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Most read stories

Taxi, Tour Drivers Share Views on Ordinance

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

Thursday, October 22

Hyperphagia

5 days ago

Missing Boater Found Dead

By Sentinel Staff
2 days ago

Players Call Their Shots in Neil Huff Pool Tourney

By ANNA LAFFREY
Sentinel Staff Writer

3 days ago

Coast Guard Preparing Kukui for Fright Nights

MAYA GRAHAM
Special to the Sentinel
3 days ago

Search Continues for Ancestor at Carlisle

ANNA LAFFREY for the Ketchikan Daily News
4 days ago

Today's top stories

Spooks on The Street? It's Just the Stardust Ball

Randy Ferguson and Susan Brandt-Ferguson arrive at Harrigan Centennial Hall for the 2024 Stardust Ball dressed as green and red buoys. This year's ball takes place Saturday.
The day of the annual Stardust Ball on Saturday, you’re apt to run into someone putting the finishing touches on a Sitka-theme get-up for the costume contest. Or just as likely combing thrift stores for inspiration hours before doors...

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

9 hours ago
The Stratton Library building on the SJ campus is pictured today. The Sitka Planning Commission is set to consider a conditional use permit to allow use of the building as a courthouse.

Stratton Courthouse Hearing Set for Nov. 4

Sitka Planning Commission on Wednesday will consider a conditional use permit to convert the first floor of the Stratton Library into a new courthouse for Sitka. The property is the Residential-2 zone which requires a conditional use permit for...

By SHANNON HAUGLAND and ANNA LAFFREY Sentinel Staff

9 hours ago
Sitka Tribe of Alaska Director Bert Adams.

STA Child Center Gets National Accreditation

STA Earns Accreditation from National Children’s Alliance Sitka Tribe of Alaska announced this week that its Child Advocacy Center has earned national accreditation reserved for programs providing the highest quality of services possible to...
By Sentinel Staff
9 hours ago
Trollers ply Sitka Sound near Mt. Edgecumbe August, 2026.

Seafood Industry Urges Fishermen: Cast a Vote

A coalition of Alaska commercial seafood industry organizations is giving fishermen and processors tools to boost voter turnout in the governor’s race. The nonpartisan Dock the Vote task force is educating fishermen on absentee and early voting,...

By ANNA LAFFREY
For the Wrangell Sentinel

2 days ago
Bill Hill, independent candidate for Alaska’s U.S. House seat, center, sits with Sitka fishermen Jeff Farvour, left, and Dick Curran during a meet-and-greet at the Seafood Producers Cooperative plant on Wednesday afternoon. Hill brought his campaign to Sitka less than a week before the Nov. 3 general election. He is challenging Republican incumbent Rep. Nick Begich with the endorsement of the Alaska Democratic Party.In the SPC break room, fishermen discussed challenges facing Southeast Alaska’s commercial fisheries, including rising fuel and equipment costs, shifts in harvest allocations from commercial to sport fishing, competition with the cruise tourism industry for waterfront facilities, a shortage of housing for processing workers and difficulties obtaining vessel insurance.Hill shared his experiences as a Bristol Bay commercial fisherman. In King Salmon, near his hometown of Naknek, he said, charter fishing operations are owned and operated by people who do not live in the community. “They come in the spring to get things ready. ... They fly out in the fall and don’t leave a lot behind,” Hill said.The fishermen discussed ways Alaska’s U.S. representative could support Southeast commercial fisheries, including protecting fish habitat and forests, limiting trawl-fishery bycatch of important commercial species, supporting energy-efficiency projects and ensuring U.S. Department of Agriculture seafood funding benefits locally owned processors amid corporate consolidation.They also described the role that independent, fisherman-owned operations such as SPC play in supporting commercial fishermen.

Fish Bill

FISH BILL - Bill Hill, independent candidate for Alaska’s U.S. House seat, center, sits with Sitka fishermen Jeff Farvour, left, and Dick Curran during a meet-and-greet at the Seafood Producers Cooperative plant on Wednesday afternoon. Hill...
2 days ago
The village of Angoon, Alaska in 2014.

Missing Boater Found Dead

A Southeast Alaska boater missing since Tuesday was found dead early Wednesday afternoon, troopers said. Angoon resident Roger Williams Jr. was reported missing to Alaska State Troopers at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday after the 35-year-old didn’t...
By Sentinel Staff
2 days ago
Sports

MEHS Braves Reflect on Tourney Play in Juneau

Sitka High and Mt. Edgecumbe High School wrestlers got their first taste of tournament competition this season at the Southeast Showdown in Juneau over the weekend, where the Wolves and Braves came away with several strong finishes and an early...

