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Today's top stories

Welcome Mat

WELCOME MAT – Avari Frank, 8, right, and Aurora Armer, 7, cut a ribbon with the help of Sitka Parks and Rec Coordinator Kevin Knox Friday evening at the Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary School gym during a free open gym event to celebrate the new Gymnastics Airfloor. Parents and children were able to try out the $18,000 25- by 40-foot, 4-inch-thick 600-pound air mat made for use in gymnastics and tumbling exercises. The Airfloor was donated by the Sitka Recreation Foundation with contributions from the Sitka Sound Slayers, the Sitka White Elephant Shop and individual donors. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

F&G Agent Kills Bear

Fish and Game Wildlife Biologist Steve Bethune shot a bear on Andrew Hope Street early this morning, following reports of a destructive bear in the Indian River Subdivision. Police reported Saturday that a bear tore the door off a shed to get to...
Mt. Edgecumbe HS Superintendent Mary “Suzzuk” Huntington pictured in front of St. Michael’s Cathedral in 2022.

Superintendent Resigns At Mt. Edgecumbe HS

Mt. Edgecumbe High School superintendent Suzzuk Huntington will resign from her post at the close of the school year, she announced in an email to staff last week, as the school continues to face financial difficulties and may have to cut large...

May 28 Special Election Absentee Voting Starts

Ballots are available, and voter registration is due by the end of the day Monday for Sitkans participating in the special municipal election scheduled for May 28. The city clerk’s office is now offering absentee in-person voting at City Hall,...
A survey marker near the end of Jarvis Street, pictured today, shows the corner of a half-acre lot where the Sitka Local Foods Network plans to create a community garden.

Assembly Approves Budgets, Land Lease

Sitka Assembly members ratified the city’s general fund and enterprise fund budgets for fiscal year 2026, passed an amendment to city code governing parks and recreation facilities, and approved the first reading of a lease for the budding Sitka...

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Community news
BIG RIG FUN – Students from 3 to 5 Preschool stand in front of the fire truck that will be at the Big Rig fundraising event 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at Mt. Edgecumbe High School parking lot. Attendees may place their name into a fire truck piñata for a raffle. The winner (and four others) will get to ride on the fire truck at a later time. A wide variety of vehicles will be available to view, and to climb on with support of the many businesses and individuals. Admission is $5 per person or $20 for a family of four or more. The T-shirts the preschoolers are wearing will be for sale at the event. Food will be available. (Photo provided to the Sentinel)
Big Rig Fun
Community Calendar, April 23-25
WEDNESDAY 10 a.m. Tongass Tots Playgroup, ages 0-3, St. Peter’s See House 11-2 Salvation Army Little Store open Noon MEHS Aquatic Center Pool Open  Noon White Elephant Shop open Noon AA, St. Peter’s basement, call AA hotline 747-8866 for...
Quakers Offer Silent Worship
The public is invited for silent worship in the style of Quakers (Society of Friends) 3:15 p.m. Saturday, April 26,  at Yaw Chapel on the SJ Campus. Quakers is an LGBTQ+ affirming faith space. Call or text Maggie with questions, 907...
PROM NIGHT –– Mt. Edgecumbe High School students pose for photographs at the Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal Saturday night during the school prom. Students from all grade levels attend the prom. Alaska Airlines employees again this year helped students with makeup and formal wear. Pictured are, from left, Juliana Griggs (9 Anchorage); Georgiana Fischer (10 Barrow); Taylor Dewey (11 Koyuk); Angela Ayuluk (11 Chevak); Karen Christopher (11 New Stuyahok); Tatiana Otton (11 Koyuk); Marlee Chris (10 Anchorage); Charity Mila (10 Barrow); Denalley Wassillie (9 Anchorage); Zereah Henry (10 Point Lay); and Harmony Wassillie (11 Anchorage). (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
Prom Night
Community Calendar, April 22-24
TUESDAY All Day, Earth Day cleanup, Sitka Tribe of Alaska, along Indian River Road 3:30 p.m. Stay and Play, Sitka Public Library 6 p.m. Assembly, Centennial Hall 7-8 p.m. Sitka Tells Tales storytelling event, Harbor Mountain Brewery...
This Week in Boys on the Run
This week, Boys Run participants learned about collaboration and communication. In addition, they learned about varying communication styles. For example, in traditional Tlingit culture, it is often considered disrespectful to make direct eye...
Family Connect Offers Resources
Parents and caregivers who are raising children and young adults who are neurodivergent are invited to share resources, celebrate uniqueness, discuss challenges and triumphs at a monthly group meeting. Family Connect meets on the last Thursday of...
‘Reluctant Dragon’ To Be Presented
‘‘The Reluctant Dragon,’’ a play to be presented by the Young Performers Theater, will be staged 7 p.m. May 2 and 3 and 2 p.m. May 4 at the Odess Theater on the SJ Campus. It is the story of two friends who discover a friendly dragon and join...
Lunch and Learn With Sitka Tribe
Sitka Tribe of Alaska and the State of Alaska Office of Children’s Services will host an educational ‘‘mandatory reporting’’ training for adults who are connected/working with youths. The workshop is slated 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. April 24 at Sheet’ká...
Respite Care Presentation Set
Occupational therapist Jamilee Seavey will give a presentation on the importance of respite care for caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder and other disabilities 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 24, at Sitka Public Library. The event is...

