Student Health Fair
Dear Editor: The Mt. Edgecumbe High School student health fair, held this last Saturday for the entire school, was another success, and all of the credit goes to our exhibitors and event sponsors.
It is an annual opportunity to get health and safety information to our teens, and expose them to a myriad of health careers and professionals as well. The topics were relevant and very well-presented. Exhibitors from around Sitka and the high school included the Alaska State Troopers (gun safety), Planned Parenthood (STI prevention and family planning), Sitkans Against Family Violence (healthy relationships), AMSEA (cold water safety and survival) and the MEHS Dorm Counseling (stress management and bullying). Exhibitors from SEARHC were the Bill Brady Healing Center and Raven’s Way (drug and alcohol treatment), dental (fluoride varnishes and dental careers), Mental Health Clinic (suicide prevention and telebehavioral health), Pharmacy (pharmacy careers), Physical Therapy (PT and sports medicine careers), Tobacco Cessation (quitting tobacco) and the Ethel Lund Village Health Occupations Programs (VHOP and summer internships). And a special thanks to our event sponsors, Sea Mart, Harry Race Pharmacy, the Cellar, Russell’s, Highliner Coffee, Orion Sporting Goods and Fish Eye Coffee for their generous contributions.
Kari Lundgren, PA-C,
Clinic Manager
SEARHC-MEHS
Student Health Center
Iraq War
Dear Editor: Ten years ago today our country invaded Iraq. What a bad idea that was.
Brian Sparks, Sitka
Iraq War Veteran
Tribute
Dear Editor: I was sorry to read about Clint Buckmaster’s passing in Friday’s paper.
I thought very highly of Clint long before I ever met him. I went to work for the Forest Service in 1974. Clint worked for the Forest Service in the 1960s. I often ran across projects that Clint had worked on or built. He was obviously a very skilled carpenter and boat builder. I was very impressed with his work. The work he did was very meticulous and well done.
As Clint’s obituary pointed out, he was involved in a lot of Forest Service construction projects in the 1960s. He helped build the Starrigavan Campground and picnic ground along with the massive yellow cedar picnic tables that took six people to move. Clint worked on cabins at Plotnikof, Davidof, Rezanof, Avoss, Redoubt, Kook and two cabins on the Sitkou Lake. He was also involved in the construction of the original cabins at Brent’s Beach, Fred’s Creek and Shelikof. Clint worked on the Redoubt Tram that you could use to put small boats into the lake from the bay. Clint also skippered the Sitka Ranger for several years.
Happy sailing, Clint.
Mike Trainor, Sitka
Reckless Drivers
Dear Editor: To all pedestrians, safe drivers and bikers using our Sitka sidewalks and streets:
I live on the corner of Jeff Davis Street and Lincoln Street. My fence has taken three major hits from out of control, speeding vehicles. All the wrecks were hit and run. NONE of the wrecks involved snowy or icy road conditions – the streets were fairly dry all three times. Pedestrians especially need to be ever watchful and ever ready to run for their lives in order to dodge oncoming speeding vehicles. During the second wreck which concerned my property, there was a young woman walking her dog on the sidewalk down Jeff Davis Street. She had to run to get out of harm’s way from that speeding car. She called the police and stayed as a witness.
This last wreck on Friday evening the 15 did the most damage to my fence. I heard the crash, and then watched with shock from my kitchen window as the driver kept slamming his vehicle back and forth in an attempt to dislodge it from between the fence posts. He finally got untangled, leaving much of my fence demolished and scattered all over the street, the sidewalk, and my yard, leaving as well many of his car parts – for example, the Bronco mud flap which he left as a souvenir in my rose bush. I spoke with a witness in my driveway last Friday evening who left before the police got here. Please contact the police about what you saw.
As for my now thrice badly damaged (twice repaired) fence, thank God only my fence has taken the brunt of the hits, and not any pedestrians or other cars or bikers. To all of you reckless drivers, thank God you haven’t killed or seriously maimed anybody, including yourself or any of your passengers.
During my years of living on this teeny little corner of the world, I’ve also heard crashes and witnessed the aftermaths of two incidents involving other vehicles slamming at high speed into the guard rail protecting the basketball court at the end of Jeff Davis St. The court is directly across the street from my house. With the first wreck, the truck got trapped inside the basketball court. The force of his speeding truck broke the barrier and lifted the chain link fence surrounding the court.
The fence came back down into place effectively trapping him and his truck inside. I watched as he unsuccessfully truck-rammed the fence trying to get out. Thank God no one was on the court at the time, or passing through on Lincoln Street. The city then constructed a cement barrier, and replaced the damaged chain link fence. With the second wreck, that car smashed into the cement barrier, stopping the car. Those kids scattered and ran, leaving their car in the road.
So what can be done to stop these speeding reckless drivers who perhaps think they can dodge the police by taking the side and back streets of Sitka? They are just as dangerous to pedestrians, other drivers and bikers on our main streets.
Barbara Rocheleau, Sitka
