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
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Sentinel Staff Writer
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Sentinel Staff Writer
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Alaska Beacon
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Mr. Whitekeys
In Sitka to Tell
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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
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By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
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By Sentinel Staff
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Sentinel Sports Editor
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Alaska Beacon
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Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
April 16
At 8:07 a.m. a woman [ ... ]
Presentation On
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Sentinel Staff Writer
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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
A protective order was issued at 1 [ ... ]
Chamber Speaker
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The Chamber of Commerce speaker series will continue noon Wednesday at [ ... ]
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Sentinel Staff Writer
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Daily Sitka Sentinel
Volunteers Marshaled for Library Move
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Dozens of volunteers are ready and waiting to help on July 21 when the 60,000 books and other items in Kettleson Library are moved to their temporary home in Stratton Library on the SJ campus, says Sitka Library Director Sarah Bell.
Sarah Bell moves a cart of library books. (Sentinel Photo)
The library will be closed July 21, and will be open for business at Stratton no later than Aug. 19.
The Stratton Library has been closed since Sheldon Jackson College shut down academic operations in 2007. Since then the building has been purchased by the State of Alaska for eventual conversion into an extension of the Sheldon Jackson Museum.
In the meantime, it’s being made available for use as the Sitka public library while Kettleson undergoes a major remodel.
“We’re hoping to get the vast majority moved in two weeks,” Bell said.
The Kettleson remodel is mostly state-funded, but the city is contributing Commercial Passenger Excise Tax, and the Friends of the Library has pledged to raise $200,000.
Kari Sagel, president of Sitka Friends of the Library, said the nonprofit group wishes to thank Alice Johnstone for her $20,000 donation, and Dean Orbison for his recent gift of $5,000.
Bell said the effort to move Kettleson’s contents is receiving help from local companies and organizations as well as from individuals. Sitka Bottling is offering help with moving, Interiorworks is donating carpets for a children’s section at Stratton, the Sitka School District and the Gary Paxton Industrial Park are providing storage, and individuals have signed up to move books.
She offered a big thank you to the Sitka Permanent Charitable Trust for providing the grant for the teen technical lab that can be set up first at Stratton before being moved into the new Kettleson.
“Kids will have access to high end audio and video editing programs, stop-motion animation equipment,” Bell said. “They’ll have a chance to work with that ... that’s something new and exciting that’s going to start at Stratton.”
Bell said the move will pose many challenges, but she believes all will be ready to start on July 21.
“We’ve been working out the kinks,” she said. “It’s like a huge puzzle.”
She’s currently looking for donations of halibut line to be used to tie around racks as the books are moved down the street.
For those who have books checked out and due back during the move, Bell said, “We will leave the book drop open and accessible, but it’s probably best if they hold on to them.” But folks leaving town should return the items, rather than leaving them with a friend to return, Bell advised.
She gave Aug. 19 as the date for reopening Sitka’s public library at Stratton, but hopes it will take less time than that.
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20 YEARS AGO
April 2004
The 7th Annual Honoring Women dinner will feature Roberta Sue Kitka, ANS Camp 4; Rose MacIntyre, U.S. Coast Guard Spouses and Women’s Association; Christine McLeod Pate, SAFV; Marta Ryman, Soroptimists; and Mary Sarvela (in memoriam), Sitka Woman’s Club.
50 YEARS AGO
April 1974
Eighth-graders Joanna Hearn and Gwen Marshall and sixth-graders Annabelle Korthals, Jennifer Lewis and Marianne Mulder have straight A’s (4.00) for the third quarter at Blatchley Junior High.