KCAW

The Sitka Assembly voted Tuesday night (10-27-26) to hold a special election in the new year. If the initiative is approved on second reading, Sitka voters will weigh in on a seasonal sales tax increase to fund a local childcare initiative. 

While assembly members agree the funding mechanism isn’t ideal, they say asking voters whether or not they support it is a step in the right direction. 

Childcare access in Sitka has been named a top priority by the city. According to a 30-page study commissioned earlier this year, Sitka’s childcare system has the capacity to serve only about half of the young children who need it.

In June, the Sitka Assembly settled on a $1 million a year plan to help address the growing shortage, but still had to find a way to pay for it. That’s how they ultimately came up with the idea of a seasonal sales tax increase. 

“We have been working on this now for pushing two years, I believe,” said co-sponsor Thor Christianson. “It’s been before the assembly a number of times. And we reached out and had more meetings and town halls than anything else [during] the entire time I’ve been on the assembly.”

If approved by voters, Sitka’s summer sales tax rate — that’s from April through September — would increase from 6% to 6.5%. Winter sales tax would remain unchanged. City staff anticipate the increase could raise more than $1 million in additional sales tax revenue per year to put towards workforce incentives, grants, a family scholarship fund, and a childcare career pathway program. 

Laurinda Marcello was one of a handful of community members who gave feedback on the proposal at the meeting. She said if private solutions could have solved the childcare shortage, they’d have worked by now. So instead, she said she throws her full support behind putting the sales tax question to voters.

“I got on a wait list for daycare when I was pregnant shortly after I announced to friends and family. But we did not get offered a licensed spot until my son was old enough to attend preschool,” she said. “So my husband left his job for about 1.5 years, which was a way more significant financial hit than a .5% sales tax increase would be to our family.”

Marcello said if she’d decided to have more children, she likely wouldn’t be able to continue to live in Sitka due to the financial stress. 

“I want new parents and parents adding children to their families to have better options than my family did, so that they can remain in Sitka for the long haul. That requires public investment,” she said.

Enrollment in the Sitka School District has been declining over the past two decades, and Lauren Wild, with the Early Childhood Coalition, said the lack of childcare is a factor. 

“Everyone in Sitka should be alarmed. That’s the future of our town,” Wild said. “We can argue over why, but people, like Laurinda said, are leaving Sitka if they want to have children. They’re not having children in Sitka. They’re only having one child. I hear these stories every day.”

Wild said passing this proposal is “the first step and a critical step in turning the tide.” 

Newly-elected Assembly Member Sherri Blankenship said she thinks the tax increase is “a lot like robbing Peter to pay Paul.” It’s solving one issue while adding to the financial burden on young people.

“Have we aggressively pursued every funding opportunity that we could possibly do as a community. That is something I don’t think that we have done,” she said. “I don’t think that we have fleshed this out completely to the point that it is structured, organized, and figured out before we brought this to the people and said ‘We’re going to raise your taxes because that’s the easiest thing to do to figure out how to fund this.’”

Blankenship, who ultimately voted in favor of putting the proposal to voters, suggested looking at things like adjusting the senior sales tax exemption or leaning into the assembly’s proposed public-private partnership where local businesses would make a financial contribution.

Co-sponsor Katie Riley said she also doesn’t love the funding mechanism the assembly settled on — she thinks it’s “a regressive tax” on the most tax burdened population in Sitka. But she said she wants the community to weigh in. 

“I don’t know how people are supposed to pay for childcare and a mortgage, especially with interest rates at this point in time, and still afford groceries,” Riley said. “This is really really impeding the ability of young people to make this community their home. With that being said, I strongly believe that we need some level of municipal investment in childcare to support the stabilization and the growth in our community.”

Ultimately, the assembly voted 6-1 on first reading in favor of putting the question to voters, with Assembly Member Darrell Windsor opposed. The issue will come back to the assembly table for a final vote on November 10. 

If passed, the city will hold a special election on February 2. 

More than a dozen undergrad and high school students stand on the upper deck of an Allen Marine boat snapping photos of six humpback whales surrounding them, Mt. Edgecumbe volcano rising in the background. 

They’re here as part of a National Geographic Photo Camp — a program that  brings together local youth with National Geographic photographers and explorers to gain the skills and tools to tell stories from their home communities. The 16 students learned photography techniques — both technical and conceptual — over the course of five days, culminating in a public showcase.

