STW Seeking
Board Members
Sitka Trail Works is seeking individuals to join its board.
Those interested in improving and maintaining Sitka’s trail system can apply. Experience in grant writing, business administration, or strategic planning is a plus, but not necessary, the board said.
To learn more visit sitkatrailworks.org. To get an application email trail@sitkatrailworks.org.
Blue Lake Alert
System Test Set
The city electric department will conduct a test of the Blue Lake Emergency Action Plan Alert System 9-10:10 a.m. Thursday, March 25.
The drill will consist of a test of the systems and sirens that are activated within the Blue Lake Campground and Gary Paxton Industrial Park, the city said.
Those who have questions or concerns can contact General Systems Manager Kord Christianson at 747-1886.
PFD Application
Closes March 31
The Sitka Legislative Information Office will be open for online Permanent Fund Dividend filing help daily through March 30 by appointment only.
PFD filing season closes March 31; however, the LIO office will be closed on March 31.
Paper applications are available at the Totem Square Hotel and Sitka Public library. Paper applications must be postmarked by March 31.
AFS Seeking
Host Families
The Sitka AFS high school exchange program will resume in the fall for the 2021-2022 school year, following a break this year because of the pandemic.
So far, a German girl, a Tunisian boy and an Armenian boy have been chosen by Sitkan host families. One more host family is needed for the fall.
‘‘This is a great opportunity for your family to learn more about another part of the world, and to share what Sitka has to offer,’’ the organization said.
Host families for short-term hosting, and volunteers to support hosting also are needed.
Call Connie Kreiss at 747-5387 or Erika Knox, 738-9204, for more information, or go to www.afsusa.org.
School Board Sets
Budget Hearing
The Sitka School Board will hold a Community Budget Hearing 6 p.m. March 25 at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
The meeting can be viewed virtually using the Zoom conferencing tool. The link to the meeting will be posted on the front page of the School District Website under announcements.
Chamber Sets
Speaker Series
Join us this week on Wednesday, March 24th to learn more about Sitka’s outdoor recreation projects will be discussed at the Sitka Chamber’s Winter Speaker Series noon Wednesday via Zoom.
Attendees can hear updates from Alaska Outdoor Alliance, Sitka Ranger District, Sitka Conservation Society, and Sitka Trail Works.
To attend, go to www.sitkachamber.com.
Pioneers to Meet
The Sitka Pioneer Igloos will meet 6 p.m. Friday, March 26, at Centennial Hall.
No business meeting or potluck are planned due to the pandemic restrictions. Bottled water and snack packets will be offered. Attendees can take their own snacks or drinks.
The Juneau Pioneers have invited the Sitka group to join them via Zoom. Sitkans can attend via Zoom at home, or go to Centennial Hall where the program will be set up.
To attend at the Centennial Hall, or receive the Zoom link, call John Stein at 738-2677 or Jan Eddy at 738-7411.
ALFA Membership
Meeting March 24
The Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association will host a Zoom membership meeting 4-6 Wednesday, March 24.
The focus of the meeting will be on IFQ Amendments, which include: IFQ entry level access pool; small sablefish release allowance; sablefish pot gear regulations; hired master provisions; and sablefish jig gear allowance.
Contact ALFA to receive the Zoom link for the meeting, 747-3400 or alfa.staff@gmail.com.
A REVIEW:
‘Thrill Chase’ Delivers
Published by Black Rose Writing, 2021, 280 pages, $19.95 in paperback.
John Spietz is a former Alaskan who regularly visits friends in Sitka. ‘‘Thrill Chase,’’ his first novel, is a naval warfare time-travel historical fantasy adventure. That’s probably already a genre, but if it wasn’t, now it is.
The book’s hero, Jason, is a Sitka deckhand and pot dealer who ran into trouble with the law and his girlfriend. He’s on probation and unsure about what to do next in his life, so when he’s offered a mysterious and well-paid “job” on a sailing yacht out of Seattle, he jumps at the opportunity. It turns out that the “job” is to be a crewmember on a time-travel safari where the money and food are great, the year is 1798, the big game is Barbary Pirates, and the point is adventure at almost any cost.
The thrill chaser of the title is to some extent Jason, but to a greater extent his captain on this trip. The captain is a Seattle billionaire who, like the evil characters in so many James Bond movies, discovers a revolutionary technology and uses it to feed his egomania at the expense of others he impulsively kills or invites to dinner.
The captain’s obsessions drive the plot. Like any good villain, he is fond of raising the stakes while pontificating on his mishmash of moral principles, explaining his convoluted plans in detail, and trying to convince others that he is in fact sane. The author gets points for not drawing a clear line on whether the captain is good or bad, but also for vocabulary, for plot, and for including a few maps and diagrams with the book.
One drawback is that the fantasy world he sets up is one where the hero gets the girl, everything is fixed in the end, and the bad guy gets his comeuppance with swift “I told you so” justice. That’s fine for a while, but it’s a little bit too “Hardy Boys” after a couple hundred pages. The Sitka parts ring true even though “signalling for two cups of coffee” isn’t likely to get you anything at the Backdoor, no matter how cool your author thinks you are. More seriously, only Muslims get slaughtered in the book and they are compared to terrorists, which wouldn’t be used against Christian pirates for example.
“Thrill Chase” delivers within its genre and the plot leaves room for sequels at the end. I don’t know how popular time-travel naval warfare novels are, but the premise and characters have been set and if it makes commercial sense I could see how this could turn into the first book of a decent series.
–Paul Norwood
