The City of Ketchikan has been awarded a $3 million grant to improve emergency public safety communications on Revillagigedo Island. The congressional funding was secured by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski in 2024.

The intent of the funding is to evaluate the island’s existing communication system and identify coverage gaps. According to a letter from the Ketchikan Fire Department, the area’s geography, terrain, remote locations and weather “create significant obstacles to maintaining reliable radio communications throughout the island.” The island’s emergency radio equipment is also outdated. 

Fire Chief Rick Hines says each fire department in Ketchikan has their own individual radio setup, and they don’t always communicate well with each other.  

“My goal is just that when the firefighters on the island need to communicate with dispatch or each other on a fire, that they’re able to do so clearly and seamlessly, which are issues that we currently have,” he said.  

Hines said that they’ll work with the island’s fire and police departments to identify strengths and weaknesses in the communications system. Once those are determined, the city will evaluate recommendations for system improvements. That may include upgrading existing radio infrastructure or enhancing its reliability. 

The $3 million grant may not fully cover the cost of assessing or improving the island’s emergency communication network. But in the long run, Hines said the grant could potentially allow the fire department to communicate directly with police or other city agencies. 

“It’ll be a great improvement, and it’ll be big for our safety, just the safety of our members,” Hines said.

The fire department applied for the congressional grant two years ago. The Ketchikan City Council is expected to accept the grant at Thursday night’s meeting.

Hunter Morrison is a Report for America corps member for KRBD. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution.

The post Ketchikan awarded $3M to improve emergency communication system appeared first on KRBD.

A Prince of Wales Island health nonprofit was recently awarded about $275,000 to help develop a mobile health program. That’s a model of care that brings health services, like in-person checkups and disease monitoring, directly to patients. 

The grant funding is part of about $250 million distributed to projects across Alaska through the Rural Health Transformation Program. That’s a federal initiative formed last year that looks to strengthen rural health systems around the country. The program has funded roughly 250 projects in Alaska this year. 

Sandy Curtis is board president of the Prince of Wales Health Network, the nonprofit looking to develop the mobile integrated health initiative. She said the funding will help them research health needs on the island through outreach and partnerships. 

“So at this point, what we are doing is we are just looking to see if this is something that’s even feasible for our island,” Curtis said. “We’re pretty sure it is; otherwise, we wouldn’t have pursued the funding.”

Although they’re still fleshing out how the program will look, Curtis said it could be island-wide. But she said the organization is taking its time to develop the initiative so that it’s implemented in a way that makes sense for each rural community. That will include surveys.

They’re also working closely with Ketchikan’s mobile integrated health program to better understand that model of care. 

“We’re really excited about this opportunity, and we really feel like if we can make this work over here, this is going to really be transformational for Prince of Wales Island, as far as the future of healthcare on this island,” Curtis said.  

Other Alaska communities, like Juneau and Anchorage, have formed their own mobile integrated health programs. The model of care can help reduce strain on limited hospital resources and drive down healthcare costs. 

A number of other Prince of Wales organizations also saw funding through the federal rural health program. Whale Tail Pharmacy, in Craig, was awarded over $300,000 to meet healthcare gaps on the island. And the Ketchikan Wellness Coalition received roughly the same amount to expand health advocacy for Filipino families in Ketchikan and on Prince of Wales Island.

Hunter Morrison is a Report for America corps member for KRBD. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution.

The post Prince of Wales nonprofit to develop mobile health program appeared first on KRBD.

Ketchikan homeless laws provide police more authority

The Ketchikan City Council last winter approved updates to its municipal code that limit where people can sit, lie or camp within city limits. The changes were met with both support and opposition, with some arguing that they could negatively impact the city’s unhoused population.

Derek McGarrigan is the deputy chief of the Ketchikan Police Department. He said the biggest change the department has seen with the new laws is authority to move campsites that are in public. 

“There wasn’t anything enforceable in place to take care of that specific arena beforehand, and that’s where a lot of the frustration was coming from, from community members,” McGarrigan said.

That code change makes it a violation to camp or use camping supplies on city-owned or leased property, including public pedestrian ways, city-owned parking lots, and transit shelters. It was passed alongside two other ordinances: one that limits sitting or lying in public areas, with some exceptions; and another that deals with trespassing and trespass warnings. 

McGarrigan said the new laws have not directly led to an uptick in arrests. There’s only been two related to the ordinances since they’ve gone into effect. And neither of the arrests were related to the camping law, because violators of that law can only be issued citations.  

