Dressed in a white lab coat, a scientist lures a group of kids deeper into a dark room.

“We have to find the fish monster before it destroys the world. Hurry, come, come quickly,” she urges. “The fish monster turned me into this hideous beast.”

She wears a mask with crackly gray skin and a missing eye. Kids and parents cautiously weave their way through the Sitka Sound Science Center gift shop that’s been converted into a haunted house. Rubber gloves dangle from fishing nets draped over stacks of crates. People in creepy costumes jump out from behind barrels and pallets.

Most people passing through scream as they turn every corner. But 10-year-old Stella doesn’t seem super spooked as she giggles at the jump scares. She’s wearing a baggy gray sweatshirt with splotches of green paint across her face. Stella says she’s a zombie rapper.

“I am a zombie. My name is Dan. You don’t think I can rap, but I can, can, can,” she says.

Inside the main building, crowds of costumed children zip from room to room under the warm glow of string lights. Families wander around the touch tank, now home to jack-o-lanterns.

“This one did have a wonderful face with like a whole squid eye, but it’s a little hard to tell now,” says aquarist Matt Wilson.

He points to a slouching pumpkin in the water. Urchins cling to its sides.

“Urchins will kind of eat whatever they can put in their mouth. So if there’s something new around, for example a pumpkin, we have found that they will be absolutely start snacking on it,” Wilson explains.

Kari Paustian, the education coordinator at the science center, is helping kids make potions.

“Let’s do a big scoop of powdered unicorn horn,” Paustian says, a spoonful of baking soda in hand.

The ingredients are things you might not find in your kitchen — goblin goo, witch’s tears, and dragon’s blood.

There’s also stations where kids can dissect owl pellets from the Alaska Raptor Center or create creepy characters from marine debris like plastic water bottles or old buoys. Seven-year-old Magnus turned a scratched orange buoy into a face with a sinister smile.

“Five pipe cleaners, four bottle caps, and one old fishing rope that’s been snapped,” Magnus lists.

He’s aptly named it “Crazy Buoy.”

“It looks like if somebody’s head was a pumpkin and it fell off!” Magnus says.

Magnus’ creation might be a good feature in next year’s haunted house. But for now, he’s bringing it home to decorate for Halloween.

Data centers are proliferating in rural areas across the United States to support the rapidly developing artificial intelligence (AI) industry. And proposals to construct them in Southeast Alaska have recently cropped up in Wrangell and Petersburg.

While there aren’t any public proposals to build data centers in Sitka yet, city code does not currently include language to address them. So the Sustainability Commission and city staff have proposed updating the city’s zoning code to define and regulate the facilities at the local level. 

At a Planning Commission meeting on October 21, Sustainability Commission Chair Aurora Taylor said they wanted to get ahead of it.

“We are really hoping to establish a pathway for local regulation and local input, so that we don’t end up in a situation where private developers have just built a data center slipped through the cracks because our zoning and general code does not have a clear definition,” Taylor said. “So this is the Sustainability Commission trying to get ahead of these concerns, given, especially in Sitka with hydroelectric, how water use and energy are so interconnected.”

The proposed amendment would allow data center construction only with a conditional use permit. That would make any new proposal for a data center subject to community review, and would require Planning Commission approval.

But at the public hearing, many Sitkans urged the Planning Commission to instead recommend that the local assembly ban them outright. Lisa Sadlier-Hart urged the commission to drop the conditional use section in favor of prohibition.

“They require a tremendous amount of energy. We have a limited amount of energy, and we need to really direct it towards what matters most, and this, to me, doesn’t matter most. We also know that they increase noise pollution horrifically, as well as air pollution, and my other concern is water,” she said. “So I don’t think this is at all a good fit for our community, and I think it would take away from the quality of life that’s in this community, and we need to say no. We need to say it loud, and we need to say it now.” 

Around a dozen Sitkans shared similar sentiments, with concerns about energy and water use, the cost to residents, and the potential impacts to quality of life.

