Rachel Waldholz, Author at KCAW

ATV rider found dead on Tenakee beach

A 34-year-old Juneau man was found dead on Sunday (5-18-14) in Tenakee Springs, after his ATV apparently flipped while he was riding on the beach.

Blue Lake dam now 75% done

City officials updated the Chamber of Commerce on the Blue Lake hydro project this week. Engineer Dean Orbison reminded the Chamber that Sitka has continued to rely on Blue Lake for drinking water through the construction. But for about two months this fall, the city will have to switch to Indian River.

HPR residents warned of Monday water shut-off

Residents are being warned that because of the road work on Halibut Point Road, water service will be shut off from the Channel Club out to the end of the road on Monday, May 19. The shut-off will last from 8:30 AM to 3 PM, said project manager Mike Ashton, of ASRC McGraw.

Meth, heroin problem ‘hasn’t gotten better’

Detective Kyle Ferguson told the Sitka Assembly Tuesday night that nearly every crime investigated by Sitka police has some connection to drug abuse, if alcohol and marijuana is included. In the past year, abuse of heroin and methamphetamines in Sitka "hasn’t gotten noticeably worse, but it hasn’t gotten better either," he said. "That in and of itself isn’t a good sign."

Assembly approves contract to bottle Blue Lake water

The Sitka Assembly approved a contract Tuesday night with a California company that hopes to bottle water from the Blue Lake reservoir. The contract gives the company, I Water, the right to buy up to 200-million gallons of city water a year. But I Water must start exporting water soon -- or risk losing its water rights.

Sitka budget calls for utility rate increases

It’s budget season in Sitka. On Thursday night (5-1-14) the Sitka Assembly held a work session to hash out the proposed 2015 budget drawn up by city staff. KCAW’s Rachel Waldholz was there, and she spoke with Robert Woolsey about what’s coming down the pike.

‘Never again’

Monday, April 28th, was Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom HaShoah. About thirty people gathered in Sitka’s Totem Square in a light rain as St. Michael’s Cathedral tolled its bells. Residents paid tribute to the victims of the Holocaust, but also remembered more recent genocides, in Cambodia, Rwanda and Bosnia -- and spoke about the struggle to keep the vow that came out of the ashes of World War II: never again.

Legislature approves Blue Lake loan

Just before it gaveled out on Friday, five days late, the Alaska Legislature passed a bill of particular importance to Sitka: Senate Bill 99, which includes language authorizing the city to apply for a low-cost state loan to complete the Blue Lake dam hydroelectric project.

Assembly votes down heat pump rebate

By the end of its meeting Tuesday night, the assembly had decided not to offer rebates for homeowners who install energy-efficient heat pump systems in their homes. But their path to that decision had less to do with heat pumps than with concerns about the city’s long-term electricity use.

Assembly approves Centennial Hall design

The assembly voted 7-0 to approve the architects’ full plan, which includes a new space for the Sitka Historical Museum, larger meeting rooms, and an ambitious overhaul of the building’s exterior, including new landscaping on the hall’s south side.