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Today's top stories
The new haulout is pictured in November 2024..

Next Steps Planned for Boatyard at Haulout

Now that the Sitka Assembly has accepted a proposal from Highmark Marine LLC of Kodiak to operate the city’s new haulout at the Gary Paxton Industrial Park, locals are working with the GPIP board of directors to plan uses of adjacent lands and...
A concept plat shows the  layout of 53  lots near the end of Yaw Drive. (Image from PND Engineers)

53-Lot BIHA Subdivision Reviewed by Commission

A conceptual plat to result in 53 lots at 600 Yaw Drive, a minor subdivision at NHN Ring Island, and a zoning text amendment to allow for onsite marijuana consumption facilities were approved by the Planning Commission during its regular meeting...
Dancers from Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary School perform on stage at Harrigan Centennial Hall Saturday afternoon during a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Sitka Native Education Program. Hundreds turned out for the day-long event. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

Happy Event Recalls SNEP's Half Century

Hundreds gathered Saturday for the Sitka Native Education Program’s “50th Anniversary Celebration of Knowledge” that filled more than 12 hours with songs, speeches, gift distributions, meals, presentations and protocol in the form of a traditional...

Rumors About ICE Circulate in Sitka

Federal immigration officials were active in Sitka in early March and made one arrest here at that time, officials told the newspaper, but reports of increased law enforcement activity in town last week centered around a training event meant for...
Community news
Family Yoga Event At Public Library
Sitka Tribe of Alaska invites families and youths of all ages to free yoga classes led by certified yoga instructor Doug Osborne 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 26, at Sitka Public Library. Participants should arrive on time and wear comfortable...
‘Baby Raven Reads’ Story Time Thurs.
Picking Berries,’’ a Baby Raven Reads cultural story time, will be at Sitka Public Library 10:30 a.m. Thursday, April 24. The program will be led by culture bearer Gloria Wolfe, and includes a read aloud, followed by literacy activities related...
Prescription Drug ‘Take Back’ Listed
The 28th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, will be 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at the Sitka Public Library. Hosted by Sitka Counseling and the HOPE Coalition, the event offers ‘‘a...
Food Protection Manager Classes Offered Via Zoom
University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service will offer three certified food protection manager classes in May and June. The course will cover the material required to pass the National Restaurant Association’s ServSafe Manager...
Sitka High Principal Candidates at Today’s Meet and Greet
The Sitka School District is holding a meet and greet for Sitka High School principal finalist candidates 6 p.m. today at the SHS commons area.  Finalists are Wade Crissman, Laura Rogers and Charles TenBroeck. Students, staff and members of...
Blessing of Fleet Slated for May 4
The public is invited to the annual Blessing of the Fleet and Mariners Memorial 2 p.m. Sunday, May 4, at the Crescent Harbor Shelter.  The ceremony includes the U.S. Coast Guard Color Guard, local musicians, scripture readings and blessings...
New Advisories Listed for PST
Advisories have been issued for Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research sites that have been found to have paralytic shellfish with toxin levels above the FDA regulatory limit of 80 µg/100 g. The newest beach having tested above the limit is...
Community Calendar, April 21-23
MONDAY Noon-2 p.m. open swim, MEHS pool Noon AA, St. Peter’s basement, call AA hotline 747-8866 for information  4 p.m. Parade of the Species, line up at Totem Square, games follow at Crescent Harbor shelter, 907-623-2015 5:30-6:30 p.m....
Easter Egg Hunt Set for April 19
The annual community Easter egg hunt is planned noon April 19 at Keet Gooshi Heen elementary school playground. The free event includes 10,000 eggs, face painting, hot chocolate, hot dogs, and other activities. It is sponsored by Assembly of God...
SFAC Postpones Weekend Play
Sitka Fine Arts Camp’s Young Performers Theater has postponed its play presentation of ‘‘Failure: A Love Story.’’ It will now be staged 7 p.m. Saturday, April 26, and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 27 at the Odess Theater at Allen Hall on the SJ...
Police blotter

April 21, 2025, Police Blotter

Police BlotterSitka Police Department received the following calls as of 8 a.m. today. April 18 At 12:21 p.m. a man was reported to have fallen off a bike at Erler and DeArmond streets. He left his bike there and at 12:46 p.m. he was found at...

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 …

Correction: City League Results

In Friday’s story on City League volleyball gameplay, it was wrongly stated that the SEARHC Slammers beat the Wildflour Cookie Monsters 2-1 in the competitive division bracket. In truth, Wildflour beat the Slammers 2-1 to progress to the...

Sitka Sweeps Kayhi Series

In the first regular season baseball games of the season, Sitka High scored three victories over the Ketchikan Kings, Thursday and Friday on the turf at Moller Field. Sitka first won in a 10-0 blowout Thursday, but struggled in Friday's first...

Leading Off Little League

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Sitka Yesterday, April 21

20 YEARS AGO

April 2005

Photo caption: People talk about sexual assault and the impact of sexual violence during a Take Back the Night candlelight vigil at the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi. The event, sponsored by Sitkans Against Family Violence, included a march from SJC to the community house.

50 YEARS AGO

April 1975

“Chamber Music,” a one-act play, will be on stage tonight at the Centennial Building. It’s directed by Jan Craddick, and performers are Vicki Baggen,  Caroline Breiding, Marilyn Hays, De Ingwerson, Frances Mandel, Moya Melody, Margie Peterson and Margaret Robertson.

