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Today's top stories

Police Chief Candidate Meets Sitka Public

Michael Hall, one of two applicants in the city’s search for a new police chief, at center meets with Sitkans Tuesday evening at Harrigan Centennial Hall during a public meet-and-greet. The city will host anotherr public reception event for the other candidate, Wade Lyons, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday.
Michael Hall, one of two finalists in the city’s search for a new police chief, gave a jovial speech before about 40 Sitkans during a public meet-and-greet event on Tuesday evening at Harrigan Centennial Hall. City leaders interviewed candidates...
Bob Sam stands behind an informational sign in the Russian Cemetery off Marine Street today. Sam, who has worked to restore Sitka graveyards since the 1980s, has been involved in a project to find the exact burial site of Saint Yakov, 1802-1864. Yakov was canonized by the Orthodox Church in 1994.

Search May Identify Historic Sitka Grave

On the salmonberry-covered hill of Marine Street, where the Holy Trinity Church used to be, Reverend Herman Belt of St. Michael’s Cathedral and Bob Sam, longtime cemetery caretaker, are hoping to have discovered the gravesite of Saint Yakov...
A map shows areas that could be "eligible for sale" to private interests if new language in a draft Senate reconciliation bill were to pass.

Trump Land Sale Plan Draws Protest in Sitka

Sitka residents are mounting a strong response to a draft provision of the U.S. Senate Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill that would mandate the sale of roughly 2 to 3 million acres of federal public lands in 11 western states, including...

KCAW Seeks Action Against Funding Cuts

Local and regional community radio advocates are asking for listenrs’ help in fighting President Trump’s proposed rescissions which KCAW-FM says is “the most serious threat” to federal funding the station has faced. “Our ask to the public is to...

2 Rescued From Small Boat

Two men, ages 61 and 31, were rescued early this morning from a small boat foundering off Eagle Beach, police and fire officials said. The two were treated for hypothermia. Police received calls around midnight that cries for help were being...

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Community news
Community Calendar June 20-23, 2025
FRIDAY Noon AA, St. Peter’s basement, call AA hotline 907-747-8866 for information  2 p.m. Sheldon Jackson Museum artist-in-residence Liz Morrow artist talk 3-6 p.m. Community Cleanup Day at the Swan Lake Senior Center 4:30-6:30 p.m. STA...
Sitka Rotarians were joined by two Ukrainian Rotarians for a photo following the regular luncheon meeting noon Tuesday at UAS-Sitka, where the two women, Dr. Olhar Paliychuk (front row, left) and Iryna Odyntsova (front row, second from left) from District 2232, were featured speakers. Along the way, the two are sharing the work of Ukraine Rotary clubs and volunteers during the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. Rotarians in Ukraine are providing resources, such as books, activities and counseling for children, services to improve sanitation, de-mining work, medical and social work services, and helping refugees. Paliychuk, a gynocologist-oncologist and professor, is the district governor-elect for District 2232; and Odyntsova, an attorney, is the chair of Rotary Fellowship of Educators and club president for RC “Dnipro Novyi” D2232. Top row, from left, are Dan Jones, Jay Stilwell, Shannon Haugland, Kari Lundgren (attending by Zoom), Keith Nyitray, Debbie Miller, John Stein, Dave Lamm and Rich McClear. Front row are Paliychuk and Odyntsova, Ed McFadden, Sharon Bergman and Janet Eddy. (Photo provided)
UKRAINIAN PEACEMAKERS
Police Chief Candidate at Meet-and-Greet
The City and Borough of Sitka invites the public to meet Sitka police chief candidate Wade Lyons at a meet-and-greet 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, June 23, at Harrigan Centennial Hall in meeting room 3. For information contact the Human Resources office...
Yard Sale Benefit At Pioneers Home
Sitka Pioneers Home will host a yard sale fundraiser 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday, June 21, at the upper front lawn. Proceeds benefit the residents through the Sitka Pioneers Home Auxiliary. If raining, the sale will be in the basement recreation...
Transition Sitka Sets Annual Meet
Transition Sitka will hold its annual meeting 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, June 25, at St. Peter’s See House. Those attending are asked to take a dish to share as well as their own place setting.  On the agenda is election of officers, reports from...
Free Dance Day Listed Saturday
Sitka Studio of Dance will offer a free day of dance Saturday, June 21, at 1310 Sawmill Creek Road. Classes in jazz, hip hop, tap (shoes provided), ballet, and modern will be offered to kids in Keet Gooshi Heen elementary school and Blatchley...
Blues & Dance at Community House
Community members are invited to an evening of free blues and dance 7-9 p.m. Friday, July 4, at the Sheet’ká Kwáan Naa Kahídi.  Sitka Tribe of Alaska will host Diné bluesman Levi Platero and his band for “Music Is Medicine.” Platero is a...
Calendar of Events June 18, 2025
WEDNESDAY 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Made in Sitka Market, Harrigan Centennial Hall 11-2 Salvation Army Little Store open Noon White Elephant Shop open Noon AA, St. Peter’s basement, call AA hotline 747-8866 for information  Noon STA Tribal Council,...
SHS Class of 1975 Set to Celebrate
The Sitka High School class of 1975 will celebrate its 50th class reunion over the 4th of July holiday. All are invited to join the parade. Gather at noon on by KIFW on Lake Street  for the 1 p.m. parade or simply join in from the sidewalk...
John Reiter. (Photo provided)
Moose Dignitary to Visit Sitka Lodge
John R. Reiter, Moose International Inc. board of directors chairman,  is visiting Sitka Moose Lodge 1350 this week. The lodge will host a free dinner of rockfish Olympian, rice, organic green beans, coleslaw and dessert 6 p.m. ...

