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Most read stories

Police Chief Hall Warns of Fentanyl Danger

By ANNA LAFFREY
Sentinel Staff Writer

4 days ago

Parade and Traditions Mark 2026 Alaska Day

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

2 days ago

JKT Brings Campaign, With Music, to Town

By MAYA GRAHAM
Special to the Sentinel
2 days ago

Today's top stories

Parade and Traditions Mark 2026 Alaska Day

Attendees at the 2025 Alaska Day Ball twirl to the music of the Seattle Firefighters Pipes & Drums band Friday night at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
A full slate of Alaska Day Festival and other activities will lead up to Alaska Day itself on Sunday, October 18. The packed schedule will include the Alaska Day Ball, parade, and a re-enactment of the October 18, 1867, transfer ceremony atop...

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

2 days ago
Barbara DeLong, Sitka Historical Society treasurer, shakes hands with this year's recipient of the Isabel Miller prize, Blake Conaway, as Tim Eddy looks on during the society's annual meeting Thursday night at Harrigan Centennial Hall. Eddy was given special recognition for his work for the Sitka Historical Society Museum.

Historical Society Salutes Volunteers, Illustrators

A 21st Century parlor game and antique model trains, all with roots in Sitka, were front and center Thursday night at the Sitka Historical Society & Museum's annual meeting at Centennial Hall. For his part in keeping model trains a moving part of...
By Sentinel Staff
2 days ago
Democratic candidate for governor Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins talks to Sitkans gathered at the North Shelter at Halibut Point Recreation Area Friday, September 4, 2026.

JKT Brings Campaign, With Music, to Town

Alaska gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins will return to his hometown of Sitka Sunday for an Alaska Day concert by the Rain Dogs and Pedal Boys at Odess Theater on the Sheldon Jackson campus.  The event is hosted by...
By MAYA GRAHAM
Special to the Sentinel
2 days ago
Alaska State Board of Education members listen to a gamut of recommendations by the Mt. Edgecumbe High School Ad Hoc Committee, during the board's fall meeting in the Gil Truitt Activities Center at MEHS on Tuesday and Wednesday.

At State Board of Education Meeting, MEHS Students Urge Transparency, Accountability

Mt. Edgecumbe High School students took the helm of the State Board of Education’s fall meeting this week, leading board members through the dorms and halls of the World War II-era campus, and saying their piece on operations at the boarding...

By ANNA LAFFREY
Sentinel Staff Writer

3 days ago
Sitkans mingle during the Sitka Economic Development Association's 9th Annual Brew Fest & Chili Cook Off in front of Harrigan Centennial Hall Saturday, October 18, 2025.

Beans or Not, Chili Cookoff Set for Alaska Day

The fundraising Alaska Day Chili Cookoff will not resolve the eternal question of whether it’s actually “chili” if it includes beans. But whether you are pro or con on the issue, all entries will be considered for the $250 first prize in the 10th...

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

3 days ago
Community news
PUMPKIN PATCH – 3 to 5 Preschool morning class students have proud smiles on their faces after stuffing old Mr. Scarecrow to get him ready for Saturday’s  Pumpkin Patch fundraiser at AC Lakeside. All are invited to walk through the patch 11-2 p.m. and select pumpkins to purchase.  A variety of fall photo opportunities will be up toward the Delta Gas station and around the Pumpkin Patch area. The Donut Lady, Jessie’s Uptown Dogs and Sitka Swirls will have special treats. The preschool expressed appreciation to sponsors AC Lakeside, Sitka Swirls, Sitka Bottling, Charlie’s Produce, The Donut Lady, Jessie’s Uptown Dogs and Fisheye; volunteers from the Mt. Edgecumbe  and  Sitka high school National Honor Societies and others who are helping before and during the sale. (Photo provided to the Sentinel)   
PUMPKIN PATCH
PUMPKIN PATCH – 3 to 5 Preschool morning class students have proud smiles on their faces after stuffing old Mr. Scarecrow to get him ready for Saturday’s  Pumpkin Patch fundraiser at AC Lakeside. All are invited to walk through the patch 11-2...
2 days ago
Holiday Closure For City Offices
In observance of Alaska Day, City and Borough of Sitka offices will be closed Monday, Oct. 19. Essential services, including police, fire, emergency medical response, and dispatch services, will remain in operation.
2 days ago
4-H Birding Club To Meet Oct. 22
Sitka Spruce Tips 4-H Club invites those ages 5-18 to join a monthly birding club. The next gathering will be on Thursday, Oct. 22. Greg Filipek will lead a bird walk through Sitka National Historical Park. Youths must be registered as 4-H...
2 days ago
Traffic, Parking Changes Announced For Alaska Day
The city has announced traffic and parking changes downtown Sunday, Oct. 18, to accommodate the 1:30 p.m. Alaska Day Parade. Beginning at 10 a.m., no parking will be permitted on Lincoln Street between Lake Street and Harbor Way. Lincoln Street...
2 days ago
Alaska Day Dance At Odess Theater
An Alaska Day concert by the Rain Dogs and Pedal Boys will be staged 5:30-9:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, at Odess Theater on the SJ Campus.  The event, hosted by Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkinsʼ campaign, is free and open to the public. JKT is a...
2 days ago
1966 Sitka Fire Accounts Sought
Those having first-hand accounts of the January 2, 1966, downtown Sitka fire, and the rescue of items in St. Michael’s Cathedral, are being sought to be included in a documentary. To offer a story for consideration, go to...
2 days ago
Unitarians Gather For Sunday Meet
David Kanosh will present a program on the Tlingit perspective on Alaska Day at Sunday's meeting of the Sitka Unitarian Fellowship. The Fellowship Hall is located at 408 Marine Street, with parking and entry on the Spruce Street side of the...
2 days ago
Alaska Children’s Trust Visits Sitka
The Alaska Children's Trust will host a listening session 5-7 p.m. Oct. 22 at Harrigan Centennial Hall for an open conversation about "PreventTogether," Alaska's first statewide plan to prevent child sexual abuse. All are invited to learn about...
2 days ago
SAFV Dinner Date Announced
Sitkans Against Family Violence is asking Sitkans to save the date of its Fall Family Dinner and Dessert Auction Sunday, Nov. 8, at ANB Founders Hall. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with tickets sold at the door for $15 for adults and $10 for...
2 days ago
Climate Connection: Federal Track Record
Federal Track Record In 20 months, this administration has demolished five decades worth of climate and environmental protections. Controlling global warming requires international collaboration, but the U.S. has withdrawn from the 2015 Paris...
2 days ago
Police blotter

