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Film Festival Bonus

Cuban-born flutist, composer, educator and conductor Sheila Del Bosque performs for Mt. Edgecumbe High School students this morning in the Gil Truitt Activities Center. Del Bosque is in town, with her husband and fellow Berklee College of Music graduate, Nacho González Nappa, as part of the AMDocs Sitka 2026 documentary and animation film festival which kicks off tonight at the Performing Arts Center. Del Bosque will perform two original pieces in a program that includes the screening of "Sheila: Between Two Winds" a 14-minute documentary about her life by director Harry J. Xu.
FILM FESTIVAL BONUS - Cuban-born flutist, composer, educator and conductor Sheila Del Bosque performs for Mt. Edgecumbe High School students this morning in the Gil Truitt Activities Center. Del Bosque is in town, with her husband and fellow...
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Historical Society to Salute 'Magic' Creators

A 1983 Sitka High School yearbook photo shows Anson Maddox carried on a table by fellow Sci-fi Fantasy Book Club members, including Chris Tedin, left, and Mark Tedin, right. The three went on to create popular fantasy artworks.
Sitka Historical Society is preparing for some “magic” for its annual meeting, as well as a photo exhibit and fundraisers just before the Alaska Day holiday. “We go through a lot of effort to provide things for the public but it’s our mission,...
MONDAY IS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY -- Mt. Edgecumbe High School's Inpuiaq Dance group performs during the Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at Harrigan Centennial Hall in 2025. Festivities will be similar this year, with a "Sheet'ká Indigenous Peoples Day" celebration beginning 5 p.m. Monday at Centennial Hall. Outer Coast is organizing the event, which is free and open to the public. Festivities will include a fish and fry bread dinner and dance performances from local Tlingit dance groups as well as Native dance groups from Mt. Edgecumbe High School. Attendees are encouraged to bring potluck dishes, organizers said. (Sentinel File Photo by James Poulson)

Monday is Indigenous Peoples Day

MONDAY IS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY - Mt. Edgecumbe High School's Inpuiaq Dance group performs during the Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at Harrigan Centennial Hall in 2025. Festivities will be similar this year, with a "Sheet'ká Indigenous...
STUDENTS HONORED - At the Sitka School Board meeting on Wednesday, Sitka High math teacher Peter Vu recognizes students (left to right) Wyatt Crosiar, Silas Toss, Daniel Muéller and Eir Christianson for their achievements at the Alaska Association of Student Governments conference in Healy, Sept. 25-27.Crosiar, Todd and Muéller co-authored a resolution that passed with unanimous consent at AASG. It would require the state to provide funding so that each school can have free menstrual products in school bathrooms. The executive board of AASG chose it as the "resolution of the conference," Vu said Wednesday.Meanwhile, Eir Christianson was elected by Southeast region representatives at AASG as "delegate of the region," or the Southeast delegate who best exemplified the values of AASG. "I'm very proud of this bunch," Vu said.  "They not only won those two awards, but I was approached by an executive board member who expressed that she really values our school's presence at the conference for being kind, engaging, and collaborative with other student council groups." (Sentinel staff photo by Anna Laffrey)

Board Hears Report On Enrollment Drop

Honors for school principals, student government leaders, the Sitka High softball and track teams, and district “students of the month” lit up the Sitka School Board meeting on Wednesday, before the board heard reports from middle school and...
In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Sitkans Against Family Violence Shelter workers plant flags in the Sitka Courthouse lawn Wednesday. The flags represent statistics at the shelter including the number of bed nights provided over the year, 5,415; the number of women at the shelter, 43; the number of men at the shelter, 10; the 13 children at the shelter; and the 35 domestic disturbance calls made to the Sitka Police Department. Pictured are, from left, Martina Kurzer, Jackie DeBell and Susan Cross.

DV Awareness

DV AWARENESS - In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Sitkans Against Family Violence shelter workers plant flags in the Sitka Courthouse lawn Wednesday. The flags represent statistics at the shelter including the number of bed...
Cascadia Works: Tend Gather Harvest Restore, co-edited by Tele Aadsen and Jessica Gigot, is out now from Empty Bowl Press. Cover art is by Carly Brock.

Sitkans Are Writers, Subjects of New Anthology

Sitka locals share stories from the sea in Cascadia Works: Tend, Gather, Harvest, Restore, an anthology of literary and artistic pieces co-edited by Tele Aadsen, a Southeast Alaska troll fisherman, and Jessica Gigot, a Skagit Valley farmer, and...

