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Most read stories

Police Chief Hall Warns of Fentanyl Danger

By ANNA LAFFREY
Sentinel Staff Writer

3 days ago

Coast Guard Goes To Rescue of Sitka Skipper

By Sentinel Staff
Wednesday, September 30

Beans or Not, Chili Cookoff Set for Alaska Day

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

2 days ago

Today's top stories

Parade and Traditions Mark 2026 Alaska Day

Attendees at the 2025 Alaska Day Ball twirl to the music of the Seattle Firefighters Pipes & Drums band Friday night at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
A full slate of Alaska Day Festival and other activities will lead up to Alaska Day itself on Sunday, October 18. The packed schedule will include the Alaska Day Ball, parade, and a re-enactment of the October 18, 1867, transfer ceremony atop...

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

Yesterday at 8:56 PM
Barbara DeLong, Sitka Historical Society treasurer, shakes hands with this year's recipient of the Isabel Miller prize, Blake Conaway, as Tim Eddy looks on during the society's annual meeting Thursday night at Harrigan Centennial Hall. Eddy was given special recognition for his work for the Sitka Historical Society Museum.

Historical Society Salutes Volunteers, Illustrators

A 21st Century parlor game and antique model trains, all with roots in Sitka, were front and center Thursday night at the Sitka Historical Society & Museum's annual meeting at Centennial Hall. For his part in keeping model trains a moving part of...
By Sentinel Staff
Yesterday at 8:54 PM
Democratic candidate for governor Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins talks to Sitkans gathered at the North Shelter at Halibut Point Recreation Area Friday, September 4, 2026.

JKT Brings Campaign, With Music, to Town

Alaska gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins will return to his hometown of Sitka Sunday for an Alaska Day concert by the Rain Dogs and Pedal Boys at Odess Theater on the Sheldon Jackson campus.  The event is hosted by...
By MAYA GRAHAM
Special to the Sentinel
Yesterday at 8:54 PM
Alaska State Board of Education members listen to a gamut of recommendations by the Mt. Edgecumbe High School Ad Hoc Committee, during the board's fall meeting in the Gil Truitt Activities Center at MEHS on Tuesday and Wednesday.

At State Board of Education Meeting, MEHS Students Urge Transparency, Accountability

Mt. Edgecumbe High School students took the helm of the State Board of Education’s fall meeting this week, leading board members through the dorms and halls of the World War II-era campus, and saying their piece on operations at the boarding...

By ANNA LAFFREY
Sentinel Staff Writer

2 days ago
Sitkans mingle during the Sitka Economic Development Association's 9th Annual Brew Fest & Chili Cook Off in front of Harrigan Centennial Hall Saturday, October 18, 2025.

Beans or Not, Chili Cookoff Set for Alaska Day

The fundraising Alaska Day Chili Cookoff will not resolve the eternal question of whether it’s actually “chili” if it includes beans. But whether you are pro or con on the issue, all entries will be considered for the $250 first prize in the 10th...

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

2 days ago
Community news
PUMPKIN PATCH – 3 to 5 Preschool morning class students have proud smiles on their faces after stuffing old Mr. Scarecrow to get him ready for Saturday’s  Pumpkin Patch fundraiser at AC Lakeside. All are invited to walk through the patch 11-2 p.m. and select pumpkins to purchase.  A variety of fall photo opportunities will be up toward the Delta Gas station and around the Pumpkin Patch area. The Donut Lady, Jessie’s Uptown Dogs and Sitka Swirls will have special treats. The preschool expressed appreciation to sponsors AC Lakeside, Sitka Swirls, Sitka Bottling, Charlie’s Produce, The Donut Lady, Jessie’s Uptown Dogs and Fisheye; volunteers from the Mt. Edgecumbe  and  Sitka high school National Honor Societies and others who are helping before and during the sale. (Photo provided to the Sentinel)   
PUMPKIN PATCH
PUMPKIN PATCH – 3 to 5 Preschool morning class students have proud smiles on their faces after stuffing old Mr. Scarecrow to get him ready for Saturday’s  Pumpkin Patch fundraiser at AC Lakeside. All are invited to walk through the patch 11-2...
Yesterday at 7:36 PM
Holiday Closure For City Offices
In observance of Alaska Day, City and Borough of Sitka offices will be closed Monday, Oct. 19. Essential services, including police, fire, emergency medical response, and dispatch services, will remain in operation.
Yesterday at 7:36 PM
4-H Birding Club To Meet Oct. 22
Sitka Spruce Tips 4-H Club invites those ages 5-18 to join a monthly birding club. The next gathering will be on Thursday, Oct. 22. Greg Filipek will lead a bird walk through Sitka National Historical Park. Youths must be registered as 4-H...
Yesterday at 7:36 PM
Traffic, Parking Changes Announced For Alaska Day
The city has announced traffic and parking changes downtown Sunday, Oct. 18, to accommodate the 1:30 p.m. Alaska Day Parade. Beginning at 10 a.m., no parking will be permitted on Lincoln Street between Lake Street and Harbor Way. Lincoln Street...
Yesterday at 7:36 PM
Alaska Day Dance At Odess Theater
An Alaska Day concert by the Rain Dogs and Pedal Boys will be staged 5:30-9:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, at Odess Theater on the SJ Campus.  The event, hosted by Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkinsʼ campaign, is free and open to the public. JKT is a...
Yesterday at 7:36 PM
1966 Sitka Fire Accounts Sought
Those having first-hand accounts of the January 2, 1966, downtown Sitka fire, and the rescue of items in St. Michael’s Cathedral, are being sought to be included in a documentary. To offer a story for consideration, go to...
Yesterday at 7:36 PM
Unitarians Gather For Sunday Meet
David Kanosh will present a program on the Tlingit perspective on Alaska Day at Sunday's meeting of the Sitka Unitarian Fellowship. The Fellowship Hall is located at 408 Marine Street, with parking and entry on the Spruce Street side of the...
Yesterday at 7:36 PM
Alaska Children’s Trust Visits Sitka
The Alaska Children's Trust will host a listening session 5-7 p.m. Oct. 22 at Harrigan Centennial Hall for an open conversation about "PreventTogether," Alaska's first statewide plan to prevent child sexual abuse. All are invited to learn about...
Yesterday at 7:36 PM
SAFV Dinner Date Announced
Sitkans Against Family Violence is asking Sitkans to save the date of its Fall Family Dinner and Dessert Auction Sunday, Nov. 8, at ANB Founders Hall. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with tickets sold at the door for $15 for adults and $10 for...
Yesterday at 7:36 PM
Climate Connection: Federal Track Record
Federal Track Record In 20 months, this administration has demolished five decades worth of climate and environmental protections. Controlling global warming requires international collaboration, but the U.S. has withdrawn from the 2015 Paris...
Yesterday at 7:36 PM
Police blotter

Police Blotter
October 16, 2026

Sitka Police Sitka Police Department logged the following calls Thursday. Thursday, October 15 A woman reported at 8:27 a.m. that her greenhouse had blown away in the 300 block of Peterson Avenue. A woman said she had been scammed and a caller...

Yesterday at 7:36 PM
Obituaries
Dr. Thomas Edwin Jacobsen, DDS
Dr. Tom Jacobsen Dies; Service to Be on Nov. 8
Dr. Thomas Edwin Jacobsen, DDS, age 79, of Sitka, died September 7, 2026. Tom was born December 27, 1946, in Sioux City, Iowa, the son of Donald and Marian Jacobsen. He earned an undergraduate degree in general science from the University of Iowa...
Yesterday at 7:36 PM
Former Sitkan Mackenzie Clarke Dies in Seattle
The family of Mackenzie Augustus Clarke, 37, with profound sadness writes that he died unexpectedly on September 16 in Seattle. The former Sitkan, a Sitka High graduate, was the beloved son of David and Raine Clarke, brother of Kelsie and Zachary...
Friday, October 9
Wrangell Teacher, Coach Phil Wayne Dies in Sitka
Phillip I. Wayne passed away peacefully at his home in Sitka on Monday, September 27, at the age of 89. Phil’s arrival on February 7, 1937, in Corbin, Kentucky, was prominently featured in the Corbin Times as the first Caesarean birth in Laurel...
Friday, October 9
SE Alaskan Harlan Adams Dies at 86
Harlan J. Adams passed away on May 26, 2026, at Swedish Hospital, Cherry Hill Campus, Seattle, Washington. Harlan was born on February 9, 1940, in Yakutat, Alaska. He and his family moved to Kake, Alaska in 1953. Harlan married Lavina on May 13,...
Monday, October 5
Sports

