KCAW

On October 26, Sitkans Against Family Violence (SAFV) will host a fall family dinner and dessert auction to kick off a six-week fundraising campaign later this month. SAFV Executive Director Natalie Wojcik and Board Member Cheryl Vastola joined KCAW for the Morning Interview to discuss the event and the work the organization does in the community providing shelter and prevention programs for domestic violence and sexual assault survivors. Listen here:

The theme of this year’s Sitka Whalefest is “Entwined.” It focuses on how intimately we are bound together on our shared planet. The event will feature a science symposium with workshops for students and locals, a marine mammal first responder training, and a Whalefest run. Lina Kapp, Sitka Sound Science Center’s Whalefest administrator, and Tiffany Pearson, Sitka Whalefest director, joined KCAW for the Morning Interview to give a preview of the upcoming festival in early November. Listen to their conversation here:

Actors Bobby Pendleton and Christian Litten joined KCAW for the Morning Interview to discuss Bare Stage Collective’s upcoming three-act, black box theater production of Smokefall on Oct. 17-19 at Odess Theater. The emotional family drama explores family trauma and connection, and includes some mature themes. Listen to their conversation here:

AFS-USA exchange students Abhi Abhinav, Chiara Bonavoglia, and Giorgi Jajanidze joined KCAW for the Morning Interview to discuss their involvement with the international exchange program, their first impressions of Sitka, and their goals as they begin the fall semester at Sitka High School. Listen to the conversation here:

Note: The opinions expressed in commentary on KCAW are those of the author(s), and are not necessarily shared by the station’s board, staff, or volunteers.

Because I believe accurate information is necessary for good decision making, I must push back on a statement made by Chris McGraw on KCAW’s call in-forum for Ballot Initiative 2. From the transcript:

Chris McGraw: “The concept of having what I would call a fiscal note on a citizens initiative … isn’t something that is new. Numerous states require this on state initiatives, and it’s for the purpose of voters understanding what the impact is that they’re voting on.”

Katherine Rose: “So there’s precedent for this in other places?”

Chris McGraw: “There is precedent for this in other places.”

Mr. McGraw is correct that there are 18 states that require a fiscal impact statement, but for statewide initiatives only, – NOT at the municipal level.

But more importantly, completely left out of the narrative, is that in all 18 states the impact statement is prepared by an entity of the government AFTER receiving the initiative petition. The analysis that is provided BY THE GOVERNMENT is then included as part of the initiative petition. NOWHERE is a petitioner required to hire a professional financial analyst and pay for a very extensive impact study at any point in the process! (Google it – Sitka is the only example that comes up). For further information see: https://ballotpedia.org/Fiscal_impact_statement

So, the accurate answer to Ms. Rose’s question on precedent is: “NO. There is no precedent for Proposition 2.” My question for study would be: What is the impact on Democracy when onerous financial costs are levied in order for citizens to be engaged in the shaping of their government? Please vote NO on Prop 2.

Donna Donohoe

Recent storms and landslides across Southeast Alaska are a good reminder to be prepared. Municipal Administrator John Leach joined KCAW for the Morning Interview to discuss emergency management preparedness for Sitkans. He talked about the importance of staying informed, keeping an emergency kit with at least one week of food, water, batteries, and medicine on hand, and making an emergency plan with family, friends, and neighbors. Listen to the conversation here:

I’m writing this from the kitchen table at the Cable House, with rare and treasured autumn sunlight pouring across the room. I can hear News Resident Ryan Cotter on the phone, wrapping up an interview that you’re sure to hear on Raven news tonight at 5:18pm. Alaska Public Media’s Line One Health Connection is on the radio, and Judy just arrived and is getting ready to bring you the best in folk music on Fiddlesticks.

It all feels and sounds very much like business as usual. But today, October 1, 2025, marks the first official day without federal funding for public media – including KCAW. When Congress rescinded federal funding, Raven Radio lost $178,595 this year and next. But you stepped up. Even before the rescission passed, donations began to pour in. New members joined, sustainers upped their gifts, and listeners rejoined or made extra emergency gifts – and the momentum is not stopping.

Every day, your contributions, your calls, and your support in so many ways tells us you want us not to just hold on, but to thrive. You want the excellence, joy, and connection that you count on from Raven Radio to continue.

Your pledge is a promise to us that you will keep standing with Raven Radio. Our promise in return is that when you turn on Raven Radio, you’ll get our best. No matter the time of day or night, we will be here – a voice in the dark, a guide in the storm, a friend when you need one.

We are here for you. And when I say “we,” I really do mean all of us. Not just our dedicated, talented staff – though they are incredible.

Raven Radio is a project of our entire community. It takes volunteers – those whose voices, stories, and songs you hear on air and those working behind the scenes to keep our community calendar, retail store, generators, water heater and so much more running.

