RESTORATION WORK – Father Herman Belt keeps an eye on Lincoln Street traffic this morning as workers use a Snorkel Lift to pull rotten pieces of trim from the facade of St. Michael’s Cathedral. Several pieces recently had fallen off the cathedral, which dates to 1976, causing concerns about other pieces possibly falling off and hitting pedestrians. Belt says the plan is to fabricate new wooden trim and properly flash it. East bound traffic was diverted up American Street during today’s work. Contractors may close the street again Wednesday morning. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
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Sentinel Staff Writer
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Sentinel Sports Editor
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Alaska Beacon
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By JAMES BROOKS and
CLAIRE STREMPLE
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Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
April 15
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Chamber Speaker
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Sentinel Staff Writer
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Alaska Beacon
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April 12
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Sentinel Staff Writer
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April 11
At 2:14 a.m. a report was logged t [ ... ]
Card of Thanks
Dear Sitka, I would like to say thank you for the outpouring of love and support for t [ ... ]
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Daily Sitka Sentinel
March 24, 2020, Community Happenings
Sitka master gardener class begins March 30
Sitka master gardener training that was postponed due to coronavirus precautions will become distance-delivered and start Monday, March 30.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service said in a press release participants will meet 6-8:30 p.m. Mondays with the Juneau master gardeners class through May 11.
Because the Juneau training has already begun, additional classes will be scheduled online for Sitka participants at 6 p.m. Wednesdays April 1-22 to make up some of the hours missed.
The session will provide basic and practical horticultural training on a wide range of topics, including how to design, plant and maintain successful gardens in Southeast.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service will host the session and the additional classes via Zoom webinar. The Juneau class is taught by Extension agent Darren Snyder, experts and other Extension agents and staff. The Sitka additions will be organized by Extension assistant Jasmine Shaw and University of Alaska Southeast biology professor Kitty LaBounty. Those also will be available by Zoom, through home internet.
Participants will commit to providing at least 40 hours of volunteer service to their communities within a year of completing the class.
Trainees will be provided opportunities to share their skills with the community through various service projects and other venues.
Registration and additional details are available at http://bit.ly/SitkaMG. The $300 fee includes an Alaska gardening manual and a $150 deposit that will be refunded if service is completed within a year. For more information, contact Shaw at jdshaw2@alaska.edu.
Updates Given
On VHF Outages
After being non-operational for 125 days, the VHF tower at Althrop Peak in Southeast Alaska is operational and providing VHF coverage.
The U.S. Coast Guard has experienced various VHF outages in Southeast and Southcentral Alaska. Extra caution is advised in areas serviced by the VHF towers Bede Mountain, Cape Fanshaw, Deception Hills, Sukkwan Island, Point Pigot, Tuklung Mountain, and Duffield Peninsula as of March 23.
Repairs are ongoing, the Coast Guard said, but due to extreme weather and remote locations, intermittent outages are expected to continue in various locations in both Southeast and Southcentral Alaska.
Mariners are reminded that because of mountainous terrain, and limited VHF coverage, even with fully operational VHF sites the U.S. Coast Guard can’t hear VHF calls in all areas, and mariners should have secondary means of communications onboard at all times, file a float plan with a trusted person, and carry safety equipment onboard in the event you are in a survival situation. The following phone numbers can be used to reach the U.S. Coast Guard in emergencies. As always, boaters should carefully evaluate their ability to assist distressed mariners, and always relay any heard distress calls to the US Coast Guard: Sector Juneau Command Center at 907-463-2980; Sector Anchorage Command Center, 907-428-4100; and 17th District command center, 907-463-2000
Charts showing the locations of VHF tower sites in Alaska can be seen at the USCG’s Navigation Center’s website at https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/images/marcomms/cgcomms/Rescue21/SecAnchorage.jpg or https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/images/marcomms/cgcomms/Rescue21/SecJuneau.jpg. The charts do not show an additional VHF site at Valdez.
For media inquiries regarding the VHF outages, contact D17 Public Affairs at 907-463-2065.
Monthly Grind
Season Canceled
The Sitka Monthly Grind producers have announced the cancellation of the April 11 Sitka Monthly Grind, due to current circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Sitka Monthly Grind will be back for season 26 starting in October.
‘‘Thanks, everybody, for your support for the past 25 years,’’ the Grind producers said today.
AA Groups
Postponed
Until further notice, AA and NA groups meeting at noon at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church and Sitka Lutheran Church are temporarily suspended, due to concerns about COVID-19 and social distancing.
AA Rectory meeting Thursday and Sunday evenings are postponed.
PFD Filing
Deadline Near
The Permanent Fund Dividend filing deadline is March 31, the Sitka Legislative Information Office reminds Sitkans.
The applications can be filed online. Paper applications are available on the LIO door for pickup.
Information Officer Bronwyn Walton is in the office 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to answer any filing questions via phone at 747-6276.
‘‘Please get your applications submitted by the deadline,’’ Walton said. ‘‘Any supporting documentation that needs to be sent can be handled through the LIO office when we are open again.’’
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20 YEARS AGO
April 2004
Photo caption: Sitka High students in the guitar music class gather in the hall before the school’s spring concert. The concert was dedicated to music instructor Brad Howey, who taught more than 1,000 Sitka High students from 1993 to 2004. From left are Kristina Bidwell, Rachel Ulrich, Mitch Rusk, Nicholas Mitchell, Eris Weis and Joey Metz.
50 YEARS AGO
April 1974
The Fair Deal Association of Sealaska shareholders selected Nelson Frank as their candidate for the Sealaska Board of Directors at the ANB Hall Thursday.