A handful spoke about the potential benefits of data centers and a willingness to be open to the possibilities. Dmitry Rudas discouraged the commission from banning data centers when there are many different uses and applications– he felt those sized to Sitka’s electric loads should be considered.

“The dose makes the poison right? There is a major difference between like a one kilowatt home lab that somebody’s running, which by that definition would still fit the data center aspect of it, You know, between a one megawatt data center and a one gigawatt hyper center, a hyperscaler data center, right?” Rudas said. “The the size makes a huge difference, and that’s why I think we have to be careful about verbiage like banning everything outright, just in name only.”

For the most part, planning commissioners shared the community’s concerns. Margaret Frank said there are still too many unknowns, and was in favor of prohibiting data centers outright, rather than allowing them to be considered under the conditional use process. 

“Because I think, in line with our comprehensive plan, we’ve been prioritizing building housing on land. That’s limited buildable land, and we should avoid sacrificing opportunities to address our housing needs in favor of the data centers,” Frank said.

Commissioner Jacquie Foss said she wasn’t opposed to allowing data centers through a conditional use permit, but until they have defined the parameters for the permits, like energy consumption or impacts to air quality, she said they should press pause.

“I see conditional uses as an opportunity to allow things that may be beneficial to the town of Sitka while denying things that don’t have that same benefit, and I think for things like data center(s), there might be places where there’s they can be a benefit for the community,” Foss said. “But at this time, I don’t know how to address those conditions to ensure that at least we have an idea of it.”

Ultimately the Planning Commission unanimously agreed to recommend defining data centers in city code and prohibiting them in all zones. The commission’s recommendation will go to the Sitka Assembly for consideration at a future meeting.

Sitka Assembly members Tor Christianson and Scott Saline hosted an informal meeting Tuesday night (10-20-26) to discuss a proposed update to regulations for commercial passenger vehicles. The ordinance would repeal and replace the current “Taxicab” chapter in the city’s code.

This comes after the assembly voted to postpone a conversation about the city’s nearly 30-year-old taxi code in August. Under the draft ordinance, operators would fall under only one of three classes — taxis, shuttles and tours, and human-powered vehicles.

Christianson said he wants to update the document to have more flexible language so operators can provide both tours and taxis. Saline said this would make it easier for drivers to offer more than one service.  

“They’re trying to make it so you got to have a separate entry permit to be a cab and a separate entry permit to be a tour operator. We’re trying to make them so you can do both because everybody needs that,” Saline said.

Kealoha Harmon is a local tour company owner. She said the way the ordinance defines a tour — transportation that starts and ends at the same location — doesn’t align with many companies’ routes. 

“Most operators in the morning pick up at the dock, we do our tour, and then we drop off at [Harrigan Centennial Hall] using our Centennial permit. And then in the afternoon, we pick up at Centennial and drop off at the dock, and that allows our guests to shop, to eat lunch,” Harmon said.

Christianson said sponsors of the ordinance hope to prevent a “bait and switch” by taxi operators charging customers extra for a tour. Some community members said customers aren’t concerned with the city’s definitions of taxis and tours, and just want to know how much they’ll have to pay. 

Christianson agreed the main issue is ensuring customers are aware of the charge.

“The main point is that at the beginning of the ride, they need to know how much the entire thing is going to cost, and unless they specifically say, ‘Can I change it to a tour?’ en route — and a lot of people aren’t even going to be happy about that — that’s what they pay,” Christianson said.

The ordinance would also update the fare structure to charge a standard rate per mile, with a higher rate at night. The hours designated as “late night” will also be reconsidered. Christianson said the simplest solution to the current fare structure is having an app with the rate built in. 

Christianson and Saline invited taxi and tour operators to continue to share feedback over email. The assembly members said their input will be considered and folded into the proposed ordinance over the next month. An updated document will be posted to the city’s website for further review before it’s brought to the assembly during its meeting on Nov. 24.

Editor’s Note: This is a developing story and will be updated.

With just over two weeks left in the race to be Alaska’s next governor, Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins made a stop in Sitka over Alaska Day weekend. The Democrat was the only gubernatorial candidate to participate in Sunday’s parade, marking 159 years since Alaska was transferred from Russia to the United States (10-18-26). 

