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Film Festival Bonus

Cuban-born flutist, composer, educator and conductor Sheila Del Bosque performs for Mt. Edgecumbe High School students this morning in the Gil Truitt Activities Center. Del Bosque is in town, with her husband and fellow Berklee College of Music graduate, Nacho González Nappa, as part of the AMDocs Sitka 2026 documentary and animation film festival which kicks off tonight at the Performing Arts Center. Del Bosque will perform two original pieces in a program that includes the screening of "Sheila: Between Two Winds" a 14-minute documentary about her life by director Harry J. Xu.
FILM FESTIVAL BONUS - Cuban-born flutist, composer, educator and conductor Sheila Del Bosque performs for Mt. Edgecumbe High School students this morning in the Gil Truitt Activities Center. Del Bosque is in town, with her husband and fellow...
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Historical Society to Salute 'Magic' Creators

A 1983 Sitka High School yearbook photo shows Anson Maddox carried on a table by fellow Sci-fi Fantasy Book Club members, including Chris Tedin, left, and Mark Tedin, right. The three went on to create popular fantasy artworks.
Sitka Historical Society is preparing for some “magic” for its annual meeting, as well as a photo exhibit and fundraisers just before the Alaska Day holiday. “We go through a lot of effort to provide things for the public but it’s our mission,...
MONDAY IS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY -- Mt. Edgecumbe High School's Inpuiaq Dance group performs during the Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at Harrigan Centennial Hall in 2025. Festivities will be similar this year, with a "Sheet'ká Indigenous Peoples Day" celebration beginning 5 p.m. Monday at Centennial Hall. Outer Coast is organizing the event, which is free and open to the public. Festivities will include a fish and fry bread dinner and dance performances from local Tlingit dance groups as well as Native dance groups from Mt. Edgecumbe High School. Attendees are encouraged to bring potluck dishes, organizers said. (Sentinel File Photo by James Poulson)

Monday is Indigenous Peoples Day

MONDAY IS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY - Mt. Edgecumbe High School's Inpuiaq Dance group performs during the Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at Harrigan Centennial Hall in 2025. Festivities will be similar this year, with a "Sheet'ká Indigenous...
STUDENTS HONORED - At the Sitka School Board meeting on Wednesday, Sitka High math teacher Peter Vu recognizes students (left to right) Wyatt Crosiar, Silas Toss, Daniel Muéller and Eir Christianson for their achievements at the Alaska Association of Student Governments conference in Healy, Sept. 25-27.Crosiar, Todd and Muéller co-authored a resolution that passed with unanimous consent at AASG. It would require the state to provide funding so that each school can have free menstrual products in school bathrooms. The executive board of AASG chose it as the "resolution of the conference," Vu said Wednesday.Meanwhile, Eir Christianson was elected by Southeast region representatives at AASG as "delegate of the region," or the Southeast delegate who best exemplified the values of AASG. "I'm very proud of this bunch," Vu said.  "They not only won those two awards, but I was approached by an executive board member who expressed that she really values our school's presence at the conference for being kind, engaging, and collaborative with other student council groups." (Sentinel staff photo by Anna Laffrey)

Board Hears Report On Enrollment Drop

Honors for school principals, student government leaders, the Sitka High softball and track teams, and district “students of the month” lit up the Sitka School Board meeting on Wednesday, before the board heard reports from middle school and...
In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Sitkans Against Family Violence Shelter workers plant flags in the Sitka Courthouse lawn Wednesday. The flags represent statistics at the shelter including the number of bed nights provided over the year, 5,415; the number of women at the shelter, 43; the number of men at the shelter, 10; the 13 children at the shelter; and the 35 domestic disturbance calls made to the Sitka Police Department. Pictured are, from left, Martina Kurzer, Jackie DeBell and Susan Cross.

DV Awareness

DV AWARENESS - In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Sitkans Against Family Violence shelter workers plant flags in the Sitka Courthouse lawn Wednesday. The flags represent statistics at the shelter including the number of bed...
Cascadia Works: Tend Gather Harvest Restore, co-edited by Tele Aadsen and Jessica Gigot, is out now from Empty Bowl Press. Cover art is by Carly Brock.

Sitkans Are Writers, Subjects of New Anthology

Sitka locals share stories from the sea in Cascadia Works: Tend, Gather, Harvest, Restore, an anthology of literary and artistic pieces co-edited by Tele Aadsen, a Southeast Alaska troll fisherman, and Jessica Gigot, a Skagit Valley farmer, and...

