BLUE RIBBON COOL – Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary School students wear blue sunglasses and bead necklaces given to them as part of the Blue Ribbon celebration at the school today. In September the school was named one of three schools in Alaska and 353 across the nation to win the U.S. Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon Schools. The recognition as Exemplary High-Performing Schools was based on their overall academic performance as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
At a sparsely attended meeting Thursday, the Assembly [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
Well over 100 Sitkans attended a town hall-style prese [ ... ]
By ARIADNE WILL
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Planning Commission passed two conditional use permit [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The single finalist in the Assembly’s search for a [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
A driver was medevacked early this morning following an accident in the 20 [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Competitors will line up Saturday for the 40th annual [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
More Alaskans will be able to access food stamps following law [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
In the last days of their two-year session, Alaska lawmakers pass [ ... ]
Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
May 16
At 12:41 a.m. a man wa [ ... ]
Climate Building Science
As we wean ourselves off of fossil fuels by electrifying our homes, we cons [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
A fire destroyed a small island house in Thimbleberry [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola has included $5.8 million for [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The city announced Wednesday that $62,795 was stolen [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
A day of street performances, art, food and music, cap [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS,
CLAIRE STREMPLE and
YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
The 33rd Alaska State Legislature [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
The Alaska Legislature has passed a bill that combines carbon sto [ ... ]
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
May 15
Shortly after noon, callers complain [ ... ]
U.S. Coast Guard
Sets Town Hall
On Boat Accident
The U.S. Coast Guard will hold a town hall 5-8 p.m. to [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
After four months of special meetings to review and d [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
Living amid craggy peaks and remnant glaciers, Southea [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
In the play opening Thursday at the Sitka Performing [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
A late-session attempt to salvage a proposal that would revive [ ... ]
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
May 14
At 7:46 a.m. a reckless driver was r [ ... ]
Life Celebration
For Carl Peterson
The family of Carl Peterson, 85, will have a celebration of his lif [ ... ]
Daily Sitka Sentinel
AN OPINION: Assembly Should Hold Off Action on Voters’ Rights
By Thad Poulson
Editor, Daily Sitka Sentinel
The members of the City and Borough Assembly have earned our thanks for the thoughtful and orderly way they have been dealing with the challenging fiscal issues that are affecting all Sitkans.
I believe it is not out of line to ask them to take the same kind of careful look at an ordinance on Tuesday night’s meeting agenda that might appear to be merely a housekeeping matter. It’s far more than that.
If approved, Ordinance 2018-18 would repeal seven existing sections of the city code requiring voter approval for the sale or lease of city land or tidelands over a certain value, and similar restrictions on the demolition of city buildings.
Passage of this ordinance, in our opinion, would be a mistake. In any event it deserves more detailed consideration by the Assembly than is possible when it is an item in the midst of a crowded meeting agenda.
Over the many decades that the special land sale and lease provisions have been in force, they have never caused any complication or delay in the routine process of selling or leasing tracts of city lands and tidelands. It is not true that passage of Ordinance 2018-18 will “free up” any more city property for sale than is now available.
It is also not true that the special provisions that are up for repeal are invalid under the state constitution. The city’s outside counsel claims they are unconstitutional, but he is hardly an impartial source, having battled the citizens group Sitkans for Responsible Government all the way to the Alaska Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court did not rule on the constitutionality of the Sitka law, but it did reject every other claim by the city in its attempt to defend its rejection of a Sitkans for Responsible Government initiative petition application.
If the Assembly wants to pursue its investigation of whether its land sale and leasing policies are constitutional, it needs to get the opinion of a knowledgeable, impartial outside authority.
One thing that the current controversy has brought to light is the desirability of updating the land sale valuations requiring a public vote: a 2018 dollar is worth quite a bit less than the dollar of 1992.
Login Form
20 YEARS AGO
May 2004
Photo caption: Sara Roa wipes a tear as retiring Sheldon Jackson College Professor Mel Seifert accepts a citation honoring his 29 years of teaching at the college, during graduation ceremonies this morning at the Hames P.E. Center.
50 YEARS AGO
May 1974
From On the Go: Vyola Belle and Kybor are leaving the Canoe Club, where they’ve been cooking for the past two years. Vyola Belle will devote her time to her Maksoutoff Caterers and Kyber will become a chef for the Marine Highway System aboard the Wickersham.