FAMILY FUN – Crystal Johns holds her son Zayne , 2, as she follows her son Ezekiel, 4, up an inflatable slide Saturday at Xoots Elementary School during the annual Spring Carnival. The event included games, prizes, cotton candy, and karaoke. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Rep. Rebecca Himschoot says in the discussion on educ [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
Song, dance and a cast of school-aged actors will brin [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Don’t talk to people claiming to be from Medicare o [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
The Alaska House of Representatives voted Wednesday to allow comp [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has dismissed an appeal filed by [ ... ]
Mr. Whitekeys
In Sitka to Tell
Gold Rush Tale
Sitka Historical Society and Museum will present ‘‘Th [ ... ]
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
April 17
At 9:08 a.m. a transformer was r [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The threat of major cutbacks to the subsistence socke [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
With the first vote on the city budget for fiscal yea [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
In the final day of play in the recreational division City League volleyball [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Three amateur athletes from Sitka were among tens of [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
A proposal to require Alaska schools to keep opioid-overdose-r [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
Alaska’s Kobuk River, which flows out of the Brooks Range above [ ... ]
Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
April 16
At 8:07 a.m. a woman [ ... ]
Presentation On
Medicare, SS
SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium and Cynthia Gibson, CFP®, an [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Musicians from Sitka High and Mt. Edgecumbe High scho [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Whether you enjoy scaling mountains, walking in the p [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Two-time Alpine Adventure Run winner Chris Brenk cont [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee expanded a [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS and
CLAIRE STREMPLE
The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development is [ ... ]
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
April 15
A protective order was issued at 1 [ ... ]
Chamber Speaker
Event Wednesday
The Chamber of Commerce speaker series will continue noon Wednesday at [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
From high costs and low availability to challenges sur [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
A number of participants at Thursday’s community me [ ... ]
Daily Sitka Sentinel
March 6, 2020, Letters to the Editor
COVID-19
Dear Editor:
I am writing to you in my capacity as SEARHC’s Chief Medical Officer, as well as a long-time Sitka resident.
At SEARHC, we are closely monitoring COVID-19, formerly called the novel coronavirus. We are preparing our staff and facilities to ensure that our patients, communities and staff have the best, quality care possible. Presently, there are no known COVID-19 cases in Alaska.
I assure you that SEARHC has a comprehensive response plan. This includes working directly with our EMS squad and their leadership, as well as communicating regularly with our State Department of Health and state emergency operations center. We have established a unified command structure for emergency situations and have established careful protocols for screening and caring for patients in our facilities, in line with recommendations from scientists and doctors at the Centers for Disease Control. We have inventoried our supplies which are adequate if we are careful and judicious in use. We also recently established covid19.searhc.org, a webpage with news and resources for you, our community members, as well as a “hot line” to provide answers to specific questions during regular business hours: 907-966-8799.
You can support the health of our community by staying calm and committing to healthy practices within your homes and businesses. Please remember that the most significant health threat we are facing at this time is influenza, which has already killed over 18,000 people in the U.S. this flu season. Avoid close contact with people who are sick, (if you are sick you should stay home). Cover your mouth and nose if you sneeze. Wash your hands with soap frequently, and especially before you eat. Avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes because this is how we often contract a virus. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work, and school.
If you begin to feel ill, and you don’t have any underlying health conditions, please don’t panic. Stay home and get better by resting, drinking plenty of fluids, and staying away from smoke or alcohol. Please do not come directly to the hospital and request or demand a test for COVID-19. In spite of what you may hear in the media, there are very limited supplies of tests available in Alaska (and elsewhere) and those tests will be used in high-risk cases. Everyone should also understand that a test is not a treatment or a cure for this virus.
If you begin to feel ill and you do have underlying health conditions, such as heart disease, cancer or lung disease, please call your provider’s office. By calling ahead to make an appointment before arriving, you will help our SEARHC staff take steps to keep other people from getting infected or exposed. When you call, make sure you tell the provider if you think you may have been exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19.
More information on prevention and treatment of COVID-19 can be found at covid19.searhc.org. During regular business hours, questions can be answered at our COVID-19 “Hot Line” for SEARHC communities and patients: 907-988-8799.
Dr. Elliot Bruhl MD
Dear Editor:
At the Assembly meeting last Tuesday, it was so uplifting to see so much thoughtful discussion and engagement. I am grateful to everyone who took their time to share their experiences and knowledge and to the Assembly for their willingness to consider joining with AFN and the local Sitka Advisory Committee to the Alaska Dept of Fish & Game in declaring a climate emergency.
I have lived in Sitka my whole life and I plan to move back after college. In my 18-year lifetime, I have already seen the climate change more than I ever thought was possible, and I am dreading the future changes if we don’t take action. Although the resolution didn’t pass, the discussion was encouraging. Additionally, it did accomplish one of its goals: it got the conversation started.
We understand that this is a process that takes time, but it is also an issue that requires urgency.
Now, the group Youth for Sustainable Futures is working with Assembly members to draft a new resolution. This process has been such a valuable experience for our group and we’re so grateful to the Assembly members, especially Gary Paxton and Kevin Mosher, for their willingness to meet with youths, and for taking the time to explain their perspectives while also helping us find common ground and a path forward together.
After those conversations, our group and some Assembly members started discussing the possibility of reinstating a climate action leadership task force. This idea sounds really promising, especially if the task force includes youth. Youth for Sustainable Futures is made up of students from all three high schools, and we think it would be amazing if the task force included a seat for a representative from each of the high schools as well.
Even if the Assembly reinstates a task force, it is still important to pass the resolution declaring a climate change emergency. Local action is important, but state and national action is even more valuable. If the Assembly passes an emergency declaration, it gives our group leverage to lobby our senators for action.
We are looking forward to working with our community leaders to plan for our futures.
Cora Dow
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20 YEARS AGO
April 2004
Photo caption: Sen. Lisa Murkowski talks with students in Karoline Bekeris’ fourth-grade class Thursday at the Westmark Shee Atika. From left are Murkowski, Kelsey Boussom, Laura Quinn and Memito Diaz.
50 YEARS AGO
April 1974
A medley of songs from “Jesus Christ Superstar” will highlight the morning worship service on Palm Sunday at the United Methodist Church. Musicians will be Paige Garwood and Karl Hartman on guitars; Dan Goodness on organ; and Gayle Erickson on drums.