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Police blotter

Police Blotter, June 17, 2025

Police Blotter Sitka Police Department received the following calls in the 24 hours ending at 8 a.m. today. June 16 At 9:25 a.m. a flag flying upside down on top of a tree near the Mt. Edgecumbe High swimming pool was taken down. A case was...

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Obituaries
 Joyce Marvel Martin Dies; Former Resident Was 94
Joyce Marvel Martin, a beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully on June 6 at the age of 94. Joyce got her name because, as her family put it, marvelous day!” “The day of her birth was a joyous and Born on...
Agnes J. Greimann Dies; Longtime Alaskan was 92
AGNES J. GREIMANN  Agnes Joyce Greimann passed away, peacefully, on March 29, 2025. Agnes was born on December 15, 1932, in Alberta, Canada. On February 19, 1949, Agnes met Paul, in Edmonton, Alberta. After a week of dating , Paul left for...
Longtime Sitka Resident Marian Blankenship Dies
Longtime Sitka resident, Marian Blankenship, passed on to her eternal home, in the early morning hours of May 28, 2025, at the age of 92. Marian was born Marian Jean Myers, to Clarence and Sadie Myers, on March 8,1933, in Ketchikan AK.  She...
Barbara Pamela (Craig) Chittenden
Memorial Service June 13 For Barbara Chittenden
Memorial Service June 13 For Barbara Chittenden Memorial services for Barbara Pamela (Craig) Chittenden, who had deep roots in Sitka, will be Friday, June 13, at Sitka National Cemetery. Her ashes, along with those of her husband Gene, will be...

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Sports

Sitka Women’s Softball Expands to Five Teams

Lauren Bell hits a grand slam homerun Tuesday night at Kimsham Field in city league action.
Tatiana Perkins is from a softball family, which means that her history with the sport can be counted in generations.  She grew up on the softball fields — a proud “field rat” —  playing with other kids when too young to participate in...
Sitka baseball sophomore infielder Jude Gluth, softball junior pitcher/2B/1B and senior outfielder/infielder/pitcher Josh Gluth hold the team's 2025 state championship trophies Saturday at Anchorage's Mulchay Stadium. (photo courtesy Heather Gluth)

Sitka Wolves Sweep State Championships in Baseball and Softball

Baseball By KLAS STOLPE For the Sentinel With just one out waiting to be closed on Saturday, Sitka senior Bryce Compagno-Calhoun looked down from the pitcher’s mound toward senior catcher Tanner Steinson.   “It was, I don’t know,...

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Sitka Yesterday June 18, 2025

20 YEARS AGO

June 2005

Photo caption: South Korea’s MBC Broadcast camerawoman Mi Young Lee films inside the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi. The Asian film crew is visiting tourist sites in Sitka for a travel feature to be aired by the TV and Web company. The crew also watched Sitka dance groups, visited the Dog Point Fish Camp and hiked local trails.

