Christmas Day
Dinner, Fun
Set at ANB Hall
Alaska Native Brotherhood Camp 1 and Alaska Native Sisterhood Camp 4, in partnership with the Salvation Army, will host the annual traditional Community Christmas Dinner 2 p.m. Dec. 25 at the ANB Founders Hall. Doors open at 1 p.m.
An organizational meeting will be held 6 p.m. Dec. 19 at the ANB Founders Hall for those who would like to learn more about the dinner; however, it is not necessary for volunteers to come, as they will be informed by phone or on Christmas Day at noon as to how they can help at the dinner.
Anyone who would like to volunteer to cook a turkey, which is provided with a roasting pan which can be picked up at the hall or delivered; or to volunteer to decorate and set up, serve, help in the kitchen, or clean up, are welcome, and can call Karen at 747-7803 to sign up, and be informed of times and dates to show up.
Contributions are being accepted to help finance the dinner in the form of gift cards at Sea Mart or AC Lakeside, or checks mailed to ANB Founders Hall Attn: Rachel Henderson, 235 Katlian. Food donations of potatoes, yams, frozen green beans, stuffing, turkeys, hams, and other items, are also gratefully accepted – call Debe at 738-4323 to arrange a pick up or delivery time. Dessert donations can be delivered on Christmas Eve day between 3 and 5 p.m. or Christmas morning from 9 a.m. to noon. Toys for the children given by Santa and Mrs. Claus, and caroling, are planned. All are invited to attend.
Women’s Pistol League
Draws Record Numbers
A record 29 shooters participated in this year’s Women’s Pistol League, a 12-week course sponsored by the Sitka Sportsman’s Association.
Because of the record number of registrants, two divisions were made possible – open sights and optically enhanced sights. Trophies were awarded for first, second and third places in each division. The course of fire includes slow, timed and rapid fire targets with a top possible score of 300 points each week.
In the Open Sights Division, Blanca Hazel placed third with 137.3 points; Payten Russell second with 185.9 points; and Shannon Johnson first with 203.3 points.
In the Optically Enhanced Division, top scores were close with Amanda Russel placing third with a score of 262.1 points; Lisa Ystad second with 263.3 points; and Sara Peterson winning the division with 267.1 points.
Next year’s Women’s Pistol League will start in early September.
Alaskan Stories
Films to Debut
Our Alaskan Stories film debut will be 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14, at Centennial Hall, Room 6.
The Island Institute film project, in its third year, features short films made by Mt. Edgecumbe High School students about their home communities.
A question-and-answer period will follow the screening.
‘‘We will also hear about this year’s recently concluded Tidelines journey in which a group of past Our Alaskan Stories filmmakers traveled to several communities in Southeast Alaska by ferry, sharing their work and holding conversations about subsistence and cultural in a changing Alaska,’’ the Island Institute said.
Raven Radio Reported
Leaving for NPR Job
After four years with Raven News, Raven Radio reporter Emily Kwong will be departing Raven Radio in December for a five-month international reporting fellowship through NPR and the John Alexander Project.
Kwong has been with Raven News for four years.
She will be reporting on ecological migration in Mongolia, telling the story of a nomadic population adapting to change. Kwong will be moving to Washington, D.C., and based in Mongolia from mid-January to mid-March 2019. Her stories will debut on NPR in the spring.
Her last day of work will be Friday.
Katherine Rose, Winter Fellow from 2017, will be taking over as interim reporter on Dec. 10 and Peter Apathy will be the lead Morning Edition host moving forward.
Kwong first came to Raven Radio in 2014 as a post-graduate fellow in community journalism, fresh off a plane from New York City and without any news experience. She quickly fell in love with Sitka and Southeast. She was hired as the full-time reporter in 2015, taking over for Rachel Waldholz. Over the years, Kwong hosted the bi-monthly Assembly broadcast, reported on everything from lost sea lions to the danger deer pose to airplanes, tracked community conversations around mass shootings, herring, and Alaska Day, and, most recently, how Sitkans are adapting to rising cost of living. She also taught a radio class at Blatchley Middle School.