Police Blotter
October 16, 2026

Sitka Police Sitka Police Department logged the following calls Thursday. Thursday, October 15 A woman reported at 8:27 a.m. that her greenhouse had blown away in the 300 block of Peterson Avenue. A woman said she had been scammed and a caller...

2 days ago
Obituaries
Dr. Thomas Edwin Jacobsen, DDS
Dr. Tom Jacobsen Dies; Service to Be on Nov. 8
Dr. Thomas Edwin Jacobsen, DDS, age 79, of Sitka, died September 7, 2026. Tom was born December 27, 1946, in Sioux City, Iowa, the son of Donald and Marian Jacobsen. He earned an undergraduate degree in general science from the University of Iowa...
2 days ago
Former Sitkan Mackenzie Clarke Dies in Seattle
The family of Mackenzie Augustus Clarke, 37, with profound sadness writes that he died unexpectedly on September 16 in Seattle. The former Sitkan, a Sitka High graduate, was the beloved son of David and Raine Clarke, brother of Kelsie and Zachary...
Friday, October 9
Wrangell Teacher, Coach Phil Wayne Dies in Sitka
Phillip I. Wayne passed away peacefully at his home in Sitka on Monday, September 27, at the age of 89. Phil’s arrival on February 7, 1937, in Corbin, Kentucky, was prominently featured in the Corbin Times as the first Caesarean birth in Laurel...
Friday, October 9
SE Alaskan Harlan Adams Dies at 86
Harlan J. Adams passed away on May 26, 2026, at Swedish Hospital, Cherry Hill Campus, Seattle, Washington. Harlan was born on February 9, 1940, in Yakutat, Alaska. He and his family moved to Kake, Alaska in 1953. Harlan married Lavina on May 13,...
Monday, October 5
Sports

Tritons' Football Grows, Bringing Young Sitkans Together

Members of the Sitka Tritons football program walk downtown during an Alaska Day Parade on October 18, 2024.
"Football is about camaraderie,” EJ Richards, who grew up enmeshed in the Sitka Tritons football program, commented during a practice under sunny skies Tuesday on Moller Field.  In the far corner of the field, elementary-aged tykes sparred...

By ANNA LAFFREY
Sentinel Staff Writer

2 days ago

Wolves Wrestling Shoots to Win

Sitka High School wrestlers practice in the school gym Wednesday evening. The team heads to Haines for a tournament this weekend.
The Sitka High School wrestling team is building a solid complement of talent and putting in hours of practice to be ready for the upcoming season. “The salt shaker shook itself out and we got our crew in,” said Michael Callahan, who's now in his...