50 YEARS AGO

June 1975

The annual Sitka Summer Recreation Program begins Monday. Program Director Jon Tatum said activities include an archery program, races and other athletic competition, and a variety of arts and crafts.

Read previous Sitka Yesterdays

Around Alaska

How a raid in SC freeing 700 slaves became a Pulitzer Prize-winning book

Edda Fields-Black was working on a book about rice plantations when she came across the story of a raid in Beaufort that freed more than 700 slaves from Lowcountry plantations. The Carnegie Mellon University professor decided to pursue the story and, nearly a decade later, published “COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black […]

UAA’s College of Health empowers Alaska’s future, one nurse at a time

At the University of Alaska Anchorage, we understand the health of our communities depends on the strength of our workforce. As Alaska’s flagship institution for health education, UAA’s College of Health is not only preparing students for high-demand careers — it is transforming lives and strengthening communities across the state.  Nowhere is this impact more […]

Federal land sales, more logging and more oil revenue: What’s in the big federal bill for Alaska?

Members of the U.S. Senate last week proposed a major sale of federal land as part of the “Big, Beautiful Bill” proposed by Republicans to fund the U.S. government. If adopted, the proposed sale could be significant for Alaska, where the federal government owns and manages 61% of all land in the state. Under language […]

The big, the bad and the ugly, even for Alaskans

The Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill, or BBB, is a boon for America’s ultrarich at the expense of the poor and the working class. And with adding $3.4 trillion to the national deficit, this boon for the wealthy could also be at the expense of an economy rattled by Trump’s on-and-off again tariffs.   According to […]

Four new bills become law in Alaska, two with governor’s signature

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has signed a bill expanding the exemptions that allow some Alaskans who are absent from the state to receive Permanent Fund dividends. House Bill 75, from Rep. Jeremy Bynum, R-Ketchikan, was one of four bills that became law last week. “We were pleased to see that it was signed into law,” said […]
Workers install panels at a solar project Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Galena, Alaska. (AP Photo/John Locher)

In rural Alaska, a village turns to solar and biomass energies to cut diesel and save money

On a former military base in Galena, Alaska, a school that houses about 200 high school students teaches sustainability among many things. One of the recent graduates is helping to build the …

ACLU of Alaska launches online reporting tool for tracking immigration enforcement actions

The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska has launched an online reporting tool to gather information around local and federal law enforcement agencies increasing immigration enforcement actions around the state. The civil rights group is seeking to monitor Alaska immigration enforcement actions, as the Trump administration has ramped up arrest quotas for U.S. Immigration and […]

Coast Guard investigates storm-caused near-collision between two cruise ships in Juneau

The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating a near-collision between two cruise ships in the Port of Juneau that occurred Monday, when one of the two ships broke loose from its moorings and drifted toward the other. “Our investigations division, they’re running with a standard investigation, just like we would do with any similar such incident, […]

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From the Associated Press
National news
FILE - Pills spill in an arrangement photo of prescription Oxycodone in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

Purdue Pharma's $7B opioid settlement plan could get votes from victims and cities

A judge could decide Friday whether to advance OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma's $7 billion-plus plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids. State governments across the country have …
California National Guard stand guard along a street near protesters and Trump supporters in Santa Ana, Calif. on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo Jae C. Hong)

Judge asks if troops in Los Angeles are violating Posse Comitatus Act

A federal judge held a brief hearing over whether the Trump administration should continue its deployment of troops to Los Angeles. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer Breyer on Friday put off issuing …
FILE - The Voice of America building is pictured in Washington, May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Layoff notices delivered to hundreds of Voice of America employees

Layoff notices have been delivered to hundreds of employees at the Voice of America outlet, including the Persian-language service that was called off leave last week to beam news of the Middle East …
FILE - Rowers paddle down the Charles River near the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., March 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Federal judge blocks Trump effort to keep Harvard from hosting foreign students

A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration’s efforts to keep Harvard University from hosting international students. The order from U.S. District Judge …
International
A man walks in the damaged headquarters of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, Iranian state television, in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Europeans see a window for diplomacy as they meet Iran's foreign minister

Iran’s foreign minister plans to meet in Geneva with leading European counterparts who hope to open a window for a diplomatic solution to the weekold war between Iran and Israel. Iranian Foreign …
Participants watch a broadcast of Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech on a TV screen during a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Putin says Russia has shared peace proposals with Israel and Iran

