Katherine Rose

The Friends of Sitka Animal Shelter float in the 2022 Alaska Day Parade. While volunteers have always been involved at the Sitka Animal Shelter, FOSAS was formed as a nonprofit in 2021(KCAW/Rose)

The volunteers, who ran the shelter for nearly a year but were locked out this summer, want city officials to let them back in.

The city of Sitka has brokered a “Memorandum of Understanding” with the local cruise dock. And while some assembly members were on board with approving the agreement as-is, they postponed a vote until the next meeting after a number of community members said they needed more time to review the document.

Sitka’s city finance director is stepping down. Finance Director Melissa Haley informed the city of her resignation in early October. When the Sitka Assembly met on Tuesday (11-12-24), it approved the promotion of her replacement, controller Brooke Volschenk.

Cruise passengers lined up to return to their boat in July 2024 (KCAW Photo)

The Sitka Advisory Committee considered over a dozen herring proposals over two meetings in November, in order to deliver its recommendations to the Alaska Board of Fisheries before that group gathers in the new year to set regulations.

Finding solutions to address problem bears was at the top of the list when the Sitka Assembly and the Sheet’ká Ḵwáan Sitka Tribe of Alaska met on Monday (11-18-24) for the bi-annual government to government meeting.

After finally securing the necessary environmental permits, municipal engineer Michael Harmon announced that construction had begun on the long-awaited haulout at the Gary Paxton Industrial Park.

A homesick letter was a summer camper right of passage for decades. That changed when cell phones made checking in with parents a whole lot easier. But more campers may be writing letters next summer, now that the Sitka Fine Arts Camp is going cellphone-free.

On busy summer days, it’s not only downtown Sitka that becomes crowded. Sitka’s trail system is also seeing more use, as are remote recreational sites that were once exclusively visited by locals.