Instead, McGarrigan said the new laws, specifically the one that deals with camping, have primarily been used as a tool to move trespassers along. Those camping on city property have 72 hours to leave after police contact them. McGarrigan said most people camping on city property who have been asked to leave have been compliant.

The same is true for the law that limits sitting and lying in public areas, which is a misdemeanor if violated and could lead to an arrest. 

“I can’t think of really any off the top of my head, any cases where somebody calls about somebody laying downtown and we go arrest them for laying in public,” McGarrigan said. “Like I don’t think anybody’s had that occur yet.” 

Outside of offering unhoused people a ride elsewhere, which is sometimes to a shelter, McGarrigan said that the police department’s resources to help them are limited. He said that’s where other community services step in. 

But right now, there are just a few shelters for Ketchikan’s unhoused population to turn to. The city’s main homeless shelter closed in 2024. And the local tribe’s temporary winter warming shelter isn’t yet open for the season. 

According to documents from the city manager’s office, the three ordinances were created to “address health, safety, and economic prosperity within the City.” McGarrigan said the police use the new laws on an “as needed basis.”

“The end goal isn’t to take somebody to jail,” McGarrigan said. “I just don’t want people to be overly concerned that that’s all we’re looking to do and that’s all we’re trying to do.” 

McGarrigan said he’s proud that officers have used their discretion to enforce the new laws. 

Hunter Morrison is a Report for America corps member for KRBD. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution.

The post Ketchikan Police Department says new homeless laws lead to few arrests appeared first on KRBD.

Ketchikan’s local tribe was recently awarded a $5 million grant to help develop an addiction healing center north of town. It’s part of about $250 million distributed to projects across Alaska through the Rural Health Transformation Program. That’s a federal initiative formed last year that aims to strengthen rural health systems around the country. 

Alaska’s Department of Health announced the rural funding for over 250 projects around the state on Thursday. The Ketchikan Indian Community’s healing center received more funding than most of the other projects.  

Tribal administrator and CEO Emily Edenshaw said the funding will be used for facility renovations and IT updates. 

“I’m really, really grateful for this incredible gift,” Edenshaw said. “And you know, now the real work begins.” 

The tribe purchased the former Salmon Falls Resort last year after the 11-acre facility was foreclosed on. It’s equipped with a restaurant, boat dock, bunkhouses and guest rooms that can sleep more than 50 people. There’s also space to grow the facility. 

And unlike some tribally-led healing centers, which are only open to tribal members, KIC’s facility will be open to everyone. Edenshaw said the tribe is hoping to start peer support groups at the healing center next year. She said that will be dependent on construction at the facility. 

“We’re just really excited that this gift allows us to really put into action the dreams of our council, as well as several prior council leaders, our tribal leaders, as well as our tribal citizens,” she said.

Edenshaw said the tribe is going to seek more funding from the federal rural health program to further develop the facility. She said the tribe is also working on a website to post information about the center in real time. 

The healing center project received pushback from north end residents earlier this year when the tribe asked to rezone the property. Ketchikan’s borough assembly ultimately approved the rezone request.

The Ketchikan Indian Community isn’t the only local group who received funding through the program. PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center was awarded nearly $7 million to develop robotic assisted minimally invasive surgery. Mobile integrated health units, pharmacies and nonprofits in Ketchikan and Prince of Wales Island also saw funding.

Hunter Morrison is a Report for America corps member for KRBD. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution.

The post Ketchikan Indian Community awarded $5M for addiction healing center appeared first on KRBD.

Communities across Prince of Wales Island have certified their Oct. 6 municipal election results. Most candidates in each election ran unopposed. 

Craig, the island’s most populated community, had two three-year seats open on its city council. Incumbent Josh Bennett and former councilmember Hannah Coats were elected to those seats. 

The city also had two seats up for grabs on the school board. Incumbents Hans Hjort and Ben Page were reelected for three-year terms. 

Nearby Klawock reelected incumbents to its city council and school board. Irving Langmaid Jr. and Rudolph Smith Jr. were each elected to three-year seats on the city council. Cynthia Snook was elected to a one-year seat on the city’s school board. 

Hydaburg had two city council seats and one school board seat available. One three-year council seat is still vacant. Incumbent Toni Bitonti was elected to a two-year seat on the council, as well as a three-year seat on the school board. 

On the eastern side of the island in Thorne Bay, there were two seats open on the city council. Newcomer Kim Redmond was elected to a one-year seat. The candidate who was elected to the council’s open three-year seat was found ineligible to serve due to term limit provisions in the city’s municipal code. The council will appoint someone to serve on that seat for one year. 

Thorne Bay also has a mayoral seat up for grabs. The only candidate who filed to run for that seat is Timber Pesterfield, the town’s current mayor. Because only one candidate filed to run for mayor, there will not be an election. A mayor will be appointed at Thorne Bay’s next city council meeting. 

Hunter Morrison is a Report for America corps member for KRBD. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution.

The post Prince of Wales communities certify election results appeared first on KRBD.

UPDATE 1 p.m. Wednesday 10/21/2026:

Governor Mike Dunleavy issued a disaster declaration Tuesday after a non-fatal landslide severely damaged the Ward Cove electric substation just north of Ketchikan. The same storm that caused the landslide also damaged drains near the city harbormaster’s maintenance building. 

The governor’s declaration activates the state’s public assistance disaster recovery program, which provides grant funding to restore roads, bridges, utilities, and public buildings. All eligible organizations and non-profits that were damaged by last week’s storm can apply for these grants. 

Dunleavy’s disaster declaration comes just a few days after Ketchikan’s city and borough mayors issued a declaration of their own, calling for local coordination and state and federal assistance. Emergency operations personnel and Department of Transportation geologists are assessing the landslide site for safety concerns and slope stabilization efforts.  

ORIGINAL: Ketchikan’s city and borough mayors have issued a joint disaster declaration after a landslide north of town severely damaged an electric substation on Thursday. There were no injuries in the slide. 

The declaration calls for coordinated efforts between the city and the borough, as well as state and federal assistance, to restore Ketchikan Public Utility’s Ward Cove Electric Substation. Severe wind and rain triggered the slide, which damaged buildings, equipment and fencing at the facility. The estimated cost to repair the substation is about $1.6 million.

The city owns the public utility. Kim Simpson, public information officer for the City of Ketchikan, said the declaration is needed, in part, to stabilize the slide area’s slope. She said that was a top city priority listed in a bonding measure recently approved by voters.

“This is a slide where there could be additional, and so that’s the important part: is getting it stabilized, cleared, and then getting equipment and parts sourced and in here so we can get that repaired within the next few months, before the intense cold hits,” Simpson said.  

The public utility rerouted the substation’s power to two other substations following the landslide. Simpson said the slide did not lead to any power outages. 

The city and the public utility can’t afford the estimated cost of repairs on their own. The state has sent emergency operations personnel and Department of Transportation geologists to assess the site for safety concerns and advise on slope stabilization efforts. 

The storm also damaged drains near the city harbormaster’s maintenance building. 

“So there was a collapse into the ocean where that pipe runs, and then it unfortunately also goes under the maintenance building at the harbormaster,” Simpson said. “So we’ll be having to empty and dismantle the harbormaster building.” 

Simpson did not have a timeline of when the harbormaster damages could be repaired. She also did not have an immediate cost estimate for the project.

Ketchikan’s city council and borough assembly are set to ratify the disaster declaration this week with the harbormaster damages.

Last week’s landslide is one of several Ketchikan has seen in recent years. Last year, a rockslide bisected the island’s main highway. And in 2024, a landslide near borough headquarters killed a city worker and destroyed numerous homes. 

KRBD expects updates on the disaster declaration in the coming days.

Hunter Morrison is a Report for America corps member for KRBD. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution.

The post Disaster declaration issued after Ketchikan landslide, storm damage appeared first on KRBD.

Ketchikan’s South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department fire station is back in operation. That’s after a fire linked to faulty apparatus equipment badly damaged the facility and destroyed five emergency vehicles in 2024. 

The rebuild cost $4.2 million and was largely financed by insurance funds. It included stripping the building and modifying it to code. A new sprinkler system was also installed. 

South Tongass Fire Chief Steve Rydeen said they tried to keep the facility about the same as it was before. 

“We have to make sure that we’re prudent with the taxpayers’ dollars,” he said. “So we didn’t do a lot of changes. We just did what we had to for operational needs.” 

The department is made up of mostly volunteers, and is funded primarily through borough dollars, which helped purchase new emergency vehicles. Some were also donated or loaned from communities around the state. 

The department began operating out of the rebuilt firehouse last month. Rydeen said the department was working out of two different facilities during the rebuild. The fire chief and captain were at the White Cliff building in town. 

“You know, you got a couple guys working here and a couple of guys working down there. There’s not as good of communication,” Rydeen said.  