Kreiss-Tomkins’ visit comes shortly after President Donald Trump endorsed Republican candidate Bernadette Wilson at his recent rally in Wasilla. He said he wasn’t surprised. 

“Far be it for me to be sort of an expert on MAGA politics, but I think [Wilson’s] base was already kind of that further right MAGA constituency, and I’m sure Trump’s endorsement consolidated that in some way,” he said.

Kreiss-Tomkins said he thinks Trump’s backing won’t change the race too much. 

“He’s got a net unfavorability with Alaskans, and so when you have a political figure who, broadly, people don’t like that much endorsing somebody, I think from our perspective, it doesn’t hurt,” he said. “And in kind of an ironic way, it might even help.”

Trump also said at his rally that the increased costs of fuel and food are worth it for the war in Iran. Kreiss-Tomkins said high per-barrel prices are good news for the state budget, but Alaskans trying to make ends meet would disagree with the president’s statement.

Kreiss-Tomkins said when the war ends and oil prices drop Alaska will face a gaping budget deficit.

“Ultimately, I don’t think Alaska’s long-term fiscal strategy can be counting on wars in the Middle East to balance our budget. That’s an insane way to plan our future,” he said.

Kreiss-Tomkins said he wants to create a budget that won’t depend on the price of oil. He said that Alaska can continue to get by without an income tax for now, but it’s a different question when thinking about a long-term state budget.

Editor’s Note: This script was updated to clarify that it has been 159 years since Alaska’s transfer.

New school board members were sworn in on Friday (10-16-26) during a special meeting at the Sitka School District office.

Phil Burdick took his oath of office in-person, while Kat Richards and Matt Potter were sworn in while attending the meeting virtually. Burdick will serve his second full-term on the Sitka School Board, while Richards and Potter are beginning their first elected terms. Both were appointed to the board earlier this year to fill vacancies. Richards was elected to a three-year term, and Potter will serve a one-year term. 

After the members were sworn in, the board elected its officers for the year, unanimously appointing Burdick as the board’s president, Paul Rioux as vice president, and Courtney Amundson as clerk.

At the far north end of Pelican’s one-mile boardwalk, Heather Bryant greets customers coming through the big front doors of the Pelican General.

Bryant is like a ray of sunshine, asking customers about their lives while making them a latte or scanning the items in their carts. She and her husband Barry — who happens to be mayor of the small Southeast Alaska fishing village — along with their 14 children, had been visiting Pelican for years from the Lower 48. In 2023, they decided to permanently relocate, launching the store to fill a gap in the remote Chichagof Island community, where residents had gone more than 15 years without a local grocery store.  

“It was apocalyptic in this building when my husband and my son came,” Bryant said, gesturing to the shelves around her. “They wore headlamps. It was like whoever was here just took everything off the shelves. It was just an old building that used to be a grocery store, and it was just sitting there for almost 20 years.”

Now, three years in, the 100 or so residents that call Pelican home can walk down the boardwalk and get everything from fresh produce, eggs, and milk, to frozen pizzas, potting soil, and fishing supplies. 

“We try to have a spattering of things that you can just grab if you need it in a pinch,” she said. “We’re like, I don’t know, a 7-Eleven or ampm. You know, one of those little quick stops, but not, but are, because the prices are like a quick stop.” 

When customers were asked to describe the so-called “quick stop,” a few descriptors come up a lot: convenient, incredible, wonderful, great. 

Prior to the store’s grand opening, residents and fishermen alike had to plan weeks ahead, order groceries from Costco and Fred Meyer about 90 miles away in Juneau, and wait for a ferry or float plane to show up with the goods. 

“And you had to hope that they put the meats and stuff in the freezer, and they didn’t refrigerate your bananas,” said 31-year-old customer Quintin Hafendorfer. “Stuff like that happened all the time.” 

Hafendorfer has spent nearly his whole life in Pelican, and he wears a lot of hats. He works for the city, running the power plant and water treatment center, “and the sewer plant. And then other duties as assigned.”

