TRUCK FIRE – Firefighters knock down a fire in a Ford Explorer truck in Arrowhead Trailer Park in the 1200 block of Sawmill Creek Road Saturday evening. One person received fire-related injuries and was taken to the hospital, Sitka Fire Department Chief Craig Warren said, and the truck was considered a total loss. The cause of the fire is under investigation, Warren said. The fire hall received the call about the fire at 5:33 p.m., and one fire engine with eight firefighters and an ambulance were dispatched, he said. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

State Sues EPA For Pebble Mine Decision
18 Mar 2024 14:29

By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
    The federal government owes Alaska more than $700 billion in comp [ ... ]

Bill Seeks Makeover In State Parole Board
18 Mar 2024 14:26

By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
    Sylvester Byrd Jr. served nearly three decades in prison for a [ ... ]

City League
18 Mar 2024 14:24

By Sentinel Staff
    Competing Sunday in a City League volleyball match, a short-handed Yellow Je [ ... ]

March 18, 2024, Community Happenings
18 Mar 2024 14:23

Heritage, Cultural
Tourism Event
Here this Week
The ninth annual Heritage and Cultural Tourism Conferen [ ... ]

March 18, 2024, Police Blotter
18 Mar 2024 14:19

Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 15
At 4:30 a.m. a fender bender invol [ ... ]

Sitka Officials Respond: Schools Facing Crisis
15 Mar 2024 14:47

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Rep. Rebecca Himschoot and School Board President Tri [ ... ]

Katlian Road Work Halted; $20M Needed
15 Mar 2024 14:46

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    With $20 million needed to complete the Katlian Bay r [ ... ]

Record Herring Run, Sac Roe GHL Forecast
15 Mar 2024 14:04

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    A historically high herring return is forecast for Sit [ ... ]

Dunleavy Names Judge For Sitka Superior Court
15 Mar 2024 14:03

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    After a year-long vacancy in the Sitka Superior Court  [ ... ]

Dunleavy Vetoes Hike In Education Funding
15 Mar 2024 14:00

By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
    Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, following through on an ultimatum, vet [ ... ]

Bill Seeks to Lower Cost Of Diagnostic Breast Scre...
15 Mar 2024 13:59

By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
    For many of the women considered to be at high risk for breast ca [ ... ]

March 15, 2024, Community Happenings
15 Mar 2024 13:52

Climate Connection -- Cruise Tourism Choices
Citizen groups in many port cities have mobilized to pre [ ... ]

March 15, 2024, Police Blotter
15 Mar 2024 13:24

Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 14
An Austin Street resident said a c [ ... ]

Friday Dinner to Aid Cathedral, Homeless
14 Mar 2024 15:09

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The Sitka Homeless Coalition and St. Michael’s Sist [ ... ]

Tourism Industry to Hold Conference Here
14 Mar 2024 15:08

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Sitka’s annual Heritage and Cultural Tourism Confere [ ... ]

House Bill: Child Porn Is Child Sexual Abuse
14 Mar 2024 13:26

By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
    Language matters, the House agreed on Wednesday, when it advan [ ... ]

Small Boost Forecast In State’s Oil Revenue
14 Mar 2024 13:25

By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
    A new state revenue forecast that includes modestly higher oil pr [ ... ]

March 14, 2024, Police Blotter
14 Mar 2024 12:15

Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 13
Vehicles left parked at Sealing Co [ ... ]

March 14, 2024, Community Happenings
14 Mar 2024 12:13

SFS, Coliseum
To Show 15 Shorts
The Sitka Film Society and Coliseum Theater will present the Oscar Sho [ ... ]

Sockeye Run Faces 50% Bag Limit Cut
13 Mar 2024 15:13

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Sitka Tribe of Alaska told the Assembly Tuesday that  [ ... ]

City May Take Over Blatchley Pool Operations
13 Mar 2024 14:45

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Among proposals presented to the Assembly Tuesday for [ ... ]

Sitkans to Share Tales of Wooden Boats
13 Mar 2024 14:18

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The public is invited to a discussion Thursday on the  [ ... ]

Commentary: Outer Coast College Has New Education ...
13 Mar 2024 14:16

By BRYDEN SWEENEY-TAYLOR
Outer Coast executive director
In 1986, two linguists, Ron and Suzie Scollon, [ ... ]

March 13, 2024, Community Happenings
13 Mar 2024 14:01

Vigil on Saturday
At Roundabout
Community members are invited to attend the weekly Voices for Peace vi [ ... ]

Other Articles

Daily Sitka Sentinel

ME Students Face Delays Returning

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

Canceled flights and positive COVID-19 tests are delaying the return to class for more than half of Mt. Edgecumbe High School’s 380-student enrollment.

Superintendent Janelle Vanasse said the 180 who have already returned after the mid-year break are generally happy to be back for the first school day of the year on Monday, January 10. (That number was up to 265 by press time today.)

“It’s been an interesting re-entry,” she said. “Weather across the state has been crazy – delayed flights, in addition to COVID.”

The bad weather up north caused flights to be canceled, delayed and rescheduled. Other cancellations have been caused by staffing shortages related to the surge in COVID cases.

A flight from Anchorage got stuck in Juneau on Sunday. Most of the Mt. Edgecumbe students aboard were rebooked and got to Sitka the same day, but eight had to overnight in Juneau. Another flight from Anchorage was also delayed, and arrived in Sitka at 3:30 a.m. Monday.

All students were tested for COVID on arrival at the airport, and seven were positive for the virus by Monday, Vanasse said. That figure for arriving students was updated to 19 positive cases today.

The school COVID mitigation plan calls for students to quarantine upon arrival until receiving test results. Those testing positive are isolating on and off campus, she said. A second negative result is needed for unvaccinated students.

The state boarding school is in its second full year of operating with COVID precautions, and teachers have adjusted to accommodate students not able to attend class in person due to quarantine and isolation.

Vanasse said the school staff had expected to see some students testing positive upon return to school.

“We expected that,” she said. “That’s the information we’ve been hearing with the Omicron variant: it’s quick to spread and many are asymptomatic or have light symptoms. The reality of this variant is that the kids who are asymptomatic – they don’t know they’re positive until they test.”

Vanasse said the school’s plan for limiting the spread of COVID has been working, but it does require flexibility on the part of students and staff when unexpected things like flight cancellations and delays occur due to weather.

“With the travel craziness we did a lot of juggling – the staff is getting darn good at it, even when they find themselves at the airport at 3 a.m. to pick kids up,” she said.

 

You have no rights to post comments

Login Form

 

20 YEARS AGO

March 2004

Businesses using the Centennial Hall parking lot testified Tuesday against a proposal to charge them rent in addition to the $200 annual permit fee. City Administrator Hugh Bevan made the proposal in response to the Assembly’s direction to Centennial Hall manager Don Kluting to try to close the $340,000 gap between building revenues and operational costs.


50 YEARS AGO

March 1974

Alaska Native Brotherhood Grand President William S. Paul Sr. will be special guest and speaker at the local ANB, Alaska Native Sisterhood Founders Day program Monday at the ANB Hall.

Calendar

Local Events

Instagram

Daily Sitka Sentinel on Instagram!

Facebook

Daily Sitka Sentinel on Facebook!