The plan is meant to serve as a guiding document for the city’s Historic Preservation Commission in its efforts to identify and protect significant local resources. The previous plan — which was only two pages — was drafted more than three decades ago.

The approval came after lengthy discussion spanning multiple assembly meetings. The sticking point? Appendix G, which outlines the review process for construction projects on historic buildings. 

“The reason why I didn’t want to pass the plan last time is because, without Appendix G correctly indicating for the public what to prepare for when they are involved with this process, I think it is an incomplete plan,” said Deputy Mayor Tim Pike. “Now, do I like the rest of the plan? I 100% like that, the work involved and the clarity of that is awesome, but this is a crucial piece.”

Four members of the Historic Preservation Commission spoke in favor of passing the plan Tuesday, with the caveat that Appendix G would be replaced at a later date. 

Roby Littlefield is the chairman of the commission and has served since 2009. She said the new 26-page plan has been in development for 17 years. It’s gone through at least four revisions, and included multiple opportunities for community input.  

“Our board has spent many hours reviewing and improving it to create the best possible guide for our community, and this plan is meant to help protect what makes Sitka unique, and to guide us into the future,” Littlefield said.

Assembly Member Katie Riley agreed that it didn’t make sense to delay the entire plan over an appendix that’s on track to be improved. She said with the busy tourism and fishing seasons on the horizon, it’s not a great time to call for public engagement. 

“An extensive, extensive amount of that already happened,” she said. “As reported, 17 years of planned development, as well as over 10 opportunities to engage over the past couple of years. So I feel like the people who were passionate about historic preservation probably made their voices heard.”

The assembly unanimously approved the Historic Preservation Plan, with the contingency that the permit review section sunsets after a year and is replaced before then.

NSRAA lease

The Sitka Assembly on Tuesday voted against a proposed lease agreement between the city and a regional salmon hatchery nonprofit, which requested a well-below-market rate for the lease. The lease would combine two lots that the Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association (NSRAA) is already leasing at the Gary Paxton Industrial Park. 

The park’s board recommended an $800 a month fixed rate for the next 50 years, effectively subsidizing the nonprofit, citing the value their fish hatcheries provide for the fishing fleet. The rate would be adjusted based on land value increases every 10 years.

Assembly Member Kevin Mosher said he was 100% in support of the agreement because the value NSRAA gives to the community cannot be measured.

“My position, it’s more of a policy decision,” he said. “Because even though they’re paying money, we’re effectively subsidizing them. And I believe that we should, because I believe we get that money back many, many, many times over, incalculably.”

However, several assembly members were concerned over where, or which city fund, the subsidy should come from, while still providing long-term stability for NSRAA. 

The industrial park’s enterprise fund is only a couple thousand dollars in the positive, according to Finance Director Brooke Volschenk.

Deputy Mayor Tim Pike suggested the subsidy come from the city’s general fund, which, as it currently stands, would require the nonprofit to come before future assemblies to ask for another rent subsidy.

“NSRAA made their case about their economic impact in the community. I’ve known this for years. And I totally agree with it,” he said. “They just asked the wrong group. They need to ask us. I don’t really think that an enterprise fund should be subsidizing things. We don’t want the electrical department to decide to give a cut rate to somebody just because they do good things.”

Assembly members were unanimous in their support for a low and stable lease rate for NSRAA, but said they hoped the park’s board would take up the issue again and propose revisions. 

The assembly ultimately voted against moving forward with the suggested lease in a 2-4 vote, with just Mosher and Thor Christianson voting in favor. 

The park’s board is expected to discuss revising the agreement at a future meeting. The assembly will separately consider extending NSRAA’s current lease, which is set to expire in May, to give everyone more time to find a solution.

Sitka’s local bookstore celebrated its 50th birthday on Saturday. Throughout the afternoon, locals wandered into the downtown shop to buy a book, eat a cupcake, and reminisce on five decades of the community hub.

50 years ago, to buy a book, Sitkans had to call up the bookstore in Juneau and have it mailed to the island. So in 1976, three families came together to start Old Harbor Books  — a place where Sitkans could gather and find nearly every genre of book: from philosophy and classics to best sellers and Alaskan authors. 

“The vision was to have books, and to make sure that Sitka had an opportunity to be a literary community. Sitka deserved to be a literary community,” said board member Roger Schmidt, who grew up in the bookstore.

His parents helped open the place when he was seven and his sister Laura was nine. They spent weekends selling seashells out front and screenprinting tote bags with the bookstore logos still used today. And they spent their down time reading every book they could get their hands on. 

“My dad had this passion, everybody had this passion, which was: people need to read books, and they need to have access to lots of books, and they need to have access to lots of different ideas,” Schmidt said. “So not just, ‘We’re gonna have the best sellers,’ but whatever the subject, books are so critical to learn. Living on an island, books were our pathway to knowledge.”

