAW

Two years into the pandemic, Sitka’s EOC suspends operations

Two years after it was established in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Sitka Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is suspending operations.

Assembly rejects temporary short-term rental freeze

The Sitka Assembly will not issue a temporary moratorium on short-term rental permits after all. When the assembly met on Tuesday (3-22-22) it narrowly voted down a measure that would have prohibited new short term rental permits in residential zones for one year.

Assembly considers ATV code ‘tune up’ that would prohibit rentals

A new law allowing All-Terrain-Vehicle use on Sitka’s streets, is already getting its first tune-up. ATVs have been street legal in Sitka just since late February. But some assembly members were concerned that the new law left a loophole for a business to rent ATVs to tourists. So when the assembly met on Tuesday (3-22-22) it approved an amendment that would prohibit leasing or renting “all-purpose vehicles” for driving or tours.

Sitka’s COVID alert level still ‘medium’ with 30 cases reported in last week

Sitka reported 12 new coronavirus cases on Monday and Tuesday (3-22-22). That makes 30 COVID cases reported to the Alaska Department of Health and Socials services in the last week.

As oil spill cleanup continues, ADF&G looks at impact on nearby herring fishery

State biologists are looking into how a recent oil spill around 15 miles northwest of Sitka will affect the sac roe herring fishery and subsistence harvest.

March 22, 2022: What’s on the agenda when the Sitka Assembly meets tonight?

When the Sitka Assembly meets tonight (3-22-22) it will consider amending recently-adopted rules allowing all-terrain vehicles on local streets.

Tugboat towing container barge runs aground in Neva Strait

Salvagers are attempting to contain a diesel fuel spill, after an 83-foot tug boat ran aground in Neva Strait, about 15 miles northwest of Sitka, early Monday morning (3-21-22), while towing an Alaska Marine Lines barge.

State herring survey data available on virtual mapping tool

The seine fleet has started to trickle into Sitka’s harbors, but the herring still aren’t showing themselves in large numbers.

Following an unprecedented bear year, Sitka’s bear task force reconvenes

The first brown bears of the spring have been spotted in Sitka. Not a moment too soon, the assembly is reviving a bear task force to address increasing conflict between bears and humans within the community.

Assembly considers capping short-term-rental permits for one year

The Sitka Assembly is considering capping the number of short-term rentals in Sitka, at least temporarily. When it met on March 8, it greenlit a moratorium on conditional use permits for short-term rentals for one year. But it won’t be enacted until it comes before the Assembly for a second reading.