Katherine Rose, Author at KCAW

‘Ovation’ the first ‘neopanamax’ mega-ship to visit Sitka

The biggest cruise ship to ever visit Alaska made its inaugural visit to Sitka Friday. About 15 Sitkans took a tour of the ship which can hold over 6000 people, passengers and crew combined.

Assembly calls for cuts to city travel, electric fund

After considering cuts from one department and increasing rates for another, the Sitka Assembly is closer to passing next year’s city budget, but the process that has spanned months isn’t finished yet.

May 14, 2019: What’s happening at tonight’s Assembly meeting?

The end of municipal budget season is near, and after several special budget meetings in April, the Sitka Assembly is reviewing next year’s municipal budget at their regular meeting this Tuesday (5/14/19).

Sitka’s downtown post office closes in contract dispute

Sitkans running errands this morning (Monday 5-13-19) were surprised to find brown paper covering the windows of the downtown branch of the United States Post Office. After over two decades of running the branch, the owner of the substation decided to close down rather than agree to what he believes is a bad contract with the Postal Service.

Engine trouble leaves state ferry Columbia awaiting repairs in Juneau

The state ferry Columbia broke down en route from Sitka to Petersburg Tuesday night (5-7-19), leaving passengers stranded in Juneau while the DOT worked to diagnose the vessel’s problems.

Family encounters aggressive bear on Heart Lake Trail

Tensions are running a little high on Sitka’s trails after a bear attacked and killed a dog on Verstovia Trail Saturday (5-4-19). And on Sunday, another interaction with an aggressive bear left a family of four traumatized. But Alaska Wildlife Troopers aren’t sure if it was the same bear.

Assembly approves $7M flat funding for schools

Although the state education budget remains uncertain, Sitka’s contribution to local schools is confirmed. At a special meeting of the Sitka Assembly on Thursday (5/2/19), the assembly narrowly voted to fund schools at the same level as last year.

Dock owner urges Sitka to brace for mega-ships

At Wednesday’s (5/1/19) meeting of the Sitka Chamber of Commerce, Chris McGraw of Halibut Point Marine spoke about the growth Sitka could continue to see in the tourism sector over the next decade.

Trial date set for Sitka herring suit

A lawsuit over management of the Sitka Sac Roe herring fishery will go to trial later this year.

Assembly calls for city hiring freeze

At a special budget meeting last Thursday, community members appealed to the Sitka Assembly to boost funding for Sitka’s schools amid the threat of state budget cuts. Instead it instituted a hiring freeze on city staff and boosted funding for the library to stay open on Sundays.