Tritons' Football Grows, Bringing Young Sitkans Together

Members of the Sitka Tritons football program walk downtown during an Alaska Day Parade on October 18, 2024.
"Football is about camaraderie,” EJ Richards, who grew up enmeshed in the Sitka Tritons football program, commented during a practice under sunny skies Tuesday on Moller Field.  In the far corner of the field, elementary-aged tykes sparred...

By ANNA LAFFREY
Sentinel Staff Writer

Yesterday at 8:24 PM

Wolves Wrestling Shoots to Win

Sitka High School wrestlers practice in the school gym Wednesday evening. The team heads to Haines for a tournament this weekend.
The Sitka High School wrestling team is building a solid complement of talent and putting in hours of practice to be ready for the upcoming season. “The salt shaker shook itself out and we got our crew in,” said Michael Callahan, who's now in his...

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

Yesterday at 8:24 PM
BUMP UP - Mt. Edgecumbe High School sophomore Kiana O'Brien bumps in a game against Nikiski Thursday night in the B.J. McGillis Gym. Nikiski beat Edgecumbe 3-1 Thursday; the visiting Bulldogs took the first two games 25-22 and 25-12; MEHS took the third 25-18 and Nikiski closed the match by winning the fourth game 25-22. Also Thursday Sitka lost to Nikiski. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

Bump Up

Yesterday at 8:23 PM
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Sitka Yesterday
October 16, 2026

20 YEARS AGO

October 2006 

Photo caption: Ashlie Romine watches as Kyleigh McArthur kicks a soccer ball between two posts at Blatchley Middle School during the annual Elks Soccer Shoot. Youths under age 10 took 15 shots at a goal 15 feet away.

50 YEARS AGO

October 1976

A storm-churned sea sank a steel-hulled 44-foot commercial fishing boat in a matter of minutes in Chatham Strait but the two men aboard escaped. Boat owner Jim Cooper and his friend Sam Martin, had no time to grab life jackets or make a distress call but got into the 7-foot Sport Yak as the boat swamped. ... They made it to shore, used the dinghy for shelter and the next morning, using driftwood lumber for paddles, made it across Kelp Bay and headed to a logging operation. They hiked the last three miles, Martin wearing only socks and refusing to share Cooper’s boots ...

Yesterday at 7:36 PM
Around Alaska

Trump administration moves to reopen Alaska national preserves to bear baiting by sport hunters

Sport hunters will be able to bait bears in Alaska national preserves, under a final rule the Trump administration announced on Friday. The rule, proposed in March, overturns bans by the Biden and Obama administrations of the practice within National Park Service units. Bear baiting, which involves use of food stockpiles to attract bears that […]

By Yereth Rosen
Yesterday at 9:31 PM

Alaska’s final U.S. Senate debate devolves into mudslinging between Peltola, Sullivan

The two leading candidates for Alaska’s U.S. Senate seat met in an acrimonious televised debate Thursday night in Anchorage, where Democratic candidate Mary Peltola and Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan accused each other of lying and repeatedly spoke over each other. “OK, let’s have some decorum here — candidates, please stop. If I have to shut […]
By James Brooks
Yesterday at 8:36 PM