By ANNA LAFFREY
Sentinel Staff Writer

9 hours ago

Sports Calendar: 10/30/26

Today, Oct. 27 Sitka High and Mt. Edgecumbe High School musicians participate in Honor Music Festival @ Haines Friday, Oct. 30 5:15 p.m. SHS Swim & Dive competes in ASAA Region V Championship preliminaries @ Dimond Park Aquatic Center in...
9 hours ago
Sitka High School's Tommy McCarthy swims the boys' 100-yard freestyle during the Juneau Invitational at the Dimond Park Aquatic Center on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026.

SHS Wolves Swimmers Prepare for Regionals

The tapering may continue, but Southeast Alaska’s high school swim and dive athletes will be striving to post top state qualifying times at the Dimond Park Aquatic Center. Sitka High Wolves swimmers are traveling for the region meet hosted by the...
By KLAS STOLPE
Juneau Independent
2 days ago

City League Basketball Update: 10/29/26

Blanco's Buckets forfeit a City League basketball game Yuyo's Edge on Tuesday. Regular season games continue through Dec. 17, and division tournaments run the whole month of January. City League games at Blatchley are free and open to the...
Sentinel Staff
2 days ago
Josh Partido, no. 3, rises for a layup in traffic during a game against Kenai Central Kardinals, February 13, 2026.

Wolves Basketball Fish & Chips Dinner Fundraiser Set for Sunday

The Sitka High basketball team hopes its fundraiser Sunday will assist in delivering a solid financial slam dunk just ahead of the official start of the season. The team’s fish and chips dinner and dessert auction fundraiser is 5 p.m. this Sunday...

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

3 days ago
Community News
Police blotter

Police Blotter
October 30, 2026

Police Blotter Sitka Police. Department logged the following calls Thursday. Thursday, October 29 Police were asked to check on the welfare of a person. The person was OK. A fire alarm went off at 11:25 a.m. on Lake Street but there was no...

9 hours ago
Obituaries
Aaron D. Wrenn Dies at 59; Was Former Sitka Resident
Aaron D. Wrenn, of Wasilla, Alaska, died on August 7, 2026 from a long battle with cancer, he was 59 years old. Aaron was born June 20, 1967 at Mt. Edgecumbe hospital, he was the 8th child of Wayne and Selina Wrenn. He attended Sitka High School...
2 days ago
Screenshot
Wayne C. Bowers Dies; Business Owner was 69
Wayne Cameron Bowers, a construction company owner, fisherman, and a 24-year Sitka resident, died August 11 of a heart condition in Burien, Washington. He was 69. No services are scheduled at this time. Wayne was born June 22, 1957, in Chapel...
Friday, October 23
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...
Friday, October 16
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
Alaska News
This photo provided by KOSU shows Hodokii Johnson, Muscogee and descendant of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, holding the hand of Kristin Gentry, Choctaw, as they hand poke three brown lines on each finger on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (Sarah Liese/KOSU via AP)

From salmonberry harvests to traditional tattoos, Native American culture is spotlighted in November

November marks the start of National Native American Heritage Month. It's a time to celebrate the diverse histories and cultures of hundreds of tribal communities across the U.S. In Alaska, a family …
By JESSICA HILL
3 hours ago
A sample election ballot is displayed in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)

Top federal prosecutor in Alaska says criminal probe underway over would-be spoiler Senate candidate

The top federal prosecutor in Alaska has confirmed the existence of a criminal investigation related to an alleged scheme to confuse voters by putting a candidate on the ballot with the same name as …
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, JOSHUA GOODMAN and BECKY BOHRER
5 hours ago
FILE - This combination photo shows Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, left, in Palmer, Alaska, Aug. 17, 2026, and a candidate in Alaska's Senate race, Dan Sullivan, right, in Petersburg, Alaska, July 3, 2026. (AP Photos/Mark Thiessen/Becky Bohrer, File)

FBI visits Dan J. Sullivan donor in candidate's home town as Alaska Senate inquiry widens

Federal authorities have intensified their investigation into an Alaska Senate candidate named Dan J. Sullivan, who shares a name with the Republican incumbent. The FBI began contacting donors on …
By JOSHUA GOODMAN and JIM MUSTIAN
5 hours ago
Find us on Facebook

