BABY NEW YEAR –  Keilani Stockton and Timothy Benolken, of Craig, sit with their first child, Wilder David Benolken, who was born January 9, 2025, at 12:15 p.m at Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center, the first baby born in Sitka in 2025. At birth Wilder weighed 9.4 pounds and measured 21.5 inches long. Paternal grandparents are Elizabeth Kubik and Karl Benolken Sr.; and maternal grandparents are Angelina and Dave Stockton. The family received a gift basket filled with items donated by Sitka businesses including Allen Marine Tours, Alaska Raptor Rehabilitation Center, Fate Accompli Gallery & Gifts, Hames Corporation, Kaitlyn Hull Photography, LLC, Petro Marine Services, Raven Radio KCAW, Wayfinder Wealth and Sitka Babies and Books. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

Public Pension Tops Senate Prefiled Bills
13 Jan 2025 12:04

By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
    Members of the Alaska Senate are planning an effort to restore th [ ... ]

Legislators, Seafood Industry Talk of Rescue
13 Jan 2025 12:03

By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
    Alaska lawmakers from fishing-dependent communities say they have [ ... ]

U.S. House Fails to OK Funding Bill for Schools
13 Jan 2025 12:01

By CORINNE SMITH
Alaska Beacon
    Rural schools, mostly in Southeast Alaska, are facing a major fu [ ... ]

January 13, 2025, Police Blotter
13 Jan 2025 11:59

Sitka Police received the following calls as of midnight last night.
January 10
At 4 a.m. two young wo [ ... ]

January 13, 2025, Community Happenings
13 Jan 2025 11:56

Service Saturday
For Tad Fujioka
A funeral service for Tad Fujioka will be held 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan.  [ ... ]

Budget Work Faces Funding Unknowns
10 Jan 2025 15:37

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The Assembly at a special meeting Thursday gave city  [ ... ]

Legislators Say Focus To Remain on Energy
10 Jan 2025 14:21

By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
    Last year’s session of the Alaska Legislature put a big focus o [ ... ]

January 10, 2025, Community Happenings
10 Jan 2025 13:58

Tickets on Sale
To SE Tourney
Tickets to next week’s Mt. Edgecumbe Invitational Basketball Tournamen [ ... ]

January 10, 2025, Police Blotter
10 Jan 2025 13:53

Sitka Police received the following calls as of midnight last night.
 January 9
vehicle alarm went  [ ... ]

Assembly to Review City FY '26 Budget
09 Jan 2025 15:42

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
   The Assembly will hold a special meeting tonight to kic [ ... ]

Arts Camp Signups Pour In; Campus Phone-Free
09 Jan 2025 14:56

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Sign-ups for the 2025 Sitka Fine Arts Camp sessions,  [ ... ]

State, Feds Settle School Funds Dispute
09 Jan 2025 14:46

By CORINNE SMITH
Alaska Beacon
    Until last month, the U.S. Department of Education said Alaska u [ ... ]

New Trial Sought Against Former Legislator LeDoux
09 Jan 2025 14:45

By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
    Alaska prosecutors will again attempt to convict a former state l [ ... ]

January 9, 2025, Police Blotter
09 Jan 2025 14:43

Sitka Police received the following calls as of midnight last night.
 January 8br/>At 2:18 a.m. a caller [ ... ]

January 9, 2025, Community Happenings
09 Jan 2025 14:41

Signup Set for
Farmers Summit
Registration is open for the Southeast Alaska Farmers Summit, set Feb. 2 [ ... ]

Sitka Music Festival Director Gets National Honor
08 Jan 2025 14:44

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff
    Alex Serio, executive director of the Sitka Music Festival,  [ ... ]

Hilcorp Denied Delay in Work on Arctic Field
08 Jan 2025 14:41

By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
    Federal regulators have rejected Hilcorp’s attempt to gain more [ ... ]

New State Population Count Shows Increase
08 Jan 2025 14:38

By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
    A new state population estimate shows Alaska has 741,147 resident [ ... ]

EPA Gives Fairbanks Time to Fix Dirty Air
08 Jan 2025 14:37

By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
    An Environmental Protection Agency action expected today will unf [ ... ]

January 8, 2025, Police Blotter
08 Jan 2025 12:25

Sitka Police received the following calls as of midnight last night.
January 7
At 1:36 p.m. an animal [ ... ]

January 8, 2025, Community Happenings
08 Jan 2025 12:17

Herring Proposal
Discussed Tonight
The Sitka Fish and Game Advisory Committee will address the Board o [ ... ]

City Outlines Reason for Police Chief Ad
07 Jan 2025 15:37

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The city human resources department clarified today t [ ... ]

Tree Burns In National Park
07 Jan 2025 15:36

By Sentinel Staff
    A tall tree snag caught fire and burned down in Sitka National Historical Pa [ ... ]

State, Energy Corp. In Gas Pipeline Talks
07 Jan 2025 15:34

By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
    The state-owned corporation in charge of developing a trans-Alask [ ... ]

Other Articles

Daily Sitka Sentinel

Alaska to Use Lottery For Rent, Mortgage Payments

ANCHORAGE (AP) — Payments of up to $1,200 will soon become available to Alaska residents struggling to make rent and mortgage payments because of income losses related to the coronavirus pandemic.

The one-time payments distributed by lottery are an effort to prevent homelessness in the state, The Anchorage Daily News reported  Monday.

The money will come from $10 million in federal coronavirus relief funds administered by the Alaska Housing Finance Corp.

The state agency expects the program to serve between 8,000 and 12,000 households.

Each household is eligible for no more than $1,200 and must complete a simple questionnaire that includes name, address and certification of income loss.

Households must have lost income due to COVID-19 and earn less than 80% of median income for their community to be eligible, the agency said.

In Anchorage that figure would be less than about $78,000 per household.

The application period opens June 15 and closes June 26. The lottery results will be announced one week later.

Payments will be made directly to landlords or mortgage lenders and are targeted for the July 2020 billing cycle.

Alaska Housing Finance Corp. recently received nearly 970 applications for mortgage loan forbearance, meaning a temporary halt for payment obligations, said Stacy Barnes, director of government relations and public affairs.

About 1,100 Anchorage residents and just over 2,000 people statewide are considered homeless under a definition by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The actual number is thought to be many thousands higher and expected to increase because of the coronavirus, service providers said.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.

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20 YEARS AGO

January 2005

The Assembly agreed Tuesday to extend Quest Imports International’s bulk water purchase contract for another year. The company has been paying the city for its water rights, with the payments to be applied against the purchase price of water when exports finally start.

50 YEARS AGO

January 1975

From On the Go: Steve and Stephanie Vieira had a good time with relatives in California over the holidays. They’re back at their teaching jobs here now, no doubt happy to be out of all that sunshine.

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