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Community news
Unitarians Gather
"The Call for a New Economy" will be the topic of Sunday’s meeting of the Sitka Unitarian Fellowship.  The discussion will follow the showing of the video "Closer to Home – Voices of Hope in a Time of Crisis." Gathering is at 10:30 a.m....
Sitka Chamber Sets Fall Speaker Series
The Sitka Chamber of Commerce Fall Speakers Series speaker Oct. 21 will be Monique Anderson. Anderson will tell about the master plan for Sitka’s Parks and Recreation. Other members of the foundation will speak, and invite conversation with...
4-H Pie Day Set For 4-H Members
New and returning 4-H members can make mini apple pies to take home at the Sitka Pioneer Manager's Home on Friday, Oct. 23. Cloverbuds (ages 5-8) will meet 2-3 p.m. and ages 9 and up will meet 3-4 p.m.  Contact Jasmine Shaw with any...
4-H Birding Club Meetings Planned
Sitka Spruce Tips 4-H Club invites youths ages 5-18 to join a monthly birding club. Greg Filipek will lead a bird walk through Sitka National Historical Park at the next club meeting on Oct. 15. Youths must be registered as 4-H members to attend....
BHV Caregiver Support Offered
Brave Heart Volunteers is inviting caregivers to its monthly caregiver support dinner 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the BHV office, 120 Katlian Street. The event is a space for caregivers to have a meal and build community. Call 907 747-4600 or...
Tribal Election Slated for STA
Sitka Tribe of Alaska will hold its tribal election 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, at Sheet ká Kwáan Naa Kahídi, 200 Katlian Street. Eligible voters will elect a chairperson and four general council members. Early voting is Oct. 2-Nov. 9. New...
Octobear Fest at Fortress of Bear
Fortress of the Bear is planning its annual OctoBEAR Fest event 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 24-25 on the  organization’s last open weekend of the season. Last admission will be at 1:30 p.m. Events will include games, crafts, activities, a photo...
Literary Pumpkin Pageant at Library
Sitka Public Library invites the public to participate in a Literary Pumpkin Pageant. Decorated pumpkins with a bookish theme can be dropped off at the library on Oct. 24. The public will vote on their favorites from Oct. 26 to 31. The winning...
BMS Triathlon Slated Saturday
Blatchley Middle School will host its triathlon 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. Motorists should be aware bike riders and runners will be along Halibut Point Road during that time.
School Policy Panel to Meet
Sitka School District Policy Committee will meet 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, in the Sitka School District office board room. A link to a full list of policies to be reviewed may be found on the district website. No action will be taken at the...

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Police blotter

Police Blotter
October 9, 2026

Sitka Police Department logged the following calls Thursday. Thursday, October 9 Police checked out a caller's concern over what an ailing woman had said, and found she was not suicidal. A man and woman were reported fighting in the 400 block...

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Obituaries
 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...
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...
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,...
Max Edmund Williams Dies; Life-long Alaskan Was 81
Max Edmund Williams, whose Tlingit name was K’wanee, was born in Yakutat, Alaska, on September 9, 1944, to Ned and Emma Williams. He passed away peacefully at home in Sitka on August 11, 2026, leaving behind a life filled with adventure, family,...

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Sports

Flipside: Main Venue For AK Pinball Champs

Derek Bowen plays pinball as Luke Johnson gets ready to play at the Flipside Arcade on Lincoln Street during a tournament in 2025.
State pinball officials this week announced that Flipside Arcade will be the permanent home of the Alaska State Pinball Championships, including for the upcoming state tournament January 15-17. “Establishing Flipside Arcade as the permanent home...

Wolves Post High Scores at Tri-meet

Sitka High School's Taryn Fleming swims the girls 100 yard butterfly during the Juneau Invitational at the Dimond Park Aquatic Center on Friday, September 4. Fleming placed first in both the 200IM and 100 back at the tri-meet in Anchorage, Friday October 2.
Sitka High swimmers posted competitive times and results in Friday’s tri-meet with Dimond and East High School in Anchorage. Sitka boys scored the most points in the meet with 105 followed by Dimond with 76 and East High School with 36. On the...

City League Basketball Update

The 2026 City League basketball season continued Wednesday night at the Blatchley Middle School gymnasium, with The Real Allen Marine defeating Harry Race 81-45 in a matchup between two masters teams. Jeremy Plank led all scorers with 16...