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Community news
Unitarians Gather
"The Call for a New Economy" will be the topic of Sunday’s meeting of the Sitka Unitarian Fellowship.  The discussion will follow the showing of the video "Closer to Home – Voices of Hope in a Time of Crisis." Gathering is at 10:30 a.m....
Sitka Chamber Sets Fall Speaker Series
The Sitka Chamber of Commerce Fall Speakers Series speaker Oct. 21 will be Monique Anderson. Anderson will tell about the master plan for Sitka’s Parks and Recreation. Other members of the foundation will speak, and invite conversation with...
4-H Pie Day Set For 4-H Members
New and returning 4-H members can make mini apple pies to take home at the Sitka Pioneer Manager's Home on Friday, Oct. 23. Cloverbuds (ages 5-8) will meet 2-3 p.m. and ages 9 and up will meet 3-4 p.m.  Contact Jasmine Shaw with any...
4-H Birding Club Meetings Planned
Sitka Spruce Tips 4-H Club invites youths ages 5-18 to join a monthly birding club. Greg Filipek will lead a bird walk through Sitka National Historical Park at the next club meeting on Oct. 15. Youths must be registered as 4-H members to attend....
BHV Caregiver Support Offered
Brave Heart Volunteers is inviting caregivers to its monthly caregiver support dinner 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the BHV office, 120 Katlian Street. The event is a space for caregivers to have a meal and build community. Call 907 747-4600 or...
Tribal Election Slated for STA
Sitka Tribe of Alaska will hold its tribal election 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, at Sheet ká Kwáan Naa Kahídi, 200 Katlian Street. Eligible voters will elect a chairperson and four general council members. Early voting is Oct. 2-Nov. 9. New...
Octobear Fest at Fortress of Bear
Fortress of the Bear is planning its annual OctoBEAR Fest event 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 24-25 on the  organization’s last open weekend of the season. Last admission will be at 1:30 p.m. Events will include games, crafts, activities, a photo...
Literary Pumpkin Pageant at Library
Sitka Public Library invites the public to participate in a Literary Pumpkin Pageant. Decorated pumpkins with a bookish theme can be dropped off at the library on Oct. 24. The public will vote on their favorites from Oct. 26 to 31. The winning...
BMS Triathlon Slated Saturday
Blatchley Middle School will host its triathlon 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. Motorists should be aware bike riders and runners will be along Halibut Point Road during that time.
School Policy Panel to Meet
Sitka School District Policy Committee will meet 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, in the Sitka School District office board room. A link to a full list of policies to be reviewed may be found on the district website. No action will be taken at the...

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Police blotter

Police Blotter
October 9, 2026

Sitka Police Department logged the following calls Thursday. Thursday, October 9 Police checked out a caller's concern over what an ailing woman had said, and found she was not suicidal. A man and woman were reported fighting in the 400 block...

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Obituaries
 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...
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...
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,...
Max Edmund Williams Dies; Life-long Alaskan Was 81
Max Edmund Williams, whose Tlingit name was K’wanee, was born in Yakutat, Alaska, on September 9, 1944, to Ned and Emma Williams. He passed away peacefully at home in Sitka on August 11, 2026, leaving behind a life filled with adventure, family,...

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Sports

Flipside: Main Venue For AK Pinball Champs

Derek Bowen plays pinball as Luke Johnson gets ready to play at the Flipside Arcade on Lincoln Street during a tournament in 2025.
State pinball officials this week announced that Flipside Arcade will be the permanent home of the Alaska State Pinball Championships, including for the upcoming state tournament January 15-17. “Establishing Flipside Arcade as the permanent home...

Wolves Post High Scores at Tri-meet

Sitka High School's Taryn Fleming swims the girls 100 yard butterfly during the Juneau Invitational at the Dimond Park Aquatic Center on Friday, September 4. Fleming placed first in both the 200IM and 100 back at the tri-meet in Anchorage, Friday October 2.
Sitka High swimmers posted competitive times and results in Friday’s tri-meet with Dimond and East High School in Anchorage. Sitka boys scored the most points in the meet with 105 followed by Dimond with 76 and East High School with 36. On the...

City League Basketball Update

The 2026 City League basketball season continued Wednesday night at the Blatchley Middle School gymnasium, with The Real Allen Marine defeating Harry Race 81-45 in a matchup between two masters teams. Jeremy Plank led all scorers with 16...