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

2 days ago
BUMP UP - Mt. Edgecumbe High School sophomore Kiana O'Brien bumps in a game against Nikiski Thursday night in the B.J. McGillis Gym. Nikiski beat Edgecumbe 3-1 Thursday; the visiting Bulldogs took the first two games 25-22 and 25-12; MEHS took the third 25-18 and Nikiski closed the match by winning the fourth game 25-22. Also Thursday Sitka lost to Nikiski. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

Bump Up

2 days ago
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Sitka Yesterday
October 16, 2026

20 YEARS AGO

October 2006 

Photo caption: Ashlie Romine watches as Kyleigh McArthur kicks a soccer ball between two posts at Blatchley Middle School during the annual Elks Soccer Shoot. Youths under age 10 took 15 shots at a goal 15 feet away.

50 YEARS AGO

October 1976

A storm-churned sea sank a steel-hulled 44-foot commercial fishing boat in a matter of minutes in Chatham Strait but the two men aboard escaped. Boat owner Jim Cooper and his friend Sam Martin, had no time to grab life jackets or make a distress call but got into the 7-foot Sport Yak as the boat swamped. ... They made it to shore, used the dinghy for shelter and the next morning, using driftwood lumber for paddles, made it across Kelp Bay and headed to a logging operation. They hiked the last three miles, Martin wearing only socks and refusing to share Cooper’s boots ...

2 days ago
Around Alaska

Alaskans join nationwide No Kings rally focused on getting out the vote

Alaskans across the state rallied on Saturday as part of a nationwide No Kings day of action to encourage early voting in the November elections and criticize the Trump administration.  Early in person voting begins in many locations in Alaska on Monday. Organizers at the No Kings event in Juneau urged Alaskans to vote early, […]

By Corinne Smith
Yesterday at 11:24 PM

Trump administration moves to reopen Alaska national preserves to bear baiting by sport hunters

Sport hunters will be able to bait bears in Alaska national preserves, under a final rule the Trump administration announced on Friday. The rule, proposed in March, overturns bans by the Biden and Obama administrations of the practice within National Park Service units. Bear baiting, which involves use of food stockpiles to attract bears that […]
By Yereth Rosen
2 days ago

Alaska’s final U.S. Senate debate devolves into mudslinging between Peltola, Sullivan

The two leading candidates for Alaska’s U.S. Senate seat met in an acrimonious televised debate Thursday night in Anchorage, where Democratic candidate Mary Peltola and Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan accused each other of lying and repeatedly spoke over each other. “OK, let’s have some decorum here — candidates, please stop. If I have to shut […]
By James Brooks
2 days ago

No dark money in Alaska

Do you have enough extra cash to fund massive lobbying campaigns? Outrageously expensive political campaigns? Could you afford it year after year, decade after decade? The wealthiest in our country can.  They use their funds to acquire special preferences in law and regulations. Tax rates, cuts, breaks, loopholes, credits, deductions, concessions, amortization schedules, accelerated depreciation […]

By Joe Paskvan
2 days ago

The Latest: Trump will rally Georgia Republicans despite party divisions in the battleground state

President Donald Trump’s midterm campaign blitz is arriving in Georgia for a rally with top Republican candidates in a state that has long been the epicenter of the president’s false claims about …
By The Associated Press
2 days ago

On the campaign trail for Republicans, Trump changes course and advocates for mail-in voting

Weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump’s attempt to restrict mail-in voting in this year’s midterm elections, the president is calling on voters to vote early and by mail as he campaigns in support of Republican candidates nationwide. National polling has indicated that Democrats are more enthusiastic about voting in this year’s […]

By James Brooks
3 days ago

Special committee identifies improvements for state-run Mt. Edgecumbe High School

Clear communication at the state-run boarding school Mt. Edgecumbe High School is among the top priority areas to improve students’ residential and academic life, a special committee told members of the Alaska State Board of Education this week. The state board established the committee last March to review concerns and create recommendations for improvements after […]
By Corinne Smith
3 days ago

Who pays when a remote Alaska village can no longer stay?

In Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, schools in the flood zone remained closed. Homes swept away are still scattered across the tundra. Where crushing waves snapped essential boardwalks, the days now carry the drone of power tools worked by young Yup’iks determined to rebuild them.  From a bird’s eye view, the land seems to signal it has […]
By Jenni Monet
3 days ago
From the Associated Press
National news
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal celebrates after Miami defeated Florida State in double overtime of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Hurricane warning: Miami poised for No. 1 after 5 of the top 7 teams lose in historic Top 25 day

The college football rankings are in for a shakeup after a historic weekend for the Associated Press Top 25. Five of the top seven teams, including No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Notre Dame, lost on the …
By ERIC OLSON
3 hours ago

Truck overturns in Kansas City, killing dozens of cows and causing dozens more to roam streets

Dozens of cattle spilled onto a street in Kansas City, Missouri, when a semitractor-trailer plunged off a highway overpass in the city's downtown, shutting down some roads and setting off a search …
3 hours ago
A golfer walks near log sections cut from trees at the East Potomac Golf Links, in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Trump says he will close historic DC golf course for 15 months of renovations

