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Today's top stories

Steve Lawrie Exhibit is Tribute to Fishermen

Sitka artist Steve Lawrie holds up a decades-old painting he did of fisherman Grant Miller, in front of more recent works. The paintings, part of Lawrie's exhibit
Inspired by Sitka's steadfast fishing community, artist Stephen Lawrie and curator Maite Lorente are preparing for a Saturday afternoon debut of their new exhibit in the Pioneer Bar, a nostalgic venue for a collection of Lawrie's large,...
Mark Sabbatini, editor of the Juneau Independent, takes photos at the Juneau Maritime Festival on May 3.

Juneau Editor Takes His News to The Web

Former Juneau Empire managing editor Mark Sabbatini launched the Juneau Independent news website this morning after ending his term with the Empire earlier this week. His new, nonprofit news venture is billed as “the true local newspaper of...
Henry Dehlinger will debut “To an Alaskan Glacier,” a composition inspired by a Charles Augustus Keeler poem of the same name.

Alaska Glacier, Poem Inspire Music Tonight

Henry Dehlinger’s “To an Alaskan Glacier,” a composition inspired by a Charles Augustus Keeler poem of the same name, will make its world premiere tonight at the sixth concert of the Sitka Music Festival.  The piece features soprano Danielle...

School Board Taps Reserve to Fill Gap

On a 4-1 vote Wednesday, the Sitka School Board decided to draw down reserves to close the funding gap caused by Gov. Dunleavy’s veto on per-student funding. The agenda item to consider budget revisions to the 2025-26 budget at the regular Board...
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...

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Community news
Birthday Party Set For Noel Johnson
A celebration for Noel Johnson, a longtime resident who will be in Sitka for his 80th birthday, will be held 4-8 p.m. June 28, at Halibut Point Recreation Area. Attendees are asked to take a dish to share. ‘‘Noel’s entire family will be with him...
Space Exploration Camp to Register
Alaska Public Media PBS Kids is partnering with Sitka Public Library to host a space exploration-themed summer camp for those 7 to 12 years old. Through games and activities, the kids will work their way up the ranks to receive space badges, from...
Old-Time Event Slated July 3-4
Sitka Historical Society and Museum will host its annual Old-Time 4th of July event Thursday, July 3, and Friday, July 4, at Totem Square and Katlian Street.   Games and food booths will be open from 10 a.m. through 6 p.m.  Old-Time...
Unitarians Gather For Talk, Music
The Sunday service at the Sitka Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship will feature singer/songwriter Jim Shepard an violinist Debby LeVeck of Summerfall/Sheltrdog, who will play all original music touching on topics of love, religion and the sacred,...
Pride Marches
Dear Editor: On June 28, many Sitka citizens will join in a march marking the 70th anniversary of the first annual Pride Marches. Let me explain why the Pride Parade and Pride Month are important celebrations of American Democracy. My friends and...
Climate Connection: AI and Climate
What might artificial intelligence’s (AI) impact be on our climate? One of the best tools for exploring this is Climate Interactive with a free webinar to integrate the effects of the many determinants of global temperature...
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...

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Police blotter

Police Blotter, June 20, 2025

Police Blotter Sitka Police Department logged the following calls Wednesday and Thursday. June 18 At 8:07 a.m. a caller said multiple individuals were entering a restricted building on Kaagwaantaan Street. Officers were advised. At 8:40 a.m. a...

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Obituaries
Angela Lee Haag. (Photo provided)
Angela Lee Haag Dies; Former Sitkan Was 45
Services for Angela Lee Haag, a former Sitka resident, will be held 4 to 6 p.m. July 5 at the Mid-Valley Independent Baptist Church in Houston, Alaska, Mile 57.7 on the Parks Highway. Angela died in Houston on her 45th birthday, Jan. 1,...
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...

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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 20, 2025

20 YEARS AGO

June 2005

Judge Larry Zervos has approved the settlement between the city and Baranof Warm Springs property owner Dale Young that guarantees the public’s right of access to the boardwalk that crosses Young’s property. Zervos said the creditors’ claim against Young would have to be filed in a separate suit.

50 YEARS AGO

June 1975

Incoming Arrowhead Lions Club officers are Roger Howard, Tom Itoh, Fred Hope, J. Paul Lunas, Syd Haagenson, Calvin Butler, Ed Flynn, Ed Stitz and Louis Howard. Along with installation of the officers, two  new members,  Jim Button and Dennis Garrity will be sworn in.