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Police blotter

April 23, 2025, Police Blotter

Sitka Police Department received the following calls as of 8 a.m. today. April 22 At 8:25 a.m. a caller said a cat was stuck in a boat hangar on Granite Creek Road. The animal control officer was notified. Police were asked to check on the...

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Obituaries
Donald R. Soukup
Donald R. Soukup Services April 26
The family of Donald R. Soukup invites friends and community members to join them 1 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at St. Peter’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church for memorial services. Following the service, a celebration of life will take place in the See...
Victor D. Jones Sr. Dies; Celebration of Life April 19
A celebration of the life of Victor D. Jones Sr. will be held 2 p.m. Saturday, April 19, at the Sheet'ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi community house, 200 Katlian Street. Following the service and refreshments, a potluck barbeque will be held at Pioneer...
Longtime Sitka Teacher Susan Kesler Dies at 78
Susan Kesler, 78, passed away peacefully on March 20, the first day of Spring, surrounded by her family. Susan was born to Norman and Laura May Lundberg on March 1, 1947, in Poplar, Wisconsin. The baby of the family with two older siblings, she...
Rance Joseph Dailey Dies; Longtime Sitkan Was 71
Rance Joseph Dailey With sadness, the family announces the passing of Rance Joseph Dailey, who died on March 8, 2025, in Hermosillo, Mexico, with his wife by his side. He was 71 years old. Rance was …

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Sports

Volleyball Tourney Ongoing

Deez Netz continued for another round in the City League competitive division volleyball championship consolation bracket with a 2-0 win over the Diggity Dogs, Tuesday evening at the Blatchley gym. The Netz face the SEARHC Slammers Thursday at...

Mullin Competes With Top Runners in LA

Clare Mullin, one of the top runners at Sitka High, set new personal records and demonstrated again that she can compete with the best athletes around the country at an invitational meet at Mt. San Antonio College, just east of Los Angeles, last...

Wolves Take Down Kayhi in Baseball Series

Leading off the regular baseball season at home on the turf at Moller Field, Sitka Wolves swept to victory in a three-game series against the Ketchikan Kings, Thursday and Friday. Sitka blanked Kayhi 10-0 in the first matchup, but struggled in the...

City League Bracket Progresses

Playing in the consolation bracket of the City League’s competitive division championship bracket, Deez Netz defeated Sitka Dental 2-0, ending Dental’s season. The Netz play the Diggity Dogs today at the Blatchley gym; the winner of that match...

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Sitka Yesterday, April 23, 2025

20 YEARS AGO

April 2005

A local ordinance requiring bike and skateboard riders under age 18 to wear helmets was passed by the Assembly Tuesday on a 6-1 vote. Valorie Nelson voted against, saying she believed the new law might place a financial burden on some families.

50 YEARS AGO

April 1975

Photo caption: Susan Carlson and Christopher, age 41/2 months, and Cathy Scott and Kelly, age 10 months, take part in an infant swimming class at Blatchley Junior High swimming pool. Ann Aitken is  instructor and Gloria Olson is assistant.

