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Most read stories

Seasonal Halt Oct. 31 on Lake Street Project

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

4 days ago

Fond Memories

4 days ago

Data Center Control New Issue for Sitka

By ANNA LAFFREY
Sentinel Staff Writer

5 days ago

Taxi, Tour Drivers Share Views on Ordinance

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

3 days ago

Police Chief Hall Warns of Fentanyl Danger

By ANNA LAFFREY
Sentinel Staff Writer

Wednesday, October 14

JKT Brings Campaign, With Music, to Town

By MAYA GRAHAM
Special to the Sentinel
Friday, October 16

Today's top stories

It's More Than a Job, Say Sitka Election Workers

Wilma Stokes-Leslie, who works in the early voting site at Centennial Hall for the Nov. 3 general election, shows the 200-foot-long string that's provided by the Alaska Division of Elections for poll workers. State law prohibits any campaign material or active campaigning within 200 feet of a polling station – that includes hats, buttons and T-shirts. 
Early, in-person voting for Alaska’s general election opened in Sitka on Tuesday morning, and as of this afternoon more than 530 people had cast ballots at the Centennial Hall voting site. The Alaska Division of Elections reported Thursday that...

By ANNA LAFFREY
Sentinel Staff Writer

2 days ago
Sticky notes cover a board listing ideas for improving Lower Moller Field, Thursday at Harrigan Centennial Hall. The board was part of a community meeting hosted by Sitka Parks and Recreation Division and Sitka Recreation Foundation Thursday to gather input from Sitkans that would help build a long range Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

Sitkans Share Ideas for 20-Year Recreation Plan

More than a hundred Sitkans weighed in Thursday with their suggestions and priorities for a 20-year Parks and Recreation master plan. Sitka Recreation Foundation and the city Parks and Recreation division hosted the three-hour open house. The...

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

2 days ago
Work continues on the new QTS data center in Eagle Mountain on Friday, April 17, 2026. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

Planners Vote Down Data Centers for Now

As data center developers show interest in Alaska, city leaders are taking steps to keep data centers out of Sitka until proper local protections are in place. At their regular meeting Wednesday night Planning Commission members recommended in a...

By ANNA LAFFREY
Sentinel Staff Writer

3 days ago
Cab and tour operators ask questions as Assembly members Thor Christianson, foreground, and Scott Saline, out of frame, host a meeting on rule and rate changes Tuesday night at Harrigan Centennial Hall.

Taxi, Tour Drivers Share Views on Ordinance

A town hall discussion on the proposed ordinance to regulate the taxicab and commercial passenger business in Sitka drew a good turnout at Centennial Hall Tuesday night, and produced a number of suggestions for changes in proposed and current...

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

3 days ago
Proposed future closure and traffic flow for Monastery St. as a continuation of the Lake Street project.

Access to Be Restricted On Monastery Street

Starting next week "cut-through" traffic will be closed off on Monastery Street between DeGroff and Arrowhead streets, the city Public Works Department has announced. The traffic pattern change is timed with the Oct. 31 reopening of Lake Street,...

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

3 days ago
Katie Sherffius holds up a cardboard humpy as she rides with Tyrus Levack on the NSRAA float during the Alaska Day parade Sunday. Judges awarded the float a prize for the most representative of the theme, "Our City, Our Story." The U.S. Army won the "best marching group" award.; the Seattle Firefighters  Pipes and Drums corps won "best musical group" award; GCI took the "best business group" award.; the Baranof Ballers won the "best youth group" award; Sitka Emblem Club was judged "best nonprofit"; Sitka High School Band was deemed "most outstanding school group"; and Keystone Kops, Gray Bar Hotel won the "judges choice" award.

Alaska Day Parade Winners Listed

Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association had the float that was most representative of the parade's theme, "Our City, Our Story." U.S. Army members comprised the "Best Marching Group." Seattle Firefighters Pipes and Drums won "Best...
By Sentinel Staff
3 days ago
Sports

Hames Center 'Soft-Opens' New Hardwood

The Hames Center gym floor has never looked brighter – at least not in the past four decades. On Saturday, the Sitka Fine Arts Camp will mark the completion of a project to sand the floor, replace sections and make other improvements. The “soft...