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Sitka Yesterday
October 9, 2026

20 YEARS AGO

September 2006

The Sitka Mountain Rescue Team has become the first search and rescue squad in the state to receive state certification as a certified ambulance service. “By doing this we’re setting a precedent to standardizing wilderness care around the state, said SMR Director Don Kluting.

50 YEARS AGO

September 1976

Don and Jan Craddick bring us good news from their friend Capt. H. F. Olson, skipper of the Coast Guard Cutter Mellon, now stationed in Honolulu. The 375-foot ship with 19 officers and 160 enlisted men aboard will be here for Alaska Day and have an open house.

Read previous Sitka Yesterdays

Around Alaska
This photo made with a smartphone shows Independent Alaska U.S. House candidate Bill Hill, who is challenging Rep. Nick Begich, R-Alaska, speaking with supporters at a campaign event in Juneau, Alaska, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

A small-town Alaska fisherman has Republicans on the defensive as they try to keep US House majority

Bill Hill is running for Congress as an independent in Alaska and he's positioning himself as a working-class candidate who can relate to people's frustrations with high fuel and other costs. Hill is …

State report shows heating fuel prices are at a record high in rural Alaska

The average price of a gallon of heating fuel — No. 1 diesel — in rural Alaska reached a record $7.97 per gallon in August, according to the latest biannual survey conducted by the Alaska Division of Community and Regional Affairs. The rural average, based on a survey of 100 communities taken between July 15 […]

Two Alaska governor candidates advocate lower minimum wage, rollback of sick leave law

If elected, Republican governor candidates Dave Bronson and Bernadette Wilson said they would seek to roll back Alaska’s mandatory sick leave law and eliminate a minimum wage increase approved by voters in 2024.  The two spoke at a forum hosted Wednesday in Juneau by the Juneau Chamber of Commerce, which is in favor of rolling […]
Deckhand Justin Schramm lifts trawl doors, which help spread the mouth of the net open, from the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Trawl fishing catches huge amounts of seafood. It also devastates the seafloor

Trawling is a fishing method using large nets to catch fish and shellfish in bulk. Bottom trawls scrape the seafloor for species such as cod and shrimp, while pelagic trawls target fish higher in the …

Crew members haul in a catch aboard the F/V Progress in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska, Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

The fish behind America’s fish sticks is fueling a fight over trawling in Alaska

The nets for Alaska’s massive pollock fishery also catch salmon and other marine life. As salmon runs collapse across western Alaska, Indigenous communities and smaller commercial fishers say …

Book banning is a spooky practice

October is a time of witches, goblins, ghosts, and ghouls — and also a time for us to contemplate the ramifications of book banning as we recognize Banned Books Week this week.  Book banning — and burning — is nothing new to the human species. According to a historical timeline on thisbookisbanned.com, early historical actions […]

Trump administration cuts environmental reviews to fast-track Alaska oil exploration

Seismic surveys, well drilling, ice road construction and other wintertime oil exploration activities on federal lands on the western North Slope will no longer be subject to case-by-case environmental evaluation, under a new rule the Trump administration announced on Thursday. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management issued the rule for exploration activities in the National […]

New Alaska sea sponge species fuel debate over fishery practices

The vast and largely unexplored seafloor off Alaska’s coastline produces occasional startling discoveries. The latest concerns the sponges that line the bottom of the ocean and contribute to an ecosystem that supports some of the nation’s biggest seafood harvests. Scientists have now identified nine previously unknown species of sea sponges that dwell there, including one […]

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From the Associated Press
National news

9 dead after shooting in Erie, Pennsylvania, governor says; suspected shooter also dead

A shooting in Erie, Pennsylvania, has left nine people dead along with the suspected shooter, according to local police and the governor. Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said the city may never have …
An American flag flaps in the wind generated by the effects of Isaias on an empty beach on Friday, Oct. 9, loom overhead on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, in Mon Louis Island, Ala. (AP Photo/Octavio Jones)

Hundreds of thousands without power after Isaias slams the Florida Panhandle and Alabama

Hurricane Isaias has hit the U.S. Gulf Coast, leaving hundreds of thousands without power in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. The storm made landfall Friday as a Category 2 hurricane near Destin, …

Philadelphia police officer killed, another injured after responding to reports of man with a gun

A Philadelphia police officer was shot and killed and another officer was injured Saturday after responding to a report of a man with a gun, police said. Shane Seiber, 40, was killed early Saturday …

The Latest: Isaias weakens after making landfall as Category 2 hurricane

Isaias weakened quickly after making landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast near Destin, Florida, as a Category 2 hurricane Friday evening. Its powerful winds left hundreds of thousands of people in Alabama …
International
The bell tower of St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Penonomé, in Panama’s central province of Coclé, collapsed after a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the country Friday morning, video showed. The quake shook buildings in the capital Panama City, prompted evacuations and was felt as far away as neighboring Colombia.