No dark money in Alaska

Do you have enough extra cash to fund massive lobbying campaigns? Outrageously expensive political campaigns? Could you afford it year after year, decade after decade? The wealthiest in our country can.  They use their funds to acquire special preferences in law and regulations. Tax rates, cuts, breaks, loopholes, credits, deductions, concessions, amortization schedules, accelerated depreciation […]
By Joe Paskvan
Yesterday at 6:12 PM
President Donald Trump speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House during an event for first responders, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

The Latest: Trump will rally Georgia Republicans despite party divisions in the battleground state

President Donald Trump’s midterm campaign blitz is arriving in Georgia for a rally with top Republican candidates in a state that has long been the epicenter of the president’s false claims about …

By The Associated Press
Yesterday at 6:07 PM

On the campaign trail for Republicans, Trump changes course and advocates for mail-in voting

Weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump’s attempt to restrict mail-in voting in this year’s midterm elections, the president is calling on voters to vote early and by mail as he campaigns in support of Republican candidates nationwide. National polling has indicated that Democrats are more enthusiastic about voting in this year’s […]
By James Brooks
Yesterday at 4:07 PM

Special committee identifies improvements for state-run Mt. Edgecumbe High School

Clear communication at the state-run boarding school Mt. Edgecumbe High School is among the top priority areas to improve students’ residential and academic life, a special committee told members of the Alaska State Board of Education this week. The state board established the committee last March to review concerns and create recommendations for improvements after […]

By Corinne Smith
Yesterday at 2:30 PM

Who pays when a remote Alaska village can no longer stay?

In Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, schools in the flood zone remained closed. Homes swept away are still scattered across the tundra. Where crushing waves snapped essential boardwalks, the days now carry the drone of power tools worked by young Yup’iks determined to rebuild them.  From a bird’s eye view, the land seems to signal it has […]
By Jenni Monet
Yesterday at 9:30 AM

Sullivan, Peltola set to meet in televised debate in high-stakes Alaska US Senate race

The two major candidates in Alaska’s closely watched U.S. Senate race are set to debate before a statewide audience, just days after President Donald Trump visited the state in support of …
By BECKY BOHRER
Yesterday at 7:30 AM
From the Associated Press
National news
This GOES-19 GeoColor satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and taken on Thursday, Oct. 15 2026, shows Hurricane Trudy in the Pacific. (NOAA via AP)

Hurricane Trudy makes its way toward Mexico as Typhoon Champi threatens Guam

Hurricane Trudy is moving toward southwestern and west-central Mexico's Pacific coast. Forecasters say the storm could keep growing through Saturday. A hurricane warning is in effect from Manzanillo …
3 hours ago
A car burns at Republique square during a protest against rising living costs, joining students' grievances, in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Violent protests in France as police battle demonstrators, in photos

Cars were set on fire and shops were looted in Paris as police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent protesters. They joined nationwide demonstrations against rising living costs and in …
By THIBAULT CAMUS, LAURENT CIPRIANI and EMMA DA SILVA
3 hours ago
Demonstrators rally at the Lincoln Memorial during a "No Kings" protest in Washington, Saturday Oct. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

No Kings rallies across U.S. urge voters to cast ballots early ahead of midterms

Rallies calling for election integrity and urging voters to cast ballots early in the upcoming midterms are being held in dozens of cities, towns and communities across the United States. The …
By The Associated Press
4 hours ago
Protesters run from water sprayed by police water cannons during an anti-government demonstration outside the Education Ministry, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)

Riots in Tirana enter a fifth day as Albania's anti-government protests escalate

Clashes broke out near the prime minister’s office in Albania as riots gripped the capital, Tirana, for a fifth day. Anti-government protesters hurled rocks, petrol bombs, flares and fireworks on …
By ZANA CIMILI and DEREK GATOPOULOS
5 hours ago
International
Students chant during a protest against under-resourced schools in Rennes, France, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. The placard reads: "resist to exist." (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)

Protesters across France rally over rising living costs, joining students' grievances