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Sitka Yesterday
October 9, 2026

20 YEARS AGO

September 2006

The Sitka Mountain Rescue Team has become the first search and rescue squad in the state to receive state certification as a certified ambulance service. “By doing this we’re setting a precedent to standardizing wilderness care around the state, said SMR Director Don Kluting.

50 YEARS AGO

September 1976

Don and Jan Craddick bring us good news from their friend Capt. H. F. Olson, skipper of the Coast Guard Cutter Mellon, now stationed in Honolulu. The 375-foot ship with 19 officers and 160 enlisted men aboard will be here for Alaska Day and have an open house.

Read previous Sitka Yesterdays

Around Alaska

Renters in Alaska aren't moving. Here's what the data shows.

TurboTenant reports on renter mobility in Alaska.

Second ‘Big Beautiful’ lease sale in Alaska’s Cook Inlet planned after first sale flops

The Trump administration on Friday announced that it will hold an offshore lease sale in federal waters of Cook Inlet next March, about a year after a similar federal lease sale offering the same acreage drew no bids. The auction — to offer 1 million acres of federal offshore territory — is part of a […]
This photo made with a smartphone shows Independent Alaska U.S. House candidate Bill Hill, who is challenging Rep. Nick Begich, R-Alaska, speaking with supporters at a campaign event in Juneau, Alaska, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

A small-town Alaska fisherman has Republicans on the defensive as they try to keep US House majority

Bill Hill is running for Congress as an independent in Alaska and he's positioning himself as a working-class candidate who can relate to people's frustrations with high fuel and other costs. Hill is …

State report shows heating fuel prices are at a record high in rural Alaska

The average price of a gallon of heating fuel — No. 1 diesel — in rural Alaska reached a record $7.97 per gallon in August, according to the latest biannual survey conducted by the Alaska Division of Community and Regional Affairs. The rural average, based on a survey of 100 communities taken between July 15 […]

Two Alaska governor candidates advocate lower minimum wage, rollback of sick leave law

If elected, Republican governor candidates Dave Bronson and Bernadette Wilson said they would seek to roll back Alaska’s mandatory sick leave law and eliminate a minimum wage increase approved by voters in 2024.  The two spoke at a forum hosted Wednesday in Juneau by the Juneau Chamber of Commerce, which is in favor of rolling […]
Deckhand Justin Schramm lifts trawl doors, which help spread the mouth of the net open, from the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Trawl fishing catches huge amounts of seafood. It also devastates the seafloor

Trawling is a fishing method using large nets to catch fish and shellfish in bulk. Bottom trawls scrape the seafloor for species such as cod and shrimp, while pelagic trawls target fish higher in the …

Crew members haul in a catch aboard the F/V Progress in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska, Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

The fish behind America’s fish sticks is fueling a fight over trawling in Alaska

The nets for Alaska’s massive pollock fishery also catch salmon and other marine life. As salmon runs collapse across western Alaska, Indigenous communities and smaller commercial fishers say …

Book banning is a spooky practice

October is a time of witches, goblins, ghosts, and ghouls — and also a time for us to contemplate the ramifications of book banning as we recognize Banned Books Week this week.  Book banning — and burning — is nothing new to the human species. According to a historical timeline on thisbookisbanned.com, early historical actions […]

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From the Associated Press
National news
A displaced Yemeni family sits beside a makeshift shelter along a roadside in Aden, Yemen, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)

Airstrikes on Yemen's capital, drone hits vessel in Strait of Hormuz, and other Mideast developments

Yemen's Houthi rebels say the country's capital Sanaa was hit during overnight airstrikes. The Iran-backed rebels' media center on Monday blamed Saudi Arabia for the strikes. India's Foreign Ministry …
Selma Blair arrives at the Variety's Power of Women on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, at The Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Actor Selma Blair taken into custody by police responding to physically abusive passenger on plane

Authorities say actor Selma Blair was taken into custody after a flight from Los Angeles to New York for being physically abusive and injuring two flight attendants. The 54-year-old Blair was taken …
FILE - Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks during a news conference on Jan. 28, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray, File)

The Latest: Homeland Security agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar's home

Homeland Security agents have searched the home of Rep. Ilhan Omar as part of a criminal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke with The Associated Press on condition …
FILE - Young people hold a banner as they lead a celebratory march for Indigenous Peoples Day, Oct. 9, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, file)

What is Indigenous Peoples Day? A day of celebration, protest and reclaiming history

