Author: Robert Woolsey

Jason Abbott pleaded not guilty to four counts of murder in the first degree, and to one count of attempted murder in the first degree, during his arraigment in Sitka Superior Court this morning (4-4-08). KCAW's Robert Woolsey speaks with former public defender Don Surgeon about why "not guilty" is a preferred tactic, and why the insanity defense is risky in Alaska.

Mental health professionals believe the homicides in Sitka last month affect people in many ways -- even those who didn't personally know the victims. Our sense of invulnerability -- that crimes like this only happen elsewhere -- was shattered. KCAWs Robert Woolsey speaks with Dr. Cindy Westergaard about how we manage the symptoms of trauma (pt 2 of 2).

The creation of the Ft. Rousseau Causeway State Historic Park in Sitka this week (Tue 4-1-08) solved one long-outstanding set of issues concerning the preservation of World War II history in Alaska. But it also created new questions about how park status for the causeway may threaten possible Native burials on the chain of islands next to Sitka’s airport.

As life in Sitka begins to resume its normal pace in the aftermath of last month's multiple homicides, mental health professionals are concerned about how Sitkans are doing -- from the first responders who actually managed the crisis, to residents who may have had no direct connection to the victims. KCAWs Robert Woolsey speaks with Dr. Cindy Westergaard about how we react to different kinds of trauma (pt 1 of 2).

The Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery wrapped up Monday evening (3-31-08) in a four-and-a-half hour opener that saw seiners land the rest of their 15-thousand ton quota.

Sitka firefighters made short work of a Tuesday morning (4-1-08) house fire on Peterson Street.

Bicyclists in Sitka may find the going a bit easier in the near future, at least during daylight hours. Community cycling advocates have capitalized on their recent success in making Sitka bike-friendly, and soon hope to make it bike-exclusive. KCAW’s Robert Woolsey talked with Bike-Friendly Community Coalition member Doug Osbourne about his organization’s efforts to curb automotive traffic in Sitka -- and statewide -- by next April 1st.

Sitkans celebrated the annual Blessing of the Herring Rock Sunday (3/30) afternoon. Tlingit clan leaders gathered outside the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi to welcome in the herring and celebrate the Tribe’s long cultural history. According to Tlingit tradition, each year herring return to the Rock to spawn. The event marks the beginning of spring and the community’s annual harvest of traditional foods. Blessing the Rock ensures that this cycle will continue. This year, the ceremony represented more than just seasonal renewal. Five days previous, a young man brutally murdered four people in Sitka, three of whom were family members. The homicide shocked the community. The Herring Rock Blessing served as an opportunity for Sitkans, both Native and non-Native, to come together and seek healing from that trauma.

The cruise industry says Alaska's new wastewater discharge permit sets standards that are unattainable. In a news release, the Alaska Cruise Association claims that the DEC's first Large Commercial Passenger Vessel Wastewater General Permit imposes limits on some trace metals so stringent that not even Alaska's land-based wastewater facilities can meet them. An excerpt from an address to the Sitka Chamber of Commerce (on 3-26-08) by Don Habeger, vice president of Royal Carribean Cruises

Alaska Cruise Initiative co-sponsor Gershon Cohen says major polluters must be compelled to clean up their acts. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation has given the industry two years to meet discharge permit standards. Cohen says Alaska voters recognized in 2006 that major industry rarely develops cleaner technologies without regulatory pressure.