Emily Kwong, KCAW, Author at KCAW

Sitka’s City Hall makes case for a secondary water source

Sitka gets 100% of its drinking water from Blue Lake – unfiltered. If that sounds too good...

Cozy up with a bowl of soup for Brave Heart Volunteers

Brave Heart Volunteers are holding their annual fundraiser on Thursday, December 6th at Harrigan Centennial Hall, displaying handmade bowls for sale. All proceeds go towards Brave Heart's services providing end-of-life care.

Living in a Raindrop: Meet the newest family in Elfin Cove, Alaska

Elfin Cove is a fishing destination in the summer, but a a sleepy community of less than a dozen people in the winter. What is it like to be the only young family living there? KCAW met Elfin Cove’s newest residents as the settle in for their first winter.

Assembly reviews hospital process, security upgrades at utility desk

Teams from the City of Sitka and SEARHC will come to the table on December 6th and December 19th to begin joint negotiations over Sitka Community Hospital. But first, they are carrying out a two-way due diligence process. Each hospital is requesting extensive amounts of information from the other to figure out what a deal might look like and eliminate any financial surprises.

November 27th, 2018: Preview of tonight’s Assembly meeting

When the Sitka Assembly meets tonight (11-27-18), they’ll begin with an update on ongoing negotiations between Sitka Community Hospital and the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC). The two hospitals may align next year, with SEARHC buying Sitka Community.

Heated by hot springs, Tenakee Springs Museum tells community’s story

Tenakee Springs, Alaska is a dirt road town with a 10 mile per hour speed limit. Time seems to slow down. Few interactions are in passing. And now, there’s a place where time comes to a complete standstill. During a reporting trip around Chichagof Island, KCAW visited the new Tenakee Springs Museum housing the history of this storied southeast town.

Stedman returns to Senate finance committee chairmanship

Stedman is no stranger to co-chairing the Senate Finance Committee. He served as co-chair from 2007 to 2012 at a time of surpluses for Alaska. He returns in a time of recession. State savings has depleted to $2 billion. While many want to tap the Permanent Fund, Stedman thinks there should be a constitutional protection in place to cap withdrawals at a certain level.

With election of Dunleavy, is climate action team out in the cold?

Two Sitkans were involved with a statewide Climate Action Leadership Team (CALT) this summer, organized by Governor Bill Walker. Their plan now hangs in limbo.

As Sitka’s senior population grows, Assembly weighs in on tax exemption programs

While Sitka’s senior sales tax exemption is back, not all elements of the program are the same. Senior citizens gave the Assembly an earful about this on Tuesday night. The group voted to restore the program to the way it was before. The Assembly also learned more about the city's audit of the senior citizen/disabled veteran property tax exemption program.

November 8th, 2018: What’s happening at tonight’s Assembly meeting?

Issues of concern to Sitka's seniors are a main topic for discussion at the Sitka Assembly meeting tonight. The Assembly will discuss the senior property tax exemption, as well as how the senior sales tax exemption program has been reinstated by the city.