Schmidt says a large part of the mission of Old Harbor Books from the beginning was to give back to the community. Instead of taking a paycheck, the owners made the decision to use the profits to support local organizations, by doing things like subsidizing — or making free — their rental space upstairs.

“The vision for the business was never to make money,” he said. “It was to pay employees well, and then it was to be able to support the community in every way it could, and it’s done that for 50 years in all kinds of ways.”

Bookstore manager Ashia Lane says the bookstore continues to work with the Sitka Public Library and schools, sells tickets for local events, and for years, even had the “Book Boat,” which traveled to surrounding communities like Tenakee Springs, Angoon, and Kake to deliver titles to folks who didn’t have access to a local bookstore. 

“We’re trying to continue community service via the bookstore,” she said. “We will deliver books to the jail if you find yourself unfortunately over in the Sitka local lock up for the weekend. We’re really trying to not just be for private consumers.”

Despite community involvement, it wasn’t always easy keeping the doors open. Just like bookstores across the country that found it hard to compete with the dawn of online shops and e-books, so did Old Harbor Books. So they pivoted, and expanded their local inventory to include games and puzzles, book-themed items, cozy candles and blankets, and even art supplies. And according to Schmidt, they began to rely more on rental income to keep the bookstore going. 

“The most encouraging thing is that it seems like people love books again, and thank goodness for that,” he said. “We were so worried around 2000 when it just seemed like people were turning away from books, and they were not passionate readers. And it just feels so hopeful that people want to read books, and they want to read books in their hand. It’s just really great.”

The bustling anniversary party is a testament to that fact, as dozens of adults and children mill about the space sifting through book titles and looking at posters speckled with collaged photos of the bookstore throughout the years.

For Sherry Foster, a retired third grade teacher, the bookstore is part of the reason she chose to live in Sitka. 

“We moved here in ‘76 and when we saw that there was a bookstore, we said, ‘Well, that’s it. Then we’re gonna stay.’” she said. “It was a given. If there’s a bookstore, it’s an okay place to live.”

And Foster isn’t the only one who thinks Old Harbor Books is a local treasure. Rhiannon Guevin’s first job was working at the bookstore, tidying shelves and ringing people up at the register. 

“Old Harbor Books is one of my happy places in Sitka,” she said. “Like the minute I walk in the door, I just feel a welling of joy.”

She describes herself as “anti-Amazon” and made a vow to herself years ago that if she’s going to buy a book, it’s going to be from Old Harbor. 

“And I think that there’s like a weirdly large number of people for such a small town who feel the same way,” she said. “Especially in these times, I think supporting local businesses is of the utmost importance. If you want to have something in your community, you have to support it.”

Many rural communities throughout Alaska don’t have a local bookstore. For a town of about 8,400, Sitka is pretty unique. 

Karen Hegyi first supported Old Harbor Books 30 years before she actually moved to the community. It was the summer of 1983, and she was visiting Sitka on a kayaking trip with a friend. 

She’s lived all over rural Alaska, and she says it’s wonderful that she gets to live in a place like Sitka with such an incredible bookstore.

“The fact that it’s endured for 50 years is a testament to the people who run the bookstore and to the community too, that it’ll be here for another 50 years,” she said.

If these party-goers have anything to say about it, it probably will be.

Sitka’s elementary schools made the Alaska Reads Act work last year. Now they’d like the funding to keep it working – KCAW

In Sitka, the results from the first year of the state education initiative program, Alaska Reads, were extraordinary. But this year is more of a struggle, as the state grant funding to support the program has mostly dried up, and positions once funded by the program have been cut or reassigned.

Students and teachers report a sharp decline in support for non-native English speakers in Ketchikan schools— KRBD

As flat funding continues to impact schools across the state, one demographic in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District may be getting hit especially hard – the large number of students who don’t speak English as their first language. Many current and former school district staff have been raising the alarm about what they say is a severe and concerning decline in resources for these students.

Skagway School credits community, teachers and a unique testing culture for its high test scores – KHNS

Skagway School District contains just one school, a one-story building with students from preschool to twelfth grade. It serves the families of the Southeast Alaska community that’s approximately 20 miles from the Canadian border. For the 13th year in a row, Skagway’s school district had the highest state scores in all assessed areas, according to administrators. KHNS reporter Melinda Munson interviewed school staff to get a better understanding of what makes this rural Alaskan school flourish academically.