The department is still organizing equipment and furniture. They’ll soon purchase another ambulance with grant funding. 

The South Tongass firehouse was first built in 2008. Rydeen said they’ll have an open house event for the rebuilt facility next month. 

Hunter Morrison is a Report for America corps member for KRBD. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution.

The post South Tongass fire station rebuild complete appeared first on KRBD.

The presentation at Southeast Conference’s economic summit in Ketchikan last week largely compared changes from 2024 to 2025. Job growth was most prominent in the seafood, tourism, private health care and construction sectors, with almost 600 total jobs added throughout the region. Petersburg led the way in job growth, largely because of seafood processing jobs. 

Meilani Schijvens is the owner of the Juneau-based research and consulting firm Rain Coast Data and led the presentation. She said the region’s seen sustained job growth over the last six years.

“This means that not only were we able to erase all the losses that we experienced during 2020 during the pandemic year, we lost nearly 6,000 jobs,” Schijvens said. “They all came back, and we’ve added to them, which means – drum roll, please. We are at our peak jobs ever in Southeast Alaska.” 

The region’s top sector, tourism, accounted for 19% of all of Southeast Alaska’s jobs last year. The industry grew in both wages and employment, despite little increase in visitors to the region. Cruise ship passenger counts in Southeast this year increased by an estimated 10.7%, and is expected to reach over 2 million passengers for the first time next year.

But job growth wasn’t across all industries. Employment declined in the government sector by about 1% last year. Schijvens said that’s a change from the year prior, when employment in the government sector increased.

“Last year, I was so excited because every single form of our five different sectors of government were up,” Schijvens said. “This sector, unfortunately, small declines. But municipal, tribal, federal, and state jobs were down. Coast Guard was up.”

And while overall Southeast job growth was up last year, the region’s population is largely declining. The population fell by about 20 people last year and has decreased by about 4,000 people in the last decade. The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development projects that Southeast will lose about 15,000 residents, or 22% of the region’s total population, by 2055. 

Schijvens said in the last decade, the working age population has declined by 5,700 people, even as total jobs have increased. And the senior population has grown by 4,000 people. Schijvens said this widens the gap between Southeast’s workforce supply and demand. 

“We’ve got more jobs than ever. We’re doing great on jobs, but we just need enough people here to fulfill the jobs,” Schijvens said. “And so the way to do that is non-resident workforce.”  

According to the latest data, 31% of Southeast Alaska’s workforce are non-residents. And seafood processing was the top sector for non-residents. Schijvens said non-residents make about 15% of wages in the region. 

And wages in the region last year also reached a new high, growing by 7% and outpacing inflation. Construction wages grew the most, increasing by 14%. 

And while Southeast Alaska last year built the most housing it’s seen in about a decade, Schijvens said housing is still the region’s number one priority going forward. That’s according to a five-year strategic plan developed by Southeast Conference. Other top priorities include meeting childcare needs and strengthening the ferry system. 

Schijvens said the region also needs to invest in its schools and social services that keep working-age families here. 

“We need to strengthen the local businesses that support our communities,” Schijvens said. “We need to attract new residents and make it easier for young people to return home. And we need to celebrate our quality of life and recreation opportunities.” 

Other priorities listed in the strategic plan include further developing markets for Alaska seafood, supporting local tourism ownership, and reducing energy costs. 

Hunter Morrison is a Report for America corps member for KRBD. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution.

The post Amid declining population, Southeast Alaska sees record job count appeared first on KRBD.

More than a dozen people took to the podium during Monday’s Ketchikan borough assembly meeting to speak in favor of the code change before it passed unanimously. 

Emily Edenshaw is the tribal administrator and CEO for Ketchikan Indian Community. She said the planning commissioner’s comments against the tribe did more than just cause harm. 

“But what troubles me even more is the idea beneath them: that KIC, our tribal citizens, or Native people in general, are somehow a burden on this community,” Edenshaw said. “So let me answer this very clearly – we are not a burden. We are a blessing.” 

Edenshaw went on to say that the ordinance provides accountability. Several members of the civil rights groups, Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood, literally stood in solidarity behind Edenshaw as she spoke. The groups were in Ketchikan for their annual convention. 

The municipal code update stems back to a Ketchikan planning commission meeting on September 15, when commissioner Darlene Dollimont-Svenson said, “how much more do white people have to pay for KIC in this community?” The remark, which was made at the end of the meeting during commissioner comments, followed a vote on a variance request for the tribe’s planned support center for locals facing housing insecurity. That variance was approved by the commission in a 4-1 vote, with D-Svenson voting against. 