When the isolated community went more than a month last winter without a ferry or seaplane to bring in supplies or even Christmas presents, he said the store was there, providing customers with food. That’s a good enough reason for him to be a loyal customer.

“Me and my fiance, we come here pretty much every day, even just to wander the aisle and just be like, ‘Yeah, look, I need something and I can go get it.’ It is incredibly convenient to be like, ‘I ran out of mushrooms yesterday.’ I can come down here and get mushrooms and not have to wait for the planes to fly.” 

Every summer, Allan Engstrom hand trolls out of Pelican on his 38-foot Bertram, the “Katherine.” The boat is named for what he calls “the Holy Trinity of Katherines in my family:” his grandmother, sister, and daughter. 

He said he tries to do all his summer shopping at the general store, perusing the aisles and ordering the “best mocha on the outer coast.” 

“It means I don’t have to load up [in Juneau] and manage five months of supplies on my boat at once,” Engstrom said. “So it’s absolutely convenient, and it’s good for the community because it brings fishermen to town. Like the fuel dock and the ice machine, this is a third leg of that trifecta of things Pelican has to offer fishermen, and they’ve done a great job.” 

But beyond the convenience, customers say Pelican General is so much more than a store. What began as just a few shelves of basic supplies has grown, aisle by aisle, into a community hub for locals, tourists, and fishermen alike, with movie and craft nights, couches to sit and read on, free Wifi, and a coffee shop. 

“There are a couple heartbeats of Pelican. This is certainly a big one,” said Keri Eggleston, who lives in Pelican year-round with her husband and their two kids. 

Her husband is a commercial fisherman and she works at the local fish processing plant and does Tlingit language documentation work in the off-season. She said living in an isolated community can be hard at times, and the store helps. 

“It’s what makes it possible to be here, really,” Eggleston said. “The cafe, the store, the community center: those things are critical, I’d say, to living here. It really wouldn’t feel like a community without the store.”

While customers are thankful for Pelican General and the Bryant family, Bryant said it wouldn’t be possible without the customers. 

“Everyone is a part of the store,” she said. “Even though we are doing it, this is something the town can be proud of, and them being proud of it is part of making it what it is.” 

Bryant said she and her husband have always had an open door policy, and she wants everyone who enters the store to feel like they’re just part of her family coming in to grocery shop. 

“It’s really turned into an extension of who we are and what we believe in, and I just want it to be a blessing to this community,” she said. “This is going to sound really cheesy, but it’s like a big hug from the Bryants. Really, that’s what this is.” 

A committee directed with making recommendations for improvements at the state run boarding school in Sitka has delivered its findings to the Alaska Board of Education and Early Development.

It’s been nearly a year since a group of parents, educators and alumni sounded the alarm about conditions at Mt. Edgecumbe High School to the Alaska Board of Education and Early Development. With concerns about mental health, aging facilities, and a significant enrollment drop-off, the board tasked an ad hoc committee with investigating the issues over the past summer, and making recommendations for improvements. 

At the board’s quarterly meeting in mid-October in Sitka, student Xander Swanson called last year “a hard one”, citing everything from leaks and worn out beds, to inconsistent rules and poor communication. But he and others said some conditions have gotten better – with infrastructure improvements, a re-written student handbook, and new administrators.

“One change that’s seen is the communication with students and staff is on another level. This matters more than you might think,” Swanson said. “When students feel heard, we show up differently. We take ownership of our school.” 

Superintendent David Langford also told the board that things are looking up with millions of dollars to put toward facility improvements– $24 million over the next few years including around $10 million for dining hall renovation. Langford said the cafeteria food has improved already, and the school is offering more than quadruple the student activities available last year. 

While enrollment was down to 350 students at the start of this year, Langford said the number of students leaving campus is substantially lower than this time last year.

“I’ve been emphasizing with all the principals and teachers, everybody on the campus, that really what we’re interested in is keeping the students we have long term, and, to-date, the students that are leaving Mount Edgecumbe up to this point is 65% lower than it was a year ago, so I think that speaks to everybody working together at a whole new level for students.”  