Protesters across France have called for demonstrations against rising living costs, joining high school students demanding better education conditions. The mobilization Saturday follows calls on …
By SYLVIE CORBET
3 hours ago
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives for a media conference at the EU summit in Brussels, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Zelenskyy urges support for new US sanctions on Russia after Trump puts them on hold

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged supporters to defend new U.S. sanctions against Russia. It comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order pausing a package of …
4 hours ago
An Israeli settler runs around a Palestinian-Bedouin compound belonging to Kaabneh family on the outskirts of the West Bank town of Taybeh, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Masked settlers attack European diplomats in the occupied West Bank

Masked settlers have attacked a group of European diplomats in the occupied West Bank, Belgium’s foreign minister says. The attackers targeted Belgium’s consul general and French and Polish …
4 hours ago

Pakistani forces, Afghan Taliban exchange fire after militants attempt to infiltrate Pakistan

Officials say Pakistani forces and the Afghan Taliban have exchanged fire at several locations along the border. Officials and state-run media say troops backed by artillery destroyed Taliban posts. …
By MUNIR AHMED
4 hours ago
National Sports

Florida upsets No. 7 Texas 27-24 in Austin

Florida upsets No. 7 Texas 27-24 in Austin.

3 hours ago

Napoli stunned by previously winless Venezia, Atlético claims late victory in Spain

Napoli has slumped to another defeat with Akor Adams’ strike giving Venezia a 1-0 win for its first Serie A points of the season. Kevin De Bruyne saw his penalty saved by Venezia goalkeeper Filip …
By CIARÁN FAHEY
3 hours ago

Di Guglielmo's goal gives the Spirit a crucial 1-0 win over Gotham as playoffs approach

Defender Lucia Di Guglielmo scored her first-ever National Women’s Soccer League goal and the Washington Spirit clinched a playoff spot with 1-0 victory over Gotham. It was the first win for the …
By PHUOC NGUYEN
3 hours ago
Entertainment

New Mexico judge tosses charges against actor Timothy Busfield, citing prosecutor misconduct

A New Mexico judge has dismissed a grand jury indictment that accused actor Timothy Busfield him of four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child. The judge cited prosecutorial misconduct and …

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN and SAVANNAH PETERS
7 hours ago

Online forum controlled by Nevada GOP House candidate contains slurs and Nazi talk, AP review finds

A congressional candidate from Nevada operates an online forum that's rife with posts containing racial slurs, minimizations of Nazi Germany and defenses of white nationalist conspiracy theories. The …
By WISDOM HOWELL and BRIAN SLODYSKO
9 hours ago

Selma Blair's representatives say she didn't intend to hurt anyone on flight that led to her arrest

Selma Blair's representatives have stated she did not intend to harm anyone during a recent flight incident. Blair, who has multiple sclerosis, experienced a medical emergency on a Delta flight from …
By ANDREW DALTON and MICHAEL R. SISAK
Yesterday at 7:18 PM
Health
This picture, released by Vatican Media on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, shows Pope Leo XIV, flanked by his personal secretary, Monsignor Edgard Iván Rimaycuna Inga, left, celebrating Mass at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, where he is recovering after having cancer removed from his right lung. (Vatican Media via AP)

Vatican says Pope Leo to be released from the hospital Saturday, 4 days after lung cancer surgery

Pope Leo XIV is being released from the hospital on Saturday after lung cancer surgery. He will deliver the traditional noon blessing Sunday from a window overlooking St. Peter's Square, the Vatican …

By COLLEEN BARRY
4 hours ago

Pope Leo heads back to the Vatican as well-wishers cheer, in photos

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV returned to the Vatican after four days at Rome’s Gemelli hospital following lung cancer surgery. He greeted patients and waved to well-wishers gathered outside the …
By The Associated Press
5 hours ago

Kenya’s Ebola cases rise to 7, including health workers who cared for the first patient

Three Kenyan health workers have tested positive for Ebola after caring for the country's first confirmed case, according to the Health Ministry. Another person linked to the initial case also tested …
By EVELYNE MUSAMBI
6 hours ago