Katherine Rose, Author at KCAW

Sitka Tribe of Alaska certifies election results

The Sitka Tribe of Alaska certified its election results last week for Tribal Council. Earlier this month, three incumbents who ran unopposed were re-elected, and one write-in candidate scored a seat.

Coast Guard rescues four from life raft after fishing vessel, Julia Breeze takes on water

A U.S. Coast Guard crew from Air Station Sitka rescued four people after their boat began taking on water late on November 10.

Assembly approves funding for $3 million dollar trash compactor

Caught between a rock and a possible 15-percent increase in resident garbage rates, the Sitka Assembly on Tuesday approved the purchase of a $3 million dollar trash compactor. While some didn’t support the way the compactor would be funded, others saw no other option for avoiding a steep penalty for shipping uncompacted trash.

On split vote, local ADF&G advisory committee rejects Sitka Tribe’s first herring proposal

The Sitka Fish and Game Advisory Committee has voted against supporting a proposal by the Sitka Tribe that would change the way the state sets the herring harvest rate each spring. When it met on Thursday (11-4-21), Advisory Committee members were split over whether to back the plan, the first of three the Tribe is sending to the state Board of Fisheries in January.

For the first time in months, Sitka’s coronavirus alert rate downgraded

One new covid case was reported in Sitka on Saturday (11-6-21). It was the only new case reported over the weekend. Only seven cases have been reported in the last week, bringing Sitka’s COVID alert level down from “high” to substantial for the first time in four months.

‘Mothertrucker’ author Amy Butcher was looking for a story in northern Alaska. She found a friend instead

Author Amy Butcher’s book “Mothertrucker” was published on November 1. The memoir tells the story of Butcher’s road trip down one of America’s deadliest roads. KCAW spoke with Butcher about the book and her friendship with the late ice road trucker, Joy Wiebe.

More people now qualify for vaccine boosters, but state health officials discourage ‘self-referring’

State health officials are preparing to vaccinate a new wave of children in the coming weeks. At a statewide press conference on Thursday (10-28-21) Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Anne Zink, said children from ages 5 to 11 will be eligible for coronavirus vaccinations soon.

‘Can I offer you a nice meme in this trying time?’ Anonymous locals serve Sitkans satire with new meme page

The world may have “Banksy,” but Sitka now has its own anonymous artist, who uses the internet -- rather than buildings -- as a canvas for a satirical take on local news and events. KCAW recently discovered the person who runs the “Sitka Memes” account on Instagram -- but the identity of the “memester” remains a mystery.

Assembly approves $3M funding for trash compactor on first reading

After months of negotiations, Sitka’s garbage shipping problem is finally coming to a head. When the Sitka Assembly met on Tuesday, it tentatively approved $3 million in funding for a compactor, but some Assembly members were concerned that the loan city staff want to use to pay for the equipment isn’t what the money is meant for.

New COVID cases tied to outbreak at Pioneer Home, Trooper Academy

Four new coronavirus cases were reported in Sitka on Wednesday (10-27-21), according to data from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.