Read previous Sitka Yesterdays

Around Alaska
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin leaves Manhattan federal court, after testifying in her defamation trial against the New York Times, Monday, April 21, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Jury deliberates whether The New York Times libeled former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin

A jury has begun deliberating whether to hold The New York Times liable for an error in a 2017 editorial that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says damaged her reputation. The jury started …

Jury finds that The New York Times did not libel former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in a 2017 editorial

Jury finds that The New York Times did not libel former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in a 2017 editorial.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin arrives to a Manhattan federal court in New York, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Sarah Palin tells defamation trial jury that Times editorial 'kicked the oomph' out of her

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has testified at a defamation trial that an editorial in The New York Times in 2017 was a game changer in her life that “kicked the oomph” out of her. The former …
FILE - Omaha Tribe member Mark Parker, of Macy, Neb., takes a photo as workers dig for the suspected remains of children who once attended the Genoa Indian Industrial School, July 11, 2023, in Genoa, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

Trump administration makes major cuts to Native American boarding school research projects

At least $1.6 million in federal funds for projects meant to capture and digitize stories of the systemic abuse of generations of Indigenous children in boarding schools at the hands of the U.S. …

FILE - Marvin Roberts flashes four fingers in a sign of solidarity for the so-called Fairbanks Four at the Alaska Federation of Natives conference in Anchorage, Alaska, on Oct. 17, 2015. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, file)

Alaska Native man who alleged wrongful conviction in murder case reaches $11.5M settlement

An Alaska Native man who maintained his innocence in the 1997 killing of a white teenager has agreed to an $11.5 million settlement with the city of Fairbanks. The settlement resolves Marvin Roberts' …
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin leaves Manhattan federal court, Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Ex-New York Times editorial page editor apologizes to Sarah Palin at defamation trial

An emotional former opinion page editor for The New York Times has apologized to Sarah Palin for a 2017 editorial that she says damaged her career. James Bennet testified Thursday that he “blew …

Sarah Palin makes libel claims against The New York Times to a new jury

Sarah Palin's defamation claims against The New York Times are being heard by a Manhattan jury after they were revived by an appeals court. Lawyers for Palin and the newspaper told the civil jury in …
FILE - Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy gestures during a news conference, Dec. 12, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska, in which he outlined his budget proposal for the coming year. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)

Market volatility complicates work for lawmakers in Alaska, a state whose fortunes are tied to oil

President Donald Trump's on-again, off-again tariffs and a related drop in oil prices have contributed to the uncertainty for Alaska lawmakers tasked each year with crafting a state budget based on …

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From the Associated Press
National news
FILE - This July 9, 2015, file photo, shows signage outside Procter & Gamble corporate headquarters in downtown Cincinnati. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

Tariff turmoil: What P&G, Pepsi and other companies are saying about tariffs

Tariff worries continue hanging over companies as they report their latest financial results and try to provide guidance on their path ahead. Some tariffs remain in place against key U.S. trading …
President Donald Trump holds a signed an executive order relating to school discipline policies as Education Secretary Linda McMahon listens in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump’s push to end DEI in K-12 public schools

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s guidance forbidding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in K-12 public schools. The ruling Thursday came in a lawsuit brought …
FILE - Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign town hall, Oct. 14, 2024, in Oaks, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Green energy supporters pushed for faster permitting. Trump is doing it, but not for solar or wind

For years proponents of green energy have argued that the slow, inefficient permitting process in the United States significantly hinders the transition to clean sources of electricity. The Trump …
Natalia Lafourcade poses for a portrait on Oct. 11, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Matt Licari/Invision/AP)

Natalia Lafourcade’s alter ego takes center stage in ‘Cancionera’

When Natalia Lafourcade sat down to craft “Cancionera” she never expected to discover an alter ego that would lead her down a pathway of artistic enlightenment. Set for release Thursday, the …
International
Supporters of the Pakistan Murkazi Muslim League party stand over the crossed posters of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian Minister of Home Affairs Amir Shah during a demonstration against the suspension of water-sharing treaty by India with Pakistan, in Karachi, Pakistan Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

India and Pakistan are again teetering on the brink of conflict over disputed Kashmir. Here's why