“It’s so important to put the camera in the hands of people whose stories are being told because they’re the only ones that can tell that story,” said Kirsten Elstner, founder and director of the program, which launched more than two decades ago.

“There’s something super powerful about a person, especially a young person, talking about, ‘This is my community. This is the beauty of my community. These are the challenges that we face. These are the stories that happen here,’ because no one else knows that. They’re the ones that are living it and growing up through it,” she said. 

This the 200th photo camp hosted by National Geographic in more than 50 countries: They’ve held camps from the Galapagos and the Peruvian Amazon to South Sudan and Pakistan. 

For this camp, which was hosted in collaboration with the Alaska Whale Foundation, local students had to apply and explain why they wanted to participate before being selected. Each student gravitated towards the photo workshop for a different reason, but all were motivated by a desire to tell stories. Some said they wanted to underscore the importance of conserving the plants and animals around them. Some said they wanted to share stories of navigating identity in Alaska. And others said they wanted to use their lens to highlight the small details in life that often go unnoticed.

Troy Mila, a junior at Mt. Edgecumbe High School from Utqiaġvik, is pretty new to photography, but said on his first day here, he watched a video about Samoan photographers that inspired him. He said he felt a “cultural resonance” and it was eye opening watching photographers that look like him describe their process. 

“Speaking their truth and talking on topics that I’ve been having some trouble with myself, like being trapped between two or three different cultures,” Mila said. “I’m kind of trapped between Western culture, Samoan culture, and Iñupiat culture, and that’s been kind of hard to deal with since I’ve been young.” 

But photography, he said, is helping him grapple with that and express his own story.

“I can talk about my experiences with finding my own identity and trying to figure out who I am in the world,” he said. 

14-year-old Malena Ollaol is from Yakutat and currently a freshman at Mt. Edgecumbe. Unlike Mila, she’s not new to the camera. She said photography has been helping her explain and process her emotions since she was 11. 

“I like taking photos of the things that most people wouldn’t stop to look at,” she said. “The small things, like raindrops on windows, or leaves, morning dew on the ground.”

According to Ollaol, camp is helping her refine her skills and allowing her to grow beyond what she’s learned from studying Youtube tutorials. And she said, it’s helped reinforce the importance of photography as a storytelling medium. 

“It’s faster to process an image rather than read a bunch of words,” Ollaol said. “Sometimes words just can’t explain what you see. Like a sunset: you could never perfectly capture the perfect shade of red in words that the sunset is. So images just describe things a lot better because they’re actually showing it rather than words just describing it.” 

“I think there is like a gut, visceral, instinctual level of looking at an image and being really moved by something,” said National Geographic photographer Pat Kane, who covers Indigenous communities in northern Canada and the Arctic. 

He said a great photo will bring the audience into the place it was taken in the moment it was taken, and, with luck, elicit a reaction.  

“Hopefully that inspires conversations, and maybe that conversation leads to change, or maybe it leads to leaning into something that you’re really inspired by,” Kane said. “It’s a bit naive to say that photography can change the world, but I think in some small ways, if you do it enough, it can build momentum to possibly change some things in our world.” 

David Schilp is National Geographic’s technical director for photo camp. Essentially he makes sure students have their cameras, SD cards, and other gear at the start of the day, and collects it all again at the end. 

He agrees with Kane that photography is a powerful tool for change, but also recognizes it isn’t the only one. He said he grew up with dyslexia and anxiety and took a long winding path to photojournalism. If these students take away just one thing from this photo camp, he hopes it’s the confidence to pursue what they love, whether that’s photography, carpentry, plumbing, or politics.  

“And even if people tell you no, or even if you don’t think you have the confidence to do it, if you work hard enough and if you have the confidence in yourself, that’s what matters the most,” Schilp said. “And it doesn’t have to be a straight line. Most times, people don’t have a straight line. I still don’t know what I want to do with my life, and I’ve had 10 different careers. So to let them know that they’re worthy and that they can do it.” 

But just in case students do want to pursue photography, they’ll get to keep their cameras at the end of the program to continue telling their own stories in their communities. 