Sitka Yesterday
October 30, 2026

20 YEARS AGO

October 2006 

Halloween! Raven Radio’s annual Stardust Ball and Lip Sync Extravaganza will be Oct. 28 at Centennial Hall. *** Sitka Edgecumbe Youth Football League will present the Haunted Hotel at Shee Atika Totem Square Inn this weekend. *** The Blatchley Kids Carnival will be Oct. 28 in the school multi-purpose room. *** Betty Eliason Child Care Center invites young Sitkans to the Halloween Spooky House and Carnival. *** The Outdoor Recreation Community Access group will have a pumpkin carving at the Salvation Army.

50 YEARS AGO

October 1976

The Alaska salmon harvest for 1976 totaled 41.7 million fish, the highest catch in nearlky five years but still signifcantly below the long-term average for the state, The Department of Fish and Game said today. The salmon season, which officially closed Thursday, represented a catch increase of 16 million fish over last year.

9 hours ago
From the Associated Press
National news
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting Welcome Reception at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (Megan Varner/Pool Photo via AP)

G20 foreign ministers to end Atlanta meeting without consensus on key issues

Top diplomats from the Group of 20 largest world economies will be wrapping up two days of talks in Atlanta without reaching consensus on several critical global security issues. This is after …
By MATTHEW LEE
5 hours ago
FILE - Escape artist Harry Houdini appears before being lowered in a packing crate into the ice-covered Detroit River in 1907. (AP Photo)

Houdini’s centennial spotlight: A newly published essay and a fresh fight over when and how he died

Harry Houdini, a century after his death, continues to captivate. A rare essay by the escape artist has been published, shedding light on his early influences. A recent book revisits questions about …
By HILLEL ITALIE
5 hours ago
FILE - Ballots are inspected the day after California's primary election at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center, June 3, 2026, in City of Industry, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Appeals court rejects Justice Department request for California to set aside disputed ballots

A federal appeals court has rejected the Justice Department’s request for California to set aside disputed ballots received in the midterm election. The panel’s 2-1 ruling is the latest setback …
By SAFIYAH RIDDLE
7 hours ago
This photo released by the Yamhill County Sheriff's Office shows a damaged helicopter after two helicopters collided and crashed into a farm field in Yamhill County, Ore., Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. (Yamhill County Sheriff's Office via AP)

2 helicopters crash midair in Oregon, killing an experienced pilot, an instructor and a student

An experienced Oregon pilot who mentored countless others, a 22-year-old flight instructor from Texas and a student pilot from the United Kingdom were killed when their two helicopters collided in …
By JOSH FUNK
7 hours ago
International
British adventurer Karl Bushby walks near Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, England, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, on the final stretch of his 28-year walk around the world to get back to his mother's home in Hull. (AP Photo/Brian Melley)

In 28 years of walking, Karl Bushby has overcome jungle, desert and red tape. Now he's nearly home

Karl Bushby has spent 28 years walking home, but as he approaches the finish Monday, he’s unsure if he’s ready for the journey to end. Bushby, 57, began his trek at the tip of South America in …
By BRIAN MELLEY
2 hours ago
Polish President Karol Nawrocki speaks at Malacañang Palace in Manila, Philippines, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (Ezra Acayan/Pool Photo via AP)

Police secure Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal as protests erupt over court chief’s suspension

Police have secured Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal as protesters gather against the suspension of the court’s president. Authorities detained three people after some breached the fence and …
BY CLAUDIA CIOBANU
3 hours ago
Police officers run toward protesters during a demonstration against rising living costs in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

France heads into third weekend of protests as youth-led rallies sweep Europe

France is bracing for a third weekend of protests over living costs and education, deploying 70,000 police and gendarmes. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warns of a “very high risk” of disorder, …
By THOMAS ADAMSON
3 hours ago
A local man rides a bicycle beneath anti-drone nets stretched over a street during a local ceasefire related to a humanitarian aid mission in Oleshky, in Kherson, Ukraine, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A rare Russia-Ukraine truce allows a humanitarian mission to reach the stricken city of Oleshky

Russian and Ukrainian officials have entered the devastated city of Oleshky following a rare ceasefire. The operation, led by Yana Lantratova from Russia and Ukraine’s Dmytro Lubinets, began after …
By HANNA ARHIROVA
3 hours ago