In Wrangell, police and educators look to make students safer from school shootings – KSTK

School safety has been top of mind for a lot of school districts in recent years. Even though school shootings happen every year in the Lower 48, gun violence also happens in rural Alaska. And the state knows that – they require mandatory safety drills every month at public schools. KSTK’s Colette Czarnecki talked with Wrangell schools to see how they’re starting to improve keeping kids safe on their remote island.

As Alaska schools close, one Aleutian village bucks the trend – KUCB

While Alaskan schools are closing their doors, one remote Aleutian community is flipping the script.

For the first time in over a decade, children in Nikolski are back in the classroom.

A community’s fight to save Unangam Tunuu on St. Paul Island– KUHB/KUCB

In the remote, Bering Sea island community of St. Paul, educators and community members are working to preserve Unangam Tunuu, the traditional language of the Unangax people. But even as students learn to speak their ancestors’ tongue, the language faces an uncertain future.

In Southeast Alaska, travel for school activities can be a nightmare, but it’s worth it- KFSK

In remote Southeast Alaska, travel for school activities can be a logistical nightmare. But studies show it’s worth it – activities are good for kids academically, physically, and emotionally. Petersburg’s activities director agrees. This fall he spent long days working to bring seven teams to town for a high school volleyball conference.

Career openings at KCAW:

Sarah Hughes News Residency:
Raven Radio’s News Residency is a one-year program for early-career journalists looking to further develop their skills in a supportive, small newsroom environment in Sitka, Alaska, with a proven track record for training the next generation of exceptional audio journalists. View the job description here. For more information about the residency, please visit the Sarah Evangeline Hughes News Residency page here.

How to Apply: Submit a letter of interest, resume, and links to three examples of your best journalistic work to applications@kcaw.org. Please include your first and last name and the position title in the subject line.

Open until February 18, 2026 or when filled.

On December 16^th, KCAW aired special, locally-produced news and public affairs programming as part of “Southeast Celebrates News Day”, a one-day fundraiser for our News Department.  During the day, we raised $19,000.  Thank You to all new and sustaining members!

All who contributed, including sustaining members, were entered into a drawing for 2 roundtrip tickets on Alaska Seaplanes to any of their destinations.  We appreciate Alaska Seaplanes and you for contributing!

“Southeast Celebrates News Day” is a reminder of the vital community service Raven News provides – and it’s a service made possible by YOU.  We aired 5 one hour shows.  In case you missed them or would like to listen again, click on the links below.

“The Public Service of Raven Radio” 

Host:  Becky Meiers

Panelist:  Rich McClear

“Birds, Bears, and Baleens” 

Host:  Jacyn Schmidt

Panelists: Lauren Bell, Louise Brady, and Matt Goff

“The State of Health in The Panhandle” 

Host:  Martha Pearson

Panelists:  Kari Lundgren and Monica Chase

“Our Next Guest:  The Community Calendar” 

Host:  Cara Crain

Panelists:  Megan Pasternak, Andrew Roseman, and Michelle Friedman

“The Future of Fishing” 

Host:  Rob Woolsey

Panelists:  Heather Bauscher, Linda Behnken, and Harvey Kitka

If you contribute by December 31^st, you will be entered to win Alaska Seaplanes tickets.  Make your contribution here or call (907) 747-5877.  Thank You!

The mission of KCAW’s Community Advisory Board is to contribute to a dynamic conversation about what a commitment to community means for KCAW’s programming, partnerships, and presence, both on-air and off. 

KCAW seeks Community Advisory Board members who bring ideas, relationships, passion and follow-through, and are able to envision KCAW as a cultural institution as well as a broadcaster. The time commitment is expected to be one hour a quarter for meetings, plus the time needed to complete CAB-identified projects. The CAB will create a quarterly report to the Raven Radio Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors.

Specific tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Engaging in robust discussion about the role of public radio and how KCAW can best serve all our communities of license, including translator communities.
• Providing feedback on programming, including advising station leadership in setting programming goals and evaluating on-air programs. 
• Helping KCAW to see opportunities for community engagement and voice in alignment with the station’s strategic priorities.
• Auditioning interstitial content (audio pieces under 10 minutes in length) and making recommendations.
• Informing and drafting a ‘show proposal’ process for new programs, identifying underrepresented voices and areas where KCAW can better meet our mission.
• Conducting focus groups and other audience fact-finding/assessment activities, focusing on quantifiable, measurable data collection.

If you’d like to become a member of the CAB, or have any questions, please contact generalmanager@kcaw.org.

Our next CAB meeting will be September 15th, 6-7:30pm at the station (2B Lincoln Street, Sitka) and via Zoom (link here)

CAB members include:

• Jeanne Stolberg
• John Herchenrider
• Noah Galarza
• Columbus Byrd
• Mary Hames
• Taylor White (Board Representative)
• Mariana Robertson (Management Representative)