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

2 days ago
Mt. Edgecumbe teammembers cheer for Lady Braves senior Ilana Kalke as she is taken down by Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé junior Harlee Brown in their 145-pound match during a dual meet at the George Houston Gymnasium, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. Kalke won the match by pin. JDHS defeated MEHS in the team scoring.

MEHS Lady Braves Scramble and Shoot at JDHS Dual Meet

The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé wrestling team brought back the old-school dual meet in the George Houston Gymnasium on Thursday, with the Crimson Bears boys grappling Anchorage’s Dimond High School Lynx and the Crimson Bears girls...
By KLAS STOLPE
Juneau Independent
2 days ago

Little League Annual Meeting Set for Tuesday

Sitka Little League is holding its annual meeting from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, at the Blatchley Middle School gymnasium. Parents, coaches, volunteers and fans of baseball and softball are encouraged to attend the meeting, Sitka Little...
2 days ago
Sitka High School's Taryn Fleming smiles after finishing   the 200 yard free style relay preliminary Friday at the Mt. Edgecumbe High School Aquatic Center.

Sitka High Swimmers Post Personal Best Times

Sitka High boys and girls racked up a number of personal and season’s best times at their only home meet last weekend at the Mt. Edgecumbe Aquatic Center. Sitka times and places are below; a story on the meet was in Tuesday’s Sentinel. SB stands...
By Sentinel Staff
3 days ago

City League Basketball Update: 10/22/26

Harry Race held off Allen Marine for a 51-46 win Wednesday night in City League masters basketball at the Blatchley Middle School gymnasium. Andrew Friske led all scorers with 25 points. Tonight, Vangreens will face Hard Tacos at 7:45 p.m. at...
3 days ago
Community News
Police blotter

Police Blotter
October 23, 2026

Police Blotter Sitka Police. Department logged the following calls Thursday. A caller reported possible bank fraud. No theft had occurred. The caller was advised on how to secure information. A sexual assault was reported and is under...

2 days ago
Obituaries
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...
2 days ago
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
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
Alaska News
In this photo made with a smartphone, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola, center, stands with supporters during a campaign event in Anchorage, Alaska, on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)

Sullivan, Peltola seek support from Alaska Native voters ahead of crucial Senate race

The major candidates in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race are both casting themselves as strong voices on Alaska Native issues as they seek support from the key constituency ahead of the Nov. 3 election. …
By BECKY BOHRER and HAVEN DALEY
5 hours ago

Gubernatorial candidates make their pitch at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention

The three gubernatorial candidates who spoke Friday at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention found plenty of common ground on education, fisheries, public safety and other subjects. But some divides emerged in what was, for the most part, a friendly and collegial panel discussion between Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Republicans Dave Bronson and Treg Taylor and […]
By Yereth Rosen
11 hours ago

Commentary: West Susitna’s tab won’t leave office with the governor

At an October 6 public meeting about Alaska’s next transportation plan, a Chilkat Valley resident asked why she couldn’t find projects for the Haines area over the next four years, despite road problems there. A state transportation official acknowledged that funding is limited. Not every community can get what it needs. Yet the same plan […]
By Melis Coady
12 hours ago
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Sitka Yesterday
October 23, 2026

20 YEARS AGO

October 2006 

Winners in the Alaska Day Ball included Celeste Tydingco who won the Frankie Haag Memorial Award of $100 for a ballgown made by the wearer. ... For the parade, Blatchley Middle School Band, Sitka Ninth Infantry, Juneau Shrine Club and Sitka Community Hospital won first place in their categories.

