Author: Ed Ronco

The new Herring Cove to Beaver Lake trail had its grand opening on Saturday. About 50 people showed up to celebrate and watch as the red ribbon was cut. KCAW’s Ed Ronco sends this audio postcard.

The electrical department is working to stay ahead of growing demand in Sitka. Utility director Chris Brewton delivered an energy update to the Sitka chamber of commerce this week (Wed 9-2-09).

A case of the H1N1 influenza virus, also known as swine flu, has been confirmed in a student at Sitka’s Mt. Edgecumbe High School. At least 40 other students at the state-run boarding school are also reporting flu-like symptoms. KCAW’s Ed Ronco reports.

Ed Ronco is the new reporter at KCAW in Sitka. He arrived in Alaska on Aug. 31 after an 11-day road trip in an 11-year-old car. The goal? To complete the trip without needing a mechanic. And as Ronco tells us in this, his first report for KCAW, his father came along on the trip with a goal of his own in mind.

The city of Sitka has hired a historic preservation consultant to update the community’s preservation plan. The document, when completed, should qualify Sitka for a variety of federal and state matching grants for protecting its historic structures and landscape. An interview with Historic Preservation Commission chair Peter Gorman, and consultant Deborah Abele.

A search and rescue team combed Mt. Verstovia Tuesday night (9-1-09) for a possible person in distress, but no one was found. It’s likely that the signals seen on the mountain from several locations around town were not distress calls. However, authorities are still not sure exactly of the source of the pyrotechnics.

About seventy-five Sitkans on Saturday (8-29-01) took part in a face-to-face meeting with a pair of high-level appointees of the Obama administration. The purpose of the all-day session was to explore ways to help sustain a diverse rural economy in the Tongass National Forest.

Two incumbents are running unopposed to re-claim their seats on the Sitka School Board this October. Cass Pook and Tom Conley are both multiple-term veterans on the board. They hope to engage the community the coming year in a conversation about the importance of school funding in a difficult economy. KCAW’s Robert Woolsey sat down recently with both candidates to discuss the issues:

A pair of top officials from the US Department of Agriculture will be in Sitka this weekend. They’ll be gathering information on what the USDA’s Rural Development Agency and the Forest Service can do for Sitkans. The goal of the meeting, which takes place Saturday 10 AM - 3 PM at the Community House, is to explore "new ways for the Tongass National Forest and for the USDA as a whole to support a diversified economy in Southeast Alaska."

Whether you call it “marathon,” “cold water,” or even “naked” swimming, immersing ourselves without any dry- or wet-suit in the frigid Pacific ocean water is something most Alaskans generally try to avoid. Not the case, though, for visiting cold water swimmer Claudia Rose, who completed a challenging swim across Sitka Sound last weekend (8-22-09). KCAW’s Chris Todd reports: