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Today's top stories

Student Convention Petitions for State Aid

High school junior Jubilee Lewis is all smiles as she and other Mt. Edgecumbe High School Yupik Dancers take the stage at the BJ McGillis Gym to teach a dance to members of high school student governments from across Alaska Thursday.
High schoolers from across Alaska reported to Sitka High School at 7:15 a.m. today to develop and deliberate on a number of Alaska Association of Student Government Executive Board resolutions, and to rally for public education funding. Today is...

Revised Budget Shows No Loss of Teachers

With the deadline for the Sitka School District to submit a balanced budget to the city only days away, the School Board on Wednesday discussed details of a proposed budget that no longer includes reductions in teaching staff and retains...
Katie Riley, deputy director of policy and programming at Sitka Conservation Society, writes on butcher paper this morning during the Sustainable Southeast Partnership Spring Retreat at Harrigan Centennial Hall. This was the final day of the three-day program organized by Juneau-based Spruce Root Community Development organization. Spruce Root offers business loans and business advisory services to Southeast businesses.

SE Communities Join for Spruce Root Retreat

One hundred and thirty eight like-minded professionals convened this week for three days of networking, field trips and group work on projects for the Sustainable Southeast Partnership spring “retreat” in Harrigan Centennial Hall. Sustainable...
A 74-pound cabbage grown by Keevan Dinkel of Wasilla is displayed on Sept. 2, 2018, at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Giant Cabbage Pushed As the State Vegetable

Thirteen years ago, Palmer farmer Scott Robb set a world record with a 138-pound cabbage he brought to the Alaska State Fair.  Not long afterward, Palmer’s local visitor center dedicated a statue to the cabbage and the other colossal...

Funding Freeze Hits Sitka 4-H Program

As the federal government continues to look for budget items to cut, Sitka’s 4-H program, which is operated by the nonprofit Sitka Conservation Society, received notice of the termination of a Department of Agriculture grant that supplies about...

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Community news
Climate Connection: Global Tourism Emissions
Tourism generates 8.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In the 10 years before the pandemic, tourism emissions grew at 3.5% per year, twice as fast as the emissions growth rate for the global economy. The United States was the country with the...
Zumba Sessions Offered by STA
Friday Zumba continues 5:30-6:15 p.m. Fridays with Harper and Anna at the Blatchley Middle School multipurpose room through May. For information, contact Harper Glazer at harper.glazer@sitka-tribe-nsn.gov.
Irene Shuler Dies at Age 85
Longtime Sitkan Irene Shuler, 85, passed away peacefully Thursday night at SEARHC Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center with family and friends by her side. An obituary will be published next week.
School Board Sets Budget Meet
The Sitka School Board will hold a special meeting to pass the 2025-2026 school budget 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, in the Sitka High School library.  The meeting is open to the public.
One-Lane Traffic On HPR for Paving
City and Borough of Sitka contractors are anticipating repaving a section of road at 913 Halibut Point Road, near the Peterson Street intersection beginning Monday, April 28.  To accommodate the work, a portion of Halibut Point Road will...
Fifth-Grade Band Concert May 5
The fifth-grade band “Hello Summer Concert” will be held 7 p.m. Monday, May 5, at the Sitka Performing Arts Center. The concert will include full band pieces as well as one piece featuring each section in the band. Admission is free. All are...
Native Plants, Insects Featured in Webinars
A series of webinars highlighting Alaska’s diverse native plants and their uses is scheduled for May, which is Alaska Native Plant Month. The series, available statewide, is a collaboration between the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative...
Summer Tot Music Registration Slated
Registration for City of Sitka Parks and Recreation ‘‘Summer Tot Music’’ opens noon Wednesday, May 7,  at http://recreation.cityofsitka.com. Classes are available for students ages 6 months to 5 years. The class, taught by Hannah Cummiskey,...
Intro to Aviation Camp to Register
Registration for City and Borough of Sitka Parks and Recreation’s ‘‘Sky’s the Limit – Intro to Aviation’’ summer camp will open noon Wednesday, May 7, at http://recreation.cityofsitka.com. Youths in seventh grade and up will learn about...
HVAC Upgrade Set at City Hall
The heating and ventilation system at City Hall, 100 Lincoln Street, is scheduled for an upgrade. Work is expected to begin in late spring and continue through the summer. While some construction activity will occur during regular business hours,...