It takes a Board of Directors who give generously of their time and wisdom to keep us focused on our mission. It takes local businesses, who support our programming because they value the ways it connects us all.

And it takes you.

As Rich McClear told me when I started: your program starts when the listener tunes in, and stops when they tune out. Every time you turn on Raven Radio, you are a part of it.

The radio you need is not guaranteed. But with you standing alongside us, we’ll be here.

Warmly,

Mariana Robertson

KCAW General Manager

Candidates seeking a seat on the Sitka Assembly gathered at Southeast Resort last week (9/24/25) to discuss local issues and answer questions from the public.  

The two-hour event put on by the Greater Sitka Chamber of Commerce was briefly interrupted by a fire alarm. Despite a speedy evacuation and some chaos, candidates were able to share their views on a wide range of local issues, from how they’d support the local business community to their thoughts on police body cameras.

Five of the six assembly candidates participated in the live program, answering pre-provided questions from the Chamber of Commerce and questions posed by locals. Candidate Tracie Castle did not participate. In contrast to other forums this season that primarily focused on issues like housing and childcare, the chamber also asked candidates how they’d reduce barriers to business development, if elected.

You can listen to Part 1 here:

You can listen to Part 2 here:

Sitka’s municipal election is Oct. 7. You can find more information here.

Comedian Alex Zerbe will perform a family-friendly comedy show in Sitka 7 p.m. Friday at the Sitka Performing Arts Center. Zerbe and Sitka Fine Arts Camp Executive Director Roger Schmidt joined KCAW to discuss the program. Listen here:

While tourists draped in ponchos meander down Lincoln Street, peering through the windows of Sitka’s gift shops and snapping pictures of the famous Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Melissa Lunas and Ariadne Will stand in the middle of a nearby alleyway to photograph a different site: a fairly large pothole.

“It looks like it’s been patched three times, if not four… that’s definitely Fat Pothole Week worthy,” remarked Lunas. Will agreed, remarking that it is “like a whole archipelago.”

As a lifelong Sitkan and a city planner, Will is no stranger to navigating Sitka’s potholes. But as the city began preparing its streets for the harsh winter months, Will noticed a parallel between the work the city does filling potholes and Katmai bears’ weight-gain journey she has followed along for years.

“My grandparents maintain a private driveway, and there’s always a lot of potholes there, and it’s always kind of a journey to get through them and get around them,” said Will. “And I think that felt a little similar to me is the journey of these bears gaining all this weight and eating all these fish and getting prepared for winter.”

After initially sharing the idea as a joke with her coworkers and friends, Will found it actually resonated with a lot of people. After pitching “Fat Pothole Week”  to Lunas, the city’s public and government relations director, in late September, they called for community members to submit their best pothole pics. Then, much like Fat Bear Week, the potholes portraits will face off in a week-long bracket battle. The winner will be the first, but not only, pothole filled by the city’s public works crew. 

Harry Greene is a city street superintendent. Given Sitka’s rainy climate and decades old streets, Greene says it’s an especially susceptible region for potholes.

“Well, the asphalt institute says there’s three enemies to asphalt and pavement,” said Greene. “The first one’s water, the second one’s water, and the third one’s water. So it’s the water we have, it’s these aging roads we have. We have to keep after the potholes that develop.”

When he heard about Fat Pothole Week, he hoped it would incentivize Sitkans to report them.

“We actually rely on people’s complaints to tell us that there’s a problem,” said Greene. “And because we can’t [hear from everybody], we don’t get it all. So [if Fat Pothole Week has] people tell us where there’s a pothole, I think it’s a good idea.”

As the submission deadline draws near, Will is optimistic that Fat Pothole Week will not only give Sitkans a laugh, but remind folks of the role they can play in preserving Sitka’s infrastructure.

“And I think that we’ve built a lot up in this town, and to be able to take care of it is really important,” said Will.

Lunas shares Will’s enthusiasm. She says that while the city often sends out surveys to gauge community interests, they have never done an initiative that connects  their work to pop-culture events, and Fat Pothole Week is getting folks’ attention. Lunas is glad for that, especially because it spotlights the dedicated and often unseen work of Sitka’s streets crew. 

“I would imagine that the community isn’t very familiar with our asset management and how Public Works has schedules for everything that they do, and so this is kind of a fun way to bring that to light a little bit,” said Lunas.

If it proves successful, Lunas believes that Fat Pothole Week could become a Sitka tradition for years to come.  After all, street maintenance never ends, so there are plenty of Alley Archipelagos across Sitka for those with the eyes to see them.

The bracket voting for Fat Pothole Week begins on Sept. 30, and lasts until Oct. 4, with the winner announced on Oct. 5. To vote for your favorite potholes, check out the City of Sitka’s Facebook and Instagram.