A deadly attack on tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir has again moved India and Pakistan closer to war. The two rivals have downgraded diplomatic and trade ties, closed the main border crossing …
Women's race competitors, including Jodie Ounsley, center, who plays Fury in the British TV show "Gladiators," run with a 20kg sack of coal over a 1.1km course during the World Coal Carrying Championships in Ossett, West Yorkshire, England, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

AP PHOTOS: Contestants haul heavy sacks of coal in unusual Yorkshire tradition

YORKSHIRE, England (AP) — Contestants in Yorkshire competed on Monday in the “World Coal Carrying Championships,” racing with heavy sacks of coal on their back. Women carried 20 kilograms (44 …
People line up as they enter St. Peter's Basilica to pay their respects to Pope Francis lying in state, at the Vatican, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

AP PHOTOS: Faithful join the line to pay their final respects to Pope Francis

VATICAN CITY (AP) — So many mourners lined up to see Pope Francis lying in state in a simple wooden coffin inside St. Peter’s Basilica that the Vatican kept the doors open all night to …
Chinese astronauts for the Shenzhou 20 mission, from right, Chen Zhongrui, Chen Dong and Wang Jie wave as they attend a send-off ceremony for their manned space mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

China launches 3 astronauts to replace crew on Chinese space station

China has launched three astronauts to replace the crew on the Chinese Tiangong space station. The Shenzhou 20 spaceship took off as planned atop China’s workhorse Long March 2F rocket at 5:17 p.m. …
National Sports
Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd yells to his players during the first half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Friday, April 18, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

NBA great Jason Kidd joins ownership group of Premier League soccer club Everton

NBA great Jason Kidd has entered the soccer world by joining the ownership group of English Premier League club Everton. The Hall of Fame point guard and current Dallas Mavericks coach says he is …

UConn's Paige Bueckers, right, poses for a photo with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected first overall by the Dallas Wings during the first round of the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

WNBA training camps opening. Here's why not every draft pick will make her team's roster

WNBA training camps are set to open this weekend and there’s no doubt that No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers is primed for a pro career in the league. Not all 38 selections from this year’s draft …
FILE - Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) skates during the second period of Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

Avs captain Gabe Landeskog strongly hints he's in for Game 3 after missing 3 years with knee injury

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog strongly hinted he will play his first NHL game in nearly three years on Wednesday night against the Dallas Stars. In a video posted by the team, …
Entertainment
This image released by Amazon MGM Studios shows Yanic Truesdale, left, and Charlotte Gainsbourg in a scene from "Etoile." (Philippe Antonello/Amazon MGM Studios via AP)

Can 'Étoile' make ballet cool? 'Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' creators pirouette to ballet-themed show

Jack runs a ballet company in New York. Geneviève runs a ballet company in Paris. They’re competitors, but audiences are fading. And so the two plan a swap of their top talent – a gimmick to …

The Rolling Stones in French, Lucinda Williams and more pay tribute to Zydeco legend Clifton Chenier

Zydeco pioneer Clifton Chenier would've turned 100 on June 25. Valcour Records founder Joel Savoy and Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin have teamed up to produce “A Tribute to the King" to celebrate his …
(AP Illustration / Peter Hamlin)

10 movies that defined the Vietnam War on the big screen

The Vietnam War cast a long shadow across not just one of the most fertile periods of American filmmaking, but has led filmmakers for the past half century to reckon with its complicated legacy. …
Health
Two women ride horses in a path full of bluebells, also known as wild hyacinth, in the Hallerbos forest, south of Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Bluebells and other spring flowers can be nature's antidote to stressful times

With the world awash in stress and anxiety, nature can be the perfect spring antidote. One good way to soothe the brain is taking time to head into nature and focus on what it has to offer. That …

Los Angeles Dodgers' Blake Snell throws against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

Dodgers LHP Blake Snell to stop throwing for a couple days after experiencing discomfort

Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell is going to stop throwing for a couple days after he felt some discomfort when he played catch. Snell is on the 15-day injured list because of shoulder inflammation. …
FILE - Carlos Santana performs Friday, June 30, 2023, at Ravinia in Highland Park, Ill. (Photo by Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP, File)

Carlos Santana postpones tour date after suffering from dehydration

Carlos Santana was forced to postpone a concert at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio on Tuesday night. He was suffering from dehydration, according to a statement Santana’s manager Michael …
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