Robert Woolsey

SITKA, ALASKA (2008-09-04) With cooler weather right around the corner, homeowners in Sitka converting to electric heat may face a couple of problems. The first is that some neighborhood electrical services may not be able to bear significantly increased loads, which could result in burnt-out transformers and other costly repairs. The second problem will affect all Sitkans, regardless of how they heat their homes: there may not be enough inexpensive electricity to go around. KCAW’s Robert Woolsey spoke with Charlie Walls about what Sitkans should do to keep electric rates low until there’s more power to spare:

Robert Woolsey

SITKA, ALASKA (2008-09-03) The state of Alaska is throwing in an additional $12-hundred dollars to each Permanent Fund dividend check this fall. The governor pushed for the one-time payout as a form of energy relief to offset the high cost of fuel. While many Alaskans will do just that with the money -- pay fuel bills – others will try to leverage this temporary relief into something more permanent. As part of CoastAlaska’s series on how people are adapting to high fuel prices, KCAW’s Robert Woolsey recently met with a couple of Sitka residents who have made large investments in lowering some of their energy costs: Click on "more" to hear other reports in our series.

Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

SITKA, ALASKA (2008-08-29) Republican candidate John McCain’s announcement of Sarah Palin as his Vice-Presidential pick came as a surprise to just about everyone, including visitors to Sitka, many of whom hadn’t even heard the news until KCAW’s Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock hit the cruise ship dock to ask people from Outside what they thought of the nomination. Many of them had never heard of the Alaska Governor before.

Robert Woolsey

SITKA, ALASKA (2008-08-29) Governor Sarah Palin’s selection as the GOP vice-presidential candidate came as a surprise to most Alaskans – none more so than John Stein, the former Wasilla mayor who encouraged Palin to run for the local council over a decade ago, and was later unseated by her. KCAW’s Robert Woolsey spoke with Stein about how the future governor and eventual vice-presidential candidate got her start in politics: