FIFTH OPENING – The Sitka seine boats Hukilau and Rose Lee pump herring aboard this afternoon at the end of Deep Inlet during the fifth opening in the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery. The opening was being held in two locations beginning at 11 a.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson) 

New RFP Sought For Managing PAC
27 Mar 2024 14:48

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The future of management and operations at the Perform [ ... ]

Seiners Get Second Day with 2 Areas to Fish
27 Mar 2024 14:46

By Sentinel Staff
    The Sitka Sound commercial herring sac roe fishery continued today with open [ ... ]

Braves Take Second in Last Minute Upset
27 Mar 2024 12:41

By GARLAND KENNEDY
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    After storming into the state 3A boys basketball brac [ ... ]

Tuesday City League Volleyball
27 Mar 2024 12:39

By Sentinel Staff
    The Queen Bees’ spotless season record ended Tuesday night with a 2-1 loss [ ... ]

Kodiak Alutiiq Museum Getting New Attention
27 Mar 2024 12:37

By SHIRLEY SNEVE
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House Hearing on Inmate Deaths Halted
27 Mar 2024 12:35

By CLAIRE STREMPLE
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Nominee to Bering Sea Council: Not a Trawler
27 Mar 2024 12:34

By NATHANIEL HERZ
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March 27, 2024, Police Blotter
27 Mar 2024 12:26

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 26
At 2:10 p.m. a man e [ ... ]

March 27, 2024, Community Happenings
27 Mar 2024 12:25

Big Rigs Sought
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Reassessments Raise Tax Bills for Sitkans
26 Mar 2024 15:22

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
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Two Areas Opened in Herring Fishery Today
26 Mar 2024 15:21

By Sentinel Staff
The third opening in this year’s Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery was held Mon [ ... ]

Lady Wolves Rally to Take Fourth at State
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Edgecumbe Girls Close Out Season Up North
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By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel ports Editor
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City League Monday
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By Sentinel Staff
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House Votes to Broaden Rules For Review Panel Memb...
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By NATHANIEL HERZ
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Faster Internet Speeds In Rural Schools OK'd
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Native Words Gathered In Environment Studies
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By YERETH ROSEN
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March 26, 2024, Police Blotter
26 Mar 2024 13:49

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 25
At 7:48 a.m. a calle [ ... ]

March 26, 2024, Community Happenings
26 Mar 2024 13:48

Vietnam-Era Vets
Invited to Lunch,
Commemoration
American Legion Post 13 will host a luncheon 1-3 p.m.  [ ... ]

Sac Roe Herring Fishery Opens in Hayward
25 Mar 2024 15:30

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The 2024 Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery got under [ ... ]

Projects on the Table For Cruise Tax Funds
25 Mar 2024 15:28

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
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Braves Take Second at State after Close Loss
25 Mar 2024 15:23

By Sentinel Staff
    Competing in the 3A state championship title basketball game Saturday, the M [ ... ]

City League Games Continue
25 Mar 2024 15:11

By Sentinel Staff
    Playing through the afternoon Sunday, City League volleyball teams faced off [ ... ]

Other Articles

Daily Sitka Sentinel

Construction Accident Shuts Off Sitka Power

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Sitka lost power Saturday evening after a road contractor’s excavator snagged a guy line on a power pole at DeGroff Street and Sawmill Creek Road.
    The guy line snapped and potentially came into contact with both the high voltage transmission line and medium voltage distribution line, “potentially resulting in an over-voltage condition,” said Electric Utility Director Bryan Bertacchi.

HIGH LINERS – Linemen work to restore power at the intersection of DeGroff and Sawmill Creek Road Saturday. The city lost power for about two hours when road construction vehicle backed into a power pole guy-wire. (Sentinel Photo by Shannon Haugland)


    After power was restored the city received over a dozen reports of damage to electronic equipment at homes and businesses that was caused potentially by the power spike at the time of the blackout. Bertacchi said the city’s electrical generation equipment was also “affected,” and repairs are in progress.
    The power went out at 5:33 p.m. and the last part of town was back on line by 9:33 p.m., the electric department said.
    The accident happened while a private contractor was working on the Sawmill Creek Road/DeGroff Street project, said Maegan Bosak, community affairs director.
    A witness at a nearby home said she saw the excavator snag the guy wire, causing the power pole to sway. There was a shower of sparks and the power went out. The electric department said the pole carried the high voltage transmission line from Sitka’s two hydroelectric plants to the Marine Street substation, and also a distribution line to area customers.
    “The electric department has damage to infrastructure we need to focus on, and repair,” Bertacchi said. “Both the Marine Street substation and the Green Lake power plant that went offline have been restored to service. The damage at this time does not appear to be significant, but it does require our focus and attention to repair. Subsequent to that, we’ll be looking at all the data to ascertain more about this electrical fault. The way this happened was different. We need to spend more time and get to the bottom of it.”
    City hall and the electric department said they have received calls reporting damage that the surge caused to electronics in homes. Household appliance repair businesses said they got a number of calls from people who said it ruined their heat pumps.
    Bosak said the city is telling homeowners and businesses to “make a claim with their homeowners insurance company, and contact the city and let them know what the issue is.”
    However, two local insurance offices told the Sentinel that it is not usual for this kind of damage to be covered in a typical homeowner policy.
    This afternoon the city updated its original press release about the outage, and encouraged residents to check all life safety devices, such as fire alarms and carbon monoxide monitors.
    “Any problems with appliances or other systems should be reported to your homeowners insurance,” the news release said. Those with questions and concerns may call the utility desk at 747-1818.

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20 YEARS AGO

March 2004

Matthew C. Hunter of Sitka recently returned from Cuba as part of a St. Olaf College International and Off-Campus Studies program. Hunter, a junior physics major at St. Olaf College, is the son of Robert and Kim Hunter of Sitka.


50 YEARS AGO

March 1974

Eighth graders have returned from a visit to Juneau to see the Legislature. They had worked for it since Christmas vacation ... Clarice Johnson’s idea of a “White Elephant” sales was chosen as the best money-maker; Joe Roth won the political cartoon assignment; highest government test scorers were Ken Armstrong, Joanna Hearn, Linda Montgomery, Lisa Henry, Calvin Taylor and David Licari .....

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