“I want locals to know that this radio station is theirs, a platform for their voices and their power,’’ Kwong said. ‘‘Reporting in community holds you to a higher standard. I will carry that with me forever and will miss this place enormously. Thank you to everyone in Sitka for your trust and the lessons you taught me over the years.”
“I am so proud of Emily’s incredible professional growth,’’ said General Manager Becky Meiers. ‘‘We are sad to see her go, but she leaves an incredible legacy of innovation and care at Raven Radio.”
KCAW news director Robert Woolsey will begin the search for Kwong’s replacement after the new year.
“Cultivating reporting talent is one of the things this station – this community, really – does best.” he said. “Her moving up to national reporting is a good thing. Saying goodbye to Emily means saying hello to someone else who wants to follow in her footsteps.”
Sitka School Supt. Wegner
Selected for ISTE Board
Dr. Mary Wegner, Sitka School District superintendent, has been named to the board of directors of the International Society for Technology in Education.
Also elected are Nikole Blanchard, director of innovation and technology, The Dunham School, Louisiana; Ruth Okoye, director of K12 initiatives, The Source for Learning, Virginia; and Bill Bass, innovation coordinator, Parkway School District, Missouri, board president.
ISTE is a nonprofit organization that works with the global education community to accelerate the use of technology to solve problems and inspire innovation. The worldwide network believes in the potential technology holds to transform teaching and learning.
“I’m thrilled to take on this role and am grateful to Mila for her vision and dedication to moving ISTE forward as an organization,” said Bass, an ISTE member for more than 10 years. “The ISTE board continues to grow and diversify in exciting ways. Nikole Blanchard, Ruth Okoye and Mary Wegner each bring unique experiences and an understanding for what our students need to be prepared for the future. I look forward to working with each of them and the rest of the ISTE board.”
Sitkan Speaks to Senators
On Missing Native Women
Tlingit and Haida Delegate and Violence Against Women Task Force Co-Chair Patricia Alexander of Sitka is one of six invited panel speakers to provide witness testimony today to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs during a Senate oversight hearing on missing and murdered Indigenous women.
The hearing, titled “Missing and Murdered: Confronting the Silent Crisis in Indian Country,” will be led by U.S. Senator Jon Tester with testimony from law enforcement agencies, tribal leaders and survivors.
The hearing is being held following the Senate’s passage of S.1942, also known as Savanna’s Act, which has moved to the House of Representatives for consideration.
If enacted, S.1942 would improve tribal access to federal databases that track missing and unidentified persons, specifically American Indians and Alaska Natives; require the Department of Justice to consult with Indian tribes while developing national law enforcement and justice guidelines when responding to cases involving missing and murdered Indians; motivate federal, tribal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to incorporate the guidelines into existing processes; provide Indian tribes and law enforcement agencies with training and technical assistance relating to the implementation of the guidelines developed; and require annual reporting to Congress on statistics relating to missing and murdered Indians in the United States.
Panel I members are: Gerald LaPorte, Director, Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences, National Institute of Justice, Washington, D.C.; Robert Johnson, assistant director of the Criminal Investigative Division, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Pittsburgh; Charles Addington, deputy associate director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services, Washington, D.C.
Panel II members include: Alexander; Amber Crotty, delegate, Navajo Nation Council, Window Rock, Ariz.; and Kimberly Loring-Heavy Runner, Missoula, Montana.
Green Lake Closed
Public boat access on Green Lake is closed until further notice.
The Green Lake safety boom was broken during recent storm events.
‘‘Due to the dam spilling and inclement weather, the boom can’t be safely repaired at this time,’’ the City of Sitka said. ‘‘The safety boom will be repaired as soon as it is safe to do so.’’
The Green Lake road remains open to public non-motorized traffic. For more information call the electric department at 747-4000.
