Local organizations and topics
Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
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Week of Jun 1
Alaska training academy graduates 24 officers after 17-week program
Alaska Law Enforcement Training Academy graduated 24 officers Wednesday after completing 17 weeks of training in Sitka, with recruits joining the State Troopers, Wildlife Troopers, State Parks, and municipal police departments across the state.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Mt. Edgecumbe names new academic, residential principals as applicant deadline nears
Big change ups at Mount Edgecumbe High School, also there's a deadline approaching quickly for students
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Kreiss-Tomkins picks Anchorage Assembly member Zac Johnson as running mate
Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, a Democratic-aligned candidate for Alaska governor, selected Anchorage Assembly member Zac Johnson as his running mate on the final filing day Monday.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Week of May 25
Alaska LNG could cost $70 billion; state's 25% stake faces dilution
Alaska’s LNG project may have just gotten a $24 billion “whoops.” The state has been planning around a $46 billion price tag, but lawmakers were told the real number may be closer to $70 billion — which is less of a budget update and more of a financial jump scare.
by Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Week of May 18
Sitka Deputy Mayor Pike to resign; Assembly to fill vacant seat
Sitka Deputy Mayor Timothy Pike resigns effective June 23, 2026. Assembly votes May 26 on how to fill the seat and adopts three budget ordinances for fiscal year 2027. Meeting starts 6 p.m. at Assembly Chambers, 330 Harbor Drive.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Alaska hydropower projects to receive millions in federal funding
Four Alaska hydropower projects will share millions in federal funding for upgrades, with tax credits covering 30 to 50 percent of new construction costs through 2033.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago4 min read
Alaska Senate adopts final operating, mental health and capital budgets
Alaska Senate passed fiscal year 2027 operating budget on 17-3 vote, balanced at $75 per barrel oil without drawing from savings. • Mental health budget approved 20-0, adding $3.5 million for behavioral health treatment and $500,000 for crisis call center. • Capital budget concurred 18-2, including $32.5 million for University of Alaska deferred maintenance and school and port projects.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Alaska Legislature fails to override veto of pension bill
Alaska Legislature fell seven votes short of overriding the governor's veto of a bill that would have restored pension options for public employees and teachers, voting 33-27 when 40 votes were needed.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
More from Sitka
Week of May 11
Alaska News Roundup: Gas pipeline tax fight, Point Thomson trade-off, and McNeil River access debate
Senate passed gas pipeline tax bill raising oil production tax floor to six percent, drawing industry criticism. • Point Thomson regulators warn blowdown for pipeline risks sixty-five million barrels of condensate. • Mount Edgecumbe enrollment dropped a quarter to three hundred eleven students amid facility and health concerns. • Fish and Game reviews wheeled plane landings at McNeil River bear sanctuary despite conservation objections.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Sitka voters to decide charter change on initiative and referendum power
Sitka voters will decide in October whether to change how the city handles citizen initiatives and referendums, after the Assembly advanced the charter amendment on May 12.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readNew Forensic Methods May Help Alaska Museums Identify Ancestors
Alaska museums host a May 19 virtual meeting on new genetic methods to identify ancestral remains and connect them to tribes for repatriation.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readSitka cemetery caretaker Bob Sam honored after decades of quiet service
Bob Sam, who spent over 30 years maintaining Sitka's cemeteries and working on Alaska Native repatriation, received the 2026 First Lady's Volunteer Award on May 12.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readWeek of May 4
Alaska House bill would tighten hunting, fishing residency to 180 days
House Bill 93 would require hunters and fishers to spend 180 days in-state to claim resident status. It takes effect January 2028.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Week of Apr 27
Alaska marks 50 years of regional education attendance areas
Alaska marked 50 years of Regional Education Attendance Areas, the system that brought local control to rural schools serving 15 percent of students across more than half the state.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Alaska moves to standardize wildfire evacuation alerts statewide
Alaska is moving to standardize wildfire evacuation alerts statewide using a three-tier Ready, Set, Go system after confusion during the 2022 Clear Fire left residents uncertain about danger zones.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Week of Apr 20
Senate Finance advances pension bill with municipal opt-in provision
The Senate Finance Committee advanced a pension bill on April 24 that lets municipalities choose whether to pay higher rates for the new plan.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
Coming up
Alaska Supreme Court oral argument: Breanna Martin, f/k/a Breanna Wampler v. Richard W. McGrath, City and Borough of Sitka Alaska
Anchorage, Boney Courthouse
Hearing
Alaska Supreme Court Hearing - Wampler v. McGrath, M.D., and City and Borough of Sitka
Hearing
Sales Tax Free Days 2026
Community event
Sitka Sales Tax Free Days
Public notice
Sitka Planning Commission Written Findings Adoption on Courthouse Proposal
Public notice
About Sitka
Sitka, known in Tlingit as Sheetʼká and historically as New Archangel, is a city and borough on Baranof Island in Southeast Alaska. It was the capital of Russian America, and the Tongass National Forest surrounds it.
The Sitka Assembly and planning commission decide questions of housing and zoning, taxes, utility fees and land use, including rules on backyard apartments and data centers. Commercial fishing, tourism and salmon hatchery management in Sitka Sound support the economy.
The Sitka Tribe of Alaska works on cultural matters that include the return of ancestors and sacred items from museum collections. Sitka shares Southeast Alaska with Juneau, Wrangell, Petersburg and other towns that face common questions about fisheries, sewage treatment and housing.
More from Sitka
Senate passes capital budget focused on school maintenance
Alaska Senate passed a capital budget prioritizing school maintenance over new construction, targeting roughly 15 projects from a $401 million statewide list.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read