Author: Katherine Rose

It’s been nearly three years since the town of Bar Harbor, Maine voted to limit cruise traffic. In the years since, the citizen-led initiative has spurred lawsuits, an attempted repeal, and uncertainty about the future. While not entirely parallel, the case bears striking resemblance to Sitka’s, where a similar initiative to limit cruise traffic will be considered in a special election on May 28.KCAW’s Katherine Rose reached out to the chair of Bar Harbor’s Town Council, and advocates on either side of the issue to find out how things have been since the town started enacting the limit.

Alaska Supreme Court Justice and Sitka’s former longtime public defender Jude Pate was honored by his alma mater, Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland Oregon. His address to the graduates began with bubbles and ended with a song.

The City of Sitka is poised to permit on-site consumption in the community’s two cannabis retailers. On-site consumption has been legal for years under state law, but Sitka never adopted the policy. Now, retailers say they need private spaces to accommodate cruise ship passengers who have no other place they can legally use marijuana.

The City of Sitka has settled another lawsuit against the Police Department – it’s the fourth in six years involving a complaint by a former member of the department. And like those suits, this latest was also costly. The settlement with former Sergeant Gary Cranford is for $320,000.

Researchers are hoping to collect more snowpack data throughout Alaska that will help with everything from avalanche monitoring to cross country ski access.

Governor Dunleavy has proposed a $560 per-student increase. That’s lower than the $680 the governor approved last year, and which Sitka’s school board was counting on in its most recent draft budget.

The Sitka Assembly is happy with the work the city administrator and attorney have done over the last year. When it met in a special session on Tuesday (4-15-25), the assembly gave “exemplary” performance reviews to the only two city employees who report directly to the assembly. 

Sitka has a budget for next year – almost. After months of work ironing out the wrinkles, at least one past- and one present assembly member voiced strong objections to the 139-page document when it was introduced on first reading Tuesday night (4-8-25).