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Police blotter

Police Blotter, April 25, 2025

Police Blotter Sitka Police Department received the following calls as of 8 a.m. today. April 24 Two teens who had been dating were reported having a domestic dispute. A protective order was issued for one of the teens. A man called police to...

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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 Concludes Sunday

The championship match of the recreational division City League volleyball tournament will be between Deez Netz and the Wildflour Cookie Monsters following the Netz’ victory Thursday in a semifinal matchup against the SEARHC Slammers. Deez Netz...

City League Finale Nears

The YAPPERS defeated Yellow Jersey 2-0 in the another round of the City League volleyball tournament’s competitive division bracket, Wednesday evening at the Blatchley gym. In the final game of the tourney, the YAPPERS will face Ludvig’s Lancers...

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...

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Sitka Yesterday, April 25, 2025

20 YEARS AGO

April 2005

Photo caption: Chuck Johnson, Tori Fleming and Henry Louie hold containers of food to be used to make care packages to send to Sitka Army  National Guard soldiers serving in Iraq. The food, donated by city workers, was gathered at  the city office building.

50 YEARS AGO

April 1975

The Mt. Edgecumbe-Sitka Lions Club met at Revard’s Wednesday and elected Frank O. Williams Jr. as president, Joseph Peterson first vice president, Joe Mennick second vice president, Alfred Apodruk secretary, Frank Brusatto treasurer, and Fred Geeslin and Peter J. Karras board directors.

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 - Tehran's nuclear research reactor is seen at the headquarters of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Sept. 1, 2014. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

Long, fraught timeline of tensions between Iran and the US as nuclear negotiations approach

Iran and the United States will hold talks in the sultanate of Oman on Saturday in an attempt to jump-start negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. President Donald Trump …
A marquee outside the Massapequa High School is backdropped by a "Chiefs" mascot mural, in Massapequa, N.Y., Friday, April 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Trump administration to investigate New York's funding threat over Long Island tribal school mascot

The U.S. Department of Education says it plans to investigate whether New York education officials are being discriminatory by threatening to withhold funding if a Long Island school district …
U.S. military members attend to patients as part of a program with Panama's Health Ministry, in Sardinilla, Panama, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

FACT FOCUS: Trump credited with rising military recruitment. Growth started before his reelection

Posts circulating on social media this week have praised President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for sending military recruitment skyrocketing. “Holy smokes. Military recruitment …
FILE - Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks during a news conference, March 11, 2025, at the Department of Transportation in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, file)

US to loosen rules on Tesla, other carmakers taking on China in race for self-driving cars

The Trump administration is loosening rules to help U.S. automakers like Elon Musk’s Tesla develop self-driving cars so they can take on Chinese rivals. That is according to a Transportation …
International
CORRECTS DATE TO APRIL 25 - President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive on Air Force One at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci International airport in Fiumicino, Friday, April 25, 2025, to attend the funeral for Pope Francis at the Vatican. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Trump will pay his respects to a pope who publicly and pointedly disagreed with him on some issues

President Donald Trump will be among more than 50 heads of state and other dignitaries attending the funeral for Pope Francis in Vatican City on Saturday. The late pontiff disagreed with Trump's …
This photo rendition made available by the Vatican Press Office on Thursday, April 24, 2025, shows the project of the burial place inside St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome where late Pope Francis will be interred after his solemn funeral at the Vatican on Saturday. (Vatican Media via AP)

Pope's burial place reflects his 'humble, simple, essential' life, basilica's archbishop says

The head of the basilica that is housing Pope Francis's tomb says it reflects his “humble, simple and essential" life. Francis will be buried at St. Mary Major Basilica on Saturday after his …
Kashmiri villager women walk past the blown-up family home of Asif Shiekh, a militant who officials all is involved in the deadly attack on tourists in Pahalgam, at Monghama village in Tral, south of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, April 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Here's why a flare-up between India and Pakistan over Kashmir matters