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Around Alaska

Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan offers full-fledged support for Trump-ordered bombing of Iran

Less than an hour after President Donald Trump announced that the United States had bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities, Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan said he supported the decision. In a written statement posted on the social media site X, Sullivan said he commends the president. “The terrorist leaders of Iran have, in essence, been […]

Alaska’s unique power sector can’t afford to be penalized in congressional process

For decades, federal support for renewable energy largely excluded Alaska while building new energy opportunities and capacity in the Lower 48. Nonprofit cooperatives, which generate nearly all of Alaska’s power, didn’t qualify. Hydropower, which is an important energy source in many communities, also didn’t qualify, or received a lesser credit.  Legislation passed in 2022 finally […]

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy signs emergency declaration for Dalton Highway flooding

Alaska’s governor has declared a state of emergency over flooding that washed out a section of the Dalton Highway, the sole overland link between Prudhoe Bay and the state’s largest cities. The highway reopened to traffic on Wednesday, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.  The declaration, signed June 17, allows the […]

Congress approves bills dealing with Native federal aid and land for Alaska Native villages

Two bills sponsored by Rep. Nick Begich III, R-Alaska, have passed the U.S. Senate and are on the way to the desk of President Donald Trump. The Senate passed House Resolution 42 and House Resolution 43 by voice vote on Wednesday. By phone Friday, Begich said he expects that Trump will sign both bills sometime […]

Alaska legislators probe state’s conduct with federal immigration detainees

Members of the House Judiciary Committee held an unusual summer hearing on Friday to investigate the conduct of the Alaska Department of Corrections and the state’s decision to take temporary custody of more than 40 immigrant detainees formerly housed in Washington state. Protests have taken place almost daily outside the Anchorage Correctional Center, which is […]

In rural Alaska, public media is part of our safety net

On Jan. 23, 2018, I woke to the biggest earthquake I had felt in my 30 years in Alaska. A few minutes later, my cellphone started buzzing. A tsunami alert had been issued. We immediately turned on KTOO, our local NPR station. We decided to drive to one of two recommended high points in our […]

Alaska appeals court affirms that ‘turtling’ during an arrest is legal

In an opinion published Friday, the Alaska Court of Appeals overturned an Anchorage man’s conviction for resisting arrest but upheld a conviction of failing to stop at the direction of a police officer. Tremayne Wilson was charged in 2021 and convicted by a jury after pulling out in front of an Anchorage Police Department vehicle […]

Clean energy tax credits help build a brighter, more affordable future for Alaska

Alaskans understand how much energy matters. It’s not just about turning on the lights or plugging in a phone, it’s about staying warm through the long, dark winters. It’s about making sure a remote community hundreds of miles from the road system has access to affordable, reliable power. And it’s about keeping the cost of […]

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From the Associated Press
National news
Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

The Latest: US joins Israeli air campaign and strikes 3 nuclear sites in Iran

President Donald Trump says the U.S. military struck three sites in Iran, inserting itself into Israel’s effort to decapitate the country’s nuclear program in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime …
FILE - FedEx CEO Fred Smith appears at a signing ceremony where President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order that establishes a National Council for the American Worker in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, July 19, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

FedEx founder Fred Smith, a Marine Corps veteran who revolutionized package delivery, dies at 80

Fred Smith, the FedEx Corp. founder who revolutionized the express delivery industry, has died, the company said. He was 80. FedEx started operating in 1973, delivering small parcels and documents …
FILE - Tesla and SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition in Washington, March 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Would you hail a 'robotaxi'? Musk bets cabs will give Tesla a lift after boycotts and sales plunge

Elon Musk has long promised to put a fleet of driverless Tesla “robotaxis" on the roads, but fans and shareholders have been kept waiting. Sunday, the billionaire may finally deliver. His Austin, …
Narissara Chantasang, fifth from left, wife of Nattapong Pinta, a Thai laborer who was taken hostage by Hamas attends a silent memorial service near a coffin containing his body at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Samut Prakarn province Thailand, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

How many hostages are left in Gaza?