But former school staff member and parent Blossom Teal-Olsen said some of those improvements don’t tell the full story. Cuts to mental health support and staff and teacher turnover need to be addressed. 

“Our children need mental health support at a time when there’s no mental health support given, and there’s been cuts to those positions. And historically, if anyone, and I’ve been a former worker there, if you ever make a wave, you are out,” Teal-Olsen said. “So look at look at how many teachers have left. Look at the turnover within the dorms. Look at the how the nursing staff interacts with administration. That’s the true story. There. That’s where change needs to happen.”  

Reviewing and strengthening mental health supports for students is on a list of 22 recommendations the ad hoc committee delivered to the state board later at the same meeting.

The committee developed the list after reviewing roughly 250 survey results from students, parents, and staff. It touches on everything from improving dorm room policies and communication with parents, to establishing a process for collecting information from students who withdraw from the school. 

Paul Reid is a project coordinator with the Office of Education Advocacy, and he facilitated the ad hoc meetings. Board Chair Sally Stockhausen asked him whether they were ready to discuss the plans for addressing the recommendations. 

“I kind of viewed that as ‘This is going to be handed off to the to the admin and to the staff and the students here’ to assure that some of that these recommendations are considered, as they continue to develop,” Reid said.

Stockhausen said she could hear a lot of the recommendations already reflected in both Langford’s report and at a recent school advisory board meeting. However, she wanted to keep tabs on future improvements with a regular report to the state board.

“I would like it to stay in the forefront of our minds and not become another thing that we put on the shelf [and say] ‘Well, that was nice that we did that,'” Stockhausen said. “So I would like to see in in a format that addresses these at our meetings, that we get a regular update on what has been done so far.” 

And board member Kimberly Bergey said the update should be digestible so students and families have a roadmap for where the school is headed. 

“The student voice in this process is going to be critical to the long-term success of the school,” she said. “And so, figuring out how we can make sure that that student voice is included in the the next steps in the process is going to be critical.”

The board did not take formal action on the recommendations at the quarterly meeting. 

The Sitka Assembly on Tuesday (10-13-26) approved a contract extension with investors looking to ship bulk water out of Sitka. This is the second contract extension for Arctic Blue Waters Alaska Inc. since the city agreed to sell them the right to purchase water from Blue Lake in 2021. 

Under the agreement, the international bulk water shipping company was given several years to engineer and build a pipeline to collect water from the lake, but the company has failed to meet its deadlines to submit plans.   

Gary Paxton Industrial Park Director Garry White told assembly members Tuesday they had three choices: 

“You could go with the GPIP board’s direct or recommendation of having them pay $25,000 to extend their contract for one year. You could take Arctic Blue’s new proposal to do an extension for no dollars down, or you could allow the 45-day letter to run its course, and then terminate the contract,” White said.

Arctic Blue Director Fred Paley told the assembly they are asking for the extension due to increased shipping costs and unrest in the Middle East — which has an interest in obtaining Sitka’s bulk water. 

“Why we’re asking for that is we’re hoping that there’s a settlement of the Middle East war with Israel, the United States, and Iran, and that things settle down in the Middle East, and Strait of Hormuz gets opened up, as well as the other areas that bunker oil is being shipped from to bring down prices,” he said.

Paley said even if the geopolitical situation stabilizes in the Middle East, it’s unlikely engineering and construction plans could be completed within the one-year extension. 

Assembly Member Katie Riley said she understands there are benefits to keeping the water under contract and creating a pathway for future development. She suggested a “good faith” contribution from the company for the costs incurred by the city to manage the contract, and adding a more realistic deadline. 

“If they’re serious about selling our water, fantastic,” she said. “It says here that they have invested approximately $10 million over a 30-year period in attempts to do so. So I don’t think asking them for 10 grand to continue extending this out for two years is too much.”

Assembly members ultimately voted unanimously in favor of an extension until October of 2028 for a $10,000 fee — giving Arctic Blue two more years to complete design and construction plans.