Indigenous people celebrate their history of resilience with ceremonies, dances and speeches. President Joe Biden officially commemorated Indigenous Peoples Day in 2021. An increasing number of …
International
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman chairs his delegations during the 17th Ministerial Meeting of the International Energy Forum (IEF), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Baraa Anwer)

Saudis probe how defense systems failed to stop deadly Houthi attack on Riyadh airport

Saudi Arabia has launched an investigation into how its air defenses failed to intercept missiles and drones fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The attack on Riyadh airport killed at least 13 people …
FILE - A Nobel medal is held up during a ceremony in New York, Dec. 8, 2020. (Angela Weiss/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Nobel memorial prize in economics to be awarded in Stockholm

The Nobel memorial prize in economics is the last to be announced this year. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences will announce the winners Monday in Stockholm. Three researchers who probed the …
Local residents protest the Spanish government's handling of the Ceuta border crisis, two months after it occurred, in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. Banners read in Spanish: "Ceuta does not give up". (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Spain's royals set to visit Ceuta as migration crisis exposes divisions

Spain's Ceuta, a city in North Africa, is facing a migration crisis that has exposed deep divisions. The crisis began in late July when about 80,000 people crossed from Morocco, driven by rumors that …
Currency traders work at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Asian shares are mixed and Brent crude at $104 a barrel after Trump says US will buy Russian diesel

Asian shares are mixed and oil prices have steadied as U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to purchase diesel from Russia draws criticism from some lawmakers. South Korea's Kospi lost 3.7% early …
National Sports
Cleveland Guardians players celebrate after Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Williams, Ramírez lead Guardians over White Sox 2-0 to cap comeback in 5-game AL Division Series

Gavin Williams had 12 of a record 21 strikeouts by Cleveland pitchers, José Ramírez homered on a pitch just above home plate and the Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 2-0 to complete a comeback …

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, center, celebrates with right wing Jack Quinn, right, after scoring as Florida Panthers center Lars Eller (20) lays on the ice during the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Sabres' Dahlin leaves with upper-body injury in 2nd period against Panthers

The Buffalo Sabres ruled out captain Rasmus Dahlin after he sustained an upper-body injury in the second period against the Florida Panthers on Monday. The Sabres did not provide any further details …
Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop (18) runs for yardage as he is chased by Auburn linebackers Xavier Atkins (17) and Elijah Melendez, left, during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Auburn will be without standout linebacker Xavier Atkins against No. 1 Georgia

Auburn will be without standout linebacker Xavier Atkins, the team’s second-leading tackler, against top-ranked Georgia on Saturday. Coach Alex Golesh made the announcement and declined to revealed …
Entertainment
Victor Martinez, who runs La Mega 101.7, a Spanish-language radio station in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, hosts a politics talk show from his studio in Allentown, Pa., on Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

A Spanish-language radio show overflows with voters' frustration in Pennsylvania battleground

Victor Martinez, who runs a Spanish-language radio station in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, talks about voters' frustration with everyday realities like higher fuel prices and inflation ahead of …

FILE - Director Alex Gibney poses for portrait photographs for the film 'Musk' during the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP, File)

Alex Gibney’s ‘Musk’ has already gotten under Elon Musk’s skin. It goes nationwide this week

Elon Musk has been vocal against Alex Gibney's documentary “Musk,” calling the filmmaker names like “idiot” and “horrible human.” The film opened in select theaters this weekend and goes …
Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman are overjoyed to be opening the 70th London Film Festival with biographical drama "Elsinore," about actor Ian Charleson's final performance at the city's National Theatre. (Oct. 7)

What to know about the London Film Festival 2026

The 70th London Film Festival kicks off with a star-studded lineup and a mix of award hopefuls and world premieres. The festival, running from October 7 to 18, features actors like Adam Driver, …
Health
Pope Leo XIV delivers the Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

What to know about Pope Leo’s planned lung nodule surgery

Pope Leo XIV is to have an operation to remove a localized lung nodule detected early. Experts say the nodule could be benign or malignant and that early detection is key. If it is cancerous, they …

Pope Leo XIV delivers the Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Business as usual at the Vatican as Pope Leo prepares to have surgery to remove a lung nodule

It's business as usual at the Vatican, a day after Pope Leo XIV revealed he would have an operation this week to remove a lung nodule. The 71-year-old Leo revealed the discovery during his Sunday …

Texas health agency proposes eliminating children’s autism program

Texas health officials have proposed cutting funding for a program that helps autistic children communicate. The Children's Autism Program offers therapy at reduced costs, but the Texas Health and …
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