President Donald Trump says he plans to close a historic golf course in the nation's capital for 15 months and redevelop it despite an ongoing court challenge to his renovation plans. Trump posted on …
By MICHELLE L. PRICE
3 hours ago
Auburn head coach Alex Golesh reacts after an NCAA college football game against Georgia, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)

AP Top 25 live updates: A historic shake-up could be coming after 5 of the top 7 teams lose

College football has never seen a Saturday like this. Five of the top seven teams in the AP Top 25 lost on the same day for the first time ever. No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 5 Indiana, No. 6 …
By The Associated Press
4 hours ago
International
Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine receives treatment at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, Israel, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, after being injured in an attack by Israeli settlers while covering clashes that erupted during the Palestinian olive harvest in the West Bank village of Abu Falah on Friday. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Photographer attacked by settlers in the West Bank feels insulted by Netanyahu

Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine, attacked by Jewish settlers in the West Bank, says she's angry that Israel's military seems to protect settlers more than those under threat. She suffered …
By CARA ANNA
3 hours ago
People ride in a pickup truck during a funeral procession for a Houthi officer in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. The Arabic banner reads, "Martyr Mazen Abdallah." (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

Egypt's top security body agrees to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against Houthi attacks

Egypt's top security body says it has agreed to support Saudi Arabia in its fight against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Houthis have attacked Saudi airports and oil infrastructure with …
By SAMY MAGDY
3 hours ago
People look at a charred car on Place de la Republique the day after a demonstration against rising living costs, joining students' grievances, in Paris, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

Paris police report 855 arrests after violent clashes and looting during protests

Paris police have arrested 855 people after violent clashes during a protest against rising living costs. The protest on Saturday drew about 110,000 people in the French capital. Authorities said …
By SYLVIE CORBET
4 hours ago

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says a serious incident has caused a major fire at a military base in Alberta

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says a serious incident has caused a major fire at a military base in Alberta.
4 hours ago
National Sports
Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) runs back after intercepting a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants in Inglewood, Calif., Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman )

Star Rams CB Trent McDuffie inactive vs Cardinals after injury during practice

Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie will not play against Arizona after injuring his groin during practice. McDuffie got hurt during practice Thursday, and he missed Friday’s workout. The …

3 hours ago

OKC's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could join rare club of back-to-back-to-back NBA MVPs this season

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder has a shot at winning his third consecutive NBA MVP award this season. Only three players have ever achieved that feat. Despite his focus on team …
By TIM REYNOLDS
3 hours ago

Sunday's Transactions

HOCKEY National Hockey League CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS — Sent C Dominic Toninato to Rockford (AHL). MINNESOTA WILD — Recalled D Carson Lambos and C Hunter Haight from Iowa (AHL). Placed D …
By The Associated Press
3 hours ago
Entertainment
This image released by A24 shows filmmaker Nathan Fielder, left, and Elizabeth Holmes, center, in a scene from "You Can See Everything." (A24 via AP)

Box Office: Elizabeth Holmes movie ‘You Can See Everything’ is now a hit in theaters too

Paramount's “Street Fighter” leads the box office this weekend, earning $31 million from 3,575 theaters in the U.S. and Canada. However, the spotlight is on the Elizabeth Holmes documentary …

By LINDSEY BAHR
5 hours ago

Analysis: Trump says he's a great dealmaker. His record says otherwise

Donald Trump has long promoted himself as an exceptional dealmaker, and that claim has helped fuel his rise from real estate tycoon to president. But many the deals he has made through the years have …
By WILL WEISSERT
9 hours ago

Analysis: For Trump, results have often revealed the art of no deal

Donald Trump has long promoted himself as an exceptional dealmaker, and that claim has helped fuel his rise from real estate tycoon to president. But many the deals he has made through the years have …
By WILL WEISSERT
10 hours ago
Health
Two nuns arrive in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican for the traditional noon blessing after praying the Angelus with Pope Leo XIV, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, a day after he returned from the hospital, where he had lung cancer removed on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Faithful gather to welcome Pope Leo back for Sunday blessing after cancer surgery

Pope Leo XIV has returned to the Vatican after undergoing surgery to remove a lung tumor. He is making his first public appearance at St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, just a day after being released …

By COLLEEN BARRY and TRISHA THOMPSON
5 hours ago

Congo’s fast-moving Ebola outbreak spreads to eighth province

The Ebola outbreak in Congo has spread to an eighth province. The Health Ministry has recorded two cases, including one death, in Nord-Ubangi province. The outbreak, declared in mid-May, has resulted …
By The Associated Press
5 hours ago

AP News Digest 6 a.m.

Here are the AP’s top stories and promotable content. All times U.S. Eastern. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit AP Newsroom’s Coverage Plan. …
6 hours ago