Both the borough assembly and the planning commission have publicly condemned D-Svenson’s comments and asked her to resign, which she has not done. According to an information packet from this week’s borough assembly meeting, D-Svenson’s comments “have rendered manifest the need for a defined process for removal of an individual appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Assembly.”

The previous borough code did not provide a mechanism to remove individuals who serve on borough boards, committees, or commissions. 

“I believe it is prudent also for this body to develop a clear policy for addressing situations in which an appointed commissioner fails to meet the basic expectations of the role,” said assemblymember Sharli Arntzen during a September 21 assembly meeting, when D-Svenson’s comment was condemned and resignation was requested. Borough Mayor Austin Otos later called a special meeting to review code changes. 

The code change required two public hearings, and went into effect this week. The new code states that an appointed official can be removed by the borough mayor, with approval of the assembly for “good cause.” According to the code, that means “one based on a showing of unfitness to hold a position of public trust, or a lack of competency or performance to the detriment of the public interest.” An assembly vote to remove D-Svenson from office could occur as soon as the next assembly meeting on October 20. 

If the assembly votes to remove an appointed official, they’ll notify the official and send a notice of decision with an effective date of removal to the body from which the individual is being removed. That person may file an appeal with the borough clerk within 10 days. If that happens, the assembly will hold a hearing within 30 days of the appeal.

Some who spoke in favor of the code change before it passed at Monday’s assembly meeting said it’s not enough. Stephanie Swink Weddle is the president of Sitka’s branch of the Alaska Native Sisterhood. She said she hopes the assembly considers future options so something like this “doesn’t ever happen again.” 

“Everything that we stand for is kind of swept under the rug with statements like Darlene made,” Swink Weddle said. “It is hurtful, it is unconscionable to think that someone in a public position working for the community would say something like she did.” 

Another person who spoke in support of the code change said it’s not going to “help heal these wounds.” Another said government officials should take the time to research racial bias. And a representative of the Alaska Native Brotherhood claims that the commissioner’s discriminatory statement violates civil rights laws. 

In the weeks following D-Svenson’s comments, leaders across the region have come forward to condemn them, including Ketchikan’s city and borough mayors, the mayor of Saxman, House District 1 Rep. Jeremy Bynum and others. 

Hunter Morrison is a Report for America corps member for KRBD. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution.

The post Ketchikan code change allows for removal of borough appointed officials appeared first on KRBD.

Tuesday was Ketchikan’s municipal election, and preliminary results are in. Polls were open most of the day, although some people voted early. 

Residents in city limits voted in both the city and borough election. For the borough, the unofficial ballot count was 2,048 ballots. The city tallied 1,040 ballots. Voter turnout was 21% and 19%, respectively, and includes absentee, special needs and questioned ballots. 

Voters were asked about two ballot measures, one in the borough and one in the city election. Borough voters were asked if they’d like the borough to take over library powers from the city, which would transfer all library operational responsibility and debt to the borough immediately. That failed by a difference of 204 votes.

On the city ballot, voters were queried about spending powers for electric utility upgrades. That initiative, which passed by a difference of 514 votes, will authorize the city to use up to $25 million in bonding authority for these upgrades. 

There were three three-year seats up for grabs on Ketchikan’s borough assembly, and four candidates were running. All three incumbents were reelected, beating out newcomer Tim Montgomery. Dan Ortiz received 1,230 votes, Kathy Bolling got 1,260 votes and Sharli Arntzen 1,130 votes. 

Ketchikan’s school board will see two new members: Frances Klein and Marissa Medford. Klein received 1,051 votes, and Medford received 979 votes. They beat out Vicki OBrien and Rob Holston, and will serve three-year seats on that body.

Ketchikan’s city council will also see a new member. Newcomer Spencer Strassburg received 401 more votes than former city councilmember Jai Mahtani. Strassburg will serve a one year seat on the council. 

There were also three three-year seats up for grabs on the council, and seven people ran for those seats. Incumbents Judy Zenge, Jack Finnegan and Riley Gass were reelected, receiving 550, 522, and 484 votes respectively. They beat out Tommy Haugum, Ashley Snyder, and Michael Fitzgerald. They also won over Sven Westergard, who dropped out of the election after the deadline to withdraw. 

Election results will be finalized on October 20. 

Hunter Morrison is a Report for America corps member for KRBD. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution.

The post Ketchikan’s unofficial election results are in appeared first on KRBD.