50 YEARS AGO

October 1976

Crowds were large and rainfall light for Sitka’s 109th anniversary of the transfer of Alaska from Russia to America. An opening event was raising and dedication of the Bicentennial Totem Pole, carved by Duane Pasco of Seattle, in the National Historical Park. .... For the Arrowhead Lions Club-sponsored fireworks every parking space around the Crescent Harbor area was full.

Costume prizes at the Lord Baranof Ball went to Willa Long and Warren Christianson, best-dressed couple; Jose Ashby, best dressed man; Jo Patterson, Native lady; Dorothy Streit, ballroom costume. Beard winners were Wayne Olson, longest; Jim Daubney Best of Show; and John Henson, Scrawniest.

2 days ago
From the Associated Press
National news
Milwaukee Brewers' Sal Frelick watches his home run during the sixth inning of Game 2 of baseball's World Series, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Milwaukee, between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Frelick, Pratt lift Brewers to 5-4 comeback win over Rays and 2-0 World Series lead

Sal Frelick tied the score with his first home run in three months, Cooper Pratt hit a go-ahead single in the seventh inning and the Milwaukee Brewers stunned the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 for a 2-0 World …
By RONALD BLUM
54 minutes ago
A young man holds a Serbian flag as people gather for the final "Student List – Students Win" rally ahead of a parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

Serbia holds a parliamentary election as populist Vucic faces protesting students

Serbians are voting in a parliamentary election seen as a showdown between populist leader Aleksandar Vucic and a student-led movement. The election is shaping up as a referendum between Vucic's …
By JOVANA GEC and JUSTIN SPIKE
2 hours ago
Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) throws a pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Missouri, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in Oxford, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Ole Miss-Texas and Houston-Utah are the headliners but intrigue lurks in Week 8

Last week was intense, with six Top 25 matchups in college football and five of the top seven teams losing on the same day for the first time in 90 years. This week, there are just two big games: No. …
By ERIC OLSON
2 hours ago
FILE - The roundabout at FAMU Way is seen on the Florida A&M University campus in Tallahassee, Fla., Thursday, June 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Wallheiser,File)

At least 12 people injured in shooting near a football stadium in Florida

Authorities say at least 12 people were injured, including six children, in a shooting near a football stadium in Tallahassee on homecoming weekend for Florida A&M University. Tallahassee Police …
3 hours ago
International
Posters featuring independent presidential candidate Andrey Gyurov and his vice-presidential running mate, Georgi Kandev are displayed on screens during their campaign's closing event in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, on Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

Bulgaria holds a presidential election dominated by economic hardship and the Ukraine war

Bulgarians are heading to the polls to elect their next president as drone attacks on Black Sea shipping and growing economic hardships weigh on the voters. The election on Sunday is also the first …
15 minutes ago
Israelis living abroad are returning to Israel to vote in the October 27 election, the first since the October 7, 2023 attacks. Organisers estimate that up to 67,000 expatriates could travel back, with many viewing the vote as a chance to challenge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership amid ongoing political turmoil. (AP video by Ami Ben Tov)

Tens of thousands of Israelis living abroad are expected to fly in for pivotal vote

Tens of thousands of Israelis living abroad are expected to fly in for this month’s election. That's according to AID Coalition, a U.S.-based nonprofit focused on strengthening Israel’s …
By SAM MEDNICK and NATALIE MELZER
32 minutes ago
A girl standing on a man's shoulders reaches out amid a crowd of supporters of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for reelection, during his final campaign rally, a day ahead of the presidential runoff election in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Brazil faces a tense Lula vs Bolsonaro runoff with US influence over Latin America at stake

Brazilians are choosing between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro in a polarizing presidential election. The vote will determine if the U.S. expands its influence in the …
By ELÉONORE HUGHES and MAURICIO SAVARESE
3 hours ago
FILE - Visitors tour the exhibition booths operated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing on June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

As the US and China form AI blocs, countries are increasingly torn between them

With the two leading AI powers, the United States and China, forming their own AI blocs, other countries are maneuvering to harness the strengths of both groupings without alienating either and …
By CHAN HO-HIM and DIDI TANG
4 hours ago