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 …

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 …

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' …

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 …

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 …

Angry protesters from New York to Alaska assail Trump and Musk in 'Hands Off!' rallies

Thousands of demonstrators from New York to Alaska protested against President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. Protesters criticized the administration’s actions on government downsizing, …
From the Associated Press
National news
FILE - This undated image provided by the Alabama Department of Corrections shows inmate James Osgood, who was sentenced to death for the 2010 rape and murder of Tracy Lynn Brown. (Alabama Department of Corrections via AP, File)

Alabama inmate seeks his execution, saying he believes in 'an eye for an eye'

A man on Alabama’s death row wants his execution to go forward this week. James Osgood told The Associated Press in an telephone interview from prison that he dropped his appeals because he’s …
Karen Read arrives for jury selection for her trial at Norfolk County Superior Court, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

US Supreme Court won't delay Karen Read's murder trial which should start next week

The U.S. Supreme Court will not delay Karen Read's second murder on claims of double jeopardy. Read's attorneys contend that trying her again on second degree murder and leaving the scene would be …
Shipping containers sit on the container ship Alexandra at the Port Newark Container Terminal, Friday, April 18, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Tackling tariffs: What some companies are saying, and doing, about tariffs

Tariffs have been forcing companies to give somewhat shaky financial forecasts during their latest round earnings updates. Companies from a wide range of industries are having trouble assessing the …
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on upon his arrival at the Quai d'Orsay, France's Minister of Foreign Affairs before a bilateral meeting with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Julien de Rosa, Pool via AP)

US State Department unveils massive overhaul of agency with reduction of staff and bureaus

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has unveiled a massive overhaul of the State Department. The plans revealed Tuesday would eventually reduce staff in the U.S. by 15% while closing and consolidating …
International
FILE - Georgian and Russian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli poses during the opening ceremony of the 41st Moscow International Film Festival in Moscow, Russia, on April 18, 2019. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)

Georgian-Russian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, known for his gigantic and controversial work, dies at 91

Zurab Tsereteli, a prominent Georgian and Russian sculptor known for colossal, often controversial, monuments, has died at 91. His assistant Sergei Shagulashvili told Russia’s state news agency …
Police officers calm an injured dog while a dead body lies near a multi-story building damaged by a Russian strike on a residential neighborhood in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)

Russia batters Ukraine's Odesa and Zaporizhzhia as Kremlin warns peace talks will take time

Authorities in Ukraine say Russian drones battered the port city of Odesa and glide bombs hit Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday. The Kremlin again is warning that negotiators are unlikely to obtain a swift …
Paramedic carries a wounded tourist on a stretcher at a hospital in Anantnag after assailants indiscriminately fired at tourists visiting Pahalgam, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, April 22, 2025.(AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Indian police say gunmen kill at least 20 tourists in Kashmir

Indian police say gunmen have killed at least 20 tourists at a resort in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Two senior police officers say at least four gunmen, whom they described as militants, fired at …
Members of the funeral home carry the body of one of those killed in the helicopter crash two weeks ago in New York, during a funeral in Barcelona, Spain on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Alberto Paredes/Europa Press via AP)

Hundreds mourn Spanish family killed in New York City helicopter crash

Hundreds of people packed into a Barcelona church to mourn a Spanish family of five who died earlier this month in a sightseeing helicopter crash in New York City. Mourners gathered and wept quietly …
National Sports
FILE - Ireland's Shane Lowry reacts after getting a birdie on the fourth green during the final round of the British Open Golf Championships at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, Sunday, July 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)

British Open focus is on getting bigger. That leaves out some of the better links

The British Open will have the second-largest crowd in its 165-year history this summer at Royal Portrush. The R&A says 278,000 spectators will be on the Northern Ireland links over seven days. That …

Mavs GM Nico Harrison says fans' love for Luka Doncic was deeper than he knew, but stands by trade

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison says he miscalculated the depth of love his club’s fans had for Luka Doncic before the trade that sent the young superstar to the Los Angeles Lakers …

Simone Biles undecided on competing at LA Olympics, says 2028 'seems so far away'

Simone Biles is unsure whether she will compete at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. For now the most decorated gymnast of all-time has other priorities and she is also listening to her body. …
Entertainment
This cover image released by One World shows "Matriarch" by Tina Knowles. (One World via AP)

Winfrey's new book club pick is Tina Knowles' memoir, 'Matriarch'

Oprah Winfrey’s new book club pick is a memoir by an old friend and personal hero, Tina Knowles. Winfrey announced Tuesday that she had selected Knowles’ “Matriarch,” which was published this …

Movie Review: 'The Accountant 2,' with Ben Affleck, isn't quite a write-off

On the heels of tax season arrives “The Accountant 2,” Gavin O’Connor’s sequel to the 2016 film that did not, exactly, leave audiences clamoring for another. But in a movie world where …

The 2025 Latin Grammys will return to Las Vegas for the 15th time

The 2025 Latin Grammys are headed back to Las Vegas. The 26th annual award show will take place on Nov. 13 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It marks the 15th time the show has taken place …
Health
Health department staff members enter the Andrews County Health Department measles clinic carrying doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Andrews, Texas. (AP Photo/Annie Rice)

Montana has a measles outbreak with its first cases in 35 years. Here's what you should know

Montana is the ninth U.S. state with a measles outbreak. The U.S. has 800 measles cases as of Friday. Texas is up to nearly 600 of those cases. Two children and an adult have died from …

Walgreens to pay up to $350 million in U.S. opioid settlement

Walgreens has agreed to pay up to $350 million in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, who accused the pharmacy of illegally filling millions of prescriptions in the last decade for …

RFK Jr. plans to phase out eight artificial dyes from the US food supply

U.S. health officials plan to phase out eight petroleum-based colors from the nation's food supply. The move would trigger an overhaul of scores of products on U.S. grocery store shelves. Details of …