President Vladimir Putin says he has secured Israel’s pledge to safeguard Russian personnel at Iran’s Russia-built nuclear power plant and that he has reached out to both sides to try to end the …
Anti-government protesters block a highway in the Indigenous Embera community of Arimae, Panama, Thursday, June 5, 2025, during a demonstration against a pension reform law and a security agreement with the United States involving the Panama Canal.(AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Panama suspends constitutional protections in the northwest after destructive protests

Panama has suspended constitutional protections for five days in its northwestern Bocas del Toro province after two months of protests and road blockades turned more destructive the previous night. …
FILE - Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan shake hands before a meeting at Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. (Turkish Presidency via AP, file)

Armenian prime minister discusses reconciliation with Erdogan in landmark Turkey visit

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have discussed possible steps to normalize ties. The talks in Istanbul on Friday during a landmark visit by the …
National Sports
New York Yankees pitcher Luke Weaver throws against Los Angeles Angels during the ninth inning Monday, May 26, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

Yankees activate Luke Weaver after the right-hander missed two weeks with a strained left hamstring

The New York Yankees activated right-handed reliever Luke Weaver from the injured list Friday after he missed two weeks with a strained left hamstring. Weaver was injured warming up before a June 1 …

FILE - Texas Rangers' Sammy Sosa sits on the bench against the Detroit Tigers in the ninth inning of the first game of a Major League Baseball doubleheader in Detroit, Sept. 11, 2007. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

Cubs legend Sammy Sosa returns to Wrigley Field after 20-plus-year hiatus

Legendary Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa returned to Wrigley Field for the first time in more than 20 years before Chicago’s game with the Seattle Mariners. Sosa is set to be inducted into the Cubs' team …

Friday's Transactions

BASEBALL Major League Baseball American League CHICAGO WHITE SOX — Optioned RHP Owen White to Charlotte (IL). Designated RHP Caleb Freeman for assignment. Placed LHP Cam Booser on the …
Entertainment
FILE - Actor Keke Palmer attends the Amazon MGM Studios Upfront on May 14, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File)

Keke Palmer's 'Just Keke' album channels public relationship drama into reclamation

Keke Palmer is giving her take on her 2023 public breakup with her ex Darius Jackson on her new album, ‘Just Keke.’ The 18-track visual project, out now, follows Palmer musically navigates …

Florida Panthers' Sam Reinhart (13) celebrates his goal against Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner (74) as Panthers' Carter Verhaeghe (23) reacts during the first period in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Stanley Cup Final averaged 2.5M US viewers, a drop from last year's Cup and the 4 Nations final

U.S. television ratings for the Stanley Cup Final rematch between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers declined from their first matchup a year ago. An average of 2.5 million viewers watched on …
Matera, in the south of Italy, is known as the “City of Stones” for its architecture. For the next season of “The Chosen,” it'll be known by another name: Jerusalem. This month the cast and crew traded their Texas studio for three weeks in Italy, during which The Associated Press visited the set. (JUNE 17)

‘The Chosen’ swaps Texas for Italy to film the crucifixion for the hit drama about Jesus Christ

In the south of Italy, Matera is known as the “City of Stones” for its architecture. For the next season of “The Chosen,” it will be known as ancient Jerusalem. The hit religious drama's …
Health

Register now: Localize It federal changes workshop series (next event is Monday, June 23, 2 p.m. ET)

EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS: With sweeping federal changes underway, AP has launched a new series to help you stay ahead. Localize It workshops offer practical support to AP customers covering the …

Register now: Localize It federal changes workshop series (next event is Monday, June 23, 2 p.m. ET)

EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS: With sweeping federal changes underway, AP has launched a new series to help you stay ahead. Localize It workshops offer practical support to AP customers covering the …
FILE -Banners are held by pro-assisted dying campaigners as they gather outside Parliament ahead of Fridays report stage in the Commons on The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill which is expected to see MPs vote on further amendments, in Westminster in London, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

UK lawmakers to vote on allowing terminally ill adults to end their lives

British lawmakers are set to vote on whether to back a bill to help terminally ill adults end their lives in England and Wales. The vote Friday could be one of the most consequential social …
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