Unnerved Panamanians sleep in streets as aftershocks rattle quake-hit towns

Residents in rural Panama are dealing with aftershocks following two powerful earthquakes that hit the country on Friday. The quakes, measuring 7.7 and 6.6 in magnitude, caused buildings to collapse …

Mahmoud Abbas postpones Palestinian legislative elections another year

Palestinians won't head to the polls next month to vote on reviving a dissolved parliament. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas postponed what would have been the first legislative …
This image from video obtained and verified by AP shows thick black smoke and flames rising from a fire at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

Missile strikes passenger terminal at Riyadh airport and many are wounded, official says

The airport in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, has been attacked again, according to two regional officials. A missile struck a passenger terminal and many people were wounded, one of the officials …
Pope Leo XIV arrives to celebrate a mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, Oct.8, 2026, for the annual opening of the academic year at pontifical universities, joining Rome's 22 pontifical institutions and numerous others worldwide. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Leo declares death penalty 'inadmissible' as his native US plans to livestream execution

Pope Leo XIV has declared capital punishment "inadmissible.” He has penned a social media post for the World Day Against the Death Penalty, as his native United States announced plans to livestream …
National Sports
France's Paul Seixas bites thew trophy after winning Il Lombardia, Tour of Lombardy cycling race, in Como, Italy, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP)

Seixas becomes youngest winner of Tour of Lombardy at 20 and cyclists protest over safety concerns

France’s rising cycling talent Paul Seixas has made history at the Tour de Lombardy after becoming its youngest winner ever at 20. Seixas broke away with around 20 kilometers left to win the …

Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell (12) talks with ESPN's Taylor McGregor, right, after an NCAA college football game against South Carolina, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)

CFP and ESPN extend discussion of media rights for possible expansion from 12 to 24 playoff teams

The College Football Playoff says discussions continue with broadcast partner ESPN beyond an exclusive negotiating window over media rights for a potential doubling in size of the playoff field from …

Dendy leads Bowling Green to first 2-0 MAC start since 2015 with 38-10 win over Sacramento State

Austyn Dendy rushed for 86 yards and two touchdowns as Bowling Green scored 38 straight points to beat Sacramento State 38-10 on Saturday. The Falcons (2-4, 2-0 Mid-American Conference) are off to …
Entertainment
FILE - White House staff members remove monitors in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, July 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

Trump names commentator Katie Zacharia of his media company as next White House press secretary

President Donald Trump has announced that Katie Zacharia, a communications adviser for his media company, will succeed Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary. Trump revealed his selection of …

FILE - Pitbull performs in concert in London on June 9, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP, File)

Music Review: Pitbull's 'Pitcoin' keeps the party going but is short on standouts

Pitbull's latest album, “Pitcoin,” is full of his infectious, motivational enthusiasm. Known as Mr. 305 and Mr. Worldwide, Pitbull fills the album with joy and energy across 24 tracks. The recent …
Valeria Ratnikova appears in a scene from "My Undesirable Friends: Part II - Exile." (Julia Loktev via AP)

Who’s afraid of a 6-hour documentary about exiled Russian journalists?

Julia Loktev has released a new documentary, “My Undesirable Friends: Part II — Exile,” capturing the lives of Russian journalists who fled the country after Russia invaded Ukraine. Loktev …
Health
Maddie Cornwell, a senior at Evergreen High School, visits with a pair of support dogs named Polenta, left, and Noreen at the school Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, in Evergreen, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Therapy dogs bring calm and joy to students following shooting at Colorado high school

Evergreen High School has introduced two Labradors, Norene and Polenta, to help students cope with stress after a school shooting. The dogs, part of a program by Canine Companions, provide a calming …

AP News Digest 12 p.m.

Here are the AP’s top stories and promotable content. All times U.S. Eastern. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit AP Newsroom’s Coverage Plan. …
FILE - Pediatrician Irving Phillips examines a 16-month-old boy at a CommuniCARE+OLE clinic, June 26, 2025, in Davis, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)

Trump's Medicaid cuts strip refugees and other legal immigrants of their health coverage

The Trump administration has cut Medicaid coverage for hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants, including refugees and trafficking victims. The new restrictions took effect at the start of October …
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