Running of the Boots is back! Cosley Bruno and Kolby Sirowich from Sitka Conservation Society invite the community to put on rain gear and Halloween costumes for a race around the seawalk. The run will raise funds for Sheet’ká Splash Mountain Camp, a summer camp that promotes water safety and outdoor survival skills for middle and high schoolers. The event is this Saturday, Oct. 31, from 2 to 4 p.m. and will feature a bake sale and costume contest. Listen to the conversation here:

With just over two weeks until its annual election, Sheet’ká Ḵwáan Sitka Tribe of Alaska hosted a Tribal Council candidate forum on Thursday (10-22-26). 

Seven candidates are running for five open seats on the Sitka Tribe of Alaska Tribal Council. Incumbent council members Lillian Feldpausch – Jix’ Dul Saan, Alana Peterson – Gah Kith Tin, and Steve Johnson – Ixt’Ik’Eesh are all running for re-election along with candidates Rachel Moreno – Daas.óox, Gerry Hope – Jixeik, and Sonya Smith – Schuthlxnik. Tribal Chair Yeidikook’áa (Dionne Brady-Howard) is running for re-election unopposed.

Find more election information including a sample ballot here

At a forum hosted by STA on October 22, several candidates shared their perspectives on what the Tribe is doing well, and what they’d like to work on if elected or re-elected to a two-year term. 

In this year’s election, for the first time ever, tribal citizens will be able to cast their votes electronically.

Listen to the full forum, in two parts here:

North Carolina-based bluegrass band Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road, characterized as “the future of bluegrass,” will be performing at the Sitka Performing Arts Center on October 30 from 7-9 p.m. The show will mark Sitka Fine Arts Camp’s first of the season in their performing arts series. Kenley Jackson, program director at the nonprofit, and Liam Purcell, joined KCAW on the Morning Interview to discuss the upcoming concert. To find our more or purchase tickets, visit their website here. Listen to the conversation below:

Dressed in a white lab coat, a scientist lures a group of kids deeper into a dark room.

“We have to find the fish monster before it destroys the world. Hurry, come, come quickly,” she urges. “The fish monster turned me into this hideous beast.”

She wears a mask with crackly gray skin and a missing eye. Kids and parents cautiously weave their way through the Sitka Sound Science Center gift shop that’s been converted into a haunted house. Rubber gloves dangle from fishing nets draped over stacks of crates. People in creepy costumes jump out from behind barrels and pallets.

Most people passing through scream as they turn every corner. But 10-year-old Stella doesn’t seem super spooked as she giggles at the jump scares. She’s wearing a baggy gray sweatshirt with splotches of green paint across her face. Stella says she’s a zombie rapper.

“I am a zombie. My name is Dan. You don’t think I can rap, but I can, can, can,” she says.

Inside the main building, crowds of costumed children zip from room to room under the warm glow of string lights. Families wander around the touch tank, now home to jack-o-lanterns.

“This one did have a wonderful face with like a whole squid eye, but it’s a little hard to tell now,” says aquarist Matt Wilson.

He points to a slouching pumpkin in the water. Urchins cling to its sides.

“Urchins will kind of eat whatever they can put in their mouth. So if there’s something new around, for example a pumpkin, we have found that they will be absolutely start snacking on it,” Wilson explains.

Kari Paustian, the education coordinator at the science center, is helping kids make potions.

“Let’s do a big scoop of powdered unicorn horn,” Paustian says, a spoonful of baking soda in hand.

The ingredients are things you might not find in your kitchen — goblin goo, witch’s tears, and dragon’s blood.

There’s also stations where kids can dissect owl pellets from the Alaska Raptor Center or create creepy characters from marine debris like plastic water bottles or old buoys. Seven-year-old Magnus turned a scratched orange buoy into a face with a sinister smile.

“Five pipe cleaners, four bottle caps, and one old fishing rope that’s been snapped,” Magnus lists.

He’s aptly named it “Crazy Buoy.”

“It looks like if somebody’s head was a pumpkin and it fell off!” Magnus says.

Magnus’ creation might be a good feature in next year’s haunted house. But for now, he’s bringing it home to decorate for Halloween.

Data centers are proliferating in rural areas across the United States to support the rapidly developing artificial intelligence (AI) industry. And proposals to construct them in Southeast Alaska have recently cropped up in Wrangell and Petersburg.