Israel’s military said Thursday that Israel has recovered the bodies of two hostages held in the Gaza Strip. Israel identified them as Yair Yaakov, who was killed during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, …
International
President Donald Trump speaks from the East Room of the White House in Washington, Saturday, June 21, 2025, after the U.S. military struck three Iranian nuclear and military sites, directly joining Israel's effort to decapitate the country's nuclear program, as Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen. (Carlos Barria/Pool via AP)

US strikes 3 Iranian nuclear sites, inserting itself into Israel's war with Iran

The United States has attacked three sites in Iran, inserting itself into Israel’s war aimed at destroying the country’s nuclear program in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe that prompted …

Nigerian police arrest 22 suspects after deadly bus attack

Police arrested 22 suspects accused of a mob attack that left at least a dozen people killed two days ago in central Nigeria. A passenger bus was mobbed in the Mangu area of the state of Plateau, …
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Fordo enrichment facility in Iran on Jan. 24, 2025. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

What to know about bunker-buster bombs and Iran's Fordo nuclear facility

If the U.S. decides to support Israel more directly in its attack on Iran, one option for Washington would be to provide the “bunker-buster” bombs believed necessary to significantly damage the …

Iran's foreign minister says he will travel to Moscow on Sunday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin

Iran's foreign minister says he will travel to Moscow on Sunday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
National Sports
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis L. Ortiz throws to the Athletics during the second inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 21, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)

Ortiz pitches Guardians to 4-2 win over Athletics

Luis Ortiz struck out 10 in six shutout innings of two-hit ball and José Ramírez capped a four-run second with his 900th RBI as the Cleveland Guardians beat the Athletics 4-2. Bo Naylor and …

Washington Nationals' Jacob Young hits a double during the third inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Nationals tap into their power game to defeat Dodgers 7-3

Nathaniel Lowe hit two of Washington’s five home runs and the Nationals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-3. James Wood, CJ Abrams and Luis García Jr. also went deep for the Nationals, who won a road …

Adames scores twice in Reign’s 4-1 win over struggling Royals

Emeri Adames scored two goals in the second half and the Seattle Reign defeated the Utah Royals 4-1 in the National Women’s Soccer League. It was the first multi-goal game of Adames’ career, and …
Entertainment
Ushers prepare the Odeon of Herodes Atticus ahead of the dress rehearsal of Giacomo Puccini's "Turandot" by the Greek National Opera under the ancient Acropolis hill during the 70th Athens Epidaurus Festival in Athens, Greece, Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Photos of last season at Athens' Odeon of Herod Atticus theater before it closes for restoration

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The Greek National Opera opened this season’s festival with Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot as Athens’ ancient theater hosts its final festival season before it shuts …

To tourists, it’s the ancient theater at the foot of the Acropolis. Artists revere it for the majestic stage where legends have performed. And for locals, it’s the touchstone of their summer cultural calendar. The Odeon of Herod Atticus recently opened the 70th season of the Athens Epidaurus Festival, a cherished summer tradition for many Greeks. But this edition marks the last before the theater that’s more than 18 centuries old shuts down for maintenance and restoration work that is expected to last for at least three years. (AP Video by Srdjan Nedeljkovic. Production by Theodora Tongas)

Athens' ancient theater hosts final festival season before closing for three-year restoration

To tourists, it’s the ancient theater at the foot of the Acropolis. Artists revere it for the majestic stage where legends have performed. And for locals, it’s the touchstone of their summer …
Jack Black gets slimed while accepting the award for king of comedy during the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

AP PHOTOS: Kids Choice Awards 2025

The Kids Choice Awards ceremony was held in Los Angeles on Saturday. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Health
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Fordo enrichment facility in Iran on Jan. 24, 2025. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

Fact Focus: Israeli strikes on Iran nuclear sites pose limited radiation risks

Israel is intensifying its attacks on Iran’s nuclear program, and President Donald Trump has hinted the U.S. might join the effort. The U.N.'s atomic watchdog and other experts say radiological …

FILE - A Thai peanut, vegetable and tofu bowl is displayed for a photograph in Coronado, Calif., on April 29, 2017. (Melissa d'Arabian via AP, File)

You probably don't need foods with added protein, nutritionists say

Everyone needs protein — it's vital for the growth, repair and maintenance of your muscles, bones and skin. But how much you need depends on your age, weight and nutritional needs. Despite the …
Indians perform yoga as they mark International Day of Yoga at Ambedkar Park, Lucknow, India, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Indians stretch, breathe and balance to mark International Day of Yoga

Thousands of people across India stretched themselves in public parks and on sandy beaches to mark the 11th International Day of Yoga by practising the ancient physical, mental and spiritual …
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