India and Pakistan have intensified their hostilities over the hotly contested Kashmir region following a massacre of 26 mostly Indian tourists, which New Delhi linked to Pakistan. Pakistan denies it …
In this photo provided by the Royal Thai Police, a small police plane is seen crashed into the sea, killing multiple people on board, in Prachuab Kiri Khan province, western of Thailand, Friday, April 25, 2025. (Royal Thai Police via AP)

A Thai police plane crashes in the sea, killing at least 5 on board

Thai officials say that a small police plane crashed into the sea near a popular beach town, killing at least five people on board and leaving one in critical condition. The plane was conducting a …
National Sports
Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) and New Jersey Devils center Paul Cotter (47) fight during the first period of Game 3 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Friday, April 25, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

Simon Nemec scores in 2nd OT to lift Devils past Hurricanes 3-2 in Game 3

Simon Nemec scored 2:36 into the second overtime and the New Jersey Devils beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 on Friday night in Game 3 of the first-round playoff series. Nico Hischier and Dawson …

Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr., second from left, celebrates with forward Bobby Portis after scoring a three-point basket during the second half in Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, Friday, April 25, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Trent ties Bucks playoff mark with 9 3s, he and Giannis score 37 in 117-101 Game 3 win over Pacers

Gary Trent Jr. tied a franchise playoff record with nine 3-pointers and scored 37 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo also had 37 and the Milwaukee Bucks used a big second half to beat Indiana 117-101 on …
Washington Capitals' Dylan Strome (17) collides with goaltender Logan Thompson, bottom, during the third period of Game 3 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal, Friday, April 25, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadiens beat the Capitals 6-3 to cut their series deficit to 2-1

Christian Dvorak broke a tie at 4:17 of the third period and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Washington Capitals 6-3 on Friday night to cut their deficit in the first-round series to 2-1. Dvorak …
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 …

This image released by Metrograph Pictures shows Ia Sukhitashvili in a scene from "April." (Arseni Khachaturan/Metrograph Pictures via AP)

Movie Review: 'April' is shattering and essential

Whatever cruelness you might assign to the month, Dea Kulumbegashvili’s “April” probably has it beat. Kulumbegashvili’s shattering, sensational film is set in a hardscrabble, provincial …
FILE - Harvey Fierstein attends the Broadway opening night of "Funny Girl" at the August Wilson Theatre on Sunday, April 24, 2022, in New York. (Photo by Greg Allen/Invision/AP, File)

Harvey Fierstein to be awarded special Tony Award for lifetime in the theater

Actor and playwright Harvey Fierstein needs to find room for another award. He’s going to be honored with a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. The four-time Tony-winner …
Health
Chatsworth High School basketball player Alijah Arenas practices, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Hans Gutknecht/The Orange County Register via AP)

USC basketball recruit Alijah Arenas is out of an induced coma after vehicle crash in Los Angeles

The family of Southern California basketball recruit Alijah Arenas says he is out of an induced coma after a vehicle crash in Los Angeles. The family says in a statement to ESPN that the 18-year-old …

FILE - Supervisor Matt Dorsey is shown during a San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting in San Francisco, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

San Francisco inches closer to adopting drug policy with abstinence as its primary goal

San Francisco has moved closer to adopting a “recovery first” drug policy that sets abstinence from illicit drugs as its primary goal. The supervisor who sponsored the proposal says it is not an …
Gianinna Maradona, center right, daughter of the late soccer star Diego Maradona, and her mother Claudia Villafane, wait to enter the courtroom in San Isidro, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, for a trial over allegations of homicide by negligence against the medical team that treated Diego Maradona. (AP Photo/Emmanuel Fernandez)

A cardiologist testifies that Maradona was a high-risk patient and should have recovered in a clinic

A cardiologist testified that Diego Maradona was considered a “high-risk patient” and said that the authorities at the clinic where he underwent surgery days before his death recommended that the …
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