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
GCI Shows Its Roots, Gives to Alaska Charity
By ABIGAIL BLISS
Sentinel Staff Writer
Heather Handyside, GCI’s corporate communications manager, presented $1,500 to Healing Hand Foundation on behalf of the Alaska-grown company during a presentation at the Sitka Chamber of Commerce meeting Wednesday.
Heather Handyside (Sentinel Photo)
The donation, Handyside explained, was emblematic of the company’s commitment to Alaskan communities. She said GCI has invested close to $3 billion statewide in “infrastructure, equipment, products, services,” and $9 million in Sitka alone, since its founding some 40 years ago.
“This is where we do our business, but this is also our home,” she said.
Healing Hand Foundation is a charitable organization that helps cover unfunded medical costs of veterans and SEARHC beneficiaries in Southeast Alaska.
Handyside’s presentation highlighted GCI’s Alaskan roots – as “Alaska’s first start-up company,” it began operating in 1979 out of CEO Ron Duncan’s small Anchorage apartment – and its enduring commitment to the state, particularly in the face of its acquisition by Liberty Interactive Corporation last week.
“Our commitment to Alaska isn’t going to change,” she told the Chamber crowd.
Handyside said the transaction with Liberty was spurred by Duncan’s desire for an “extra level of stability” in “these challenging economic times,” and would have “very minimal impact” on the operations of the telecommunications corporation, now called GCI Liberty Inc.
She said that GCI’s original seven executives have remained in leadership positions, and the Liberty Interactive team has “little interest” in making operational changes,
Handyside also announced plans to improve GCI’s wireless coverage in Sitka over the next 18 months. The project would resemble the company’s recent $6.4 million investment in the Kenai peninsula, where 39 existing towers received upgrades and “a few additional towers” were built, she said.
“This is on the Kenai, this isn’t what we have planned for Sitka, but it gives you an idea of what you can expect,” she said. “Our plans aren’t complete, but as soon as they are, we’ll let you know what those work like.”
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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.