While there aren’t any public proposals to build data centers in Sitka yet, city code does not currently include language to address them. So the Sustainability Commission and city staff have proposed updating the city’s zoning code to define and regulate the facilities at the local level. 

At a Planning Commission meeting on October 21, Sustainability Commission Chair Aurora Taylor said they wanted to get ahead of it.

“We are really hoping to establish a pathway for local regulation and local input, so that we don’t end up in a situation where private developers have just built a data center slipped through the cracks because our zoning and general code does not have a clear definition,” Taylor said. “So this is the Sustainability Commission trying to get ahead of these concerns, given, especially in Sitka with hydroelectric, how water use and energy are so interconnected.”

The proposed amendment would allow data center construction only with a conditional use permit. That would make any new proposal for a data center subject to community review, and would require Planning Commission approval.

But at the public hearing, many Sitkans urged the Planning Commission to instead recommend that the local assembly ban them outright. Lisa Sadlier-Hart urged the commission to drop the conditional use section in favor of prohibition.

“They require a tremendous amount of energy. We have a limited amount of energy, and we need to really direct it towards what matters most, and this, to me, doesn’t matter most. We also know that they increase noise pollution horrifically, as well as air pollution, and my other concern is water,” she said. “So I don’t think this is at all a good fit for our community, and I think it would take away from the quality of life that’s in this community, and we need to say no. We need to say it loud, and we need to say it now.” 

Around a dozen Sitkans shared similar sentiments, with concerns about energy and water use, the cost to residents, and the potential impacts to quality of life.

A handful spoke about the potential benefits of data centers and a willingness to be open to the possibilities. Dmitry Rudas discouraged the commission from banning data centers when there are many different uses and applications– he felt those sized to Sitka’s electric loads should be considered.

“The dose makes the poison right? There is a major difference between like a one kilowatt home lab that somebody’s running, which by that definition would still fit the data center aspect of it, You know, between a one megawatt data center and a one gigawatt hyper center, a hyperscaler data center, right?” Rudas said. “The the size makes a huge difference, and that’s why I think we have to be careful about verbiage like banning everything outright, just in name only.”

For the most part, planning commissioners shared the community’s concerns. Margaret Frank said there are still too many unknowns, and was in favor of prohibiting data centers outright, rather than allowing them to be considered under the conditional use process. 

“Because I think, in line with our comprehensive plan, we’ve been prioritizing building housing on land. That’s limited buildable land, and we should avoid sacrificing opportunities to address our housing needs in favor of the data centers,” Frank said.

Commissioner Jacquie Foss said she wasn’t opposed to allowing data centers through a conditional use permit, but until they have defined the parameters for the permits, like energy consumption or impacts to air quality, she said they should press pause.

“I see conditional uses as an opportunity to allow things that may be beneficial to the town of Sitka while denying things that don’t have that same benefit, and I think for things like data center(s), there might be places where there’s they can be a benefit for the community,” Foss said. “But at this time, I don’t know how to address those conditions to ensure that at least we have an idea of it.”

Ultimately the Planning Commission unanimously agreed to recommend defining data centers in city code and prohibiting them in all zones. The commission’s recommendation will go to the Sitka Assembly for consideration at a future meeting.

World Polio Day is October 24. The day aims to bring attention to the eradication of polio. Polio cases have dropped by over 99.9% globally since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, but the viral disease remains in two countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan. Sharon Bergman and Jay Stillwell with the Sitka Rotary Club joined KCAW on the Morning Interview to discuss the disease and how Sitkans can help in the eradication effort. Listen to their conversation here:

Sitka’s tourism manager, Judson Rusk, is launching a new outreach initiative to engage with the community. Rusk joined KCAW for the Morning Interview to discuss the first ‘Sitka Talks Tourism,’ this Friday, October 23 from 4-6 p.m. at Harrigan Centennial Hall. Listen to the conversation here:

Callie Simmons from Sitka Tribe of Alaska’s Resource Protection Department joins KCAW to discuss STA’s upcoming training on home heating oil tanks. Hands-on demonstrations will go over proper maintenance of tanks, how to prevent leaks, and how to deal with spills. The training will take place Oct. 22 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Sheet’ká Kwáan Naa Kahídi Community House, featuring door prizes, spill kits for home, and light refreshments. Listen to the conversation here: